In a previous Adventures In AV article, I documented how buying second-hand helped me achieve my home cinema dream. However, as might be expected, by taking the DIY approach, not everything went to plan.

To those about to start their home cinema journey: first, I salute you; and second, here are eight things you need to think about now.

Don’t fall short

“Aaarrrrgghhh!”

No, it’s not a precise technical term, but it’s an accurate description of the noise I made when I realised that some of the cables that I’d asked the builders to run through the walls of my rebuilt garage in preparation for my home cinema were too short.

Of the 15 cables (13 for speakers and two for ethernet), some had so much excess length I could have used them to strangle someone (probably a builder), but others had almost no slack at all.

It was doubly painful for me as this was the second time this had happened.

Years before, when we’d had a new floor down in the living room, I’d asked the handyman to place flat cables I especially purchased underneath the floor, enabling me to run a 5.1 set-up. However, one of the cables had come up frustratingly short, so adjustments were always stressful.

For it to have happened again in a dedicated room I’d spent months planning seemed unbelievable. Once again, it meant that cabling things up was hard work and it prevented me from arranging my kit on my stand in the order that would have made the most sense,

Eventually, I got around to extending the speaker cables using some leftover cable and connectors I bought from Amazon, but it’s not a particularly elegant fix.

Also, as the runs now have joins and can therefore come apart, it introduces another point of failure. However, it works, and once I added sliders under the feet stands, everything became significantly easier.

It should never have been an issue, though. My advice is don’t assume that something that seems obvious to you is obvious to others, and if you are relying on others, be as detailed as possible with your instructions – you’ll save yourself a lot of aggravation.

Know your ohms

As a What-Hi? reader, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with the fact that some speakers are run at 8 ohms and some at 4 ohms. Let’s quickly recap why.

Ohms is a measure of the impedance of a speaker. 4-ohm speakers are less resistive, which means they pull more power from your amplifier.

4-ohm speakers use that extra power to deliver lower distortion even at higher pressure levels, but the downside is that they are harder to drive.

It’s therefore important to know what your speakers demand, and if it’s 4 ohms, to be sure your receiver can handle it.

That sounds simple, but it isn’t always.

My Anthem MRX-720 receiver is nominally rated to handle 4 ohms, and I had it doing so for several years (with a Rotel RMB-1048 power amplifier handling the height channels). However, this was really pushing the Anthem to its limits, especially when you factor in that it’s also handling processing and HDMI.

In recent months, my Anthem has been suffering from shutdown issues, and it seems likely that this is due to years of being driven to the max.

Over time, the capacitors have likely become strained, causing the receiver’s protection circuits to kick in following a large power demand from a particularly exciting moment on a high-bit-rate 4K Blu-ray soundtrack.

No doubt this is where having a separate amp and processor pays dividends – though regular, large dividends are generally what you need to afford going this route.

At the very least, if you have a second power amplifier on hand, don’t do what I did and only use it to half its capacity. While the Rotel RMB-1048 can deliver 65W into 4-ohms with eight channels driven, I was only using it to power the four height channels.

Stupid.

In the end, I rewired everything so that the Rotel was powering the surrounds and backs as well as the heights, reducing the burden on the Anthem, which now just had to take care of just the front three channels.

Not only did this lighten the load, but with more power going to the front stage, the whole system sounded better, with clearer dynamics and greater detail.

The lesson here is to make sure your amplification is sufficient and balanced. Your ears and your receiver's internals will thank you.

Keep your cool

Socially, it might be gauche to focus on class, but when it comes to home cinema, it’s worth obsessing over for several reasons, including heat.

We have covered the differences in amplifier classes previously, but suffice to say that while Class A/B is loved for its generally fulsome, beefy sound, it runs hotter than alternatives.

This is worth being aware of, particularly if you're driving 4-ohm speakers, which add to the thermal load compared with 8-ohm designs.

With a total of 13 channels in my system potentially powered by Class A/B amplification, this was a concern I wish I’d thought about sooner.

Heat is the prime enemy of electronics, and while manufacturers take this into account, if you can give your gear extra help with cooling, it will repay you by running optimally for longer.

AC Infinity’s Aircom units are specifically designed to sit on top of AV receivers and amplifiers.

Three low-noise PWM 120mm fans kick in at a target temperature, drawing heat out from the unit and pushing it away. Depending on the model chosen, this warm air is expelled either upwards, to the front or to the rear, depending on your needs.

Fortunately, the company has good UK distribution, and mine were delivered promptly by UK supplier Hi-Fi Corner. It also sells Anthem receivers, which I took as a good sign.

In my system, the Aircom units were revelatory.

My amp used to consistently shut down when it reached 44 degrees, as read by an ‘el cheapo digital thermometer, but with the Aircom T10 in place, it never gets hotter than 32 degrees, and the problem has gone away.

After seeing it in action, my thought was simply: “where have you been all my life!?”

Yes, there is some fan noise, but it’s unintrusive and ceases when the fans stop as the temperature lowers rapidly. For the benefit and peace of mind they bring, it’s worth putting up with.

You only have to invest once, too, as they can be used with any future amplifier upgrade. For anyone running Class A/B amplification, I now consider these to be almost essential.

Do yourself a solid – don't forget the door

It’s not as if I hadn’t thought about soundproofing at all. I specifically requested that the builders use denser breeze blocks and reduce sound leakage when rebuilding the single garage, for example.

However, it turns out that to save cost, they used standard mineral wool cavity material. I should have specified Rockwool, which is denser and specifically designed to improve acoustic insulation in home theatres.

Fortunately, the room is at the other end of the house from the bedrooms, so a film can be played at volume even late at night without disturbing anyone, which is a win.

If you’re in the kitchen, though, it’s a different story.

Short-sightedly, I’d used the same semi-solid core door between the kitchen and cinema room as the rest of the house. As it happens, this means that sound is audible in the kitchen, but it’s ironically more of an issue for anyone inside the cinema room.

This is because virtually any noise, whether a conversation or a utensil being moved, can be heard when watching a movie, which is distracting to say the least.

The solution is simple: replace the door with a solid-core, FD30 fire-rated door. If your door frame can handle it, going up to FD-60 would reduce sound leakage even further.

So don’t do what I did: pay attention, 007, and don’t forget the door!

Sort your remotes

While most modern devices use Bluetooth remotes, the older devices in my room (namely the Anthem receiver and Oppo Blu-ray player) rely on ye-olde infra-red, which means that they need to have line of sight to work.

This is an issue, as in my room, the equipment rack is behind me, which means that if I wanted to access the receiver menu or control the Oppo, I would have to hold the remote aloft and point it backwards or contort myself in the chair, like Harry Potter awkwardly casting a spell.

As ever, the solution was straightforward: I bought a basic IR repeater along with an extension cable.

The Anthem has a port on the rear into which plugs the IR cable that goes into the extender, while for the Oppo, I run a cable that has to be dangled in front of the front-mounted IR receiver, kept in place with double-sided Velcro.

It’s surprising how much more civilised it is to face forward while operating the system. So, if your infrared gear is behind you, don’t skimp and get it sorted at the start.

A more sophisticated solution to the IR issue would, of course, be a universal remote. To this end, I dug out an old Logitech Harmony and spent much time setting it up. However, in operation, it proved to be unreliable and sluggish, and it was easier to ditch it.

I’ve since discovered that those looking to DIY rather than go for a custom install solution can use a Home Assistant to create a customised dashboard using a smartphone or a dedicated remote. It’s something I haven’t got to yet, but I’ll be investigating it in the future. Watch this space.

