hi-fi+ Global Network Magazine hi-fi+ Issue 234 Back Issue

As one of the few issues we’ve ever run that is completely free of loudspeakers (in preparation for our next issue, that focuses exclusively on loudspeakers), it gives a fascinating insight into the state of the rest of the audio art.

Suddenly, the focus is placed on the sources and electronics, and it’s clear there are trends in audio electronics. The trend away from digital disc players seems set to continue, judging by the difficulty we got in trying to secure a new one for review. This is at once odd (CD sales are rising for the first time this century) and understandable (good CD transport mechanisms are increasingly thin on the ground). Meanwhile, DACs without streamers are seeing something of a resurgence.

Vinyl continues to be a strong performer in high-end audio, and even of some of the momentum has gone out of new vinyl sales (LP sales are still growing but not at the blisteringly fast rate they did seven or eight years ago).

Amplifiers are in a bit of a state of flux. Higher end designs tend to fall back on traditional circuit topologies, whereas smaller, more affordable designs are building Class D models. This might be down to high-end inertia; Class D is less than 30 years old and early samples rarely sounded good. However, things are changing fast here and fine-sounding high-end Class D designs are proving popular. That trend looks set to continue. Meanwhile, there seems to be a slight lull in sales of tube/valve amplifiers. Whether that’s due to power consumption issues and rising energy costs, or ongoing availability issues due to boycotts of Russian goods – or even a combination of both elements – remains unclear....... find out more inside