The latest tech news, products and live coverage: hi-fi, home cinema, streaming systems, wireless speakers, smartphones, TVs and more - What Hi-Fi? Cyrus Classic Amp review. With its 13 front, side and upward-facing drivers, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max delivers a generous 5. 9 x 5. The Planar 10 isn’t overly fussy about placement but, like any turntable, it will benefit from being put on a level, low resonance and, ideally, low-mass platform. The M2si is well built, feeling more luxurious than any of the rivals mentioned above. This stand does at least sit in the middle of the TV’s bottom edge. Given a source and system of appropriate talent, it remains one of the finest phono stages we’ve heard at the price. A cheap yet extremely cheerful pair of RCA audio cables. The best Amazon Prime Day 2023 UK tech deals - save on TVs, headphones, soundbars and more. Placed this way, on solid stands, we get a nice even tonal balance with layered and crisply focussed stereo imaging. Today, it can mean different things depending. In the United States they’re $149, and in the company’s native Australia they’re an even more reasonable AU$249. For that, they are extremely easy to recommend. Today's Best Deals. Considering the reliability of Android and the fact the M11S is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660 chip (the same used in FiiO's flagship M17), we weren’t surprised that every task we asked of the player was performed with haste and without issue. Verdict. Trending. Specifications. With no headphone amplifier onboard, the Award-winning Qutest is the ideal bridge between your digital source and amplifier. We switch musical genres to Major Lazer’s Pon The Floor and the KEFs shift gear effortlessly. 1cm / 8. Coax x2. Timing and dynamics aren’t bad either – the only thing it lacks is perhaps a little maturity. It is not meant as a slight when we say this Symfonisk speaker would be ideal for unobtrusive background music. (Image credit: Future) 6. Sensitivity 89dB. The company hasn’t skimped on features so it is likely to slot in easily into even the most complex systems. The search function has been expanded to cover more streaming services, including iPlayer, but Now TV content isn’t included in the results, which is a shame for subscribers. Weight 371g / 508g (including cable) Frequency response 7Hz – 41kHz. It's best to consider these hook-ups as no more than a 'get started' measure. Audio. Latest. SACD: No. Sounds will appear to be coming from in front of you, from the sides, the rear and even above. Dimensions (hwd) 44 x 21. The website, whathifi. A 2022 What Hi-Fi? award winner, the AVC-X3800H is a versatile, well-rounded amp that will appeal to customers looking for longevity and the capacity to adapt to their evolving systems. They all need an analogue waveform. Design. 1 features such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate. The dark grey finish that Cambridge has adopted for many of its recent products looks stylish and helps add a sense of purpose. 1 technology buyer's guide - What Hi-Fi? The soundfield appears wider, with the headphones able to use the extra headroom to uncover even more detail. The term "hi-fi" — or "high fidelity" — dates back to the 1950s when it was used to describe audio equipment that was able to faithfully reproduce music. Across the front and covering the two upward drivers are black metal mesh grilles, while the rest of the body is a uniform black. Cambridge has done it again. 95. 2kHz and 176. Now let's dig a little deeper into each of these and see which is. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. It is also found in the second-generation Mu-so and Uniti products, right up to the £20,000 flagship ND 555. (Image credit: Austrian Audio) 2. It is a buying guide for consumer electronics, featuring news, reviews and features on hi-fi , home cinema , television and home audio . The main room is 3m x 7m x 5m (hwd) while the second room is 3m x 4m x 7m (hwd). At last, Apple has made a five-star pair of wireless earbuds. Sony claims this chip delivers a 40 per cent increase in noise-cancelling quality, compared to the WF-1000X. 2 channels – including two up-firing speakers and a dual subwoofer – plus support for a wide range of audio formats including Dolby Atmos (in both the Digital+ and TrueHD formats), DTS:X, LPCM, hi-res wireless audio and Sony 360 Reality Audio. 