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Christmas is fast approaching so if you need some audiophile gift inspiration…or just fancy treating yourself, take a look at what the following brands suggest for you! Click on the links or images to find out more and buy.

PMC twenty5.21

The twenty5.21 is proof that great things come in small packages. Don’t let its compact size fool you; this loudspeaker is nothing less than remarkable. Its complex ATL and Laminairvent mean that you get speed, weight and transparency, with the greatest bass extension of any loudspeaker this size. Whether on a shelf or its performance-enhancing stand, the twenty5.21 excels with all types of music. Its articulate mid-range, clear, open highs and profound bass mean it can fill rooms both medium and small with astonishing ease.

PMC twenty5.22

The more substantial standmount in the twenty5 range is a force to be reckoned with. The larger, potent g-weave bass driver, together with the new Laminair vent and an ATL of surprising length given the cabinet dimensions: all combine to give the twenty5.22 bass weight, punch and dynamics that are unmatched in its class. The twenty5.22 is not only made for music’s visceral qualities, it is equally capable when it comes to resolving the fine details that produce realistic and finely nuanced performances of the utmost delicacy.

PMC twenty5.23

Arguably the most elegant model in the range, the twenty5.23 takes the speed, transparency and sophistication of the twenty5.21 and adds greater bass extension and power. And yet its slim-line form doesn’t mean it can’t move you. No matter what type of music you love, the twenty5.23 will let you absorb the quietest and most dramatic moments without missing a beat, and its realism with vocals puts you in the best seat in the house.

PMC twenty5.26

The flagship model in the twenty5 series is also the most capable. The mid-range dome driver makes it the most revealing while the substantial bass driver coupled to an extended ATL produces tangible bass that brings music and movies to life. The twenty5.26 was created for people who want the full immersion experience, and its feeling of limitless headroom allows it to reproduce all the majesty and dynamics of any great work. And then there’s its ability to unearth depth and detail that makes the experience so incredibly real.

Chord Electronics Mojo and Poly DAC/headphone amp/streamer 399/499

The Mojo DAC and headphone amplifier has quickly become a landmark product in the audio landscape. It distills Chord Electronics’ class-leading FPGA (programmable chipset) technology seen in its full-size models into a small, portable product, making it unrivalled in the marketplace. Mojo benefits from a USB, optical and coaxial input and can decode high-resolution audio files up to 768kHz PCM and DSD 256. In 2017, Chord Electronics introduced Poly, a portable music streamer/player that combines with Mojo to wirelessly stream from connected devices and playback from its Micro SD, all with smartphone control. Together, Poly and Mojo enable hi-fi sound quality at home or on-the-go, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay and network connectivity and upgrade headphone, car and home audio performance

Chord Electronics Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amp 1,800

What Hi-Fi?’s Product of the Year 2017 in the DAC category, Hugo 2 is a multi-award-winning transportable DAC/headphone amp — the most advanced product of its kind in the world. Equally proficient on the go as it is at home, the Hugo 2 is a next-generation device featuring the latest proprietary Chord Electronics FPGA technology. New features over the original include the latest FPGA and advanced WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filtering bringing performance gains timing accuracy, noise reduction, headphone amp power and dynamic range. There’s also a new case with spherical controls, remote control and four digital inputs (optical, coaxial and HD USB) plus extended-range Bluetooth. USB offers high-resolution file playback up to 768kHz/DSD512 (Octa DSD).

Chord Electronics TToby power amp 2,899

The TToby power amp is the best value power amplifier in the Chord Electronics range. It contains all the company’s proprietary high-frequency power supply technology, yet it remains surprisingly affordable. Its compact chassis makes hi-fi quality performance and power a reality even in smaller environments and the addition of the matching DAC/preamp, the Hugo TT, creates a complete contemporary system with a minimal footprint. TToby is capable of effortlessly driving a wide variety of loudspeakers and is a 100-watt design, featuring both an unbalanced and balanced inputs. It features two proprietary Chord Electronics’ high-frequency power supplies featuring the same technology as the flagship power amplifiers.

