Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2015 i What Hi-Fi?

It wasn’t long ago that £6000 was the normal entry fee for membership of the 4K TV club. Of course, those days are now behind us (phew!), with prices starting considerably below £1000. That said, nearly £6000 is the figure you’ll have to cough up in order to become the fortuitous owner of one of Samsung’s flagship models, the UE65JS9500. Classier aura This curved 65in TV from the top-tier JS9500 range – a rung above the company’s JS8500 series into which the five-star UE55JS8500 falls – features HDR support and all the bells and whistles of Samsung’s proprietary SUHD technology. That means a nano-crystal take on Quantum Dot technology where a thin layer of crystals in the display panel emits light in various colours according to their size. This, plus…

Musical youth The design has changed little from its predecessor, the MCR610. But a few aesthetic changes, such as an acrylic top cover and a mint-green colourway on the front panel, hint at Marantz targeting a younger audience The Marantz Melody all-in-one systems have always been pretty solid performers in our tests, winning Awards in 2011 and 2013 for their do-it-all listenability. This year’s M CR611 delivers a refined design and boosted spec list, but is it enough in an increasingly busy streaming market? Cosmetically, very little has changed. It’s still a glossy but largely plastic (and not especially premium) black box. Upgraded connectivity Look closer though, and you’ll see aesthetic changes such as new coloured illumination strips on the front and a new acrylic top cover to guard against…

Strokable is a word you’re more likely to associate with your pet cat than a wireless speaker, but Mission’s Aero is just that. Aero manages to make its smooth, curvacious exterior something of a talking point. It’s the speaker’s anodised aluminium surface that makes you want to get all touchy-feely. The shell wraps around the speaker like a snug-fitting Italian suit and feels super-smooth, to the extent where you can’t help but slide your hands over it. Beneath the fabric lie six BMR (Balanced Mode Radiator) drivers – four firing out towards the listener, while the ones at either end fire sideways. There’s also a 12cm subwoofer which fires down through a port in the circular base of the unit. Sliver of light The base also harbours a row of…

Atmospheric change For more atmosphere when watching films, we’d recommend switching between Surround and Stereo modes. There’s a subtle difference, but it’s worth investigating. Canton has a great record with soundbases, combining excellent sound quality with ease of use in one nicely built and affordable box. And it keeps getting better. The new Canton DM 55 replaces the much-praised DM 50, a five-star performer at £400. The addition of a glass top, some sonic tweaks and a price drop make this good-looking and capable unit even more appealing than before. Full-bodied yet agile Fire up the Blu-ray of Fast & Furious 7 and you’ll immediately hear the throaty rumble of roaring engines, the crisp crackle of windshields and glass smashing against the pavement, and clear, warm voices. It’s a rich,…

Ultra HD broadcast TV has finally arrived, and BT is first past the post with its Ultra HD YouView box. We watch the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle. Despite a dreadful performance from both sides, it looks eye-poppingly marvellous. Next-level stuff This is what a hawk must feel like. The level of detail and clarity is remarkable. Not only can you make out the individual beads of sweat on Bastian Schweinsteiger’s brow, you can count the black lines on a Toon fan’s shirt 50 yards behind. Then there’s this year’s hideous Premier League ball. Even during wide shots, it’s easy to make out its splashes of orange spinning in the grass. It’s a stable image, too. Badly-handled slow motion can destroy a good picture, but super-slow pans…

WHAT’S ON TEST? ATC SCM11 KEF R300 Martin Logan Motion 35XT Monitor Audio Gold 50 Neat Motive SX3 Proac Studio 118 The £1000 standmount market has been dominated by the ATC SCM11s. If you include both their old and new versions, they are looking to bring home their ninth straight What Hi-Fi? Award this year. A First Test of the fine ProAc Studio 118s last month threatened the ATC dynasty though, so we’re pitting the two against each other in what should be a gruelling head-to-head. Also fancying their chances are new entries from Neat Acoustics, KEF, Martin Logan and Monitor Audio. Can fresh competition finally blunt the ATCs’ edge, or will it be a case of ‘same old, same old’? We’re as curious as you are… Their natural agility…