3mm x2. Quick! The 55-inch Sony A95L QD-OLED’s price has dropped for the first time ever this Black Friday. The best Amazon Prime Day 2023 UK tech deals - save on TVs, headphones, soundbars and more. Dimensions (hwd) 10 x 44 x 46cm. From cheap to high-end, you can take your pick. It makes a high-end integrated amplifier like the Edge A, alongside a similarly ambitious streaming preamp and matching power amp. Stax SR-L700 Mk2. One of the most affordable CD players around, this NAD is worth a listen if you're on a strict budget. All that effort has paid off, because the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones offer a clear sonic upgrade over the preceding pair, to the extent that the M2s, which we loved at the time, sound closed-in and almost dull by comparison. Over the years, the definition of "high-fidelity" has evolved as the audio. Both rooms have been acoustically treated to have a reasonably flat reverb response over the. Notable newcomers from that. Though it is small in stature, the iFi Go Blu is mightily attractive. Not through the CD disc drive, of course. More. The deck uses a newly developed "coreless" motor in an effort to remove "cogging", which is sound. 5mm and 6. With all of the amplification squirrelled away in the master speaker and the plethora of connectivity and placement options covered, the M20 is far more likely to become your entire music. JBL Live Pro 2. Most people will use just one, but. Once your digital audio information is on board, it’s delivered to your ears by a pair of 5. While competition at this price comes from the impressive Elac Debut 2. Read more below. (Image credit: Bang and Olufsen) 4. It treats the subtleties in a song well, ensures the vocals are full of life, and gives a sound full of bass and depth – yet you. $1,299. at Walmart. The 240i is surprisingly revealing. You can play hi-res PCM music up to 24-bit/192kHz and DSD128. 1 technology buyer's guide - What Hi-Fi?Hi-Fi reviews & products. Sensitivity 104dB. Sony WF-1000XM5. The C3 is the latest in LG’s long-running and stonkingly popular C-series of OLED TVs. Dimensions (hwd) 100 x 278 x 330mm. Best speakers. This Cyrus integrated amplifier is a compact, well-equipped and upgradeable proposition that prioritises clarity, precision and agility. Or KEF and Naim rewrite the rulebook of what's expected from a hi-fi system. (Image credit: Earfun) 10. But the two that stand out and set the benchmark at their respective price points are the Technics SA-C600 (£899/$999/AU$1749) and Naim Uniti Atom (£2500/$3800/AU$5250). Read the full review: JBL Reflect Flow Pro. Type Headphone amplifier. 5 x 32cm. Awards 2023. And the Fidelio L3 can quite reasonably claim to be a member of that illustrious group. Here’s how it works. Dimensions (hwd) 35 x 19 x 30cm. The Aethos’s power amplifier section uses two complementary pairs of Sanken Darlington output transistors, giving a solid power output of 125W per channel into 8ohms. JBL’s Reflect Flow Pro are like champion heptathletes – strong in all areas. Check Price. Hisense has gone big on Mini LED for 2023 – and the eye-catching U7K suggests the move should serve it well. The cabinet shape and size still works well, and the curved front panel – made of Dough Moulding Compound: a polyester resin combined with glass fibre and calcium carbonate – continues to make for an impressively rigid and well-controlled foundation for the Uni-Q drive unit array. Marantz remains the name to beat at this price. SCORES. There are two standard finishes, cherry and walnut. Best wireless noise-cancelling headphones. What Hi-Fi? has been reviewing hi-fi since the 1970s; trust us when we say, this is not the case. 3-inch IPS LCD display, rotary dials and a 32-bit ESS. The Go Blu is truly tiny; its footprint is barely bigger than two UK postage stamps placed side by side. It carries a moving magnet phono stage, doubles up as a pure preamp or pure power amplifier, and boasts 2x100 watts at 8 ohms (2x160 watts at 4 ohms). Arcam A5. Portable products aside, everything we test is reviewed in these rooms. With the WF-1000XM5, Sony's managed to build on the huge success of previous WF models (namely the XM3 and XM4) and produce another sensational pair of true wireless earbuds. The best audiophile headphones just got that bit better. Overall, the Audiolab 9000A ticks most boxes. Prime Day is drawing to a close, don't miss out on these top TV, headphones and hi-fi deals. More. Whether you're looking to buy a new TV, upgrade your hi-fi system or choose the right pair of headphone, we have the answers. Sonos's Era 300 is a wireless smart speaker that comes packing all the goodness and seamlessness of a Sonos system, with a key stand-out feature that Sonos believes is the next generation of sound:. 5. (Image credit: Cyrus Audio) 3. 2. Witness speaker brands like B&W and ATC deliver future stereo speaker classics. The MDF cabinet is nicely made and there are four finish options: black ash, white, dark walnut and. KEF LS50 Meta at Crutchfield for $899. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Frequency response 53Hz–25kHz. Specifications. