Marantz has long been a dominant force in the affordable stereo amplifier market, so when it replaces the long-running, five-star PM6007, we can’t wait to have a listen.

After generations of budget 6000-series amplifiers differentiated only by small tweaks, the Marantz Model 70 marks a notable shift in styling and price, if not content.

Where PM6007 originally launched at £499 / $599 and has been available for around £349-£399 in the past couple of years, the new Model 70 has launched at £749 / AU$1600 (exc VAT) – moving it out of the 'budget' bracket. It's also worth noting that this new amplifier won't be available to buy in the US initially, with Marantz stating it is focusing on the "markets where consumer demand can be more effectively met."

Build & design

While the new Model 70 integrated is clearly based on the former Award-winning PM6007, just compare their back panel layout; it is obvious that the company’s engineers haven’t just been twiddling their collective thumbs for the last half a decade.

The big change is the appearance, of course. This now mirrors the aesthetics of the company’s more premium stereo products (such as the Model 40n), and we like it. To our eyes, it looks classier and more elegant than the more function-first approach of the previous budget model.

The symmetry of the front panel is appealing, as is the trademark Marantz ‘porthole’ display. We are pleased to report that the front panel dials for the volume, balance, tone controls and inputs all feel solid and precise in use, while that small display is crisp, though admittedly not particularly easy to read from a distance.

This stereo amplifier, and partnering CD 70 CD player (£499/ $750), are both available in black and silver finishes. The Model 70’s build feels broadly on a par with the outgoing PM6007, which cost £499 / $599 when launched in 2020, but is now available for notably less.

It is nicely finished, though, and reasonably solid, bar the flex we notice in the back panel when plugging in the speaker cables. Arcam’s similarly-priced A5+ (£749 / $1199) feels more substantial in terms of casework panel thickness and overall solidity.

The Model 70 is supplied with a system remote that also controls the partnering CD player. It looks like a tweaked version of the older amp’s handset, and works well on the whole, being nicely laid-out and easy to use.

There is a bit of give and take when it comes to features compared to the PM6007. The Model 70 gains an HDMI ARC input, Bluetooth (aptX HD) capability and a preamp output over its predecessor. However, it loses one of the two optical inputs, the second set of speaker outputs and the fixed line output.

In general, we have no complaints about the new amplifier’s connectivity. It has three line-level inputs, a moving magnet phono stage, as well as coaxial and optical digital ins.

The addition of HDMI and Bluetooth is a definite step in the right direction, making the amplifier more versatile than before. As with the older amp, there is a 6.3mm headphone output on the front panel.

Inside, you will find that the changes over the PM6007 continue with a different DAC chip (ESS Sabre’s ES9020Q rather than the ES9010K2M), electric rather than potentiometer-based volume control and higher-capacity power supply capacitors (15,000uF vs 12,000uF). Those smoothing capacitors have been moved closer to the power amplifier to reduce resistance. Together, all these changes aim to improve transparency, bass performance and sonic stability.

The use of Marantz’s discrete HDAM amplifier modules, in this case the SA3 version, continues, and power has risen slightly to 50 watts per channel, up from the PM6007’s 45 watts.

A stereo amplifier at this price has to be flexible enough to work in a wide range of systems. It should be forgiving and balanced enough to make the most of budget sources and speakers, while having the sonic stretch to shine with more capable components. The Model 70 certainly meets that challenge well.

We use a range of sources from the Marantz CD 70 and Cyrus CDi CD players right through to our Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer. Record playing duties are carried out with a Technics SL-1000R turntable fitted with a Nagaoka MP-200 moving magnet cartridge. As for speakers, we use our reference ATC SCM50 along with the KEF LS50 Meta and Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2.

Sound

Our first port of call is a comparison of the Model 70 with its predecessor. The PM6007 remains a fine performer for the money, delivering a smooth and fluid presentation that still holds our attention well. However, the new model is clearly better despite sharing a similarly refined tonal balance.

As we listen to Hans Zimmer's The Battle from the Gladiator OST unfurl, it is the Model 70 that sounds clearer and more composed. As the piece builds, the amplifier remains impressively stable, tracking low-level instrumental strands with ease while allowing the listener to sit back and enjoy the whole, if they desire.

In comparison, the PM6007 sounds a little soft and muddled. It manages to reveal the energy and feel but isn’t as tidy in the way the music is presented. Low notes lack impact and definition, while dynamic shifts are more muted.

The Model 70 rams home its advantage when we play the Back On The Block album by Quincy Jones. Here it comes across as the more insightful and revealing performer, beautifully highlighting the wonderful vocal talents of Chaka Khan and Siedah Garrett on The Places You Find Love. We hear more in the way of vocal and instrumental textures, and greater finesse across the board.

The Model 70 retains its predecessor’s forgiving nature thanks to its innate refinement and smoothness, but adds more authority when delivering hard-hitting basslines and challenging dynamic contrasts.

You can add the moving magnet phono stage and digital inputs as additional plus points. With records, the Model 70 retains a good degree of clarity. It delivers Mary J Blige’s No More Drama set with verve and detail, while tonality is nicely judged. It helps that the phono stage’s noise levels are relatively low, too.

The digital inputs are equally capable. The Model 70 is compatible with PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz and shifts between file resolutions seamlessly. There are two filter options – Slow Roll-off and Fast Roll-off – and while the sonic difference between the two is subtle, we consistently prefer the Slow option as we work our way through a variety of tracks. It just sounds more fluid and natural to our ears. As always, try it for yourself, as much depends on taste and system matching.

The positives continue with the new amplifier’s Bluetooth performance. While this input doesn’t rival any of the physical connections for outright quality, it still produces musically enjoyable results when we feed in music from Tidal and Qobuz using our iPhone 14 Pro Max.

So, it should be clear by now that the Model 70 is a talented performer. Its superiority over the PM6007 is obvious; however, it also costs a lot more than its predecessor. That move up in price puts it into a different performance ballpark and up against some remarkably capable opposition, most notably the Award-winning Arcam A5+.

Comparison to the Arcam proves a stiffer test, one that shows that the Marantz doesn’t hold all the cards. Up against the A5+, we find that the Model 70 falls just a step behind in most areas, regardless of input. With the Quincy Jones album, it isn’t quite as rhythmic with the title track, diluting the music’s sense of momentum a little.

Dynamic nuances aren’t communicated so convincingly, leaving the emotional impact of great vocalists like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles slightly diluted. Outright clarity and insight, particularly the interplay between instruments, isn’t as easily followed either.

However, the Marantz is the more neutral of the two, sounding less rich through the midrange and bass, while its lows are just a touch firmer. Absolute detail levels are broadly on a par, and we can still enjoy the Marantz’s lovely top-to-bottom consistency.

Verdict

The Marantz Model 70 amplifier has plenty of appeal. It is well-specified, decently made and works with a wide range of music. Had it been priced closer to the PM6007, we would undoubtedly be proclaiming it a class leader.

However, the move up in price level puts it up against tougher competition and, in that context, it earns a more cautious recommendation.

Review published: 27th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 5

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Read our review of the Arcam A5+

Also consider the Rega Brio Mk7

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As celebrating milestone anniversaries typically involves reflecting on the early years, it’s only natural that, as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations this year, we have backpedalled to the ’70s with the dedication of a Led Zeppelin documentary.

We have looked back at the first issue of What Hi-Fi?, picked the 50 best hi-fi and AV products since 1976, and asked hi-fi brands for their perspectives on the biggest shifts in music and hi-fi during our 50-year lifetime. But as nice, warm and fuzzy as it is basking in nostalgia, it’s arguably more exciting to peer into the unknown and take an educated guess at what could lie ahead.

It’s difficult to imagine the music and hi-fi landscapes going through as many changes in the next 50 years as they have done in the past 50, where tactile, analogue and vinyl-led listening has largely transitioned into phone-controlled, digital and networked streaming.

But with those industries currently standing at The Crossroads of Innovation, with AI and spatial audio seeming to be the most brightly lit paths, you’d be brave to bet against that. So, what will hi-fi and music playback look like in 2076? We asked a handful of the most forward-thinking figures in hi-fi to rub their crystal balls…

Highly intelligent systems

Today, with varying degrees of success, spatial audio is challenging the stereo format. Music production and playback are no longer strictly ‘channel’-based, whereby sounds are allocated to and played through specific speakers.

Now, through audio-processing techniques, sounds can be ‘placed’ anywhere in an all-encompassing ‘3D’ soundfield, replicating how the human ear hears everyday sounds.

At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) is brewing up a storm in the music industry by giving anyone the means to use AI music creation software to create full, unique songs with little effort, guidance and, in the traditional sense of music-making, talent.

Such machine-driven algorithms are also driving how we discover and play songs on streaming services, as well as playing an increasing part in how audio systems can adapt playback to their environments and listeners’ EQ preferences.

Both disruptive technologies feel very much in their infancy and will undoubtedly play a significant part in the future, as WiiM’s CEO, Dr Lifeng Zhao, discusses.

“Over the next 50 years, hi-fi will evolve from a collection of fixed components into an intelligent, adaptive acoustic system,” says Zhao. “Speakers will understand the room, the listener's position and even individual hearing characteristics, continuously optimising sound while preserving the artist's intent.

“The most exciting future is not technology that colours the music, but technology that disappears – removing the room, set-up complexity and compatibility barriers between the listener and the performance.”

Touraj Moghaddam, Vertere Acoustics’ CEO, agrees that everyday music playback will be defined by computational intelligence, even envisioning a future audio landscape that wouldn’t look out of place in a new Black Mirror episode.

“I doubt we will ‘put something on’ any more,” he says. “Music will be woven into the environment itself – ambient systems reading mood, activity, even biometrics, and shaping the sonic atmosphere accordingly. Home, car, glasses – even some unnoticeable ‘earwear’ – will simply handle it.”

While AI already curates playlists based on your listening history and voice prompts, Moghaddam believes streamed music will in future be generated in real time to suit specific moments, such as times of day.

“Choosing an album to play while cooking may feel as quaint to future listeners as tuning an analogue radio dial feels to us now,” says Moghaddam. “And I suspect streaming as we currently know it – scrolling through apps and pressing play – will disappear.

“In hindsight, it will likely look like a clunky transitional phase, much as the CD era now appears: functional, slightly soulless and ultimately superseded.”

Interestingly, however, despite envisioning a future shaped by AI and streaming, he believes that human artistry and album concepts will survive – just not as we know it today. “If anything, it will make it more precious,” he says.

“A body of work that builds and develops speaks to something different in us than a shuffled queue. An ‘album’ in 2075 might be an hour-long spatial composition you move through, or a piece that adapts slightly depending on who’s listening and when. But the underlying instinct – an artist making a considered statement – should remain, because artists will always want to make one.”

Moghaddam also predicts a dominance and progression of immersive audio beyond what Dolby Atmos and binaural audio technologies currently offer; an experience that is more personalised to the room and listener, possibly also expanding to other senses.

“Something closer to bone-conduction blended with room-filling soundfields, perhaps with haptic elements,” he foresees.

“An orchestra wouldn’t simply play for you; you’d sit inside it, instruments arranged around and behind you, or even move yourself around for a different perspective. Habitats could even have these built into their architecture.”

Sound quality secondary?

A futuristic picture? Yes, but far from an unrealistic one. Machine intelligence, spatial audio, haptic interaction… but where does that leave sound quality?

Matt Bartlett, managing director of Chord Electronics, recognises the history of the hi-fi cycle “moving from the best-quality listening to simpler systems, but at the detriment of sound reproduction, and then back again once consumers realise what they are missing,” and he doesn’t see that changing in the next 50 years.

“Clearly audio – especially wireless transmission systems – has the capability to improve dramatically,” he says. “Luckily, a large proportion of listeners still strive for different listening set-ups and look for the next best thing, and engineering will have to lead this and provide new solutions and a constant evolution of existing audio components to meet this need.

“Ultimately, the goal of any audio engineering team is to produce a product that can reproduce the original sonic performance in the most accurate way possible. So with advances in technologies, I hope that in 50 years we have the designs to do this perfectly so that the listener cannot tell the difference between the live performance or a recording, and playback.”

Like Bartlett, Paul Neville, senior director of Harman Luxury Audio’s Global Engineering team, also believes higher-quality sound, driven by environmentally sustainable product designs and energy-efficient technologies, will play a major part in the future of hi-fi as melomaniacs and audiophiles look for “time off from the ‘connected’ digital world”.

He envisions more pointed focus “on quality, both in terms of product design and user experience, which is really closing the loop and taking us back to where hi-fi began to try and replicate that live music experience.” A desire to “buy less but buy higher quality”.

A shrinking niche

Hi-fi components haven’t dominated the music-listening hardware market in decades; not since it shifted towards personal listening devices, which has, of course, culminated in the phones and headphones of today.

Karl-Heinz Fink, owner of Fink Audio-Consulting and Epos Loudspeakers, believes mainstream hi-fi is heading in only one direction. “Hi-fi will simply be a commodity, bought in much the same way people buy a toaster today,” he says. “And, much like a toaster, it will increasingly be bought online. The traditional dealer, where customers came to listen and compare before buying, will play a smaller and smaller role.

“Many traditional companies will disappear, and Chinese vendors will come to dominate the market – in the same way Japanese companies did in the 1980s. It is not only the lower cost of Chinese products, but also the technology they have, for example in streaming.

“Their domestic market is so large that they have the volumes needed to bring prices down and to justify developing new technology.”

But while Fink also predicts that an increasingly casual attitude to hi-fi will have a knock-on effect for a shrinking high-end market, he doesn’t predict the extinction of the passionate audiophile anytime soon.

“There will always be a group of enthusiasts who listen to high-end equipment and spend a lot of money on their systems,” he says. “As before, these will mostly be older people with the necessary means, which was already the case when I started almost 50 years ago.

“There will still be fans of turntables, of course, but much like mechanical watches today: we like the way they work, but nobody buys them to get the most accurate time.”

Neville and Moghaddam agree that vinyl will persist. Neville, due to an overwhelming amount of choice in a ruling digital world and a consequential wish to focus on more mindful activities, while Moghaddam doesn’t see it as being as entwined into popular culture or as socially relevant as it is today, but instead as a specialist hobby alongside “the ambient, AI-generated, fully immersive listening” that will dominate everyday life.

“I expect vinyl will sit where letterpress printing sits today: a small, devoted niche with a genuine community and its own folklore – some of it accurate, some exaggerated,” he says.

“There will still be people who insist on vinyl, much like some today insist on shooting film – partly for real technical reasons, and partly because the ritual has simply become part of how the music feels to them.”

He believes that the supply chain will survive to power this niche market, although he makes a point that it could still exist without active cutting and pressing industries due to the permanence of records themselves.

“As PVC doesn’t decompose in any meaningful timeframe, the hundreds of millions of records already out there would still be perfectly playable in 2076 and well beyond. Digital formats depend entirely on platforms, codecs, and infrastructure staying alive and compatible – vinyl just sits on a shelf, indifferent to whether anyone is maintaining it.”

Adapting to a smarter world

The consensus seems to be that an increasing need for ‘disconnected’ experiences in a dictatorial digital age could well keep the tactile hi-fi system as we know it today alive, albeit perhaps in a more niche context.

Even more likely is that the smart digital world will get only smarter, and that the audio industry will have to do what it does now – try to keep up.

Digital hi-fi will have to adapt and find new ways to pander to demands for convenience, while striving for sound quality that gets even closer to the live experience, and becoming intelligent enough to create tailored room- and listener-specific experiences. Spatial audio may even seize the 22nd century.

It’s a tall order, but an exciting prospect.

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Read more What Hi-Fi? 50th-anniversary features

Somehow, it’s July – and half of 2026 has already gone.

It has been time well spent, however, as the What Hi-Fi? team has spent the time testing some rather brilliant products.

From OLED TVs that give our current favourites a run for their money to long-awaited headphones that live up to the hype, we have seen various updates to many of our Best Buy guides.

So we have rounded up a few of our favourite products of the year into a handy guide. We test and review all products ourselves here at What Hi-Fi?, and all of the products below have been awarded a full five stars.

Don’t forget to check back in November for our annual Awards night, where there will be a full-on battle royale between the new releases and previous favourites to see who gets a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award.

For now, though, take a look at what has impressed us in the first half of 2026.

13. Yamaha C-5000/M-5000

Our temptation pick, the Yamaha C-5000/M-5000 pre-power amplifiers, is certainly pricey but hard to beat when it comes to the blend of build, finish and performance.

Yamaha may not be the first brand that comes to mind when we think of high-end amplification, but this C-5000/M-5000 pairing is as polished and well engineered as they come. If you’re lucky enough to have a listen, we’re sure you’ll agree.

12. Vertere Phono-1 LX

Moving on to the more affordable, but definitely still premium, the Vertere Phono-1 LX phono stage sets new standards for the price, delivering a class-leading combination of insight, dynamic punch and finesse.

It may look the same as its predecessor, the Phono-1 MkII L, but the Phono-1 LX takes a notable step forward in performance. Provided you have a talented record player and a system capable of great transparency, this Vertere phono stage is an easy recommendation.

11. Samsung HW-Q990H

We had high expectations for the Samsung HW-Q990H – its predecessor, the similarly named Q990F, won Product of the Year in the soundbar category at our most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony.

Luckily, the Q990H lives up to the hype, with subtle under-the-hood refinements that result in a touch more detail and nuance, and place spatial sound effects with even greater precision. Samsung has done it again, continuing to improve on its soundbar package year after year.

10. KEF Coda W

KEF’s wireless active speaker systems have been five-star successes recently, and the Coda W continues that trend. Unlike the brand’s previous models, the LSX II LT and LS50 Wireless II, built-in streaming capability has been replaced by Bluetooth and a moving-magnet (MM) phono stage is now included, but the high standards in sound quality have been maintained – and indeed, surpassed.

While the phono-stage performance could be better, listening via other inputs is a joy, with a clear, detailed presentation and deep, controlled bass. The build quality is rather elegant too!

9. Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2

Valerion is still very much in its infancy by AV standards, having started on Kickstarter only in 2024. That hasn’t stopped the Valerion VisionMaster 2 from becoming a (literal) shining star of the mid-range lifestyle-projector scene, and one of our favourite products of the year so far.

It’s the eye-catching and heavy-duty design that will certainly grab your attention first, but luckily the picture and sound quality is just as impressive. The VisionMaster Pro 2 punches above its weight with features too, with a particular highlight including support for all four HDR formats – including both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, a rarity for a projector.

8. Sony PS-LX3BT

After six long years, we finally have a new affordable Bluetooth turntable recommendation to knock the Sony PS-LX310BT off its perch. It is, however, another Sony offering – the Sony PS-LX3BT is the Japanese tech giant’s long-awaited return to Bluetooth turntable production, and it was certainly worth the wait.

It’s hard to think of a turntable that does so much so well yet costs so relatively little. This plug-and-play automatic turntable boasts Bluetooth powers, impressive ease of use and a sound that is accomplished and enjoyable, making it a perfect pick for beginners, budget turntable buyers or anyone after a great-value Bluetooth record player.

7. LG C6

We recently gave LG’s flagship, the G6, five stars in our re-review, but it’s the step-down OLED that has impressed us most. We don’t usually get too excited about processor upgrades, but the Alpha 11 Gen 3 has blessed the LG C6 with extra brightness and richness, improved upscaling and better shading subtlety than its predecessor, the C5.

Add in a step up in audio performance, LG’s usual awesome gaming credentials and an app-packed, optimised smart platform, and you have the mid-range OLED to beat in 2026.

6. Dali Sonik 5

The Dali Sonik 5 get to have it both ways – they are small enough to fit into most living rooms, but deliver a big sound that transcends their dimensions. Provided you take the time to set them up carefully, you will be rewarded with detailed sound and an expressive dynamic performance.

At £899/ $1800/ AU$1749, they are a pleasing balance between convenience, cost and quality, and a worthy follow-up to the multi-Award-winning Dali Oberon 5.

5. Sony Bravia Trio

Is the Sony Bravia Trio a soundbar or a speaker system? Sony’s deconstructed soundbar concept could have ended up as an awkward compromise between the two. Instead, it takes the strength of both approaches while avoiding their weaknesses.

A 3.0.2-channel system comprising dedicated left, centre and right speakers, the Bravia Trio may seem like a backwards step for soundbars by adding more speakers, but results in one of the finest lifestyle Dolby Atmos systems you can currently buy. Huge scale, impressive cohesion and excellent usability are all combined in one ingenious three-piece package.

4. JBL Xtreme 5

The JBL Xtreme line is beefier and bulkier than ever before, with the Xtreme 5 adding drop-proof to its list of indestructible credentials that include an IP68 waterproof and dust-proof rating. There’s also new colourful, customisable edge-lighting for those who really want to get the party going.

But it’s the elevated sound quality that intrigues us most, with a newfound sense of clarity and greater sonic presence than previous models. Combine that with the solid build quality, and it all spells bad news for any contenders to the Bluetooth speaker throne.

3. Samsung S99H

Samsung’s flagship TVs have been the most aesthetically appealing for some time now, but the Samsung S99H switches things up with a bold new design that takes inspiration from its design-led The Frame range.

But it’s the performance upgrades that wowed us the most. With a refined approach to picture tuning, a feature set that many TVs can only dream of, and a greatly improved sound system compared with last year’s model, Samsung’s latest flagship is the brand’s best TV to date, and the OLED to beat in 2026.

2. Sony WF-1000XM6

Sony has innovated and improved its flagship wireless earbuds time after time, but the Sony WF-1000XM6 was released to the most competitive market yet.

But that didn’t stop Sony from producing a pair of buds with out of this world sound and an all-round performance good enough to worry every major rival at the money. You’ll want to make sure you get along with the ear-tips, but the XM6 offer a new, wonderfully natural sound, noise-cancelling that is up there with the very best and brilliant call quality. Underestimate Sony at your peril!

1. Focal Mu-so Hekla

An “immersive all-in-one system”, the premium Focal Mu-so Hekla straddles the worlds of hi-fi and home cinema in a way that is very fitting for What Hi-Fi?.

So it’s lucky that Focal and Naim’s soundbar is good; not just good, in fact, but fittingly explosive. It handles whatever we throw at it with ease, offering an immersive and authoritative experience when watching movies, but also a finessed performance when fed a delicate piece of music.

If you can afford the high asking price, the Hekla more than justifies the cost.

MORE:

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here are the best projectors

Our guide to the best speakers we have tested and recommend across all budgets and types

KEF is edging ever closer to revealing its latest set of speakers.

The British brand has already teased that a new model is in the works via an Instagram video, which teases the return of the company's much-heralded Uni-Q driver alongside a curved cabinet exterior.

Now, KEF has announced an exclusive launch event at its London headquarters on July 30th, where it will unveil its latest creation.

The accompanying picture gives a little more insight into the form that product could take. KEF has deliberately kept most of the teaser image veiled in shadows, but squint and you'll be able to make out more of that curved cabinet surrounding the unmistakable impression of a Uni-Q driver array.

According to the teaser: "True luxury does not begin with a declaration, but with an absence. A space. A silence. And then, a single note that changes everything." Not a huge amount given away there, then.

What we can say with relative confidence is that the new speaker will be designed in collaboration with Ross Lovegrove, the man who lent his talents to crafting the smooth, curved looks of KEF's Muo Bluetooth speaker and Mu wireless earbuds/headphones.

As we previously reported, KEF is promising "stunning sound clarity, sharper details and an expanded soundstage that fully immerses you in the artist's creative vision".

