Hydra Z from Audiobyte is a USB audio playback bridge and clock generator whilst the Hydra ZPM is its matching Ultra linear audio power supply. Dan Worth is already a user of the company’s previous model Hydra X+ and most definitely a digital audiophile, so who better to put to put this £1050 combo through their paces. More »
I’ve been a fan of Hopkins’ work for a number of years. The eagle-eyed amongst you will already be aware that Hopkins has previously worked with Coldplay and his track “Light Through The Veins” was reworked into what became the introduction to opening track “Life In Technicolor” from Coldplay’s album ‘Viva la Vida Or Death And All His Friends’. More »
Room treatment is often seen as a dark art a somewhat expensive process. Stuart and Linette Smith try three products from GIK Acoustics including bass traps, acoustic panels and diffusors. 
More »
Clearaudio’s Innovation range of turntables now has a new entry point, the Innovation Basic. Borrowing technology from the three other members of the Innovation family – the Innovation, Innovation Compact and Master Innovation – the new Basic has many features, a bijou form and a more accessible price. It may be at the entry level of the Innovation series, in reality the ‘Basic’ is anything but say Clearaudio: ‘Its design and construction bear all of the key Clearaudio hallmarks: intelligently-selected materials, precision engineering, painstaking craftsmanship and innovative technologies’. The resonance-optimised chassis features Clearaudio’s iconic three-point design with its ‘sandwich’ construction of Panzerholz (a solid, bullet-proof wood) and aluminium. Speed stability is achieved with Clearaudio’s decoupled custom-built high-torque DC motor with their patented Ceramic Magnetic Bearing (CMB) and Optical Speed Control (OSC). CMB allows the dynamically balanced platter to magnetically levitate on an inverted and polished ceramic bearing shaft with polished sintered bronze insert. Meanwhile, an infra-red sensor reads a microscopically-etched strobe ring and sends signals to the OSC mechanism which auto-corrects in real time, consistently maintaining the perfect speed. Two tonearm mounting bases make the Innovation Basic dual tonearm capable, while fine height adjustment allows for precise levelling of the turntable on any surface.
The Innovation Basic is available with a choice of finish options. The chassis’ Panzerholz wood layer can be natural or black-lacquered, while its aluminium layer can be silver or black. The platter is available in either clear acrylic or black high-density POM.
Pricing and availability
The Clearaudio Innovation Basic turntable is available now. Prices (including VAT).
Clearaudio Innovation Basic Wood £3,400
Clearaudio Innovation Basic Black* £3,550
* The ‘Black’ price refers to finish options in which the Panzerholz wood layer of the chassis is black-lacquered. All other finish options (including those with black aluminium chassis layers and/or black POM platter) are priced as per ‘Wood’.
Specialist UK Distributor Sound Design Distribution Ltd has signed a UK distribution deal with Mola-Mola. Mola-Mola is the brainchild of Bruno Putzeys, “he wunderkind of Class-D technology” originator of Universal class-D (UcD) in 2001 while at Phillips and as chief tech guru at Hypex, responsible for the development of its game-changing NCore Class-D amplifier technology. 
Presented in strikingly distinctive rippled all-aluminium enclosures the ‘Makua’ Control Amplifier, complete with modular DAC and phono options, and ‘Kaluga’ Monoblock power amplifiers will be the first Mola-Mola designs to be made available to UK audiophiles through Sound Design Distribution Ltd.
The Makua is a fully balanced gain stage and routing matrix, accommodating optional DAC and phono stage modules and programmable via a dedicated App through USB or Bluetooth to access any combination of channel, processing and routing. Via the phono stage option for instance, vinyl-lovers can connect up to five turntables and program the settings individually for each. All five inputs are switchable between XLR and floating RCA connections, and all can be assigned as either phono or line.
All stages in the Makua employ discrete amplifier modules using a little known topology called “single-ended driven differential”, which prevents noise from propagating all the way through to the outputs (paralleled for bi-amping). The relay-based volume control directly controls the gain of the output stage.