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Dimensions (hwd) 42 x 26 x 23cm. Bang & Olufsen's Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) is an impressive Bluetooth speaker with an expansive sound and powerful, weighty bass. Read more below. This, combined with a minimalist front panel, makes a rival amp such as the Marantz. Frequency response 35Hz - 34kHz. The successor to the What Hi-Fi Award-winning DX-2, this pint-sized package is perfect for smaller rooms, with the two-way closed box design of the surround speakers meaning they can be placed close to a wall, while the centre channel will sit comfortably under the TV. at Futureshop. Digital inputs Optical, coax, 2x HDMI (1x HDMI output), 2x USB. Best Buys The best DACs can take hi-fi, desktop and portable systems to another level, and we've rounded up our favourites here. iFi has omitted it to keep costs down – and because one won’t necessarily be necessary for everyone. The hip-dac 2’s 2200mAh battery should, iFi says, last for eight to 12 hours of playing time, depending on volume level and how power-hungry the connected headphones are – and do take note here. The Aethos’s power amplifier section uses two complementary pairs of Sanken Darlington output transistors, giving a solid power output of 125W per channel into 8ohms. Black Friday deal alert! The Samsung S95C QD-OLED has never been so affordable. They are beautifully made and certainly present at every penny of that not inconsiderable outlay. 3mm jack is plugged in. 6. Apple AirPods Pro 2. Built into the likes of computers, tablets and smartphones, a DAC is a fundamental key to unlocking the convenience of digital music. The best noise-cancelling earbuds for iPhone and MacBook users. 35mm adapter, 3m 4-pin XLR cable. 5dBSPL at one metre for 2. If you're a tight budget, the Elac Debut 2. The Kyte speakers will now set you back £550 / $895 / AU$1199 if bought alone – plus £50 / $95 (around AU$95) for the plinth-like. Dynaudio Contour 20i tech specs. There’s power, poise and a fantastic sense of dynamism. Conductor material Oxygen-free high-purity copper. While it might appear chunky, this turntable's performance is anything but. Sound. The best cheap. Sony WF-1000XM5. Graham Slee's decade-old, compact and basic phono stage is still a great buy for those on a strict budget. What you use and how you use it will. That phrasing led us to believe it would be nearer the end of 2021 rather than imminently. Austrian Audio Hi-X55 tech specs. The Elys 2 mounts onto the RB330 with a three-bolt arrangement that ensures alignment is spot-on. com. Cyrus Classic Amp review. But KEF has evolved its stereo speaker system concept on the LSX. Sony XR-55A80L (55-inch HDR) at Best Buy for $1,399. Sony HT-G700. 99. These Earfuns are cheap and cheerful earbuds with the added bonus of noise-cancelling. So we suspect Sietsema is more comparing the design goals of the 40n directly to those of the recent and still current Marantz Model 30. Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED 65-inch (65-inch) at Best Buy for $589. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Trending. There’s power, punch and a sense of poise that makes the WH-1000XM3 sound, dare we say it, a little tubby. 99. Spatial audio has been in the spotlight in recent years, featuring in Dolby Atmos-soundtracked movies, TV shows and now music. We have tested such offerings from a wide range of brands – Bluesound, Arcam, Cambridge Audio and HiFi Rose, in addition to the brands mentioned previously. The best home entertainment buying advice. Cables 1. 1. 5 x 30 x 33cm. Weight 9kg. Black Friday. The deep, throbbing bassline oozes texture. The German high-end specialist is not known for compromising and that was evident with this player (and its then-£35,000 / $65,000 price!). 5) Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro Studio Headphone. 8mm neodymium full-range dynamic drivers. Dimensions (hwd) 12. at Crutchfield. 8cm wide, it’s roughly half the size of the similarly priced and similarly spherical Amazon Echo (4th gen). The Røde NTH-100 are on sale now, and in the United Kingdom they go for £149 a pair. Marantz CD6007 tech specs. Notable newcomers from that veritable bunch include. The last generation model could cope with 48kHz files at. Read more below. Then we come to sound. I’ve covered 9 Black Fridays and my advice to you is: don't ignore former favourites. Electrocompaniet ECI 80D tech specs. Deals Apple, Sonos, Samsung and more all offer great student deals on their devices. 5mm, preamp, sub. What Hi-Fi Magazine Subscription. Forums. The horn-loaded tweeter and midrange units help their performance in larger rooms, offering exceptional resolution and great insight. Beyerdynamic T1 (3rd Generation) The latest T1 keep the model's legacy alive – these are exceptional audiophile headphones. iFi Zen DAC V2. While we can’t imagine there’ll be many systems that have the Nait XS3. Product of the Year winners revealed Wednesday 3rd November. . Prime Day is drawing to a close, don't miss out on these top TV, headphones and hi-fi deals. Headphones, etc. A premium desktop music streaming system that's ideal for discerning headphone users. A large part of the amp’s retro vibe comes from those twin signal meters. The hip-dac 2’s 2200mAh battery should, iFi says, last for eight to 12 hours of playing time, depending on volume level and how power-hungry the connected headphones are – and do take note here. The cello strings and ‘humming’ have body and substance in what is a nicely focused and present soundstage, while the shakers and delicate strumming that come in beneath her well-focused vocal all manifest with decent clarity. ·. At just 8. Frequency response DC – 100kHz. What Hi-Fi Magazine Subscription. 