hi-fi+ Magazine      September 2025

  hi-fi+ is a magazine that is serious about hi-fi. Our articles are intended to help you get the best from your system, rather than simply telling you to buy another one. Our reviews only cover product that we think is worthwhile. You can read more about that by looking at our reviews policy, but lets just say that our attitude to equipment is rather different, and we hope, much more informative. We haven't forgotten that hi-fi is supposed to be fun!

Making Great Strides In Audio Equipment
New technology requires a deeper explanation.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
Audio may be the most mature consumer electronics field, but that doesn't mean if's stagnant. Development in audio has been continual, with improvements in all aspects of performance. Even the most cursory overview of the audio world shows why this should be the case. If you compare a modern low-power solid-state integrated amplifier with one sold even at the turn of the century, the level of precision in circuit design, component integrity and reliability is considerably better. That's just the start, however. While there are many companies that tread a successful path free from innovation, others consider each new project a chance to start afresh, creating a synthesis of existing technologies and new concepts to add to the canon of audio engineering. We've made – and continue to make great strides in all branches of audio, and not simply by pushing the price-point envelope. The difficulty, however, often comes down to imparting that new technology. Reviewers have a range of skills, but one thing most of us are extremely capable of is reducing a concept down too far. Again, this is understandable for the sake of brevity and delivering information to the widest number of people.
---> Making Great Strides In Audio Equipment.

Comment
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Your Views On All Things Audio.

Equipment Reviews
12 dCS Lina DAC X
Digital-To-Analog Converter

22 PMC prophecy9
Floorstanding Loudspeaker 

30 Chord Electronics Ultima 3 Pre AndUltima 3
Preamplifier And Mono Power Amplifier

40 Master Fidelity NADAC
Digital-To-Analog Converter

49 Linn Klimax Solo 500
Mono Power Amplifier

61 Innuos ZENith NG
Music Server

73 Wattson Audio Madison LE
Streaming DAC And Headphone Amplifier

85 Gold Note HP-10 Deluxe
Headphone Amplifier

96 Chord Company ARAY
RF-Controlling Range

105 Seismion Reactio 2
Anti-Vibration Platform

Tech Talk Features
17 dCS James Cook
On Flex-Rigid PCBs In The Lina DAC X

26 PMC Ollie Thomas
On LaminairX

35 Chord Electronics John Franks
On The Ultima Topology

45 Master Fidelity Weishen Xu
On One-Bit DAC Design 

56 Linn Alistair Burnett And Dan Wareing 
On Klimax Solo 500

71 Innuos Nuno Vitorino
On Next Gen

79 Wattson Audio Alexandre Lavenchy
On Launching A New Tech Brand

93 Gold Note Tommaso Dolfi on crossfeed and Spatial Audio

101 Chord Company Alan Gibb
On ARAY

106 Seismion Dr. Marcus Neubauer
On Vibration Control

Music
119 Music Reviews
Contemporary, Classical, And Jazz Music

PLUS
116 Subscriptions
Subscribe And Save! 

127 Advertiser Index

128 Next Month
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