Tea, anyone?

Sometimes it’s the smaller things that matter.

While we were happy with the cinema-style recliners we found second-hand on Facebook Marketplace, they had an issue: while the cup holders are fine for a glass or can, they can’t accommodate that Great British essential – the mug of tea.

To solve this, we first considered tables that could slide under the chairs, but we weren’t keen on adding those to an already tight space.

I then researched whether I could add cinema-recliner-style swivelling tables that could be inserted into the cup holders – and it turns out these do not exist.

But there are close alternatives, all of which are designed for the cup holders in cars. While not as large as I would have wanted, and not hugely elegant, they do the job. There are many to choose from and the one I selected cost under £20.

And it’s fine. I put it in the middle cup holder so both seats can use it, and not only can you rest a mug on it, but you can also use it for snacks. Its design even retains the cup holder. Game-changer.

Clean power

OK, here we go. Power conditioners, or power cleaners, are a touchy subject for many. Some swear by them, while others swear at them, deeming them completely unnecessary.

It’s dangerous ground, then, but for the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the chance to test some entry-level gear from British brand Isotek, including a six-gang V5 Polaris power bar (an earlier version of which we reviewed back in 2015), a V5 Synchro Uni DC Blocker and four Initium cables.

For the uninitiated, power conditioners are designed to compensate for the unwanted noise present in mains electricity, which negatively distorts the performance of AV equipment.

According to IsoTek, the power bar removes differential mode noise, which emanates from anything plugged into wall sockets, such as appliances. It also apparently cleans up common mode noise, which is radio frequency interference (RFI) – the signals flying around the air from sources such as radio and wi-fi.

To highlight these issues, Isotek also lent me a noise analyser. When you plug this into a wall socket and a speaker, its display produces a number, up to 1000, to indicate how noisy the power ring is, while a speaker in the device broadcasts the noise so you can hear it.

When plugged into my standard surge-protecting plug, the display immediately went up to 420 and the speaker produced a cacophony of sound, with a radio station audible somewhere in the mix.

When plugging the analyser into the Polaris, however, the display number dropped to just 47 and all the noise disappeared, save that of the radio station, which I could now identify as TalkSport!

As I have now learned, the wires inside our power cables act as antennas, making them very good at picking up the radio signals floating by.

The DC Blocker is designed to do exactly what its name suggests: remove DC noise from your mains supply.

This type of interference can be introduced by devices such as dimmer switches and home EV chargers, which convert AC power into the DC required by electric vehicles. As an EV owner with a home charger, that makes me very much the target market.

The point of the exercise, though, is not electrical purity for its own sake, but the pursuit of better sound quality. So, did it make any difference there?

After several listening tests, my answer was… I think so. The difference was admittedly very subtle, but to my ears the sound was appreciably smoother, with a touch more clarity and definition.

Conscious of owner bias, I employed the help of two people with sharper ears than mine – my children – and conducted two blind A/B tests with music they knew well.

The results were a narrow victory for the power-cleaned cabling, with the Isotek-treated music preferred precisely 62.5 per cent of the time.

Far from a landslide victory then, but it’s enough to know that I’ll miss the gear when it goes back at the end of the loan period.

It also means I will have to find around £1600 if I want to get that smidgen of extra performance back.

Some will question the value of spending that much on a slight increase in quality, and I respect that. And, clearly, the more your setup costs in the first place, the more it makes sense.

While your mileage may vary, ultimately, it’s another thing that I personally wish I’d budgeted for at the start of the process.

Label up!

No matter how much you plan, there are always adjustments and additions to your system that must be made further down the line.

Even a relatively modest home cinema system will have myriad components, and the more ambitious your speaker layout, the more cables you’re going to have to contend with.

When I consider the complexity of my own system, it’s crazy to think how long it took me before I got around to spending a few quid on a labelling kit and an evening to sort it all.

A box of simple stickers sorted the plugs, while some nylon cable labels and a good pen sorted my speaker wiring. Now it’s done, I no longer have to spend ages tracing the path of every cable, making changes and troubleshooting far less stressful.

It might have taken a bit of time, but it’s another thing I can’t believe I didn’t do it at the start.

MORE:

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When Quad unveiled a reimagined version of its 1960s 33/303 pre/power amplifier duo in 2023, it proved so popular that an integrated version was highly requested. And so the Quad 3 stereo amplifier was born two years later.

Unlike the 33/303, the integrated Quad 3 isn’t a revived version of an original classic. It’s a completely new and thoroughly modern amplifier designed for today’s demanding customers and their varied listening habits, albeit with a charmingly retro-inspired look.

Build & design

There’s no getting past the eye-catching facade of the amp, so we’ll start there.

The Quad 3’s design takes inspiration from the modernised 33 preamp – the compact size, the controls, the orange-backlit LCD display – while the curved contours are derived from the older, 1950s-era Quad 22 preamp/control unit.

The matte silver fascia is minimally designed and is punctuated with that bright, punchy orange display strip, while the rest of the body sports a dark grey finish.

It’s a nicely made unit and we particularly like that compact size. It sits in between the full-size, bulky Arcam A15+ and the even more compact and tidy Rotel DX-5, and we can see the Quad’s dimensions fitting into many spaces that larger hi-fi wouldn’t.

The front panel of the Quad 3 is adorned with rotary controls mounted flush to the unit, and a larger volume control dial with orange LEDs surrounding it to denote the volume level. The volume dial is nice to use, and we like the way LEDs of varying brightness appear for each volume step.

In fact, it reminds us of a similar design we encountered on the five-star Mission 778X amp. Considering Quad and Mission are owned by the same company, it’s not a huge surprise to see shared designs, and it’s one we’re happy to see repeated on the Quad 3.

The smaller rotary dials are for selecting source, adjusting the balance and bass (up to +3/-3db) and, most notably, the tilt control. This tilt control can trace its origin back to the Quad 34 preamp from 1982, and we find it a subtler way to adjust tone. Instead of separately adjusting treble or bass (as you’ll find on many conventional amps), tilt control allows you to adjust both ends of the frequency range together, pivoting at around the 700Hz mark.

So for a ‘cooler’ sound, you can lift the treble which automatically reduces the same amount of bass (again, in +1/-1db increments), while those wanting a ‘warmer’ tone can go the opposite way, like a see-saw. We think it’s worth playing around with to suit the rest of your system.

Once we get past the rather lovely looks and start using the unit, we start to encounter a few niggles and issues. Firstly – and most egregiously – we wish the text on the display was stronger and had better contrast, as the thin font can be hard to read up close, let alone from afar or at an angle.

The control dials can be a little fiddly to navigate, too. Some on the team preferred using the entire surface of the dial to move it, while others felt it was more natural to adjust it via the bottom lip of the dial that overhangs the display. A little indentation or mark on the dials would perhaps help guide us to the zero point.

The amp comes with a button-laden remote that is useful and responsive, but it feels a little cheap compared with the amplifier itself and with the more svelte, slimline remotes supplied with the Rotel and Arcam rivals.

We wish the button layout was just a little more intuitive, too, especially for changing volume, and that there were dedicated buttons for each input. The source up/down button to change the inputs from afar is pointless when you can’t read the input chosen on the display – and that’s at full brightness/contrast levels.

We find using the source dial on the unit easier to use when switching inputs, but that requires having the amp positioned close to your listening position and within reach.