3’s modest price. This is a flexible product too, offering the user an easy upgrade route when the time arises. In response to Apple Music's hi-res streaming announcement in 2021, Amazon made its hi-res Music HD tier (which was an additional £5 / $5 per month) free for Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers. These are the smallest model in the company's flagship. whathifi. (Image credit: Q Acoustics) Q Acoustics has released an unfussy, just-add-source set of powered speakers that we find impossible to dislike. FiiO will be flying the flag for portable hi-fi with its well-equipped M15S portable music player demoed alongside its just-announced FT3, its first-ever pair of open-back headphones. Mary is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? and has over a decade of experience working as a sound engineer mixing live events, music and theatre. The Diamond 12. The 2023 Bristol Hi-Fi Show is in full swing. It can also act as a DAC for a computer – it’s a USB Audio Class 2. With more than 40 years’ independent reviewing experience you can trust our recommendations and buy with confidence. 2 are a great option. The best home entertainment buying advice. Now that the AirPods 3 have been out for some time, they can often be picked up for 10 to 20 per cent less. In our experience it’s an approach that works. Hisense U7K (65U7KQ) review. In-depth, unbiased, expert reviews. Trending. Weight 1. 99. 1, and considering the 12. The cartridge works so well as part of the package that we would advise anyone to spend the extra. With music such as this, they sound agile and punchy, delivering the song’s rhythmic drive with verve. The engineers haven’t just posted-in the design though. Connecting the cans to your amp is a 3m long cable, with. Build. For some, though, the Xperia 5 IV might actually represent the sweet spot in the range. Trending. Build. Weight 13. That makes the new AirPods middle-sitters in Apple’s three-strong true wireless earbuds range, below the AirPods Pro, which are now officially £239 ($249, AU$399) with the new inclusion of a MagSafe wireless charging case. This is a flexible product too, offering the user an easy upgrade route when the time arises. You don’t need us to tell you there’s an awful lot of choice where over-ear headphones at this. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. 2. Sure, it’s portable inasmuch as you can pick it up (it’s only 450g, thanks in large part to its high-end. Arcam’s once dominant presence in the affordable stereo component market definitely waned in recent years, leaving the likes of Cambridge Audio, Marantz and Rega to take bigger pieces of the pie. A 7. Best Apple. We've got all kinds. Build. Taking pride of place is KEF’s iconic Uni-Q driver array (which comprises a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter sitting right in the middle of a 12. The DAVE is pretty easy to set up, though once again, the lack of labelling slows things down until we’re fully familiar with the operational logic of all the controls. Weight 450g. Instead, the company says that the soundbar will always automatically. Type Circum-aural open-back headphones. A month after revealing the 109 Best Buy winners of the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2021, in association with Sevenoaks Sound and Vision, we have today decorated 26 of them – one from each product category – with the even more prestigious Product of the Year accolade at our annual awards ceremony in London. Price. If you spot a huge discount on an older hi-fi or AV product but aren’t sure if it’s still worth buying, please reach out to one of our team on What Hi-Fi?’s Facebook page. The more bits there are, the more accurately the signal can be measured in the first instance, so going from 16-bit to 24-bit can deliver a noticeable leap in quality. QED Profile. 5-way floorstander. Here, we’re testing a system comprising a quartet of the excellent, mid-sized Diamond 12. Early Verdict. You can also subscribe to the monthly magazine online in either print or digital form. . It also, crucially, sounds even better. The best noise-cancelling earbuds for iPhone and MacBook users. It’s a high-quality, high-resolution (24-bit/192kHz) Cirrus Logic CS4398 affair that’s capable of dealing with better-than-CD-quality digital files. