Australian Hi-Fi Magazine May / June 2021

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Australian Hi-Fi Magazine May / June 2021

Since 1969, Australian Hi-Fi Magazine has kept audiophiles up to date on all the latest advances in audio technology and the hi-fi components available to enjoy music. All equipment reviews and music reviews are written by professionals who are experts in their respective fields, and are checked for accuracy by experienced sub-editors. Every audio component reviewed in Australian Hi-Fi Magazine is also independently tested by a NATA-certified test laboratory, whose test results and graphs are published with each review, together with a detailed technical analysis of those results. Australian Hi-Fi Magazine also maintains a complete database of all Australian and New Zealand distributors of hi-fi equipment, along with updated listings of the brands they distribute. Australian Hi-Fi Magazine is published six times a year and on sale at thousands of news agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as being available in selected audio stores across the country plus International mail and online via digital download.

Editorial
3 Editor's Lead-In
Is noise always a bad thing? This issue Greg Borrowman argues that it isn't, but that the scientists using noise for good reasons could be creating noise pollution in your own neighbourhood.

Features
6 Sound Bites
Focal's new Celestee, JBL 4309 Studio Monitor, Astell&Kern Afuture SE180, Dali Oberon 9, McIntosh MCD85, First B&W Wireless IEMs, Bergmann arrives in Australia, KEF LS50 Wireless II now Roon Certified, REL Serie T/Xx Series, SVS announces smallest subwoofer ever, Wilson Audio Alexx V goes on-sale, and Nirvana Sound nabs German Physiks.

26 Shop Talk
In the 21 years it has been in business, Audio Solutions has become as famous for its coffee as for its technical advice about all aspects of home audio, both of which are given to customers free of charge.

Reviews
16 Sonus faber Electra Amator III Speakers
These speakers are enormously capable performers. When it comes to midrange expression and articulation they are exceptional and with the right music they can sound almost magical.

30 Yamaha YH-E700A Wireless ANC Headphones
When you experience the sound quality and noise cancellation ability of these YH-E700A 'phones you will wonder, as did we, why they don't appear on more 'best-buy' listings!

34 Rotel A14MKII Integrated Amplifier
The original A14 was one of the best-selling models in Rotel's extensive range. So why release a Mark II version, and what are the differences? Our in-depth review reveals all.

42 Classé Delta Pre & Stereo Power Amplifiers
Classé's new owners have not only moved production away from China but also introduced a brand new series that has some of the finest amplifiers this once again Canadian company has ever built, as evidenced by this pair.

54 Velodyne DB-12 'Deep Blue' Subwoofer
Velodyne's 'Deep Blue' series, of which this DB-12 is a part, is the first new range of subwoofers from this famous company following its sale to Germany's Audio Reference, and it's a winner, as our testing proves.

62 Musical Fidelity M3X Vinyl MM/MC Phono Stage
Musical Fidelity makes two claims for its new phono stage that simply are not true, but its overall performance is so outstandingly good, both objectively and subjectively, that it's easy to forgive their hyperbole.

Music
68 Left Field
Tired of listening to the same music you've been listening to for years? Looking for something a bit out of the ordinary? Something that not everyone will have heard? You've come to the right place!

70 Classic Rock
With their new album Ups!de Down, the Electric Boys have crafted their best album ever. We also look at new releases from Del Amitri, Dinosaur Jr, Hot Breath, Gilby Clarke and The Bitter Truth.

72 Top Picks
If ever there was an album that should be sampled a track at at time, it's the sixth LP from Alabama shredders Erra, but if you like listening all the way through, Hospital Bracelet's newest, South Loop Summer, is unpredictably tight, earnest and impassioned.

82 Rock On
If you'd like to hear a potent and impressively collection of beautifully crafted tunes, you need to listen to Melbourne-based Acolyte's second full album, Entropy. We also review other great new albums from Carl Verheyen, Ciccada, Jane Getter and The Coral.

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