How much it will take to get that stunning sound hasn't yet been revealed, but with KEF teasing "luxury" from its latest creation, we'd imagine it won't come cheap.

We'll soon know for certain. The new KEF speaker will be revealed on Thursday, 30th July, so you'll only have to wait a week to find out. Stay tuned to What Hi-Fi? for all of the details as and when they arrive.

MORE:

Read our KEF LSX II LT review

And our KEF Coda W review

Our guide to the best speakers we've tested and recommend across all budgets and types

If you've been eyeing a pair of Monitor Audio's statement Hyphn floorstanding speakers, your choice of potential finishes just got a lot more extensive.

That's because Monitor has announced that the Hyphn are now available in over 200 custom colourways. Customers can select from a variety of Matte, Gloss and Metallic finishes across a range of over 200 colours, with each custom-finished Hyphn cabinet painted and assembled by hand in the UK.

For those unfamiliar with the Hyphn, the heavyweight floorstanders were built to commemorate Monitor's 50th birthday. Each speaker boasts a total of 11 drive units in total, including a micro pleated diaphragm tweeter surrounded by six midrange units and four bass drivers.

The cabinets, which you can daub in practically any colour you like, are formed using mineral and acrylic stone and then precision milled, resulting in what Monitor Audio describes as a totally rigid structure "that provides the perfect platform from which the drive units can operate".

The three original Hyphn finishes – Matte Heritage Green, Matte Black, and Pure Satin White – remain available. The Hyphn will set you back £70,000 / €82,500 / $92,500 per pair for the standard paint editions, while adding a custom finish will bump that up to £80,250 / €92,500 / €102,500 per pair.

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In case you missed the news last week, Marantz officially announced the successors to its entry-level CD6007 CD player and PM6007 stereo amplifier.

The CD 70 and Model 70 go on sale on the 15th August for £499 | €600 | $750 | AU$1100 (exc VAT) and £749 | €850 | AU$1600 (exc VAT) respectively.

At the time of the announcement, there was no US pricing for the Model 70, and Marantz confirmed to What Hi-Fi? that this was because the stereo amplifier wouldn’t be available there at launch.

We asked Marantz to comment further, and it has replied with a full explanation for the decision:

“MODEL 70 will not be available in North America at this time. Following careful evaluation, we determined that anticipated market demand in the region would not support the minimum production volumes required for a local launch. As a result, we have made the decision to focus availability for the initial launch in markets where consumer demand can be more effectively met.

"We are confident that we already have other products in our current portfolio that can meet our customer needs for stereo components in North America, including the acclaimed STEREO 70s Stereo Receiver and the compact MODEL M1 Streaming Amplifier. We remain committed to bringing innovative products to North America and will continue to introduce new models that align well with the needs of the region.”

While it might come as a surprise to hear the amplifier isn’t launching in the US, this isn’t the first time a manufacturer has targeted specific markets with specific products and product ranges, nor will it be the last.

Different international markets might have different demands and requirements for products, so it makes sense not to launch something that might muddy the waters. Having said that, undoubtedly there will be some prospective buyers who might be looking forward to experiencing the new integrated amp and disappointed that it won't be making the journey.

The statement does use the words “initial launch”, though, so who knows if Marantz might change its plans further down the line.

We have both the CD 70 and Model 70 in for testing at the moment and will be reporting back with the official What Hi-Fi? verdict soon.

MORE:

End of an era as Marantz waves goodbye to two hi-fi classics and unveils new entry-level Model 70 integrated amplifier and CD 70 compact disc player

Read our full Marantz PM6007 review

Our pick of the best stereo amplifiers you can buy

Roberts has expanded its Revival range with the new Revival Uno Solar radio.

Priced at £199.99, Roberts says the portable radio has been designed for listeners who “appreciate timeless design” and “the simple pleasure of slowing down with great sound”.

The Revival Uno Solar supports DAB, DAB+ and FM radio. Up to 40 presets (20 DAB / 20 FM) allow you to store your favourite radio stations for fast access to entertainment, while Bluetooth support and a 3.5mm auxiliary input let you stream from your devices.

Additional features include two independent alarms with snooze, an adjustable sleep timer to minimise battery wastage should you nod off while listening, a 3.5mm headphone output for solo sessions and a 3.5mm stereo line-out connection.

Embodying the company’s love for the outdoors, which recently became more apparent than ever with the release of the SolarDAB 99, the Revival Uno Solar uses a built-in solar panel to supplement its rechargeable batteries, which can also be charged via mains. Roberts says the solar panel “offsets power consumption in naturally lit environments” and “doesn’t rely on direct sunlight”.

With a full charge providing up to 20 hours of portable playback and dainty dimensions of just 16.3 x 21.1 x 8cm (hwd), the Revival Uno Solar should have no trouble fitting into the packed car boot for your next camping trip.

Unlike the more rugged looking Solar DAB 99, the Revival Uno Solar embraces the classic design style associated with Roberts and is available in two finishes: duck egg and midnight blue.

The Revival Uno Solar is available now for £199.99.

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Roberts Reva review

Best DAB radios 2026: the best-sounding digital radios we've tested and highly recommend

With age comes wisdom, so it perhaps isn't surprising that many of the oldest hi-fi brands around today are still at the top of their game.

We've delved into the archives to shine a light on some of the industry's longest-running manufacturers that continue to serve music fans worldwide to this day. These are true veterans of hi-fi – all over 70 years old – who we think deserve to be called out.

Some companies have changed hands or been resurrected from the dead, others have been comparatively untouched. But whatever their journey, all are still making great hi-fi products – and that's something worth celebrating.

Thorens (1883)

One of the oldest electronics companies in history, the legendary turntable purveyor actually started out manufacturing music boxes, clock movements and, at the turn of the 19th century, Edison-style phonographs – several decades before the era of the record player would catapult the brand to world-renowned fame.

Founded by Hermann Thorens in Sainte-Croix Vaud, Switzerland, Thorens produced its first turntable in the late 1920s and went on to become one of the most revered manufacturers of record players in the '50s and '60s.

Many notable models – the TD 124, TD 150 and TD 160, to name just a few – helped build that reputation. The Thorens TD 160HD we tested in 2008 even made our list of the very best turntables of our lifetime.

The brand filed for bankruptcy in 2000, before being revived by Swiss businessman Heinz Rohrer and later, in 2018, by former Elac Electroacoustic managing director, Gunter Kürten. Today, Thorens has a number of decks in circulation, including the TD 1600 and TD 1601, which are based on the classic TD 160 design.

• Best record players: best turntables for every budget

Ortofon (1918)

Cartridge manufacturer Ortofon – a portmanteau of the Greek words “orto”, meaning correct, and “fon”, meaning sound – began life as a very different beast.

In Denmark after the First World War, two engineers, Axel Petersen and Arnold Poulsen, began their experiments to synchronise sound and picture on film, which they achieved with their 'Petersen and Poulsen System' in the early 1920s.

The duo later transferred their technological know-how to help create a new cutter head for the gramophone industry – a cutter head that record manufacturing companies around the world soon adopted.

That was followed by a mono pickup (or cartridge) and pickup arm so that records cut with the superior head could be reproduced with decent enough audio quality.

Various models of mono cartridges came to the market and, in 1959, the first stereo cartridge arrived. The rest, so it goes, is history. Over 100 years since its story began, Ortofon is now among the most renowned and celebrated turntable cartridge manufacturers.

• Best cartridges: budget and premium options for your turntable

Celestion (1924)

Celestion is a big name in the guitar world thanks to its decades spent manufacturing guitar speakers, but the hi-fi industry also owes a great deal to the British brand.

Soon after it was founded in 1924 by Cyril French (who was later joined by two of his brothers), Celestion manufactured one of the world's earliest cone loudspeakers, based on the design of Eric Mackintosh.

The company became one of the pioneering speaker driver manufacturers in the decades following. It made drivers for the legendary B&W P1 and Spendor BC1 speakers in the '60s, for example, and, amid multiple acquisitions and name changes, the brand continued to make award-winning designs, such as the ribbon tweeter.

• 22 debut speakers from iconic hi-fi brands

Bang & Olufsen (1925)

When engineers Camillo Bang (the tech guy) and Svend Olufsen (the business man) made the transition from experimenting with making radios in their parents' houses to an actual electronics business in the mid 1920s, success came quickly.

The company's first commercially available product was in 1927 with the B&O Eliminator, which enabled a radio to be powered by the mains, as opposed to the huge batteries which were the norm at the time.

The 1930s saw the company outgrow the family home and move into a purpose-built factory in Struer (where B&O still operates), at which point the brand we know and love today began to show its stylish face.

In 1939 it launched the Beolit radio, kickstarting both a successful line of radios and the famous 'Beo' prefix that's still very much in use today. The company later expanded into TVs with the 17-inch Beovision Capri TV, as well as record players and speakers.

• An inside look at Bang & Olufsen as the company turns 90

Tannoy (1926)

To borrow an excerpt from our Tannoy: after 90 years, what does the future hold? piece, "Tannoy wasn’t always Tannoy. It was the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company in 1926, when broadcasting was in its infancy and the first talking film had yet to be shown.

"Radio sets needed huge batteries, which in turn needed huge chargers. Enter one Guy R Fountain, who came up with a new type of electrical rectifier, with the aim of making home-friendly chargers.

"This did rather well, and Fountain founded a company named after the two metals used in the rectifier: Tantalum and lead alloy. The Tannoy trademark first appeared in 1928 and quickly became associated with inescapable public address systems. They even made it into the British House of Commons."

Having provided PAs to the British Ministry of Defence and RAF airfields during WWII, and inventing the Dual Concentric speaker in the years following, Tannoy finally entered the place most of it subsequent efforts would reside: the home. And it has had a fair bit of success...

Roberts Radio (1932)

While many audio companies started life as a manufacturer of radios before expanding into other areas of hardware, Roberts has stuck at that trade for almost 90 years.

You could say that Leslie Bidmead's decision to sell his motorbike, to enable him and co-founder Harry Roberts to pay for the company's first factory, has paid-off. And then some.

Roberts Radio has become as synonymous with British heritage as Harrods and a cup of tea (it even has three Royal warrants to its name), and has successfully kept up with the fast-moving audio industry over the years.

The company launched the first portable DAB radio just before the millennium, a smart streaming radio in 2007, and the award-winning 'Stream' range in 2014.

• Best DAB radios: portable, Bluetooth, in-car

Wharfedale (1932)

Wharfedale has launched enough pairs of anniversary speakers in recent years to remind us that the British brand is fast approaching its centurion.

The company's first speaker was built in the cellar of the llkley home of founder Gilbert Briggs, who designed Wharfedale speakers over two decades and wrote over 20 books on high-fidelity audio.

The Bronze speaker started life purely as a drive unit (enthusiasts assembled their own cabinets) before being housed in a wooden cabinet a year later as an option for those who wanted an ‘extension’ speaker.

Wharfedale's invention of the first two-way loudspeaker in the 1940s, and the use of ceramic magnets in its speakers, have been among Wharfedale's most notable achievements. The brand went on to be defined by the monumental success of its Diamond speaker range, launched in the '80s and still enjoying success to this day.

Leak (1934)

International Audio Group (IAG), the parent company of Wharfedale, Quad and Audiolab, has recently resurrected Leak after a 40-year hiatus.

Founded by Harold Joseph Leak in 1934, Leak was a British hi-fi trailblazer during the mid-20th century.

Its Point One valve amplifier range from 1945 arrived as the first amp to deliver 0.1 per cent total harmonic distortion; its innovative Sandwich speakers heralded true-piston cone action by sandwiching polystyrene foam between outer skins of stiff aluminium foil; and its 1957 Trough-Line is still considered one of the greatest FM tuners ever made.

Electronics and speaker production ceased under the Leak name in the late '70s as then-owner Rank pulled the plug on the brand after years of struggling to compete with Japanese manufacturers – but the brand returned in 2020 with a classic pair of hi-fi separates.

Quad (1936)

Wharfedale has enjoyed a rather special, 70-odd-year relationship with one other audio brand: Quad.

In the '50s, the two brands embarked on a US and UK tour to allow audiences to experience live versus recorded music first hand, and their current position under International Audio Group (IAG) allows them to continue joint amplifier and speaker demonstrations at industry shows to this day.

Quad (which stands for Quality Unit Amplifier Domestic) has had an illustrious history of its own, of course, perhaps no more so than with its 1957 Electrostatic Loudspeaker (ESL), the very first full range electrostatic loudspeaker.

As we've noted in What Hi-Fi? reviews of the many versions that have blessed this world, such as the Quad ESL-2812, few audio designs have attracted such fanatical loyalty from their owners or such fascination from those who covet them.

Today, Quad still has two ESL models in its catalogue, alongside amplifiers and music systems which have helped the brand remain a formidable force.

Pioneer (1938)

While these days Pioneer perhaps has stronger sway in the home cinema market, the Japanese giant has plenty of two-channel pedigree.

We're talking about a brand that began in 1938 when its founder, Nozomu Matsumoto, released the A-8 dynamic speaker after years of research, and which went on to make a name for itself in car audio.

Pioneer manufactured the world's first separate stereo system, component car stereo and in-car CD player, and was a major player in the LaserVision phenomena in the '80s. What's more, Pioneer plasma TVs remain legendary.

SME (1946) 

While SME (originally The Scale Model Equipment Company) is known today for its exceptional high-end turntables, including the SME Synergy, winner of the coveted What Hi-Fi? 2019 Temptations Award, it was in operation for over a decade before it entered the record player market.

SME was formed in 1946 to manufacture scale models and parts for the model engineering trade, before turning its head to precision engineering for aircraft instruments and business machines.

It wasn't until 1959, when the company's founder, Alastair Robertson-Aikman, needed a pick-up arm for his own use, that an experimental model was built. Upon its positive reception from friends and industry folk, the company started commercially producing tonearms – a business it has only recently stopped in order to focus on its core turntable business. Its first turntable, the Model 30, came in 1991.

In 2018, SME also acquired the rights to the iconic Garrard turntable brand – another revered hi-fi veteran – from IGB Gradiente S.A, a Brazilian firm that took over the brand in the late '70s.

Sony (1946)

Everything and everyone has to start somewhere to get anywhere, and for consumer electronic conglomerate Sony that was with a small company called Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation.

It built Japan's first tape recorder, the Type-G, and in 1958 changed its name to Sony – a combination of the Latin word 'sonus', meaning sound, and 'sonny', which was seen as a desirable word to describe a young gentleman. Yes, really.

The Sony branding had already been used three years prior on its TR-55 transistor radio, the first of many transistor radios and the first Sony product to be sold overseas (in Canada).

Sony's history is, of course, full of landmarks in radio, audio and TV: its first TV, the TV8-301 8-inch portable transistor, launched Sony's TV business in 1960; the first-generation Walkman went on sale in 1979; and it was one of the leading developers of the Compact Disc and the Blu-ray Disc.

It's pretty remarkable that Sony continues to have such a presence, and success, in almost every corner of the audio market to this day, arguably now most notably by dominating the headphone and wireless earbud market.

Klipsch (1946)

It all started with one man (Paul W. Klipsch) and one idea (horn-loaded speakers). In a tiny tin shed in Hope, Arkansas in 1946, Klipsch designed, hand-built and patented the now-legendary Klipschorn, the only speaker in the world that has been in continuous production for over 70 years – and yes, they're still made in Arkansas, albeit no longer in a shed, and largely unchanged from the original design.

The first commercial production run of 12 units was built by the Baldwin Piano & Organ Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, with another built by hand in a local cabinet shop, before the first actual Klipsch factory (now the company's museum) got up and running in 1948.

Other early Klipsch horn-loaded speakers, such as the Heresy and Cornwall from the late '50s, also continue in modified form in the company's line-up today.

JBL (1946)

You may have noticed by now that 1946 was a noteworthy year in hi-fi history. JBL was yet another now-notable name to come onto the scene in 1946, named after its founder James Bullough Lansing, an audio engineer and speaker designer who, by that time, had already enjoyed success with his Altec Lansing electronics company.

JBL's first products, the D101 15-inch loudspeaker and D175 high-frequency driver, were unsurprisingly, then, mimics of Altec Lansing designs. Soon came the 375 high-frequency compression driver – the first 4-inch diaphragm driver – and recognition from Leo Fender, who chose to implement one of JBL's drivers into its guitar amplifiers.

Lansing tragically died, and in 1969 JBL was sold by vice president Bill Thomas to the Jervis Corporation (now Harman International, owned by Samsung), pushing JBL into the world of pro and consumer audio.

The JBL L-100 speakers were launched at CES Chicago back in 1970 and were a huge hit for the company, not only JBL's all-time, best-selling loudspeakers, but the best-selling system of that decade from any brand. Fortunately for the brand (and fans of it), JBL was able to honour that legacy with the JBL L100 Classic.

McIntosh (1949)

Founded in 1949 in Maryland, USA, McIntosh has been making its iconic products in Binghamton, New York since 1951. Known for consumer and professional electronics, the company's distinctive front-panel teal illumination has meant McIntosh amps are always easy to pick out of a line-up.

Famously used to power Woodstock and the Grateful Dead's 'Wall of Sound', the company also branched out into speakers and turntables, bringing its trademark styling to a new audience.

The signature power meters even made their way into in-car audio in the 1990s, supercharging the next couple of decades alongside a resurgent high-end audio and home cinema market.

The McIntosh Group, including the McIntosh brand, Sonus Faber and Sumiko, was acquired by Bose in 2024, having previously been owned by an American private equity group.

New products continue to appear, with the DS200 streaming DAC showcasing how McIntosh has moved with the times while maintaining their distinctive style and overall brand identity. Long may that continue.

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How to build the perfect hi-fi system

Ever felt that you’d like a direct link to the mind of a What Hi-Fi? writer? Well now you can get just that, by joining us on Substack!

Okay, so perhaps we’re not talking about a ‘direct link’ to our minds, but my inimitable colleague Kashfia Kabir and I have launched What Hi-Fi?’s Substack as a way for us to discuss the things that are on our minds, give you more of an idea of our thoughts on specific products and topics, and deliver insights into our processes.

So far, we have written about the unlikely new hero of OLED tech, what it’s really like covering a hi-fi trade show, why we review as a team, and why, of all the amazing products we get to test, a dinky DAC is the one Kash is most excited about.

To be clear, these are articles that you won’t find anywhere else – even on whathifi.com.

But what is Substack? Great question.

Substack is essentially a very cool blogging platform where writers such as us can deliver articles directly to their readers. Subscribe to us on Substack, and you can receive our weekly articles as emails in your inbox.

It’s free to sign up, and we send our articles on a Saturday morning, giving you a lovely extra dose of What Hi-Fi? to enjoy over a weekend cup of tea and some buttery toast.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, head over to the What Hi-Fi? Substack, or simply whack your email address into the box below. Easy-peasy.

And if you have a burning question about how we work, or a topic you’d love to get our thoughts on in a future Substack article, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

We Are Rewind has announced its latest collaboration, which sees the cassette revival champion join forces with Pink Floyd to release a limited edition Dark Side of the Moon box set.

Alongside a Dark Side of the Moon-themed WE-001 cassette player, the set includes an exclusive limited-edition, high-quality cassette of the album’s 50th anniversary remaster.

Retro though this all sounds, cassette sales were up by 53 per cent year-on-year in the UK in 2025, as the physical sales charts saw Gen Z re-engaging with physical media.

But this cassette player is no trip down memory lane, with an aluminium casing and metal buttons for forward and rewind controls, as well as an overall modern aesthetic. Mind you, for those hoping to embrace the old-fashioned look, We Are Rewind also sells a belt clip for £24 / $32.

With Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity for wireless listening, a 3.5mm headphone output, line-in recording capability and a built-in rechargeable battery with up to 12 hours of playback, We Are Rewind says this release builds on the success of its WE-001 cassette player.

Notably, with this model, the company claims it has upgraded the cassette player’s frequency response, quoting the current range as 30-14,500 Hz ± 3 dB.

According to Romain Boudruche, founder and CEO of We Are Rewind: "To call The Dark Side of the Moon a classic album is an understatement [...] We're happy that We Are Rewind can play a part in helping preserve the physical album experience."

The limited edition The Dark Side of the Moon WE-001 box set is now available for £159 / $199.

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Feeling nostalgic? We Are Rewind's limited edition cassette player takes you back to the '80s

My first time using a portable cassette player reminded me of what I love about listening to vinyl

I tried this Bluetooth cassette player so you don't have to

If we’re talking about the best CD players we have tested in the past decade, pound for pound, the Marantz CD6007 has to be in the conversation.

Not only is it a fantastic five-star performer, it has walked away with multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards over the years, too.

But the truth is, it’s a little long in the tooth. It launched back in August 2020 and, following a refresh of Marantz’s other hi-fi and home cinema electronics, it has always been a matter of when not if it would be replaced.

Following the recent unveiling of the CD 70, that time has come. That’s right, when current stock runs out, the CD6007 will be no more.

So what does its replacement have to offer? Should you be looking to swap old for new? We’ll cover all this and more below.

Marantz CD 70 vs CD6007 - Price

Given current market conditions, you won’t be surprised to hear that the CD 70 costs more than the CD6007 did when it launched back in August 2020. The size of the jump really depends on where you buy it.

The new model will set you back £499 | €600 | $750 | AU$1000 (exc VAT), compared with the £399 | €449 | $650 | AU$999 that you have to pay at the time of writing for its predecessor.

The CD6007 can regularly be found discounted across various territories now, though, and it’s unlikely we’ll see anything off the CD 70 for a while. So if you want a saving on a mighty fine Marantz CD player, the old model is the way to go for now.

Marantz CD 70 vs CD6007 - Design and build

The shift to Marantz’s more recent design language is quite obvious, but which you prefer the look of can only come down to personal taste.

Each player offers something different and although the CD 70 might appear the more modern of the two, there’s still a lot to be said for the more industrial and workmanlike appearance of the CD6007.

The CD70 has a chunky front panel with a main section that protrudes from the rest of the fascia and is flanked by textured surfaces on either side.

The CD6007 appears a bit more straightforward and uncompromising in its stance, but there’s still enough character in its appearance to give it presence on your hi-fi rack.

The CD 70 is the slightly larger of the two units, but the difference in dimensions isn’t massive – 10.9 x 44.2 x 35.1cm next to 10.5 x 44 x 34.1cm (hwd).

Inside, the CD 70 uses an upgraded power supply, which Marantz claims helps to reduce noise. The headline news, though, is that the CD 70 gets a new ES9020Q DAC chip compared with the older ES9010K2M chip found in the CD6007. The new model also gets an upgraded digital clock to reduce jitter (digital timing errors).

Marantz CD 70 vs CD6007 - Features

The dot-matrix display on both appears virtually identical, as do the buttons on the front – although the eagle-eyed among you will notice that their positions and functions have changed a little.

The CD6007 has its controls positioned vertically, with individual buttons for play, pause, and stop on the right of the unit, and eject, skip forwards, skip backwards and a button for switching to the USB input on the left.

The CD 70, by contrast, has its buttons positioned horizontally, on either side of its ‘porthole’. Skip forwards, backwards and one button combining play and pause sit on the right; input selection, stop and eject on the left.

Both offer a USB Type-A input to the left of the display and a 6.3mm headphone socket, complete with a volume-control knob positioned on the right.

A remote control comes with the CD 70 and looks very similar to the remote you get with the CD6007, but with a new finish. Look a little closer and you’ll see some of the labelling has changed, together with some of the icons used.

The rear layout of both machines is identical. There is an analogue output, plus optical and coaxial digital outputs.