Based on Bruno Putzeys’ Ncore technology the Kaluga amplifier uses a circuit from Mola-Mola derived from the Hypex NC1200 amplifier, featuring an audiophile layout of short, isolated signal paths and eliminating board-to-board connectors in favour of star-quad cables soldered directly to the circuit board. The input stage on a separate circuit board uses the same discrete buffers as those found in the Makua pre-amplifier. The redesigned output filter uses monolithic capacitors.
The DAC from Moma-Mola has been designed from the ground up using circuits and digital algorithms developed entirely in house. The converter is a three board stack that fits in one of the option slots in the MAKUA preamp. On the first board, all incoming digital audio is upsampled to 3.125MHz/32 bits and converted to noise shaped PWM. The two remaining boards are mono DACs, in which a discrete 32-stage FIR DAC and a single-stage 4th order filtering I/V converter convert the PWM into analogue with a 140dB SNR. This is near the theoretical limit for 24-bit files and far beyond that of even quad-speed DSD.
A standalone version of the Mola-Mola DAC is in the final stages of development
The RIAA add-on for the MAKUA Preamp has MC/MM input stages are optimised for current noise and voltage noise respectively.
Unlike the more common arrangement of MC head-amp feeding the MM stage, the two stages are fully independent, realising an equally short signal path for both. Input gain is switchable in 5dB steps over a 40dB range. Input resistance and capacitance are individually switchable. Available EQ settings cover practically all known cutting curves ever used, including most 78RPM.
UK retail price (inc VAT):
Makua – £7,299; Kaluga (each) – £4,999; DAC board for Makua – £3,999; Phono stage for Makua – £1,699
Availability: September 2016
McIntosh Group, formerly Fine Sounds, has been launched.
McIntosh Group is the parent company of six luxury audio brands – Audio Research, McIntosh, Pryma, Sonus faber, Sumiko Subwoofers and Wadia. They say that their group represents ‘an unparalleled assemblage of performance audio brands each with its own unique history, distinctiveness and reverence from their longtime customers’. The McIntosh Group continues with ‘the aim of making recordings generate all the excitement of live music’.
Hifi Pig heard about a young guy and audiophile in the USA, Ricky Sterling. Ricky’s story really touched us. This young man has been a paraplegic nearly his whole life after falling from a 6th floor window when he was just 2 years old. Since 2009, Ricky’s insurance have only been able to supply him with a very non-manoeuvrable, hospital type wheelchair that is not suited to his needs, this makes his life uncomfortable and difficult to say the least. Add to that the fact that the tyres are now coming off his chair and you can understand how this is impacting on Ricky’s life.
Ricky is trying to raise money to buy himself a new chair and Hifi Pig wanted to help. We are aiming to raise £3000 to go towards his new chair, which will cost 4500 US$. To do this we are having a raffle! Those lovely people at Kralk Audio have donated a pair of their BC-30 FL loudspeakers in Statement Silver Oak and the equally lovely Tellurium Q will complement these with a pair of their Black speaker cables up to 2.5m in length.
UPDATE:
Great news, fabulous folk, The Chord Company, have just donated a £600, 1.5m Signature Array Power Cable as a prize! This will be given as a separate prize to the speakers and cable. The cable will be terminated with whichever plug fitting you need.
It costs £5 for each entry, so if you donate more then you get more chances to win! Please donate in multiples of £5 and then share your donation on the Hifi Pig facebook page.
In the event of us raising more than Ricky needs for his chair, we will send any extra money to UK charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.
We sincerely hope you will help us, enter the raffle and share this on your social media channels.
Many thanks,
The Hifi Pig team.
Gang of Four have always been exciting to watch live: edgy, unpredictable, appearing to threaten to dissolve into chaos and yet never losing the tightness, funkiness and angularity that is the hallmark of their sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=81dy81klF8s
During a year spent touring the world, Gang Of Four recorded two of the greatest of their shows.
The band filmed their sold-out show at New York’s Irving Plaza which will be available as a DVD or download. They also recorded their penultimate show of 2015, at London’s Islington Assembly Hall. This will be available as an audio CD, double coloured vinyl album and download. The DVD will be packaged with the CD.
The set list of each show brings together a catalogue spanning more than 35 years, from ‘Damaged Goods’ (released on the band’s 1979 debut album ‘Entertanment!’) right up to ‘Where TheNightingale Sings’ from the current 2015 studio album ‘What Happens Next’. The first live Gang of Four record since 1984’s ‘At The Palace’, ‘Live…In The Moment’ captures the taut, punchy energy of Gang of Four live and at their very best.
