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Changing times EXPERIENCE. HERITAGE.

and Show time We’ve been helping the world discover the
best in hi-fi and home entertainment for
One of the joys of working in this remarkable industry is the pace more than 40 years, and have more than 100
of change – even with products as apparently old-school as stereo years of reviewing experience under our
loudspeakers. Six months ago, we did a piece on our favourite collective belts – so you can count on our
speakers at £1000-£2000. Now, one Awards season and a few expert opinion.
short months later, it’s all-change at the £1000 speaker (p30)
mark. And this time we include floorstanders as well as DEDICATED TEST FACILITIES
standmounters, to give you a good idea of the whole market.
We test every product against its peers in our
Talking about the pace of change in a remarkable industry, it extensive, bespoke reviewing facilities in
would be remiss of me not to mention the very first What Hi-Fi? London and Bath. We conduct all our tests as
Virtual Show, an online showcase for the AV industry. With a team – our opinions and conclusions are
Covid-19 forcing the cancellation of live events, the What Hi-Fi? always the result of collaboration.
team will be hosting seminars and discussions on all things
home entertainment – music, movies and the equipment on HOW WE SCORE
which to enjoy it all. And many major brands will be showcasing
products. It’s free to register and attend, and I urge you to join us All review verdicts are agreed upon by the
on 24th April for a day of product launches, seminars and team as a whole – not an individual reviewer.
interviews – it should be a fascinating event! Each product will be listened to and/or
viewed by several members of the test team,
Jonathan Evans, editor who will then discuss the final verdict before
it appears in the magazine or on the website.
MY PRODUCT This avoids any individual bias creeping in.
OF THE MONTH
OUR SCORES EXPLAINED
A&K Kann Alpha, p16 One of the best +++++
A serious contender ++++
Smartphones are all well and Worth a look +++
good, but for hi-res music at its Disappointing ++
best, you need dedication Awful +

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www.whathifi.com 3

CONTENTS

06 Images: JBL / A&K / Q Acoustics / Philips / Sony / iFi / Cambridge Audio / Triangle / KEF / Revel / B&W / Amazon / Apple / Google / Bose / Grado / Sennheiser / Technics / Stax / Copland / Denon

FIRST TESTS

Featuring JBL’s speaker package, A&K’s
music player, Q Acoustics’ system, a
Philips TV and Sony’s new Xperia phone

26 INSIDER 28 INSIDER TOP FIVE
Five of the best new hi-fi
For What Hi-Fi?’s hi-fi editor, Becky Roberts, products launched this month
adding a streamer to her system has been
the source of joy, but also much frustration

30 SPEAKERS 40 BEST ALBUMS
Seven top floorstanders OF THE 1990s
and standmounters feature in
our £1000 speaker round-up Twenty-five albums that will give
your system a good workout

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4 www.whathifi.com See page 24

CONTENTS

42SMART THIS MONTH WE GIVE
SPEAKERS THE DEFINITIVE WORD
ON THESE PRODUCTS
Amazon, Apple or
Google? Which of AMPLIFIERS 60
these three mini smart Copland CSA100
speakers should take
control of your tunes? ENERGISERS 56
Stax SRM-700T

HEADPHONES

Apple AirPods Pro 51

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 53

Grado GT220 54

Jabra Elite 85t 49

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 55

Sony WF-1000XM3 48

Stax SR-L700 Mk2 56

Technics EAH-AZ70W 50

47 WIRELESS EARBUDS PHONO STAGES 18
We put seven of the best premium in-ear iFi Zen Phono
headphones to the test in this bumper round-up
PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYERS
Astell & Kern Kann Alpha 16

56 SMARTPHONES 10
Sony Xperia 5 II
TEMPTATIONS
60TEMPTATIONS SPEAKER PACKAGES 12
These Stax JBL HDi 5.1
SR-L700 Mk2 The Copland CSA100 is
headphones nearly £4000-worth of STEREO SPEAKERS 32
aren’t discreet, integrated amplifier B&W 707 S2 39
but they are ‘little Fyne Audio F501 35
short of magical’ KEF LS50 Meta 37
Monitor Audio Silver 200 33
114 BEST NEW SHOWS ON NETFLIX Revel Concerta2 M16 38
Five of the best shows to binge on right now Triangle Borea BR08 34
Wharfedale Linton

BUYER’S GUIDE SYSTEMS 6
Q Acoustics Q Active 200
FIND THE BEST KIT
AROUND, FAST! TELEVISIONS 20
Panasonic TX-55HZ2000B 14
Updated with 2020 Award-winners! See page 63 Philips 65OLED935

WIRELESS SPEAKERS 43
Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) 45
Apple HomePod Mini 44
Google Nest Audio

www.whathifi.com 5

FIRST TESTS

FIRST TESTS
E XVCELRULDSAIITVCETESS, TIONKN-IDTTEHPET H

View offers

Active speaker system | £1500 | whf.cm/QActive200

Q Acoustics Q Active 200

The British company’s enviable reputation for fine-quality
speakers bodes well for its first all-in-one streaming system

It’s a simple fact of life that the more Spotify Connect big advantages: they deliver both stabilised by cables in tension, and have
there is to do, the more there is to midrange and treble (and a bit of bass) fixings that enable them to be bolted to
prioritise. For Q Acoustics’ first all-in-one AirPlay 2 from their modestly sized forms, so the standmounters.
streaming speaker system, the British avoiding the need for a separate tweeter
speaker specialist could have focused 24-bit and mid/bass combination and the Q Acoustics has taken the decision not
most of its attention on the streaming distortion-generating crossover that goes to house the streaming architecture and
side of things – that is the uncharted 24-bit/96kHz along with it. They also radiate sound connectivity inside the speakers, but
territory here, after all. uniformly across a 180-degree plane, instead in a separate hub. There are two
reducing the usual tendency for speakers hub options to choose from, depending
While the brand has some degree of to create a listening ‘sweet spot’. on where your voice-control loyalties lie.
experience in powered-speaker design, The Google Home box (which we have
the Q Active 200 is its first proper active Their positioning on the speaker – the on test) offers Google Assistant voice
streaming proposition. It appears to be a dual BMR configuration can sit either on control, plus built-in Google Chromecast,
speaker-first design, given the ambitious the inside top corner or outside top while the Amazon Alexa box variant
acoustic engineering on show here. Get corner, depending on which way round works with Alexa.
the speaker part right, as you’d hope a the speakers are placed – brings some
firm with such plaudits in the field benefits too. According to Q Acoustics, It’s a shame one box doesn’t cover
would, and you’re halfway there. the asymmetry in the acoustic path both bases – there must be plenty of
lengths from the BMRs to the baffle people who use Alexa, for example, but
A new look edges improves diffraction also stream music via Chromecast. And,
characteristics. It also offers flexibility in what if your allegiance changes down
If you were expecting an active set of positioning: for far-field listening the line? Q Acoustics says it’s looking
speakers resembling Q Acoustics’ current (further away or to the sides) they should into making each hub individually
range of standmounters, then the Q be positioned to the inside, or for available, though hasn’t confirmed its
Active’s design may raise your eyebrows. near-field listening, on the outside. plans yet.

The boxes are narrow, deep and in a Of course, there’s only so much Whichever hub you choose, you get
beautifully finished matt white – so far, quantity and depth of bass a 58mm the same physical inputs – HDMI (ARC),
so Q Acoustics. But instead of the usual driver can dig up, which is why optical, and an analogue input that is
tweeter and mid/bass woofer decorating Q Acoustics has integrated a ported 11cm switchable between line-level and
each façade, there is a rectangular grille woofer into the rear of each cabinet. moving-magnet. Essentially, that means
in the top corner that hides two round, everything from a CD player to a TV to a
58mm BMR drive units. Distinctive stands turntable can be connected to the hub
and streamed to the speakers. Digital
It gives the classy cabinets a unique, Q Acoustics has designed a pair of signals from the HDMI and optical inputs
neatly minimalist look that might sit well dedicated stands for the Q Active 200, are all converted to 24-bit/96kHz, as are
in contemporary designed living spaces the Q FS75; more modest evolutions of analogue signals through the 24-bit
– but which is likely to divide opinion. the innovative stands designed for the analogue-to-digital converter (ADC).
Concept 300. For £350 per pair, they
Q Acoustics has chosen to use a pair of feature a skeletal, highly rigid ‘space’ Rather than the hub streaming these
balanced mode radiator (BMR) drivers in frame made up of rods in compression converted signals to a master speaker
each cabinet in preference to that passes the other audio channel to
conventional cone units. BMRs have two

6 www.whathifi.com

FIRST TESTS

“Q Acoustics has taken the
decision not to house the
streaming architecture and
connectivity inside the
speakers, but in a separate hub”

the slave speaker, it sends the two Image: Q Acoustics
channels of audio directly to them over
a 5GHz wireless connection. This helps The look is sure Alternatively, use the compact infrared in its 15-year history – especially in the
ensure accurate syncing between the to divide opinion remote control to adjust volume, pause, budget market. Its products have
two speakers. but the spec play and skip tracks and change inputs. A consistently included class-leading
is impressive strip of touch buttons across the rear of clarity and entertaining punch, and
The hub is also a streaming gateway to each speaker’s top panel more or less those talents have predictably found
AirPlay 2 for iOS users, Spotify Connect mirrors the remote control, too. They’re their way into the Q Active 200 too.
for Spotify Premium and Family nicely responsive – sometimes more so
subscribers, and Bluetooth. Support for than the apps we use – although as Lucid, room-filling sound
the Roon music platform is on the way there’s a short delay in the call and
via a future firmware update, too. action, we would have liked visual We play Radical Face’s The Missing Road,
confirmation of the communication from Tidal via Chromecast and the
Play from your own network from, say, a visible LED. There is an LED melodic acoustic strums, cello and vocal
by the controls on the top panel that humming come through with an eager
If you own a NAS drive with music, flashes to signify this, but unless you’re lucidity, the presentation startlingly clear
UPnP support is on board for playing standing, you won’t be able to see it. and direct, not to mention room-filling.
networked music files up to 32-bit/ You shouldn’t necessarily expect Q
192kHz (which subsequently gets Q Acoustics has successfully built a Acoustics’ typical richness and warmth
downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz for the reputation for excellent passive speakers here, but the active speakers’ leaner,
transmission to the speakers).

Q Acoustics is due to release its
dedicated Q Active app that will help
with registration and set-up, control hub
customisation, software updates and
basic controls. It won’t, however, be an
all-encompassing music-control app
from which you can browse networked
or local music libraries and access
streaming services.

That’s a shame, but third-party UPnP
control apps aren’t hard to come by, and
those using Tidal (via Chromecast) or
Spotify (via Connect) may choose to use
the native apps anyway. For accessing
our NAS device, we use the free
MConnect and BubbleUPnP apps on an
Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy S20
phone during our testing and both work
without a problem.

www.whathifi.com 7

FIRST TESTS

Cave and The Bad Seeds’ Galleon Ship,
the piano and vocal pairing comes
through clear and solid, yet is bereft of
real feel.

Everything seems to ride along one
audio plane, lacking forward momentum
and dynamic tiers. It doesn’t help that
the soundstaging isn’t particularly well
layered either. In combination, these
things mean the track isn’t all that
interesting or emotionally grabbing.

Whether trying to grasp the grooves
that underpin Thundercat’s Them
Changes, or nail the rhythmic logistics
integral to the SBTRKT track, the
Q Active 200 don’t quite tie the musical
strands together with the coordination
necessary for them to thoroughly
entertain. They conduct themselves in a
startlingly clear and upfront manner, but
beyond that they fail to captivate.

more forward tonal stance gives them a Each speaker has a we’d recommend experimenting to see Chasing rivals
likeable sense of snappiness. rear port and touch which setting works best in your
controls, and there listening room. Offering an entire audio system inside
We stream over Bluetooth, and is a separate hub such a compact and convenient concept
although we expect the usual drop in We switch from the dedicated stands is no easy task, but products such as the
quality, the Q Active 200 keep things to a pair of Custom Design FS104 KEF LSX and LS50 Wireless II, which
surprisingly tight. Bluetooth loses a bit of Signatures and the presentation sheds sandwich the Q Acoustics in price, show
solidity and space compared with UPnP some clarity – from both a sonic and that it can be done. The Q Active 200
and Google Chromecast playback, but aesthetic point of view we’d recommend ultimately falls well below the standards
still largely serves as a worthwhile the custom-built accessory. But, while set by those rivals, delivering a cruder
method of playback. the Q FS75 extracts more from the listen than we’d expect at this not-
speakers, the overall differences aren’t insignificant price.
The BMR drivers keep their end up, huge. Due to the rubber strips beneath
spreading sound generously and evenly the speaker, secure placement on a It’s rare, if ever, that we publish
around our test room and ensuring the third-party pair of stands may be fiddly. sentences featuring the words ‘Q
speakers produce an impressively big Acoustics’ and ‘disappointing’ together,
presence for their compact footprint. Watch the upper midrange but here the Q Active 200 cannot hide
They have the volume and punch to behind its thoughtfully considered spec
make easy work of John Williams’s There’s a bit of harshness in the upper sheet and speaker engineering. It’s a
climactic compositions, and while that mids, which remains audible even after a shame, because the brand has done a lot
rear-firing woofer is limited in terms of week of use. It’s not the end of the world, right – there’s vast connectivity on offer,
absolute bass depth, it proves taut and but it does mean higher-pitched voices a whole lot of speaker engineering and
terse as the bassline in SBTRKT’s can start to grate after a while. It also does dedicated stands for those who want
Wildfire (played over UPnP) comes into nothing for a dense, cymbal-heavy track them. But performance-wise, they
play. Bass blends in nicely with the rest such as Touché Amore’s I’ll Be Your Host. simply aren’t entertaining enough to
of the frequencies, too. recommend. It’s often the case that first
But our biggest issue with the Q Active efforts are followed by better second
Custom settings 200 is their combined lack of dynamic ones, and we very much hope that will
and rhythmic expression. With Nick be the case here.
To help optimise positioning, each
Q Active 200 has three settings selected RATING
by a manual switch at its rear. There is
‘Positioned close to a corner’, ‘Positioned SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
close to a wall’, and our preferred FEATURES • Thoughtfully • Lacks dynamic Q Acoustics bravely
‘Free-space’, which we find works best BUILD enters uncharted
not only when the speakers were out in designed and rhythmic waters, but sonic
the room, but also near the back wall – • Vast hub expression shortfalls let down
possibly because the speakers’ bass • No dedicated an otherwise
output isn’t overbearing and the connectivity control app decent first effort
midrange is a little forward. As always, • Clear, punchy, • Stands are pricey

room-filling sound

8 www.whathifi.com



FIRST TESTS

View offers

Smartphone | £799 | whf.cm/Xperia5II

Sony Xperia 5 II

Sony aims to deliver premium audio and video
performance in a compact, affordable package