THE WINNER Samsung UE40JU7000 £880 It certainly seems that 2015 is the year 4K becomes a convincing option for most budgets and screen sizes, and at the bottom end of both sit these two sets from Samsung and Sony. Although the Sony has a few extra inches on the Samsung, it actually comes in £100 cheaper, no doubt helped by of Sony’s decision to drop 3D for this set. It’s a tactic to consider when looking for the right TV in your budget – you may be able to get more for your money in other areas if you’re willing to let 3D go. However, even at its lower price the Sony could still do with some work on its performance in order to really prove its worth. 4K and…

THE WINNER Audio Pro Addon T3 £150 At only £150, the Audio Pro Addon T3 wins hands down. In fact, we think you’d have part with getting on for twice as much to beat its sound with another battery-powered wireless speaker. We really made the T3 work for those five stars with an eclectic mix of music, and not once did it miss a step. The sound is at once large and refined; you feel the force of sweeping post-rock soundscapes as much as the delicateness of a lo-fi bedroom recording. Detail is great for this size, as is the warmth and body it gives voices. Its level of expressiveness is quite astounding given what the product is. Voices and instruments already sound rich, but the T3’s sympathetic rendering of…

The Blu-ray player market is more crowded than ever, especially at the budget end as manufacturers cram it all in and race to slash prices. Now the higher-ups are slumming it with the less well-endowed and you can pay bottom-tier money for top-tier goods. Where previously you had to choose between price and features, nowadays you can have both. Executive vibe The Panasonic DMPBDT370 is a very good example of this trend. This is the top model in Panasonic’s 2015 range of Blu-ray players. Time was we’d have paid easily twice the money for this sort of thing, but no – here it is at £100. Is there a catch? Not in the design department. Maybe it’s cheap and ugly, we thought as we opened the box. That would make…

Appy days While the app is functional, we would like to see a universal search across all sources, as well as more intuitive ways to deal with playlists. Small niggles perhaps, but a better app would be a real feather in Bluesound’s cap It’s rare to see a new company enter the hi-fi market with a brand new product range and absolutely nail it, but that’s what Bluesound did when it launched last year. It might have the backing of established brand NAD, but few could have expected the fledgling company to score a full house of five-star reviews and take home two Best Buy Awards in competitive categories. Understated and rack-friendly This year it’s back, with an upgraded, refreshed design and a larger line up. The second-generation Node 2…

We’ve long admired Yamaha’s Aventage range, and this year it’s five strong. Prices go from £500 to £2000. This RXA 850 sits just above the RXA 550 and is a sweet-spot balance of price, features and performance. A joy to use At its most basic level, the Yamaha RXA 850 is the hub of your AV setup. It has plenty of connections, including eight HDMI inputs, three of them HDCP 2.2 (4K) compatible. As well as 7.2 channels there’s Dolby Atmos, available on all Aventage models from the RXA 850 upwards. Of course, it’s no longer enough for an AV receiver just to pump out surround sound. The RXA 850 also has some network-based tricks up its sleeve. Built-in wifi (or ethernet) lets you stream content around and into your…

When we hear the phrase ‘KEF Eggs’, the company’s popular 5.1 surround speaker packages come to mind. Those speakers picked up the affectionate nickname from reviewers and owners alike, thanks to their distinctive egg-shaped design. Although KEF initially seemed uncertain about the name, they seemed to acknowledge this unofficial moniker when they released the ‘E-series’ in 2013. Now the company has given in entirely, officially naming them the ‘KEF Egg Wireless Digital Music System’. Catchy. It’s been a while since KEF has launched a new product based on this iconic design, and these new ones are a wireless and powered 2.0 offering. The emphasis here is on flexibility. No longer are you tied down to amplifiers: you can use these with computers, portable devices and TVs. Reassuringly weighty The look…

Not many tech brands get to stay in the game this long, so clearly Sennheiser is doing something right. We met Daniel and Dr Andreas Sennheiser, grandsons of founder Fritz Sennheiser, and asked them what they made of the milestone and about their plans for the future. WHF: How do you go about maintaining a 70-year legacy while developing new products? DS: It sounds like a long time but, on the other hand, maintaining that legacy is just something we do every day. We don’t think about it so much in terms of decades. Everybody is driven by the desire to build the next big thing that changes the world of audio. And that just drives you for the next 70, 100, maybe even 200 years. So what is the…

