A Review of Hafler’s PH50 and PH60 Phono Preamps and the PH44 Moving Coil Step-Up Transformer

To understand more about the Hafler revival, we delve into some of Hafler’s history and the companies associated with it. In this article, Gary Galo reviews the new Hafler PH50 (designed for moving magnet cartridges) and the PH60 (moving coil) Phono Preamps, as well as the Hafler PH44 Moving Coil Step-Up Transformer. All products come from Radial Engineering, the owner of Jensen Transformers and the Hafler and Dynaco brands, which it bought in 2014. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2017.

Shannon Becker conducts an interview with Dave Thomson, CEO and founder of Raven Audio, a tube amplifier company based in Texas, which has successfully created a thriving business with high-quality tube amplifiers and preamplifiers. Raven Audio just opened a new facility in Onalaska on Lake Livingston, 100 miles north of Houston, and continues to expand its engineering staff. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2017.

After eleven and a half years, Outlaw Audio has replaced its classic two-channel RR2150 Retro Receiver with the new RR2160. The new model preserves the analog signal purity of its predecessor, while adding DLNA and high-resolution capabilities via a multitude of digital audio inputs. The RR2160 also offers both HD Radio and Internet radio, a new, more powerful 110-watt stereo amplifier, and an updated phono input.

McIntosh has announced details of three new products from its 2016 global distributor conference. The trio includes a new Blu-Ray player ($5,500), turntable amplifier ($2,000) and digital preamplifier ($7,000). The new C2600 Vacuum Tube Preamplifier, the MP100 Phono Preamplifier and the MVP901 Audio Video Player, all combine the best-in-class audio performance of the legendary McIntosh Reference System with the latest in technological development. Availability (in the US) is expected in August 2016.

McIntosh Laboratory, has announced three new preamplifiers – the C1100, C52 and C47 – all made at the company's factory in Binghamton NY, following the brand’s signature design. The C1100 features a separate controller and tube preamplifier, and the C52 and C47, offer phono preamps and built-in DACs, featuring PCM, DSD256, and DXD up to 384kHz.

With the landmark Audio-Technica AT-LP5, consumers have access to a direct-drive turntable in the best tradition of high-fidelity models, at affordable prices. The new AT-LP5, unveiled at the IFA 2015 show in Berlin, features a tonearm based on designs from the sixties, and offers phono, line and USB outputs.

Now available, Linear Audio Volume 10 is the 11th issue of Jan Didden’s series of printed bookzines dedicated to technical audio and perception. It features a great team of contributing authors and a strong collection of enjoyable articles, with a diversified and refreshingly divergent collection of personal takes on great audio topics.