Welcome to this Newsletter #28, a look back at May 2023 and a look forward to reviews coming to HF&MS.
New Reviews
In April, HF&MS was invited to see the Paradigm Founder 120H loudspeakers in an AV setup. The review said of them:
The Paradigm 120H is the definition of a musical loudspeaker…
We also said:
…the music is tight, athletic, and joyful. It dominates you; the soundstage is lavish
Needless to say, HF&MS liked them!
There was also a review of the excellent, entry-level £100 Lindy BNX-60XT. An evolution of the original 60 that came out over seven years ago. It takes themes and technology from the 100XT at a price point that is hard to comprehend. Our closing thoughts said it all:
…for under a hundred pounds you can have an understated, stealth black, with black, pair of excellent (ANC) headphones that will last for years…
There was also a review of some of the best cables encountered here at HF&MS from Black Rhodium. Their Charleston cables are from their high-end range of cables. Again, our closing remarks said it all:
There is absolutely nothing to find fault with here…
Finally, there was a review of the NAD CS1 network streamer, a brilliant bit of kit for just three hundred pounds! We concluded:
This is a fabulous product that works faultlessly and consistently and it performs best, in my view, as a digital transport
This Month On YouTube
Our YouTube channel is growing with over 330 subscribers already in just two months. There was a video on the Paradigm Founder 120Hs as well as a video on the Kudos Titan 505 loudspeakers. Although HF&MS was not in Munich, there was a full Munich News Round-Up on YouTube as well.
Our most popular video is still the Rega ELEX Mk4 review, which is doing very well!
Coming Up on HF&MS
This month there will be a review of the brilliant Serhan Swift Mu2 MkII loudspeakers that were such a hit at Bristol 2023. There will also be a review of the REL Carbon Special subwoofer. We have also just taken delivery of the wonderful upgraded Vertere DG-1S that was on display at Whittlebury earlier this year. Vertere’s Touraj Moghaddam explained the upgrades in the DG-1S in the Whittlebury video on YouTube.
Also, there will be a review of the compact T+A 200 series that features a streaming music player with a CD, a DAC/preamplifier and a separate power amplifier. This completes the set that features the amazing HA 200. We said of the HA 200 in May 2020:
This T+A HA 200 headphone amplifier is just an audio masterpiece, it sounds and looks stunning.
New Music
There is some great music around at the moment, particularly from The National, Blur and of course, Ed Sheeran has completed his ‘mathematics’ set of albums with Subtract. What a collection of music, where does Ed go next?
Blur’s The Ballad of Darren album will be out on 21 July 2023. Meantime The Narcissist is on rotation in the HF&MS office.
