Home | Audio Reviews | Audio Show Reports | Partner Magazines | News     

 

Enjoy the Music.com
HIFICRITIC
Volume 5 No. 4     October To December 2011

 

HIFICRITIC Volume 5 No. 4 October To December 2011Reviewed In This Issue
2 EDITORIAL BY PAUL MESSENGER
The business of reviewing hi-fi products and field-coil speakers.

4 STAN’S SAFARI No 16
Stan tiptoes with some trepidation into the murky jungle of hi-fi cables

7 LETTER FROM SHENZHEN
Peter Comeau examines Chinese attitudes to Western brands and products

9 GAME-CHANGING DAC
This radical Dutch DAC delivers excellent sound quality at a realistic price

12 "ANYBODY CAN MAKE A GOOD PROTOTYPE"
When developing the RubiKon subchassis, Mark Holterman found the road from prototype to production littered with obstacles

15 ELECTROMOTION
Does this MartinLogan hybrid provide the best of both worlds?

18 WHAT PRICE MAGNETS?
Neodymium alloy was the loudspeaker magnetic material of choice, until China suddenly and dramatically increased the price

20 BUILD YOUR OWN NAS
Malcolm Steward delves into the murky world of network assisted storage

24 RIPPING YARNS
Mac-oriented Jason Kennedy explores the world of computer ripping software

25 A QUESTION OF BALANCE
Stan Curtis examines the ins, outs, pluses and minuses of balanced mains operation

28 TRIPLE ‘A’ RATED?
Martin Colloms checks out the Apollon Audio Apache, which looks remarkably good
value for money

30 GOOD VALUE VALVES?
The Jolida name is currently controversial, but this new-to-the UK valve amp looks promising value

32 SMALL AND BEAUTIFUL
AudioSmile takes a radical hybrid-active approach in adding bass to its sub-miniature Kensai

34 HERESY: THE BABY AND THE BATHWATER
Absolute Sounds’ Ricardo Franassovici casts a sceptical eye over computer audio

36 MSB PLATINUM SERIES IV
MSB makes some of the best DACs around, but choosing the right combination of options can be tricky

43 NEW GURU
This unusual little Swedish speaker has just undergone a Mk2 makeover

45 THE SUPRAVOX FIELD-COIL
Chris Bryant tries out a simple full range driver with an electromagnet motor

48 SIX HEADPHONES
For use at home and/or on the move, the iPod has made headphones fashionable again

50 THE VOICE OF VOXATIVE
Ines Adler describes how she developed the Voxativ full range drive units

53 BITS & PIECES
MC and PM provide short reports on several interesting new components

55 THE BEST OF CLASSICAL
Colin Anderson selects some recent classical music releases

58 ROCK, POP & OTHER NICE MUSIC
Nigel Finn picks half a dozen new rock & pop releases

60 SUBJECTIVE SOUNDS
Paul Messenger spends a fascinating day with the guys from Nordost 

 

Subscribe!

Click here to subscribe to HIFICRITIC

 

Previous Issues

2011

January/March   April/June   July/September

 

2010

January/March   April/June   July/September   October/December

 

2009

January/March   April/June   July/September   October/December

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

Quick Links


Audiophile Review Magazine
High-End Audio Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Ultra High-End Audio Reviews

 

Videos
Enjoy the Music.TV

 

Columns
Editorials By Tom Lyle
Viewpoint By Roger Skoff
Viewpoint By Steven R. Rochlin
Various Think Pieces
Manufacturer Articles


Show Reports
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Report
T.H.E. Show 2023 Report
HIGH END Munich 2023
AXPONA 2023 Show Report
Salon Audio Montréal Audiofest 2023
CanJam Singapore 2023 Report
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2023
Capital Audiofest Show 2022
KL International AV Show 2022
Toronto Audiofest Show 2022
CanJam SoCal 2022 Show Report
...More Show Reports

 

Other
Audiophile Contests
Cool Free Stuff For You
Tweaks For Your System
Vinyl Logos For LP Lovers
Lust Pages Visual Beauty

 

Resources & Information
Music Definitions
Hi-Fi Definitions

 


Daily Industry News

High-End Audio News & Information

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine
hi-fi+ Magazine
HIFICRITIC
HiFi Media
Sound Practices
The Absolute Sound
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

Contests & Our Mailing List

Our free newsletter for monthly updates & enter our contests!

 

 

    

Home   |   Industry News   |   Equipment Reviews   |   Press Releases   |   About Us   |   Contact Us

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2023  HighEndAudio.com and Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.