News

Widely recognised as one of the most successful female recording artists of the modern age, Linda Ronstadt has graced dozens of hits, sold more than 100 million albums, won countless industry awards (including 11 Grammys®) and is among the best-selling artists of all time. So it's only iftting that she put together a collection of her greatest hits. Rhino looks back on the singer’s extraordinary career with a new double-disc retrospective that brings together many of her unforgettable recordings, including the #1 smash, You’re No Good. Just One Look Look: The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt, is released today and is also available digitally.

August 24th-31st marks the return of Mod Week, with a whole host of events happening across the country to celebrate the influential subculture. From the Great Northern Mod & Ska festival to the Isle of Wight International Scooter Rally and the Brighton Mod Weekender, there's something for every wannabe rude boy and skin head. Meanwhile, to coincide with the evenEddie Piller (DJ and founder of Acid Jazz records) has compiled a 75-track, three-disc CD compilation of rare and unusual cuts associated with the Mod movement. Our Generarion includes lesser known standards such as The Foundations' I'm Gonna Be A Rich Man(sampled in Blondie’s Call Me),Manny Corchado’s latino Mod favourite Pow WowandDexy’s Midnight Runners early single Dance Stancealongside classic hits including The Jam's Town Called Malice, The Lambrettas' Poison Ivy, Booker T and the MGs' Green Onions and of course My Generation by The Who.

Having been ranked second in our streaming services Group Test back in issue 396, Qobuz’s claim to having the most comprehensive hi-res 24-bit music catalogue in the world is certainly not to be sniffed at. Particularly given that the Sublime subscription package offers unlimited access to more than 28 million titles in ‘True CD’ quality (FLAC 16-bit/44. 1kHz), including the entire Universal Music catalogue. And now, for the first time, Qobuz subscribers can stream 24-bit albums on Android devices.

Following on from the success of its P5 headphone (reviewed back in HFC 333), Bowers & Wilkins has unveiled a newly updated Bluetooth model, fittingly called the P5 Wireless. Adopting the same Bluetooth aptX technology that’s found in the company’s wireless T7 speaker (HFC 393), the P5 Wireless is easy to sync to compatible devices such as portable music players, smartphones, tablets or computers at the touch of a button. Intuitive controls allow users to play/pause and skip tracks, while those that opt to use their phone for listening can also answer calls, thanks to a pair of built-in microphones. The P5 Wireless features a rechargeable battery, which is claimed to provide up to 17 hours use and it can be replenished using the supplied USB cable.

With its 90mm-thick teardrop-shaped solid birch ply plinth, the new Elevation turntable stands out from the crowd, but the design is more about just looking good, with the high mass producing what Inspire claims is a rich deep bass performance and an agile presentation. Partnered with a 50mm solid acetyl platter that’s available in black or white, the distinctive record deck also features a dual belt pulley system and an aluminium bronze bearing. The Elevation offers 33, 45 and 78rpm speeds and the ability to fine-tune the pace using the strobe light that plugs into the back of the off-board PSU. The supply itself is a new quartz-generated Pro-Ject Strobo Speedbox, which it’s claimed will improve both the AC motor’s performance and the sound quality even further.

Prince and Tidal, today confirmed that the next release from the legendary artist will be exclusively available via the music streaming service on 7 September, 2015. The upcoming release, the experimental,HitNRun, was first announced by his band,3rdeyegirl, on BBC radio in late July, following the release of the critically praised first single, Hardrocklover. "Super hardcore Prince fans that know every song he's ever recorded – we refer to them as 'The Purple Collective' or 'The Purple Army' – this album is absolutely for them, because it's super funky," reported3rdeyegirl. "There are a lot of experimental sounds.

Welcome to the September 2015 issue of Hi-Fi Choice – the essential guide to getting the best possible sound from your hi-fi, whether you're buying, tuning or tweaking. . . 

 Back in the April issue our Group Test looked at six of the most popular music streaming services, complete with blind listening to see which sounded the best to our hi-fi ears.