File compatibility remains the same with both machines able to play CD, CD-R and CD-RW discs, while the USB input that features on each machine supports the same file formats: WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF and DSD.

The CD 70 offers a choice of two digital filters for sound quality, similar to the CD6007, and also the option to turn off the digital outputs and the display if you’re not using them, both of which, Marantz claims, will help improve sound quality.

Marantz CD 70 vs CD6007 - Sound

We are about to put the new Marantz through its paces, so we’ll reserve final judgement on sound quality for when our review team has completed their testing.

On paper, however, Marantz has attempted to improve sound quality for the CD 70 through a number of design improvements, including the use of a new DAC and upgraded power supply.

If it can build on all the qualities of its predecessor then this could be a very special CD player indeed. In our Marantz CD6007 review, we called it a “crisp, open performer” and said ”larger-scale dynamics are delivered with verve and punch”.

Let's hope it doesn't stray too far from a winning formula.

Marantz CD 70 vs CD6007 - Initial verdict

Marantz has introduced a few new components for the CD 70, so we have high hopes for its new-generation disc-spinner. This area of the CD player market has shrunk considerably over the years and rivals are few and far between.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed, and we all know how much of a formidable performer the CD6007 has been over the years.

Will the new model be worth upgrading to if you're an existing CD6007 owner? As soon as we have spent enough time with the CD 70 and done all the relevant comparisons, you’ll be the first to know!

MORE:

Read our full Marantz CD6007 review

Our pick of the best CD players for every budget

End of an era as Marantz waves goodbye to two hi-fi classics and unveils new entry-level Model 70 integrated amplifier and CD 70 compact disc player

Any new product launch from Marantz is sure to grab headlines, and this is one of its biggest yet. The Japanese hi-fi giant has finally unveiled replacements for both its all-conquering and Award-winning PM6007 stereo amplifier and CD6007 CD player…

The Model 70 and CD 70 enter the separates arena with a new look, which brings them in line with the rest of the company’s hi-fi and home cinema electronics.

This means design touches such as textured surfaces on the front of both units and the inclusion of Marantz’s trademark circular ‘porthole’ on the Model 70 amp.

These are not just pretty new faces, either. Marantz has promised multiple internal upgrades, all of which are designed to extract the best sound quality possible.

These include “optimised circuit layouts, carefully selected components and vibration-resistant chassis structures.”

We’ll start with the Model 70 amplifier, which is a Class A/B design delivering 50 Watts of power per channel. It uses an upgraded power supply and preamplifier circuit, plus a larger power transformer than its predecessor.

It also features an electronic volume control as opposed to the analogue design used on the PM6007.

There’s a high-performance DAC on board, a high-quality MM phono stage, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth (including the ability to transmit and receive) and an HDMI ARC connection.

There are also your standard suite of analogue and digital connections, plus preamplifier and subwoofer preouts. The Model 70 includes a new low-phase noise clock to reduce the effects of jitter, i.e. digital timing errors, and deliver more accurate playback of your CDs.

The CD 70 uses the same DAC as the Model 70 and offers a USB (Type-A) input on the front that allows you to connect an external hard drive. It supports a range of file types, including WAV, FLAC, AIFF and DSD.

Also on the front is a 6.3mm headphone socket which connects to the fully discrete headphone amplifier contained within the unit. To help with headphone compatibility, Marantz includes adjustable gain control, which you access through the player’s on-screen menus.

It also features an upgraded power supply, plus a double-layered chassis and rigid isolation feet to keep outside interference to a minimum.

The CD 70 costs £499 | €600 | $750 | AU$1100 (exc VAT), which, given its predecessor launched at £399 / AU$999 back in 2020, isn’t really a huge increase.

The Model 70, on the other hand, costs £749 | €850 | AU$1600 (exc VAT), which represents a larger jump from the £499 / AU$1199 launch price of the outgoing PM6007. Both are available in either black or silver and gold.

One thing you might have noticed is that there is no US price for the Model 70 amplifier. It won’t be available in North America when the products officially go on sale on the 15th August. We have reached out to Marantz for a comment about this and will report back as soon as possible.

It’s fair to say Marantz’s CD6007 and PM6007 have had a great innings – almost six years to be precise – so while it’s obviously sad to see these repeat What Hi-Fi? Award-winners replaced, it’s a change that has been coming, and we are excited to hear what the new models offer.

We currently have both models in our dedicated test rooms and will be reporting back with our official verdicts in the very near future. Keep your eyes peeled!

MORE:

Our pick of the best stereo amplifiers you can buy

And the best CD players

How to choose and set up a stereo amplifier

What is a headphone amplifier and why should you buy one?

KEF has teased that a new speaker is in the works, with an Instagram video showing the brand's iconic Uni-Q driver and promising "a new definition of luxury."

The new speaker is said to have a "sculptural" form designed by Welsh industrial designer Ross Lovegrove. Lovegrove and KEF have a long history of working together. This includes his work on the brand's flagship Muon speakers, Muo Bluetooth speaker and Mu wireless earbuds/headphones, which all have curvy forms that certainly stand out.

In a blog post on KEF's website, the brand teases that the new speaker will take inspiration from these products, promising "a visual identity unlike any other."

There's little else revealed about the speaker beyond the inclusion of the Uni-Q driver, but KEF is promising "stunning sound clarity, sharper details and an expanded soundstage, that fully immerses you in the artist's creative vision."

That's quite a lofty promise, and we're left wondering just how "luxury" these new speakers will be when it comes to their price.

The new speakers are said to be "effortless in sound" and "composed for those who listen deeply." More bass? Large speaker? Your guess is as good as ours at this point.

Will the new speaker be a passive design and follow in the footsteps of the Q Meta and R Meta speaker series? Will there be a long-awaited update to our multiple Award-winning KEF LS50 Meta? Or will this be a new entry in KEF's LS wireless active speaker range, which features five-star products such as the LSX II and LS50 Wireless II?

We've got a couple of weeks to keep guessing, as the new KEF speaker will be revealed on Thursday, 30th July.

MORE:

Read our KEF LSX II review

And our KEF LS50 Meta review

Our guide to the best speakers we've tested and recommend across all budgets and types

You might have heard of Tiny Vinyl, the delightful 4-inch records that launched last year. Well now the company has launched a dedicated turntable on which to play them.

The Tiny Vinyl Player is only slightly bigger than a shoebox, and was built with the sole purpose of playing Tiny Vinyls. It is also completely unnecessary, as Tiny Vinyls play on most full-size 33⅓rpm turntables. But where’s the joy in only doing what’s strictly necessary?

The Player wasn’t part of the initial plan for Tiny Vinyl. Co-founders Jesse Mann and Neil Kohler were keen to make the format as versatile as possible. But once sales took off – they just pressed their millionth Tiny Vinyl in only around a year of being on sale – both fans and their biggest retailer Target were urging them to make a dedicated Tiny Vinyl turntable. So here we are.

No small task

Creating a turntable from the ground up – especially one this titchy – is no small task, no pun intended. But, being based in Nashville, the duo are surrounded by music industry peers only too willing to lend their expertise.

“We hooked up with someone who makes the Marshall Bluetooth line of accessories,” says Mann. “He sent us some amazing initial drawings, and then it was off to the races.”

As you can imagine, it posed a bit of an engineering challenge, not least because it boasts its own built-in speakers as well as Bluetooth for playing your vinyls wirelessly on an external speaker.

“We thought adding Bluetooth would be straightforward, but it was a bit of an exercise,” admits Kohler. “It was worth it though – as well as built-in speakers, we wanted the option of playing on your own Bluetooth speaker for more versatility.”

These challenges also opened the pair’s eyes to the intricate workings of a turntable.

“One of the technical things that was interesting to watch from a testing perspective was the rpm (revolutions per minute),” says Mann. “It had to be calibrated to 33⅓rpm, and seeing it being measured with the calibrator to ensure it ran perfectly at that tiny size, that was really fun to see.”

Broadening vinyl’s appeal

Not all the parts had to be created new – the cartridge and needle are off the shelf (though they wouldn’t tell me who makes them). But lots of elements had to be made especially for this product, including the tiny tone arm, the platter and the control panel. The result is something as fun and adorable as the 4-inch vinyls themselves.

“It’s not something you sit down with to listen to The Dark Side Of The Moon,” says Kohler. “It’s not that kind of product, and it was never meant to be.” Rather, it’s an on-ramp to the world of vinyl, helping to broaden the appeal to those shut out by a traditional deck’s greater complexity or higher pricing.

This accessibility is a big part of the appeal. “When we go to vinyl conferences, we’re always surprised by the number of people who thank us for getting more people into vinyl,” says Kohler. “One thing they always say is ‘Thank goodness they’re not on Spotify!’”

The pair have also launched the Frame for displaying Tiny Vinyls on your wall, and the Crate for storing your Tiny Vinyls. The Player sits on top of the Crate in a satisfyingly space-saving way. They are also launching custom, artist-themed Players next year, making another way for fans to connect with their favourite musicians, and all through the medium of vinyl.

The Tiny Vinyl Player is available now from Target for $50 (around £38 / AU$73), with a UK launch hopefully in the autumn.

MORE:

“Vinyl records will be around for ever” – the Tiny Vinyl founders on the black disc’s enduring appeal

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Majority has announced a new radio, and it has one feature sorely lacking from the four-star Little Shelford: a rechargeable battery.

When away form the mains, the Little Shelford relies on four AA batteries to provide 15 hours of battery life. As we commented in our review, that could soon get expensive if you're using it on the go a lot. But the Mini Shelford solves this problem with a built-in 2600mAh rechargeable unit that gives you up to 20 hours of runtime.

The Mini Shelford has a shorter, wider design than the Little, but still comes wreathed in retro styling. It too offers Bluetooth connectivity (for beaming content like playlists, podcasts and streaming services to it from your phone) and a DAB+/FM radio.

And if you don't want to go wireless, you can connect wired headphones to it using the 3.5mm socket.

There's a full colour display for showing album art and track info, and you control it using the rotary dial. Other features include a dual alarm and sleep timer.

We were impressed with what the Little Shelford offered for the price, and the Mini Shelford is only a few pounds more expensive. It goes on sale in August for £49.95 (around $67 / AU$97), and comes in Dusty Rose, Olive, Black and Cream finishes.

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Australian-owned audio platform AudioBro — which promises a smarter, more cost-effective way for hi-fi and home cinema enthusiasts to improve sound quality, without investing in new equipment — has announced it is now available worldwide.

The web-based platform is the brainchild of founder Ateeq Sheikh, who has spent the past three and a half years developing it. At its core, AudioBro aims to identify the weak links in a system — whether that’s room acoustics, speaker placement, subwoofer integration or calibration.

The paid service analyses customer-supplied data, including photographs, room dimensions, speaker layouts (from two-channel stereo through to full surround systems), in addition to calibration screenshots and acoustic measurements from third-party tools such as Dirac Live, Audyssey, REW and Anthem ARC Genesis.

From there, it prioritises the most critical issue and recommends a practical first step to improve performance. Once changes are made, users can upload new measurements to verify the results. As the company puts it: “Improvement is only considered verified after the listener makes a change and completes a comparable retest.”

A suite of tools underpins the platform. Photo Acoustics provides a visual room analysis, flagging potential reflection issues such as large window surfaces, while RoomMatch suggests optimal speaker placement based on the listening position. Tune My Sub offers guided subwoofer optimisation, and Fix My Room delivers a measurement-led diagnosis of the space.

Additional features include BassMap, which helps determine ideal subwoofer positioning based on measurement data; My Rooms, which stores test results across multiple spaces; and Guided Workflows, offering consultant-style reports and step-by-step optimisation paths.

Following its global launch in June 2026, AudioBro has also introduced a standalone Room Review service. Available separately from a subscription, it supports both self-guided optimisation and more hands-on analysis. Pricing starts at $97 for a quick review and rises to $199 for a more in-depth, measurement-based assessment.

The company says Room Review is intended as a room-first advisory tool rather than a replacement for on-site calibration. Users simply upload photos and measurements, after which the AudioBro team identifies the most likely limiting factor, then recommends a key first step and outlines practical next moves — typically within 72 hours.

Full access to the platform requires a subscription, offered in two tiers: Starter at $24.99 per month and Pro at $49.99 per month, with annual plans priced at $199.90 and $399.90, respectively.

Early adopters, however, can secure lifetime access for a one-off fee of $199 (Starter) or $299 (Pro).

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Ruark has announced its R410 Anniversary Edition, a limited-production celebratory spin on the brand's established all-in-one music system.

Built to commemorate 40 years of Ruark as a brand, the special edition system follows the same design language as the established R410, exhibiting the same slatted metallic grille and rectangular cabinet design which wowed us when we reviewed the standard model in 2023.

What marks the R410 Anniversary Edition out as unique is its hand-crafted White Oak cabinet complemented by an ebonised grille and inlay.

A new high-resolution colour screen displays vitals such as playback information and album artwork, while Ruark's established 'RotoDial' control returns to take care of volume, play/pause and presets.

Each system is finished with a commemorative anniversary badge to mark out its exclusivity, so everyone will know you've got your hands on something special.

Under the hood, the new system features optimised reflex enclosures within the cabinet to provide "ideal conditions" for the system's twin 10cm long-throw 'NS Plus' bass-mid units. Ruark promises "seamless, powerful and controlled bass through to a natural midrange".

The R410 also boasts custom 20mm tweeters, taken from the brand's five-star MR1 Mk3 powered speakers, for handling the higher frequencies.

As before, the R410 Anniversary Edition boasts an extensive streaming suite, offering support for Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, among others.

The 40th anniversary edition system boasts a fully active 120W RMS Class D amplifier, while hi-res audio support for PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz is on the menu.

According to Alan O'Rourke, Ruark's founder and managing director: "The R410 Anniversary Edition brings together everything we care about. Extraordinary sound, considered design and exquisite materials chosen not just for how they look but how they sound. This system is the culmination of 40 years of hard work and it’s something we’re proud to make and hopefully you can be proud to own.”

Limited to just 500 units worldwide, the R410 Anniversary Edition will be available in an Ebony and White Oak finish, priced at £1399 / €1599.

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Italian brand Volumio has been making waves with its compact streaming products that offer ample features in designs don’t look like traditional hi-fi.

The Primo V3 is the latest iteration of its music streamer and DAC, and it packs quite a number of features into its petite dimensions.

Volumio’s network streaming platform gives you access to Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz Connect, and internet radio services like TuneIn. It is DLNA compliant and Roon Ready certified, and Bluetooth 5.0 is also available.

The updated ESS Sabre 9039Q2M DAC handles hi-res audio files up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256, and the unit offers wi-fi and Ethernet connections to your network.

Analogue outputs include balanced XLR and RCA line level, with eight adjustable voltage levels to fine tune the unit’s output to your partnering amplifier or active speakers.

There is a video-only HDMI output for seeing the Volumio OS on a screen, a microSD card slot to integrate your digital library directly without needing a network connection, and there are two USB-A ports for connecting hard drives. Notably, there are no coaxial or optical connections.

You can use either USB-A port as a digital output connected to a compatible USB DAC, via which it can handle ultra high resolutions files: PCM files with a high sampling rate of 1536kHz, and DSD1024.

Volumio says this allows you to “preserve the full fidelity of your music system” and “retain the full resolution of the original recording”. Those files must be rarer than hen's teeth, as we have rarely come across downloadable hi-res tracks beyond 24-bit/192kHz – which the Volumio natively supports.

The Primo V3’s quad core CPU is faster and more powerful than before, while care is taken internally to shorten the signal paths of the circuitry and it uses a linear power supply stage to reduce noise and interference. Combined with a high-precision clock, this helps to reduce jitter and keep the signal as clear as possible.

You can further fine tune the sound of the streamer thanks to eight DAC filters.

The Volumio Primo V3 streamer sports an all-black minimal design, and is available now for £769 / $1049 / €849.

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The peak of summer has coincided with the World Cup this year, leaving many of us in a conundrum as to how to keep up with the games while escaping sweltering houses.

Fortunately, Roberts has thought up a solution with its latest DAB+/FM radio with Bluetooth, the SolarDAB 99, which can harness the unrelenting sunshine as a power source thanks to built-in solar panels.

But this portable radio is no fair weather friend. Designed for outdoor use, it also has an IP55 water and dust protection rating, a 20-hour rechargeable battery life and even a dynamo which can be cranked to charge the radio instantly (one minute of cranking will give you up to seven minutes of playback, mind you). In more domestic conditions, USB-C charging is also available.

The SolarDAB 99 supports DAB, DAB+ and FM radio, alongside Bluetooth audio streaming. For easy access to your preferred radio stations, Roberts has also included 40 storable presets: 20 for FM stations, 20 for DAB.

For late-night listening that won’t wake up the campsite, the radio has a 3.5mm headphone output, as well as a USB-A port for device charging. A 3.5mm auxiliary input allows you to connect your own devices to use the radio as a speaker.

The visual display includes a backlit LCD screen showing radio band selection, battery status, signal strength, station presets and alarm settings.

According to Owen Watters, CEO of Roberts Radio, "We’re seeing a real shift in how people are choosing to spend their time - more outdoors, more off-grid, more present, and with that comes a growing awareness of being prepared for the unexpected."

And prepared you will be, because the rugged SolarDAB 99 is even equipped for emergencies, with an LED flashlight, alternating red and white lights with SOS morse code, alongside an emergency siren.

With a weight of 837g and an attachable carry strap, Roberts says this radio will be able to accompany you on your travels, no matter where you end up, “from remote campsites and festival fields to garden days and emergency situations.”

The Roberts SolarDAB 99 radio is available to buy now for £150.

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If you've desperately been trying to fill the iPod Nano-sized hole in your life since its demise in 2017, Shanling might just have answered your somewhat niche prayers.

The Chinese manufacturer's latest portable music player, the M0 Pura, puts us in mind of the Nano in its sixth-gen incarnation, offering up a compact design complete with a 1.54-inch colour touchscreen.

It also boasts many mod cons that, back in 2017 at least, Apple's much-loved micro-player wasn't capable of providing.

The M0 Pura is built around dual Cirrus Logic CS43131 DACs, with support for PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz alongside DSD128. In order to drive more demanding headphones, the new player can offer up to 250mW of output power into 32 ohms when using an optional 3.5mm to 4.4mm balanced adapter.

Shanling claims up to 9 hours of continuous playback from a single charge, while your music collection is handled via microSD card. The built-in slot supports cards up to 2TB in size.

Unlike the now-deceased iPod Nano, the M0 Pura offers two-way Bluetooth, so you can use the player to transmit to headphones and speakers, or to receive and act as a Bluetooth DAC for a connected smartphone or laptop.

USB-C connectivity also enables Shanling's new player to act as a digital transport for external USB DACs.

The Shanling M0 Pura is supplied with a USB-C to USB-C cable, though we'd reiterate that if you want a 3.5mm to 4.4mm balanced adapter, you'll need to buy one separately.

The Shanling M0 Pura is available now, priced at £129 / $129 / €129. Rather fittingly, that makes it a similar price to the 6th-gen Nano, which arrived on the scene for £129 / $149 (8GB) back in 2010.

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“Never before in our industry has a format come back from the dead quite like vinyl” – turntable engineers discuss all things record-related, including one major flaw that needs addressing

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In case you hadn’t realised, vinyl is making a bit of a comeback. Who would have guessed that a plastic disc which first arrived on the scene in 1931 would still be bringing so much joy 95 years later?

Although a lot has changed in the world over that time, the format itself and the techniques used to create it haven’t evolved massively. So, is vinyl currently as good as it gets, or could it be improved upon?

We reached out to some of the best turntable engineers in the business to see what they think about the state of the format in 2026.

Is the humble compact disc about to experience a revival in the way vinyl records have enjoyed over the past few years? While there are some positive signs, we wouldn’t go that far just yet – but it is possible.

Perhaps more importantly, given that more than 200 billion CDs have been made since the format was launched in Japan in 1982, there remain plenty in circulation. There are many people, including us, who still have large CD collections and aren’t about to give them up any time soon.

In such circumstances, and if funds allow, you owe it to yourself to have a listen to the Gryphon Audio Ethos CD player. It is hugely expensive, of course, but shooting for the stars is never going to be a low-cost option.

Build & design

In the metal, this is a mighty impressive beast. We love that Gryphon Audio has been brave with the styling of the Ethos. The company could have easily made this into yet another rectangular box, but instead, it has chosen a striking triangular design that looks like little else on the market.

We like the sci-fi appearance and have something of a soft spot for top-loading CD player designs. There are practical issues with this kind of layout, though. The player can only be placed on the top shelf of your equipment rack, for example, but it also adds ritual to loading a CD that puts us in mind of using a turntable. That’s a good thing in our book.

The loading process is as follows. First, you raise the lid using the small gold lift bar on the attached arm, place the CD over the motor spindle, and then put a small magnetic puck over the centre to hold the disc in place. The lid is then lowered manually. Take care here, because its motion isn’t damped, so it can slam shut rather inelegantly. Gryphon provides a small coaster to place the puck on during the process, which is a thoughtful touch.

Once the lid closes, the Ethos’s transport whirs up to speed. While not overly noisy, it is still possible to hear the mechanism working even when we are a few metres away, something a conventional drawer-loading design would suppress better.

Overall build quality is excellent, just as we have come to expect from Gryphon. At this price, anything less would be unacceptable. The Ethos feels immensely solid and engineered to last decades. Fit and finish are straight out of the top drawer, too.

We even like the partnering metal remote. It is a small unit, but it sits well in the hand and is intuitively laid out.

Features & connections

As is fashionable, Gryphon’s engineers have allowed plenty of leeway for their customers to tweak this player’s sound. There are seven filter options for PCM and three for DSD music files. As is usual, these filters make subtle differences, and the best choice is down to taste and system matching as much as anything else. In our system, the Slow Roll-Off, Minimum Phase option works best for PCM. We left the Ethos on the default Filter 1 setting for DSD.

Then there are upsampling options, and the choice of whether the CD player processes the digital data stream in PCM or DSD. Once again, the differences are small, but we prefer the DSD option at the highest sampling rate. It sounds a touch more natural and fluid to us.

Lastly, there is a Phase-Invert switch. On the surface, this might sound like a fringe concern, but having come across recordings that have mistakenly been recorded out of phase, the ability to correct this allows the listener to enjoy a more focused presentation. It is a subtle effect, but in a transparent enough system, the benefits are clear.

This Gryphon doesn’t play SACD discs, so DSD recordings and high-resolution PCM can only be fed through the Ethos’s DAC via one of its digital inputs. It is equipped with BNC coaxial, AES/EBU and USB Type B connections, and is compatible with PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD512.

A pair of ESS Sabre ES9038Pro 8-channel DAC chips (one per side) work in full dual-differential, dual-mono mode, and sit at the heart of the Ethos’s digital module.

On the analogue output side, there are balanced XLR and single-ended RCA options. You will find the left and right channel outputs on opposite sides of the chassis, which is a result of Gryphon’s preferred dual-mono circuitry layout. This kind of arrangement tends to help stereo imaging and prevent unwanted interactions between the left and right signal paths, so improving overall performance.

Add fully balanced operation in both the digital and analogue circuits, something Gryphon has always done, and noise levels are even lower, leading to gains in dynamics and transparency.

Compatibility

The Ethos positively demands a top-class partnering system. We use our reference Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power combination driving a pair of ATC SCM50 speakers. We also try a pair of Fyne Audio F1-8 standmounters for a bit of variety. All cables are premium offerings from Chord Company and Vertere Acoustics.

The Ethos needs care in placement. A CD transport is a mechanical mechanism that is easily affected by external vibrations, so a level, rigid, well-damped support is essential.