1 Panasonic TX65CZ950 £7350 The CZ950, Panasonic’s first 4K OLED TV, promises class-leading performance. It also supports HDR technology and is the first 4K OLED to be THX certified. Panasonic says the CZ950 will deliver deeper blacks than previous plasma TVs, while avoiding picture noise. Various processors and colour engines have been used to help serve up what the company is calling “Absolute Black”. An aluminium pedestal stand and Alcantara back cover help to justify the high-end price tag. For more information, head to http://whf.cm/Pana4KOLED 2 Bluesound Gen 2 from £420 Bluesound is back with a new generation of high-resolution multi-room products. The Node 2, Powernode 2 and Vault 2 have been redesigned since their predecessors and are now much slimmer. A new Pulse Mini wireless speaker complements the range…

THE WINNER ATC SCM 11 £1200 Few speakers have dominated a price bracket as completely as the ATC SCM 11s. It’s not as if there are no decent challengers around – nothing in this six-way test drops more than a star – it’s just that their level of subtlety and dynamic insight, fine rhythmic drive and impressive scale is a winning combination. The ProAcs and Neats knock on the door of greatness too. Their dynamic, lively and insightful presentation is among the most engaging around for the money. The Neats have all the characteristics of your best friend: fun, friendly and punctual. The diminutive speakers won’t be for everyone, but if they’re right for you, you’ll have a blast. KEF’s R series has shone in recent years, and while the…

The park is open. It has taken 22 years and two sequels, but we’re finally up and running. What could possibly go wrong this time? Let’s get something straight: Jurassic Park is untouchable. Its particular blend of creativity and technical prowess had an impact that cannot be recreated. Winning formula However, Jurassic World has a bloody (and stompy) good go at it. The freshness is gone, but this sequel does a good job of recycling the best-loved elements of the original. And nobody gym-kicks a raptor in the face. We return to Isla Nublar and find it a very different place from the one that was evacuated in 1993. It is clean. It is safe. There are no incidents, just happy customers. Dinosaurs have now been around long enough that…

HDMI 2.0a 2.0a is the latest generation of the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) cable. It features an increased bandwidth over the 1.4 version – essential for coping with 4K/60fps playback. HDCP 2.2 Stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, a technology that prevents illegal copying of – in this case – 4K content. Without a HDCP 2.2 connection, a TV will not be able play content from a 4K source . ARC Stands for Audio Return Channel, a single HDMI connection that passes audio to and from a soundbar or AV receiver. If your soundbar/ receiver has this then plug the HDMI lead into this slot. Throw distance/ratio Throw distance refers to the distance from a projector’s lens to the screen. It’s calculated by multiplying the desired screen width by…

Granted, a cane and a top hat won’t make you Fred Astaire, but some hi-fi gear does just look the part. The Roksan K3 CD Di is some such hi-fi. Thankfully, Roksan has considerable previous for designing products that play the part as well. The Caspian M2 (£1900), for instance, has a mantelpiece full of What Hi-Fi? Awards, and we aren’t expecting this to be far off the pace. A CD player with digital inputs, the CD Di joins the K3 range alongside its sole-purpose CD player and the five-star integrated amplifier. Roksan suggests its ability to perform solely as a DAC makes it a one-box “audiophile hub”. (The Caspian M2 doesn’t have the digital inputs of some of its competitors. This does, and is capable of handling data streams…

Transport options If you already have a hi-fi separates system, then a CD transport may be the best option for an upgrade. You need a DAC, but you could get a superior performance this way The CD t is the latest addition to Cyrus’s long line of highly accomplished products. It’s a CD transport, rather than CD player, meaning it will simply read the data on the disc, requiring an external DAC to handle all the digital-to-analogue conversion. Fine performance It’s ideal for those who already have a hi-fi separates system, and simply want to upgrade the CD source. All you’ll need to complete the set is a DAC. The CD t uses high quality components and technology – such as Cyrus’s own Servo Evolution disc-reading software – featured in…

