Welcome to this Festive Newsletter which is a look back at December and a look forward to the year ahead. We have just concluded the Awards Season, if you missed it a summary was in the Newsletter last month. There is a full run-down/summary at the bottom of this Newsletter, to close off the year.

Reviews

Aries G2.2 menu selection

It has been quite a busy month, of course with Christmas coming.  There have been two reviews this month, both of them impressive. There was a review of the Auralic Aries G2.2 Streaming Transport which is a real step up on the G2.1, it is a classy bit of kit.  Having not heard the Aries 2.1 in anger, it was hard to gauge the progress, but it is a step up and forward by all accounts.  It would certainly feature in our Reference System feature, see below.  Noting the quality we said of the Auralic Aries G2.2 Streaming Transport;

…you really will need a decent system to benefit from this magnificent streaming technology and crazy processing speeds

With a 4TB SSD on board, we also noted;

…the 4TB on board the G2.2 is just a no-brainer to me…

Atlas Mavros Interconnect RCA

We have also reviewed this month a set of Atlas Mavros Interconnects that feature their Grun earthing system and their new 3D printed Ultra Latik connector, designed to increase dielectric efficiency.  The cables were tangibly a step up from those existing and we commented;

…there’s a discernible uplift in the forward presentation…  it’s tangible and compelling.

There was also a first gadget review for a while, that of the Tozo S3 smartwatch, which is a decent entrance to the smartwatch world if you are unsure about a more expensive purchase.

Reference System

Reference System Badge

We have been asked several times to highlight the Reference System here at HF&MS.  Over the 12 days of Christmas, daily (hopefully), we will be going through the system here at HF&MS from source to speaker.  Regular readers will know this will culminate in the Moor Amps Angel 6 power amplifier but some other bits and pieces will be of interest.  We will start at our source and work through it.

Reviews Coming Up in the New Year

Reviews coming in the New Year will come of the Cyrus Audio Stream XR, we were hoping to have this review for Christmas.  However, it is better to get it right than rush it.

Rear shot of the Naim Classic NSC 222 with NPX 300 power supply

Also coming in the New Year will be a review of the much discussed, and reviewed, Naim Audio NSC 222 streaming preamplifier.  However, I have NOT been sent the new NAP 250 with it, so interestingly I have it paired with…. the Moor Amps Angel 6 power amplifier!  It is a mighty combination.  With Naim Audio moving away from its traditional DIN outputs, it opens up the New Classic system to a world of other power amplification through the XLR output or RCA outputs.  Suddenly my Moor amplifier is sounding even more tasty than before.  Watch this space, next year.

Another interesting review will come with a look at the ADOT Fibre Optic upgrade to an ethernet data path to a streamer or a networked library.  Effectively it acts as an optical noise break between your source and an electrically noisy router.  It has certainly tangibly added to the performance of the Aries, Stream XR and the Naim NSC in the last few weeks.  ADOT is owned by ADMM, who also count Melco in their stable.

Last but not least there will be a look at an Atlas Mavros loudspeaker cable that has been upgraded with Atlas’ latest technology.  This is an interesting project and a new service offered by Atlas who recognise the investment made by customers in their products and they understand they too want to benefit from the progress of technology.

One Train Later

New Music

There has been some really good music on rotation in the listening space this winter in the light of reading Andy Summers’ Memoirs, called One Train Later.  Andy Summers is a total genius in this reviewer’s ears, he is The Police guitarist of course (incidentally he also plays in a Police tribute band called Call The Police!). His book has angled me back towards many old favourites including John Mayall’s Blues Breakers album, Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners and other amazing tracks.  It is a brilliant read.

New music this month has included Peter Gabriel’s i/o album and I have been listening to Mitski‘s album, though it was released in September.  If you haven’t heard it Olivia Dean’s debut album Messy, released in August, also has a nice vibe, if you are writing a Newsletter!

Peter Gabriel – i/o

Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Olivia Dean – Messy

Thank you

And finally, we would like to wish everyone a great festive break and send our best wishes for the year ahead.  To everyone who has supported the site this year thank you and let’s do it all again in 2024.

Best Wishes from Simon and Jo

Awards Season 2023

Awards Season has concluded…  The Awards have been many and varied but reflect the Key Moments this year at HF&MS, not necessarily the Best Something.

For example, the Eversolo Streaming DAC took a lot of attention this year and it is certainly not better than the T+A DAC 200 but it took a ‘Best of 2023’ award for its performance, quality and price point.  The full list of awards follows:

Hylixa Signature

Vertere DG-1S

Eversolo DMP-A6 Watch the video here.

REL Carbon Special Watch the video here.

Chord Poly (for Hugo 2)

Serhan Swift mu2 MkII Watch the video here.

T+A Solitaire T

Kudos Titan 505 Watch the video here.

Rega ELEX Mk 4 Watch the video here.

Cambridge Audio ALVA TT V2

If you like the videos, please subscribe to the channel to keep it going next year.

Album of the Year

Bewitched, HF&MS Album of the Year 2023

The Album of the Year award went to Laufey’s Bewitched album, which is simply dreamy, wonderful to listen to, and well-produced.