Welcome
Welcome to the September HF&MS Newsletter, updating you on the latest reviews and upcoming content and what we are listening to. In the last month, I have been privileged to listen to the two power amplifiers from Moor Amps, called the Angel 4 and the Angel 6. Both amplifiers have a ton of clean, high current power that is delivered in an understated manner from these beautiful boxes.
The Moor Amps Angels have come with an Angel preamplifier which is a passive, no-frills delight that has simplicity at its heart. The good news is, in speaking to Tim Narramore who designed the Angel range, I have discovered the iFi Pro iDSD DAC which is surely one of the cleanest DACs I have ever encountered, offering depth to music I have not heard. The Moor Amps Angel 6 can deliver this clarity in abundance and this is a real treat. The Angel 4 review is here and the Angel 6 review will be out in a few weeks. Of course, you need a pair of speakers to deliver all this excellence and fortunately, I have a pair of Paradigm Founder floorstanding 100Fs. They are very special loudspeakers indeed with the Angel 6.
Another review that has just been published in the last month at HF&MS was of the sparkling Moon 280D streaming DAC. The Moon 280D does the audio thing I love the most, which is that it does one job and it does it really well. It is a streaming DAC, nothing else, no digital out, no preamplifier stage, no flashing lights it just focuses on the one job, digital in, analogue out.
The Angel 4 power amplifier review has provoked a debate about selling the Naim equipment I have and starting again with a Moor Amps based system, it is that good. The problem is, how do I get a decent price for my existing Naim electronics? The other problem is the Angel 6, which I might prefer as the bigger amplifier to the Angel 4, is so physically big I would need a whole new racking system to carry the amplifier. If you do want to make me a reasonable offer for my Naim NAC N-272 and NAP 250, do drop me a line, I’ll throw in my existing rack!
Coming Up
As well as the Angel 6 review coming in the next couple of weeks you can look forward to a first look in the UK of the Jern 15 speakers. I have a pair of the Jern 14DS which I described as ‘quite simply unbelievable’ at the time of review. So much so I bought them on the spot. The Jern speakers are designed for use with a subwoofer and my 14DSs have had a recent upgrade with the installation of the latest REL Tzero MkIIIs, the review is here. The review of the 15s benefits from the newer REL Tzeros and I think the 15s are better than the 14DS, so look out for that review.
Other reviews coming in the next few weeks include the iFi GO Blu, a tiny (about 5cm, 26grams) ‘HiRes’ headphone amplifier that allows you to access your wired headphones with a smartphone (using Bluetooth), particularly useful since most phones have done away with a jack output. Also look out for a review of Sonus faber’s new Lumina IIs, which are currently in front of me now, and sounding rather nice. There will also be a review of Chord’s 2Go and 2Yu. The 2Go can transform the Hugo 2 DAC into a streaming source and the 2Yu, with the 2Go in partnership, can form an audio streaming bridge to any DAC. The 2Go interestingly has two microSD card storage slots that can manage up to 4TB of storage, making it a rather interesting server alternative, for the price.
Music
Selected new music we have been listening to this month includes Samara Joy’s self-titled album, new music from Big Red Machine, featuring contributions from Taylor Swift, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and The National. In particular, I will be eyes open for the new album from the wonderful War on Drugs (due 29th October) and the Anniversary re-release from Radiohead, titled Kid A Mnesia (5th November).
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Thank you Tellurium Q
Thank you to Tellurium Q for supporting the Newsletter this month.
