News

May 2020’s issue of Hi Fi News – the UK’s leading high-end hi fi journal – has a tip for all music lovers. In awarding its top ‘Outstanding’ badge to Balanced Audio Technology’s new Rex 3 DAC it says “Despite what some would have you believe, all DACs don’t sound the same, and they certainly don’t all deliver in musical terms as well as the REX DAC 3. Simply, this unashamedly expensive converter gets you

Says Adam Smith about the Primare R35 phono stage in HiFi News’ May issue. ‘…the R35 has strengths that transcend its price point, especially in the way it projects performances out into the room. lt can setup a realistically three-dimensional soundstage with seemingly little effort, while also offering an impressive sense of front-to-back layering. As a result, backing effects are typically kept exactly where they need to be and are not unrealistically pulled to the

So declares Mark Craven in May’s Hi Fi News. Awarding an Outstanding badge to the 3-way Prime Pinnacle speaker – the flagship of SVS’ entry speaker line-up – he says “ Just svelte enough to slip into all but the smallest rooms, and undemanding when it comes to placement, these floorstanders have clear all-round appeal, matched by a big, crowd-pleasing performance.” It’s rare for a ‘budget’ speaker to claim the coveted HFN red badge, so

So exclaims Stereonet UK’s David Price in a detailed exploration of the Falcon LS3/5a: the most authentic re-production in history. In a headline review he says “ It’s the combination of tonal smoothness and delicacy of touch that makes the Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a so special. There’s no particular ‘sweet spot’ in this speaker, just a linear progression of sound that stretches high to low. Despite its tiny bass driver, the song’s powerful piano cadences are

Renowned petrol head and hi-fi scribe-in-chief David Vivian loves the speed and control on offer from Primare’s I25 Prisma amp/network player: the audio world’s answer to the luxury SUV. “There’s no mush or muddle here, no hype or hurry, he says in the April 2020 issue of Hi Fi Choice, “just balance, control and clarity. If you like a sound that’s fast, open, clean, clear, dynamically expressive and devoid of manipulative emphasis, the I25 Prisma