Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2015 i What Hi-Fi?

There’s not much we’re willing to pay more for to get less of but, since the turn of the century (when we as consumers went collectively crazy for flatscreen TVs) we’ve been more than happy to pay a premium for ever-thinner TVs. And if we can reduce the amount of bezel around the screen, well, we’ll pay extra for that too. It’s a point brought home quite forcefully by the head-to-head test of two outstanding 65in 4K TVs (p64). Two huge, high-performance products, with a combined depth of just 12cm. They barely exist in the third dimension at all. And even more happily, the cost of premium TVs like these has never been more reasonable. Five years ago, a TV from near the top of the model range cost half…

What do you want from your portable radio-cum-Bluetooth receiver? Well, if Pure’s research is anything to go by, you want instant access and ease of use just as much as you want best-quality audio performance. So with the Pop range, the company’s attempting to fit the quart of consumers’ requirements into the pint pot of a compact, decorative design. Although, as the name suggests, this Pop Maxi is the largest of the Pop family. Everything’s relative, after all. Compact – and feature-packed Maxi or not, at 17 x 19 x 10cm the Pop’s not going to take up much room on your work surface – nevertheless Pure has found space for two 3in drivers served by 4.3W of power each, DAB/DAB+ and FM reception, the usual clock and alarm functions,…

A £900 high-resolution music player that looks and sounds like a premium hi-fi product? This portable player’s all-metal construction is eye-catching, but it’s the superbly detailed and authoritative sound quality that really gets us excited about the Acoustic Research M2. Controlled and discerning Portable music players (either standalone players or smartphones) don’t always deliver the same meaty, powerful bass depth you get with dedicated hi-fi kit, but there’s a satisfying weight to the M2’s performance that comes admirably close. We are blown away by a 24-bit/192kHz FLAC recording of Hans Zimmer’s Gotham’s Reckoning. Zimmer’s signature strings and percussion boom menacingly, with the low-frequency notes reaching incredible depths. The sense of build-up is palpable, and the eventual crescendo hits you like a wall of sound. What’s all the more impressive is…

Amazon has a finger in many pies, so it’s not hugely surprising the American giant wants a piece of the streaming action. It wants to get into your living room, and it means business. We recently tested the Amazon Fire TV box, which was lovely but forced Amazon’s services on us a little too strongly. Now we have the Fire TV Stick: it’s pretty much the same deal but, for less than half the price, we can’t resist. Sticks or boxes? There are two species of streaming devices: set-top boxes and sticks. Boxes have more connections and take up more space. Sticks strip it right down to the bare minimum, but have a much smaller price tag. At the time of writing, the Fire TV stick is less than half…

There’s a valid case for choosing floorstanders over standmounters at the budget end: they don’t require you to splash out on stands, and the tall cabinets aren’t the hard-to-house spacehoggers they used to be. Best of all, they should get you a bigger, bolder and more powerful sound, so picking the finest do-it-all performers is crucial to making your system the very best it can be. Off the back of a laudatory first test in last month’s issue, the Wharfedale Diamond 230s return here as the ones to beat. However, Q Acoustics’ new 3000 Series is hot on its heels: its ultra-talented budget standmounts, the 3020s, have already given the Diamond 220s plenty of food for thought. Fellow contenders are Cambridge Audio’s Aero 6s – the superstars in the award-winning…

Cambridge Audio Aero 6 £400 Sensitivity 90dB • Impedance 8 ohms • Max power handling 120W • Biwirable no • Finishes 2 • Dimensions (hwd) 98 x 24 x 34cm JBL Arena 170 £400 Sensitivity 87dB • Impedance 8 ohms • Max power handling 200W • Biwirable no • Finishes 2 • Dimensions (hwd) 96 x 22 x 28cm Q Acoustics 3050 £500 Sensitivity 92dB • Impedance 6 ohms • Max power handling 100W • Biwirable yes • Finishes 5 • Dimensions (hwd) 100 x 20 x 30cm Wharfedale Diamond 230 £500 Sensitivity 88dB • Impedance 8 ohms • Max power handling 150W • Biwirable yes • Finishes 4 • Dimensions (hwd) 95 x 20 x 32cm…

