September 2012
In This Issue...
Editorial By Noel Keywood

 

  The High End Show in Munich, Germany, is aptly named. A huge show spread over three vast halls, the price tags dangling from gleaming products take my breath away. How about €120,000 for a Transrotor turntable?  Germany and Switzerland seem able to support this market, but we rarely see such high-end glamour in the U.K. Well, now one of Germany’s more celebrated manufacturers, Burmester, has entered the U.K. and in this issue we review their top 032 amplifier, shipped to us direct from the factory in Germany, glistening in all its glory on our front cover and p12-15 of this issue. European high-end arrives in the UK.

An amplifier of a very different kind, an Onkyo TX-8050 stereo receiver also gets close attention from us this month. Network connected and Spotify equipped the TX-8050 is packed with features – and the level of ability we’ve come to expect from Onkyo. It’s sort of an AV receiver, but without AV! See what Paul Rigby thinks about it on p16-19.

Digital HD sound – offering better quality than CD – continues to make the running in today’s market place. But digital was born into criticism and controversy and top recording engineer Tony Faulkner tells us about its drawbacks on p26-29, speaking to Rafael Todes of the Allegri String Quartet. It isn’t all bad news of course. Modern digital is going places and together Tony and Rafael explore the issues.

Rafael insisted we review the Rega DAC that, somehow, we have missed. He compares it with the admired Metrum Octave reviewed last month. It’s an interesting piece of technology and great Rega value as always.

In our section for vinyl spinners Tony Bolton sneaks in a mono moving coil cartridge from Benz Micro of Switzerland, to better listen to his Ray McVay (he won’t admit to that!). And Adam Smith sates his hunger with a dual motor EAT E Flat turntable, complete with flat arm!

In all then, this month’s Hi-Fi World is as varied and eclectic as ever. I hope you enjoy it.

 

--- Noel Keywood, editor.

 

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