Taga Harmony have added a bookshelf speaker to their Azure v.2 series. Azure B-40 v.2 are bookshelf speakers ideal for rooms up to 25 sqm and, Taga say, “easily driven by virtually any amplifier”.
Specifications
Design: 2-way, 2 drivers, Bookshelf speakers, Front double bass reflex port, wall mounts, crossover point 2kHz, TLIE Enclosure.
High-Frequency Driver: 25mm (1”) TPTTD-I, TPAF
Bass / Midrange Driver: 165mm (6.5″) Polypropylene, TDSC
Recommended Amplifier Power: 20 – 140W
Frequency Response: 40Hz – 40kHz
Impedance: 6 ohm
Sensitivity: 88 db
Dimensions (H x W x D): 36 x 21 x 25.3 cm
Weight (net) 13.8 kg pair
The speakers come with a matt black front panel and are available in walnut, black and wenge finishes and are priced at 270€ a pair.
Japanese cable and accessories manufacturers Furutech have added to their range of static charge eliminators with the new SK-Filter, conveniently designed to remove unwanted static build-up from the surface of records as they play. It’s an unfortunate fact that as vinyl records spin on turntables, friction with the air causes them to constantly gain a static charge. In fact, a record’s level of frictional static electricity can reach up to anywhere between 3,000V and 20,000V. Enter the audiophile’s arch enemy: electro-static noise interference, with its compromising effects on sound quality.
Furutech’s new SK-Filter solves the problem ‘in situ’. As the record spins on the turntable, this neat little device gets to work sending static electricity packing. The SK-Filter uses a patented material, Thunderon®, which consists of a very fine acrylic fibre chemically bonded with copper sulphide. The resulting conductive filament has the ability to discharge static electricity into the air whenever static-charged material approaches – so the SK-Filter’s fibres do not need to touch the record. Rather, they are positioned a millimetre or two above the record’s surface thanks to an easy-to-use stand which is fully adjustable to complement a wide range of turntable set-ups. In developing the SK-Filter, Furutech’s audio design team undertook their usual process of research and development. Thunderon® was crafted into a thread-like material, strands of which were then knitted together to form the brush’s fibres. The precise combination of fibre length, quantity and density specifically required to effectively eliminate static from the surface of a record was exhaustively tested to identify the perfect balance. Their goal? Silence. In eliminating surface static, the SK-Filter reduces the noise floor, allowing you to enjoy listening to music on vinyl with full resolution.
Pricing & availability
The Furutech SK-Filter LP static eliminator is available now priced at £350 (including VAT).
Custom Cable has changed its name to Audio Sanctuary and has introduced a host of improvements to both its in-store (New Malden, Greater London) and online shopping experience. Along with the name-change comes an all-new website, a bigger and better in-store experience, plus new brands and product lines, all of which are available 24/7 online. Consumers will still be able to enjoy one of the UK’s widest range of demonstrable headphones, Custom Cable’s customer service (now under Audio Sanctuary), plus an unrivalled accessories range. The retailer has improved its in-store experience, with additional rooms in which to discover the new product ranges.
The new Audio Sanctuary offers more choice, more space, plus an even better shopping experience whether shopping in-store or online. Audio Sanctuary also offers repairs and can even refresh existing headphones. A worldwide provider for Sennheiser, the retailer can access parts and spares for most major brands, from Shure to Audeze, to Beyerdynamic and B&W. Audio Sanctuary is also the main retailer behind London’s headroom show and headroom at Indulgence.
You may remember that we had a sneaky peek at the Cyrus Lyric back in September 2013, at the Paris hifi show. Well look what arrived for us today, a rather superbly boxed Lyric for us to play with. Its an all-in-one DAC/CD player/streamer/amplifier/radio for people who want audiophile quality from a single box and it looks rather fabulous too. More »
“The Bespoke Audio Company is proud and delighted to announce our new partnership with KJ West One of New Cavendish Street, London, W1” the company’s latest press release proclaims. 