Make sure it is absolutely level, too. This aspect is important, and Gryphon even provides a rather neat spirit level with the Ethos to help. The player has adjustable spikes that lock into place once everything is set. Such details matter.

Sound

We have long lived in a world where the standard 16-bit/44.1kHz CD specification has been seen as the minimum level of quality digital hi-fi, with hi-res PCM and DSD recordings being cast at the pinnacle of sound. The Ethos proves that there remains plenty of value in the original digital standard.

This player sounds natural in a way that still eludes most high-end music streamers we’ve come across, even if they are playing high-res music files. By natural, we don’t mean the kind of smooth and rich presentation some manufacturers engineer into their products to make them sound less ‘digital’.

Rather, Gryphon has gone for a subtle, unforced approach that rewards over the long term. It is a sound all about texture, physicality and body, rather than focusing on leading edges or the mechanics of the recording.

Play a large-scale classical piece such as Tchaikovsky’s Marché Slave Op.31, and the Ethos sounds wonderfully fluid, uncovering a massive amount of information, without sounding the least bit etched or clinical.

It conveys the scale of the orchestra superbly, delivering the music’s brutal crescendos with enthusiasm, while never losing its composure. We love this player’s sense of authority and its ability to organise the mass of information it uncovers into a cohesive and musical whole.

We can track low-level instrumental strands with ease, yet the Ethos’s sound also allows us to take a step back and just enjoy the spectacle. It is rare to hear a digital source component that combines insight with such a music-first attitude.

The player’s tonal balance is spot on. It is neutral without lacking in warmth and substance. No part of the frequency range stands out unnecessarily, and it all blends seamlessly to the extent that we have to work hard to split the presentation into distinct frequency ranges during analysis.

Stereo imaging is as crisp and precise as you like. We love the solidity of the presentation and the convincing way the Gryphon renders the depth of recordings (provided the recording has depth, of course). The soundstaging remains stable and locked in, no matter how complex the music gets. We find the control and grip of this player hugely appealing.

While the Ethos’s presentation is undeniably refined, there is no lack of bite when the music demands. Listen to Kendrick Lamar’s Humble, and we’re pleased to find that the Gryphon responds with plenty of attack and energy. The song’s bassline kicks with real power, and the player delivers rhythmic drive with conviction.

The story remains equally positive when we try out the player’s digital inputs. We use the digital outputs from our reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, a Cyrus CDi and our MacBook Pro (loaded with Audirvana music software and plenty of high-res music), and regardless of source, the Ethos performs excellently.

While the sonic character of the digital inputs remains consistent with the player’s CD playback, the extra information of high-res files is easily heard. Yet, we don’t find going back to the humble compact disc any issue, so good does it sound. The Ethos sounds musically engaging and entertaining, regardless of the source.

Verdict

The Gryphon Ethos is an exceptional CD player. It is beautifully made and is a pleasure to use. While its price puts it out of reach for most people, we’re still glad it exists.

This player shows just what is possible with the original silver disc, and we suspect that it is way more than most people would imagine.

Review published: 6th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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Our last experience of Burmester in a Porsche was the excellent audio system offered on the all-electric Taycan. We found it to be a big jump up in quality – indeed, a “night and day difference” was how we described it in our review.

Does the optional Burmester system have a similar impact on our ears in Porsche’s best-selling model, the Macan? We plugged in the newest all-electric variant and pressed play to find out.

Price

Your first rung on the optional sound-system ladder for the Macan is the Bose Surround Sound System, which costs £963.

If you want to step up to the more expensive Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound System tested here, you are looking at a higher price tag of £2916.

System

For the money you get 21 speakers, 21 channels of amplification and 1470 Watts of power. In the front of the cabin you’ll find a trio of Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeters, which use ribbon diaphragms.

These are positioned on the top of the dashboard, with one tucked in each corner, and the third partnered with a midrange driver in the middle.

There’s a midrange driver and woofer in each front door and a full-range 3D speaker in the front A-pillars.

Each rear door gets a normal dome-tweeter, midrange driver and woofer, with a pair of surround tweeters and midrange drivers also positioned in the back, towards the rear parcel shelf.

In the boot, under the pull-up floor, is a 400W subwoofer which uses 400 watts of Class D amplification.

The processing modes you get with the system include Sound Enhancer which is designed to improve the sound of compressed music, while Auro 3D processing is there to help with immersiveness.

We would recommend having the sound enhancer turned on – we noticed a small, subtle lift in quality. When it comes to the 3D processing, we wouldn’t stray too far from the first couple of rungs on the ladder when you’re playing with the intensity.

We found it ok having some information coming out of those A-pillar speakers, but any more and it can result in a very messy and confused sound – the speakers start making their presence felt and not in a good way.

There is also an ‘Eco’ mode which crosses over from the Bose system and which we found delivered results that weren’t ideal for sound quality. To summarise, we found using the mode resulted in "a shrinking of scale, diminished dynamics and a more laid-back and less expressive sound".

Sound Modes

While some car systems offer a one-size fits all approach to the sound, with this Burmester option, you choose how to focus the sound in the car. Here you have the option of either ‘symmetrical’ or ‘driver’.

There’s nothing groundbreaking to see here; the former gives you more of an even spread of sound (which is going to be better when you have a car full of passengers) or you can create more of a focused stereo image for the driver, more akin to sitting in front of a pair of speakers.

If you’re the only person in the car, then it’s going to come down to a matter of taste as to which you prefer. Symmetrical gives you a fuller soundstage, pushes the soundfield back towards the windscreen and encourages a greater spread of sound. It sounds a bit more relaxed in its delivery.

Switch to the driver-focused setting and things tighten up. You are aware there is a shift of information from the far left of the cabin to a position much closer to your left ear.

This setting promotes a more up-front, focused sound, and places you more in your own private soundstage. It feels more as though you’re sitting in the sweet spot between a pair of speakers.

Your sound profile choices are Pure, Smooth and Live. Having experienced all three, we think there’s only really one choice. Pure delivers the best sound possible, and doesn't manipulate the signal in any way.

Smooth softens everything, to the point where music becomes less entertaining and more dull and subdued. There’s a real lack of clarity with frequencies at either end of the spectrum sounding rolled off.

Live boosts the top end, and makes music pop more than in Pure mode, but it uspets the balance and highs now sound splashy.

You also have bass and treble adjustment but no mid-range. We left both of these at '0' and left the fade/balance adjustment alone too.

Sound quality

Stick with the Pure setting and you’ll be treated to a hugely entertaining and lively sound. We start with a blast of Orpheus by Ash and the Burmester system gets off to a rock-infused, rhythm-driven start.

The track kicks off with a flurry of drum play and immediately gets you in the mood. The kick drum has impressive impact, and overall, there’s a real sense of energy that springs from the percussion.

Each thwack sounds precise and deliberate, and really helps to convey a sense of pace and speed.

There’s a real sense of drive to the track as it rolls along. Lyrics are delivered with vigour and verve, and there’s plenty of detail extracted.

We switch genres to some old-school soul in the shape of Sam and Dave’s Hold On, I’m Comin’ and the Burmester system does a great job of capturing the song’s funky delivery.

The vibe, detail and texture of the sax as it punches through the sound stage is impressive and showcases the system’s great dynamics. It’s backed up by the solid drum beat, and enthusiastic, expressive vocals which dip and soar in all the right places.

For a quick bass test, we move on to another classic test track of ours: Black Eyed Peas Let’s Get It Started, and the system throws an impressive amount of weight behind the track’s bassline. It’s punchy, powerful and agile. There’s no thick, treacle-like texture here – each note sounds clean and clear but not insubstantial.

During testing, we were fortunate to test it against the standard Bose Surround Sound System, and the Burmester was clearly better all-round. Yes it costs more, but we don’t think you should be in any doubt that opting for the Burmester will get you significantly better sound quality.

There’s much more of a spark to the sound. Music is more invigorating and the step-up system gets your foot tapping from the off. The Bose set-up lacks detail, definition and dynamics when compared with the Burmester, which is more capable and also more configurable.

Verdict

In our experience it can be very hard for a car sound system to sound fun to listen to. It sounds like a relatively simple requirement, but you might be surprised at how many we’ve tested that just fall flat; but not the Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound System for the Porsche Macan.

Whatever you throw its way, this set-up takes it in its stride. It’s a hugely enjoyable listen worth all five of our stars.

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Focal has revealed the Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanding speakers.

An evolution of the brand's established Scala Utopia Evo, these new 'M' edition floorstanders are defined by two core innovations: the inclusion of Focal's new 'PRISM' tweeter and a new 'M-profile' W midrange driver.

That PRISM tweeter was first introduced recently in Focal's high-end Diva Alta Utopia wireless speaker system and now makes its way to the three-way Scala Evo M towers. This unit uses a combination of composite materials to strike the ideal balance between lightness and damping – Focals says it achieves an even higher level of rigidity than the beryllium tweeter used in previous generations.

The new M-profile W midrange unit is derived from the Utopia Main professional monitor range, with a structure that teases "exceptional rigidity" and ultra-low distortion. Focal claims this should result in a mid-frequency response that is "more transparent, precise and natural" than before.

The W woofer has also been completely redesigned, and uses a dual-ferrite motor that promises "powerful, deep, controlled bass."

Further technologies that have appeared in other high-end Focal speakers aim to add "balance and coherence" to the new floorstanders.

Focal's 'TMD' driver suspension limits cone deformation and reduces resultant distortion, while the proprietary 'Optimum Phase Crossover' technology diminishes phase issues and enhances the speakers' ability to adapt their tonal balance according to the size and type of the room in which they're placed.

The three-way towers employ Focal's 'Focus Time' configuration, which is an articulated spine structure that arcs the speakers' design towards the listener, aiding with time alignment with the various drivers in play.

The overall aim of the Scala Utopia Evo M is to deliver "even more faithful and dynamic reproduction, capable of revealing the full richness of the most demanding recordings."

Available in five high-gloss lacquer or natural wood finishes, the new Focal Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanders are available now, priced at €40,000 / $46,000 per pair (UK price to be confirmed).

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They say that you should never judge a book by its cover, and we think much the same applies to hi-fi components. Over the years, we have come across no end of impressively specified products that fail to thrill musically while seemingly prosaic alternatives shine.

What of the new generation Vertere Phono-1 LX? On the surface, little appears to be different on this premium phono stage, bar some cosmetic tidying of the casework. Perhaps, more surprisingly, there are no great claims for the inside either, with the basic circuit design remaining unchanged. So, it is natural to wonder whether the change to LX status offers anything meaningful.

Build & design

Delve into the details, however, and the development work put into this new generation phono stage becomes more obvious. The circuit may be the same, but the main PCB is of higher quality than before, ensuring better contacts at soldered joints and superior long-term reliability.

The performance of any hi-fi component is reliant on the quality of its power supply. Here, Vertere has upgraded components to deliver a more stable, lower noise feed to the audio circuitry. Even the mains power input has been improved by using inductors to reduce the amount of RF energy entering the unit.

Elsewhere, there is a new two-way earthing switch that is claimed to offer a longer service life than the three-way option fitted to the previous generation of Phono-1 MkII L, as well as simplifying the choice for listeners.

Given the hum issues that record players can suffer with, we’re glad Vertere continues to take grounding seriously and understands that a one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t really work in every situation.

As before, the Phono-1 LX is nicely made and pretty compact at 5.5 x 21 x 24cm. It should slot into any equipment rack with ease. This new generation model looks a little smarter than before, thanks to the new textured paint finish on the lid and the removal of the previous generation’s top panel securing bolts.

Put old and new side by side, and it is surprising just how much difference such small details make.

There are now four finish options for the front panel: black, silver, orange, and another black acrylic option styled to match the company’s DG-X record player.

Compatibility

The Phono-1 LX is compatible with both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, having a gain range of 40-63dB selectable in 12 steps via a series of dipswitches on the base.

While this is enough for most cartridges on the market, if you do have a very low-output moving coil, Vertere has you covered. It is possible to order a high-gain version of this phono stage with an extra 6.4dB of gain at no extra cost.

As far as cartridge loading goes, this Vertere phono stage offers a generous range of resistance (78 ohms - 47kOhms) and capacitance (100pF - 1.02uF) options, so that it is possible to optimise the results from just about any price-comparable cartridge on the market.

Aside from the slight awkwardness of the small dipswitches – the company provides a tool in the box to make using them easier – the Phono-1 LX is about as straightforward as phono stages get in terms of usability.

On the back, there is a single set of connections, both input and output are single-ended, and a couple of earthing posts. The Vertere’s front has just a simple on/off toggle and a small power LED.

Given the price point, this Vertere deserves a top-class record player. For testing, ours is the Technics SL-1000R turntable with a choice of moving coil (Kiseki Purpleheart, Ortofon MC X30) and moving magnet (Vertere Dark Sabre, Nagaoka MP-200) cartridges.

The rest of our system is Burmester’s 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers. We also try a second, more price-appropriate set-up of PMC Cor integrated amplifier driving a pair of Epos ES-14N speakers.

Sound

We start by comparing the Phono-1 LX with its predecessor, the Award-winning Phono-1 MkII L, and it doesn't take long to realise that, despite sharing so much DNA, the new model is a clear step forward. Considering just how highly we rated the old one, this comes as quite a shock.

Regardless of the cartridge we use, the newcomer sounds more transparent and detailed. As we listen to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, it is hard to miss the improvement in clarity.

Instrumental textures are rendered more convincingly, and it is easier to grasp the scale of the orchestra and recording venue. There is little to criticise when it comes to control and composure, even when the music becomes demanding.

Stereo imaging is precise and nicely layered. We are pleased with the stability of the presentation and the Vertere’s ability to convey image depth in an authentic manner. Of course, the partnering record player has to resolve all this information in the first place.

The Phono-1 LX’s dynamics are stronger too, with the orchestra coming through with greater verve and impact, making for a more entertaining listening experience. We are surprised by how much more authority is on offer, with the new generation sounding considerably more solid and powerful through the midrange and lows.

These gains pay dividends when switching to Catch A Fire by Bob Marley & the Wailers. We enjoy the Vertere’s rhythmic drive and cohesion with this album, and the way it delivers Marley’s voice with such finesse and passion. The album’s basslines hit hard but display a pleasing amount of articulation and grip. In comparison, the last-gen version sounds thinner and more tentative.

The Phono-1 LX’s tonality remains convincing and refuses to skew too far off kilter at either frequency extreme when provoked. There is enough top-end refinement here to avoid things sounding aggressive, even with less-than-perfectly produced records, but feed the Vertere something well-recorded, such as Quincy Jones’ Back On The Block set, and it shines.

Verdict

The Phono-1 LX may look much the same as its Award-winning predecessor, but it has taken a notable step forward in performance. It is more expressive and pulls us into the music with even greater ease.

Provided you have a talented record player and a system capable of great transparency, this Vertere phono stage is an easy recommendation.

Review published: 1st July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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The road to audio perfection, if there even is such a thing, is a dangerous one. It's a path full of twists and turns that make it all too easy to lose your way (and empty your bank account) without ever getting close to your final destination.

And even if you do manage to get to the end, for many hi-fi fanatics, as Joseph M. Marshall III famously said, "Life is a circle. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next."

Which is why, for this month’s Ask The Reader, we asked: when is it time to stop and be happy with what you’ve got?

And as always with audiophiles, there isn't a simple answer.

Hi-fi and gardening

For many, hi-fi is a passion that requires constant maintenance, meaning it never really ends. This sentiment was neatly explained by regular commentator “binki”, who told us: “It's like a garden; it’s never finished.”

He went on to add that, if anything, even if you finish your own system, the urge to tinker doesn’t go away as enthusiasts will try to share their passion with the next generation, telling us:

“[I] now channel all my ill-gotten gains (just kidding) into introducing my adult daughter to this wallet-draining world. I look at my componentry and realise I am exponentially spending at least four times the amount on my princess.”

But you all agree there is a point you should stop

Despite numerous readers sharing binki’s sentiment, most of you agree there is a sensible end point – even if most of us won’t ever get there.

Some, including commentator “sbrain111”, argued people should stop “when it stops being fun”.

But many of you disagreed, revealing a slightly masochistic streak, arguing you should work through the pain and only stop when you can’t improve the system’s audio quality any further, even with newer or more expensive parts.

Reader “HiFiDoc” summed this up, telling us: “My motto for upgrades: If you can’t hear the improvement over your existing kit, then there is no point in buying it!”

Continuing this trend, regular reader “jimskinner582” was one of the few to report managing this, though he admits it took him over 40 years to do so.

“I started my hi-fi journey in 1980 with my first system, an Aiwa and speakers with a Pioneer PL514X turntable. The bug had bitten! [...] Fast forward to 2024: the upgrade bug bit again. I made a call to do a full upgrade as the kit was getting old and fragile. The mission was about achieving a well-balanced sound across the full dynamic range,” he wrote.

“Enter my local hi-fi expert dealer. After a long journey, we found the right balance; Audiolab 9000A, Audiolab 9000CDT, BlueSound Node streamer mated to the excellent Dali Oberon 9 speakers. It was sit back time!! Then the itch started again, and I tried out a few different amps and CDT. The end game was that none of the upgrade paths provided a significant difference in sound quality across the range. So, in simple terms, mission accomplished and the bug is buried!”

“Andrewwnbanks” was another reader to report coming to the end of his hi-fi journey. But, unlike others, he took a more philosophical view, pondering whether it was due to his age as much as the system itself (which features some very premium parts, including a Cary DMS700, two Pass Labs XA60s, a Music First Baby Ref v2 preamp and B&W 802d speakers).

“It sounds wonderful, but I wonder at the age of 62 whether I can hear everything the system can do? [...] When I had our house built in Thailand, I planned for the hi-fi, with particular power supply and room size requirements. And triple glazing for the one neighbour, a Thai doctor next door to us. Thinking of others! I don’t envisage any additions to this going forward… as good as it can get, really and probably better than my hearing,” he wrote.

Our hot take

Hi-fi is a passion that can easily become an obsession. We understand that at a personal level, as fellow enthusiasts who have devoted significant portions of our professional and personal lives to hunting for the best hi-fi.

We’ve said before: hi-fi is getting better, so to some degree, it is possible to make it a lifelong journey; there's always the potential to improve on what you already have if you have the budget to stretch a little further. But that doesn't mean you have to upgrade, just for the sake of it, or feel pressured into it.

We’d urge readers to listen to some of the more moderate voices in our ranks and remember: it should be fun!

Ultimately, we chase sonic perfection because we love music and want to make it shine on the best system possible. But we don’t want to break ourselves or go bankrupt doing so.

As our technical editor, Ketan Bharadia, constantly says: “If you can’t hear the difference, congratulations – you probably just saved yourself a lot of money.”

Words to live by, if ever there were any.

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It's 10am on a stiflingly hot Monday morning, and a Soundcraft mixer is giving Adrian Nettleship a headache. The sound is only coming out of one channel – the friend who it belongs to thought the XLR port was at fault, but that's working fine, so Adrian and his fellow repairers have connected an oscilloscope to it to follow the signal and attempt to pinpoint the problem. But so far, no joy. "I need a KitKat," Adrian says.

He's part of the Forest Fixers, a group of volunteers who run regular repair cafes throughout the London borough of Waltham Forest. Usually, they’re open to walk-ins – they get a lot of kitchen appliances like toasters and coffee machines – but today it's a closed shop. That's because today is audio day.

We're in the headquarters of the Forest Recycling Project (an unaffiliated group who let the Forest Fixers use their place) in Walthamstow, east London, on a side street between a builders' merchants and Maggy's Slots gambling centre.

Half-empty tins of reclaimed paint line the shelves, along with all kinds of pre-loved fabrics and other materials, all waiting for new homes. But all eyes are on the table in the middle, where audio devices belonging to the Forest Fixers and their friends lay awaiting repair. I'm hoping to learn a thing or two.

Fix up, look sharp

Stumped by the mixer for now, Adrian leaves it in the hands of two other Fixers while he turns his attention to his faulty Pure Jongo T6X Bluetooth speaker. He fires it up and you can immediately hear the problem – the signal is distorted, clipping the bass. He suspects it's the capacitor.

To find out, he opens up the speaker, plays a sine wave through a signal generator app on his phone, and by isolating one channel at a time, he can see where the distortion is coming from – one channel sounds fine, but the other is squelching something rotten. It seems like he's getting somewhere.

The dedication is admirable (though they're only just getting started – one of the Fixers tells me they once spent four weeks fixing an Amazon Basics shredder). But I can't help but wonder, wouldn't it be simpler just to replace it? We reviewed the Jongo range back in 2014, so it's had a good innings.

It's so old that the mobile app is no longer supported – Adrian can only control it using his old phone, which he keeps for this very purpose. But that's hardly the Forest Fixers spirit – this lot love a challenge.

They're not the only ones. Repair cafes have exploded in popularity in recent years. In 2024, the Open Repair Alliance reported that there were over 4000 community repair groups active around the world.

This has been driven by the cost-of-living crisis and a desire to reduce the environmental impact that comes with throwing things away the minute they stop working well. Repair cafes are also a good chance to see friends and meet new ones over tea and biscuits, and – today at least – have a good chinwag about all things audio.

That's what's brought Lukas Kuhn here today (well, that and a desire to get his NAD 3020i amp back up and running). "I love nerding out with people about audio," he says. He's also brought along a Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 standmount – there's nothing wrong with it; he just wanted to bring it along.

The NAD, however, has seen better days. It’s only outputting at low volumes and sounds muffled. A couple of the fuses have blown, there’s a lot of dust inside (as you would expect for a device manufactured in 1991) and the capacitors have leaked. But I can't hang around nerding out too long – there's been a development over at the Soundcraft mixer.

"We were having trouble getting the signal to pass through the fader and come out of the output, and that's because we didn't understand how the board worked," Adrian says.

"But we found a button on the effects side, and now we've been able to reproduce the problem as reported: the left output isn't working. And we can see that because we've got signal on the right-hand side but not on the left-hand side."

Two hours in, and they've confirmed that it's broken. In the world of amateur repairs, this is what progress looks like.

Undaunted, they move on to the next step: opening it up to find exactly where the signal is going wrong.

This is easier said than done, as instead of being secured with a few screws, the top plate is attached by every single fader knob on the unit, as well as multiple nuts complete with washers.

But another volunteer, Karl, a BBC sound engineer for the last 40 years, is happy to take it on. "Now this is a job that AI can't do," he says. Before adding with a grin, "I've got to go soon, so it won't be me who has to put it back together."

We're also getting somewhere with the Pure speaker. One of the capacitors feels warm, so volunteer Stefania Fantini hooks it up to her Yukiloon inductance detector.

The result? Inconclusive. But with the PCB board exposed, Adrian Googles the make and model in the hope of finding a data sheet. He's out of luck, though he does find replacement boards for sale online. But £150? No chance. Maybe another KitKat is in order.

A tricky fix

Organiser Lisa Percival has been running Forest Fixers for three years. She stresses that the volunteers are enthusiasts rather than experts – they're fitting this in among busy work and family lives, and since they lost their council funding, they're all doing it unpaid.

"These devices are more involved than what people usually bring into our repair cafes," she says, adding that they're able to fix about half of what comes through the door. As if on cue, the doorbell rings.

It's a husband and wife with their Gen Z son. The son was bequeathed a record player by a relative, but they can't get it working. While today's event isn't supposed to be open to the public – the Fixers have their hands full already – Lisa lets them in anyway.

The turntable is a Pioneer PL-112D from 1974. The platter won't spin. But once it's taken out, the problem is obvious – it's the drive belt, or lack thereof. It's completely perished over the years.