Sony’s smartphone output seems microSD slot inside the SIM card tray Image: Sony
somewhat erratic. The Xperia 5 II is the and the now standard USB-C
second Sony smartphone we’ve tested 6.1in OLED screen connection at the bottom of the That doesn’t make the Xperia 5 II
recently, following something of an phone. The Android 10 operating screen a bad one, but for the ultimate
extended hiatus. There have been Xperia 3.5mm system is well integrated and UHD experience on a mobile, you need a
phones in the preceding years, but you’d headphone jack while there are some apps in your phone with a true 4K screen.
be forgiven for not noticing, as Sony way when you fire up the phone,
hasn’t made much noise about them. 120Hz they can easily be removed to leave The Xperia 1 set a new benchmark for
a clean and quick interface. sound quality, so we’re hopeful this
That has changed this year and the 120Hz model can replicate that success. And it
Sony Xperia 5 II follows the Xperia 1 II, display The same 12MP f/1.7 wide lens, 12MP almost does. Using the headphone jack
which won our smartphone Product of f/2.4 telephoto lens and 12MP f/2.2 or via Bluetooth, we are treated to a
the Year Award for its video and audio ultrawide lenses are here, which means musical, clear and dynamic sound.
performance. On paper, it looks like this the same Sony Pro features, but also
model can impress us in a similar way: images that are natural and detailed The Xperia 5 II successfully delivers
it’s smaller, cheaper and similarly when using the standard auto mode. something akin to a hi-fi performance,
specified, so what’s not to like? offering scale and authority with the
Sony again uses the Qualcomm stirring strings and deep bass of the
Unconventional names Snapdragon 865 chipset and 8GB of Inception OST, while sounding upbeat
RAM and operation proves fast and and light on its feet with Atlas by Bicep.
We’re not entirely on board with Sony’s responsive. There’s the same 4000mAh
naming convention – “5 II” isn’t the battery – fast-charging for 50 per cent But, as we listen to Blonde by Roger
clearest of model names, even before power in 30 minutes – and support for Eno and Brian Eno and compare it on the
you realise that it’s smaller than the 1 II. wireless charging, too. Xperia 1 II, it’s clear this phone is missing
Here, we have a 6.1in OLED screen with a a layer of detail. The larger smartphone
2520 x 1080 resolution, unlike the 4K Blown away by 4K manages to peel back one more layer of
screen on the larger model. But while texture to the track. Playing Chromatics’
we’re missing those extra pixels, we do We were blown away by the Famous Monsters, the Xperia 1 II delivers
get an upgrade to a 120Hz display. performance of the 4K screen on the more punch alongside that extra clarity.
Xperia 1 II, so we’re intrigued to see how That’s not to say we’re disappointed by
Elsewhere, the spec sheet is almost this phone compares. Of course, it’s not what we hearing, but the 1 II does pip it.
identical. That means a 21:9 aspect ratio just a smaller screen, it’s also a lower
screen, which makes for a slimline resolution. But the good news is that For many, a smartphone choice is a
handset. The bezel is ‘barely there’ thin most of the time, you may not notice. straight battle between Apple and
and there are subtle curved edges to the Samsung. But if you value music and
frame. The camera bump on the back is Watching standard-definition and Full video performance, you should consider
less obtrusive than on other phones, HD content, we’re hard-pressed to these latest Sony phones. While its
such as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. discern any noticeable differences. This pricier sibling still edges it for 4K video
Xperia 5 II delivers sharp, detailed and performance and ultimate sound quality,
Sony opts to have the fingerprint colourful images. Motion is smooth and the more compact and affordable
sensor on the right-hand side of the there’s little sign of noise. With 4K Xperia 5 II is a terrific choice.
phone. It’s reliable and fast, though content, though, you will notice a
easier to wake accidentally in your difference. This is when the 4K
pocket. There are buttons below the resolution screen of the Xperia 1 II
fingerprint scanner for one-touch access shines. You see more detail, sharper
to Google Assistant and the camera. edges and a greater resolution – those
Again, we find them easy to press extra pixels really making a difference.
accidentally, especially when on a call.
RATING
Sony’s LDAC technology, which allows
for hi-res audio transmission and aims to SCREEN FOR AGAINST VERDICT
maximise performance over Bluetooth, SOUND • Impressive • 4K video lacks A talented phone
is present here. Connect an LDAC device FEATURES that’s worth
and you’ll be asked to choose between Full HD video detail compared considering if you
the highest quality, “Sound quality • Superb sound with its bigger, want a smaller or
preferred”, or “Best effort”, which adapts • Smart design, pricier sibling cheaper alternative
to your current network connectivity. to the Xperia 1 II
manageable size
More welcome is the presence of a
3.5mm headphone jack at the top, a

10 www.whathifi.com



FIRST TESTS

View offers Image: JBL

Speaker package | £8400 | whf.cm/HDI51

JBL HDI 5.1

This speaker package offers
a timely reminder of just how
the cinema should sound

Of all the things we missed out on last 5.1 surround sound The sub here is similarly robust, and room, that is not quite the immersive
year, trips to the cinema rank pretty delivers its considerable weight with a soundfield we’d be after for nearly
highly. On the plus side, we had plenty of Amplifier power: 30cm driver powered by its 1000W £10,000. If you’re going for these JBLs, it
time to watch more movies at home 1kW subwoofer amplifier. It offers the option of RCA and might be worth saving up to have
during lockdown, but there’s nothing XLR line-level inputs, alongside a full floorstanders in all four corners.
quite like the big screen and the rumble HDI technology complement of controls to tailor
of a great surround-sound set-up. performance directly from the unit. The main reason this system loses a
star, however, is that despite all its
Perhaps that’s why we’re more excited This JBL package needs a little bombastic scale and energy there is a
to test this JBL HDI 5.1 speaker package warming up to sound its best, but disappointing lack of expression. Lines
than we might have been 12 months ago. quickly hits its stride. Within a couple of are delivered without the kind of verve
If blockbuster scale and authority are hours, we get an idea of the might and or emotion we’d expect for this money.
your priorities when it comes to home scale these speakers are able to deliver.
cinema audio, there’s little chance this You don’t choose a surround system this It’s an issue uniform to all of the
sextet of speakers will disappoint. size if bass isn’t a primary concern, so speakers in the range, not only the centre
let’s praise that first. In short, it’s difficult where it matters most. That’s a positive
The front right and left channels are to know where the response from the in terms of matching, but leaves us cold
the huge HDI-3600 floorstanders (and HDI-3600 ends and where the sub takes when it comes to overall performance.
you could go even bigger with the over. That is testament not only to how It’s not impossible to find a speaker
HDI-3800). Surround duties are handled much low-end is produced by the right package that pairs the huge cinematic
by the HDI-1600 standmounters and and left channels, but also to how presence of these JBLs with a more
HDI-4500 as the centre. An HDI-1200P detailed it is overall. dynamically expressive presentation,
subwoofer handles the lowest end of the but if we had to compromise we’d always
register, just in case you haven’t yet It’s well balanced, too. The rumbles go with something less authoritative if
rattled all the plaster off the walls. and blasts are exciting, but those that meant better storytelling.
high-frequency compression drivers are
The HDI here refers to JBL’s patented working well to make sure bass doesn’t You certainly shouldn’t discount the
High-Definition Imaging waveguide overpower the performance. The treble JBL HDI 5.1 surround speaker system,
technology, with this set of speakers is rich and unharnessed, and there’s but you will have to be careful with
sitting below the flagship Summit Series. plenty to pick out in the midrange too. system matching. Any amplifier or
JBL says its HDI waveguide geometry is source that lacks life will not make a
the result of research into the nuances of The HDI 5.1 isn’t perfect, of course. So good partner; you need something that
waveguide design, and aims for bold and authoritative are the speakers, can feed the JBLs with power while
exceptional high-frequency detail and that it can make the standmounts majoring on dynamics.
neutral response both on and off axis. producing our surround channels sound
slightly lightweight. However, this can be In the end, though, we have to say
Lots of speaker for your money solved by spending a little more money. thank you. It has been almost a year
since we last visited the cinema, and JBL
So these JBLs are expensive, but you’re The HDI-1600 offer much of the same has reminded us what that was like. If
getting a lot for the money. You’ll notice richness and detail, but the discrepancy you’re after a home cinema experience
the distinctive 2410H-2 high-frequency in size is audible. If we’re noticing the that brings the scale of a blockbuster,
compression driver on all the speakers speakers as effects travel around the this package has to be on your shortlist.
apart from the sub, while the woofers
benefit from cast aluminium frames, RATING
cutting-edge motor structures and
Advanced Aluminium Matrix cones. SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
COMPATIBILITY • Huge scale and • Lacks dynamic JBL proves it knows
The HDI-3600 floorstanders sport BUILD how to make a
three of these woofers in a 2.5-way authority expression splash, and the
design, while the HDI-1600 are • Bass weight • Needs four HDI 5.1 surround
essentially just the head of that speaker package could
with one mid/bass unit. The HDI-4500 matched by rich floorstanders cause a tsunami
centre is one of the bulkiest we’ve come mids and treble to be properly
across, with a quartet of 13cm drivers • Decent detail immersive
straddling its 25mm high frequency
compression driver, and a footprint that
is just over 31cm deep.

12 www.whathifi.com







FIRST TESTS

View offers

Television | £2699 | whf.cm/65OLED935

Philips 65OLED935

Philips’s latest OLED TV features an integrated B&W soundbar, but
does this slice of AV convenience offer the best of both worlds?

Combining a television with an HDR10+ left and right, and a single racetrack-style The Philips 65OLED935 supports both
integrated soundbar may be the height 10cm x 6.5cm subwoofer unit on the top Dolby Vision and HDR10+ alongside
of convenience, but unless that soundbar 4K OLED with Dolby surface, ported to the rear. Also along HDR10 and HLG. We see what it makes
is top quality, you’re stuck with it. The Vision, HDR10+, that top edge are the two 5cm height of the first of these by slotting Spider-
Philips 65OLED935 is a sleek, powerful HDR10 & HLG speakers for that Dolby Atmos sound. Man: Homecoming into our Blu-ray
television that aims to get around this player and the results are impressive.
pitfall by having hi-fi specialist Bowers & Ambilight The tweeters are decoupled from the Using the Dolby Vision Bright setting,
Wilkins design the speaker system. main enclosure, with the centre one in the upgrades to the picture quality over
Integrated Dolby B&W’s tweeter-on-top style. The the Philips OLED805 are small but clear.
This isn’t Philips’s first TV and Atmos soundbar enclosure itself is made from glassfibre- The Philips AI processing works
soundbar combination. Its predecessor, reinforced polycarbonate ABS, braced alongside the Dolby metadata to make a
the OLED934, also had a Bowers bar built A good array of with internal rib sections to control brilliantly punchy and vivid HDR picture.
into a stand. This time it has a more connections, with resonance. The remote control is backed
modest price, with the 3.1.2ch Dolby four HDMI sockets in Muirhead leather – it feels the part for Textural differences
Atmos soundbar making this a tempting a premium OLED TV, but isn’t
AV solution for those who like to keep particularly intuitive or user-friendly. The spidey suit really pops against the
things simple and clean on the eye. nicely defined greys in the background,
The benefit of the Android OS is that while the AI Machine Learn sharpening
But to describe the Philips 65OLED935 all the UK catch-up services are present, tech enhances the textural differences
in those terms is doing it a disservice. along with Disney+, Amazon Prime and between the rough raw concrete slabs of
Beneath that steel exterior, there is a TV Netflix. There’s no Apple TV or Apple the hangar entrance, without doing the
with impressive specs that could even Music, so you’ll need to add an Amazon same to the soft marbling of the polished
outperform its soundbar-less sibling, the Fire TV Stick, Apple TV or other media floor. There’s a sense of colour precision
five-star-rated 65OLED805. With a dual streamer. Film and TV options include to the hero’s mustard yellow backpack
AI engine inside its top-of-the-line P5 Rakuten and Google Play Movies & TV. and the red and blue shades of his outfit.
processor, Philips is confident enough to
describe the 935’s performance as OLED+. In terms of picture performance, the All the same, we prefer the TV’s HDR
OLED935 gets one or two boosts over the AI preset, which is an excellent quick-fix
Tidy sums soundbar-less OLED805 thanks to the solution for getting the most out of
improved Philips P5 processor with its AI Dolby Vision films. This setting keeps
The Philips OLED935 comes with two dual picture engine. The big one is AI things simple but leaves the user with
chrome brackets in the box, one for Machine Learn Sharpness, a tool that the five main Philips processing modes
wall-mounting the other to use as a enhances the textures and patterns of to experiment with. The HDR Personal
stand. A cable tidying system means that specific parts of the image. Another is AI mode squeezes every last drop of the
the join between the soundbar and the Smart Bit Enhanced 2.0, which removes excellent picture performance from this
TV itself is seamless. The stand needs a colour banding without the loss of detail. TV. The OLED Contrast slider offers the
surface at least 88cm wide and 26cm There’s also Perfect Natural Reality best customisation. The higher you go,
deep to accommodate it. processing, which makes standard-def the more zing you add to the colours, but
material look more like Full HD. you lose a little depth to the picture.
There’s little to no bezel, just an even
2mm metal bead around the edge of the On the sound front, the big news is the At the film’s climax, there are some
glass. On the back of the panel, you’ll 3.1.2 speaker arrangement, Dolby Atmos healthy levels of dark detail on show
find four HDMI sockets, including ARC. support and the involvement of hi-fi alongside some lusciously deep OLED
ALLM is the sole HDMI 2.1 feature here, specialist Bowers & Wilkins. The TV is blacks. We can still make out the folds
meaning that this set may not be the best also compatible with the DTS Play-Fi and the feel of the material of the
choice for gamers. There’s an optical hi-res streaming standard, meaning you Vulture’s leather jacket. Those details are
audio-out, ports for headphones and an can set-up your soundbar to work as part just shy of the best LED-backed TVs, but
external subwoofer plus two USB slots. It of a multi-room system along with any the trade-off for those blacks is worth it.
is Bluetooth-enabled for audio, too. other Play-Fi-enabled kit you might own.
Philips has upped its motion
The soundbar houses ten separate This wouldn’t be a top-end Philips TV processing game for its most recent TVs
drive units. There are two 5cm midrange review without Ambilight. The – it’s decent, but not quite in the same
cones plus a 19mm titanium-dome company’s rear-firing LED lightshow league as Sony and Panasonic. We’re
tweeter for the centre channel, one of comes in its four-sided variety for the happy to put up with some judder in the
the same cones and tweeters each for the OLED935 and remains a great feature.