Features & connectivity

Whereas the modernised 33 preamp is all-analogue, the Quad 3 integrated is a fully 21st-century hi-fi product with multiple digital inputs available. You get optical, coaxial and USB type-B inputs, and even an HDMI ARC input for using the Quad 3 with your TV system. It also has Bluetooth with aptX HD codec for easy streaming from your mobile devices.

On the analogue side, you get two pairs of RCA line level inputs, and moving magnet phono input for connecting a turntable directly. And finally, it has a dedicated headphone amplifier circuit with a 6.3mm headphone jack, just under the front panel.

In short, you can connect just about any source to the amp, and we’re impressed by just how much Quad has managed to fit into this compact amp.

Under the hood, the Quad 3 features Class A/B amplification with a beefy 235VA ultra-low-noise toroidal transformer. The amp has a claimed 65 watts of power into 8 ohms, which rises to 100 watts into 4 ohms – which is perfectly fine for this kind of amp and should be able to drive most price-compatible speakers. We found it had no trouble driving our reference ATC SCM50 speakers during testing.

On the digital side, the Quad 3 makes use of the ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M DAC chip, with special care taken over the clocking circuit to minimise jitter and the power supply circuit to further enhance the DAC performance.

File compatibility is extensive: you get hi-res audio support up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and full MQA decoding, while DSD512 files can be played natively via the USB input.

There are five filters available to you when using the digital inputs. The default mode is ‘linear slow’ and is the one we settle on as it sounds most natural out of the five options – to our ears, it offers greater subtlety, more dynamism and a better sense of space than the others.

You can access those filters through the menu – here’s where the remote comes in handy – and you’ll also find options to change the brightness of the display (you can turn it off if the orange backlight is too piercing), adjust the text contrast (we recommend leaving it at maximum), choose gain settings, set auto standby and more.

During our testing, we used a variety of sources, including the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music streamer, the Cyrus CDi CD player, the Rega Planar 3 RS Edition turntable, and an iPhone 16 for Bluetooth. We used price-compatible speakers in the form of the Epos ES-7N standmounts and the PMC Prodigy 5 floorstanders, and we also plugged the Quad into our trusty ATC SCM50s to see how it would fare with more demanding speakers.

Sound

We kick off our listening with a mix of Kendrick Lamar, Alt-J and Waxahatchee, and are met with an immediately likeable presentation that sounds clear and detailed, with a lively sense of energy.

Songs flow in a smooth, fluid manner, while basslines are fairly zippy and nimble – before long, we find ourselves tapping along to songs as we run through our library of tracks. There’s enough punch and verve at hand, too, making it appealing to listen to.

While the scale of sound isn’t as large as more powerful rivals, the Quad 3 is a dab hand with the undulating dynamics of a track. Instruments are layered in a breathable soundstage that has decent depth, with enough in the way of detail that the varying tones and textures of each instrument are clearly conveyed.

Play Eminem’s The Way I Am and the Quad 3 proves it’s no shrinking wallflower; there’s plenty of snap and attack to his singing, with lyrics coming through with ample bite and attitude. The more we listen, we realise the 3’s midrange is the star – from Alicia Keys’ stunningly raw vocals on Fallin’ to Waxahatchee’s crystal-clear, melodious singing, voices are laid bare with a great deal of nuance and expression.

Voices are projected clearly and upfront through the amplifier, and, regardless of the input or source, the Quad 3 does a lovely job in communicating the emotional core of a song. At this level, the stop and start of notes could be more precise and another helping of subtlety and insight would flesh out those instruments and natural tones even further, but the Quad 3 combines the essentials together in a way that sounds cohesive and flows well.

We find the Quad is transparent enough to convey the different recording qualities, too, with the difference in recording eras easy to discern whether we’re playing Nina Simone’s Sinnerman or Dead Prez’s Hip-Hop.

Compared with its price rivals, the Quad 3 isn’t quite the last word in scale, detail and precision. When the sax takes centre stage in Dave Brubeck’s Take Five, for instance, the piano section gets subsumed into the rest of the instrumentation, and isn’t as well-projected as through its rivals.

The pricier and less powerful Rotel DX-5 (£1399 / $1699 / AU$2199) is clearer, crisper, and has tauter bass overall; while the less costly but more powerful Arcam A15+ (£1199 / $1099 / AU$2295) conveys the sweeping, orchestral might of the Jurassic Park Theme with greater muscle, authority, scale and detail.

None of that takes away from the Quad’s full-bodied tone and smoothed-edged presentation, which is a big part of what makes its sound so likeable and enjoyable to listen to in the first place.

That sonic character is consistent through the digital and analogue inputs, which is commendable. The phono stage is of good quality, exhibiting that same midrange fidelity when we play Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS record on the Rega turntable, although more dynamic prowess wouldn’t go amiss.

The headphone amplifier is also of fine quality, with a great amount of clarity and detail making for an involving and intimate listen. Pair with a solid pair of wired headphones – we used Grado’s SR325x and Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 3 – and it’s a terrific way to enjoy the Quad 3.

The only downside is Bluetooth, which has a noticeable drop in resolution and squashed dynamics, resulting in a very diminished, lifeless performance. While convenient to have, we’d avoid using Bluetooth – it’s not up to the standard of the rest of the Quad 3’s inputs.

Verdict

Quad’s meld of modern and retro has resulted in a characterful, enjoyable amp that, while not troubling the class-leaders at this premium level, has plenty of visual appeal and stands out from the crowd.

The generous spread of connections is impressive for such a compact design, and despite some usability quirks, the Quad 3’s fluid, punchy presentation with its particular talent for voices is worth an audition.

Review published: 25th March 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Arcam A15+

Also consider the Rotel DX-5

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The DX-5 is a curious thing. Rotel describes it as a personal audio integrated amplifier – a desktop amp, in other words. Of course, being compact means that it can fit in spaces where a full-size alternative would never be considered. It’s also ideal for those who crave a discreet audio solution.

However, there is no denying that the Rotel DX-5 is uncomfortably positioned between an anvil and a sledgehammer. On the one hand, the market is awash with tiny amplifiers that will do the job and cost far less than this Rotel. On the other, the DX-5 goes up against some mighty impressive full-size competition given its premium price.

So, just being good-looking and modestly sized isn’t enough; it will have to perform superbly, too.

How small is this Rotel amp? It takes up less space than an A4 sheet of paper, and will fit on a desktop, shelf or rack with room to spare in most cases. It doesn’t run particularly hot, despite using Class A/B circuitry, but we would still leave a bit of space free around it for ventilation.

This is no powerhouse. The DX-5’s claimed power output is a meagre 25 watts per channel into 8 ohms, rising slightly to 33 watts per side as impedance halves. Those aren’t impressive figures for a budget product, let alone one at this price.

In comparison, the full-size Arcam A15+, which retails for £1199 / $1499 / AU$2295, produces a healthier 80 watts per channel. But, given the Rotel’s intended use cases and some careful speaker matching, it turns out that the power difference isn’t as decisive as you might think.

Connectivity

Take a look at the Rotel’s back panel and you will find a decent amount of connectivity on offer. There are digital inputs, including a USB Type B, optical, coaxial and HDMI ARC. The HDMI opens the DX-5 up for easy integration into a TV’s sound system. Useful.

Bluetooth streaming is included in aptX HD form, and we are pleased to find that pairing with our iPhone 14 Pro Max (running iOS 26.3.1) is swift and seamless. While this input would never be our first choice for optimal sound quality, it is handy to have nonetheless.

