Hi-Fi News Magazine April 2021 Back Issue

Are you a one-brand audiophile or are you tempted to ‘mix it up’ and combine seemingly disparate products in the quest for a sound that’s mightier than its parts? Judging by our postbag, and bearing in mind that our in-depth reviews predominantly focus on singular items, a pre/power combo or perhaps a turntable with arm and cartridge, then, yes, I’d hazard a guess that most of us are enjoying great music from a diverse pool of separates.Naturally, the investigative reviews you enjoy in Hi-Fi News are also informed by, and help inform, the performance of one component with likely partners. For example, the combination of Melco/dCS front-end with Constellation amplifiers and B&W 800 D3 floorstanders – all very solidly-engineered and fine- sounding in their own right – is significantly more harmonious when they pull together as a complete system in the HFN listening room.
So the ‘art’ of system matching is perhaps something we should celebrate more enthusiastically. To start the ball rolling, this month we have a truly ‘artisan’ system from two ostensibly contrasting brands, separated by geography, but joined by a common passion. Our story begins on p40.