Chord Electronics BLU MK II/ DAVE Digital Transport/DAC/preamp/headphone amp 7,995/8,499

Put simply, the BLU MK II/DAVE combination is the most advanced digital replay system in the world. Both units feature proprietary technologies which apply enormous amounts of processing power to the task of digital conversion, filtering, and with the introduction of the BLU MKII’s M SCALER technology upscaling. The exclusive M SCALER uses a powerful custom-coded FPGA to take digital data from the USB input or CD transport and upsample it to 705.6kHz for DAVE to decode with its high-resolution inputs. BLU MKII’s enormously powerful Xilinx FPGA chip incorporates the most advanced filter of its kind in the world for the ultimate in digital audio.

Chord Electronics Symphonic phono stage 2,899

Despite Chord Electronics’ international reputation for digital excellence, amplification is fundamental to the company’s origins and product portfolio. Its amplifier design know-how even benefits vinyl front-ends with products like the Symphonic MC phono stage offering superb line level amplification in high-performance turntable systems. Symphonic uses Chord’s high-frequency power supply technology to exploit vinyl’s full potential and offers an almost infinite number of input impedance and gain options as well as balanced and unbalanced input options to the cartridge, making it a highly flexible device for integrating high-quality turntables into Chord systems. Symphonic’s comprehensive settings options are all externally selectable, with selections signified internally with illuminating LEDs.

Metronome Audio DSC1 : DIGITAL SHARING CONVERTER 1 

Designed in 2017 by Métronome’s team, DSC1 is the results of 30 years of expertise in digital sources. The D/A converter decodes both PCM and DSD (up to x8), and it is also the most easy to use network player.

Metronome Audio Le Player 2S 

Last generation of the famous Le Player entry range introduced in, Le Player 2S offers now the possibility to be used as a D/A converter through USB and S/P DIF.

Metronome Audio CD8 S

CD8 S is one of the legends of Métronome, D/A converter and CD player based on the Philips CD Pro. CD8 S was recognized by all reviewers as one of the world’s top CD players

Metronome Audio MC1 : MUSIC CENTER 1

Dedicated to high-resolution, MC1 rips CDs, stores music and its last generation firmware allows it to browse your local network via DLNA protocol.

KALISTA DREAMPLAY CD

A Kalista device is the dream of all audiophiles, due to the perfect design and unreached sound reproduction quality. DreamPlay CD is the new generation of those famous CD turntables.

Buy any of the Music First Audio products in the Hifi Pig Christmas Gift Promotion and get a 5% discount  and a free pair of Melodika interconnects. Mention Hifi Pig when you place your order.

Music First Audio Phonebox  

Music First Audio Classic V2 Pre Amplifier 

Music First Audio Baby Classic Pre

Music First Audio Baby Classic SUT  

Music First Audio SUT 632 

MCRU ifi Ear Buddy

MCRU Knosti MkII

MCRU Vinyl Record Cleaning Kit

The Vinyl Adventure – Aretha’s Gold

The Vinyl Adventure Pro-Ject Record Cleaning Machine

iFi nano iDSD Black Label portable DAC/headp

hone amp

RRP: £199

It is a well-known fact that if you listen to music through headphones from a smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac, sound quality can be massively improved with the addition of a portable DAC/headphone amp. Hi-res devices such as the Chord Mojo have earned considerable acclaim, but for the average smartphone user the ticket price is steep, while smaller and cheaper options lack power and facilities. Enter the iFi nano iDSD Black Label: a small, portable DAC/headphone amp, packed with hi-res tech and cutting-edge features – yet it costs just £199! With support for PCM/DXD audio files (up to 32-bit/384kHz), DSD (up to DSD256) and MQA, no other sound-boosting DAC/headphone amp offers comparable levels of flexibility, specification and performance at such an affordable price.