14 www.whathifi.com

FIRST TESTS

Image: Modern Love, Amazon Prime

faster panning shots in order to avoid the This TV/soundbar But clarity is by no means everything The audio is superior to the OLED805,
soap-opera aesthetic, but that decision is combination is a when it comes to great TV sound and but the results are less enthralling than
harder when watching SDR. Viewing the neat AV solution this set-up is missing one of the most those of even an affordable soundbar,
opening scenes of Jack Reacher in Full crucial ingredients – excitement. such as the Sonos Beam. Compared with
HD on Blu-ray, the overhead shot of the The integrated Dynamically, there is little difference in a more expensive Dolby Atmos-
riverside crime scene is excellently soundbar has a scale between the sounds, both for supporting soundbar, such as the Sonos
handled. There’s a good feel to the tweeter on top effects and soundtrack, which makes Arc, the contrast is even less flattering.
paving stones, a believable colour palette everything feel flat and devoid of impact
to the flowerbeds and plenty of dark on the senses. We hear the bombers fly Philips has done a superb job to
detail as the SWAT team arrives. For SDR, over our heads, but we’ve no urge to improve on what was already a first-class
it has a remarkably punchy look. duck. Bullets offer little threat, even as picture performance. It is sharp and
the cockpit is riddled with bullet holes. colourful with deep blacks and a great
Our expectations of TV sound are level of detail – but you can get almost all
usually tempered, but here things are Similarly, voices lack expression, that with the more affordable OLED805.
different. There are small picture quality which sells short the tension of the With the price gap this wide, there’s a
advantages of the OLED935 over the sequence. The young servicemen seem case for choosing the OLED805 and
OLED805, but the integrated soundbar all too relaxed on their mission deep into investing in a dedicated soundbar. The
makes up most of the difference in price. the heart of enemy territory, rocked by OLED935 may be a more elegant solution
the lifeless pops of flack exploding just and a step up in picture quality but,
We watch the bombing raid sequence inches from their heads. currently, it comes at too high a premium.
of Unbroken in Dolby Atmos and the
B&W soundbar projects an excellent RATING
soundstage, adding plenty of height and
breadth to the sound. Even with our eyes PICTURE FOR AGAINST VERDICT
closed, it’s easy to picture the planes SOUND • Tidy and appealing • UI a little dated This is a brilliant
flying across the screen and the bullets FEATURES • Mediocre motion OLED television,
zipping by. The agility of the drivers build but Philips has
makes for a good separation of the • Punchy HDR and processing chosen to combine
effects, unveiling all the details in the • Short on sonic it with a merely
clicks and clinks of the military SDR pictures average soundbar
equipment, and the creaks of the pilots’ • Fabulous 4K detail dynamics
leather jackets.

www.whathifi.com 15

FIRST TESTS

View offers

Portable music player | £1099 | whf.cm/KannAlpha

Astell & Kern Kann Alpha

Combining portability with premium high-resolution sound is no easy
task, but Astell & Kern is hoping that the Kann Alpha can pull it off

The move towards music on the go has Screen 4.1in Although a special coating has been CD-quality FLAC files (16-bit/44.1kHz) or
been undeniably convenient, but the applied to this mirror finish, the Kann 199 tracks if you’re listening solely to
push back against heavy audio 64GB Alpha’s surfaces and screen easily collect 24-bit/192kHz WAV files, but here Astell
compression has gained ground. For finger prints. It’s only a minor issue, but & Kern has another trick up its sleeve.
those who want the best of both worlds Memory this is a premium player and we notice it Our Alpha comes pre-loaded with V-Link
– portability and high-resolution music 64GB enough to run a microfibre cloth over the (for YouTube Music or 720p video
– Astell & Kern is one of the best-known Kann Alpha several times during testing. playback on YouTube over wi-fi), Tidal
providers of premium music players. Battery life and Deezer apps – or, to give them their
14.5 hours On the underside of the unit is a proper name, Open APPs. The Kann
The Kann Alpha is the third player in microSD card slot, for those who wish to Alpha boasts support for 33 music
the Kann series, but the first to feature The Kann Alpha boost the Alpha’s 64GB onboard storage streaming services over wi-fi.
Bluetooth 5.0. It has a more powerful has the trademark up to 1TB, as well as a USB-C port that
built-in headphone amp than the A&K volume knob now handles both charging and digital App decisions
previous Kann series players, and connectivity. Connect the Kann Alpha to
promises added power in a smaller and your laptop with the supplied USB-C Making them appear on the Alpha is no
more portable chassis. cable and you can use it as an all-in-one easy task, though, and Astell & Kern only
headphone amp and DAC. just gets away with its decision to go
The new Kann Alpha is just over 2cm down the Open APP route. You need to
shorter and 5mm shallower than the The Kann Alpha uses dual ESS Sabre connect the player to your laptop, head
older Kann Cube (£1500) and, at 316g, is ES9066AS DACs capable of rendering to an Open APP store, download your
significantly lighter. It’s still a substantial MQA music. It is compatible with most preferred music streaming app’s APK,
beast, but it will easily fit into an anorak, file formats, including FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, drop this into the Alpha’s Open Service
coat or hoodie pocket – though perhaps WAV and native DSD256. It’s a similar tab on-screen, and then, when it appears
not skinny jeans. story with wireless codec support. The under the Services tab on the Alpha,
Alpha supports LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, download it to the device.
A trademark feature of Astell & Kern’s AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs. The
players is the rotary volume knob in the Alpha also offers MQA-CD playback, by So far, so good, but the pre-loaded
top-right corner, and the one on the way of Astell & Kern’s CD-Ripper. Deezer app doesn’t recognise our
Kann Alpha is a joy to use. A subtle light account. We download Apple Music,
shines out from around the dial, glowing On the top-left side of the unit are which lags and crashes, and while Tidal
different colours to denote the type of three unmarked buttons. The central one is more reliable, it too stops working at
file you’re playing – red to indicate a handles play and pause, the uppermost times during our testing.
16-bit PCM file, green for 24-bit, blue for can be long-pressed to rewind or short
32-bit and purple for DSD files. If you’re pressed to go back a track, and the lowest While the Open APP service provides
worried that the LED display might button is to skip tracks or fast-forward. A access to hi-res streaming for those with
create electrical noise, you can turn it off responsive LCD touchscreen completes the relevant music service subscriptions,
in the settings menu. the typically high-end Astell & Kern it is a clunky installation process and, in
design. Add to this an increased battery testing, the results are hit and miss. This
High-end build quality life of 14.5 hours – up from 9 hours in the is not an issue we’ve run into with other
Kann Cube – with 3.5 hours to fully Astell & Kern players, so we’re left
The Alpha screams high-end when it charge, and things are looking positive. scratching our heads.
comes to build quality. Its all-aluminium
black casing sports a slightly different The Alpha’s internal amplifier has low, A way around the Open APP service is
finish for every side. The back surface medium and high gain settings too, so to use the AK Connect app, which turns
features a cool, brushed finish, while you can match its output to your the Alpha into a UPnP streamer. We
along the top edge is a ceramic black headphones’ sensitivity. This means that download the app, click on the icon and
mirror finish, with little gold accents by setting the amplifier to high in the can now set Tidal, or our smartphone, as
around the three headphone outputs – a settings menu and using the balanced our ‘Library’ and the Kann Alpha as our
2.5mm and new balanced 4.4mm, plus a output, you can enjoy 12Vrms – the same ‘speaker’. Anything your phone (or
3.5mm unbalanced headphone jack/ power as the much bulkier Kann Cube. chosen library) is able to access can now
optical out. The Alpha’s top edge, in The Alpha even warns you if it thinks be played on the Alpha.
particular, has a quality reminiscent of you’re listening at too high a volume.
Sony’s more premium minidisc players The similarly priced FiiO M15 adds
of the mid-1990s. The Kann Alpha’s 64GB onboard music more intuitively – a simple toggle
storage is roughly sufficient for 2700 on this device means all music in our

16 www.whathifi.com

FIRST TESTS

“Despite stumbling over the
integration of music streaming
services, the Kann Alpha is a
powerful and talented machine.
We cannot fault it sonically”

local network is accessed and added Image:Astell & Kern
within seconds – but both machines offer
the same functionality. This A&K offers sprightly saxophone in our left ear performance – but in times such as these,
hi-res music in a during So What are dutifully laid bare. music lovers might part with the Alpha’s
Streaming trickery aside, at its core the portable machine The FiiO M15 cannot handle these significant asking fee for such a feeling.
Alpha is a talented hi-res music player. detailed musical passages with the same
The home screen interface is a little busy, masterful hand. Listening to hi-res music Fundamentally, players such as the
but swiping right to access the main on the Kann Alpha, we can just tap our Astell & Kern Kann Alpha must deliver
menu, down for the notification bar, left feet and enjoy the rhythm. hi-res music in a portable design – and it
to go to the Now Playing menu and up does this in spades. It is a powerful and
for your listening history soon becomes We listen to a live recording of Eagles’ talented machine, and despite stumbling
second nature. Album graphics from Hotel California (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC) slightly over the integration of music
your files are beautifully displayed, too. and the clarity and space around the streaming services, we cannot fault it
strings, even with the crowd noise, is sonically. The battery will outlast a
We pair the Earfun Air earbuds and adept to the point that we can almost road-trip, the power handling is glorious,
AKG Y400 on-ears via Bluetooth and place ourselves at the gig. It’s not the and the stylish, rock-solid build is (just
find the connection solid and sound subtlest-sounding Astell & Kern player about) small enough to take with you on
quality admirable. But we focus on we’ve tested – there are pricier models your travels – once we’re allowed to do
premium wired headphones, such as the that deliver an even more nuanced that properly once more.
Beyerdynamic T1 and Grado RS1.
RATING
Listening to downloaded hi-res music
on the Kann Alpha is truly a joy. SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
Although we prefer the FiiO M15’s FEATURES • Expansive • Clunky streaming If it’s hi-res sonic
slightly larger screen and more intuitive BUILD chops you seek,
interface, when it comes to sound, the presentation service integration the Kann Alpha can
Astell & Kern player is a clear winner. • Punchy bass deliver it in spades
• Good levels
We play Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms
(a DSD64 file) and are struck by the of detail
Alpha’s expansive presentation and
impressive low-end capabilities. The
intro of Money For Nothing builds to a
crescendo and, as Mark Knopfler’s
electric guitar comes in, we note just
how much energy and jubilance the
Kann Alpha can deliver.

Unusual clarity

The Alpha is as meticulous and honest as
it is zealous, though. Daft Punk’s Lose
Yourself To Dance (a 24-bit/88.2kHz
FLAC file) celebrates Pharrell’s textured
vocal through a sparkling treble, but
never to the detriment of the track’s
heavily processed backing vocal, which
comes through with unusual clarity,
musicality and accuracy. It’s joined by
other vocal samples to deliver a layered
and highly competent performance.

Instruments in Miles Davis’s Kind Of
Blue (24-bit/192kHz FLAC) are three-
dimensional and textured. Occasional
cracks in the trumpet alongside the

www.whathifi.com 17

FIRST TESTS

View offers Image: iFi

Phono stage | £149 | whf.cm/ZenPhono

iFi Zen Phono

This phono stage is one of the
cleanest sounding components
we’ve heard at the price

We often recommend investing in a Moving magnet components around them step up a The Zen Phono is not entirely bereft of
decent entry-level phono stage to and moving coil level. But rarely do we come across those these talents, but it doesn’t snap in time
complement the growing market of that stop just shy of begging you to or throw lines at us with the energy
budget record players, or as an upgrade compatible explore a world of opportunity, firmly some pieces of music deserve. We’re not
to the phono stage built in to the main nudging to try new things. exactly bored or left confused by the iFi’s
amplifier. However, in doing so, we 723-6dB performance, but we’d certainly trade
might be guilty of making it appear that A good-sounding MC cartridge alone some of that cleanliness for a little more
there are more decent entry-level phono Adjustable gain costs around double the price of the Zen emotional feeling.
stages out there than is actually the case. Phono, so an entry-level do-all phono
Dimensions (hwd) stage won’t keep up for long – but if iFi It’s the kind of thing at which Rega
The arrival of the iFi Zen Phono has 3.5 x 15.8 x 11.7cm gets you to imagine a system beyond excels – and it also happens to offer
swollen the ranks of decent entry-level your own, then it has served a purpose. products that sandwich the Zen Phono
phono stages. You won’t find one with a in price. The Fono Mini A2D isn’t in the
better spec sheet, or that’s better built, Immaculately clean presentation same league when it comes to features or
but most importantly, you’ll also struggle build quality and doesn’t match the Zen
to find anything at this price that will In the meantime, the iFi Zen Phono Phono for detail, but its sound is overall
make your records sound cleaner. sounds good. There is no mistaking more musical and engaging for two
where iFi’s focus has been – the thirds of the price.
Encouraging ambition presentation is immaculately clean.
There will be components costing two or Hi-fi nous
iFi is a company known for its ambition, maybe even three times the price that
determined to create entry-level will struggle to dig out this amount of If you are willing to spend a little more,
products able to stack up against units information, with this level of clarity. the Rega Fono MM MK3 is a What Hi-Fi?
many times the price, and it almost Award-winner at just under £200 and
encourages the listener to be as That isn’t to say the Zen Phono is matches that kind of hi-fi nous with a
ambitious with them. overly clinical – it will embrace the knack for finding a groove and
warmth and character it is offered from contouring low-level dynamic shifts.
The Zen Phono caters for not only your turntable – but it isn’t adding
moving-magnet cartridges, as you would anything to the sound, merely polishing The Fono MM MK3 is a rather basic
expect from a product such as this, but each note to the best of its ability. affair, though. So, while we might
also moving-coil options, offering a question just how necessary it is to have
range of gain in steps from 36dB up to Unsurprisingly, the balance is spot on, a budget phono stage that can handle
72dB. It also features a balanced circuit too. This iFi is willing to reach as high or MC cartridges and with a balanced
design, to reduce noise and crosstalk, a low as your turntable asks it to, and treat output, the iFi stands head and
feature that is even less common at this each frequency with that same shoulders above its rivals in terms of
end of the market. sympathy to tone and texture. features before even getting started.

The company has even dedicated There is a compromise here, though. The iFi Zen Phono’s clarity is bound to
considerable attention to creating its With the focus on clarity and detail, iFi give it plenty of suitors. Its slight lack of
own low-noise power supply, as you loses a little of the rhythmic and enthusiasm means we can’t quite give it
might find in a flagship phono stage. dynamic sense we’d expect from a the full five stars, but the Zen Phono
Everything used, from the Panasonic and five-star product. While the texture and should certainly be on your shortlist for
TDK capacitors to the Texas Instruments timbre of an instrument is interesting, it a test drive nonetheless.
ICs, is geared towards low distortion and needs timing and expression to be music.
crystal clarity.
RATING
We often mention hi-fi components
offering headroom for upgrades, so they
continue to perform when the

SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
FEATURES • Clean, detailed • Not class leading iFi has been bold
BUILD in its ambition and
performance timing or dynamic the Zen Phono
• Well balanced expression encourages others
• Lots of features to have the same
level of aspiration

18 www.whathifi.com



FIRST TESTS

View offers

Television | £2299 | whf.cm/TX-55HZ2000B

Panasonic TX-55HZ2000B

A new OLED panel takes this telly to the top of Panasonic’s impressive
range, where it looks terrific. But things are not quite as they should be