Audiolab MDAC £600 Inputs USB, optical x2, coaxial x2 • Outputs Optical, coaxial, XLR, RCA • Headphones 6.3mm • Remote yes • Finishes 2 • Dimensions (hwd) 6 x 25 x 25cm • Pathos Converto £675 Inputs USB, optical, coaxial x2, line level • Outputs XLR, RCA • Headphones 6.3mm • Remote no • Finishes 1 • Dimensions (hwd) 6 x 20 x 23cm • Pioneer U 05 £700 Inputs USB, optical x2, coaxial x2, AES/EBU • Outputs XLR, RCA • Headphones 6.3mm, balanced XLR x2 • Remote yes • Finishes 1 • Dimensions (hwd) 10 x 30 x 27cm • Sony PHA3AC £720 Inputs USB x2, optical, 3.5mm • Outputs 3.5mm • Headphones balanced RCA, 3.5mm • Remote no • Finishes 1 • Dimensions (hwd) 3 x 8 x 14cm •…

Download, CD, vinyl HOT CHIP WHY MAKE SENSE? Out May 18th There can be longevity in disposability and, despite the occasional Grammy or Mercury nomination, Hot Chip’s modus operandi has always been delivering the disco glitter. Songs that seem urgent and vital when they’re blasting from a system but are as anonymous as a last-dance snog-and-grind as soon as they’re over is where they do all their best work. And while with Why Make Sense? (their sixth album since 2004’s debut Coming On Strong) Hot Chip remain a kind of pub-quiz pop-music round (a bit of Underworld here, a dash of New Order there, a Best of The 80s vibe pretty much everywhere), there’s a robustness about the songs here that’s entirely new. With Why Make Sense? Hot Chip sound…

Bloodborne PS4, Out now The sadistic sods behind the Dark Souls games have done it again, with another gruesome third-person adventure that delicately treads the thin line between hellishly infuriating and gloriously satisfying. The combat is more intense, but this is still tactical and perilous, with painful penalties for mistakes. Dark Souls 2: Scholar Of The First Sin PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Out now If you never played the original Dark Souls 2 or simply want an excuse to go through it again, this expanded special edition is just what you need. Essentially it’s a tweaked version of the brilliant but frustrating and brutal third-person adventure, but with all three of the downloadable packs built-in. Mortal Kombat X PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Out now…

Welcome to the UK’s best guide to TVs, hi-fi, home cinema and mobile, with star ratings for more than 1500 products. Where other magazines rely on isolated writers reviewing in a range of locations, our star ratings are decided by an expert team of reviewers working together, in a state-of-the-art testing facility. Within this guide you’ll find all our favourite four- and five-star products – including Award-winners – to help you pick the best kit for your budget. Kobina Monney, Buyer’s Guide Editor…

I Am Legend Looks fantastic and sounds fantastic; pity the second half doesn’t match the first Mad Max Mad Max: Fury Road is out but the original is still a lean, hyper-stylised action film Oblivion A gorgeous digital transfer and soundtrack makes this a excellent Blu-ray demo The Book Of Eli A post-apocalyptic tale with a religious bent, the film’s look is bleak but beautiful The Road A harsh and unforgiving film, this father-and-son story is quite affecting…

High level? Or low? Most subs offer a choice of high-level or low-level connections. High is fed from your amp’s speaker outputs; low via a pair of preout sockets on your amp, or the main outputs from a preamp. Opinion on what’s best is divided, but many choose the speaker-level connections so the sub ‘sees’ exactly the same signal as the main speakers. The counter argument is that low-level hook-ups offer a more direct connection to the preamp – i.e. the signal isn’t being amplified once in the main amp’s power section, reduced again in the sub and then boosted by the amp before it gets to the driver. We favour a high-level connection when playing music, although the low-level feed will filter out the very low bass when used…