The motor is running fine, as the spindle rotates without any problem. A replacement drive belt is quickly found online for a fiver. With that in place, the PL-112D should be playing records again.

This isn't the first record player the Forest Fixers have seen (one person didn't realise they had to keep the case lid open to make the deck play). It's not even the oldest music player they've fixed – people have brought in gramophones in the past.

But it's still a win, one that will keep a perfectly good turntable in the family and help a young man enjoy vinyl for years to come. The family leave, elated they've got it working again. That's worth £5 of anyone’s money.

As for the NAD amp, Soundcraft mixer and Pure speaker… when I left, they were still works in progress. But given how much time they dedicated to an Amazon shredder, I’ve no doubt the Forest Fixers will find a way or, at the very least, exhaust all possible avenues.

DIY FYI

So what advice should we take away from this? Well, in most cases, trying to fix a device yourself will invalidate the warranty, so if it's a relatively recent purchase and it's broken through no fault of your own, the manufacturer or retailer should fix it or replace it. But if you're dealing with older devices, here are a few tips.

If there's the option, try a factory reset first, as that often solves a lot of issues. Check the forums online, as often someone will have posted about a similar issue and how they fixed it.

The more common the device, the more likely someone has a solution – I was told that when HomePods fail, it's often the same component, which will help you diagnose the problem (and source a replacement part) a lot quicker.

If you are intent on taking your device apart, I would take time to learn a bit about what you're doing first. Otherwise, you could damage the device beyond repair, or worse, end up injuring yourself. Forest Fixers PAT test all devices to make sure they're safe, and so should you.

Keep plenty of containers (like eggcups) around for storing screws, and take photos of the device at various stages for reference – there’s nothing worse than trying to reassemble something from memory alone. Search online for the data sheet to work from, and get the right tools – a screwdriver with a long handle is a must. And if you get stuck, have a KitKat.

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Topping is back with yet another DAC.

Hot on the heels of its recently announced E50 II budget model, which arrived at just £199 / $189, Topping is once again targeting the more affordable side of the market with the new DX1 II desktop DAC / headphone amplifier.

The new unit’s digital-to-analogue stage is built around an ES9039Q2M ESS DAC chip. It features a dual-DAC architecture which combines twin digital to analogue convertors on a single chip to process the left and right audio channels independently, to reduce distortion and improve audio fidelity.

The DX1 II also uses a 16-core XU-316 XMOS chip to handle input-signal processing, aiming to deliver “exceptionally high dynamic range and ultra-low noise” while minimising channel crosstalk. The analogue stage features a fully balanced architecture, again designed to lower distortion and improve sonic performance.

The DX1 II supports hi-res PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz alongside DSD256. In terms of connections, the digital side is covered by a USB-C input as well as an optical input and output, while line outputs include stereo RCA and balanced 4.4mm. For personal listening, 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone outputs are provided.

The new DAC grants access to Topping’s ‘Parametric EQ’ system, allowing for control of frequency, gain and bandwidth across ten customisable bands so users can tailor their sound to their needs and preferences.

Thanks to its compact dimensions and modest weight of 275g, the DX1 II is intended by Topping to be portable if needs be. The manufacturer promises that the aluminium enclosure is robust enough to handle being throw into your bag and taken on your travels.

At the front of the DAC’s body is a multifunction rotary control dial, sitting to the right of a large LED display which shows core vitals such as volume level, file sample rate and input/output selection.

The new Topping DX1 II is available from July in black, white or silver finishes, priced at £119 / $119.

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Two landmark rock albums from the 1970s are now available in the reel-to-reel tape format: Fleetwood Mac and ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres.

Each album was meticulously duplicated in real time from a 1:1 copy of the flat analogue master tapes. This means a “master-quality listening experience that captures the full dynamics of the recording without the surface noise or groove wear of vinyl,” according to the albums’ label Rhino, which is the legacy arm of Warner Music.

So what about the tape itself? The 15 IPS (inches per second) half-track 1/4-inch tape is produced to the IEC equalisation standard on premium RTM LPR90 tape stock and stored on a 10.5-inch metal reel.

To play them, you will, of course, need a dedicated reel-to-reel tape machine.

And the albums? Released in 1975, Fleetwood Mac (also known as The White Album) was actually the second album of that name to be released by the band. It marked a change of course, with newcomers Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks lending a more pop-driven sound. It wasn’t a huge success at first, but reached number one after a year of the band touring. It has now been certified platinum nine times over.

Tres Hombres came out in 1973, and was ZZ Top’s first gold record. It signalled a mainstream appreciation of the band’s gritty Texas blues-rock sound, with tracks such as La Grange, Jesus Just Left Chicago and Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers establishing the Top as a major force in 70s rock.

Both albums are limited to 500 copies, and are available only from Rhino.com, where they cost £228 / $300 (around AU$430) each.

Rhino is currently working through the Warner Music back catalogue and releasing select albums on the reel-to-reel format. It recently announced Joni Mitchell’s Blue, and has previously released albums by Curtis Mayfield, The Stooges, Yes and T.Rex. Each comes with archival-grade packaging to honour the album’s original intent both visually and aurally.

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Vertere has upgraded its Award-winning phono stage once more. The Vertere Phono-1 LX is the new and refined version of the excellent Phono-1 MkII L, and features improvements both within and cosmetically, promising to be the product's "most significant evolution yet."

The latest generation of the Phono-1 handles both moving coil and moving magnet cartridges, and features a wide range of adjustments so that it can be used with just about any price-compatible cartridge fitted to your turntable.

The Phono-1 LX's upgrades include a new, higher-quality PCB board that's built for long-term reliability, while retaining the same internal circuit. The internal DC power supply uses upgraded components to deliver a more stable, consistent and lower noise feed to the audio circuitry, while the mains power input has been improved to reduce the amount of interference entering the unit.

Additionally, a two-way earthing switch ('Earth Lift' or 'Earth Connection') now replaces the three-way switch in the older model for easier use and longer service life.

All together, Vertere promises these upgrades will result in less noise, higher dynamic range, "razor-sharp" spatial imaging and "a vocal texture so lifelike, the performance feels present in the room."

Considering we already think quite highly of its predecessor, we're intrigued to find out just how much of a difference these upgrades bring to the performance.

Vertere has also taken the opportunity to further polish up the unit's design, with the aim of offering "a visual presence worthy of the engineering within."

So that the Phono-1 LX is more visually consistent with Vertere's high-end, five-star Calon phono stage and its Award-winning DG-X turntable, the phono stage's casing now has a finely textured metallic finish, the LED power indicator is now a blue-green colour, and the top fixing screws have been removed for a seamless look.

As before, the Vertere Phono-1 LX comes in four finishes: silver, black, orange and black acrylic. The price has gone up a fair bit this time, with the new phono stage now costing £1650 / $2399 / AU$3250.

We have a sample of the Phono-1 LX that we've been testing, so stay tuned for a our full review very soon.

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Moving magnet vs moving coil: which cartridge is right for you?

Above, you can see the Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT, sitting on a bookcase at the back of my living room. It's a fairly recent addition to my system, but one that I've quickly fallen in love with.

A big part of that is because it is, in fact, my very first turntable. I've been involved in lots of turntable reviews in my 19 years at What Hi-Fi?, but it's taken until this year for me to get a deck home.

Honestly, it's pretty much transformed my music-listening, taken me back to the pre-streaming years when I would buy an album and listen to it on repeat until its tracks had been absorbed at an almost molecular level.

My family has been loving it, too: the artwork, the process of placing a record on the platter and lowering the arm, the rich sound quality – it's all so tactile and rewarding.

As you can imagine, though, my vinyl collection is currently minuscule – just eight records – so I decided to add a fairly inexpensive streamer to my system, too.

The WiiM Pro Plus came highly recommended by my colleagues Kashfia Kabir and Harry McKerrell, and I now know why: its detailed, crisp and rhythmic delivery is great for the everyday streaming I'm doing between vinyl plays.

The good news is that both of these bits of kit, both of which I use at home and wholeheartedly recommend, are currently available with big discounts: the Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT is available for £399 at Richer Sounds, and the WiiM Pro Plus is down to just £175 at Richer Sounds.

The Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT is one of the best entry-level decks we've tested.

We awarded it five stars for its wonderfully balanced performance, praising its ability to sound detailed, insightful and rhythmic while remaining approachable for vinyl newcomers. It also helps that it's beautifully made, with a premium finish that makes it feel much more expensive than it actually is.

Bluetooth support is the icing on the cake, giving you the flexibility to pair it with compatible speakers or headphones if you want to – I've got it wireless connected to a pair of KEF Coda W Bluetooth speakers, as it happens.

The WiiM Pro Plus earned the same five-star verdict for very different reasons.

It's an astonishingly capable music streamer for the money, with support for just about every streaming service you could want while delivering a sound that's clean, expressive and engaging. It extracts an impressive amount of detail from recordings, with plenty of drive and precision to keep music sounding lively and entertaining.

What I particularly like about this pairing is that it means you don't have to choose between analogue and digital. When I want the ritual of putting on a record, the Pro-Ject is ready to go. When I just want instant access to millions of songs while I'm lazing on the sofa or working from home, the WiiM takes over seamlessly.

Of course, there are better turntables and better streamers available if you're prepared to spend significantly more. But if you're looking to build a hi-fi system that covers both vinyl and streaming without spending a fortune, this combination is hard to beat.

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Here are all of the best turntables and music streamers you can buy right now

During Prime Day, I always get asked, “are there any good cheap turntables?”

It’s not surprising given how vinyl, and retro hi-fi in general, seems to be growing in popularity with young people (heck, I caught my niece rocking wired headphones the other day!).

And, because I’m lazy, I have decided to address the sea of questions asking exactly that during this year’s Prime Day, here, in one handy article.

And it’s both good and bad news. Yes, there are two very good cheap turntables available right now that will delight hi-fi newbies or people looking to add a cost-effective record player to their existing system. But the deck we recommend most hasn’t had a Prime Day discount.

First up, for people who value audio quality above all else, but are on a tight budget, we have our standard recommendation, the Pro-Ject Primary E.

This is the cheap turntable we have recommended in our best record player guide for years, and the top option right now. It’s available on Amazon, and pretty much all of the specialist hi-fi retailers, for its bog standard £229 (ignore the save £20 icon on some shops, it’s been that price for ages).

The turntable offers the best audio quality you will find for less than £250, and has a pleasingly simple plug and play nature. That’s why we have recommended it for so long; our review verdict sums it up:

“There is a whole cavalcade of budget turntables flooding the market – from Crosley, Lenco, Audio-Technica, Majority and more – with fancy features, electronic speed change, and built-in preamp speakers in snazzy, trendy-looking designs. We can see their appeal, but remain unconvinced when it comes to their sound quality.

“We have no such reservations about the musically entertaining Pro-Ject Primary E. For a beginner’s vinyl revival path who has this kind of budget and is more fussed about getting the best sound from your records than about features such as record ripping and automatic operation, the multiple Award-winning Primary E could be just the ticket.”

That’s as true now as it was in 2018 when we first wrote it.

And if you’re getting a sense of déjà vu, there’s a reason: I have written a version of this piece every Prime Day since I joined What Hi-Fi?.

The only downside for the Pro-Ject Primary E is the lack of an in-built phono stage. This means you need to have an amp or system with one built in, as well as a pair of speakers, to get it running.

If that’s a problem, I am pleased to report there has been one cool development since my last warning against bogus turntable deals; we have a new cheap unit with a built-in phono stage to recommend.

Say hello to the Sony PS-LX3BT, a five-star entry-level turntable we recommend to proper hi-fi newbies who don’t own, or want, a separate system. The unit has a solid built-in phono stage, an equally easy plug-and-play nature as the Primary E, and comes with the added allure of Bluetooth connectivity.

The unit is available for £220 (save £79) on Amazon, though the retailer is reporting only having one left in stock. The next best price is on Sevenoaks Sound and Vision which is selling it for £223.

The Sony PS-LX3BT is a stellar option for people who want a just-add-speakers set-up – if you don’t already own a stereo pair, we recommend the Award-winning Dali Kupid, which cost £299.

The only reason we don’t recommend the Sony over the Pro-Ject overall, is that, during testing when we ran the two head to head, we found the Primary E is still the top dog for audio quality at this price. If plug and play simplicity is your main priority, however, the Sony is the one to get.

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Check out our Prime Day 2026 hi-fi and home cinema deals guide

With all the madness of the Prime Day sale, you might have missed that today is Global Beatles Day. Started in 2009 as a thank you to the world-conquering band, it's a celebration of all things The Beatles. And we thought we'd get in on the act.

Why 25th June? That was the day in 1967 when the band performed on Our World, the first live multinational multi-satellite television production that saw them broadcast in 14 countries simultaneously, being seen by up to 700 million people. That's when you know you've made it.

If that's got you in the mood, or you just want to revisit some classic albums, here are the best Beatles LPs and the best turntables to play them on.

The best turntables for listening to Beatles records

The best Beatles albums on vinyl

A few months into my new job as Managing Editor of What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, the ink barely dry on the ‘S&V’ rebrand, an Apple press release arrived about a new portable music player, roughly the size of a pack of cards, that could hold a thousand songs.

I had joined What Hi-Fi? in 2001 from the computing and technology press, already fluent in digital and the impact the internet was having. I’d even met Steve Jobs. But in the rarefied world of hi-fi, all the iPod warranted in our November 2001 issue was 70 words in the News in Brief section, headlined “Apple’s MP3 Jukebox”.

But hey, What Hi-Fi? had been going 25 years by then – it had already seen a lot of newfangled things come and go.

A quarter of a century on from that passing mention, the iPod that changed everything is itself a museum piece – while the physical formats that downloads then streaming were supposed to kill are having the last laugh. The vinyl revival continues apace, CD sales are enjoying a resurgence, and even cassettes are back in style.

And still, What Hi-Fi? covers it all – informing a growing global readership on how to enjoy more from your music, TV and movies – however and wherever you choose to consume them.

In my ten-year tenure at What Hi-Fi?, I was Managing Editor, Editor, Editor in Chief and Brand Director. I oversaw the launch of international editions, moved our test rooms to Teddington, hosted a decade of What Hi-Fi? Awards, and sat through more format wars than I care to remember – SACD vs DVD-Audio, Blu-ray vs HD-DVD, DTS vs Dolby vs THX and more. I watched plasma televisions rise, peak with Pioneer’s extraordinary Kuro and then quietly surrender to LCD (until OLED entered stage left).

I’d seen the hi-fi industry begin to consolidate, some great names disappear, and a few genuinely visionary engineers transform the way the world enjoyed music and movies.

We were never afraid to tell people what NOT to buy, either, especially during those febrile format wars. In the short-lived era of DVD recorders, with competing ‘standards’ to choose from, we urged consumer caution – our national media campaign of ‘Don’t buy a turkey for Christmas’ cost us a lot of advertising pages from irked manufacturers (my name was mud in the C-Suite).

But first, back 25 years to a day when all these things seemed utterly insignificant. On 11th September 2001, I was at a far-flung printing plant with our Production Editor, press-passing the latest issue of What Hi-Fi?. We weren’t entirely happy with the colour balance of the magazine since the redesign, so we were onsite to work with the printers to get things spot on.

Back then, a press pass involved much sitting around in a break room – TV news on in the background – waiting for the presses to be loaded up with the next section of the magazine. You’d then go into the print room – roaring presses churning out thousands of pages a minute – to review and agree output with the technicians.

Just before heading in to pass the first magazine section, the TV cut to pictures from New York, where it seemed a plane had accidentally hit the World Trade Center. By the time we took our next break, the second plane had struck the Twin Towers, and we realised the news was much, much darker.

The rest of that afternoon was surreal. Around us, other magazine makers and print staff were moving between stunned silence and urgent phone calls – frantically checking whether anything in their forthcoming issues needed to be pulled, whether any feature or advertisement was suddenly, horribly wrong for the moment. The ordinary machinery of publishing, grinding on, because it had to.

Somehow, we completed the press pass, before spending the night in a regional hotel, drinking endless cups of tea, glued to the TV watching history unfold through our tears. Magazine making had never felt more futile.

Let’s lighten the mood with tales of when things went wrong for more innocent reasons. Such as the Moscow launch of What Hi-Fi? Russia, where one magazine executive slid off his stool mid-presentation after too much local vodka. Or the time the repro house forgot to add any of the adverts into the Buyer’s Guide section (plenty of white space to write notes in that issue).

Or the infamous cover-flap incident.

We had a big subwoofer test that month, and the cover promised – in the largest, boldest type we could fit – BIGGER BETTER BASS. What nobody thought to check was how it sat under a promotional cover flap that was running on that issue. Which is how a magazine about high-performance audio came to sit on the nation’s newsstands with BETTER ASS screaming at passing shoppers in giant capitals…

My ten years at What Hi-Fi? raced by, in a rhythm of CES launches, Bristol Hi-Fi Shows, manufacturer press trips, ‘Summer of Sport’ TV-test specials, IFAs, What Hi-Fi? Awards, bumper peak-season issues, and the growing demands for online content.

All this and many, many hours sat on a test-room sofa, evaluating products with the best team – energetically debating up to (and beyond) publication about the merits of particular products and technologies, discovering new music, perfect test tracks and more. (The ‘new’ music I introduced was most likely something recorded before I was born. Sorry not sorry.)

It was a magazine of many Andrews – four of them in the editorial team at one time – including the inimitable Andy Clough, editor extraordinaire, whose dry wit, attention to detail and peerless industry contacts powered What Hi-Fi? into the 21st Century. ‘Cloughie’ was taken far too young, as was legendary Buyer’s Guide editor, Caroline Osborn, who notched up four decades of What Hi-Fi? service. The team was hugely enriched by her diligence, kindness, and cake tins of awesome chocolate brownies.

Because brands and technologies rise and fall, but it’s people – yes, even in the age of A.I. – that make the difference. Happy 50th Birthday, What Hi-Fi?!

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In 1976, Steve Wozniak demonstrated his Apple 1 prototype computer a few months after he, Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne founded the company; Peter Frampton released what would become one of the best-selling live albums in history; and JVC launched (and won) the video cassette format war against Sony’s Betamax with its VHS (Video Home System) player.

It was also a golden year for hi-fi – particularly in Britain – and not only because What Hi-Fi? arrived in newsagents for the first time, the debut (mostly black-and-white) issue claiming to provide the price of every piece of hi-fi equipment on sale in the UK.

Arcam and its debut A60 amplifier were born, KEF launched the first speakers to benefit from computer-aided design (CAD), and Pioneer released a new king in the ‘Watt Wars’ era with its SX-1250 receiver.

At that time, the main concerns of an electronics engineer were, according to Cambridge Audio’s head of engineering, Nick Brown, “analogue performance across a handful of inputs, whether the remote control worked across the room, and whether the packaging survived a drop test.” Amplifier design was, he says, already hard, but today it’s a different discipline entirely.

And the same can be said when it comes to wider hi-fi sources and electronics, loudspeakers, and audio-enhancing accessories that weren’t even necessary way back when. We asked several hi-fi brands to pick the technological groundbreakers that changed it all…

An expanding canvas of features and protocols

For Brown, the technological landscape has gone from balcony garden to sprawling arboretum, now that modern amplifiers must handle an array of analogue and digital connectivity, connect reliably to TVs, PCs, gaming consoles and Bluetooth devices, and sometimes incorporate networked and wireless technologies.

“Control might come via an IR remote, a Bluetooth remote, or a mobile app,” he adds. “Customers want sound profiles they can adjust. Regulators want the whole thing running in under half a watt in standby and waking up in seconds.

“Every one of those connections has to be tuned, verified and tested for consistency. Take eARC, for example: supporting it properly means testing against as many television models as we can get our hands on, because TV manufacturers implement the standard differently, and what works perfectly on one television can behave unexpectedly on another. The specification exists, but the real world doesn't always follow the rules.

“The knock-on effect across the whole development process is significant. Where product development once drew on a relatively small core team, it now pulls in software engineers, network specialists, UX designers, compliance experts and more – all working in parallel, all needing to get it right. Perhaps the most telling sign of where things have landed: our fastest-growing team right now isn’t electronics or software. It’s QA [Quality Assurance].”

Along Brown’s line of reasoning, it’s not one game-changing technology per se, but the nature of the game changing entirely. Not only has the hi-fi world expanded to accommodate the mushrooming features brought by digital and the internet, but it has also had to learn to play ball with the ever-expanding world of household electronics, ordinance and all.

Digital disruption on sound quality

Of course, the arrival and continual maturation of digital audio have played a pivotal role in how hi-fi has transformed not just logistically but also sonically in the past 50 years. QED engineer Jon Jeary highlights the Compact Disc as “the ultimate game changer” for democratising access to high-end hi-fi.

“Suddenly, a system costing only a few hundred pounds could potentially rival vinyl or reel-to-reel setups that had cost thousands just a few years earlier,” he says, recalling an experience he had between 1976 and the earliest years of the CD.

“The year What Hi-Fi? launched, I bought the latest Steve Miller Band album on vinyl,” says Jeary. “On the way home, the record warped slightly in the summer heat. Played on my father’s respectable and relatively expensive system – a Garrard SL75B, Trio KA2002 amplifier and Wharfedale Kit speakers – the first track on each side suffered audible wow, flutter and even a jump.

“Yet we still loved the music and accepted the limitations: pops, clicks, end-of-side distortion and a restricted soundstage. That skip simply became part of the song.

“Nine years later, I heard the same album on a friend’s Philips CD104 [player]. The difference was astonishing: no scratches or jumps, an inaudible noise floor, perfect stereo separation, negligible distortion and a ruler-flat frequency response.

“For the first time, I realised as a student I could realistically own a system capable of challenging my rich uncle’s prized Revox reel-to-reel setup.”

Digital audio formats and technology ushered in a different – and technically ‘better’ – sound, but their watershed innovation – network streaming – introduced problems of its own, and, according to Chord Company’s Patrick Mitchell, the quest to solve them has had a huge impact on the modern audio engineering landscape.

It has allowed hi-fi streaming to be the game changer it has become in the high-end space.

“Optimising a digital system has introduced a whole new set of environmental variables that simply didn't exist when we were spinning isolated discs,” says Mitchell. “When you introduce a network streamer, the audio system becomes physically connected to the broader domestic data network – an environment originally designed for office computers, smart TVs and home appliances; not delicate audio signals.

“Standard home networks are inherently noisy environments, and that hidden electrical noise can heavily mask the subtle details that make recorded music sound real.”

While hi-fi has always grappled with the detrimental effects of external noise, streaming has, Mitchell says, removed the natural isolation of physical media, which more or less has a self-contained playback loop.

He argues that in order to maintain audio quality in digital streaming systems, the network path needs to be treated “with the same care and engineering prestige traditionally reserved for premium analogue playback”.

For a cable company such as Chord, this has blown the windows wide open for creating devices that break that unhealthy electrical path and strive to reduce noise, such as network filters and switches.

Parts progression

While the same types of parts are by and large the same for analogue designs as they were 50 years ago, componentry has improved as techniques, materials and research have, and naturally you now have digital elements in the hardware mix.

“The list of improved parts and techniques is almost endless,” says Cyrus’s managing director, Nick Clarke, whose list of examples includes the use of phase change materials for heatsink bonding and a higher current handling in a given transistor package for an amplifier output stage.

For Jack Oclee-Brown, KEF’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, one specific part-progression stands out as particularly groundbreaking for the hi-fi market: the magnet.

