Starter amp Headmaster Onkyo’s UK-tuned A-90100 WIN! LuxuryL MSR7 cans integrated leads the way 42 stylish byb Audio-Technica in-ear headphones to be won PASSION FOR SOUND Issue No. 398 June 2015 Back to black Six turntables WIRE-FREE to kick start Bluetooth tunes your groove to your hi-fi Music for all Must-ownMt albums lb on CD, vinyl & hi-res 32PRODUCTS ON TEST: Arcam, Cyrus, NuForce, Pro-Ject, Q Acoustics & Rega PRINTED IN THE UK US$13.99 US$13.99 PRINTED IN THE UK £4.50 JUNE 2015 Dealer delights Mini monitor ThreeTh tailor-madet il d systemst plusl ttheh Scansonic MB-1 standmount specialists putting customers first speaker that’s big on sound “OUTSTANDING... amongst the best” Hi-Fi World - April 2015 HI-RES MUSIC SERVER | PLAYER | STREAMER CD RIPPER | DAC (ESS SABRE 32bit/384kHz DAC) INTERNET & FM RADIO | QOBUZ and more... Store & play all of your hi-res music on one component with up to 4TB ƐƚŽƌĂŐĞ͘ŽŶŶĞĐƚƚŚĞyϰϬƚŽLJŽƵƌĞdžŝƐƟŶŐƐLJƐƚĞŵǁŝƚŚĂƌĂŶŐĞŽĨŶĂůŽŐƵĞ and Digital outputs (including Balanced XLR). Record from Vinyl (in 24bit/192kHz) and radio. Listen to streaming services like Qobuz, take control with your smartphone/tablet and much more... www.sygnifi.co.uk BIGGEST BRANDS, BEST PRICES, EXPERT ADVICE! www.novafidelity.co.uk INTRODUCTION PASSION FOR SOUND Welcome www.hifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 398 June 2015 16 Q Acoustics Flicking through the pages of this 3050 loudspeaker month’s issue shows that the humble LP usurped by CD in the mid-eighties is still very much alive and well. Hi-Fi Choice has always championed the much-loved format alongside new audio alternatives as they arrive, but it’s clear that the vinyl resurgence is reaching new audiences as well as reminding many that had forgotten why they once loved it so. As record sales continue to grow, April saw the format 113 make its biggest comeback so far with the UK’s eighth Black Rhodium Sonata VS-1 Record Store Day making 2015’s event the biggest yet with hardcore fans queuing up early outside local stores to get their hands on the numerous special and limited edition pressings made exclusively for release on the day. But, of course, the headline news is the introduction of a new weekly vinyl albums chart launched by the Official Charts Company following the upturn in sales – see page 79. Turntable brands have wasted no time in tapping into the market, and I reckon there are more decks available now than at any time since the seventies. In our Group Test starting on page 24 we select six bargain-priced models to see how well they spin our treasured records. Whether you’re returning to vinyl after a lengthy hiatus, looking to digitise your albums or discovering the joys of the black stuff and the yearning to get started on the Blur hi-fi track for the very first time, we’re sure to have a 99 The Magic Whip model that’s just right for you. BADGES EXPLAINED Lee Dunkley Editor OUR AWARDS Follow us: EDITOR’S RECOMMENDED: GROUP TEST twitter.com@HiFiChoiceMag facebook.com/hifichoice.co.uk CHOICE: Products that WINNER: Awarded to those we feel meet a Comparative tests products that are high standard of can only have one judged to deliver performance winner, and this outstanding badge says it all! ENTERPRISE HOUSE, ENTERPRISE WAY, performance Blur picture credit: Linda Brownlee credit: Blur picture EDENBRIDGE, KENT TN8 6HF JUNE 2015 3 WIN! Three sets of stylish in-ear headpones p120 Contentshifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 398 June 2015 NEWS & OPINION GROUP TEST 6 Audiofile The latest news on the hottest products Six turntables are from the world of hi-fi coming your way 24 put through their 14 Webwatch paces to see which Essential websites to direct your browser is the king of spin towards for all your hi-fi requirements 69 Letters Put your points of view and queries on audio matters to our team of experts 79 Opinion The Hi-Fi Choice team say it as they see it as they discuss the issues of the day 99 Music Reviews The month’s essential new CD, vinyl and hi-res releases given a work out READER SERVICES 120 Competition We’ve got 14 bundles of three sets of in-ear headphones to give away 122 Reader Classifieds Sell your unwanted hi-fi for FREE here 130 Next Issue The sonic treats to look out for next month FEATURES 64 Insider: Roksan Meet Tufan Hashemi, the man that made a small hi-fi company into a world beater 64 90 Dealer Visit 6 It’s time to head off to London to check out aff ordable setups from Bartlett’s Hi-Fi 94 Labelled With Love Your primer to