Things are meagre on the analogue side though, with only a single stereo RCA input. It would have been nice to have a second one to help with integration into a wider range of systems. There is also no phono stage, which is something of a surprise omission considering the continued growth of the vinyl market. We think Rotel has missed a trick here.

There is a single set of decent-quality though tightly packed speaker terminals, and on the front panel, a 6.3mm headphone output. The latter is essential for the DX-5 to perform its ‘personal audio’ duties properly.

The Rotel’s digital circuit is built around the ESS ES9039Q2M Sabre DAC chip, which is compatible with hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and quad DSD. That broad range ensures that the DX-5 will cope with all but the most obscure of music files on the market.

Build & design

Take a look at this little amp’s internals, and you will find a neat circuit layout packed with quality components, including a shielded toroidal transformer. There isn’t a great deal of free real estate inside, but Rotel has engineered plenty of ventilation to keep temperatures at a reasonable level.

The DX-5’s aluminium casework is beautifully made and stylish with it. It is available in both silver and black finishes. The emphasis on elegant styling is a huge departure from Rotel’s usual function-first approach to aesthetics, and we think it works well on the whole.

The large TFT display is crisp, even if the font used in the set-up menus is on the tiny side, and the volume dial reassures with its precise and solid feel. We also like the partnering metal remote. It is nicely made, sensibly weighted and easy to use. Overall, this Rotel is a premium-priced product, and feels it.

An amplifier at this level deserves talented partnering equipment. Our main sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, a MacBook Pro running Audirvana music playing software and a Cyrus CDi CD player.

We try a range of speakers, including the KEF LS50 Meta, Acoustic Energy’s AE1 40th Anniversary and a pair of PMC Prodigy 5 floorstanders. We also plug the Rotel into our reference ATC SCM50 speakers for a bit of fun.

Sound

If used as a desktop amplifier, the DX-5’s modest power output is no issue at all. We use both KEF’s LS50 Meta and the Acoustic Energy AE1 in a nearfield context and could listen at high levels without issue. In this context, the DX-5’s presentation is as punchy and authoritative as you like.

Through any of the digital inputs, it sounds wonderfully clean and clear, digging up plenty of detail and arranging it in a cohesive and organised manner. We listen to a range of music from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2 to How to Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar and 65daysofstatic’s Wild Light set, and the Rotel glides through each challenge with ease.

Tonally, it is pleasingly even-handed and essentially neutral. No part of the frequency range dominates, and there is a lovely consistency of character from the lowest frequencies upwards. Those lows are impressively taut and agile, displaying very little in the way of excess richness yet able to track complex basslines with plenty of verve and power.

This responsive nature translates into the midrange, where voices come through with impressive clarity. Lamar’s passionate delivery on Blacker The Berry has venom and drive; his voice clearly differentiated from the dense instrumental backdrop.

Highs are crisp but refined enough that the DX-5 doesn’t make a meal of less-than-perfect recordings and sources. It has the transparency to reveal flaws upstream, but never dwells on them.

Rhythmically, things are sure-footed, and the Rotel is able to convey the musical momentum of a piece of music well. Subtle shifts in intensity are rendered with care, while larger dynamic contrasts come through strongly. Given an appropriate recording, this Rotel is insightful and entertaining in equal parts.

It is pleasing to note that the DX-5’s character doesn’t change when we use the analogue input. It remains clear and balanced, something that isn’t always a given in digital-biased products such as this.

The story is equally positive when we use headphones. We try the DX-5 with Grado’s RS1x , Austrian Audio’s The Composer and Yamaha’s YH-5000SE, and it works equally well with all of them.

There are no issues with drive, noise levels or even the degree of volume adjustment. Importantly, the amplifier characteristics through the headphone output are consistent with the sound we hear when using speakers.

The Rotel DX-5 continues to perform well when used as a conventional stereo amplifier, with the speakers in mid-to-farfield positions. But, this is also where its modest reserves of power are most obvious. It sounds smaller than a rival like the Award-winning Arcam, lacking the A15+’s scale and outright authority. Orchestral crescendos don’t quite come through with the same impact, either.

In such a context, the Rotel isn’t ideal if you routinely listen at high volume levels or to music that demands raw power to work well. Sure, you could try to mitigate the limitations by using more sensitive speakers, and that would work to a degree. However, the Arcam would still be the less demanding choice.

Yet, in other areas, the Rotel pulls ahead of its rival. It remains the more neutral product tonally and presents the music more crisply. There isn’t much in it regarding detail resolution or dynamic fluidity, as both products are great in these respects.

Verdict

As we said at the beginning, Rotel’s DX-5 is a curious thing. If you specifically need an amplifier this small, then we can’t think of anything better. It works superbly as a desktop amp and will slot into a TV-based system with the minimum of fuss.

While the lack of power means that it needs a bit of pampering to work optimally in a conventional hi-fi system, do that, and it’s right up there with the best at this price.

Review published: 23rd March 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Arcam A15+

Also consider the Chord Anni

Read our Rega Brio Mk7

Best stereo amplifiers: 8 class leaders chosen by our review experts

Back in 1993, Rotel gave its engineers a license to go wild and design a no-compromise range of hi-fi electronics that was above and beyond anything that the brand offered at the time.

This line became known as Michi. Japanese for “the path” or “ the way”, Michi was initially intended only for its home market of Japan, but beyond all expectations, it went global.

According to Daren Orth, CTO of Rotel, the range “added technology and raised the bar over standard Rotel products of the time. It elevated the brand up to premium hi-fi – then it disappeared”.

Why, you might wonder? Daren continues, “The Michi technology that launched in the 1990's quickly made its way into Rotel products and this was coupled with challenges of the redwood side panels of the mechanical parts of Michi. Thus, the short run of product.”

After a 26-year hiatus, the brand burst back onto the scene in 2019. And, seven years later, it’s fair to say Michi is now back in business and looking to grow.

In fact, it has recently expanded, with the introduction of the Michi Prestige Series, a line of more affordable yet still premium Michi products that sits above Rotel’s 15 Series.

And What Hi-Fi? was invited to go to hear the new range in person at Rotel’s headquarters in Zhuhai, China (the company was originally founded in Japan but has moved a couple of times over the years).

While there, I sat down with Daren to chat about the road to Michi’s revival and how he sees the brand evolving in the future…

Pushing boundaries

I start by asking Daren what the catalyst was behind bringing Michi back…

“In 2016 I started a project with my engineering team – just a conversation: how do we do something better? Is there a better platform, a better set of technologies, is there something we should look at and consider doing?

“There was no product, no spec, no name, no series, no price. It was a skunkworks internal project. I told them to look at the DACs, look at components, power-supply technologies... They just started engineering, and there were no bounds – it wasn’t like ‘I need a distortion of xyx’, it was just let’s make something better.

“So they spent the next two years in R&D and engineering, spinning prototype boards – they had three different manufacturers of DACs, five different DACs on the boards, swapping them out, measuring, listening, and acoustically working through it. It was kind of a mad science project.

“The engineers were still doing their day jobs, but at the end of it, it was like I think we got something.

“It was pretty cool – and expensive, because there were no limits. And now it was a case of what are we going to do with it? Seriously, there was no plan, but we wanted to know how far we could push our own boundaries. We weren’t trying to compare ourselves to anybody else. There was no need to get to this level of a competitive product.