Fi Ear Buddy Earphone attenuator

RRP: £20

This low-cost plug-in headphone optimiser attenuates the output signal to better suit headphones with high sensitivity, thereby lowering background noise, improving dynamic range and increasing useable volume range (allowing for finer adjustment). In doing so, it counters the negative effect of digital volume controls, which virtually all of today’s handheld devices contain. It is particularly effective with in-ear headphones, as well as noise-cancelling headphones and in-flight audio systems.

iFi nano iOne DAC

RRP: £199

The nano iOne is a convenient, high-quality digital audio ‘hub’ – a DAC that is miniature in size yet big on features and performance. It can be used to boost sound from all manner of digital devices: smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs, TVs, games consoles, media streamers and more. Powered via USB (there’s also a mains adapter in the box), it offers premium-quality wireless streaming over Bluetooth, as well as a range of digital inputs for cable connections. The nano iOne can be connected to an integrated amp, preamp, headphone amp (iFi’s equally dinky nano iCAN is ideal) or active speakers via its RCA analogue outputs. It can also be used to add USB and Bluetooth connectivity to an existing DAC, thanks to its bit-perfect digital output.

iFi iSilencer3.0 USB sound booster

RRP: £49

More and more audio products connect to devices like phones and computers via USB. This is convenient, but there’s a problem… USB connections are not designed specifically for audio; they’re electrically ‘noisy’ and swimming in EMI, which affects the quality of the audio signal. The iSilencer3.0 solves this with Active Noise Cancellation derived from military radar technology, cancelling out noise by generating a signal that’s identical but in the opposite phase. This clever little gadget is a must for anyone who uses USB to connect an audio device and wants to maximise sound quality.

iFi micro iTube2 valve buffer

RRP: £375

If you listen to a lot of digital audio, but crave the mellifluous, fluid and fulsome sound of classic valve-based hi-fi, the iFi micro iTube2 is the product for you. In effect, it is a valve output stage, valve preamp, valve buffer and impedance-matching device all in one. If you wish, you can put one micro iTube2 before a solid-state preamp and another one after it, creating the effect of ‘tubing’ the whole audio chain. Or, you can choose to simply use the micro iTube2 as a very high-quality preamp by itself. With three settings to tailor sound according to taste – SET, Push-Pull and Classic – this is the perfect way to inject some classic hi-fi magic into the world of computer-based audio and network streaming.

Taga Harmony TTA-1000 Vacuum Tube Amplifier
TTA-1000 is a remote controlled, 60W Pure Class A high-end vacuum tube integrated amplifier utilizing KT88 tubes in the output and a 12AX7 tube preamp section, composed of 6SN7 long-tail phase inversion drive circuit. TTA-1000 uses audiophile-grade coupling capacitors: Evox  for input tubes and Wima for connecting driver tubes with the output amp, and Rubycon capacitors in the amp section.   High-quality toroidal EI broadband sound output transformer provides voltage stability and constant and immediately-available energy at any volume level. The both channels use independent rectifier and filter circuits in the supply power.

The audiophile grade  ALPS volume potentiometer ensures minimal noises and channels crosstalk and has excellent operational feel and limits errors between the two channels. The high-end class, gold-plated speaker terminals and gold-plated ceramic tube sockets offer almost lossless audio signal transmission to speakers. Analog inputs with high-end solid machined brass RCA sockets can accommodate up to 3 stereo devices including a turntable (both MM and MC cartridges) so you can enjoy music from your favorite vinyl records.

This is a pure old-school KT88 tube amplifier with a touch of modernity.

Taga Harmony HTA-1200 Hybrid Amplifier

HTA-1200 is a remote controlled,  80W/8ohm high-fidelity hybrid integrated amplifier utilizing a 12AX7 tube preamp section with a cathode type amp circuit and a 12AU7 stage serving as a buffer amplifier, and four Toshiba transistors at the output.
This solution ensures a very warm, linear and lifelike sound with high dynamic presentation at the same time. High-performance tubes and precise high voltage transistor hybrid power supply provide voltage stability and very low AC ripple current. It reflects in a more natural and fresh sound with deep multidimensional soundstage.

High-power toroidal 300W transformer provides constant and immediately-available  energy at any volume level. High-power transistors utilized in the 0dB current amplification circuit reveal more content of the music, giving extra pure energy and dynamics to drive even very demanding and powerful speakers.The tube circuit cross-connected with audiophile grade MKP capacitors ensures stable playback improving music tone and sound field depth. Audiophile grade  ALPS volume potentiometer provides minimal noises and channels crosstalk and has excellent operational feel and limits errors between the two channels. Analog inputs with high-end solid machined brass RCA sockets can accommodate up to 4 stereo devices including a turntable (both MM and MC cartridges) so you can enjoy music from your favorite vinyl records. You can connect a range of  digital devices via optical or coaxial inputs and a built-in premium high-resolution 24bit / 192kHz DAC will always provide the best sound performance. For those who prefer discrete listening we equipped the HTA-1200 with a high-end headphone preamplifier.