Ear tips Most in-ears come with these. Experiment with size to get the best fit In-line remote Mostly for Apple devices, but Android-friendly units are increasing. Handy… The shortlist AKGY50 Awards 2014: Best portable on-ears up to £100 “Excelling in sound and style, the Y50s are a promising start for AKG’s latest range.” Philips M1MKII Awards 2014: Best portable on-ears £100-£200 “If you have just under £200 to spend on a pair of portable on-ear headphones, this is a most worthy candidate.” Beyerdynamic T51i Awards 2014: Best portable on-ears £200-£300 “They’re easily some of the best portable on-ear headphones we’ve heard at this price. ” Also consider…

SOUTH Ashford, Kent SOUNDCRAFT HI-FI 40 High Street. t: 01233 624441 www.soundcrafthifi.com Chelmsford RAYLEIGH HI-FI SOUND & VISION 216 Moulsham Street. t: 01245 265245 www.rayleighhifi.com Kingston-upon-Thames INFIDELITY 9 High Street, Hampton Wick. t: 020 8943 3530 www.infidelity.co.uk Maidenhead AUDIO VENUE 36 Queen Street. t: 01628 633995 www.audiovenue.com Norwich MARTINS HI-FI 85-91 Ber Street. t: 01603 627134 www.martinshifi.co.uk Rayleigh RAYLEIGH HI-FI 44a High Street. t: 01268 779762 www.rayleighhifi.com Southend-on-Sea RAYLEIGH HI-FI SOUND & VISION 132/4 London Road. t: 01702 435255 www.rayleighhifi.com LONDON Ealing AUDIO VENUE 27 Bond Street. t: 020 8567 8703 www.audiovenue.com N1 GRAHAMS HI-FI 190a New North Road. t: 020 7226 5500 www.grahams.co.uk SW11 ORANGES & LEMONS 61/63 Webbs Road. t: 020 7924 2040 www.oandlhifi.co.uk SOUTH WEST Bath AUDIENCE 14 Broad Street. t: 01225 333310 www.audience.org.uk Cinderford CERITECH AUDIO…

Experience & heritage We’ve been hard at work helping the world discover the best in hi-fi and home cinema for more than 37 years, and have getting on for 100 years of reviewing experience under our collective belts – so you can count on our expert opinions. Dedicated test facilities We test every product in the magazine or at whathifi.com against its peers in our bespoke £1m reviewing facilities. And we test every product as a team, so our opinions and conclusions are always the result of collaboration. We spot big trends first MP3 player tests before the iPod even existed? High-def video before it even had a name? That was us. We keep you in touch with big stories and future trends. Worldwide readership With seven international editions in…

Bass in your face With three tuning filters, the RHA T10is should be a versatile set of in-ear headphones. But we found the bass a little heavy on all three settings, and there was a loss of detail as a result There’s only so much you can do within the confines of a headphone, especially the in-ear variety. But RHA has managed to engineer its T10i buds so you can actually tune their sound to suit your musical taste. How? By selecting one of the three pairs of tuning filters supplied in the form of tiny, beautifully crafted pieces that screw into the steel housing of each earpiece. Each filter has been tuned to encourage a different balance of sound. They’re labelled ‘treble’, ‘bass’ or ‘reference’, with each given a…

Wireless audio streaming is great. Pick a track, podcast or radio station, prod a button and lovely sound bursts from speakers nearby. Not content with award-winning 2014 speakers, LG adds to its wireless range with the MUSICflow H4. It’s a small, handsome speaker you can beam music to via LG’s custom wireless mesh network – use the H4 at the same time as up to 99 other MUSICflow speakers – or via Bluetooth. It’s got an eight-hour battery* too. And there’s the P7, a Bluetooth speaker with up to 10 hours’ playback and a pair of 10W speakers so it doesn’t sound like a bee in a Mam Mar. LG’s MUSICflow kit is top-class. The room-filling, 70W H7, the four-speaker 40W H5, and the compact and convenient H3 all provide…