The HZ2000 sits right at the top of HDR10+ powered by the HCX Pro Intelligent performance is otherwise exemplary.
Panasonic’s current TV range, elevated Processor, introduced with 2019’s OLED Playing Blade Runner 2049 on 4K
above its siblings by a so-called Dolby Vision TVs, it boasts support for both HDR10+ Blu-ray, the HDR10 image pops from the
‘Professional Edition’ OLED panel and a & HDR10+ and Dolby Vision (including light-sensing screen. This film is all about contrast,
speaker system that boasts genuine Dolby Vision IQ), as well as Netflix and the Panasonic ensures that the neon
upward-firing Atmos speakers. OLED Calibrated and Filmmaker Mode, though signs and holographic billboards of
we’d avoid those last two on account of downtown LA pulse brilliantly against
We loved the HZ2000’s predecessor, Dolby Atmos the dull picture they produce. the dark sky and grubby, monolithic
with which it shares much of its design buildings. Pure, inky black is delivered as
and technology, and we’re big fans of the At 8cm deep, the The operating system is My Home required, and where some OLEDs hold
more affordable HZ1000, so the omens set will protrude Screen 5.0, which is simple to use, but back when asked to deliver a bright
here are very good indeed. Something, if wall-mounted also rather dull and less app-packed than highlight in an overwhelmingly dark
though, has gone rather wrong. many rivals. While you get Netflix with image, the HZ2000 delivers all of the
full Dolby Vision and Atmos support, dramatic dynamism you could hope for.
The HZ2000 looks largely identical to Amazon Prime Video with HDR10+ and
the GZ2000 it replaces, and that makes it Atmos, and the full suite of catch-up In favour of the motion
a fairly utilitarian aesthetic proposition. apps courtesy of Freeview Play, the likes
Not that there’s anything wrong with of Disney+, Apple TV and Google Play Detail levels are exceptional, both in the
that – Panasonic has resisted the urge to Movies & TV are all missing. In terms of rare bright moments and the far more
push flashy designs, instead choosing to music, the only app of note that’s on common dimly lit scenes, and there’s a
allow the performance to do the talking. board is Deezer. supreme sharpness that makes
everything seem more three-
A key part of the HZ2000 proposition It’s also worth noting that the dimensional. Motion processing is
is its advanced, Technics-tuned, Dolby HZ2000’s HDMI sockets lack support for fantastic, too. Leave Intelligent Frame
Atmos sound system, which consists of a 4K@120Hz (also known as HFR) and Creation on the default Max setting and
soundbar subtly mounted beneath the VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), making it a you get some of the sharpest and
screen and a set of drivers firing upwards less than ideal choice for gamers, smoothest motion available from any TV.
from the top of the set’s rear. In total, the particularly those with a PS5 or Xbox It’s surprisingly natural and authentic in
system’s amplification is rated to an Series X. ALLM (Auto Low Latency this mode, too, successfully avoiding the
impressive-sounding 140W. Mode) and eARC (Enhanced Audio so-called soap-opera effect. It introduces
Return Channel) are at least supported. occasional shimmer around tricky
No other manufacturer has yet taken movement, so dropping Intelligent
the same approach, and perhaps that’s at Dolby Vision: how we see it Frame Creation to Min results in the best
least partly because of the repercussions overall balance, even though it allows
it has in terms of design. While almost all As with the HZ1000, the HZ2000’s Dolby some blur and judder in. All told,
OLEDs have an enclosure mounted to the Vision IQ mode, which is designed to Panasonic is now right up there with
rear of the panel for speakers, processing produce a consistent Dolby Vision Sony for motion handling, and that really
hardware and connections, the HZ2000’s experience regardless of ambient is saying something.
is much larger than most, with the set lighting conditions, skews a little dim
measuring just under 8cm front-to-back and soft for our tastes. It’s not a bad Dropping down to Fargo on HD
in all but the top two corners, so it will image, but it feels as if Panasonic is Blu-ray, the HZ2000 proves itself to be
stand off the wall more than most. playing things a bit safe here, and the an extremely capable upscaler, too. As
punchier, crisper Dolby Vision picture the hapless Jerry pulls into the King of
Fine tuning provided by the Award-winning Philips Clubs bar for his fateful meeting with
55OLED805 makes for the more exciting Carl and Grimsrud, there’s a slight excess
Panasonic doesn’t offer much detail on watch. The new Dolby Vision Vivid of picture noise that can be reduced by
the differences between its standard and preset takes things too far the other way dropping the Sharpness setting by a few
Professional Edition panels, but it’s a and we can’t help but wish Panasonic points, but the picture is otherwise
custom panel (supplied, as with all OLED had kept Dolby Vision Bright alongside beautiful, with perfectly balanced
panels, by LG) that goes through extra Dolby Vision IQ. colours, lots of detail and nuanced,
tuning by Panasonic’s engineers, subtle shading. The picture simply looks
resulting in a brighter picture than is Still, a slightly dull Dolby Vision correct and natural, and this is the
typically available from an OLED TV. performance isn’t the end of the world,
especially when the HZ2000’s picture
Other than those two additions, the
HZ2000 is the same as the HZ1000. It’s

20 www.whathifi.com

FIRST TESTS

Image: Hunters, Amazon Prime

Panasonic’s greatest strength across all Great picture, but room. It isn’t full virtual surround sound, All told, the outgoing model is exciting
sources. Even early episodes of Peep there are issues but the HZ2000 fills a room more and engaging where the HZ2000 is not.
Show in standard definition are passably with the sound effectively than any other TV-integrated More importantly, though, the HZ2000
clean and naturally balanced. sound system that we can think of. is less clear and transparent-sounding
than the cheaper HZ1000, and that’s a
Other than a slightly disappointing However, while this flagship model is big price to pay for the added
default Dolby Vision setting, the HZ2000 undeniably weightier and more spacious spaciousness and weight.
is a superb all-round performer. The only than the HZ1000, it’s also badly lacking
problem is that the far more affordable clarity and precision. The placement of With the picture improvements over
HZ1000 is also superb. Last time around, effects is quite imprecise and dialogue is the HZ1000 proving to be so slight, the
the GZ2000 delivered a clearly better buried once the action kicks in. The HZ2000 needs to justify its price
picture than its more affordable siblings, Dialogue Enhancement option can help premium almost on sound alone, but
but here the upgrade is a lot less obvious. with the latter, but it also adds an audibly Panasonic has taken a surprising
Bright highlights are slightly punchier processed essence to voices that makes backwards step here.
and there’s a little extra vibrancy, but them sound a bit unnatural.
we’re talking small margins here. On With any luck, this is just a blip and
picture alone, it’s not worth spending Concerned that we might have the already announced JZ2000 will be a
extra on the HZ2000 over the HZ1000. received a faulty sample, we call in a return to form. If you’re looking to buy a
second HZ2000, as well as a GZ2000, but Panasonic OLED right now, though, we
Not what we wanted to hear doing so only confirms our suspicions. recommend that you avoid the HZ2000
Not only does the second HZ2000 and instead choose the HZ1000 and a
With the picture improvements being so sample sound the same as the first, it separate soundbar. Doing so will get you
marginal, the HZ2000 needs to justify its sounds significantly worse than the older an almost equally stunning picture and
premium over the HZ1000 almost GZ2000, which is cleaner and crisper. markedly better sound.
entirely with its audio performance, and
this is where things take a surprising and RATING
disappointing turn.
PICTURE FOR AGAINST VERDICT
Playing our favourite Dolby Atmos test SOUND • Excellent all-round • HZ1000 offers The picture is
scene, the bombing run in Unbroken, the FEATURES superb, but the
HZ2000 continues where the GZ2000 picture quality similar picture HZ2000 is also
left off in terms of spaciousness and scale. • Dolby Vision and for less designed to deliver
The front-facing bar sends out effects far • Sound lacks clarity excellent sound, and
to the left and right while the upward- HDR10+ • Missing next-gen there it falls short
firing speakers send sound right up to • Big Dolby Atmos HDMI features
the ceiling and a decent distance into the
audio performance

www.whathifi.com 21





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INSIDER

ADDING A MUSIC
STREAMER TO MY HI-FI

SYSTEM HAS BEEN
A REVELATION

(AND A FRUSTRATION)

Streaming has changed the home music listening habits of our
hi-fi editor Becky Roberts, but it hasn’t been without some irritation

At the beginning of March 2020, background music listening during those But for all the convenience and
just weeks before the first many social gatherings I had planned – increasing quality offered by streaming,
national lockdown in the UK, but now the Marantz hasn’t been I have come to realise the hard way that
I shuffled around my hi-fi system to plugged in for months and my CD pile is music streaming isn’t without its
accommodate a music streamer. gathering dust, battling to keep its place frustrations. Adding a streamer to your
in my two-bedroom flat. system is all it’s cracked up to be – but
I had been toying with the idea for there are still a few bumps in the road.
some time – not least as, through I quickly found that the alluring
reviewing for What Hi-Fi?, I was aware tactility of physical formats was Technological support
that the hi-fi streaming experience was satisfyingly covered by the record player
only getting better. However, I had spent and my ever-growing vinyl collection; Due to new audio formats and streaming
plenty of time and money on a decent- and being able to listen to more new technologies regularly emerging onto
sounding system and collection of music than ever before through my hi-fi the scene, the list of things to consider
music, and wasn’t in a rush to speakers – rather than wireless when in the market for a music streamer
‘downgrade’ my listening at home. headphones via my phone – was a is getting longer. Does it support the
novelty. By the summer, I realised that streaming service you subscribe to –
For me, streaming until then had been the goalposts that framed my listening Spotify, Apple Music, Qobuz, Tidal,
(and still is) excellent for listening to habits had moved; streaming had Amazon Music? Does it have Bluetooth,
music on the move – if only because you become more than just a novelty. to stand in when your network’s down?
can’t take your vinyl on the bus – but it Does it have inputs you can plug other
seemed like the right time to give it a Now, the CXN V2 sounds great – better sources into, if needed? Nowadays, it
proper chance in my home hi-fi system. than any other of its kind and price we’ve nearly always will have (although, of
heard. It’s a multi-What Hi-Fi?-Award course, it’s best to check). But does it
As it turns out, and in retrospect, the winner and a class leader. I’d heard the support the technologies used within
arrival of the wonderful Cambridge CXN V2 in action countless times in the the streaming services? That’s another
Audio CXN V2 was very well timed. And What Hi-Fi? test room. Living with it for question entirely.
it has been a welcome piece of audio kit a while confirmed that it is also
in my system over the past bizarre year. convenient to use – while it has a For example, I’m a Tidal HiFi
While not without its frustrations, it has dedicated control app, like most out subscriber and therefore have access to
been more transformative to my music there, it has its moments, so I find using the service’s hi-res Tidal Masters tracks
listening than I’d ever imagined. the Tidal and Spotify apps (via Google – but the CXN V2 doesn’t support them,
Chromecast and Spotify Connect) more because it can’t decode the MQA
Pet sounds reliable and as much of a go-to. technology that powers them. There is
a workaround in this instance – you can
The CXN V2 came into my household as The speed and convenience of picking play Tidal Masters natively on the Tidal
a new pet might, occupying third rank in up a phone and prodding at the screen a desktop app on your laptop, connected
my system’s sources (behind the Audio few times, instead of having to get up to the Cambridge via USB – but that’s not
Technica AT-LP5 turntable and Marantz from the sofa to load a CD and look for particularly convenient.
SA-KI Pearl Lite CD player) but instantly the misplaced remote, instantly felt like
getting the most attention. a welcome change and, several months To some extent, that diminishes the
down the line, it had well and truly won biggest benefit of subscribing to Tidal’s
My initial expectations were that a me over. I was sold – I still am. higher-res music tier. Does my Marantz
streamer would come in handy for
shorter listening sessions, or even

26 www.whathifi.com

INSIDER

Image: Getty / Cambridge Audio

sound better with a physical CD than A music streamer Then there’s the accessibility of industry, as is the issue of the music
listening ‘experience’ becoming an
the Cambridge does playing CD- or could change your streamed music. You wouldn’t think this increasingly lost art. There’s no booklet
to peruse, no lyrics to finger your way
lower-quality tracks? Yes it does. listening habits too would be an issue, considering one of through. If you subscribe to a free,
ad-supported service tier, there may
Cambridge isn’t alone in not supporting streaming’s biggest advantages over even be adverts regularly interrupting
your listening. Controlling music on your
MQA, and we understand there are other forms of music consumption is the phone is generally convenient, but we all
know the frustration that comes from an
reasons for that, but it does bring home availability of tens of millions of tracks, app crashing or your phone taking a
while to wake up – “all I want to do is
the fact that streaming isn’t quite the that only the most dedicated collector skip a track, why is it taking this long?!”

level playing field we’d like it to be. would have at their fingertips through Enhanced experience

As with a lot of streaming CDs or vinyl alone. The streaming ‘experience’ is something
classical music service Primephonic is
hardware, there has been an You pay between, say, £120 addressing by enhancing its catalogue
with digital CD booklets, but it’s not
understandable, yet frustrating “Music streaming and £240 per year (depending something the majority of music
wait for new features such as on the quality that you select) streamers will benefit from.

Tidal Connect to be rolled out via isn’t a perfect for unlimited access to a Ultimately, I use the Cambridge CXN
a firmware update. Of course, we streaming service’s catalogue, V2 so much now that I can’t imagine
living with a hi-fi system devoid of a
want these new features as soon but, unlike with CD or vinyl, you music streamer. It offers a way to stream
don’t physically own any of it. easily and comprehensively a world of
method of musicas they’re announced, but that music – either your own or from a music
service – that, due to cost, storage space or
doesn’t always fly in the world of consumption, Due to fluctuating rights, they both, might not otherwise be available.
hi-fi streaming. can disappear without a
Music streaming is not a perfect
The recent controversy around moment’s notice. One day you method of music consumption, but as
simply find a track on your an overall concept it’s hard to fight and,
but as a concept,Sonos making some older when it has its claws into you, even
harder to give up. It’s little wonder
products defunct serves as a it’s hard to fight playlist is no longer playable on streaming and hi-fi has now merged into
reminder that there’s a limit to that service – it’s greyed out and what is arguably the pinnacle of quality,
convenient music listening: all-in-one
how far streaming products can and even harder dead to you, no matter how active stereo speakers. Perhaps that’s
be future-proofed in this many times you stab your finger next for me?

fast-developing environment. to give up” over it in infuriation. It feels as
though you’ve been a victim of

Comforting features daylight robbery. Which of

New technologies, such as MQA course you haven’t, because it

or Dolby Atmos Music, can’t always be was never yours in the first place.

implemented into old products due to Purchasing digital music to download,

hardware requirements. It’s why an store on a hard-drive and stream through

upgrade path, such as the one offered by a streamer gets round the ownership

the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning NAD issue, of course. For those who can afford

C 658, is potentially a good idea. On the to build a digital library that way (or by

flip side, it’s comforting to know that, ripping their own CDs to a NAS drive),

months or even years after you have it’s the most reliable way to stream.

bought your streamer, it can be blessed Streaming’s battle royale (or rather,

with new features and services through the battle of artist royalties) is another

firmware updates – and for free, too. concern that continues to face the music

www.whathifi.com 27

INSIDER 1

INSIDER Philips 9000 Series

TOP FIVE £tbc
LAUNCHES Philips has introduced its own range of Mini LED TVs for 2021. The 9000
series comprises the 9639, which includes a built-in Bowers & Wilkins
Five products to look soundbar, and the 9506, featuring traditional built-in speakers. Both
out for this month ranges are available at either 65in or 75in and are powered by Philips’s
new fifth-generation P5 processor. They feature four-sided Ambilight
2 technology, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, and HDMI 2.1 features on
certain inputs, including eARC, ALLM and VRR for 4K content. They also
B&O Beosound run on the Android TV 10 OS. Both TVs feature 1000 dimming zones, with
Level the 9506 boasting a 1500-nit panel and the 9639 a 2000-nit panel. The
9506 will be the first model to hit the shops from June 2021.
from £1099
Bang & Olufsen has unveiled its whf.cm/9000Series
latest wireless speaker, the
Beosound Level. It has modular 3
parts, so you can swap in a new
battery, replace the streaming Falcon Acoustics
module and even switch covers between either the natural oak veneer Q7 Mini-Monitor
or knitted dark grey Kvadrat textile finishes. The Beosound Level can
stand up, lie on its side or hang on a wall and it automatically retunes £995
for each orientation. The Beosound Level features Spotify Connect, How about a self-assembled
AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast, and has 105W of power delivered pair of speakers that can be
by two 10cm woofers, one 5cm full-range driver and a pair of 20mm built in less than two hours?
tweeters. Available now, the B&O Beosound Level starts at £1099. Falcon Acoustics’ Q7 Mini-
Monitor is the second DIY speaker in its
whf.cm/BOLevel ‘Complete@Home’ range. It comprises production-grade Italian Baltic
birch ply cabinets with either natural walnut or rosewood veneer, Falcon’s
B110 and T27 drive units and a Falcon 23.2 factory-assembled, pre-wired
crossover. All tools are provided and there’s an online instruction manual
and YouTube video to guide you through the whole process.