The HTA-1200 is a splendid mixture of analog tube sound, power, precision, purity and multidimensional soundstage imaging!

Taga Harmony Diamond B-60 Bookshelf Speakers

The Diamond B-60 is an exceptional and award-winning bookshelf speaker showcasing the best technology and achievements of TAGA Harmony.   The result is visible at the first glance on the beautifully crafted cabinet with its curved, clear, elegant lines and luxurious design accentuated with high grade natural wood veneers finished with high-end clear gloss piano lacquer. 

When you turn on the speakers you are immediately stunned by the exceptional Diamond B-60  sound – super natural, super dynamic, super clear and engaging… just super! 

Taste it, Immerse in it, Love it!

Taga Harmony TAV-616F SE Floorstanding Speakers

The TAV-616F SE speaker is based on the technology of our best-sellers TAV-616F and TAV-606 SE with a couple of significant upgrades to provide the best hi-fi sound in this price segment and often even much beyond.

• TLIE (Taga Low Interference Enclosure) – a very rigid, neutral to vibrations and colorization enclosure. It is built of thick (15mm walls plus 21mm thick front panel) high-density MDF boards. The TAV-616F SE is available in luxurious 7-layer high gloss white painting, while most competitors in this price range offer PVC laminate which imitates high gloss paint or they paint only selected parts of speaker enclosure;
• The 2nd generation TPTTD-I (Taga Pure Titanium Tweeter Dome) utilizes a differently shaped and lighter titanium dome as well as a double-magnet structure – it has a higher SPL, faster and more accurate movement of the dome reflecting in more detailed and airy sound;
• 6.5” glass fiber midrange driver delivers more information with even greater accuracy and definition;
• 2 x 6.5 polypropylene woofer drivers are very light and have high SPL which results in faster, more accurate cone movement to quickly react to changes in dynamic sound passages;
• Decorative pure aluminum trim rings and tweeter faceplate (TPAF) to enhance sound dispersion;
• Elegant, black aluminum spikes and Special Edition logo badge underline unique character of the speakers.

The TAV-616F SE is probably the best hi-fi speaker in this price category with sound and built quality which can be usually found in much more expensive designs.

Taga Harmony HTR-1000CD Hybrid CD-DAB Receiver & Azure B-40 v.2 Bookshelf Speakers

HTR-1000CD is a midi sized high-fidelity hybrid DAB+/FM stereo receiver with a built-in CD player.

• Compact size and sleek aluminum design suitable for any interior style.
• Hybrid design utilizing two 12AX7B tubes in the preamp section ensures a very warm, linear and lifelike sound with high dynamic presentation at the same time.
• High power 75W per channel with high-end toroidal power transformer  can properly drive different types of speakers. Now your music will play louder, more clearly and with higher dynamics!
• DAB+ tuner – listen to your favorite radio stations in the best digital quality. Enjoy your digital radio in high-resolution, crystal clear sound.
• USB input – quickly and easily play your music from USB flash drivers (MP3 and WMA audio files).
• Bluetooth® wireless audio streaming from any compatible smartphone, tablet, computer or other digital device.
• Equalizer and treble-bass control to perfectly adjust the music to your preferences.
• Sleep timer – enjoy your music while falling asleep.
• RCA and 3.5mm (front) stereo inputs to quickly  connect external audio devices (smartphones, MP3 players etc.).
• High-end banana speaker terminals accept raw speaker cables up to 10AWG and the most popular types of connectors.
• Fully functional remote controller.

Combined with our Azure B-40 v.2 bookshelf speakers it is an ideal Christmas gift!