Fancy upgrading your hi-fi set up to accommodate your growing collection of digital music? Or maybe you simply want to give your laptop-based music system a boost? What you need is a DAC. A stand-alone DAC is the simplest and most versatile way of elevating your music system to the next step, giving you the scope to play everything from Spotify streams to CD-ripped WAVs and high-resolution albums. All four DACs on test here meet the same criteria: they can all handle files of up to 24-bit/192kHz across a variety of digital inputs, they have a USB socket and a headphone amplifier with volume control. And with a price range of £600 to £720, the competition is bound to be tough. The new offerings from Pathos, Pioneer and Sony will…

With an Audiolab MDAC you will get the most out of these three companions Laptop Apple MacBook Pro £900 The ideal laptop to store all your high-resolution and CD-ripped files, and the slickest interface to stream tunes as well. Stereo amplifier Roksan Caspian M2 £1900 The Caspian’s superbly powerful, muscular dynamics will add richness and weight to the MDAC’s performance. Headphones Shure SRH1540 £430 Our Award-winning cans are perfect for listening at home thanks to supersoft ear cups and a detailed, nimble presentation. Total build from £3830…

Into The Woods Stephen Sondheim has Meryl Streep and friends frolic in the woods and subvert fairytale tropes. There is singing. It’s not quite dark enough. Unbroken The true story of an athlete and bombadier captured during WWII. There’s nothing new about war-time valour tales, but it’s still inspiring. Exodus: Gods And Kings Ridley Scott’s latest epic retells the story of Moses. Avoiding bibilical fidelity and old-world charm, it gets a bit stale. Sure is specacular, though. The Theory Of Everything Biopic season concludes with one of Stephen Hawking. A touching and enlightening portrayal of a man who is definitely more than a wheelchair.…

Movies (Blu-ray) Whiplash (1 June) The quintessential jazz drumming movie, in which Miles Teller is tormented by a sadistic, perfectionist and Oscar-deserving JK Simmons. Movies (Blu-ray) Taken 3 (13 June) Nobody is actually taken this time, but that doesn’t stop Liam Neeson from continuing his face-breaking rampage. Maybe it’s time to stop. Music (Download, CD, vinyl) Florence & The Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (1 June) The word ‘Florence’ is much bigger than any other on the sleeve... Music (Download, CD, vinyl) Leftfield – Alternative Light Source (8 June) Because what used to be the cutting edge is now a sepia-toned nostalgia vibe.…

LCD Once only in smaller screens; now the most common type of panel LED This refers to the kind of backlighting used on an LCD panel OLED An ultra-thin screen that’s commonly used in curved TVs The shortlist Sony KDL-32W706B Awards 2014: Best 32in TV “With an attentive, punchy picture, decently detailed sound and a smattering of features, the KDL-32W706B is the full works with all the trimmings of a well-designed telly.” Samsung UE48H6400 Awards 2014: Best 47-52in TV “Sharp, clear and full of subtle detail that’s impressive at this mid-range price, the Samsung ‘6400’s picture hooked us in from the minute we turned it on.” Samsung UE55HU7500 Awards 2014: Best 52-60in TV “We’re very impressed by the UE55HU7500. It looks great across all resolutions and it has plenty of…

Replace the lamp This won’t happen often – lamps tend to last for 2000 plus hours – but if you notice issues with flickering and dimness then it may be time for a change. Get a soft, dry cloth, locate the compartment where the lamp is housed and take it out slowly (it can easily break). If you’re unsure if it needs changing then get the remote, have a root around in the projector’s menus and there should be a timer that indicates the lamp’s usage. Clean the lens Dust will build up. It’s inevitable. And if it’s not dust then smudges could be a problem. To resolve this buy some lens cleaning tissues (camera stores will have these) and very carefully wipe away – in a circular motion –…