Magnets are crucial elements of loudspeaker, headphone and phono cartridge design; they convert electrical signals into mechanical movement in speakers and headphones, and vice versa in cartridges.

“In 1984, a new type of magnetic material based on the element neodymium was developed, offering far higher strength than previous materials,” says Oclee-Brown, adding that neodymium magnets are still the strongest type commercially available today.

“Toward the late 80s and early 90s, neodymium magnets started to find their way into audio products and brought about a technical revolution. At KEF, we used this new type of magnet to allow us to miniaturise the loudspeaker tweeter, placing it at the centre of the midrange driver to create our famous Uni-Q driver array.

“Headphones could be made smaller, lighter and more portable; products like Apple’s AirPods could not exist without neodymium magnets. Whatever you might think of the sound quality, neodymium magnets allow tiny speakers to be buried inside our phones and tablets.”

Magnets in audio (and other industry) applications are also a ‘watch this space’ solution, says Oclee-Brown, who says that they need more research and innovation. “Neodymium magnet demand is rising year-on-year, and the search for greener and more sustainable alternatives is an important field that some companies, like Niron Magnetics, are already working on,” he adds.

From educated guesses to simulated trials

So we have the quantum leap from analogue to digital in how we consume and perceive sound, the many more features to engineer (and engineer around), advanced and innovative componentry, and the closer relationship to the wider technology of the home to accommodate.

But arguably just as significant are the ‘behind the scenes’ technological advancements that shape how audio design, engineering and manufacture look today.

In his 38 years as an audio engineer, during which time he has designed and built products for the likes of Audiolab, Arcam and Harman International, Nick Clarke calls out the impact of Computer Aided Design (CAD) as the biggest change.

“When I started in this industry [1988], there wasn’t any,” says Clarke. “We laid out circuits manually after sketching the idea on paper using black tape on a sheet of plastic at a 2:1 scale so that you had a chance of producing this by hand. This was then sent away and photo-reduced to a 1:1 master, from which the (usually) single-sided PCB was produced.

“There was no link to the mechanical parts of the product design, so that required a lot of work to ensure the PCB and the mechanics matched, and the components were large through-hole parts that were manually fitted and hand-soldered.

“The whole process was costly, labour-intensive, time-consuming and fraught with opportunities for something to go wrong, with absolutely no error checking other than either peer reviews, or building it, seeing what you had done wrong and going around the loop again.

“Today, you have extremely advanced CAD software for both the PCB and the mechanics, which link together in such a way with a vast amount of automated checks that it is virtually impossible to produce a PCB that has errors that would prevent manufacture or doesn’t fit in the casework.

“It is, too, like American mathematician and computer scientist Richard Hamming said: ‘The purpose of computers is insight, not numbers.’ Not only does the use of computer design allow for more accurate ‘doing’, but also more extensive experimenting.

“We can now use simulation tools for trialling circuit ideas or the thermal efficiency of heatsinks – tasks which in the past would have been very educated guesses at best or total blind alleys at worst,” says Clarke.

“It’s no substitute for clever ideas or innovative design, but they allow you to try a lot more things a lot more quickly and that collectively drives higher performance across products at every level of the market.”

Similarly, Peter Comeau, the IAG Group’s director of acoustic design for brands including Mission, Wharfedale and Quad, singles out the monumental impact of advanced measurement methodology and the arrival of simulation tools on speaker design.

“When I first became interested in loudspeaker design, as a teenager in the late 1960s, measurement typically consisted of hoisting a baffle high above the ground on a crane with a microphone suspended a yard or so from it,” Comeau remembers.

“Then, in the ’70s, anechoic chambers became more prevalent, and we had Bruel & Kjaer sweep [noise] generators and a pen graph response tracer to help view frequency response and harmonic distortion.

“Today, there’s a whole raft of measurement systems and software analysis and simulation to help, stretching from laser scanning of cones and domes to crossover software optimisation.

“Does this actually help us design better loudspeakers? The short answer is ‘yes’; we can make better diaphragms and motor systems, control cabinet vibrations successfully and simulate the power response of loudspeakers in rooms.”

Like Clarke, Comeau commends such technology’s ability to speed up prototyping and trialling, as well as facilitating a greater understanding of the problems involved in achieving good sound.

Despite that, however, he still champions what has, since and prior to 1976, been crucial to obtaining that end goal: using our ears: “The process of hours and hours of fine-tuning, experimentation and tweaking that is as relevant today as it always was.”

It hails back to Clarke’s point that, while technologies are advancing, they only work if, in his words, “you have the knowledge of how to use them and what they can do for you (and sometimes, more importantly, what they can't).”

The technological game has changed significantly in the past five decades, absolutely; but designer and engineer know-how remains at the heart of it all as much today as it was back then.

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Cassettes are going the way of vinyl, with sales up 53 per cent last year in the UK, hitting 164,000 units. This is not solely a British phenomenon – 446,500 tapes were sold in the US in the same year, an increase of 17.5 per cent year-on-year.

Which got me thinking. Could we see the OG portable cassette player, the Walkman, make a comeback? And not as a Walkman-branded phone or digital music player, but as a proper, bona fide tape player? As the proud owner of at least two Walkmans during my childhood, I certainly hope so.

Here's why the time is right for the Sony Walkman to once again strut its stuff.

1. A big anniversary is coming

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating the iconic player's 40th birthday – but its 50th is just three years away.

Mark the date in your diary: 1st July 2029. That's when the grandaddy of portable tape players hits the half century. The world of music on-the-go has changed massively since then, with first compact discs, then MiniDiscs, digital downloads and now streaming all having their time in the sun.

But the backlash against digital is building. As vinyl's sustained resurgence has shown, people are willing to put up with the inconvenience of physical media if it makes for a more rewarding experience. While no one's arguing cassettes are the last word in sound quality, they certainly have their appeal. A special edition Walkman would make the perfect 50th birthday present from Sony.

2. Sony is no stranger to special editions

Sony loves a special edition product. Recently we reviewed the Sony 1000X The Collexion, which was launched to celebrate a decade of Sony's world-conquering 1000X wireless headphones.

Sony deserves credit here. It would've been very easy for it to release the Award-winning WH-1000XM6 with a slightly different finish, but instead, it chose to launch a proper standalone product.

Admittedly they 'only' scored four stars, as opposed to the fives that Sony headphones are accustomed to. But it shows that Sony is not above celebrating its heritage, and in the most appropriate way possible – by releasing something new.

3. The digital backlash continues

No one's arguing with the convenience of streaming, but more and more people are seeing the appeal of physical media. It's tactile, it gives you more of a connection with the artist, and it's easy to display and show which artists you like. You can't put a stream on your shelves.

This cuts across age groups. Yes, there are those of us old enough to remember vinyl and cassettes the first time around, but Gen Z is also discovering the joy of cassettes. (It helps that they're much more affordable than vinyl.) As Sound Records' owner Gareth Simon told us earlier this year: "The kids have figured it all out – they see vinyl as a way to express their interests in a physical form."

I recently used the Gadhouse Miko Bluetooth cassette player, and while I wasn't enamoured with the sound quality (especially over Bluetooth), I did get an undeniable thrill out of feeling the cassette turning inside the player. As I wrote at the time: "Seeing the cassette's spokes revolve, and feeling the player's mechanism at work in your hand, makes it feel alive in a way that a solid-state device never will. It connects you to the medium as a physical thing, rather than a bunch of ones and zeroes flying through the air."

4. The nostalgia element

I'm not alone in feeling this nostalgic thrill. Whenever I told anyone I was trying out a portable cassette player that has Bluetooth, the reaction was the same: "Cool!" Or a slight variation thereon. Now admittedly these were all men of a certain age, but you get my point. Cassettes have made a comeback. And so should the Walkman.

Whether Sony should stuff it with mod cons like Bluetooth... sure, I mean, why not? As long as it sounds good. And if it can implement the mega bass feature of my childhood Sony WM-EX16, then even better.

But really this is about celebrating an iconic product that changed the face of portable music half a century ago. Make it so, Sony, and I'll get my pre-order in now.

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Bang & Olufsen has unveiled its Beosystem 3000c Dune Grey Edition, a compact music system comprising a restored Beogram 3000 Series turntable alongside a pair of modern Beolab 8 wireless speakers.

As part of the Danish brand's 'Recreated Classics' initiative, the limited edition Beosystem 3000c setup pledges to "bring together the tactile ritual of vinyl and the flexibility of contemporary listening in one compact music system".

At the centre of the setup is an original, restored Beogram 3000 Series turntable, the first of which launched in 1985, sporting a lightweight tonearm and B&O's 'Optimum Pivot Point' technology for reducing vibrations from interfering with playback.

In case you're unfamiliar, the Beolab 8 are wireless speakers with built-in network streaming capabilities, supporting Tidal and Spotify Connect alongside Chromecast AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth 5.3. To get a standalone pair, you'll tend to pay around £2199 / $2749 / AU$4499.

The Dune Grey Edition of the Beosystem 3000c pairs grey aluminium with dark walnut details on both the speakers and the turntable, a combination "inspired by the tones and textures of the Nordic coastline".

Getting hold of a system will put you in a rather exclusive club. The Beosystem 3000c Dune Grey Edition is limited to 100 pieces worldwide, with each unit individually numbered, engraved, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

According to Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, Director of Product Circularity at Bang & Olufsen: “Our Recreated Classics programme goes beyond the preservation of nostalgia. It is about honouring the fact that exceptional audio designs continue to matter to people over time. The Beosystem 3000c represents a more intentional way of listening, built around ritual, presence and emotional connection to music".

The Beosystem 3000c Dune Grey Edition is available now from selected B&O stores, priced at £22,800 / $30,000 / €27,000.

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What makes a good radio? Clear sound and strong reception are fundamental, but high on the priority list should undoubtedly be ease of use. With multiple stations to access if you’ve got FM or DAB tuners, not to mention vast internet radio options and the added bonus of Bluetooth streaming in today’s digital radios, navigating your way through the multitude of options and hitting upon exactly the station you want within seconds is no mean feat.

Luckily, Roberts has some expertise in this area. The British brand has been making radios since 1932, with recent models including the network streaming-enabled Stream 94L (which is a former Award-winner) and our current favourite, the tiny but mighty Revival Petite 2.

The Roberts Stream 219 internet radio is the latest addition to the stable, and it packs in plenty of features for the £150 asking price.

Features

If you’re a radio fan, you are well catered for. FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners are included for your local stations, while you can fire up any internet radio station from around the globe thanks to the onboard wi-fi powers.

The Stream 219 has multiple buttons and dials to find your way across the numerous stations and sub-menus, and the controls feel swift and intuitive. This means scrolling through a long list of local DAB+ stations and switching between sources doesn’t take long at all, with every option labelled clearly.

You can also save up to 60 presets – 20 each for FM, DAB and internet radio – with five dedicated preset buttons available on the unit to quickly access your favourite stations. Handy.

The Stream 219 isn’t just a radio, it caters to wider listening habits as well: Spotify Connect and Bluetooth streaming are on board, and there is even a portal for podcasts.

Physical connections include a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a USB-A port, for plugging in sources like an MP3 player, or USB sticks and hard drives filled with music files (MP3 or WMA, no hi-res playback here). You can also charge your smartphone using the USB-A input. Handy.

All sources can be easily selected from the main menu, which is the small colour display on top of the Stream 219. Simply spin one of the dials to select your source, and the sub-menus will give you options to choose stations in a variety of ways – by region, popularity, genres or simply by searching for it.

All of these actions can be done by twiddling the dials and pressing the sturdy buttons, or a combination of both. It can be complex at first, but we find the actions become second nature once you’ve done them a couple of times.

If accessing the thousands of internet stations through the unit feels unwieldy, you can download the free Oktiv app for a more streamlined control from your smartphone.

In the Stream 219’s settings menu, you can set dual alarms; choose the sound quality level (we left it on high); check your network settings and software updates; set the display’s brightness levels and more. Inputting your wi-fi password will be the most laborious part of the radio’s set-up, but you’ll only need to do it once. We transported the Stream 219 between our home office and our work office, and it connected to the respective wi-fi networks with no prodding on our part.

One final bonus feature is that if you love listening to radio plays, sports coverage or the Shipping Forecast late into the night, there is a 3.5mm wired headphone port for private listening.

Build & design

The top of the radio’s unit that houses the controls, dials and 2.4-inch LCD screen is positioned at a slant, which makes it easy to access from most angles. We also found that this glassy surface is a dust magnet, so we would keep a microfibre cloth at hand for a regular clean.

The screen shows off album artwork and station logos in full colour, although the contrast weakens when viewed from an angle.

That aside, the buttons and dials feel reassuringly tactile when used. We like the physical dials for adjusting the bass and treble levels, which lets you tweak the sound on the fly, as you see fit.

The unit itself is a fairly chunky size to accommodate two 7.6cm (3-inch) full-range drivers within. We have become accustomed to Roberts’ heritage-styled radios that feature lovely leatherette coverings and wood panels, so this more minimalist, ‘modern’ look is a little bit of a departure, prioritising practicality over more luxurious details. The cabinet’s plastic build feels a little cheap to the touch, but it is a robust build overall.

The mainly mains-powered Roberts Stream 219 can also be turned into a portable radio, hence the sturdy carry handle integrated into the unit that makes it easy to carry the radio from your kitchen to the garden. You’ll just need to buy and slot six AA batteries into the back of the radio to make it portable.

Sound

The sound quality of FM/DAB radio will in part depend on your proximity to a local transmitter, and luckily we enjoy a strong reception as we test the Stream 219.

We play a variety of broadcast radio and music streams – World Cup news, Seattle's KEXP internet radio station, the No Such Things As A Fish podcast, a few hours of calming Classic FM, and our Tidal and Apple Music playlists over Bluetooth – and find ourselves getting along with the Roberts radio’s sound with ease.

The sound is clear and projected well into the room, with no sharpness or coarseness to the treble, although it starts to shine bright at higher volumes. There is no flab or undue boominess in the bass, either. Songs such as Alt-J’s Breezeblocks and The Beatles’ Come Together flow with a steady, agile rhythm, and there’s a good amount of detail when we tune into the news or start tapping along to Guy Garvey’s finest curated tracks on BBC 6 Radio.

While the radio doesn’t quite convey the wide-ranging dynamic scope of a full orchestra, or of the plunging basslines in Billie Eilish’s bad guy, there is a good amount of breathing space between instruments in the mix. Edges of notes sound tidy, and the sound projected into the room is pleasingly clean and open.

We find throughout our testing time that the midrange sounds a touch hollow, which robs voices of some natural warmth and solidity. As a result, the subtler inflections from presenters and musicians don’t come through with as much expression and subtlety as we’d like.

When so much of broadcast radio is dependent on the spoken word, this is a noticeable chink in the Stream 219’s armour. Tweaking the treble and bass levels balance the midrange somewhat, but doing so compromises other elements of the Roberts’ sound; this is where we wish there was a dial dedicated to adjusting the mids.

In comparison, the smaller, Award-winning Revival Petite 2 radio lacks the scale of its bigger brother, but it does offer a more cohesive and detailed sound that is more engaging to listen to. There’s more texture to instruments and voices, with personalities and nuances coming through with greater warmth and dexterity. Admittedly, the Petite 2 does lack the network features of the Stream 219, but there’s only £50 between the two radios.

Verdict

The Roberts Stream 219 gets full marks for its feature set and ease of use. It’s bursting at the seams with multiple music-playing options that would put some premium wireless speakers to shame and, despite the complexity, the physical controls are reliable and nice to use.

We think there’s room for improvement when it comes to sound quality, but it’s a decent performance overall. If you’re after this capable radio’s particular mix of talents at this modest price, you would be well served.

Review published: 17th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 5

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How do we get more young people into hi-fi? It’s a question numerous audio engineers and What Hi-Fi?'s team of experts have pondered for many moons.

The answer is tricky to nail down because, as Bob Dylan famously sang, the times are changing, so what worked for one person, even a few years ago, may not be the silver bullet we need to help spread the gospel of good sound right now.

Which is why, when AudioQuest unveiled a new version of its DragonFly portable DAC at High End Vienna 2026 – a device that was the gateway to better sound and start of a lifelong hi-fi journey for many people when it launched in 2012 – I couldn’t resist the urge to chat with its director of marketing, Stephen Mejias, to see if the brand has similar aspirations for the device with Gen Z.

To my surprise, for the DragonFly specifically, the answer is no. But AudioQuest does have some thoughts on how brands should approach the challenge.

A happy accident in the early 2010s

Talking to What Hi-Fi?, Mejias openly told us the original DragonFly’s success with younger listeners was more of a happy accident than an intentional effort.

“[We] are thrilled that DragonFly has reached as many people as it has, but we’re also realistic. We are not actively trying to attract younger music fans with any of the products we develop, but we’re certainly not trying to turn them away either. We want to create products that help as many people as possible enjoy their music, movies, and games to the greatest extent possible,” he said.

“Occasionally, as has been the case with DragonFly, that will mean reaching a relatively younger audience. We love that. But any success in reaching younger listeners was not so much the plan as it was a wonderful by-product of a job well done by everyone involved.”

He added this has not changed with the new DragonFly Copper, which the brand has designed with the same performance-per-pound (or dollar) focus.

“AudioQuest products are designed to represent outstanding value and performance within the context of their prices, and we do endeavour to create products that will appeal to anyone interested in enjoying more immersive, more emotionally compelling listening experiences. [But] it would be disingenuous to say that we have a plan for attracting younger music fans.”

But it does have a hot take…

Despite not overtly focusing on attracting younger audiences, Mejias told us AudioQuest does have some theories about why so many hi-fi brands are struggling to attract Gen Z – and what can be done to change the situation.

The main issue is that traditional hi-fi, which involves large racks and lots of excess space for products, according to Mejias.

“Young people are relatively active, their time is limited and spent doing multiple things at once [...] they are not just stopping all other activities to listen to music,” he told us.

“[They] do not have a lot of space that they control – that is, they don’t yet own their own homes, but rather either share an apartment or flat with roommates, live in dorms at school, or at home with their family – and they haven’t fully established themselves in the workforce. All these very important factors are in direct opposition to a pastime such as audiophilia that demands dedicated time, a controlled environment, and often lots of money.”

Which is why he thinks more affordable, portable, or at the very least plug-and-play systems are more likely to appeal to younger fans than traditional separates.

“The answer seemed clear to me then and remains so now: if we, as an industry, truly want to attract a younger audience, then we should make products that young people actually want to own, at prices they can actually afford, and that fit into their lifestyles,” he said.

“The fact that DragonFly is small, portable, works with mobile devices, makes an obvious and meaningful improvement to any music file played through it, is pretty to look at, fun to hold, and is relatively affordable does indeed make it attractive to a more diverse audience than, say, a pair of monoblock amplifiers and full-range loudspeakers.”

Mejias isn’t alone in his belief. US analyst firm Market Reports World, listed DACs, active speakers, and personal audio equipment as growing markets for the 18–34 demographic. Numerous traditional hi-fi firms have also cited systems, both active speakers and all-in-ones, as key growth areas. Cambridge Audio cited attracting younger music fans as a key reason it launched its new L/R Series of active speakers earlier this year.

Do you agree with Mejias? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Focal has a new flagship active wireless speaker system, and you'd better start saving it you want to get your hands on one.

The new Focal Diva Alta Utopia sits at the summit of the brand's Diva Utopia range, which is made in collaboration with sister-brand Naim Audio. As with the rest of the range, the new system offers built-in amplification alongside wireless streaming powers in a pair of floorstanding speakers – and it's the largest, most powerful and most expensive model yet.

We reviewed the first of the range, the five-star Diva Utopia system in late 2024, and found it a very impressive offering.

Focal pledges that this new flagship Alta Utopia system is "aimed at the most demanding audiophiles looking for an exceptional system", taking the ingredients of the established lineup and elevating them to new heights.

The Diva Alta Utopia features a new generation of the brand's 'Prism' tweeter, a 27mm unit which combines multiple materials for "the perfect balance between lightness, damping and rigidity".

That tweeter is complemented by a reinforced 13cm 'M-profile' midrange driver, with carbon reinforcement and a sealed enclosure that aims to offer a detailed, natural sounding mid-frequency reproduction.

Four 20.5cm woofers in each tower tease a deep and articulate bass, while a 16.5cm 'W' mid/bass driver uses a cone with two sheets of glass on either side of a central foam body, which, says Focal, grants the ideal blend of lightness, rigidity and damping.

The active system packs a huge 600 watts of Class A/B power per speaker, which is distributed over four dedicated amplifiers to provide what Focal says is an "exceptionally wide" sound with "no dynamic compression".

Thanks to the implementation of Naim's Pulse streaming platform, the flagship system can accept high-resolution files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM. The Diva Alta Utopia uses Focal's 'Ultra Wideband' technology to ensure 24-bit/192kHz wireless support between the speakers, and a hi-res connecting cable is also provided.

'Focal Time Management' tech is integrated, wherein the speakers' drivers are arranged in a curved arc to obtain a more consistent and realistic sound image at all times. This design is in keeping with Focal's Utopia series of passive speakers.

Streaming support is extensive, with UPnP compatibility allowing you to stream digital files across a home network from a NAS unit, and the system is compatible with the most popular platforms, such as Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz. AirPlay 2 and Google Cast are also on board, while aptX Adaptive codec support allows for 24-bit Bluetooth playback from a compatible source.

For physical connections, the primary loudspeaker houses HDMI eARC, optical, USB-C and RCA line-level inputs, and an ethernet port if you prefer a wired connection to the internet. Those physical connections are mounted to a curved heat sink, designed for maximised thermal dissipation, while an aluminium base aims for optimised airflow and better ventilation.

The Focal Diva Alta Utopia is available now, in five distinct finishes: Grey Felt, Ivory Felt, Black High Gloss, Off White High Gloss, and Dune High Gloss.

The price? A rather hefty £165,000 / $199,999 / €190,000 for the felt finishes and £175,000 / $210,000 / €199,990 for high gloss. That's considerably higher than the original Diva Utopia we tested at £29,999 / $39,999 / AU$59,999 per pair.

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Best active speakers: our experts pick the top pairs with built-in amplifiers

The High End Show is always a fun time for hi-fi enthusiasts. Bringing together the crème de la crème of premium audio under one roof, the expo always delivers a wealth of sonic treats.

And despite changing location to Vienna, from its traditional Munich, this year’s show was no different. Our team on the ground saw everything from swish new premium B&O speakers to chic new CD systems from Ruark.

But for me, there was one shining star that attendees may have missed, due to its pocket-sized nature – the new DragonFly Copper from AudioQuest.

Why am I choosing a tiny mobile DAC / headphone amp over the sea of premium separates and speakers at the show as my highlight? The answer is a simple one; I’ve got history with the DragonFly.

The dalliance started in 2012 with the launch of the original DragonFly DAC. Though I grew up with hi-fi and continued to enjoy it as a young adult, the DragonFly was the first piece of audio hardware I reviewed as a journalist. As the saying goes, you always remember your first.

But that's not the main reason I remember the unit so fondly; it was also a top performer that genuinely revolutionised how I listened to music on the go at the time.

People may not remember it, but 2012 was a pretty dire time for mobile audio. I know that because I also reviewed mobile phones during the period and can personally confirm their audio quality was pretty poor.

I loved my Nexus 4, but, like nearly all of the phones at the time, its audio was sub-par, even with a decent pair of wired cans attached, and it wasn’t alone. Pretty much every laptop, tablet and mobile device you could use as a source didn’t cut the sonic mustard back then.