Kralk Audio KALSU Speaker Alignment Tool

The KALSU is battery operated and they come as a pair, one for the top of each speaker, simply align the device on top of the speaker with the central laser aperture in alignment with each tweeter, then simply turn the laser units on and turn the speakers toward the listening position so both lasers meet at the listening spot, the side laser will then show you where the first reflection in the room are going to occur thus making it easy to place items there plants/ornaments/ acoustic foam etc. to break up these reflections, experiment with the central lasers between 1 meter apart and touching at the listening seat for the best sound and image, the laser set up ensures both speakers are on the same axis when they reach the listening position and the effects can be heard immediately, the depth of image and stereo imaging will be greater focused once the laser set up has aligned your speakers on the exact same axis.

The KALSU is an absolute must have item for listeners who constantly have to move there speakers because of children or access problems or for speaker reviewers who need to make sure every speaker is aligned the same, the KALSU does the job in minutes instead of hours and exactly the same every time so you can be confident your listening position is always constant, get your system in focus and hear the difference it can make.

£120 per pair presented in their solid and protective case.

Clearaudio Concept turntable package

Winner of a staggering seven annual What Hi-Fi? Awards, one of the Sunday Times’ ‘three of the best’ turntables and a multiple group test winner in both the specialist hi-fi press and the mainstream media, this little deck just keeps on giving and receiving. Which surely makes it the perfect gift! Key to the Concept’s genius is its winning combination of simplicity and sophistication. It’s an effortless, plug-and-play package (including tonearm and cartridge) that also happens to sport a level of ground-breaking technology usually only found in considerably pricier models.

As an added plus, it’s a thing of elegant beauty with its sleek design and substantial finish. And then of course there’s the superlative sound quality. “A conceptual masterpiece,” said What Hi-Fi? “We think anyone who treasures their stack of vinyl deserves to know just what delights the Clearaudio has to offer.” The Clearaudio Concept comes in a choice of finishes and with various tonearm and cartridge options. Price from £995.

Furutech NCF Booster: performance-enhancing cable & connector holder

With its tempting range of expertly-crafted hi-fi accessories designed to elevate the listening pleasure of even the most discerning audiophile, Furutech is the go-to brand for everything from stocking filler to splurge. For the audiophile who has everything, how about the new NCF Booster? But be quick: when launched in Japan earlier this year it sold out to industry insiders before even making it into stores!

The NCF Booster goes considerably further than your average cable holder. Not only does it lift audio cables off the floor and enable optimum alignment between connectors and sockets, it also provides additional damping support for both cables and connectors – boosting their performance by allowing a more pure and clear signal. The key ingredient, Nano Crystal² Formula (NCF), exclusive to Furutech, combines a crystalline material with nano-sized ceramic particles and carbon powder to deliver superb electrical and mechanical damping. £320.

DS Audio DS-002 optical phono cartridge & phono stage/equalizer

Want to get your favourite audiophile something really special this year? Japanese DS Audio are the innovative creators of the world’s only current optical phono cartridges and their stunning sound quality is causing quite a stir. Even the ‘entry-level’ DS 002 model has been scooping accolades across the globe, from The Absolute Sound’s Golden Ear Award to place in the Hi-Fi News Yearbook 2017. Neither an MC nor an MM design, here, the movement of the stylus and cantilever interrupts an LED light source falling on a photocell within the cartridge’s body.

The cartridge is thus much lighter and more agile, and suffers none of the usual frictional force caused by magnets and coils. Featuring trickle-down technology from the company’s flagship DS Master 1 model, the DS 002 “is clean yet sweet, precise in imaging and grand in scale. A triumph.” (Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News Editor’s Choice, June 2017). The price of £4,800 includes DS Audio’s dedicated phono stage/equalizer.

IsoTek Corvus

If your favourite audiophile is looking to introduce mains conditioning into their hi-fi system, consider the IsoTek Corvus. Sporting nine output sockets and a generous power handling capacity, it’s designed to accommodate all of the various components in a well-specified system setup.

IsoTek’s delta filter topology delivers super-clean power to each of the nine outlets, which are independently isolated to prevent cross-contamination. In addition, 13,500 Amps of instantaneous protection in provided. Priced at £695, which includes IsoTek’s 1.5m Premier power cable, the Corvus aims to be a cost effective upgrade to any audio or audio-visual system, offering improved performance and added protection.

