Hello and welcome to our latest Newsletter #32, highlighting the recent reviews on the site this September as well as those coming up. It really has been an epic month with some fabulous HiFi equipment coming through from the likes of Cambridge Audio and Node Audio, the mention just a couple. It will be awards season soon, so look out for this year’s new awards, coming to HF&MS in the run-up to the festive period (we’re not using the C word!).
Reviews this Month
Hylixa Signature
The highlight of the year so far has been the factory visit and review of the Node Audio Hylixa Signature stunning loudspeakers.
We said;
…the bass response here from the Hylixa is sublime, deep, and effortlessly controlled.
Edifier S3 STAX
This month also saw the review of the planar magnetic S3 STAX Edition. These are very nice headphones in a very competitive market space but the planar magnetic quality shone through in this review, where we said;
…Edifier S3 STAX are sounding pretty decent to me, and feeling like a bit of a bargain…
Bluesound Node X
There will be a streaming DAC video coming to the YouTube channel and the one to beat under one thousand pounds is of course the Bluesound
Node. We said of the latest Node X, celebrating 10 years of Bluesound;
… if you’re looking for a streaming DAC, this should unreservedly be at the top of your audition list
Cambridge Audio ALVA TT V2
Finally, it was a delight to listen to this turntable from Cambridge Audio, who have really upped their game in the last few
years, particularly with the Edge and the EVO systems, both of which would be worthy companions to this TT V2.
…the tactile nature of vinyl rarely fails to deliver and the same is true here.
Reviews Coming
In the next period, there will be a feature “On the Musical Fidelity PAS”, Musical Fidelity’s incredible twenty-two thousand pounds power amplifier that was used to drive the aforementioned Hylixa Signature loudspeakers. It is a look at the PAS as it has gone home so a full review is not possible, but nonetheless, we have pages of notes on this wonder of electrical engineering.
Other reviews coming will include the Moon 250i V2 integrated amplifier, an old-school analog amplifier benefitting from Moon’s heritage in a new update on the previous 250i, which we reviewed favorably in 2021.
On the recent theme of streamers, there will be a review of the Cambridge Audio AXN 10, which is a streaming DAC controlled by the excellent Stream Magic App. Similarly, there will be a look this month at the streaming WiiM Pro Plus.
YouTube
This month we have made two new videos on the YouTube channel, on the Eversolo DMP-A6 and the Bluesound Node X. They are fairly similar but have key differences between them, that we seek to draw out in the Node X video. We’ve tried a few new things to get them shorter and more interesting.
The next video will be a punchy affair, hopefully, looking at the best streamers around at the moment, including the Node X, the DMP-A6, the WiiM Pro Plus, and the CA AXN10, amoungst others.
New Music
Music has been great recently, particularly enjoyable was the new album from Laufrey, called Bewitched, which has a jazzy 50s vibe but it is also wonderfully produced. Other notable releases have come from The National with an album called Laugh Track.
The Mercury Music Prize this year went to the Ezra Collective earlier this month. My vote would have gone to Loyle Carner’s Hugo, a heavy Hip-Hop/Rap/Jazz album reflecting his rise in the Music Industry. If you saw his Glastonbury performance you cannot help but love this guy. Listen to Not Waving, But Drowning, on Qobuz if you can with this link.