“Internally, it was called Rotel's 30 Series because we have 14 Series, we have 15 Series. We went to the UK and hired a design firm and said, ‘Look, we built this, what are we going to do with it?’ So we spent two years working with them on designs and iterations and looking at the heritage and the history, trying to make it elegant but clean and simple.”

And it wasn’t cheap. Daren explains, “This was millions of dollars of tooling and investment and prototypes and samples.”

He says they were six months away from pulling the trigger on the 30 Series – the product still said Rotel on the front – and then the penny dropped.

“We realised we had done what those engineers did 35 years ago. So it had to be Michi. So we rebooted the whole thing and had to update all the documents.”

Daren thought his team was onto something, but there were questions that still needed answering. How many were they going to sell? He felt there was a market, but was also nervous over how it would be received and whether it would be seen as a price point too far for Rotel.

He needn’t have worried. “We brought this into Amsterdam in 2019 in a private suite. We had the P5/S5 (pre- and power-amps), and we had the mono block, and it was the moment of truth. I’d just spent three years, and a lot of our owner’s money to build this and put it in there on a plinth. So we brought the dealers in, and they were in awe."

It launched and, in Daren’s words, “took off”.

“Then it was a case of what are we going to do next, so we went back and spent the next 18 months building the X3 and X5 integrated amps.”

It turned out Michi had found itself in a great sweet spot. “We launched series 2 (of Michi) two years after launching the original, and then the Q5, which we just brought out last year. It was super scary because who launches a $5000/$6000 CD player? But it’s been really well received.”

Indeed, our own Rotel Michi Q5 review concludes by saying it’s “beautifully made and delivers a tempting combination of insight, power and delicacy”.

What’s the ceiling for Michi?

I ask Daren how high he thinks Michi might go, especially when you see the prices some high-end hi-fi demands.

“If you had asked me that last year, I would have said I think we’re there. Ask me this year, though, and I think there’s still 25%, still something above that.”

Daren seems wary of setting his sights too high, but shows he’s confident in what Michi can deliver, too. “I think we have a $14,999 capable product, and I think we can do it. Come back in three years, and I’ll want to say the ceiling is $19,000. But it’s that step where you want to add value, but you don’t want to be so eccentric that it becomes absurd. That’s disrespectful, I think, to the brand.”

But it’s not all about going more expensive, as Daren continues. “I think there’s an opportunity to lift and elevate Michi, but I also think there’s an equal and even greater opportunity to reach down to a slightly more attainable audience.”

Where does Michi Prestige fit in?

And this, it seems, is the thought process behind its new Michi Prestige Series, a new range of more affordable Michi components costing between £3599 / €3999 / $3999 and £4499 / €4999 / $4999 which sits above Rotel’s 15 Series.

It sounds like a potential recipe for conflict between the two brands – but Daren has clearly thought about this.

“This was a risk. If we execute this wrong, we have a huge issue because I’ve alienated the Michi customers I have today. We want that secondary lifestyle market that doesn’t necessarily want to step into that more expensive Michi range.”

So what did they go for with the Prestige Series in terms of design, engineering and sound?

“It’s a bit of a contrast to typical Rotel, which is bent, painted steel, the way it’s folded – these are typical assembly build techniques.”

Having seen the new Prestige Series in the flesh, I can vouch for the fact it does have the look and feel of something very different and more premium compared with Rotel’s current line-up.

“There were a lot of discussions,” says Daren. “Do we just use Michi parts? Are they the best parts? Is there something else we could try?

“We didn’t have the same budget, but the engineering team looked at it, challenged themselves at every component level and said how do we really tune this to be a 2026 initiative and not a refreshed 2019 product in just a different chassis.

“So there was a bit of work involved, but we think you get the same Michi cleanliness and the same Michi feel.”

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, though – the Q430 is running a little behind the X430, and Daren explains why.

“This is my fault. I was here in December, and we were doing the final listening. I said that sounds really, really good; but I want it to sound great. So we literally pressed the reset button and gutted the entire product. We updated it with a different DAC, power supply and a different layout.

“We were getting ready to build it in three weeks, but I said we just needed to stop and rebuild the entire product.”

Daren is confident they made the right call, “Now it’s dynamically, dramatically, delivering a huge lift in performance.”

He also says that reassessment didn’t change the price of the Q430, but it did add cost to it. If the new Prestige Series can have as big an impact as its more expensive siblings, it could be money well spent.

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Hands on: Rotel Michi Prestige X430/Q430 review

Read our full Rotel Michi X3 review and our Michi Q5 review

Rotel relaunched its Michi line of high-end hi-fi electronics back in 2019, and now it wants to bring a slice of that level of performance to a more affordable price point courtesy of its new Michi Prestige Series.

According to the press release, “The Prestige Series has been created for discerning listeners seeking a path into the Michi family that reflects the brand’s heritage of robust power supplies, rigorous circuit isolation and low-noise architectures – presented in an industrial design that looks and feels as premium as it sounds.”

And the first of these products out of the Rotel factory will be the Michi X430 stereo amplifier and Q430 CD player.

They’ve been designed along similar lines to their pricier siblings, with a black finish, glass front, precision-milled aluminium chassis (complete with chamfered edges), plus knurled, metal controls.

• Hands on: Rotel Michi Prestige X430/Q430 review

The Michi Prestige X430 boasts 210W of Class A/B amplification (per channel, into eight ohms) and houses a premium ES9039Q2M DAC, HDMI ARC connectivity and a full selection of inputs, including balanced XLR and analogue RCA sockets.

You also get a moving magnet phono stage for connecting to a compatible record player, a DSD/PCM-compatible USB-C input for playing audio straight from a laptop and aptX Bluetooth connectivity.

Finishing off the spec sheet, you also have twin subwoofer outputs.

The glass front panel includes a customisable full colour TFT display, and includes the option of choosing between a Spectrum or VU meter view.

The Michi Prestige X430 will cost £4499 / €4999 / $4999 when it goes on sale in the first quarter of this year.

Switching to the Q430 CD player, it also has a glass front with a full colour TFT display, which can show CD album artwork. You’ll find control buttons on the front and an opening for the floating, front-loading CD mechanism.

Inside the chassis, there’s a multi-stage isolated power regulation to reduce noise and distortion and the Q430 also uses an eight-channel 32-bit ESS Sabre ES9028PRO DAC, which claims exceptional imaging, low noise and dynamic headroom.

The player includes a coaxial digital output, so you could opt to use it as a CD transport, but you also have normal balanced XLR and RCA outputs.

The Michi Prestige Q430 will go on sale during the third quarter of 2026 and is set to cost £3599 / €3999 / $3999.

As with all Rotel and Michi electronics, the power transformers for both the Q430 and X430 are manufactured in-house. Both separates also feature custom-engineered capacitors and ultra-low-noise power supplies for optimum performance.

A knock-on effect of the Prestige range's introduction is that pricier Michi components, such as the X3 integrated amplifier and Q5 CD player, are now part of the newly named Michi Reference Series, which showcases the brand’s higher-end electronics.

Both of these products received glowing five-star reviews from our test team, so it will be interesting to see if this stellar level of performance and sound quality can trickle down to the Prestige line.

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The revival of Michi back in 2019 after a 26-year hiatus has seen some impressive results for Rotel’s high-end sub-brand.

We have spent quality time with a couple of members of the Michi family since its return, including the Q5 CD player (£5499 / $7499) and the X3 stereo amplifier (£4700 / $5300), both of which made quite the impression on our review team.

Such has been its success that Rotel now wants to bring Michi to more potential customers, plugging a gap between where its standard two-channel electronics ends and the sub-brand begins.