Turntable The main part of the player that actually spins the record Tonearm The component that carries the cartridge across the record surface Cartridge Turns the information in the record groove into sound The shortlist Pro-Ject Essential II Awards 2014: Best Turntable up to £400 “The Essential II is a frill-free entry-level product that gets all the basics spot-on.” Rega RP3/Elys2 Awards 2014: Best Turntable £400-£800 “It’s easy to set up, easy to use as long as you don’t mind the manual speed change and sounds as musical as they come.” Clearaudio Concept Awards 2014: Best Turntable £800+ “If you feel the need for an outstanding turntable, don’t think twice.” Also consider “If you’re looking for a relatively fuss-free de/k, the Thoren TD309 is well worth /onsidering”June 2010…

Don’t compress If we’re being honest, while 320kpbs is fine for Spotify it’s a less-than-desired bitrate if you’re serious about your home hi-fi system. If you’re streaming from a server (or a NAS drive) then look for a system with enough storage to keep all your music as uncompressed audio, or at least in lossless form. Easy access Controlling your collection through a dedicated app on your smartphone or tablet is becoming the norm. But not all apps are created equal. Take into consideration an app’s ease of use and speed of operation – searching for music should be effortless, not a chore. Accommodate online streaming If you want to get the most out of your system, then augment your personal collection with streamed music from online providers such as…

Many racks are built to be expanded. Several manufacturers offer you a number of shelving options for ready-made products, but what if you want to get more kit in a few years? We like having the option to build upwards at a later date. The shortlist Hi-Fi Racks Podium “You get an enjoyable sound that isn’t going to wear on you any time soon, and a product where quality control has taken centre stage” Atacama Eris Eco 5.0 “Add fine build and easy construction to the list of plus points and there’s much to admire here” Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 “It might not initially sound quite as immediate as some rivals, but longer listening reveals plenty of attack” Also consider Subscriptions 0844 848 8813 email: whathifi@servicehelpline.co.uk “For an affordable phono…

Q Acoustics 3050 Group test p50 “Another knockout speaker from Q Acoustics’s new 3000 series. These floostanders give you serious bang for your buck” Becky Roberts Staff writer Onkyo A 9010 /irst test p18 “This Onkyo is one of the most musical budget amplifiers we’ve heard in years” Ketan Bharadia Technical editor TEAC CDP800NT /irst test p12 “A versatile device and a great way into the world of hi-fi separates” Ced Yuen News editor Audiolab MDAC /irst test p56 “Our favourite DAC is still one of the best we’ve ever heard – it looks the part and is a terrific listen” Kashfia Kabir First Tests editor Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge /irst test p24 “Samsung is back on its A-game witht the S6 Edge. A stunningly beautiful phone with outstanding performance…

1 Yikes, this thing is heavy. But it’s built like a tank, and looks imposing in black or silver. That glowing dial is nice. 2 Connecting speakers for a 5.1.4 set-up is tricky. Which terminals do the Atmos speakers go into? Clearer labelling, please. 3 Auto calibration is quick and fairly accurate. But it pays to tinker with the settings. Turn Night Mode off. 4 Atmos works! Where did the ceiling disappear to? Those raindrops are almost falling on my head. I need the loo. 5 It sounds lovely in standard 5.1 too. Looks like Onkyo has made a very strong comeback after a few years in the pack.…

It’s tasty Onkyo is known for its AV amps, but the A 9010 is the first we’ve seen of its new range of stereo products. If this strong performer at a budget price is a taste of what’s to come, the competition should be worried. If you’re looking for a musically captivating budget amplifier you’re in luck. This new Onkyo A-9010 is a real treat, and it’s just the first of a number of stereo amplifiers the company has planned with the view to establish a real presence in the two channel market. Considering the success the brand has had with AV amplification we wouldn’t bet against it. It’s fair to say there’s been a shortage of talented yet affordable amplification in recent years. This has left just a handful…

It’s been three years since we’ve given a phone in the Samsung Galaxy S family five stars, but after just a few minutes with the Galaxy S6 Edge we get the feeling that’s about to change. When we first heard about the Edge, we were sceptical. Almost identical spec to the Galaxy S6, with just its curved screen separating them… is their really any point? But the S6 Edge is something you have to feel in your hand to appreciate. Innovative and desirable, this is the phone we’ve been waiting for from Samsung. Unibody design The S6 Edge is unabashedly a premium handset – and has a price tag to match. It follows the lead of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 Edge, but takes it one step further with a screen…