Now in its seventh decade, Sennheiser manages to twin extensive experience with youthful vigour and audaciousness. At its ‘Reshaping Excellence’ celebrations at London’s Central Hall Westminster, the company explored its past, present and future, giving invited guests glimpses of much-loved classics, contemporary kit, and mysterious cutting-edge products. Everyone then enMoyed a uniTue concert that combined the talents of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie orchestra, conductor Jonathan Stockhammer, and pioneering Grammy Award-winning musician Imogen Heap. Throughout, we heard soundbites you’d expect from a confdent company with such rich heritage. Sennheiser spoke of forging ahead with a new benchmark of excellence and entering a phase of even higher ambition, producing iconic products that have revolutionised the audio industry. For the most part, though, the theme was far more down to earth. This wasn’t…

What’s on test? Audio Pro Addon T3 BenQ treVolo Bose Soundlink Mini II Cambridge G5 Fugoo Tough JBL Xtreme Ministry of Sound Audio M Onkyo X6 Here we are, at the sweet spot for wireless speakers. Chances are, if you want something between entry level and stay-at-home midrange, your budget is here – between £150 and £250. And, if you’ve begun your search already, you’ll not have failed to notice you’re probably the best catered-for section of the market. But with so many manufacturers promising the earth and failing to deliver, that isn’t always the greatest position in which to be. Here, we test eight new speakers to find the words portable and wireless, when applied to speakers at least, needn’t always be synonymous with inferior and small. The feel…

Dan D’Agostino Momentum Integrated Amplifier £44,000 Does Dan D’Agostino’s Momentum Integrated Amplifier have the best volume control in the world? Quite possibly. We certainly haven’t come across anything that matches the beautifully precise and wonderfully damped feel of its rotary bezel or the sheer theatre of that prominent Breguet-inspired level gauge. We particularly love the precisely calibrated movement of the hand on the gauge to the movement of the dial. Small things, but they add up to making the Momentum Integrated something special. Sophisticated and hefty And this amplifier certainly needs to be special to justify that huge price tag. It’s configured as a two-box design, where the power-supply circuitry is housed in a separate casing to keep all those high currents (and the associated magnetic fields) away from the…

System tester Mad Max: Fury Road Blu-ray 5th October It’s been 30 years since Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, but the wait hasn’t dampened director George Miller’s enthusiasm as he returns with the rip-roaring Fury Road. Essentially a long chase movie, Fury Road is relentless in its devotion to delivering one spectacular action sequence after another, and while the sparse story may turn off some looking for more substance, what Miller has crafted here is a symphony of destruction in a world full of stunning design and detail. The actors all commit impressively to the task at hand. Tom Hardy’s taciturn Max is perhaps overshadowed by Charlize Theron’s impressive Imperator Furiosa, who’s just as important to the narrative, if not more so, than Hardy. A lesser film could have fallen prey…

The best on the box Doctor Who BBC One HD – Saturdays Doctor Who’s ninth series will be well into its stride this month, with two exciting two-parters that have fans quivering with excitement. We’ll finally get to see what Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams’s character has in store for us in the first double-bill, which also features new monsters and Vikings on a spaceship. The second two-parter sees the return of the Zygons, which means we’ll once again see Kate Steward and a back-from-the-dead Osgood (how did she survive Missy’s attack?). Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman’s double act as the Doctor and Clara continues to delight, and we can’t wait to see the new enemies. The Walking Dead Fox HD – 12th October, 9pm The incredibly popular The Walking…

Neat Acoustics began life as a hi-fi shop based in Darlington, County Durham. North Eastern Audio Traders, as it was called then, thought there was a gap in the market for a musical small speaker, so decided to develop one. The process lasted 18 months, and the result was the Petite, reviewed (above) in 1993. The £525 standmounter’s plain appearance and relatively low-tech drive units might have made it look like a budget offering, but the sound quality was terrific. Neat’s unusual design process – where listening took priority over measurement – resulted in a truly entertaining performance. Bringing the best out of quality components The Petites sounded best on solid stands, positioned relatively close to a rear wall. And they craved a quality input. While they’d produce a pleasing…