Hello and welcome to 2022 at HF&MS with Newsletter #12. It is a headphone led start to the year so far and the latest review of the Meze Elite headphones will appear after the weekend, what an ‘Outstanding’ start to the year.  This month, already we have looked at a new entrant in the headphones space, Sivga.  Their Robin headphones have already been reviewed this year and they offer excellent value for money in an understated package, the use of lightweight wood on the earcups is an interesting feature.

This is the January Newsletter, but you may have missed the Christmas roundup, due to a Mail scheduling hiccup, but the Christmas review is here.  The review focussed on the highlights of the year 2021 at HF&MS, notably Moor Amps and the Tellurium Q incidents!  Read, or click on, if you are not familiar with these outstanding British brands.

Coming Up

Reviews coming up these next few months include the Meze Elite headphones, next week.  We will also be publishing a review of the Kudos Super 20A floorstanding speakers in passive configuration.  This review is in advance of a look at the same speakers with an active crossover solution.  Reviews and articles about the active set-up will also feature in conjunction with Vertere, Kudos themselves of course and Exposure who are offering the active crossover package.  You may have seen on the HF&MS Instagram page the attaché case that has already arrived from Vertere with their Redline power cables and excellent Redline interconnects. In an active solution with so many boxes involved, it is crucial that all the pre and power amplifier boxes have a consistent set of cables between them.  We’ll also be using a matching pair of Kudos KS-1 speaker cables since the Kudos Supr 20As will have their own power amplifier driving them.

Also coming up these next few months will be a new subwoofer upgrade from REL, hopefully delivering the same or more benefits as experienced last year with the pair of Tzero MkIII that were so thrilling last year.  Also arriving from Vertere next month will be their MG-1 Magic Groove turntable which we will introduce to the Moor Angel 6 Amplifier lovingly.  We will be using Vertere’s Phono-1 phono stage for this review as it supports their Mystic Moving Coil cartridge.

Current Music

Arojj Aftab, Vulture Prince, 2021

There is some very good music in the HF&MS office at the moment, notably Arooj Aftab’s stunning album Vulture Prince, which actually came out in April last year but has only just raised its sound to us.  There is a middle eastern fusion style to this vocal album and it is so wonderfully produced it is a shame the vinyl is impossible to get hold of.

Other new music on repeat in the office includes the new Beach House offering, Once, Twice Melody.  Lou Reed’s Transformer has also had a good airing this month, who knew it was produced by a relatively unknown guy (at the time) called David Bowie, with his mate Mick Ronson?

Finally, today, we say goodbye to Meat Loaf, what a performer.  Thanks, Meat, may you rest noisily!