Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

History, ancient and modern

While it never (quite) really went away, vinyl – it won’t have escaped your notice – has been enjoying a considerable resurgence over the past few years. For nine years now, vinyl sales have recorded double-digit growth – and 2016 saw more records sold than in any year since 1991. Record decks were, of course, a What Hi-Fi? staple for the first decade and more of its existence, but this is the first time in a long while we’ve been in a position to devote more than a page or two to vinyl. We’ve had fun – don’t miss our vinyl special (starts p32). I’m old enough, though, to remember only too well the excitement generated by the arrival of CD in the ’80s. So it’s only right, while embracing…

1 min

What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”

“At £40, the Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa is a great low-budget way to get streaming services onto your TV” Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa | USB streaming | £40 FOR Voice control; responsive UI; multiple streaming services AGAINST Nothing of note ★★★★★ The development of talking technology isn’t as recent as you might think. In 1773 Christian Kratzenstein built a speaking machine using tubes and organ pipes to make artificial vocal chords; and in 1939 the first electronic speech synthesizer called VODER (Voice Operating DEmonstratoR) said the words “Good evening, radio audience” at the New York World’s Fair. But at this point in tech history, the voice assistant du jour is Amazon’s Alexa – and its inclusion in the new Fire TV Stick is the most obvious improvement…

4 min

What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

“Less than the sum of their parts”

“Our focus is drawn to the Rega RX1s’ immaculate timing. Does an orchestra trouble this attribute? Not a chance” Rega RX1 | Stereo speakers | £800 FOR Precise timing; impressive agility; flexible with positioning AGAINST Need a shot of energy; lack low-end authority ★★★ Isn't it peculiar how you can have everything you thought you wanted, and it still doesn’t make you happy? And frustrating, too, that you cannot simply measure the pursuit of happiness. You either feel it or you don't – there are no tick boxes or instruction manuals to follow that tell you how to get there in the end. The same could be said for hi-fi. You can reduce distortion to the absolute minimum, track rhythms diligently and express certain dynamics with consummate ease, yet still…

4 min

What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

“Okay Google, how will you beat your main rival?”

Google Home | Wireless speaker | £130 FOR Easy to use; Chromecast; good design; pairing capability AGAINST Few apps; average sound; limited smart home use ★★★ There’s a fight on for control of your home. In one corner of the ring is Amazon’s Alexa, already installed in Echo and Echo Dot devices, which sold by the bucket-load last Christmas. In the opposite corner is Google Home, now available in the UK. Both devices make a similar promise: to connect with multiple apps (or ‘skills’ as Amazon calls them) bringing voice control to your home entertainment, online search and a range of home-automation devices such as lighting and heating. Amazon has had a head start, with around 1000 companies announcing Alexa integration into numerous devices at CES in January. Now Google…

Experience. Heritage. We’ve been helping the world discover the best in hi-fi and home entertainment for more than 40 years, and have more than 100 years of reviewing experience under our collective belts – so you can count on our expert opinion. Dedicated test facilities We test every product against its peers in our brand-new, bespoke reviewing facility at our Twickenham HQ. We conduct all our tests as a team – our opinions and conclusions are always the result of collaboration. Reference kit Naim CDS3/NDS/UnitiServe/555 PS; Clearaudio Innovation Wood; Cyrus Phono Signature/PSX-R2; GamuT D3i/D200i; ATC SCM50; Cambridge CXU; Panasonic DMP-UB900; Pioneer SC-LX59; Epson EH-TW7200; PMC Twenty23; KEF R50; Sky+ HD…

1 min

What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

“A hugely accomplished box”

“The Arcam rPhono is a capable and informative phono stage that knows how to have fun” Arcam rPhono | Phono stage | £400 FOR Refined and entertaining sound; flexible; well built AGAINST Nothing at this price ★★★★★ Phono stages have one of the hardest jobs to do in hi-fi. They amplify the tiny signal put out by a record player’s cartridge by as much as a thousand times, while adding a minimum of noise and distortion in the process. In comparison, the task faced by pre and power amplifiers seems easy. The built-in phono stage has become something of a rare beast in amplification. Such circuits aren’t always great even when included, so if the current vinyl revival has piqued your interest, we think you should consider Arcam’s rPhono. Tools…

3 min

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What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

Bust that jargon: learn the hi-fi lingo

Bass reflex A speaker design using airflow from a port in the cabinet to help extended-bass reproduction Biamping Each drive unit of a speaker is driven by a separate amp channel, so a pair of two-way speakers needs two stereo amps and two runs of cable to each speaker Biwiring You need two suitable speakers (with two sets of inputs and a split crossover), then send twin runs of cable from the amp (if suitable) to each speaker Cartridge The device that plays a record. It converts the wobbles in the record’s groove into electrical signals for your amp – either via a moving magnet or a moving coil Coloration This is any kind of shift away from the natural rendition of the music. Coloration is undesirable ‘boomy’ bass, a…

2 min

What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

“The new benchmark at this size and price”

Sony KD-55A1 | 4K Television | £3500 “You get everything you expect from an OLED, but the way the A1 defines edges and reveals textures is beyond our already-lofty expectations” FOR Classy design; vibrant colours; sound; deep blacks AGAINST No Dolby Vision; interface not as slick as some ★★★★★ LG selling its OLED panels to other manufacturers is a good thing for TV buyers – more OLEDs means more choice and, ultimately, lower prices. But it also raises the question of whether it’s actually a bad thing for LG’s own OLEDs. On this evidence, it just might be. The A1, Sony’s striking new OLED, is an absolute belter of a telly – one that might just have LG a bit worried. Stand-out quality Making a TV that looks unique is…

8 min

What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

“Pretty much the ideal entry level product...”

Audio Technica AT-LP3 | Turntable | £200 “A budget turntable sounding this good ought to leave a›number of products further up the food chain more than a little red-faced” FOR Expressive and musical; built-in phono stage AGAINST Nothing of note ★★★★★ “Budget, fully automatic?” Isn't this treating turntables as toys? Stripping away the rules and reducing the record player to little more than a retro trinket. And, more annoyingly, these sorts of turntables are usually catering for those without the time to put down their craft beer, or curtail an anecdote about the time they were welcomed into an Inca tribe on Machu Picchu, in order to lift the needle. Certainly, the terms 'budget' and 'fully automatic' have so often flirted wantonly with such tableaux when it comes to turntables,…

6 min

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What Hi-Fi?|July 2017

THAT WAS THEN

VINYL SPECIAL Take a read of this month’s cartridge group test (see page 51) and you’ll find Goldring’s 1042 doing remarkably well. It’s a wonderfully balanced performer and – slightly awkward fitting aside – arguably the finest all-rounder at the £300 price level. Its success is all the more surprising because of the age of the basic design. Launched in the 1980s, the 1000 series remains much the same today – apart from some subtle internal tweaks. That original range had multiple models – we still have fond memories of the 1010, 1020 and 1040 – but the only real difference between them was the stylus assembly, which was interchangeable. That remains the case with the current range. No fuss over surface noise That distinctively shaped body is made of…

1 min