whf.cm/FalconQ7

4 5

McIntosh MHA200 Focal Celestee

£2795 £999
McIntosh’s all-new MHA200 vacuum-tube headphone amplifier Focal has enjoyed much success with
promises to get the most out of virtually any pair of headphones. It’s wired headphones in recent years, most
driven by pairs of 12AT7 and 12BH7A valves. The former work to notably with its Elegia and Stellia closed-
amplify the incoming audio signal, while the latter provide the power back models. Sitting between those two
to drive the output to the headphones. There are three-pin balanced in price, the Celestee feature an acoustic
XLR connectors, a four-pin balanced XLR socket (for balanced stereo) treatment inside the earcups. They use
and a more typical 6.35mm jack. Both balanced and unbalanced the 40mm aluminium-magnesium
inputs complete the spec sheet. The McIntosh MHA200 is available ‘M’-shaped dome full-range drivers found
now in the USA, and should arrive in the UK in April. inside their closed-back cousins. Impedance is
a lowly 35 ohms, which should make them suitable
whf.cm/McIntoshMHA200 partners for smartphones and portable audio players.
They have a navy blue and copper aesthetic and come
28 www.whathifi.com with matching cables and woven carrying case.

whf.cm/FocalCelestee



ROUND-UP

Speaker
of the house

Your domestic stereo system deserves a pair of
authoritative speakers that can keep good sonic
order. Here’s our pick of the bunch around £1000

o-one likes to compromise in this life terms of subtlety and precision, while the
Triangle Borea BR08 floorstander is a truly
N but, on the other hand, everyone loves exceptional all-round performer from a perhaps
getting the balance just right. unexpected source.
Whether you’re deciding how much sugar to
put in your latest biscuit recipe or devising a new Old-timers such as the Monitor Audio Silver
fitness regime, there’s always a sweet spot that 200s still hold their own in this company, while
really satisfies. Fyne Audio’s F501s prove that there’s always a
And if you have £1000 to spend on a pair of place for innovative engineering.
speakers, you have found something of a hi-fi
sweet spot – that best-of-both-worlds world And if you’re looking for something
where relative affordability meets quality in a contemporary that nevertheless brings a retro
very satisfying way. sound and feel to your living room, take a look at
Whether it’s a standmounted speaker or a the excellent Wharfedale Lintons.
floorstander you’re after, at this level you can be
assured of a sonic performance that leaves Simply the best
behind the compromises inherent in a budget
cabinet, and gives your music a real lift. And you There’s no dead wood here. Our selection of
can do it without laying waste to your bank seven loudspeakers – four standmounters and
balance in a way that forces you to live on three floorstanders – represents the best that you
home-made biscuits for a month. can get around the £1000 mark, and is designed
To make this section of the market still more to save you the time and effort required to sort
attractive, there are some talented new arrivals the wheat from the chaff in what is, after all, an
ruffling the established performers’ feathers. In extremely crowded marketplace.
the standmount arena, KEF has re-engineered its
much-loved LS50s to create the LS50 Metas, So, grab yourself a cuppa (biscuit optional)
which take more than a small step forward in and discover who’s commanding attention in
this sector. Then, when you’ve decided who
should be speaker of the house, there’s only one
thing left to do – order!

CONTENTS

B&W 707 S2 (page 32) Monitor Audio Silver 200 (page 37)
Revel Concerta2 M16 (page 33) Triangle Borea BR08 (page 38)
Fyne Audio F501 (page 39)
Wharfedale Linton (page 34)
KEF LS50 Meta (page 35)

30 www.whathifi.com

STEREO SPEAKERS

www.whathifi.com 31

SPEAKERS ROUND-UP £829

B&W are never as convincing as when the expansive as the likes of KEF’s new LS50
707 S2 speakers are placed at least 50cm from Metas manage. Overall the stereo
the rear wall. imaging remains good though, pointing
mall speakers have innate to well-matched drive units and a
You shouldn’t take shortcuts with carefully designed crossover network.
S limitations; the Laws Of Physics partnering kit. The rather low claimed
see to that. But these Bowers & sensitivity of 84dB/W/m and minimum We move onto Nina Simone’s My Baby
Wilkins compacts prove that with enough impedance of 4 ohms suggests a Just Cares For Me and the B&Ws are
engineering knowhow those laws can be muscular amplifier is preferable. transparent enough to show up the age
bent to produce surprising results. Meet of the recording and the more basic
the 707 S2s – the small speakers that go Authority and power production. They also render Simone’s
loud and dig deep. vocals with confidence and power.
Your £800 buys a beautifully made, The 707 S2’s strengths are as obvious as
28cm-high box. It’s available in three they are surprising for such a compact It’s not all good news though. We
finishes; the gloss black of our review design. They sound astonishingly notice a slight lack of sparkle in the
sample, a satin white, or a rather nice authoritative, with a solid, composed sound. Simone’s voice doesn’t quite have
rosenut wood option. Whichever finish presentation that renders bass with its usual passion thanks to the B&W’s
you choose the result is a classy-looking plenty of punch and power. inability to deliver subtle nuances when
pair of speakers. it comes to dynamics and timing, and the
The cabinet feels impressively solid We start off with Hans Zimmer’s same applies to its handling of the song’s
and is finished with crisp edges and Interstellar OST – hardly something jaunty piano. It’s as though the speakers
classy detailing. Look around the back smaller speakers tend to excel at – and are trying so hard to stay in control that
and you’ll find some sturdy multi-way the 707 S2s respond with enthusiasm. they can’t quite let all of the song’s sense
binding posts – biwiring is an option They deliver a full-bodied and refined of fun come through.
– and the company’s distinctive dimpled sound that brims with detail.
reflex port. The flared, dimpled design is That impression is reinforced by George
aimed to reduce unwanted noise as air They stay in control even when the Michael’s Fast Love, where the 707s can’t
moves in the port tube when the music gets demanding, keeping a firm reproduce that undulating bassline with
speakers are playing loudly. grip on instrumental strands without the agility and drive it deserves, so
The 707’s tweeter coats its 30-micron- losing cohesion. disrupting the song’s rhythmic flow.
thick aluminium dome with a thin layer
of carbon and further reinforces the These speakers can play loudly too. In The fun factor
dome with a carbon ring. The result is a fact, they seem to prefer higher volumes,
rigid, well-damped diaphragm that sounding more balanced when used that The 707 S2s are deeply impressive in the
should produce nice clean highs. way. This is something to consider if you way they deliver a level of authority and
tend to listen at lower levels. power that small speakers normally just
Good material don’t. But given a complex rhythm, these
In most small to medium-sized rooms speakers are more likely to stand on the
The 13cm mid/bass unit is just as clever. we think these standmounters will go as side nodding their head than cut loose,
We first saw the use of Continuum as a loud as most people could want. That’s Travolta style. For some the
driver material in the high-end 800 saying something for a small 28cm tall compromises won’t matter. But we like
series, and here it has trickled down into box with a 13cm mid/bass unit. a bit more in the way of fun.
the more affordable end of the
company’s products. Stereo imaging is precise and stable,
though the soundstaging isn’t quite as
Continuum carries on from where
Kevlar – B&W’s former material of choice RATING
– left off, rather than a move in a different
direction (there’s a clue in the name). SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
The aim is still to produce a well COMPATIBILITY • Solid and • Sound lacks The 707 S2s do
damped, suitably rigid cone that BUILD things that compact
performs in a controlled manner, but to authoritative dynamic subtlety speakers shouldn’t
do it better than Kevlar. presentation and rhythmic be able to do, but
• Composed at high dexterity pay for that ability
The FS-700 S2 stands aren’t cheap volumes with compromises
(£400) but they match the speakers well. • Build and finish
They’re intended for use with all three of
the 700 range’s standmounters and are
available with a black or silver finish.

The 707 S2s may be small speakers but
don’t expect to get the best results by
placing them right up against a rear wall.
The company supplies a two-stage port
bung that helps to tune the lows for less
than optimal placement, but the results

32 www.whathifi.com

SPEAKERS ROUND-UP

Revel
Concerta2
M16
£800

e’re surprised that Revel Even the rear-firing port is not just the speakers may be just 37cm tall, but close
straight plastic tube you find in most of your eyes and you’d swear you were
W hasn’t made a bigger impact on the competition. Here it is curved to listening to decently sized floorstanders.
the UK speaker market. All the deliver a high output without adding
ingredients for success seem to be in noise of its own. Those lows are not only powerful,
place: the products are well made, solidly they are agile and tuneful too. Such
engineered and, in our experience, tend Put all these things together with low-end ability comes in handy with the
to sound good. Revel’s obsessive product-development likes of Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor. Here
The brand even has the might of process and you have a pair of speakers the bass kicks hard and true, while the
parent company Harman behind it to that can stand toe to toe with the best speaker’s excellent attack and firm grasp
provide extra reassurance. sub-thousand pound standmounters of rhythmic drive ensures a full dose of
A quick scan through the around with confidence. excitement is administered.
specifications won’t reveal anything
special. It all looks pretty standard for Positioning is easy; place the speakers It’s not all about that bass
the price. These are medium-sized at least 30cm from a rear wall – and well
wooden boxes packing a 25mm dome away from corners – and off you go. Don’t go thinking these speakers lack
tweeter and a ported 16cm mid/bass subtlety. Such doubts will vanish once
driver. Both use aluminium diaphragms. All that work to control the tweeter’s you hear how they cope with the likes of
dispersion really seems to pay off Ólafur Arnalds or Dusty Springfield.
The benefits of staying single because these speakers deliver a wide,
open sound stage without fussing too That superbly integrated midrange
The speakers are single-wired, which is much about the amount they are angled communicates Dusty’s voice with all the
fine with us as it allows funds to be in towards the listening position. finesse and passion it deserves while the
concentrated on a single pair of good speakers’ ability to organise without
quality speaker cables rather than split Expansive and focused sounding controlling works wonders
between two cheaper alternatives. with the Broadchurch OST.
Listen to a demanding piece of music
Take a closer look at the details and it’s such as Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave Op.31 You do need to take care in system-
clear the company’s engineers have and the M16s will render an impressively matching though. The M16s’ clarity is
worked hard to optimise the expansive stereo image and populate it admirable, but they have a ruthless edge
performance of what initially appears to with precisely focused sounds. It’s all that can easily be provoked if the
be a fairly unremarkable recipe. nicely layered and remains stable when partnering kit is already a touch on the
the music gets busy. aggressive side. Comparison with a class
That wooden cabinet is a curved, leader such as KEF’s LS50 Meta shows a
strongly braced affair that not only gives Perhaps even more impressive is the slight shortfall in sweetness and
a solid, relatively inert platform for the enthusiastic way these standmounters refinement in that tweeter too.
drive units to work from, but looks smart deliver large-scale dynamics. They
too. The unusual dished waveguide in pound out crescendos with relish, These things don’t dent our
front of the tweeter isn’t just there to refusing to harden up or compress the enthusiasm too much. The M16s are a
make things look interesting. It controls music even at high volume. bundle of fun. They may not be the most
the directivity of the tweeter, making it refined choice around, but they entertain
closer to that of the mid/bass unit at Then there’s the authority of the in a way few price rivals can. We think
crossover frequencies. presentation, helped by the Revel’s that’s worth £800 of anyone’s money.
ability to dig deeply in the bass. These
This improves integration in this
all-important region. The acoustic lens RATING
– the thing that looks like a grille in front
of the dome – also helps. SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
COMPATIBILITY • Strong dynamics • These speakers The M16s are one of
An aluminium cone in a mid/bass unit BUILD the best speakers
is fairly conventional, but in this case the and authoritative need care in we’ve heard below
cone is coated on both sides with a bass partnering the £1000 mark.
ceramic composite that adds both • Excellent driver Match with care
stiffness and damping – both qualities integration and they will please
being essential for a good performance. • Build and finish

As would be expected with a company
with the technological might of Revel,
both drive units have highly developed
motor systems to minimise distortion.

www.whathifi.com 33

SPEAKERS ROUND-UP

Wharfedale
Linton
£999

e often say that good sound sandwiched between MDF skins to listening space feels bigger than it is.
create a combination that Wharfedale Every instrument is there to be heard in
W doesn’t get old; but it does still says can scatter panel resonance better the soundstage. It’s quite joyous and,
date. Listen to hi-fi equipment than MDF alone. arguably, a demonstration of these
from yesteryear and you might notice a speakers at their very best.
different audio presentation more suited Remember the rear ports
to the music from that era. In the case of We switch to something more
the original Wharfedale Linton speakers, The Lintons are fitted with two rear-firing contemporary to the original Lintons
that era was between 1965 and the late bass ports on each speaker. While they’re – The Rolling Stones’ Jumping Jack Flash.
1970s – a time of big trousers, big music not too fussy about positioning, we’d The track is easily murdered by lesser
and big speakers. recommend starting at around 50cm speakers, but the Lintons excel. The
Those original Lintons were 25-30cm from the wall and moving in from there, tonal balance is spot on and no one
across, depending on the specific model, placing them slightly toed-in towards the instrument dominates – not Jagger’s
and they were able to produce a big, rich, listener. Unusually, they are designed voice, not the tambourine and not the
and fuller-bodied sound that’s very specifically for use with the grilles on. drums. This recording can sound
different from that of today’s much more incredibly thin, but not here. It’s as full
compact standmount speakers. It’s soon clear that these speakers have a rendition as we could hope for, but the
But what if you want a new speaker a relaxed way about them, so we pair speakers also have enough agility to
that’s built using modern methods and them with the energetic Rega Elex-R keep the track from dropping into a
materials, but that takes this old-school integrated amplifier (£949). Other amps melange of noise as it reaches its climax.
approach to styling and sound? Then that offer a good degree of get up and go
you might well want the new version of will also work well. The Lintons’ ease at the bottom end
the Linton, launched to celebrate really delivers. The bass guitar has a
Wharfedale’s 80th anniversary. The moment we start our listening, we wonderfully rounded hum to its strings,
get a brilliant sense of scale and space quite separate to the weight of the kick
Think big from the Lintons and so we head straight drum. It drives the song along and you
for an orchestral recording to see what get a real impression of how exciting and
Size and styling are the most obvious they can do. We play John Williams’s The rebellious this band must have sounded
old-school features of these Linton Raiders March – the main theme from the live, back in their pomp.
speakers. At just over 56cm tall, 33cm Indiana Jones films – and get a thrilling
deep and 30cm wide, they’re sense of these speakers’ dynamics. A taste worth acquiring
significantly larger than most modern
standmounters, but they surprisingly Starting quiet but firm with the plucky The Lintons may not be everyone’s cup
never feel overwhelmingly big, even in horn section, the piece when played of tea, but this is a taste worth acquiring.
our relatively small listening room. through the Lintons offers a brilliant These speakers do an impressive job of
range of texture and ability as it builds. capturing something of an older, fuller,
That’s partly down to their natural Striking up just to the side, the trumpets more easy and open style of hi-fi sound
look – matched wood veneers available sound just as heroic as the archeological without forgetting to make the music
in mahogany or walnut – but their other adventurer, while the string section exciting. With their effortless weight,
weapon in keeping a low profile is the launches in front. Underneath it all, the spot-on stereo imaging and layer upon
dedicated Linton stands, which sit the enormous hits on the kettle drums are layer of marvellous detail, you could
speakers slightly lower than some. reproduced with consummate ease by listen to these speakers for days and still
these big standmounters. not get tired. Just remember to change
Their disproportionate shortness the record once in a while.
notwithstanding, the Linton stands are It’s such a fantastically open
excellent. They’re styled with a seamless presentation of the music that our
look and feel to match the speakers and,
while they cost £280 for a pair when RATING
bought separately, they can be bought in
a bundle with the speakers for a SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
premium of just £100. COMPATIBILITY • Effortless bass • Looks won’t be to With retro good
BUILD looks and a natural,
As well as allowing for a more generous production everyone’s taste relaxed sound to
bass production, a bigger cabinet can • Detailed, open match, the Lintons
also accommodate bigger drivers. Bass are different, but
frequencies are handled by a 20cm unit soundstage undeniably superb
that uses woven Kevlar instead of paper • Authentic
in its cone. A 12.5cm Kevlar midrange
driver sits just above in its own enclosure good looks
and slightly off-set to the inside edge is a
25mm fabric dome tweeter.