Blue Horizon Sanctum isolation platform

Good vibrations are all fine and dandy but for the audiophile, there’s an awful lot of bad ones that need to be promptly dealt with. Unfortunately, they’re everywhere: vibrations move through the floor, the furniture and the air to enter audio equipment via the feet and chassis. And of course the equipment itself generates further vibrations, all of which add up and affects the delicate audio signals in virtually every hi-fi component.

Blue Horizon’s Sanctum isolation platform is designed to isolate individual high-performance components such as turntables, DACs, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, CD players and streamers from all sources of unwanted vibration. Its construction brings together a selection of carefully chosen materials from opposite ends of the elasticity spectrum, combining them in such a way as to dramatically reduce resonance evenly across the audio band. Yours for £195.

C-line analogue interconnect

The C-line is The Chord Company’s most affordable analogue interconnect and is a great upgrade for any budget system. Despite the low entry price of just £35 for a 0.5m pair, C-line is a thoroughbred Chord Company cable and features technologies and design ideas trickled down from the company’s more exclusive ranges, including Chord’s proprietary ARAY conductor geometry technology and over-moulded RCA plugs with signal-enhancing direct gold-plating. C-line’s design brief was for a high-performance cable at an affordable price and since launch, C-line analogue has consistently been a What Hi-Fi? award-winner with trophies in 2015, 2016 and 2017 definitely proving there is no better budget interconnect.

Clearway loudspeaker cable

Clearway speaker cable, as its name suggests, provides clear communication between amplification and loudspeaker and uses a clever combination of materials for a performance that belies its price. Clearway uses 14 AWG multi-strand oxygen free copper conductors – big enough to bring control and definition to both bookshelf and floor-standing loudspeakers. Its FEP insulation has a very similar performance to PTFE and provides admirable neutrality, too. With conductors arranged in a twisted-pair configuration before a soft PVC internal jacket is applied, this shielded speaker cable, available in terminated pairs and off-the-reel per metre, has won What Hi-Fi? awards in 2015, 2016 and 2017 for its all-round excellence.

Shawcan headphone upgrade cable

Headphone audio is booming and today’s high-end headphones often come with basic, cost-saving cables but the ShawCan headphone upgrade cable enables high-performance headphones to deliver their full potential. More than 30 years in the making, Shawcan is The Chord Company’s first headphone cable and distils three decades of cable-making knowledge into a standout product for the ‘head-fi generation’.

ShawCan uses an adapted version of Chord’s Super ARAY conductor geometry and comes fitted with 6.3mm or 3.5mm mini-jack to a wide variety of connectors to suit most headphones. It features high-quality, silver-plated conductors, a PTFE dielectric and a carbon composite shield design that minimises unwanted mechanical noise. A Hi-Fi Choice 5-star Recommended product, ShawCan enables headphones to perform without limitation. 

Shawline interconnects and speaker cables

The Shawline range has been reviewed and highly recommended by Hi-Fi Pig and comprises digital, analogue, streaming and loudspeaker cables. Highlighted here, the Shawline Analogue is a fully hand-built-in-the-UK cable featuring Chord’s unique Tuned ARAY technology. Its assembly requires a high degree of precision: the cable is built from PTFE-insulated silver-plated conductors which use a composite shielding material that works over a wide bandwidth and also reduces mechanical noise. The cable is assembled within a flexible plastic tube chosen to further reduce mechanical noise and a protective outer braid is also fitted. Chord VEE3 direct silver-plated plugs improve signal transfer in this high-performing yet affordable interconnect.

Sarum  T loudspeaker cable

The Sarum T range was launched in early 2017 with a unique and revelatory performance-enhancing upgrade unseen anywhere in the audio industry, Chord’s proprietary Taylon® insulation. Taylon, had always been the preserve of the flagship ChordMusic range as the proprietary insulation material brought a major performance upgrade. Sarum T changed all that.
Phase-stable at typical room temperatures Taylon® preserves the critical timing information within music and is the best-performing dielectric The Chord Company has ever used. Sarum T speaker is a fine example of its implementation, winning Speaker Cable of the Year 2017 in Hi-Fi World magazine, following its five-globe review earlier in the year.