KJ West One is one of the most famous audio retailers in the world, we visited there a month or so ago to seer the launch of Chord Company’s Music cables. Its position at the heart of London’s West End offers the ideal location to sample their exceptional range of the finest components in high-fidelity audio reproduction.
To mark their collaboration, they are planning a special event on the 21st September 2016 from 6pm at KJ West One.
Bespoke will present their pre-amplifier in their extraordinary sounding, beautiful looking demonstration facility together with some of the most desirable audio equipment available. They’ll discuss the concept and the philosophy behind the company and their products and will be able to answer any questions guests may have.
To demonstrate one of the processes behind the product, they will bring their transformer winding machine to show how they make the custom components which are at the heart of the pre-amplifier.
Refreshments will be provided and guests will be invited to sample some local ales, wines and cheeses made in, or near to, their home town of Hastings on the south coast of England.
Now in its 81st year, Quad has been making valve amplifiers for home use since the late 1940s. The company’s latest model, the VA-One, brings the concept bang up to date; a compact integrated amplifier that fuses Quad’s traditional valve-based audio expertise with modern digital audio streaming.
With a footprint measuring just 18x33cm, the VA-One is very compact for a stereo valve amp – sufficiently small to sit comfortably on a desk.
Three digital audio inputs – optical, coaxial and asynchronous USB – support data up to 24-bit/192kHz, and an RCA-phono input gives the option to connect an analogue source like a CD player or a turntable (when used with a suitable phono stage). In addition, those who enjoy the freedom of wireless connectivity can pair smartphones, tablets and computers via Bluetooth, with support for the sonically superior aptX codec.
The preamp section incorporates an ECC83 high-impedance triode, feeding an ECC82 twin triode driver and phase splitter stage. The output stage uses two EL84 pentodes per channel in push-pull configuration, delivering 2x15W.
External styling is classically Quad, finished in traditional ‘Lancaster Grey’. The amp’s front panel sports a smooth-acting volume control incorporating a motorised potentiometer, allowing adjustment via the supplied remote control, together with a headphone output and controls for input selection and Bluetooth pairing.
The Quad VA-One integrated valve amplifier is available from mid-August, priced at £1299.95 (RRP). It joins the similarly styled PA-One headphone amp in Quad’s expanding ‘One’ range of valve-based amplifiers with integrated DAC circuitry.
The £5995 Leema Acoustics Libra is both a DAC and a preamplifier with a plethora of inputs that should be ample for anyone. Dominic Marsh gets to grips with it for Hifi Pig. More »
Danish manufacturer DALI has developed a series of terminated loudspeaker cables to complement their speakers. Dubbed DALI CONNECT, there are four loudspeaker cables in the line-up (including a bi-wiring option), each variant being available in mechanically tuned two, three and four metre lengths. Each of the cables is fitted with carbon-cased cable splitters that physically separate the terminations to avoid accidental shorting. The terminations comprise corrosion-resistant rhodium-plated banana plugs, encased in the same carbon material as the splitters. A mechanical twisting mechanism expands the plugs’ centre-pins to make a tight, secure connection with amplifier loudspeaker terminals. A distinctive mesh outer jacket over a PVC inner jacket provides the finishing touch.
DALI SC RM230C – High Definition Speaker Cable
Incorporating an impressive 74 strands of 3.0mm2 OFC (oxygen-free copper) wiring, the SC RM230C combines concentric stranding with insulating materials with low dielectric properties, to ensure a low-resistance, low-distortion and well-shielded path for audio signals. Each concentric conductor bundle is individually shielded in polyethylene (PE) and, by twisting the conductor bundles around each other in layers and by changing the direction of the conductors in each layer, we ensure that every layer is tightly gripped. This arrangement forces every strand in the conductor to be closely packed together, minimising microphonic effects while maintaining flexibility.
DALI SC RM230S – Absolute Clarity Speaker Cable
Like the RM230C, this version also uses PE insulation but here each of the 74 individual strands of copper wire used are now silver-plated to help improve performance in the ultra high frequencies.
DALI SC RM230ST – Ultra Transparent Speaker Cable
The flagship cable takes the RM230S formula and elevates it to yet another level by replacing the standard PE conductor insulation with a high-purity, inert FEP (Foamed Polyethylene) type and a PE outer layer.