Hindustani classical music begins with the Music From India series 114 Guide To... Why using a dedicated specialist is the best way to go when buying your system 118 Destination Dorset Meet the owner of the pet food store that 6 100 doubles as a record shop with a diff erence Audiofile: Lotoo PAW Gold audio player Music Reviews: Lead Belly 4 JUNE 2015 CONTENTS JUNE 2015 “Getting advice on how to set up a product can be far more valuable than shaving 56 money off of the price” Cyrus Stereo 200 stereo power amplifier TESTED THIS MONTH Guide to... Buying from a dedicated hi-fi dealer p114 46 Onkyo A-9010 (UK) integrated amplifier 42 Ming Da Piccolo integrated valve amplifier REVIEWS MINI TEST Kit testing Bluetooth adaptors 16 Q Acoustics £35-£90 3050 floorstanding loudspeaker 102 Harman/Kardon 42 Ming Da BTA 10 Piccolo integrated valve amplifier (Exotica) 46 Onkyo 103 Lindy A-9010 (UK) integrated amplifier BTX-50 Audio Receiver Pro 50 FiiO 103 Philips X1 digital audio player AEA2700/12 52 Scansonic 104 Arcam MB-1 standmount loudspeaker miniBlink 56 Cyrus Stereo 200 power amplifier 59 Raumfeld CHOICE EXTRAS Connector 2 digital music hub 107 Clint Digital 60 NuForce Odin wireless speaker DDA120 integrated amplifier 109 Chord Company 52 63 Audio-Technica Sarsen speaker cable ATH-MSR7 headphones Scansonic MB-1 loudspeaker 109 ISOkinetik 88 Garrard Graphite Headshell SP25 turntable (Retro) 110 WychWood Audionics GROUP TEST F3 filter system Turntables £120-£399 113 Black Rhodium 27 Audio-Technica Sonata VS-1 analogue interconnect AT-LP120USBHC 29 Connected Essentials CET-500 31 Numark TTUSB 33 Pro-Ject RPM 1 Carbon 103 60 35 Rega RP1 Performance Pack Philips NuForce DDA120 integrated amplifier 37 Stanton T.62 AEA2700/12 Never miss an issue – turn to p20 for our latest subs offer Lead Belly picture by Dr Richard S Blacher, courtesy S Blacher, Dr Richard by Belly picture Lead Belly Estate and Lead of Smithsonian Folkways JUNE 2015 5 THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS… Gold standard Lotoo introduces its PAW Gold hi-res music player for music on the move PRICE: £1,500 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01903 768910 WEB: HIFIHEADPHONES.CO.UK SINCE SONY’S WALKMAN fi rst hit portable listening devices is getting pro-audio and is best known as a the streets back in July 1979, we’ve ever stronger with a raft of Digital supplier of audio workstations and been obsessed with music on the Audio Players (DAP) and headphones broadcast automation systems. move. The fi rst blue and silver cassette for a life of music and movement. Taking its fi rst steps into the models changed our relationship with Like all things in the world of hi-fi domestic hi-res audio arena, the PAW music forever and instantly turned a the (DAP) market is pretty widely Gold looks set to make a striking train or bus ride to the offi ce or school spread with models at a variety debut. The slightly blingy full-metal into an energising experience that of price points offering different casing is machined from a solid brick could put a smile on faces even on a performance levels and fl exibilities, of what the maker calls aircraft-grade dismal Monday morning commute. and the PAW Gold from Lotoo duralumin and is accentuated with Wind forward to 2015 and the (pronounced low-to) is fi rmly aimed 24k gold elements. It claims a landscape may have changed at the high-end market. As a new scratch-resistant 1.8in OLED screen somewhat, but take a look around brand to UK hi-fi users, Lotoo says it on the front, vital statistics are and you’ll realise our desire for comes from a 10-year background in 60 x 104 x 25mm (WxHxD) and it 6 JUNE 2015 COMMENT RECORD STORE DAY MISSES THE POINT Now that April is well and truly over, we can reflect on Record Store Day 2015. Now in it’s 8th year in the UK, the event has become a fixture of the vinyl lover’s calendar, and it’s easy to see why. Anything that celebrates the black stuff should be heaped with praise. But there’s a growing feeling that it’s having a detrimental eff ect and is getting away from its original goal. Before we start laying into RSD, let’s first look at the good stuff . This year saw a 3.3% percent rise of sales over last year and a 628% increase in vinyl sales on the previous week (April 11). So far, so impressive, but delve a little deeper and it’s no all quite so good news. Record Stores are off ered the ‘exclusives’ that prove so popular by distributors on a ‘firm sale’ basis meaning that they’re not sale or return like normal.