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. This third generation of the 700 range has, according to the British brand, been reworked throughout since the last update in 2017, integrating more technology than ever before from the flagship 800 Series Diamond range in a bid to deliver higher performances at lower prices. Max power 180W. Frequency range 12Hz - 24kHz. The overall standard of build is impressive. Issues delivered straight to your door or device. (Image credit: Bang and Olufsen) 4. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. 2kHz and 176. Read the full review here. Dimensions (hwd) 98 x 18 x 32cm. It's certainly a big step up from streaming and will reward those prepared to make the effort and stick with physical media. Hosted by the number one hi-fi and home cinema website, the What Hi-Fi? Virtual Show will showcase the world's most important consumer electronics brands and their newest products. Step-up speakers are a bold step forward with bigger scale, greater clarity and openness, and a good wallop of bass. Inputs phono, coaxial, optical, RCA, USB, HDMI ARC. It wasn’t long before many of the engineering ideas from those Michi products found their way into Rotel’s more mainstream offerings to a point where the company. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. However, it actually took the British hi-fi specialist until December 2021 to ready the complete proposition as available to buy, and today the Rega System One comes with an RRP of £1199 / $2115 / AU$2599. When the source material is up to standard, these headphones really shine. The Reference 1 Meta have a controlled delivery but also manages to communicate the passion in the music effectively. What Hi-Fi Magazine Subscription. It was also a huge night and return to form for Arcam, who found its recent new range of hi-fi separates responsible for not one but two Product of the Year Award-winners. iFi Zen Can at Amazon for $99. Sony WF-1000XM5. Wharfedale Diamond 12. Frequency range 5Hz - 28kHz. At the time of its release, and even more so now, there were already plenty of other Dolby. 83Veq under its standard test conditions, which is a higher-than-usual result for a small bookshelf/standmount design, and therefore an excellent result, as well as being only just shy of Paradigm’s own specification of 90dBSPL. The song sounds just a little more bittersweet as a result. Dali Spektor 2. Trending. The 48-inch LG C2 OLED TV is still at its lowest price ever – but stocks won't last long this Black Friday. Browse the categories and discover the top-rated. Design Open back. Also available in the UK is a variant. More. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. What Hi-Fi? Awards - 2021. 9kg. Hi-Fi. Weight 4. Jul 12. It's really that simple. Arcam’s once dominant presence in the affordable stereo component market definitely waned in recent years, leaving the likes of Cambridge Audio, Marantz and Rega to take bigger pieces of the pie. AudioQuest Chicago at Amazon for $149. 5mm headphone socket for a series of headphone connections – 6. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Atmos is, in Dolby’s own words, “the most significant development in cinema audio since surround sound. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Lines are indelibly drawn round the edges of each instrument, with granular detail on offer to complement the cleanliness and military precision. (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?) Coming in at £99 (around $120 / AU$180) the Cleer Audio Scene is clearly intended to undercut some perhaps better-known and much-lauded rivals. Sensitivity 118dB. Build. Latest TVs reviews, products, news, advice, videos and more, from the world's no. 3mm, 4-pin balanced XLR, individual 3-pin XLR for left and right channel. at Amazon. Weight 3kg. The WF-C500 use Bluetooth 5. Sample rates from 32kHz to 192kHz are supported, along with bit depths of 16 and 24. What Hi-Fi Magazine Subscription. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. (Image credit: Hisense) The Hisense 65U8HQ looks more like a mid-range TV than a truly premium one. 2-kilometre Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Nevada, USA in the early hours of Sunday, 19th November. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Awards 2023. Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition. But the KEF LS60 Wireless isn’t just towers based on the bookshelf version. Specifications. Audiolab 6000A at Crutchfield for $899. Press the large stop/start button and the platter spins up quickly and without the fuss and judder that most belt-driven rivals suffer from. (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?) Naturally enough, the WF-C500 aren’t the most lavishly specified of Sony’s extensive range of headphones – but where the essentials. 8m (5. Home Cinema. What Hi-Fi? brings you reviews, features and product comparisons for. Run your finger down the earcup and you’ll find a slider for play/pause and answering calls, skipping forward and backward tracks. There would be no hi-fi testing without Pink Floyd. Weight 960g.