The cabinets themselves are made
from high-density chipboard

34 www.whathifi.com

SPEAKERS ROUND-UP

KEF £1000
LS50
Meta it makes sense to partner them with an KEFs sound so much cleaner and more
amplifier that has a bit of grunt, such as sophisticated than before, particularly at
EF launched the original LS50 Cambridge’s CXA81 or Naim’s SuperNait 3. higher frequencies. These Metas make
the R3s sound congested and ham-fisted
K standmounters as an anniversary At just 30cm tall, these KEFs are pretty in comparison, and that’s a real shock.
celebration back in 2012, and compact – but don’t be tempted to stuff
they proved a huge success – so much so them in a bookshelf or right up against a Large-scale dynamics are handled well
that they have continued in production wall. They won’t sulk if you do, but they and there’s a good amount of muscle for
pretty much untouched since then. will sound a lot better if placed around a speaker of this size. There’s little to
Eight years is a long run by any 50cm into a room, away from the walls. complain about when it comes to
standards, but it was made possible by a tonality either. The KEFs sound smooth
combination of sound quality, build and A clear step forward and balanced, while still having enough
aesthetics that remains highly appealing in the way of high-frequency bite.
today. That hasn’t stopped KEF’s It doesn’t take long to realise that the
engineers from having a fresh look LS50s have improved significantly. KEF’s Uni-Q designs tend to image well
though, and the result is the LS50 Metas. While the basic sonic character is by their very nature, and these speakers
The LS50 Metas don’t look any instantly familiar, the new ones have are no different. The LS50 Metas generate
different from the LS50s, and in many gained a level of clarity and finesse the an expansive and tightly focused
ways they aren’t. The company originals only hinted at. soundstage where the instruments are
considered revising that beautifully layered convincingly. We’re also
made enclosure but concluded that little Listening to Beethoven’s Fifth impressed by the image’s stability when
could be improved. The only obvious Symphony, we’re soon marvelling at the the music gets demanding.
changes are to the back panel, which has LS50 Meta’s delicacy and precision. They
been tidied up. sound so much more transparent than Midrange magic
The cabinet shape and size still works before and manage to render low-level
well, and the curved front panel – made details, such as instrumental textures, We switch to Neneh Cherry’s Blank
of Dough Moulding Compound, a much more convincingly. Project and these KEFs continue to
polyester resin combined with glass fibre shine. Their detailed and clear midrange
and calcium carbonate – continues to It’s a surprisingly full-bodied performance makes the most of Cherry’s
make for an impressively rigid and well presentation with a good degree of passionate vocals, delivering dynamic
controlled foundation for the Uni-Q authority for such compact speakers. nuances and subtle shifts in timing
drive-unit array. Still, there’s only so deep a 13cm superbly. There’s a good degree of punch
The rest of the box is made from MDF, magnesium/aluminium mid/bass unit in to the bass and the KEFs render rhythms
which is heavily braced and carefully a smallish, 30cm-tall cabinet can go. in a surefooted manner.
damped to minimise any resonances. The Stretch to the likes of the Award-winning
LS50 Metas are available in four finishes and larger three-way KEF R3s (£1300) We’ve always loved the LS50s and this
– Mineral White, Carbon Black, Titanium and you’ll get notably more in the way of newest version takes their performance
Grey, or a Royal Blue Special Edition. low-frequency reach and punch. But you to a notably higher level. All the work
don’t get the LS50 Meta’s insight, KEF’s engineers have put into the Uni-Q
Different on the inside delicacy or top-end refinement. array has propelled the LS50 Metas to
the head of the class at this level. Buy
The one area ripe for improvement was It looks like the Metamaterial them with confidence.
the LS50’s Uni-Q driver array, where the technology really works. These new
tweeter sits in the throat of the mid/bass
unit. This has been reworked, taking in RATING
all the refinements that KEF has
developed over the past eight years and SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
adding something called Metamaterial COMPATIBILITY • Exceptional sonic • Nothing at KEF has taken an
Absorption Technology (MAT) – a new BUILD excellent speaker
way of absorbing sound that comes off transparency this price and made it even
the back of the 25mm aluminium- • Subtle and precise better. The LS50
tweeter dome, via a series of small tubes. Metas are now the
The result should be cleaner, less presentation class leaders
distorted highs. • Innovative

These aren’t particularly sensitive technology
speakers, at a rated 85dB/W/m, and the
minimum impedance is just 3.5 ohms, so

www.whathifi.com 35



SPEAKERS ROUND-UP

Monitor Audio £999
Silver 200

e’re currently in the sixth They have two HiVe II reflex ports, Wherever we position the Silver 200s,
each with a straight-rifled design, at the though, they deliver a strong level of
W generation of Monitor Audio’s back of the cabinet for a fast, powerful insight. They have power to burn when
Silver Series speakers. Granted, bass response and slim, magnetic-held driving this particular record, but also
it’s not quite the same generational grilles for a neater, more elegant look at the dynamic sensibility to do it casually,
distance as between Danny Dyer and King the front. Behind each grille sits Monitor framing James Murphy’s effortless,
Edward III, for instance, but it’s still an Audio’s iconic gold-dome tweeter. It’s laid-back delivery.
impressively lengthy lineage. Especially fine-tuned for clear, smooth and
when you consider how much we’ve low-distortion high frequencies. But don’t think Monitor Audio has
enjoyed each previous incarnation. forgone any sense of refinement in
What’s more, we’re well over three The Silver 200s have a 2.5-way driver pursuit of excitement. This is still a
years into this iteration and still find that design, with a pair of 13cm C-CAM mature performance, highlighted by
the 200s sound almost as fresh as the (ceramic-coated aluminium/magnesium) a sure sense of control.
day we first pulled them out of their box. drivers sitting directly below the tweeter.
The Silver 200s are the smallest of The upper one functions across Finding clarity
three floorstanding pairs in this series midrange and bass, while the lower
and have been tuned to work best focuses on bass frequencies only. At the low end, the Silver 200s reach
around 50cm from a back wall, but with those pulsing frequencies you feel more
only minor variances in tonal balance Finally, as you should ideally enjoy than hear, while there is plenty of
when placed closer, or out into the room. looking at your speakers as much as headroom too. Most important, though, is
listening to them, Monitor Audio offers the clarity throughout. Nowhere do these
six choices of finish: black oak, walnut, speakers sound flabby, coarse or thin.
rosenut, natural oak, high-gloss black or,
as in our review sample, satin white. We turn our reference amplifier up
high – as we are encouraged to do by the
A showcase of talent Monitor Audios’ performance – and at
no point does anything other than a
We’re no superstar DJ, but we could potential noise complaint urge us to
hardly have picked a better record than turn it down.
LCD Soundsystem’s This Is Happening to
begin testing the Silver 200s. The Monitor Audio has taken care not to
percussive intro of Dance Yrself Clean let the Silver 200s become preoccupied
immediately shows off just how fast by analytical detail, yet there is an
these speakers are. impressive amount of resolution on offer
here. Playing Clint Mansell’s score for
The tune snaps in good time, with all Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, for
the cleanliness implied in the title. example, the strings of the Kronos
Synthesizer stabs arrive crisply on each Quartet have a texture that resonates in
bar’s first beat and each component of the the bodies of their instruments and
arrangement is well represented. It’s only reveals the room around them, their
when we switch to the likes of the new timbres juxtaposed nicely against
Triangle Borea (see p38) that we notice a sounds that have been digitally treated.
slight lack of verve and rhythmic drive.
The Silver 200s remain classy
In terms of positioning, the 200s are speakers three years on from their
perhaps at their best when brought out introduction. When it comes to build and
into the room a little – they lose just a finish they still don’t need to fear any
hint of detail and precision when placed rival, and their sound holds up very well,
much nearer a rear wall. That said, when though newer arrivals have edged ahead
they are moved back, a slight increase of when it comes to rhythmic expression
low-end weight brings a more natural and dynamic subtleties. They deserve
rendering of rhythm and timing. serious consideration nonetheless.

RATING

SOUND FOR AGAINST These fine speakers
COMPATIBILITY • Clear and balanced • Tough new continue to set high
BUILD standards but are
throughout the competition now up against
frequency range • Sound lacks some tough new
• Expressive and fun competition
• Flexible with a little verve
positioning

www.whathifi.com 37

SPEAKERS ROUND-UP

Triangle £999
Borea BR08

s this round-up reveals, The speakers come in four finishes – electronics, there’s so much to like in the
black ash, white, walnut and a rather BR08’s sound. The one point of concern
A Triangle’s new Borea BR08 nice light oak. is that the 25mm tweeter, while crisp and
arrive into a tough and crowded detailed, is easily provoked. To avoid
market. Yet, having spent some time in Once their plinths are bolted on, the these issues, don’t use partnering
the company of the BR08, we feel they BR08 feel nice and stable, though floor electronics that veer towards brightness,
offer something special. spikes that are more piercing would be aggression or hardness.
Their 102cm tall cabinets look a little useful. The ones supplied aren’t really
basic from the outside, but take a closer sharp enough to be able to get through Once that’s done, you can enjoy one of
look, and you’ll find them to be solid, thick carpets to make a really firm the most entertaining floorstanders
well made and neatly finished. contact with the floor underneath. we’ve heard at this level. The Borea
As would be expected at this price, BR08s deliver a thrill ride with
these enclosures are carefully braced We can’t complain about the drive unit appropriate material. We play Nirvana’s
internally to aid rigidity. There’s some array though. This is a three-way design Nevermind and they sound right at home.
invention in the way the drive units are with two 16cm fibreglass-coned bass They punch hard, combining high levels
mounted though, with a piece of units. There’s also a front-firing reflex port of detail with an enviable ability to tie it
high-density EVA foam holding the back to augment the low-frequency output. altogether to produce a cohesive and
of the driver firmly against the internal musical whole. Those twin bass drivers
brace for extra stability. But beyond that, Proven engineering dig deep but remain agile and articulate.
there’s little else unusual here.
The 16cm midrange driver is taken from We can’t think of a better alternative
38 www.whathifi.com the more-premium Esprit EZ range, and when it comes to rhythmic drive. These
uses Triangle’s favoured cellulose paper towers charge at full throttle,
cone material. The company likes the communicating the energy and
material’s combination of relatively low momentum of the music brilliantly.
mass, rigidity and self-damping. A 25mm Cobain’s vocals come through with
silk-dome tweeter completes the passion fully intact.
drive-unit array.
Scale and dynamics
These speakers have a relatively high
sensitivity of 92dB/W/m. While this We switch to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of
means you’ll be able to get decent Spring and these floorstanders continue
volume levels from low-powered to impress. Their presentation has huge
amplifiers, check that yours is happy scale and authority. Wide-ranging
with an impedance minimum of 3 ohms. dynamics? Tick. Ability to play at high
Most price compatible amps, such as volumes? Tick. Expansive stereo
Cambridge’s CXA81 or Rega’s Elex-R, will imaging? Almost a tick. While stereo
be able to cope fine. imaging is pretty precise for speakers at
this level, it’s not as spacious and layered
These speakers need plenty of room to as some we’ve heard. In this respect it’s a
breathe, with Triangle’s website decent rather than exceptional showing.
suggesting that they will work best in The same can be said about the overall
rooms between 20-40m square in size. tonal balance; even, rather than ruler-flat.
The company recommends placing them
at least 40cm from a rear wall and more In overall terms, these Triangles are
than 50cm from the sides. Such is the exceptional and certainly good enough
bass output of these speakers that we to challenge the very best at this price.
end up with them around 90cm into our They’re happy playing all genres of music
test room, well away from the sides and and do it with a charm that’s addictive.
slightly angled towards the listener. Listen to these before you buy anything
at this price. You’ll be thankful you did.
Once they are positioned with care
and partnered with suitably talented

RATING

SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
COMPATIBILITY • Fine dynamics • Requires care in Exceptional
BUILD speakers for the
and punch partnering money. Given a
• Impressive • Needs a large suitable system and
plenty of space,
rhythmic drive room to shine they’ll shine
• Terrific bass
• Detail resolution

SPEAKERS ROUND-UP

Fyne £1200
Audio F501

yne Audio might only have at the bottom of the cabinet is subtle But while they are borderline fanatical
rather than showy. about laying out the last scrap of
F been around since 2018, but the information, the F501s never sacrifice
F501s look, feel and – most On a technical level, the F501s are an the coherence of a performance. Timing
crucially – sound more like the product of intriguing combination of the and integration are excellent, and the
a company that’s building on many years predictable and the unusual. sympathetic responsiveness of the
of experience and expertise. musicians is never understated.
At 98cm tall, 20cm wide and 32cm It’s the broad strokes that are pretty
deep, the F501s are of unremarkable predictable: a two-and-a-half way design Across-the-board consistency
dimensions for a product of this type. using a 25mm tweeter, 15cm mid/bass
And in terms of build quality and finish, driver and 15cm bass driver, nominal Upping the assertiveness quotient with a
they’re exactly what a £1200 floorstander impedance of 8 ohms and 90dB switch to Burn With Me by DJ Koze allows
needs to be – that’s to say they are sturdily sensitivity won’t raise any eyebrows at the F501s to show off their beautifully
made, from the chunky locking spikes this kind of money. even, consistent tonality. From the
beneath the substantial plinth all the bottom of the frequency range to the top,
way along the gently curved MDF- But Fyne Audio has brought some there’s no noticeable gear-change to the
beneath-real-wood-veneer cabinets. interesting thinking to bear. The tweeter F501s’ delivery and that makes them
Finish is smooth and seamless – the – a highly rigid titanium dome – sits in sound absolutely convincing.
veneer feels as good as it looks, and the the throat of the mid/bass driver in an
shiny silver band above the port system arrangement Fyne calls IsoFlare. Moving to the Deutsche Grammophon
recording of Rhapsody In Blue by the Los
The bigger drivers are multifibre paper Angeles Philharmonic under Leonard
cones, with unusually sculpted Bernstein not only allows the F501s to
surrounds. Fyne Audio calls this design again demonstrate their fine grasp of
FyneFlute, and claims it offers more timing but also their dynamic prowess.
efficient dissipation of cone energy and
reduction of unwanted resonances. No matter the sternness of the
challenges we pose to these speakers,
And at the bottom of the cabinet Fyne they prove unfazeable. Lotte Kestner’s
has employed something called Secret Longitude shows the F501s can
‘BassTrax Tractrix Diffuser System’ (try deliver all the character and emotion of a
saying that fast and see how far you get). vocal performance and The Byrds’ amble
It combines a downward-firing port through You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere reveals
above a carefully profiled, conical top-end crispness and substance.
diffuser to convert the port energy into a
360-degree wave front. A degree of system-matching is always
necessary, but in this instance it’s
A fine cocktail served with relish imperative – the Fyne Audios’ top end
isn’t impossible to provoke, and while
We give the F501s the chance to show off the thrilling rapidity of their low-
their chops with Diana Krall’s version of frequency response might at first be
Almost Blue. This is a high-gloss hi-fi confused with a lack of extension, leaner
recording, with painstakingly recorded electronics are probably best avoided.
piano and close-mic’d vocal supported
by stand-up bass, brushed drum kit and And while we’re laying out our few
economical guitar – and the F501s caveats, we think the F501s vibrancy and
absolutely lap it up. excitement properly comes to the fore
only once the volume control nudges
Initial impressions are of a broad, well above ‘polite’. But these Fynes are such
defined soundstage, solid stereo focus an enthralling listen once the wick is
and a lavish amount of detail. No nuance properly lit, we doubt you’ll want to hear
of Krall’s phrasing, no creak of double- them at background levels anyway.
bass fretboard, no lingering decay of a
piano note is ignored.