So having this tiny, affordable USB dongle that, to put it bluntly, just made things better, was a lifesaver – especially for a 20-something who regularly had to take red-eye flights across the pond for work.

We may be used to the idea now, with other players, including iFi, releasing a steady stream of similar products, but the DragonFly was the first properly good mobile DAC I experienced.

Which is why it has a room reserved in my memory palace, and I was genuinely a little sad when the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt DAC went out of production and was removed from our best DACs guide earlier this year.

It’s also why I was elated to see it return at High End Vienna and can’t wait to get a unit in for review and see if the new Copper lives up to the DragonFly’s legacy.

If even a smattering of the firm’s performance claims – which range from improved current efficiency to significantly meatier output power – ring true, then we could be in for quite the treat.

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Wharfedale has revamped its top-of-the-range Elysian series of loudspeakers.

The Elysian Series R now replaces all of the five established models in the range, including the five-star Elysian 4 floorstanders, promising "elevated engineering and an even more captivating musical performance".

The new line-up consists of the Elysian 1R two-way standmounts, the Elysian 2R three-way standmounts, the Elysian 3R and 4R three-way floorstanders, and the Elysian CR centre channel.

Wharfedale describes the new R range as an evolution of the previous Elysian speakers rather than a full-scale reinvention, with components revisited and refined to deliver "greater accuracy, transparency and musical realism".

The Elysian R range deploys enhanced 'Air Motion Transfer' (AMT) tweeters, designed for greater sonic resolution and accuracy alongside ultra-low distortion. The AMT tweeters have been updated with a new "ultra-light" pleated diaphragm, with an "enlarged, high-specification design" combined with the acoustically damped rear chamber. This should result in a more open and effortless quality to the high frequency performance.

Apart from the smaller Elysian 1R, all of the new speakers house a 15cm midrange driver with a cone constructed using a woven glass fibre matrix, which Wharfedale promises results in "astonishing realism and tonal accuracy".

Depending on the model, either an 18cm or 22cm glass fibre matrix bass driver is used, which has also been refined alongside the motor system, in pursuit of better depth and control at the lower end of the frequency range.

Wharfedale's the Slot-Loaded Profiled Port returns to work alongside the bass drivers, while the brand has refined other areas of the speakers throughout. These include revised crossovers to improve transparency, and components and circuit board layouts chosen for the shortest signal path and less electromagnetic interference.

For the cabinets, all five Elysian R models feature Wharfedale’s latest Panel Resonance Optimisation System (PROS), whereby a multi-layer construction of woods of differing density is accompanied by strategic bracing for enhanced structural integrity and reduced panel resonance.

All five Wharfedale Elysian R Series speakers will be available from late June in a choice of matt black, matt grey or piano lacquered walnut wood veneer finishes. Prices are as follows:

- Elysian 1R standmounts: £3499 / $5995 / AU$7999 per pair (stands £399)
- Elysian 2R standmounts: £4999 / $8495 / AU$11,999 per pair (stands £449)
- Elysian 3R floorstanders: £5999 / $9995 / AU$13,999 per pair
- Elysian 4R floorstanders: £6999 / $11,995 / AU$15,999 per pair
- Elysian CR centre channel: £3499 / $5995 / AU$7999 (stand £449)

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"It's the last physical format we'll ever have." How the demand for CDs, tactility and good design led to Ruark's new R710 streaming amplifier

Best floorstanding speakers 2026: budget to premium models tested by our experts

When Ruark Audio launched the R410 all-in-one system and R610 streaming amplifier in the last couple of years, the 40-year-old brand thought it was done with CDs. These hi-res streaming-laden music systems also featured radio tuners and a phono stage, but silver disc playback was never part of the picture.

But then everyone started asking about CDs, says owner and managing director Alan O’Rourke. That led to an optional CD drive being offered that you could connect via USB-C to any of the R100 series, but a more integrated solution was clearly needed.

The new Ruark R710 streaming amplifier with integrated CD player launched at High End Vienna 2026, and it shows just how strong customers’ demand for CD playback currently is. This reflects reports across the wider hi-fi and music industry, where physical media as a whole has been on the rise for years, buoyed by vinyl’s astounding continual popularity, and a slow but steady rise in sales of CDs as well.

A recent BPI report shows that CD sales rose by 3.1 per cent to £99.6m last year, which is the format’s best annual revenue total since 2021. As a more portable and wallet-friendly alternative to vinyl records, CDs still have such great appeal – and new releases are the driving force behind the sales, too.

"As human beings, we're natural collectors – we like to collect stuff"

The yearning for more tactility with our music and products is another trend that goes hand-in-hand with the popularity of physical media, too. While streaming remains unquestionably dominant, O'Rourke says he doesn’t see the demand for CDs or CD players going away now.

“It’s the last physical format we’ll ever have,” he says, with CD's sound quality proving to be still comparable to (and more permanent, and lossless than) that of streaming services. And they're cheaper than vinyl records, too.

When I spoke to Alan ahead of the High End Vienna hi-fi show, he said that he feels the CD resurgence is thanks to the younger generation as well as those of us who have had our collections for decades. We might discover music via streaming, but then buy it on CD (or on vinyl record) if we like it enough.

"As human beings, we're natural collectors – we like to collect stuff," he says. As opposed to the idea of never actually owning your music, with it being "there in the ether somewhere... I think it's nice to have a CD or vinyl you can actually hold. It's nice to, every now and then, get a CD out and play it".

"I think that's what will happen with the R710," says Alan, with people easily able to play a CD from their collection when they want, and realise – as many people did with vinyl – that it still "sounds pretty good".

Ruark says the CD player integrated in the R710 is a proper CD drive mechanism, not a ROM or DVD drive such as we’ve encountered in cheaper recent products, with the brand saying they’re on their 4th or 5th mechanism supplier now – and it’s of good quality, we’re assured.

Ruark’s inclusion of a CD player in its newest product isn’t a one-off curiosity, either. The more affordable R series of products includes the table-top R3 system, which has long included a CD player alongside radio tuners and Bluetooth/Spotify.

The R3 (now in its R3S iteration) is still a big seller at home stores such as John Lewis in the UK, along with the smaller R1 radio. “As hi-fi guys", says Ruark, the team were surprised by how many people were buying these compact products.

Ruark was founded in 1985 with passive speakers, but around the turn of the millennium when the BBC was pushing DAB radio the brand decided to pivot from traditional hi-fi speakers into something a little different, more compact, and more lifestyle-friendly. And so the first R1 DAB radio launched in 2004 – and these small-box, integrated radio systems have become almost synonymous with the brand ever since.

Over the years, a series of What Hi-Fi? Awards – for the MR1 desktop Bluetooth speakers, the R1S radio, the R2 Mk4 radio/streaming system – are a testament to the high quality of sound and build you get for the price.

Home is where the art is

Long-time product designer, Jan Paoli – whose first product when he joined Ruark was the turning-point R1 radio – says that the ethos at Ruark HQ has remained the same for the past decades: “We make the products we want in our homes.”

While new technology offers more possibilities, the products’ conception and design remains all about what people – including those on the Ruark team – genuinely want to listen to, look at and enjoy in their houses.

Hence the physical design of the R710 – as with all current Ruark products – is such an integral part of the brand. O’Rourke’s father – the late Brian O’Rourke – was a cabinet maker, and made the wooden cabinets for brands like KEF and Wharfedale, creating the first Ruark speakers with son Alan working as an engineer alongside him.

That heritage follows through in today's products. Ruark's products often look rather beautiful too, with care taken over the cabinets and aesthetics. We find that they fit into most homes and have wider appeal, especially for those customers who wouldn't look twice at a traditional hi-fi separates system but still want great-quality sound in a box that looks stylish, too.

In the flesh, the R710 looks fantastic to our eyes. It follows the same design language as the five-star R610 streaming amp, with wooden details, a large full-colour display screen, and the now-iconic RotoDial controller at the top of the unit which lets you control all aspects of the R710 physically rather than by using an app.

There's a matching Bluetooth remote too, which further extends the tangible connection to the music system. It’s all about offering tactility – Ruark says they’re hearing “people are fed up with touchscreens; they want buttons again”.

Cleverly, the CD drive mechanism is hidden in one of the wooden slats at the front of the unit. It’s near-invisible, but the slot loading mechanism works smoothly when loading and ejecting a CD. You can see it in action in the video embedded below, or on our Instagram page:

Keeping up with the times

Anyone thinking Ruark is only harkening back to the ‘good old days’ of CD and vinyl, and 70s-inspired design, will be pleased to know that the R710 is also packed with modern streaming features.

Yes, it can play CDs and you can connect a turntable to it thanks to the built-in MM phono stage, but the R710 also has networked streaming and DLNA compatibility so you can stream hi-res files from any connected storage.

Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and Spotify Connect are also supported, while you can easily stream from devices using Bluetooth (aptX HD), AirPlay and Google Cast. Internet radio is on board, and there is even HDMI ARC connectivity for integrating into a home cinema system.

The only thing the R710 doesn’t seem to have is integrated FM/DAB tuners, which the R610 does. However, the R710 packs a bigger punch with 200W of Class D amplification per channel, a huge step up over the more compact R610’s 75W per channel. It’s also a slightly bigger unit, with the R610 looking almost petite next to its bigger brother.

All you need to do is add a pair of speakers, and to help with that Ruark has launched the fourth-generation Talisman-R floorstanding speakers alongside the R710.

With its trademark sloped baffle (a design carried on from the 1990 original), updated drivers, improved cabinet bracing and decoupled front baffle to further reduce colouration to the sound quality, the new floorstanders are matched – acoustically and aesthetically – to work with the R710.

Listening to the R710 and Talisman-R duo

I recently had a chance to listen to this new R710 and Talisman-R pairing at the High End Vienna 2026 show. The usual caveats about listening to new products in an unfamiliar environment on a busy trade-show floor should be implied, although admittedly the Ruark demo room was nicely isolated from the noise outside it, even if the room wasn’t fully acoustically treated.

We were treated to a few tracks played via Qobuz Connect during the brief demo, and were met with a rich, lush tone that sounded smooth, punchy and detailed. The R710’s increase in power seems to be evident in the ease and confidence with which it handles plunging, deep basslines, as well as the punctuality of notes. It comfortably filled the demo room with a large-scale, open sound, while voices sounded well integrated.

The piano notes in Bruce Springsteen's version of A Rainy Night In Soho certainly sounded solid and richly textured, with Springsteen’s voice coming through all earthy and, well, lush. The overall impression was one of smooth confidence, with greater authority and a good handling of subtle dynamic shifts and engaging rhythmic drive.

Ruark says the team spent a lot of time integrating the drivers on the Talisman-R to get a "natural" sound, with the use of natural materials throughout – silk dome tweeters, fibre woofers – aiding the resultant sound signature. The sloped baffle has been further damped and isolated in this latest model, which promises to improve things even more.

Considering the previous Talisman III received an effusive five-star review from us for its rhythmically exciting, expressive sound, we can’t wait to hear how the new speakers – and the R710 – perform when we get full review samples into our dedicated test room in due course.

It’s hard to separate the sound of the R710 from the Talisman-R – but that’s kind of the point.

We found when testing the R610 and Sabre-R bookshelf speakers that they fit together like pieces of a musical puzzle with the seams near-indistinguishable, and it seems Ruark has repeated the trick with the new pairing. As always, we’ll also be testing the two products individually to see how they fare with price-compatible components and rivals.

The R710 is priced a bit more premium at £2199 (the R610 is £1199), while the Talisman-R are yours for £1500 – as the Sabre-R found, there's no shortage of formidable rivals on the market when it comes passive speakers, so they'll have their work cut out. You can buy the products separately or as a bundle when they're available from October.

When we spoke to Alan O'Rourke earlier this year about the changing trends in hi-fi over the past 50 years, he said that he has seen this rather niche, hobbyist hi-fi industry start to increasingly cater to modern tastes and common budgets, positing that it's now "probably more about hi-fi for the whole family, which is a bit like a radiogram being the centre of home listening again. The market has moved towards making hi-fi more accessible and ensuring it has a wider-ranging appeal”.

With Ruark's visual appeal and living-room friendly design, not to mention the various ways you can listen to music through products like the new R710 – BBC radio, CDs, vinyl, Spotify, hi-res streams – it certainly shows that hi-fi can be accessible, modern and – potentially – offer great sound quality, too.

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It’s been a tricky few years for Onkyo.

Historically better known for its AV receivers, the Japanese company filed for bankruptcy back in 2022, but not before offloading its core home AV and hi-fi division to a joint venture between Premium Audio Company (the parent company of Klipsch, Integra, Magnat and others) and Sharp.

It teased a return at the end of 2024 before finally launching new hi-fi electronics and an affordable line of powered speakers at CES 2025.

That range of electronics was called ‘Icon’, and it’s the Onkyo Icon A-50 streaming amplifier that you see before you here.

It’s a strong choice of name – but can the level of performance on offer match it?

Price

Priced at £1199 / £1599 / AU$3299, the Onkyo lives in a space where there isn’t too much in the way of major rivals.

The one potential stumbling block to its success is a big one, though. It comes in the shape of the Ruark Audio R610 (£1199 / $1599 / AU$2299), a What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 winner, no less.

This neat box of tricks offers similar functionality to the Onkyo and has a price tag which is comparable in both the UK and the US.

There is a bit of a gap in pricing when you look at the Australian market, but we think it’s the product most people are likely to compare it to.

Design & build

Once unboxed, first impressions are mixed. Onkyo has gone down the traditional full-width separates route for the Icon A-50 as opposed to the slightly more stylish and more modern design of the Ruark.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with 'traditional', and from a distance everything appears perfectly well-appointed – all the various controls, buttons and switches seem to be proportionate and in the right place.

Once it’s powered up, that sliver of orange LED on the volume control sharpens up the amp’s appearance nicely. It contrasts neatly with its black surround and matches the ladder of LEDs that arcs around the input selector. Each rung glows orange as you cycle through the various options until you arrive at your desired input.

However, your contact points feel a little, dare we say, cheap. The top of the chassis, despite having an attractive pattern of vents, doesn’t feel the most robust.

The power button, depending on how it’s pressed, can make a quite off-putting springy noise, while the volume control makes quite a substantial clicking noise around halfway up its travel.

We weren’t quite sure why the amp was doing this, so we reached out to Onkyo, who told us “to prevent the product temperature from becoming high, the power supply for the amplifier is designed to switch between two levels, low and high, depending on factors such as the volume value, internal temperature sensor, and speaker output level".

It’s a strange quirk and something that we haven’t come across on a product like this before. It’s also something that we did find distracting during testing.

The textured finish to the input selector feels nice to the touch, but the control’s actual movement is a little soft and not quite as precise as we’d like.

Add all the design and build elements together, and we’re left with a feeling that we’re not quite getting our money’s worth.

The supplied remote is a relatively ordinary plastic wand which contains all the basic buttons for changing input, volume and accessing the tone controls.

It does the job without too many complaints, although a couple of times, when controlling the volume, the dial seemed to briefly resist and even go in the opposite direction before rotating the desired way.

Features

Speaking of controls, you are encouraged to download Onkyo’s Controller app before you begin set-up.

Companion apps for anything streaming-related can be hit and miss in our experience, and the Onkyo’s isn’t without issue. There’s plenty of functionality built in, for sure, but it struggles to gloss over what is all too often a frustrating and buggy experience.

What should be a simple set-up process is hampered by an over-complicated and overly fussy menu system and an app that is generally slow and sluggish to respond.

Tidal Connect worked smoothly as you’d expect, but the Amazon Music implementation is sluggish and buggy. On one occasion, we are streaming music using the service through the Controller app and the icons for skipping tracks disappear from the screen on our iPhone 15 Plus.

Through the app, you can access the Onkyo’s basic Dirac Live room correction or the built-in Fidelity IQ calibration. Both of these can use the microphone, which comes with the amplifier and plugs into the corresponding socket on the front panel.

Depending on your room layout and characteristics, you might want to stick with how they calibrate the sound, but we preferred them both turned off. In our acoustically treated rooms, Dirac Live sounded a little lightweight, while the Fidelity IQ option seemed to change the balance and boost certain frequencies at the expense of others, resulting in an unbalanced sound.

Instead, we would suggest actually flicking the switch on the front of the A-50 to turn on Direct mode. With this mode engaged, your music won’t pass through the amp’s tone control circuit and instead travel on a slightly shorter signal path.

In our opinion, it makes a subtle, yet audible difference to the sound quality. Music sounds slightly cleaner and more transparent.

During testing, there were a couple of bugs that cropped up when experimenting with Dirac Live, Fidelity IQ, and Direct mode. On a couple of occasions, the amplifier went rogue and turned the bass up in the tone controls when switching between them. The Onkyo would also occasionally mute the sound when switching between Dirac Live and Fidelity IQ.

We actually found the best part of the control app to be the volume control. Tapping the button on your screen launches a pop-up volume dial, which you slide your thumb around. The dial’s action is nice and smooth, and the amp is quick to respond.

On the front of the amp is a 6.3mm headphone socket, and four LED indicators next to a ‘my input’ button, which you can use to assign a particular source and sound settings to a single preset.

Around the back are three analogue inputs, two optical digital inputs, one coaxial digital input, a USB-A input for an external storage device, an HDMI ARC socket and a phono input for the moving magnet/moving coil phono stage.

Bluetooth connectivity is also included, which allows you to not only beam music to the Onkyo from a smartphone or tablet, but also transmit Bluetooth audio to a pair of Bluetooth headphones for, say, some late-night, wireless listening. The amp is compatible with SBC, aptX and aptX HD codecs.

The networked A-50 can cater for virtually all your streaming needs with support for Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Amazon Music and TuneIn internet radio. It also supports AirPlay, Chromecast and is Roon Ready.

Sound

The Icon A-50 is claimed to deliver 110W per channel (into 8 ohms) using Class A/B amplification. During testing, we have it hooked up to our reference bookshelf speakers, the Epos ES-7N, and the amplifier seems perfectly at home driving them.

We start with a track or two from our Naim Uniti Core server accessed through the controller app, and we like what we hear.

Playing Lady Gaga’s Starstruck, the A-50 puts its best foot forward. The track sounds punchy, weighty and piques our interest with a lively and spacious sound.

There’s plenty of scale and size to the soundstage, too – the Onkyo sounds bold and forthcoming, but doesn’t sound overpowering. It’s nicely measured in its approach.

Bass notes hit with weight and authority, but it’s not just about the amount of bass. There’s decent detail and texture there too, and the difference in intensity between each low-frequency blow is easy enough to distinguish.

We wheel out the five-star Ruark R610 for comparison, and although it sounds smaller scale and less open, you do get a much greater sense of focus and precision compared to the Onkyo.

The current What Hi-Fi? Award-winner sounds more sure of itself, displaying greater composure and also has the edge when communicating the rhythmic flow and dynamic shifts of the track.

We slow things down with George Michael’s Careless Whisper and the Onkyo’s large, expansive delivery comes to the fore once again. It’s nice to listen to and does a fine job of separating the various elements of the track.

However, the vocal isn’t delivered with quite as much conviction or precision, nor does the saxophone sound as solid or dynamically dexterous as it is when heard through the Ruark.

Having said that, the A-50 still sounds balanced. There’s no sign of any brightness or hardness at the top end, and you certainly couldn’t accuse the Onkyo of delivering unruly and overly keen bass frequencies, either.

We play the same two tunes over Tidal Connect and Bluetooth, and the amplifier remains in character. Yes, the compressed Bluetooth versions sound just that, but the Onkyo maintains its broad, expansive personality.

Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for the phono stage. Connecting a Rega Planar 3 RS Edition and playing Lukas Graham’s Happy Home, and we are left feeling disappointed by the slightly flat and compressed sound that greets us.

Tonally, there’s nothing too off-putting, and it’s balanced and easy-going enough, but there’s a distinct lack of drive to the synthy bassline, and his normally expressive vocal sounds stunted.

The headphone output, by contrast, sounds tonally grey compared to what we hear from the amp’s speaker outputs. There’s a lack of natural warmth, and detail levels take a hit too.

Verdict

As you’ll have probably guessed by now, we aren’t as enamoured with the Onkyo Icon A-50 as we had hoped to be.

The large-scale, powerful sound it produces shows potential, and there are likeable elements to its sound quality, but it never really comes close to troubling the composure and dynamic finesse of the class-leader at this level.

Combine the questions over build with the buggy app, and the Onkyo feels like one of those products where it’s a good concept on paper, but, ultimately, the execution is lacking.

Review published: 9th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Features 3
• Build 3

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The annual High End Show always treats us to the very best and latest from the world of hi-fi, but this year, the move to a new venue in Vienna, Austria, seems to have invigorated the industry as a whole. There were several new launches and upcoming previews to feast our eyes upon.

We saw big anniversaries, a couple of comebacks and new designs and concepts, all of which showed that the world of hi-fi is in pretty good health.

You can head to What Hi-Fi?'s Instagram channel to see more from the show floor, but below is a curated list of our main hi-fi highlights from the High End Show 2026.

Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5

Bowers & Wilkins is turning 60 this year, and it's gone big with the celebrations. The iconic British brand has updated its flagship 800 Series Diamond speaker range, with the fifth generation imbued with a huge list of improvements, advanced technology and more luxurious finishes.

B&W says this range has been five years in the making and "is the most advanced loudspeaker range we’ve ever made and the ultimate embodiment of John Bowers’ True Sound philosophy". It aims to "deliver a flawlessly accurate rendering of the original recording."

The 800 Diamond D5 range comprises seven models, starting with the 805 D5 standmounters (£10,000 / $15,000) and culminating in the range-topping 801 D5 (£43,000 / $65,000) floorstanders. We heard a demo of the 801 D5 and got a taste of their powerful, authoritative bass and vividly detailed sound – and came away wanting more.

Read our first impressions: I've had a first listen to Bowers & Wilkins' new flagship 800 Series Diamond speakers – and now I'm desperate to hear more

JBL Summit Everest

JBL wants to be on top of the world with its flagship Summit Everest speakers, which are an appropriately mammoth pair, comprising two 38cm woofers and twin 25cm mid/bass drivers, and a large 'Sonoglass' horn working alongside a trio of 5cm compression drivers.

These are the 80-year-old brand's biggest and most expensive speakers: they cost $160,000 per pair, measure 144 x 99 x 69cm (hwd) and weigh 237kg. Phew.

In our demo, they sounded big, powerful and bold, and seemed to handle small-scale recordings with as much gusto and dynamism as more dramatic and demanding tracks.

If our review of the punchy, capable and much smaller five-star Summit Ama are anything to go by, then the Everest should be something quite special.

Read our first impressions: Are JBL’s range-topping Summit speakers worth $160,000? I've had an exclusive listen to find out

Ruark Audio R710

If all of the above seems a bit too rich and too gigantic for your tastes, let us offer something a little more home-friendly.

Ruark Audio's five-star R610 streaming amplifier impressed us hugely with its blend of stunning design, ample feature set and engaging sound, and now it is upping the ante with the step-up R710.

The R710 features the same streaming features and connections as the R610, but boasts a more powerful 200W per channel, a larger cabinet and display screen, and, most important of all, an integrated CD player.

Ruark says it was a popular request with CDs back in demand, and the R710 could be your one-stop music console that can play just about anything. All you need to do is add speakers.

Yours for £2199, the R710 blends “analogue charm with digital convenience” and looks gorgeous in the flesh with the wood details and tactile RotoDial controller on top. The CD drive being hidden in the wooden slats at the front is a clever touch, too.