Step forward the new Rotel Michi Prestige Series, which combines two products at launch: the X430 (£4499 / €4999 / $4999) stereo amplifier and the Q430 CD player (£3599 / €3999 / $3999).

I was recently invited to the company’s Chinese headquarters and factory for a first look, where I was also able to hear the pair in action – and on first acquaintance at least, the initial signs are very promising.

Build

Having seen them being put together on the factory floor and up close in Rotel’s demo room, both units have the look and feel of Michi products – they’re obviously part of the same family.

Both aluminium chassis look and feel nicely put together, the all-black design is nicely understated and, combined with the solid glass front panels on the X430 and Q430, seeing the two side-by-side they're an impressive-looking pairing.

Rotel has gone from a top-loading CD player design on its Q5 to a loading drawer on the Q430, but the mechanism seemed smooth sliding in and out, while the knurled volume dial on the X430 felt solid to the touch with a smooth resistance when twisting.

Features

The X430 boasts a solid array of features and includes a high-grade ESS Technology ES9039Q2M DAC.

If you want the amplifier to take care of the audio from your TV, there’s an HDMI ARC socket while you also have a solid array of more traditional connectivity options, including three pairs of analogue inputs and a balanced input.

There’s also a moving magnet phono stage for a compatible record player (it would have been nice to have a moving coil option too, though), three optical digital inputs and a trio of coaxial digital inputs.

Play a lot of music from a laptop? You can use the amp’s USB-C input, which is compatible with DSD, PCM and DoP files.

Should you want to stream the odd track from a smartphone or tablet, there’s also aptX Bluetooth connectivity.

Finishing off the spec sheet, you have twin subwoofer outputs and two pairs of terminals for driving two different pairs of speakers.

The glass front panel includes a customisable full-colour TFT display, which includes the option of choosing between a Spectrum or VU meter view. During my time with the amp there was a slight bug in the software whilst in VU meter mode so it was hard to make a call on the quality of the display.

The Michi Q430 CD player also features a TFT display, which can show album artwork in addition to normal track information. You’ll also find an illuminated power button (it should be white, but the test sample I saw had a green ring) and control buttons for operating the player on the front of the unit.

It uses an eight-channel 32-bit ESS Sabre ES9028PRO DAC, optimised for stereo playback.

In terms of connectivity, you have both balanced XLR and RCA outputs to choose from, but Rotel’s added extra flexibility by including a coaxial digital output. This means you could opt to use it as a CD transport if your system happens to feature a suitably high-end DAC.

Both machines feature a power transformer built by Rotel in-house and also use custom-engineered capacitors and ultra-low-noise power supplies to improve performance.

Sound

The X430 has a claimed power output of 210W per channel into an 8-ohm load, and in my demo with the speakers, it was powering a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 802D floorstanders. On the sideline, waiting to step in if needed, were a pair of refined-looking Sonus Faber Amati towers.

Now I have to insert a couple of caveats here: I was listening to the Michi pairing in a room whose acoustics were completely new to me, and Rotel did inform us that both machines, although very close, weren’t finished production samples.

With that out of the way, I started with Hey Now by London Grammar and the first impression I got was one of spaciousness as instruments and vocals float into the soundstage at the start of the track. Even with a rack of electronics placed between the speakers, I got the impression the image was spread quite wide but with good focus and positioning.

When the bass kicked in, it seemed to sound very muscular and powerful. Fired out from the Bowers & Wilkins speakers, each note hit hard and with weight, but the pair also seemed to show precision and poise. Low frequencies didn’t appear to sound flabby or ill-defined.

Next up was Lose Control by Teddy Swimms, another track that the Michi system seemed keen to express. His soulful voice appeared to have plenty of detail and texture – Swimms has a very emotive, expressive vocal delivery and the Rotel pairing appeared to enjoy communicating it and delivering with serious intent but without shouting at you.

It’s not the biggest test of timing, but the track seemed to start and stop in the right places, that powerful, muscular bass coming to the fore again, but without overpowering the rest of the track.

I switched over to something with a more classical vibe, Holst's The Planets suite, and the system did a good job of handling the rollercoaster-esque dynamic shifts in Mars, from the dark brooding buildup at the start, to the crescendo of string and wind instruments further along the track.

The Michi pairing didn’t seem to hold anything back and delivered a controlled, poised performance, painting each of the different orchestra strands with even brush strokes.

Initial verdict

Is the new Michi Prestige Series a hit? We’ll have to wait until we can test the X430 and Q430 in isolation in our test rooms to be able to give you our proper verdict.

However, initial signs are very promising. If they produce the goods under our test conditions, the lack of competition around their particular price points could make them an attractive option if you can’t stretch to the Michi Reference Series.

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The traditional advice that we at What Hi-Fi? give about separate components providing better performance than products trying to be jacks of all trades needs to be given with a few caveats these days. There are some remarkable pieces of equipment out there now that will do the job of source, amplifier and speaker incredibly well.

The principle does, generally, hold true, however. Particularly when you are looking at performers at what used to be called the entry level of hi-fi – possibly better-named now as step-up products.

What we have here is, with one exception, a system that would look perfectly at home in the nation’s living rooms 40 and more years ago. A CD player feeding its signal into a stereo amplifier that in turns is linked to a pair of stereo speakers; can’t say more ’80s than that.

The new addition to the satisfyingly old-school mix is, of course, a music streamer. One little box that brings the whole shebang right up to date – and performs (of course – this is a What Hi-Fi? system after all) really well for the money.

The system

• Integrated amplifier: Rotel A8 – £399 / $449
• CD player: Marantz CD6007 – £349 / $650
• Music streamer: Cambridge Audio MXN10 – £349 / $499
• Stereo speakers: Dali Kupid – £299 / $600
• Total system price: £1396 / $2198

Integrated amplifier: Rotel A8

Every great system needs a steady powerhouse, and the budget Rotel A8 integrated amplifier does the job brilliantly. This is a unit that doesn’t shout about its talents; its appearance is simple and unassuming, and its styling is best described as functional. But don’t let the modest facade fool you – this is a hugely capable performer.

While it lacks the digital inputs and Bluetooth connectivity of some rivals (which in this system, of course, are nicely catered for by the Cambridge MXN10 streamer), the A8 has the basics covered: a moving-magnet phono input for a record player, should you wish to add one to the system at some point, and three single-ended line-level inputs.

This amp’s stated output is a modest 30W per channel into 8 ohms, but when we tested it, it proved eminently capable, driving everything from budget bookshelf speakers to more premium options without issue.

Surefooted with rhythms, it delivers an easygoing momentum with a fine sense of drive and authority. Basslines are handled with grip and punch, and its insight into the music’s subtleties is impressive. The A8 is a calm, fuss-free, well-built tool that fades into the background and lets the music shine. Just what you should want from your stereo amplifier.

CD player: Marantz CD6007

It shouldn’t surprise you in the slightest to see the Marantz CD6007 in this system. This CD player has taken a What Hi-Fi? Award each year for more than half a decade for good reason.

It provides class-leading insight, with an expansive and focused soundstage. Large-scale dynamics are delivered with verve, punch and a pleasing sense of composure.

This is a CD player that will highlight all that is good about the venerable digital format, one that brings an invigorating performance to your silver-disc collection.

Its sturdy build quality remains remarkable for its budget price, too, feeling solid and operating with a slickness that belongs at a far higher price point. The CD6007 plays CDs (and CD-RWs), but you can also play stored files using the USB type A input.