CD player Marantz CD6005 £300 Immense value for money for such a fantastic CD player. Its predecessor was already a winner, and this scooped the 2014 awards Amplifier Marantz PM6005 £300 This superb amplifier is one of our favourites, bringing you great sound quality on a budget for all your analogue and digital music Music streamer Bluesound Node £400 Our 2014 Award-winning streamer offers you a great way to update your system for streaming without breaking the bank Total build from £1500…

Join us on Spotify whf.cm/playlist15 Sufjan Stevens: Should Have Known Better Effortlessly affecting, confident and open-hearted music from a latter-day king of melody. Boys Age: The Wish Is Father To The Thought If you like mumbly, approximate, tremendously exciting and engaging Japanese indie-pop, at last your search is over. David Gilmour: On An Island Tasteful, high-gloss, overwhelmingly musicianly fare with Abbey Road-era Fab Four harmonies to sweeten the already sugar-coated pill. The Fairfield Four: Standing In The Safety Zone Fast approaching a hundred years as a going concern and yet to deviate from their entirely winning gospel/doo-wop formula.…

Smart features If you don’t have an internet-enabled TV then buying a Blu-ray player with ‘smarts’ is one road to go down. Netflix is ubiquitous and Amazon’s Prime Instant is a popular app too. LG’s BP645 features the Spotify app while Samsung’s BDH6500 has support for ITV Player and Demand 5. Upscaling Blu-ray players make good DVD players. The upscaler in a player converts an image into a higher-res one, filling in the pixels to make up a bigger image. Good upscalers keep picture noise (pixelation) at bay, while rendering colours punchy and images sharp with few soft edges. Audio While they won’t usurp the performance of a dedicated CD player, Pioneer’s BDPLX58 and Oppo’s BDP105D support PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz as well as MP3, WMA and AAC. Put…

Full size Traditional cabinet design that’s big but can deliver a great sound Style Compact speakers that make a lot of sense in smaller living spaces Bipole/Dipole Surround speaker designs that give a more cohesive soundfield The shortlist Q Acoustics 2000i 5.1 Awards 2014: Best Traditional Pack up to £700 “We simply can’t find a rival (trust us, we’ve looked) that even comes close to the Q Acoustics’ performance-per-pound offering.” Dali Zensor 1 5.1 Awards 2014: Best Traditional Pack £700-£1500 “Whether it’s with music or movies, the Zensor 1 5.1 produces a stunning sound. That’s £1000 well spent, we say.” Monitor Audio Radius R90HT1 Awards 2014: Best Style package £1400-£1800 “You have a package that blends nicely. With price, performance and practicality on its side, the Radius ticks all the…

Try before you buy If possible, always listen to an amplifier with your speakers. If you can’t take your pair to the dealer, ask if you could listen to alternative speakers that are as close as possible to what you have. The source is likely to be less of an issue as long as it’s relatively even-handed in the way it performs. Other than sound quality, make a list of the features you’re looking for. If you have a complex system you’ll need an amp with lots of inputs. Got a record player? Take a look at amps with phono stages or consider an outboard phono unit. Similarly, a built-in DAC would be useful for digital-based set-ups. Amplifiers don’t tend to have as strong a sonic character as speakers, but…

For those of us that consider themselves a music lover, albeit to different degrees, we are part of a very fortunate generation. We now have access to an ever-growing wealth of recorded music of extraordinary range and depth, effectively accumulated over the last 60 years. With the introduction of the microgroove LP record in the early 1950's, playback quality took a quantum leap forward and this also coincided with a far higher standard of recording techniques. Although further improvements have been made over the years, this was a watershed time that first introduced hi-fi as a reality. We now have literally millions of recorded music tracks available to us in all genres and many different formats. One trend over recent years, however, has been to deliberately downgrade the quality in…