PRICING (SRP)
SC RM230C: 2m – £269, 3m – £299, 4m – £329
SC RM230S: 2m – £309, 3m – £359, 4m – £409
SC RM230ST: 2m – £349, 3m – £399, 4m – £449
SC RM430ST: 2m – £539, 3m – £599, 4m – £679
French manufacturer Trinnov claim that ‘The ST2-HiFi is today’s most advanced stereo processor, room optimizer & DAC. It offers Trinnov’s patented loudspeaker/room optimization technology in a package specifically customised for hifi enthusiasts.‘ We are looking forward to putting it through it’s paces! Have a look at what is in the box…review to follow. More »
A very smart cuboid package has just arrived at Hifi Pig Towers, looking forward to having a play with this, especially as it promises everything the Mu-So has and more bass….pass the Hardfloor, I feel a sub bass test coming on!
While you are waiting for the review, have a look at what John Scott thought of the original Naim Mu-So, earlier this year. More »
Spiritland, opening in September in King’s Cross, London is “a world first music-led concept built around the best sound system in the world – a one-off, exceptional creation playing original, in-depth musical programming day and night. It’s all about the music, the artist and the listening experience.” It sounds like our kind of place with a well stocked bar, a restaurant, a shop selling audio accessories, headphones, CDs and records plus a radio station featuring analogue and digital equipment.
The high end system has been put together by Kevin Scott of Living Voice and Definitive Audio and features bespoke Living Voice horn loudspeakers, which are being finished as I write this, paired with valve amplification from Italian manufacturers Atelier du Triode. While the system will be playing music of all genres all day and every day, at 6pm each week night an album will be played in it’s entirety on the Kuzma Stabi XL2 turntable. The Spiritland rotary mixer is built by Isonoe, a London-based company who hand build unique mixers and modify turntables for some of the most in-demand DJs.
The Formula DAC is the first in the aqua – acoustic production to show a proprietary D/A conversion system, that they have named Optologic DAC. This conversion system follows the same multibit technology (already used in the previous DACs such as La Voce and La Scala) but with a discrete R2R resistors ladder instead of Burr Brown PCM1704 dacs. 
Galvanic and magnetic isolations are implemented between the FPGA and the four branches of the R2R ladder converter. This creates complete isolation of all digital circuitry – including the clock – from the analogue section for a pure clean ground plane. It also plays the main role in the differential management of the R2R ladders, “achieving perfect symmetry between the counter-phase halves”. 
The Formula Dac uses no digital filter or any other compensation, relying instead on attention to each sub circuit. The analogue and digital power supplies are executed purely discretely by extensive use of BJT, Mosfet, Jfet and ultra-fast diodes. Passive parts were selected not just for the best sonic result but also for their top quality, longevity and reliability. With the exception of six superior quality electrolytics, all other caps are Tantalum, solid-polymer OS-CON and double-metalized MJP. The signal path itself is direct-coupled and free of all capacitors. The two output stages (one single-ended, one transformer-coupled balanced) use discrete BJT and JFet with metal-film resistors. All the electronics parts show an ultra low RF noise.
Designed by Arcam’s founder and Class-G design Guru John Dawson, the new Arcam rHead is a discrete true-linear Class-A analogue headphone amplifier, built for the highest possible performance and to outperform competition at anywhere near the affordable price, says the company’s latest press release.
Arcam say the the rHead is “ultra-low-distortion, ultra-low-noise and totally musical. Timing is fast and precise, with well-controlled bass and although the output is very wide-band, the extended treble is smooth and flat with no artificial exaggerations. Dynamic headroom is massive and all headphones we know of are handled with ease”.
– Class A design delivers zero crossover distortion for the purest sound.