This system combination also allows you the choice between two headphone ports: a 3.5mm one on the Rotel A8 amp, and a 6.3mm output on the Marantz CD player – and it's always nice to have the choice if you use multiple wired headphones.

Stereo speakers: Dali Kupid

From a perennial Award winner to a product that is brand new. Dali’s lovely little Kupid loudspeakers picked up their Best Buy Award in 2025 at the first time of asking. With their compact form and eye-catching design, these speakers are aimed at a modern audience looking for something fresher than the traditional hi-fi crowd.

To highlight that, they are available in some pretty funky (by hi-fi speaker standards at any rate) colours. Along with the more mainstream black, white and walnut finishes, you can also go for “chilly blue” or a bright “golden yellow”. Those starburst lines radiating from the tweeter are a lovely design flourish and are present in every colourway.

The Kupids are small enough to be placed on desks or bookshelves and can be wall-mounted – indeed all the fittings required for that are included with purchase. Crucially, they are cut from the same cloth as Dali’s celebrated budget ranges.

As we say in our review: “Right from the moment we hit play, the Kupids reveal a lively, nimble presentation that is packed with enthusiasm.

“We have to accept they won’t deliver the hugest spread of sound or the deepest bass due to their cabinets’ physical constraints, but we find ourselves looking past any such limitations as the speakers themselves sound well balanced. They have a particularly expressive and solid midrange, with enough slam in the lower frequencies to contrast against the sweeter, more delicate moments.”

Music streamer: Cambridge Audio MXN10

From dinky, high-performing speakers we come to the part of this set-up that truly belongs in the 21st century. The Cambridge Audio MXN10 network audio player is equally diminutive, but it punches well above that weight as far as sonic ability goes.

The MXN10 is stacked with all the popular streaming options: Google Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and more are supported, alongside built-in internet radio.

Running on Cambridge Audio’s oft-lauded bespoke StreamMagic platform, the MXN10’s dedicated app is responsive and makes set-up a breeze.

Being easy to set up is all well and good, of course. Happily, though, what truly wins us over with this little box of tricks is its abilities with music.

Equipped with the excellent ESS Sabre ES9033Q DAC, the MXN10 can stream high-resolution files up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512. And it performs brilliantly for the price.

As we say in our review: “It walks a carefully chosen path between the even-handed, detailed and spacious sound of the similarly priced Audiolab 6000N Play and the more characterful and energetic balance of the former Award-winning Bluesound Node (2021). It combines the strengths of these talented rivals while adding a dose of dynamic expression and rhythmic coherence that they can’t match.

“We like that the Cambridge remains composed when the music becomes demanding, and the way it renders the tone and texture of instruments in such a convincing way.”

All in all, this modernised old-school system is a masterclass in step-up hi-fi building. Combining the Marantz CD6007's dramatic presentation with the Cambridge MXN10's streaming smarts, the composed control of the Rotel A8, and the sheer fun factor of the Dali Kupid speakers, this setup delivers a performance that is far greater than the sum of its parts.

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Rotel is known for its functional, no-nonsense approach to hi-fi design. It doesn’t do gimmicks or prioritise style over performance. Never has and never wi… hold on. What’s this?

The new DX-3 headphone amplifier and DAC doesn’t resemble any Rotel product we’ve come across before. To our eyes, it is stylish, modern and features visual flourishes on the volume dial and casework sides that serve no other purpose than to make it look nice – very un-Rotel. Even the packaging looks more like something Apple would offer rather than the effective yet plain efforts most in this industry produce.

But don’t worry, dear reader, amid all this reinvention, Rotel hasn’t forgotten its heritage. The Rotel DX-3 is simply a determined effort to move with the times and produce something that not only performs well, but also engenders a feel-good factor that the brand hasn’t traditionally tapped into. The company’s traditional rationale of ‘handsome is as handsome does’ can only take you so far, it seems.

Features & connectivity

The DX-3 is a pleasingly versatile unit. It is a DAC, a headphone amplifier and can also function as a perfectly serviceable preamp. Partner it with a pair of active speakers, and you have the makings of a neat, clutter-free stereo system.

Its DAC section is compatible with 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 hi-res audio files thanks to the ESS Sabre ES9028PRO chipset sitting at the heart of its digital circuitry.

There are the usual trio of digital inputs (USB Type B, optical and coaxial) along with the added convenience of Bluetooth aptX HD streaming. Unusually, for what is essentially a digital product, the DX-3 also has a stereo RCA analogue input, turning it from being just another digital hub into a full-blown analogue/digital preamp. Useful.

There are single-ended and balanced XLR outputs on the rear panel, and those are echoed on the front with 6.3mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone outputs. Also on the front is the neatly styled volume control and a small slider that switches the DX-3’s headphone output between three gain levels.

This gain switch shows that, despite the new emphasis on appearance, Rotel has taken the headphone side of things seriously. Such a switch makes matching a breeze and ensures plenty of volume travel, even with the most sensitive of headphone designs.

Take a look inside the DX-3, and you will find that it is beautifully made with a generous power supply arrangement that uses a large, shielded toroidal transformer. The main board is neatly laid out and populated with good quality components.

Build

The DX-3 is a premium-priced unit, and pleasingly, everything about it reflects that. Its aluminium casework feels reassuringly solid and is finished with care. All the controls, but particularly the volume, work with positivity and precision.

If we do have a complaint, it is that the font used for the set-up menus is on the small side and hard to read from any distance. None of us is getting younger, you know. The display itself is full-colour and pleasingly crisp.

Even the metal remote handset is good. It is nice to hold and simple to use. We can’t ask for anything more than that from a handset.

This Rotel comes in at an interesting price where there aren’t many natural rivals. Cheaper alternatives such as Audiolab’s D7 (£449 / $699 / AU$1099) come in at less than half the price, and while talented, don’t get close to the DX-3’s sonic ability. Chord’s mighty Hugo 2 (£1795 / $2595 / AU$4500) is a clear step above in transparency and insight, but is pricier and less well equipped.

Sound

For this test, our main source is an Apple MacBook Pro loaded with Audirvana playback software and plenty of high-res music files. We also use our reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer to test out the DX-3’s analogue and coax digital inputs, and a Cyrus CDi CD player to provide the feed for the optical. Bluetooth duties are carried out by our trusty iPhone 14 Pro Max using the Tidal and Qobuz streaming apps.

The Rotel’s headphone section is tested out with Austrian Audio’s The Composer, the Grado RS1x, Sony’s MDR-Z1R (in balanced guise) and, for fun, Yamaha’s high-end YH-5000SE. We also plug the Rotel into our reference system of Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers to see how it behaves.

The fresh new look of the DX-3 may suggest a change of direction for Rotel, but the excellent sound quality proves that the brand’s values haven’t changed all that much, and we’re glad about that. On the digital side, we are pleased to note a consistency of character between the various inputs.

Regardless of the one we choose, this Rotel sounds clean, crisp and impressively detailed. It delivers a slightly etched presentation, one that highlights low-level detail but doesn’t go as far as to become tiring over long listening sessions.

As we listen to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, it is hard not to be impressed by the control and authority on offer. This is a demanding piece of music, and the Rotel never sounds ruffled. It delivers the music’s savage dynamic swings with enthusiasm and plenty of punch, particularly the famous cannon sequence at the end.

Tonally, the Rotel edges towards leanness but never strays into thinness. Still, this gives the DX-3 a slightly analytical character, which some will like. It still sounds balanced, though, with no part of the frequency range grabbing undue attention. There is plenty of refinement, even during the 1812’s frenzied ending.