RATING

SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
COMPATIBILITY • Well made and • Require judicious Remarkably well
BUILD realised in every
finished system-matching respect, the
• Some interesting • Sound best at F501s are serious
contenders
technical aspects reasonable volume
• Detailed, engaging,

confident sound

www.whathifi.com 39

F E AT U R E

25 OF THE BEST
1990s ALBUMS TO TEST

YOUR SYSYEM

From shoegaze to jungle, the best of a decade

T he 1990s has come of age. OBEY THE TIME VIOLATOR THE ORB’S ADVENTURES
Like all decades, and like BEYOND THE ULTRAWORLD
so many bands, it went The Durutti Column (1990) Depeche Mode (1990)
through that period of mild The Orb (1991)
embarrassment immediately Influenced by the In Violator, their
following its heyday – the kind you emergence of acid seventh studio As its name
feel now for the haircut you wore house, Vini Reilly album, Depeche suggests, The Orb’s
in 2006 – but is now very much wrote and recorded Mode crafted the Adventures Beyond
back in fashion. this album almost perfect synth-pop The Ultraworld is
by himself. Introducing his guitar to album – and the world evidently less an album and more a
Not that the music was ever the electronic music scene, Reilly agreed. This is a collection of nine psychedelic sonic journey built on
really in question. In fact, when it eschews genre without disgracing songs, any of which could have ambient electronics, eclectic
came to cutting our choices down, the styles from which he pinches been released as a single (almost samples and found sounds. The
this list presented our most tropes. A more ambient affair than half were), that remains strikingly result is undoubtedly a record built
difficult challenge yet. Snipping most 90s club-ready music, Obey fluid despite the apparent rigidity of to be listened to in its entirety with
our recommendations to below The Time nonetheless captures a their rhythms. The wide-open space a spacious sound system and an
three figures was a headache, and lot of the era’s buoyant soul. in the mix is a great test of your kit. even more open mind.
taking them to a quarter of that has
inevitably led to a selection that FREQUENCIES LOVELESS NEVERMIND
many people might think reveals
some glaring omissions. So be it. LFO (1991) My Bloody Valentine (1991) Nirvana (1991)

Some would say this was the How otherworldly Arguably the poster Another much-
decade the album said its final Frequencies sounds album for shoegaze, maligned genre of
goodbyes as a format, before now only goes to Loveless is a the period, grunge
downloads, streaming and the emphasise how masterpiece has still yet really to
shuffle feature took over, so you’ll alien it must have combining recover its
have to forgive us for ignoring a appeared upon its release 30 years elephantine riffs with dream-pop reputation from the hordes of cheap
number of veritable classics. ago. A masterpiece of the UK’s acid haze, awash with reverb and imitators who flooded the airwaves
house explosion, LFO’s debut overdriven guitars. While Vini in Nirvana’s wake. Despite this,
The thing is, there is just so album has the industrial eeriness of Reilly had changed opinion on Nevermind still sounds as bitingly
much to take in. The 90s saw Kraftwerk mixed with the energy of where the guitar was welcome with hostile as it did 30 years ago – a
hip-hop reach its teenage years, hip-hop and house that followed. The Durutti Column, Kevin Shields testament to the genius of Kurt
dance music explode, and One of the greatest electronic here altered ideas of how it could Cobain and the band’s undeniable
guitarists experiment frenetically albums ever recorded. be used as an instrument. place at guitar music’s top table.
in order to fight back. This list
Image Source: The artist attempts to cover most of that. SCREAMADELICA SPIDERLAND AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE
It might not be an exhaustive
compendium, but who needs to Primal Scream (1991) Slint (1991) R.E.M. (1992)
be told to listen to (What’s
the Story) Morning Glory? or Recipient of the first The optimism of Alongside the
Different Class, anyway? Mercury Prize – Screamadelica could preceding Out Of
where it beat barely be in starker Time (1991),
Most of all, though, it will be a competition from contrast to the Automatic For The
walk down memory lane that Erasure, The Jesus atmosphere of People is one of the
really stretches the legs of your and Mary Chain, Simply Red and isolation and unease cooked up by two R.E.M. records with, arguably,
hi-fi system, awash with U2 – Screamadelica is the sound of Slint on their second and final the most mainstream pop
electronics and polyrhythm, an indie band embracing house album. Spiderland’s brooding blend sensibilities, and led to the band
delicacy and outright mayhem. music and the consciousness- of tightly controlled dynamic shifts becoming one of the biggest in the
Now the job’s done, we’re happy expanding drugs associated with it. and vocals alternating between world. Where others can falter in
with our choices. But we’re sure Its infectiously uplifting set spoken word, singing and shouts combining hits with poignancy,
you’ll let us know if we’ve got it includes timeless singles such as has been widely aped but never Berry, Stipe, Buck and Mills created
all wrong. Movin’ On Up and Loaded. more keenly felt. a beautiful and pensive record.

40 www.whathifi.com

MUSIC TO TEST YOUR SYSTEM

LOVE DELUXE RAGE AGAINST DEBUT INCUNABULA
THE MACHINE (1992)
Sade (1992) Björk (1993) Autechre (1993)
Rage Against The
Sade Adu’s velvet Machine’s brutal If the concept It is understandable
vocal is no better eponymous debut weren’t such a why the term
showcased than seems to present as paradox, Björk’s ‘intelligent dance
here. The Nigerian- metal, but in many debut solo record music’ has been
British singer is ways it is more a hip-hop record could well be used used to pigeonhole
often sonically at odds with the with guitars. Tom Morello’s guitar as a ‘how to’ companion on creating artists such as Aphex Twin, The
instrumentation, distorted guitars is made to squeal like a scratched experimental pop music. Debut is a Orb and Autechre, but Incunabula
and trip-hop percussion, which at record within riffs that could easily collage of ideas that refuses to let transcends it. It beckons the listener
times pierce the album’s soulful be used by artists such as Public the listener rest for more than a closer to the speaker cone for
grooves, but the juxtaposition only Enemy or N.W.A., and Zack de la moment, and where it dips into inspection of its electronic textures,
ever serves to highlight further her Rocha’s spat lines are painfully other genres it does so with passion and rewards them with multiple
gorgeous tonality. An album made poignant even three decades on. and love. Your system should revel subtle melodies that then slink
to please your system’s midrange. in the idiosyncratic soundscapes. away through the air like smoke.

RID OF ME DUMMY ILLMATIC READY TO DIE

PJ Harvey (1993) Portishead (1994) Nas (1994) The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

This follow up to Involving menacing More than a record The Notorious
critically acclaimed looped beats that reinvigorated B.I.G.’s largely
debut Dry finds contrasted with East Coast rap at a autobiographical
Polly Jean Harvey’s Beth Gibbons’s time when the debut was as crucial
twisting songwriting gorgeously genre’s cutting edge to East Coast rap’s
meld beautifully with the abrasive mournful vocal, and some mean appeared to be elsewhere, Illmatic fightback as Illmatic (left). Its title
production of Steve Albini, forging work on the theremin, Portishead’s is a hip-hop gem. The complexity is tragically portentous – Biggie was
an edgy 14-song set that jags debut was hugely influential in the and maturity of Nas’s lyricism on murdered in 1997 – and nods to
between loud and quiet without a 90s ascent of trip-hop and yet it this debut makes it seem some of the album’s heavier, more
moment’s notice. Its contrast with doesn’t seem to have aged a day. inconceivable that he struggled to personal moments. Tracks such as
the album before it provided early That’s in part due to the get a recording contract, and it Suicidal Thoughts stand out in an
insight into Harvey’s marvellously inventiveness of its hooks and rightly sees him feature on any list industry that generally still finds
varied output. guitar playing in particular. of the best rappers of all time. mental health difficult to discuss.

TURBULENT INDIGO TIMELESS BADUIZM OK COMPUTER

Joni Mitchell (1994) Goldie (1995) Erykah Badu (1997) Radiohead (1997)

Few artists can Like almost Erykah Badu’s debut In many ways, OK
reach their 15th everything else on album is at once Computer hits fast
album while still the album, Goldie very 90s, forward to the end
displaying such got its title perfectly entrenched in that of the 90s. It is an
illuminating artistry; right. It feels apart jazzy RnB and alienated record,
but then few artists have a mind to from the jungle and drum ’n’ bass hip-hop inspired style, but with a and a record for the alienated, at
parallel that of Joni Mitchell. As scenes it came to define, because it voice that sounds as if it could have odds with a world rapidly losing its
ever, not a word is wasted in the feels totally apart from anything come from decades in the past. innocence as it hurtles toward a
topics discussed and the songcraft else at all. It soars high and crashes That’s not to say Badu’s voice is an new millennium where technology
is some of her most achingly brutally and purposefully, it is both imitation – she has had scores of waits, coldly poised to overtake all
beautiful, reaching its apex with winged and industrial, and about imitators since – but her tone is else – including the Radiohead
The Sire Of Sorrow (Job’s Sad Song), the finest rhythmic test a pair of mature, timeless and knowing, discography – and for which we are
the album’s triumphant conclusion. speakers will ever have to pass. even at the age of just 25. all ill-prepared.

MEZZANINE MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO THE MISEDUCATION OF OPERATION: DOOMSDAY
CHILDREN Boards of Canada LAURYN HILL Lauryn Hill (1998)
Massive Attack (1998) MF DOOM (1999)
(1998) Another album by a
While Blue Lines is solo artist whose At the end of last
arguably an even While electronic band could also year, Daniel
better album – and music was broadly easily have made our Dumile’s wife
arguments have in a race to reach the list –this time revealed that the
been had aplenty future, and a new Fugees miss out – this is the monumental
– this, Massive Attack’s third album, millennium that would see it product of turmoil, impending British-American rapper had
features one of the sternest tests permeate almost everything, motherhood and a gargantuan passed a couple of months earlier.
your bass driver will face in Boards of Canada were rooting talent. “It was my idea to record it Operation: Doomsday marked the
opening track Angel. It’s a darker, through old tapes, layering found so the human element stayed in,” beginning of a second career for MF
less jazzy atmosphere than on the sounds on top of warbling synths said Hill of this eclectic record that DOOM, a triumphant return to
group’s previous records, and one and hypnotic beats to create a takes in elements of soul, RnB, hip-hop eight years after his last
that relies on keen dynamic record that is as familial and gospel, hip-hop and reggae. album with KMD, and a kind of
expression to deliver its full terror. menacing as its cover art. origin story for this mythic rapper.

www.whathifi.com 41

ROUND-UP

Smart choices

Now with better audio quality, these multi-talented
little devices are a more enticing prospect than ever

Once upon a time, your hi-fi kit could certainly lives up to its name. Summon Siri to
perform one simple task. Now, whether play your tunes, amid a swirling orb of coloured
it’s all-in-one streaming systems or lights, and you realise you have a classy
voice-controlled wireless earbuds, multi- performer on your hands. Next, we have the
functionality is the future – and none is more Amazon Echo Dot (4th Generation), the latest
futuristic or multi-talented than a smart speaker. version of Amazon’s most popular and
affordable Echo device. Could this be the most
When these little gadgets first brought voice compelling case yet for choosing Alexa?
control and artificial intelligence into our homes
just a few years ago, audio quality wasn’t their Finally, we test the Google Nest Audio.
main selling point. Instead, people were won Google’s new Nest-branded smart speaker has
over by their convenience and the novelty of now been given the suffix ‘Audio’, suggesting
having a speaker capable of answering your that the Californian giant is keen to highlight
questions, setting alarms and playing games. how splendid its latest voice-activated device
actually sounds, rather than simply what its
Of course, they played music from your Google Assistant can do.
favourite streaming service, but the ability to
control your TV and turn on your lights meant Of course, the ecosystem you use most may
that those earlier designs prioritised many other sway your choices here – if you use Google
things above sound quality. However, with the Calendar, Maps or Gmail, then maybe the Google
newer versions of these smart speakers, the product would suit you best. Like shopping at
focus has been switched. No longer smart Amazon? An Echo Dot might be right up your
devices that play music, these are now speakers street. So, with sound quality improving all the
that can also turn your heating up. time, and the range of tasks and functions these
smart speakers can perform only getting bigger,
On test here, we have three of the best smaller which of these three is the best option if you
smart speakers. First up is the Apple HomePod want to start making your home smarter?
Mini, which at just 8cm tall and 10cm wide,

View online review View online review
whf.cm/HomePodMini whf.cm/NestAudio

Apple HomePod Mini Google Nest Audio
(page 45) (page 44)

View online review
whf.cm/EchoDot4thGen

Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen)
(page 43)

42 www.whathifi.com

SMART SPEAKERS

View online review £50
whf.cm/EchoDot4thGen
Image: Amazon
Amazon
Echo Dot

(4th Generation)