– Extensively optimised 2 layer fibreglass PCB for cleanest sound and lowest crosstalk
– Multiple low noise power supplies eliminate cross-interference between sections
– Fully direct coupled signal path from the volume control for cleanest bass
– Ultra-linear resistive-ladder analogue volume control, eliminates L/R volume tracking errors
(taken from Arcam’s $6000+ flagship A49 amplifier)
– Precision metal film resistors in the signal path for lowest distortion
– Phono socket and balanced XLR inputs
– 3.5mm and 6.25mm headphone outputs
– Output impedance <0.5Ω eliminates frequency response errors
– Enough power to drive the least-efficient headphones
Other Bullet Points
– Very high build-quality
– Die cast metal case for mechanically stable structure
– World-class analogue circuitry
– Vibration damped non-slip rubber base
Frequency response – 10Hz – 20kHz / +/- 0.1dB 20Hz–20 kHz
There has been a lot going on in the hifi universe, just in case you missed anything, here’s a round up of what went on in July:
Burson Announce Noir Edition Conductor V2+ Headphone Amplifier/DAC/Preamplifier
MQA Announce Mike Jbara as CEO
Schiit Audio Have Introduced Modi Multibit DAC
Avid Hifi Announce Reference Four Loudspeaker
Goldmund Launches A Support Centre In Taiwan And Restructures Its Distribution In China
Iota QT Ultra-SP Turntable & Satori Tonearm
MUTEC Announce Firmware Update For MC-3+ Smart Clock USB
Meze 11 Neo Available For Pre-order
Mark-Levinson № 526 Dual- Monaural Preamplifier At Karma-AV
Nelson Pass’ First Watt Introduces New F7 Power Amplifier
Harmony Interconnect By Black Rhodium
New Flagship IEMs From Noble Audio
Electromod Introduces Next-Generation of MrSpeakers ETHER Flow Headphones
Absolute Sounds To Distribute dCS Audio Equipment In UK
Cambridge Audio Offer Free Google Chromecast
Burson Announce New DAC, Headamp, Preamp
Timestep Modified Technics 1200 GAE
Special Edition Stenheims At Montreux Jazz Festival
New Hifi Shop Opens In Liverpool
Chord Announce Shawline With Tuned ARAY Tech
Dates For North West Audio Show 2017 Confirmed
North West Audio Show 2016 Highlights – Ian Ringstead
Autonomic Unveils New Features For Mirage OS Firmware
Essential Install Live! South 6th And 7th July 2016
iota audio design Revamp Phono Stages
Black Rhodium Release Rumba And Salsa Loudspeaker Cables
Roon Server Now On QNAP And Synology
Double Tap Audio, officially launched their Kickstarter mid-July to officially sell and distribute their handmade Double Tap R1 headphones with the goal of raising $9,000 by Aug. 18, 2016.
Each pair is handcrafted with the use of modified 40 caliber brass bullet casings. Including rare earth magnets and multi- layer cording to create durable tangle free headphones.
By pledging $55 or more to the Double Tap Audio Kickstarter backers will be the first to receive a pair of Double Tap R1 headphones, once fully backed.
All suppliers are lined and ready to ship then begins assembly preparation. Once the Kickstarter is officially backed assembly is expected to begin in Sept. and all backers with a pledge of $55 or more will receive their headphones by Dec. 2016 at the latest.
All products are assembled in Southern California. Every pair is tested by the maker before being shipped to assure customer satisfaction as well as a quality product.
Randy May, creator of Double Tap audio designed the headphones for durability and comfort to overcome the struggle of finding quality headphones for every day wear.
Darrell will be based at IAG’s global headquarters in Shenzhen, China and will focus on strengthening the team and brand portfolio worldwide.
Commencing on the 1st August, Darrell brings more than 20 years of audio industry experience as he moves from a senior role within Armour Home Electronics, where he has been integral to the company’s growth for the past 17 years.
Since 1996, Darrell has led the setup and development of Armour Asia. This Hong Kong-based subsidiary has been essential to Armour’s growth across the Asia-Pacific region, while it also serves as a centre to streamline manufacturing, logistics and procurement.
Darrell’s experience will help to maximise the efficiency of IAG’s internal operations, including the company’s state-of-the-art 400,000 sq. metre manufacturing facility in Jiang Xi Province, China. He will also play a key role in developing IAG’s product portfolio, while raising brand awareness on a global scale.
Darrell commented, “I am looking forward to working with the fantastic team and world-class brands that IAG has within its extensive portfolio and look forward to meeting everyone. I am excited that I will be part of this fantastic group of brands and honoured that I will be integral in supporting the existing team in energising the strengths of the brands and people within IAG to drive competitiveness in today’s rapidly evolving audio climate.”
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