Month: January 2014

Hifi News

Iso Tek EVO3 Mains Conditioning Unit

Iso Tek has unveiled its successor to the award-winning GII Sigmas: the EVO3 Sigmas. Like the GII Sigmas, the new EVO3 version is a six-way mains conditioning unit. The EVO3 Sigmas’ two high-current outlets feature IsoTek’s Direct-Coupled© technology, which provides high-current low impedance filtering whilst its four medium-current outlets feature an increased 10A capacity. This, […]

Hifi News

McIntosh Laboratory MCD550 CD/SACD Player

McIntosh Laboratory has launched a new CD/SACD player, the MCD550. The new player has been designed to offer exemplary playback of both CD and SACD discs and “transform the audio quality of digitally connected devices”, thanks to its three-input internal DAC. At the MCD550’s heart lies an eight-channel, 32-bit/192kHz PCM/DSD digital to analogue converter that […]

Hifi News

Clones Audio Sheva DAC

Funjoe at Clones Audio whose little 25 Watt amplifier Hifi Pig reviewed a while ago got in touch to tell us about his latest product to his rapidly expanding range of audio kit, the Sheva DAC. Special features: • DSD 64/128 and DXD (384KHz 24bit PCM) compatible • Ultra-Low Phase Noise Femto Master Clock • […]

Hifi News

Audeze LCD-X and LCD-XC UK Launch

Decent Audio in the UK got in touch to tell Hifi Pig about the launch of two new products from Audeze: the open reference LCD-X and closed-back LCD-XC.The Audeze LCD-X and LCX-XC will be officially launched in the UK at Sound & Vision 2014, Bristol, 21st – 23rd February 2014. As regular readers will know […]

Hifi News

Hifi Review – LessLoss DFPC Signature Power Cables

LessLoss Audio are an American/Lithuanian based company headed by Louis Motek and make a wide range of audio cables including interconnects, digital cables, speaker cables plus conditioners and soon a direct drive SD player. Here Danny Worth takes a listen to their $1152 DFPC Signature Power cables. “Playing Loreena McKennits ‘Raglan Road’ it was immediately […]

Album Reviews

Dusty Kid – III

Well this is certainly a good deal of music for your money with Dusty Kid’s third album coming in at round about the two hours mark spread over two CDs which are limited to just 1000 copies on the Isolade label. III is interestingly mixed with the use of vintage consoles and everything being recorded […]

Hifi News

Gato’s New Preamplifier and DAC

Gato have announced that they will release the latest addition to their DIA range from next month. The new addition will be a preamplifier and DAC with the name PRD-3. The preamplifier will be based on the company’s DIA integrated amplifier and will include the DAC circuits from their DIA-250 and DIA-400. Price will be […]

Hifi News

Dynaudio’s Latest Subwoofer

Dynaudio have announced their new Sub, the 250 II which will retail at £750. It’s an active subwoofer with an integrated 200W amplifier and ustilising a 24cm long-throw woofer which has a 100mm voice coil. The enclosure is sealed and it will be available in four finishes. Interestingly the woofer’s coil and cone are made […]

Hifi News

New PureVox Loudspeaker From B.M.C

B.M.C. Audio (Balanced Music Concept) has introduced the new PureVox speaker. The PureVox is B.M.C.’s entry-level speaker and the cpmpany claime a number of innovations for the speaker. Most conventional  speakers have good depth of  image in the centre of the sound-stage, but much less so at the sides.  Responsible for this lack of realism are the […]

Album Reviews

Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie – Ella and Basie!

Recorded in 1963 and released in July of the same year on the Verve label (and then later in 97 where there were extra tracks) this is Ella Fitzgerald and the Count Basie Orchestra with Quincey Jones being responsible for the arrangements (Fitzgerald later worked with Jones on the 1989 “Back on the Block”) and […]

Album Reviews

Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles

Empyrean Isles was recorded in 1964, released on the Blue Note label, established Hancock as a serious artist and is now available on hi rez format (this copy came from HighRes Audio in Germany) The album contains two of Hancock’s most famous compositions –  “One Finger Snap” and the brilliant “Cantaloupe Island” which is one […]

Album Reviews

Various Artists – Pop Ambient 2014

Out 27th January on the Kompakt label Pop ambient 2014 is the 14th instalment of this series of albums presided over by label head honcho Wolfgang Voigt. Pop Ambient kicks off with “The God of Pads” Ulf Lohmann who’s had a six year hiatus and it would appear he’s back in fine form with the […]

Hifi News

Hifi Review – Astintrew Concord Powered USB

As the title may suggest the Concord USB is a powered USB cable from Astintrew and Danny Worth has been listening to one for the last few weeks. “Tones were nice and relaxed and unforced, there was an ease to the sound, a silky flow to the music and, most importantly, the nasty upper bass […]