When Amazon abandoned its TECH SPECS encourage the ownership of several Echo regularly listen to podcasts or music at
puck-shaped Echo Dot last devices. For example, you can name and your desk, the Echo Dot offers a solid
year and served up a Finishes x2 group all your Echo products within your step-up on the previous model for audio.
spherical design instead, there was much Voice assistant home, so saying “Alexa, play David We kick off our listening with R.E.M’s
mocking and laughter online. Amazon Amazon Alexa Bowie in the living room” means any Automatic For The People album and find
wasn’t the first to consider a spherical Bluetooth Yes Echo devices in that group will oblige. the keys and strings in Nightswimming
audio solution, of course, and plenty of Dimensions Stereo pairing is possible, but only three-dimensional and well fleshed out,
other manufacturers have extolled the (hwd) 10 x between two Dots of the same model. aided by a clear, refined treble.
virtues of gastropod shapes, so is the 10 x 8.9cm
new globular Dot better than its Weight 328g Under the Communicate tab on the Emotive dynamics
puck-shaped predecessor? And, might Alexa app, you can make an
the public change its tune over time? announcement (such as “I’m home”) be The brooding intro of Maria McKee’s
broadcast to your speakers, and under Show Me Heaven dispels any fears that
The Echo Dot is similar to the Apple the Home tab you can browse ‘skills’ to the Echo Dot might undercook the bass.
HomePod Mini in stature; placed side by enable on your Dot. Of course, you can It would be churlish to expect huge
side, the two speakers are almost link music streaming subscriptions, low-end clout from such a small speaker,
identical. Our charcoal Echo Dot sample including Spotify, Apple Music and but here the Dot is more capable than we
is a similar hue to the black Mini and the Amazon Music Unlimited (but not Tidal expected and helps an emotive dynamic
power cable is mounted at the same or Qobuz). Although Apple Music, Beats build over the course of our listening.
angle – although the Dot’s is removable 1 Radio and Apple Podcasts are
rather than fixed, and flanked by a supported skills on the Echo Dot, The HomePod Mini betters the Dot for
3.5mm audio line out for wired listening. venturing into Apple’s ecosystem with detail and overall sound quality, but it’s
an Amazon Alexa product isn’t the double the price and a far more
Much like the larger Echo (4th Gen), smooth ride you’d get from the Apple- Apple-centric beast. At this price, you
the Dot’s spherical design is lopped off at centric HomePod Mini. won’t find a better-sounding smart
the bottom to provide a base, and it’s speaker than the Echo Dot.
here you’ll find the Amazon Echo range’s Add this to features such as Amazon
trademark blue ring of light. The four Routines (to dim lights in your smart The question of which voice assistant
physical buttons for mic on/off, action home, for example), ‘dropping in’ on to introduce to your home is largely a
and volume are still present and there’s anyone sat near a Dot for a two-way personal one. If your household
also a ‘tap to snooze’ feature, which is conversation, and Alexa’s help with comprises mostly iPhone users, the
helpful if you use your Dot for alarms. everyday queries and this affordable HomePod Mini offers Apple-focused
smart speaker offers a staggering amount functionality and a noteable step up in
Solo driver of clever perks for the money. terms of sound quality over the Echo
Dot, albeit at a substantial price hike.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the The ideal placement for this Dot is in a
extra height afforded by a spherical corner or facing out into a room with the But by updating its most popular and
design must mean an extra driver under power connector at the back. But despite affordable Echo device, Amazon has laid
the hood. However, the all-new Echo Dot a design that’s slightly fussier over down the most compelling case yet for
includes a solo 4cm driver – just as the placement than before, once you set it choosing Alexa. Amazon’s entry-level
third-gen Dot did, albeit it’s now down you’ll hear the difference. smart device has come a long way in
front-firing. The same four-mic array for terms of sound quality and, regardless of
voice pick-up is also here. Inside is a new It isn’t time to sell your pair of stereo the aesthetic, the sonic performance is
chip, which promises to make Alexa’s standmounts just yet, but if you better than ever.
response times up to twice as fast as
before. The fourth-gen Echo Dot also RATING
enters a new low-power mode when idle
to save on energy consumption. SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
FEATURES • Improved Alexa • Nothing at The new Echo
As anyone familiar with Amazon Echo BUILD Dot is the most
devices knows, set-up is a case of responses this level compelling and
downloading the Alexa app on your • Enhanced affordable case for
smartphone, plugging in the Dot and introducing Alexa
following the prompts. Helpful sound quality into your home
advancements have been made to • Solid build

www.whathifi.com 43

ROUND-UP £90

View online review Image: Google
whf.cm/NestAudio

Google
Nest Audio

Google’s new Nest-branded TECH SPECS In terms of streaming services, as well answering our requests – but, even at
smart speaker has gained the as Spotify, there is also YouTube Music, this relatively low price, it isn’t quite the
suffix ‘Audio’, which suggests Finishes x2 Deezer, TuneIn and a few others which serious audio proposition we’d hoped for.
the Californian giant is highlighting how Voice assistant once linked, can be accessed by saying
splendid its latest voice-activated device Google ‘Hey Google, play Cardi B’, for example. Listen to a similarly priced JBL Flip 5,
actually sounds, rather than what its Bluetooth With Chromecast built in, you can also for example, and while you won’t get
Google Assistant can help you with. version 5.02 cast tracks to your Google Nest Audio smart capabilities (nor app support, nor
Google with just two clicks of your favourite streaming over wi-fi), Coheed and
The redesigned Google Nest Audio Chromecast Yes music-streaming app on your phone. Cambria’s The Crowing sounds weightier,
feels surprisingly tall and heavy in our Dimensions times better across the frequencies, and
hands. Whatever your thoughts on (hwd) 17.5 x Voice pick-up is impeccable has an extra layer of detail in the vocal.
pebble-coloured, fabric-swathed 12.4 x 7.8cm throughout our tests, with Google
cuboids, here is a second-gen speaker Weight 1.2kg answering accurately, clearly and Tiring treble
that could never be mistaken for an air snappily, even with music at high
freshener. So, will Google’s shot at volume. It is possible to alter the Nest Switching to Jojo Desmond’s Studio 54,
nominative determinism succeed? Audio’s EQ levels within the app, but we the lyrical, soulful and charismatic belter
don’t recommend doing so. After comes through centrally and is well
Building bricks experimenting, we keep these neutral – handled through the midrange, but we
augmenting the bass doesn’t yield the lose the brooding disco bassline that
The Nest Audio’s dimensions are roughly desired weightiness, and upping the pumps energy through the track. The
that of an upright house brick, but the treble results only in a harsher listen. more mellow Lonely Heart is just not
aesthetic is altogether more calming. quite as three-dimensional, emotive and
There’s no branding or visible controls, Within the well-designed Google dynamic as it ought to be. Listening to
apart from a switch around the back of Home app, you can now create a stereo Cardi B’s I Like It, we increase the volume
the unit that turns off voice pick-up. pair comprising two Google Nest Audios in search of a room-filling bassline, but
– a Nest Audio and Google Home can also find that brings a harshness through the
The speaker is so unassuming it be paired, but only in mono. Doing so treble which becomes tiring over time.
almost fades into the background, that is creates a more room-filling, substantial
until you bark ‘Hey Google’ to fire up its sound with a broader soundscape. The Google Nest Audio is well made,
AI calling card: a quartet of horizontal easy to operate and answers our requests
LED lights shining out from under the According to Google, this speaker is 75 accurately and with finesse. It also plays
speaker’s skin. The enclosure is made per cent louder, and has 50 per cent music – and for some that will be every
from 70 per cent recycled plastic, too. more bass than the 2016 Google Home box ticked. If you’re looking for a smart
smart speaker it succeeds. So, can you speaker that provides a slightly bigger
Under the Nest Audio’s chalk-coloured get an enhanced and room-filling sound background noise than an entry-level
jacket (also available in black) there’s a with just one Google Nest Audio? Sadly Nest Mini, the Google Nest Audio is a
19mm tweeter, 75mm woofer and Quad not. While those stats may be true, it good option. But, it is three times as
Core A53 1.8 GHz processor. There are simply doesn’t equate to the level-up in expensive as its Mini sibling, and we
three capacitive touch controls too: tap sound quality we had hoped for. cannot say that it’s three times as good.
in the middle of the speaker’s curved top
to pause and resume playback, tap to the The Google Nest Audio is rather For a product with a name that’s
left to reduce volume and tap on the likeable as a background music provider intended to appeal to an audio-conscious
right edge to increase it. These functions and for listening to podcasts in the market, the Google Nest Audio really
don’t require much force and work well. kitchen – it is both fun and reliable when needs to sound better.

The Nest Audio must be plugged in to RATING
a mains socket in your home to operate,
so bear that in mind if you want your SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
smart speaker to sit away from a wall. FEATURES • Google Assistant • Sound lacks Plenty of Google
Even for Google newbies, set-up is a BUILD smart features,
breeze. Plug the Nest Audio in, download works impeccably weight and punch but this isn’t quite
the Google Home app and follow the • Easy set-up • Harsh through the audio-focused
prompts. The speaker locates wi-fi, links • Improved build speaker we’d been
to our Spotify Premium account, the treble hoping for
assumes its ‘lounge’ location within our and finish • Not as room filling
‘home’ and takes on its new name.
as expected

44 www.whathifi.com

SMART SPEAKERS

View online review £99
whf.cm/HomePodMini
Image: Apple
Apple
HomePod
Mini

The Apple HomePod Mini has TECH SPECS Of course, the HomePod Mini also authoritative than a speaker this small
been a long time coming. After the uses its power for a variety of Siri- has any right to be. There’s excellent
original HomePod was launched, Finishes x2 powered smart functions, from overall tonal balance and consistency,
it was assumed that it would be the first Voice controlling any HomeKit-compatible with no frequencies overexaggerated.
in a range of smart speakers; but it has assistant Siri devices in your house, to setting timers
taken almost three years for the next one Bluetooth No and alarms, creating reminders, sending We play Hole In The Earth by Deftones
to arrive. So, has the wait been worth it? AirPlay Yes messages and making phone calls. and the Mini delivers the requisite power
Dimensions and urgency as the track shifts from
At just 8.4cm tall and 9.8cm wide, the (hwd) 8.4 x Siri’s real strength in the context of the bass-led groove to swirling bridge and
HomePod Mini is roughly half the size of 9.8 x 9.8cm HomePod Mini is its music curation. It hammering crescendo. The quieter
the similarly priced spherical Amazon Weight 345g responds to the phrase “play something moments are properly quiet, leaving
Echo. The Mini comes in simple white or I’ll like” by finding a track that’s similar space for the next big hit.
black finishes, wrapped in a seamless to the type of tunes you listen to. It’s a
fabric mesh that is unobtrusive and will powerful way to discover new music. Playing the sparse, live recording of
happily fit in any room of the house. The Road soundtrack by Nick Cave and
Where the HomePod Mini falls back a Warren Ellis, the HomePod Mini proves
The glass panel on the top is opaque little is in its support for third-party adept at presenting the subtle details
when the speaker is inactive, but a services. Spotify integration is top of our and low-level dynamics necessary to
swirling orb of coloured light appears wishlist, and we’d also like to see Tidal convey the raw emotion of the track. The
when Siri is listening. It’s a classy and and Deezer, but this is a device aimed at presentation is consistent all around the
alluring touch beyond anything you’ll those already embedded in the Apple room, with the Mini delivering its
get from any other similar speaker. ecosystem. Not only do you require an promise of 360-degree sound.
iOS device to set up the HomePod Mini,
There are no physical buttons on the you also need to be a regular user of We use the Home app to combine two
HomePod Mini. When the top panel is lit, many of its services, particularly Apple HomePod Minis in a stereo pair. This
it reveals plus and minus symbols for Music, in order to get the most out of it. predictably makes for a much bigger,
changing the volume. A tap of the centre more solid and more room-filling sound.
of the panel will pause or resume your That isn’t to say that it’s impossible to Bass weight is increased and the Mini’s
music, a double-tap skips forward and a play non-Apple Music music on the general qualities in terms of punch,
triple-tap skips back. At its core, though, HomePod Mini. AirPlay 2 integration clarity, dynamism and tonal balance are
this is designed as a hands-off affair. means that audio can be sent from many only improved by the pairing.
iOS apps, including Spotify and Tidal.
Bigger, weightier sound The slight issue here is that AirPlay 2 For a speaker this small and this
works like Bluetooth, using your iOS inexpensive, the HomePod Mini’s audio
Within the HomePod Mini’s spherical, device as a source, with implications for performance is startling. Naturally, it has
mesh-covered frame is a single, sound quality and battery life. its limits, but it gets to the core of your
Apple-designed full-range driver that music, ensuring everything it plays is
fires sound downwards and out of the From the moment we start playing engaging and interesting. It’s also
360-degree waveguide around the music, it’s clear that the HomePod Mini affordable, small enough to be placed in
bottom. The driver is held by a comfortably outperforms its size and any room of the house, laden with smart
suspension system to reduce distortion, price. It goes much louder than expected skills – and it has an uncanny ability to
and flanked by two passive radiators that but, no matter how much you push it, introduce you to new music you’ll love.
help create a bigger, weightier sound. the HomePod Mini rarely shows any sign All of which makes it a deeply impressive
of strain. In fact, it’s more solid and proposition indeed.
There are four microphones built into
the chassis: three listen out for the ‘Hey RATING
Siri’ command; the fourth uses echo
location to ensure you can be heard over SOUND FOR AGAINST VERDICT
background noise or loud music. FEATURES • Sophisticated, • Limited third-party It’s smaller than
BUILD expected, but the
The brain of the HomePod is Apple’s engaging sound service support most surprising
own S5 chip, also found in the Apple • Substantial • Lacks a full thing about the
Watch Series 5. In the HomePod Mini, HomePod Mini is
Apple claims it analyses and optimises smart skills control app its superb sound
the performance more than 180 times • Impressive
per second, based on the position of the
speaker and what’s being played. music discovery

www.whathifi.com 45

SAVE
THE
DATE

SATURDAY
24 APRIL

2021

The What Hi-Fi? Virtual Show is an online showcase for the hi-fi industry and a new opportunity
for brands to connect with the What Hi-Fi? audience around the world. The What Hi-Fi? team will
be hosting a day of AV entertainment that consumers can enjoy from the comfort of their homes.

Featuring the world’s most important consumer electronics brands and hosted by the number
one hi-fi and home cinema website, it’s an unrivalled opportunity to speak directly to the biggest

specialist AV audience on the planet.

Join us for a day of product launches, interviews, seminars and Q&A sessions.

FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.FUTUREEVENTS.UK/WHATHIFISHOW

#WhatHifiShow

PREMIUM IN-EAR HEADPHONES

These buds are
blooming brilliant

In a few short years, true wireless in-ear headphones
have gone from sci-fi to practically genuine hi-fi

J  ust think back. Less than half a decade or Bluetooth connection, to noise-cancelling
so ago, the best you could hope for as far capabilities and more.
as wireless headphones go were relatively
conventional Bluetooth over-ears or, if you were As is the way with modern tech, you can now
lucky, a pair of buds connected to each other by get many of these abilities at a far lower price,
a cable of some sort around your neck. but these buds are the best at what they do, and
of course you must pay to enjoy that privilege.
That was the height of sophisticated
technology, something early adopters were only Here then we present seven pairs of true
too proud to show off on the street. And, of wireless in-ears; terrific tiny tech from the
course, while it was impressive, the actual audio industry’s biggest hitters. The traditional Titans
quality of many of these trail blazers wasn’t in this game – Apple, Bose, Sennheiser and Sony
anywhere near what we had come to expect – are joined by Jabra and Technics; even Grado,
from the usual pair of headphones we plugged best known for its truly old-school looking
into the 3.5mm socket on our smartphones. (definitely not sounding, though) on-ears, has
now entered the fray.
It doesn’t take long, though, for things to
move on – and for our expectations as far as The joy of these buds is partly in how fast the
quality goes, both for build and performance, to quality has improved. For not much more than
rise exponentially. £200 you can now buy headphones that sound
almost as good as most of the kit we were
A look at the next few pages will show, then, happily using a decade ago – only now we can
that now we can pretty much have it all, in one keep our phone in our pocket, out of harms way,
(well, two) dinky package. The true wireless and control everything with either our voice, or
buds we have here are impressive indeed – with a few short taps of our finger.
proper sonic performers, with all manner of
techno tricks up their sleeves, from (clearly) a What on earth will we be saying in another
decade’s time?

CONTENTS

Apple AirPods Pro (page 51)
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (page 53)

Grado GT220 (page 54)
Jabra Elite 85t (page 49)
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 (page 55)
Sony WF-1000XM3 (page 48)
Technics EAH-AZ70W (page 50)

www.whathifi.com 47