INSIDE EVERY ISSUE
Australian Hi-Fi is the definitive magazine for discerning listeners and hi-fi enthusiasts. Every issue brings you news on the latest happenings in the hi-fi world, in-depth and expert reviews of new hi-fi components with full laboratory test reports, 'how to' articles on how to get the best quality sound for your home, and much more besides...
Oh and a quick note on this issue's cover date of 'July/August' – since moving to six issues a year, our on-sale dates have gotten a little out of sync with the months printed on the cover, so this issue we’ve ripped the band-aid off and skipped two whole months. Our sincere apologies to May and June.
Hi-fi reviews in this issue
Airpulse A100 active speaker system
Very interesting active speakers whose many mysteries invite further investigation. This curious reviewer channels his inner Sherlock and puts his best foot (and pipe and magnifying glass) forward.
Transrotor Phono MC 8.2 Sym phono preamplifier
If you’re looking for a phono preamp upgrade, know that this tantalising two-box pairing from German company Transrotor is superbly designed, superbly built, and just as superb in the sound department too. Just be prepared to have to use Google Translate to operate it...
Portable music player group test
FiiO, Sony and Astell & Kern go head-to-head-to head as they demonstrate just what quality of digital source you can get at three different price points, whether it’s one for your headphones or your hi-fi.
+ our secret high-end review
Readers who read the review of the power amplifier that sat in this very spot in the last issue might have wondered how the matching preamplifier also performed. Well, it’s time to find out…
And a second secret high-end review!
When my colleagues call a pair of loudspeakers some of the finest money can buy, the review of it is probably worth sharing. Think Yorkshire, think carbon fibre, think 90s turntables – cracked it?
Hi-fi news in this issue
In this issue, we round up the news and (many) highlights from the High End Show 2023, fresh out of Munich, Germany. Thorens, for one, had a massive Munich show, introducing not only a highly engineered New Reference turntable but also a TD 124 DD 140th Anniversary turntable and resurrected SoundWall loudspeakers.
Speaker launches were in traditionally plentiful supply, with Sonus faber, Dali, PMC, McIntosh, Meridian and Q Acoustics among the many who announced landmark speakers. And Naim and Musical Fidelity were two of the brands that have gone big on reimagining beloved classics for the modern age. And there's plenty more where that came from inside the pages of the July/August issue:
- Audio Solutions Figaro MK2 Loudspeakers
- Chord Electronics Ultima Integrated Amplifier
- Dali Epikore 11 Loudspeakers
- Moon North Collection Electronics
- Musical Fidelity A1 Amplifier
- McIntosh ML1 MKII Loudspeakers
- Meridian DSP9 Loudspeakers
- NAD Masters M66 Streaming DAC/Preamp
- Nagra Classic DAC II
- Naim Classic 300 Series Electronics & Nait 50 Amplifier
- PMC Prodigy Loudspeakers
- Q Acoustics 5000 Series Loudspeakers
- Yamaha Network Receivers & Loudspeakers
- Thorens New Reference & TD 124 DD 140th Anniversary Turntables & SoundWall Loudspeakers
- T+A PSD 3100 HV Streaming DAC/Preamp
- Sonus faber Stradivari Loudspeakers
Hi-fi features in this issue
Interview
In light of the arrival of Sennheiser’s latest ‘audiophile’ over-ears and in-ears, I sat down with the company’s Jermo Koehnke to talk about the wire's persistent relevance, plus a potential evolution for wireless headphones
Hi-Fi on the High Seas
In the 20 years this writer has reviewed hi-fi, 97 per cent of it has occurred on land. 2.9 per cent has happened on four wheels. And that remaining 0.1 per cent? On a yacht! Indeed, thanks to a recent press trip to Italy, he can now add ‘tested on the high seas’ to his reviewing repertoire.
Hi-fi Primer
In recent issues I’ve offered advice on choosing and setting up loudspeakers, record players and music streamers, and now it’s the turn of a system’s core component – the amplifier. Here’s how to get the heart of your system beating flawlessly.
Sound Travels (Dealer interview)
Our Melbourne correspondent Peter Xeni follows John Ong and his Sound Gallery store to its brand-new premises on Koornang Road in Carnegie, a mere 4,000 miles from where Ong’s hi-fi passion first blossomed in Malaysia’s Kota Bharu.
Music reviews
Reissues
It’s T.Rex, but not as we know them, in this four-CD/five-LP boxset, accompanied by new issues from Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, Moody Blues and Mike Oldfield (yes, we have another Tubular Bells package – but this one’s in Dolby Atmos!).
Top Picks
Foo Fighters were well within their rights to call it a day when they suddenly lost Taylor Hawkins last March, but instead they’ve come up with a fitting tribute to their beloved bandmate. The Church remaining so vigorous and vibrant is a delightful surprise, as is new material by veterans Shakin’ Stevens and Rickie Lee Jones.
Where to buy this issue
The July/August 2023 issue of Australian Hi-Fi magazine is available now in all good newsagents. To pick up a print subscription, visit techmags.com.au. It's also available as a digital edition in the Readly app or through Zinio.