MORE: Ruark’s gorgeous streaming amplifier blends “analogue charm with digital convenience” and features an integrated CD player

Jamo Concert Element 50

Another brand that is keeping lifestyle-friendly designs at the forefront of its offering is Jamo, whose return is marked with a variety of ranges, from the traditional Concert Legacy speakers to the small, portable, Bluetooth-friendly Hyg range.

But the model that caught our eye is the Concert Element 50 bookshelf speaker, which is intentionally not designed like a traditional speaker to blend into living spaces.

The Element 50 features a concentric circle of drivers and a shallow 18cm cabinet, so it can fit neatly into bookshelves and cabinets. The fabric grille is removable and can be swapped out for different colours.

We liked how fresh and fun this design feels, and with a price tag of £999/$1099 per pair, Jamo is aiming high for sound and design alike.

MORE: Jamo's Concert series gets an encore with two new ranges from the newly resurrected brand

Dali Vega

Dali's all-in-one wireless system is one of the more interesting and innovative designs we saw at High End Vienna. The Dali Vega can be placed on a tabletop or wall-mounted in landscape or portrait orientations, and is designed to be “the most versatile and user-friendly audio source in the home”.

There are thoughtful touches – from the rather lovely control dial to the OLED screen that flips according to the orientation – while there are modes that detect where the Vega is placed and adapts the sound accordingly.

The music system (it's not a soundbar, there's no Dolby Atmos here) has a 400W digital amp powering 8 channels, and runs on the reliable BluOS streaming platform.

With its distinct style and hefty price at £2599 / $4500, it's a more expensive all-in-one system than the Naim Mu-so 2 and Ruark R410, but it could well go toe-to-toe with the even pricier Focal Mu-so Hekla. We're excited to find out after the Vega is available in October.

Read our first impressions: Dali Vega hands-on review

Cambridge Audio Evo 300

Cambridge Audio took to High End Vienna with its most powerful streaming amplifier yet.

The new Evo 300 boasts 300W per channel of Hypex NCOREx Class D power and a new ESS Sabre DAC for playing hi-res files up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512. It's packed the gills with every popular network streaming feature you can think of, along with HDMI eARC and a moving magnet phono stage.

As before, it retains the lifestyle-friendly design with swappable side panels and a larger, full colour display that looks crisp and punchy in person.

In our brief demo, we found that the Evo 300 delivered an open, expansive sound with a good amount of bass weight, although we'll have to spend more time with it in our test rooms to get a full picture.

The Evo 300 is also Cambridge's priciest streaming amp yet, costing £3499 / $3999.

Read our first impressions: Cambridge Audio Evo 300 hands-on review

AudioQuest DragonFly Copper

One of our favourite products from the show wasn't big, expensive, flashy or outrageous. It was the latest small but potentially mighty USB DAC/headphone amp from AudioQuest's celebrated DragonFly range, and we couldn't be more excited.

The now-retired DragonFly Cobalt has been one of our most recommended, easy-to-use DACs for many years, and the new DragonFly Copper is set to take on that mantle.

It has the same small form (albeit with a shiny copper exterior), with a USB-A port at one end and a 3.5mm headphone jack/audio output at the other.

The Copper claims to be the most powerful and efficient DragonFly yet, and it will be on sale from September with a modest cost of £230 / $250. If it can match – or improve upon – the performance we enjoyed from the superb Cobalt, then it could be on to another winner.

MORE: The DragonFly Copper hovers into view as AudioQuest's most powerful and efficient DAC yet

Clearaudio Rammstein

We're used to seeing eye-catching artist collaboration turntables from Pro-Ject (who did debut a new Harley Davidson special limited turntable for €2590), but Clearaudio is also dipping its toe into this arena with its inaugural Artist Series.

The first artist for this collaboration? German metal band Rammstein. The Rammstein turntable stands out with a substantial MDF block chassis with metallic lacquer finish, with internal LED lighting in red or white illuminating the band's name.

The turntable is based on the five-star Concept's engineering, and comes fitted with the T1 tonearm and a specially branded moving magnet cartridge.

Only 1000 units will be made worldwide, and it will be available to buy from October with a price tag of £1990 / $2600. A nice touch is that each turntable will ship with a wooden crate that can be used for vinyl storage, too.

MORE: Clearaudio unveils five (!) new turntables, including a new range and a Beatles tribute deck

Arcam A50 Signature

Another brand celebrating a big birthday is Arcam, who is turning 50 this year (the very same age as What Hi-Fi? in fact) and at Vienna, it went for a more subdued approach in its mature age.

The A50 Signature sits at the top of the Award-winning Radia amplifier range, and is created in collaboration with Arcam co-founder John Dawson, who insisted on looking forward instead of revisiting past designs or creating a nostalgia-driven amplifier.

The A50 Signature wants to be the ultimate expression of Arcam's Class G design, and uses a dual-mono architecture with 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms.

Plenty of care has been taken with the internal circuitry to deliver the purest audio performance possible. It follows the same minimal design language and ample feature set as the Award-winning A15+, with Dawson wanting to ensure that the A50 Signature "remains relevant to how people listen today."

His signature can be seen on the rear cowl and on the PCBs (printed circuit boards) inside, but that's all the flourish you'll get on this £2499 / $3000 stereo amplifier.

MORE: Arcam celebrates 50 years of hi-fi with a new signature amplifier and a premium CD player

Musical Fidelity A1 CD

We'll end this list on a product that isn't a reality yet, but still had us talking about it during the show.

Musical Fidelity showed off a prototype CD player based on a mid-90s design that was affectionately nicknamed "The Frog." Why? Because it used Class A single-ended triodes in the output stage, with the valves sticking out at the back of the unit like the amphibian's eyes.

Like the original Musical Fidelity CDT CD player, this conceptual A1 CD features the same casing and design as the iconic A1 amplifier, with a top-loading disc tray, updated to look sleeker, along with redesigned buttons.

We don't have any more information about pricing or availability of this disc spinner, but it's a charming design, and one we hope becomes a reality soon.

MORE:

7 of the quirkiest, coolest and most expensive things we saw at High End Vienna 2026

Dual takes its "legacy into the future" with a fully automatic direct-drive turntable that you can control with an app

All the news and highlights from High End Vienna 2026

This year's High End Show uprooted itself from its established base in Munich and found a new home in Vienna, meaning a new venue, a new city and, most importantly, the chance for lots of new people to come and see the best that the world of high-end hi-fi has to offer.

While the venue might have been different, one thing has remained the same: the propensity for the High End Show to throw up some mind-blowing marvels for the delectation of thousands of eager punters.

From massive horn speakers to setups costing more than your family home, Vienna has been host to some of the most striking hi-fi concoctions on the planet over the past few days.

ESD Acoustic Super Dragon horn speakers

Ah, the ESD Super Dragon speakers – it's always good to see them.

Not that you can miss the mighty Dragons, mind. We've been crossing paths with the mammoth horn speakers for quite a few years at High End Munich, and now they've flown themselves over to pastures new to wow Viennese audiences with their big sound and unmistakably gigantic horns.

Calling themselves the "biggest hi-fi speakers" in the world, ESD's monsters stand at 140cm tall, weigh 1190kg, and house foiled beryllium and titanium sandwich diaphragms.

Want a full Dragon System? Prepare to hand over $1,531,163 for the "entry level" version. The even higher-end, special edition Super Dragon we saw at Vienna reportedly costs over $3.6 million...

Acoustic Signature Invictus Neo turntable

"We could now write an essay on our Invictus Neo. But this would make no sense. You wouldn’t believe us any­way until you have heard our master­piece your­self".

Now that's how you market your product. If big-money turntables are your sort of thing, you won't find many that will empty your bank balance with the same rapidity as Acoustic Signature's Invictus Neo.

At €184,798, it's easily one of the most wallet-busting decks we saw at this year's High End Vienna show. To justify the price, its makers candidly describe it as "the best turntable in the world".

To live up to such a lofty moniker, the Neo packs six integrated AC motors and an external digital control, as well as a rigid DTD bearing, a diamond-coated spindle, and an anodised aluminium and brass sandwich platter. Oh, and a 15-year warranty to soften that mighty financial blow.

MBL 101 X-Treme MKIII loudspeakers

From its polished website to its richly adorned listening space, it's clear that German audio brand MBL is trying to evoke a sense of luxury from its price-stretching range of hi-fi separates and speakers.

MBL had a number of its enviably high-end wares on display in its Vienna showroom, though there's no question that the 101 X-Treme MKIII were the centrepiece of the company's not-so-modest exhibition.

The 101 X-Treme MKIII house a tweeter, upper-midrange, lower-midrange, and a large twin-layered aluminium sandwich subwoofer housed in a downward-firing enclosure. The speakers' drivers use a radial design made from carbon fibre and aluminium segments, which flex outward to fire sound more evenly throughout the room.

We don't know prices yet, but considering the previous generation speakers sailed north of £300,000, that should give you a good idea of what we're dealing with.

Kharma Enigma Veyron EV1D loudspeakers

We don't know about you, but when we hear the word 'Veyron', we think of Bugatti's iconic supercar from a few years back, which smashed records left, right and centre and was the darling of the Top Gear trio for pushing the boundaries of what a legal road car could do.

Kharma teases similar boundary-pushing levels of engineering with its namesake floorstanders, claiming they offer "a new level of sound quality" and "superior technology that pushes the limits of current dynamic loudspeakers".

At the heart of the Enigma Veyron EV1D is the brand's new Omega C-Driver, engineered in-house with a rigid metal composite chassis and solid silver connectors. Those massive cabinets, meanwhile, are constructed using CNC-milled bulletwood, chosen, according to Kharma, for its "exceptional density and acoustic properties".

The EV1D don't just push the boundaries of performance, either. Some have reported the Kharma towers to be "the most expensive speakers in the world" – at $1.5 million, they can't be far off.

Wilson Audio Autobiography loudspeakers

There are houses... and then there are houses. There are cars... and then there are cars. There are speakers... and then there are Wilson Audio's Autobiography towers. Do you get where we're going with this?

To illustrate our point, the Bowers & Wilkins flagship 801 D5 Diamond Series speakers will cost you £43,000 / $65,000 / €50,000, and that's not exactly pocket change. The Autobiography are a tad pricier at $788,000. That's not a mortgage on a house – that's just a house, and quite a nice one at that.

We don't have the time or the space to tell you everything there is to know, but the key bullet points include seven drive units, handcrafted sculpted cabinets, around two meters of height and a total weight of roughly 1000kg.

AMR Luna Series

AMR is back, and it unveiled at High End Vienna its new Luna Series of ultra-high-end separates. The series includes three new models: the Luna Ingenii DAC, Luna Medii preamplifier, and Luna Procellarum monoblock power amp. AMR claims each will offer "unconstrained audio...conceived without commercial compromise".

Production is limited, though. No more than 176 sets of Luna Ingenii, 186 sets of Luna Medii or 148 sets of the Luna Procellarum will be built. According to the firm, this is mainly due to the scarcity of the components used in each and AMR’s desire to provide lifetime service and support.

AMR describes the Luna Series as boasting "engineering without economic restraint". The Luna Procellarum, for instance, uses a unique four-quadrant FET design in which four complete amplifier circuits operate in concert for every channel.

What sort of money are we talking? If you want the entire system, prices will start to creep beyond £400,000 for the pleasure.

Revox Deep Purple Limited Edition series

Are Deep Purple still considered cool? The jury's still out on that one, but we're pretty confident in saying that Revox's limited edition series, built in collaboration with the British hard rock pioneers, isn't exactly lacking in style.

The range consists of the T77 turntable, the Studiomaster A200 speaker and, as pictured above, the B77 MK III stereo tape recorder, all of which sport a rich blue design and distinctive iconographies as part of their special production aesthetic.

Limited edition really does mean limited, too. Only 25 units of the B77 MK III will be available worldwide, while only 50 T77 turntables and 200 A200 speakers will be produced.

We've got to admit that up close and personal, the exclusive new Revox range really does look the business. We only have one question: shouldn't they have been purple instead?

MORE:

10 of the most exciting hi-fi products we saw at High End Vienna 2026

Are JBL’s range-topping Summit speakers worth $160,000? I've had an exclusive listen to find out

I’ve had a first listen to Bowers & Wilkins’ new flagship 800 Series Diamond speakers – and now I’m desperate to hear more

Moon Audio has just announced the arrival of the 491 streaming preamplifier (£5950/$6500) and 461 power amplifier (£4450/$5000). These fit into the brand’s high-end Compass Collection, alongside the excellent one-box 371 streaming amplifier we reviewed earlier in March of this year.

Given what they are, it would be easy to think that the new pairing is just the 371 split into two boxes. While the products share plenty of technology and design characteristics, it is fair to say that the 491/461 combination is far more adventurous than the integrated could ever be.

It is true to say that both the 371 and 491 use the same streaming platform. This is the well-established Mind 2 module that we’ve seen in all of Moon’s more recent streaming products, and that’s no bad thing. Our experience with the Mind 2 has invariably been good; it has proven slick in operation and impressively stable.

The module’s feature count leaves no obvious holes with network streaming and features the Connect versions of Tidal, Spotify and Qobuz. AirPlay and Bluetooth are also included, and the Mind 2 is Roon Ready certified.

Things are equally positive on the 491’s preamp section with balanced XLR and single-ended RCA analogue inputs alongside a switchable MM/MC phono stage. This phono circuit is impressively flexible, offering a range of loading adjustments to allow owners to really fine-tune the performance of their cartridge.

There is a choice of two RCA outputs (one fixed and the other variable) alongside a balanced XLR option.

The 491 also has a great range of digital inputs, including USB-C (for use with storage), HDMI ARC (2.0b), AES/EBU, optical and coaxial. We can’t imagine many people getting caught short with those on offer.

You will find a pair of ESS 9039Q2M DAC chips (used in dual-mono mode) at the heart of the digital section, and it gives the 491 great hi-res file compatibility with up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 on offer, provided the input can handle it.

The analogue preamp circuitry is more ambitious than that fitted to the integrated 371 and allows the 491 to drive a wider range of external power amps with more conviction than its junior stablemate.

All the circuitry is fed by Moon’s clever hybrid power supply design that combines elements of traditional linear circuits with switched-mode to deliver a stable, low-noise DC power feed.

Two such power supplies are fitted to the 461 power amplifier and allow it to deliver 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms, doubling that when impedance halves. However, the power amplifier can also be switched to work as a standard monobloc or used bridged, where its output climbs to a mighty 450 watts. This opens up the 461 for use in some pretty ambitious systems.

I was lucky enough to have a short, private listening session with the 491/461 combination at the High End Vienna 2026 show, and the experience certainly left me wanting more. All the usual caveats apply here, of course. It's a show environment, so that is not ideal from a sound quality point of view, and the room is unfamiliar, making any definitive judgments difficult.

Even so, there is no denying that the Moon pairing driving a pair of Dynaudio Contour Legacy floorstanders delivers good results. We listen to three tracks: Muddy Water’s Country Boy, the smooth jazz of Chantal Chamberland’s Besame Mucho, and the harder-hitting electronica of Look by Leikeli47. It's a decent spread of music, even though it doesn’t cover all bases, and proves that the system has a broad spread of talents.

This listening experience brought back memories of the 371. The new combination has the smooth and refined character we’ve come to expect from Moon’s products, and, I suspect, greater powers of resolution than the integrated, though it is hard to be sure.

However, the 461’s extra power (the 371 is rated at 100 watts per channel) is obvious in the scale, authority and bass punch on offer. This system goes loud with ease, even in a generously sized listening space.

Lows are impressively taut and agile, but still display a pleasing degree of texture and subtlety, while the highs combine bite, insight and sweetness well. Voices come through with clarity, and rhythmic drive has a decent sense of momentum.

All in all, the Moon 491/461 combination makes a great first impression. We’re due to get the products in for review in the next few months, and we can’t wait to hear what they do in our test room's more familiar surroundings.

MORE:

Read our Moon 371 streaming amplifier review

Meet the man behind Audio-Technica’s new £9999 turntable cartridge

All the news and highlights from High End Vienna 2026

We're big fans of AudioQuest's DragonFly range of DACs / headphone amps, so a new model is cause for celebration. The DragonFly Copper claims to be AudioQuest's most powerful and efficient DAC yet, and builds on the Award-winning Red and Cobalt models.

We're promised "gradual refinements" through better parts and materials. But these refinements should add up to some sizeable gains – the new 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC / headphone amp promises twice the output power of any previous model, while the new Microchip Technology Microprocessor reduces the current draw by 25 per cent and improves supply-chain efficiency.

It also promises lower noise and distortion, and has a high-conductivity copper-plated case for improved RF-noise drainage.

The case is "informed and inspired by" the RF-draining barrels of AudioQuest's Mythical Creatures interconnects. We had a first look at the Copper at High End Vienna 2026, and as before, the USB-shaped DAC has a USB type A connection at one end, with a 3.5mm headphone/audio output at the other. A USB-C adapter is also included.

The tiny DAC offers a lot of what made its predecessors so well regarded, including compatibility with digital files from hi-res to the lowly MP3, the ability to work with iOS and Android devices and Apple and Windows computers, and the capability to drive headphones and feed preamps, amps and powered speakers.

We love the now-retired DragonFly Cobalt, noting in our review that it "does wonders in cleaning up our laptop’s performance, no matter what kind of file we feed it... It is such an incredibly precise rendering that we almost feel duty-bound to play our highest-resolution recordings through it."

The AudioQuest DragonFly Copper goes on sale in September for £230 / $250 (around AU$430). We'll bring you a full review as soon as we can.

MORE:

Read our AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt review

And our AudioQuest DragonFly Red review

The best DACs to improve your sound

Progress really is amazing. Just two years after we awarded five stars to the iFi Go Link Max DAC, iFi has launched a sequel that is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and with lower distortion to boot.

The iFi Go Link 2 Max is again a highly pocketable portable DAC for listening on the go. But this model can receive over-the-air updates via the iFi Nexis app, though these are available only to Android users at the moment.

The app also has two digital filters – hybrid and linear – so you can tweak the sound profile to your exact taste.

Like its predecessor, the Go Link 2 Max acts as the middle man between your music source and your wired headphones. Plug it into each, and it will boost the sound quality, with THD compensation reducing distortion by over 50 per cent compared with the five-star Go Link Max.

It has the same maximum power output of 241mW as its predecessor, while its balanced architecture claims “improved dynamics, lower noise and greater sonic control”.

Inside are two ESS Sabre DAC chips, one for each audio channel. This allows for superior definition and instrument separation, while Dynamic Range Enhancement (DRE) provides +6dB additional range between the loudest and quietest parts in your music, making both more engaging.

It also includes iFi’s S-Balanced tech. This applies balanced circuitry principles to the 3.5mm headphone output, reducing by half the crosstalk between headphone channels.

Quad DAC+ and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technologies combine with iFi’s dedicated GMT clock circuitry to provide low distortion, and better clarity and musical timing.

The silver copper cable has polymer insulation and a “twisted pair” design, which reduces inductance and capacitance while helping to quash unwanted noise. And because it has volume controls on the hardware itself, it doesn’t decrease the amount of data sent to the DACs, and hence retains the musical details.

All this, and it manages to be 3g lighter and slightly smaller than its predecessor. It looks very good indeed, and given the resurgence in popularity of wired headphones at the moment, we’re probably not the only ones eager to take it for a spin.

The iFi Go Link 2 Max costs £85 / $85 (around AU$160) and is currently listed as sold out on iFi’s website, so expect it to go on sale very soon.

MORE:

Read our iFi Go Link Max review

Also consider the AudioQuest DragonFly Red

Best DACs: USB, desktop and portable digital-to-analogue converters

Streaming amplifiers make a lot of sense – they are solutions for people who want convenience but don’t want to sacrifice audio quality.

Historically, Cambridge Audio’s Evo line has provided just that – and it now has a new addition in the shape of the range-topping Evo 300.

We headed into Cambridge Audio’s demonstration room at High End Vienna 2026 to see and hear it in action.

Price

The Evo 300 costs £3499/€3999/$3999 which places it slightly above our current favourite around that price, the Award-winning Arcam SA35. The Arcam costs £2999 / $3300 / AU$6495 and launched back in May 2024.

To give you some extra context, the Cambridge Audio Evo 75 and Evo 150 launched in 2021 for £1799 / $2250 / AU$3299 and £2249 / $3000 / AU$4299, respectively, while the Evo 150 SE arrived in 2025 with a price tag of £1999 / $3299 / AU$5795.

Design and build

If you’re familiar with any of the previous Evo models, you’ll know what to expect from the Evo 300. And the fact that it takes after its siblings is a good thing.

Like the rest of the Evo family that has come before, the new model is a good-looking piece of kit with styling that should look at home in a wide range of listening environments.

It has a premium-looking and feeling black aluminium cabinet which boasts Evo’s party piece – interchangeable side panels. You get two options: a real wood veneer or a black slatted option, should you want a traditional or more modern aesthetic.

On the front of the amp is a 7.8-inch display – the largest Cambridge Audio has used to date. And it seems just as crisp and punchy as the screens we have seen on older Evo products.

Album artwork looks good, and it’s also easy to read, whether you’re looking at track information, changing volume or switching inputs. This is good to see – it isn’t always a given on products of this type.

As with previous Evos, a small strip of buttons runs down the right side of the screen, and at the far right side of the fascia is the volume dial/control wheel combination.

You do get a slender remote control with the Evo 300, although you’re more likely to use Cambridge Audio’s intuitive StreamMagic app for the majority of your interactions.

Features

As the model name implies, the power output of the Evo is 300W per channel. This is provided by Hypex NCOREx power modules.

Under the aluminium chassis, you’ll find a dual-mono layout, a balanced pre-amplifier stage and an ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M DAC, which supports up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512.

Streaming comes courtesy of Cambridge Audio’s excellent StreamMagic platform, which provides support for Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready, UPnP and Internet Radio. The amp also supports Bluetooth 5.4 (including aptX HD), AirPlay 2 and is Roon Ready.

Around the back of the unit, there are two sets of speaker terminals, RCA and balanced XLR inputs, HDMI eARC connectivity, and a built-in moving-magnet phono stage for a compatible turntable.

You also get an adjustable subwoofer output and an optional high-pass filter for the main speakers.

Sound

All the hi-fi show listening caveats apply here in terms of room design, layout and impact of external noise. In a room full of keen journalists jostling for position, it’s tricky to get the complete picture of a product.

Still, we were treated to a few tracks on the Evo 300 – partnered with a pair of £8000 Dynaudio Contour Legacy floorstanders – to give us a flavour.

We kick things off with a blast of Inertia Creeps by Massive Attack, and there seems to be plenty of power behind the drum thwacks.

The overall delivery appears focused and precise with a good amount of insight. Edges of notes seem well-defined with a good amount of texture.

Switching to Foo Fighters’ Stranger Things Have Happened, and there seems to be good separation in the stereo image with space around both the guitar and Dave Grohl’s vocal.

It’s an open, expansive image, and the guitar strums sound nicely defined with a good amount of weight behind them.

As the intensity of the guitar play and the vocal pick up during the course of the track, the amplifier seems to follow suit.

Initial verdict

In terms of build, design and features, it certainly looks as though the Cambridge Audio Evo 300 ticks a lot of boxes.

And, although we aren’t too familiar with the speakers used by Cambridge Audio in the demo, what we hear in our brief time with the streaming amplifier is more than enough to make us keen to get one into our test rooms for a closer listen.

The streaming amplifiers category is growing in size all the time, so it will be interesting to see if Cambridge Audio can set the benchmark for performance at the price.

MORE:

High End Vienna 2026: all the news and what to expect from Europe's biggest hi-fi show

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