JULY 2016 WWW.HIFINEWS.CO.UK THE HOME OF REAL HI-FI Exclusive MartinLogan’s Neolith – next gen hybrid speaker V IN Y L I C O W N N N E I R V E PRINCE PURPLE RAIN Ayre Codex ‘Thoroughbred Pono’ headphone amp/DAC Rogue Audio The ‘mixed tech’ amp Massive monos PS Audio BHK 300 Signature One stop vinyl shop T+A G 2000 R all-in-one turntable Pioneer SE-Master 1 Top-flight ‘hi-res’ headphones NEW SERIES Meet the Producers Rick Rubin rewrites the rules, p86 THE hi-fi • PLUS 18 pages of music • VINYL RE-RELEASE Neil Young’s Everybody... on 180g UK £4.99 US $13.00 Aus $12.99 SHOW • OPINION 12 pages of comment • VINTAGE Sony’s diminutive D-88 CD portable tobeer 29-30th Octob • SHOW BLOG Munich’s High End • READERS’ CLASSIFIEDS Hi-Fi bargains galore See p17 M6 ENCORE 225 Intuitive Operation, Huge Connectivity, Internal 1TB Upgradeable Hard Disc Drive The Encore 225 is a complete audio solution allowing you to keep all your music in one place. It accepts almost any conceivable analog or digital audio source. Experience it for yourself at your local Musical Fidelity dealer. ZZZPXVLFDOÀGHOLW\FRP CONTENTS VINYL & RECORD REVIEWS NEWS AND OPINION 76 Classical Companion 13 Welcome For this month’s guide to classical A message from the editor music Christopher Breunig brings 14 News 16 JULY you his pick of the recordings by Magico unveils fl oorstander with Italian conductor Claudio Abbado M-Project DNA, sub-£1k anniversary 78 Vinyl Release Pro-Ject turntable, Essence MC from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Clearaudio, rebirth of the Cyrus 1 was Neil Young’s fi rst LP with the 17 Hi-Fi Show Live 2016 band Crazy Horse. Steve Sutherland Early preview of our October show hears the 180g vinyl Rhino reissue 18 Show Blog 80 Vinyl Icon IMF, Hafl er, Dynaco... Ken Kessler Prince blazed a trail across stage reports from Munich High End 2016 and screen in the 1980s. We pay where revived marques shared tribute to the sadly departed star space with prototypes of tomorrow with the story of Purple Rain 26 Investigation 86 Meet The Producers 46 T+A G 2000 R Keith Howard digs deeper into the Steve Sutherland continues his Turntable package offers a choice of subject of headphone headband series on the kings of the console arms and cartridges plus the option resonance with a look at electrical with US producer Rick Rubin of a built-in phono stage to boot crosstalk in unbalanced designs 92 Music Reviews 50 Denon DCD-2500NE 103 Opinion Our selection of audiophile LP ‘Analogue mode’, DSD-capable DAC, Insider comment on the audio and hi-res downloads reviewed by AL32 processing... follow-up SACD topics of the day from Paul Miller, our specialists alongside the latest player to 2010’s DCD-1510AE is a hit Keith Howard, Barry Fox, Jim Lesurf, rock, jazz and classical albums 54 Rogue Audio Sphinx v2 Steve Harris and Barry Willis US company uses tube and Class D 112 Sound Off DEFINITIVE PRODUCT REVIEWS tech to create an integrated amp A reader’s update on BBC streaming, promising the best of both worlds vintage amp values, reviewing 32 MartinLogan Neolith 58 PS Audio BHK Signature 300 balanced versus unbalanced Why this fl agship electrostatic with Yes, it’ll blow the doors off, but this headphones, plus speaker distortion built-in bass drivers is the perfect hefty fl agship hybrid power amp can 138 Off The Leash example of a hybrid that works sound deft and delicious too... This month Ken Kessler ponders the 38 Leema Acoustics Elements 62 Unison Research SH appeal of obsolete hi-fi , prompted Pre-Amplifi er/Monoblocks Italian company’s fi rst dedicated by the appearance of a new sub for Compact and priced to appeal – a headphone amp uses single-ended a long out-of-production speaker fi ne philosophy but can these amps triodes and packs a DAC. We listen stand out in a tough market sector? 66 Pioneer SE-Master1 42 Ayre Codex Can these big-ticket headphones with Headphone amp, standalone DAC, Hi-Res Audio credentials please rock digital preamp... all-in-one add on fans and classical buffs alike? from the makers of the PonoPlayer 70 Pro-Ject DAC Box DS2 ultra USB DAC handles DSD256 and offers user-selectable digital fi ltering. One for the shopping list at £499? VINTAGE 118 Vintage Review How does the classic kit of yesteryear measure up today? We test the Sony ABOVE:ABOVE: A look at headband D-88 portable from 1988, which is resonance in headphones still the smallest CD player ever made with a common earth 124 From The Vault wiring, p26 This month fi nds us deep in HFN’s vast BSCRIBE! archives as we return to April 1957 to SUBSCRIBE! bring you a contemporary account of the making of an audio valve Sp ri LEFT: Like the PonoPlayer, the Codex DAC/ SaveThree money issues and for get just your £3! headphone preamp uses an ESS9018 DAC, p42 copy delivered direct!See Seepage p90 685027 JULY 2016 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 3 Xs - a new standard from Pass Labs Xs 150: “Infinite smoothness in all registers. Unheard of power and authority. Control during the softest passages. I am speechless. I honestly never expected this dramatic an improvement. Absolutely a masterpiece.” Distributed by Select Audio Tel: 01900 601954 www.selectaudio.co.uk www.passlabs.com Criterion Audio is a premium hi-fi dealer in Cambridge. 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"(% ;*5.;,18:-,8=4 JUL/16 RIGHT: A half century of Pioneer’s headphone history culminates in the SE-Master1. Our exclusive inyl is no longer in-depth review begins part of a revival – on p66 it’s back, square and centre in hi-fi ’s V mainstream. Judging by the number of new turntables and established vinyl-playing front-ends in evidence at Munich’s recent High End show, and the format’s overwhelming presence at CES in January, the To Black a close second. And conclusion is clear. In the space guess who has recently nudged of some 30 years, the LP has both these icons down a notch declined, its spark all but snuffed to assume the No 1 spot on ABOVE: A minimalist exterior conceals the novel tube/Class D hybrid out before rising again, phoenix- the Offi cial Vinyl Album Chart? heart of Rogue Audio’s Sphinx v2 integrated amplifi er. See p54 like to regain its place at the None other than Prince and The audiophile top table. Revolution with Purple Rain. Singles and albums stamped As hi-fi enthusiasts and music on the black stuff even have lovers across the world mourn their own Offi cial Charts, these the loss of another musical NPG RECORDS NPG listings tracking the sales of vinyl innovator, Hi-Fi News extends across the UK.