Given a good recording, we are pleased to note that this unit delivers a spacious and focused soundfield. There is a pleasant lack of clutter and impressive stability in the way instruments and sounds are locked in place.

Comparison with the pricier Chord Hugo 2 shows that the DX-3 misses out on a degree of natural warmth and a bit of dynamic subtlety, but given the price difference and the more versatile nature of the Rotel, these are acceptable losses for us.

There are no complaints about sonic authority or the DX-3’s ability to grip low frequencies. We play Soul II Soul’s Keep On Movin’ and really enjoy the Rotel’s taut and articulate lows. It isn’t easy to combine muscle with tunefulness, but the company’s engineers have managed it.

As we shift from the 16-bit/44.1kHz of Soul II Soul’s debut set to Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall on DSD, we are pleased to note that the Rotel DX-3 switches between file formats without skipping a beat, or at least it did once an early incompatibility with the Audirvana software had been fixed by a firmware update. Originally, our review sample didn’t lock onto a DSD signal reliably and suffered frequent dropouts.

Bluetooth pairing is swift and painless, too, with the DX-3 retaining its clarity and character through the wireless connection. While Bluetooth will never be our first choice for absolute sound quality, there are times when it proves useful, so we are glad that Rotel has implemented it here. Detail levels and musical cohesion remain pleasing, despite the shortcomings of the wireless link.

In our experience, analogue inputs on digital products usually prove disappointing, so we are pleased to find that the DX-3 continues to retain its charm when connected this way. There is a slight drop-off of absolute transparency and a gentle damping down of dynamics, but on the whole the results remain likeable.

This Rotel is as happy to be used as a standalone DAC in our reference system as it is driving a pair of headphones. Regardless of role, its inherently balanced and informative nature comes through. This isn’t a showy performer that delivers sonic fireworks to grab your attention, rather it takes the more measured route, underpinned by real talent when it comes to delivering the structural elements of music.

In other words, the DX-3 is happy for the music to take centre stage rather than trying to hog the limelight for itself.

Verdict

In some ways, the Rotel DX-3 marks a new dawn for Rotel’s products. It places more emphasis on style, design and cosmetics than the company usually does, but thankfully, it doesn't throw away the commitment to great performance that has been so much a part of the brand’s tradition. For that, we are thankful.

Review published: 13th February 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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It's nearly Christmas! But wait – before we start counting down the sleeps and getting ourselves merry on mugs of mulled wine, we have a handful of hi-fi and AV treats waiting for us in the What Hi-Fi? test rooms.

While the post-Awards schedule is less hectic, there is still a queue of products waiting to be reviewed – and here, we've picked the five most exciting hi-fi and TV models that we are currently testing or are excited to get started on.

These include a new product category entrant from the legendary Rotel brand, a successor to an exquisitely made phono stage, the next iteration of Cambridge Audio's five-star streaming amplifiers, and two TVs at either end of the spectrum: an entry-level Sony LED and a range-topping Philips OLED boasting brand-new panel technology.

As ever, if you have any questions about the products we are reviewing, comment below or email us at whathifi@futurenet.com, and we'll do our best to find the answer during our testing process and get back to you.

As we head into the holiday season, we hope everyone reading What Hi-Fi? has a wonderful and restful festive break, and we thank you for all your support throughout this year. See you in 2026!

Rotel DX-3

Rotel has been around for 60 years, but this marks the first time the hi-fi brand has made a headphone amplifier. The DX-3 wants to be the "ultimate desktop audio companion", offering DAC and preamp functionalities alongside two headphone ports (6.3mm and 4.4mm) with selectable gain options.

That's not all: it has aptX HD Bluetooth, supports hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256, and has a good complement of analogue and digital connectivity to plug into hi-fi systems, too. The compact footprint makes it about the size of a WiiM Ultra, making it desktop-friendly. It costs £1399 / $1499, and we're looking forward to taking it for a spin.

Luxman E-07

We are big fans of Luxman's stunning, high-end EQ-500 phono stage, which we tested back in 2017. It's a beautifully made product, with exquisite sound quality to match.

We have its successor, the E-07, in for testing and we are fizzing with excitement to hear how it performs. Announced as part of the brand's centennial celebrations, the new Luxman E-07 features a refined build, the return of tactile toggle switches and dials, and "carefully selected components prioritised for supreme audio quality".

Costing £5500, the E-07 needs to be tested in an appropriately highly talented turntable system – which is exactly what we've been doing.

Cambridge Audio Evo 150 SE

It's been four years since Cambridge Audio launched Evo 75 and Evo 150 – the brand's first just-add-speakers streaming amplifiers that combined style, features and sound in an enticing manner.

Those five-star models have now been discontinued and replaced by a single model: the Evo 150 SE (£1999 / $3299). This continues the sleek industrial design language, with a large display screen and swappable side panels, while there is ample connectivity (including MM phono stage and HDMI ARC) and extensive streaming features thanks to the StreamMagic Gen 4 platform.

The internal Class D amplification uses a new Hypex NCOREx module and delivers 150 watts per channel (into 8 ohms). Cambridge says it has made improvements throughout the signal path and used more high-quality components to elevate the Evo 150's sound performance even further.

Let's hope this new 'Special Edition' mode continues the Evo range's fine form.

65-inch Sony Bravia 3

Bravia 3 is Sony's new entry-level 4K HDR TV series, and the cheapest LED in the range does without local dimming entirely. This means it goes up against TCL models with full Mini LED backlights.

Can Sony's legendary processing overcome this specification deficit? We can't wait to find out. We have the 65-inch model in for testing, which currently costs £849, and we're reviewing it against the 65-inch TCL C7K – a 2025 What Hi-Fi? Award winner we tested at £899 and lauded for its excellent value and punchy picture.

Philips OLED910

After a rather long delay, we are finally finishing our review of Philips’ first Primary RGB Tandem OLED TV.

The OLED910 series combines the super-bright, next-generation panel tech found in the LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B, with Philips' classy styling and lovely four-sided Ambilight. The OLED910 undercuts those rivals (and the Samsung S95F and Award-winning Sony Bravia 8 II) on price, too.

The Philips also has an integrated premium Bowers & Wilkins 3.1 sound system (81W total, 8 channels), and supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. A very enticing proposition!

You can read our first impressions in this Philips OLED910 hands-on review, but stay tuned for the final verdict very soon.

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November is a busy time for What Hi-Fi?. For starters, we have to get into our gladrags, ascend from our test rooms and reveal the year’s What Hi-Fi? Award winners at our swanky black-tie ceremony.

Then we have to contend with Black Friday and trawl all the stores, specialist and mainstream, to find you the best hi-fi and home cinema deals to be had on said Award winners and any other five-star product we have reviewed.

*Raises fist at sky and screams “Black fudging Friday” in angry William Shatner voice*

On top of all that, we have to continue our eternal quest, reviewing new products to keep our buying advice up to date and relevant to what’s actually in stores right now.

Which is why, despite all of the above, we continued to publish reviews throughout November (11 to be precise), maintaining business as usual in our viewing and listening rooms.

During that process, however, there was one thing that was a little bit different in November for our reviewers: we found only one product worthy of a five-star rating. Which makes this, the latest edition of our regular Pick of the Month column, our shortest ever.

The Rotel Michi Q5

The vinyl revival has been a joyful thing for quite some time now – which is awesome. But if you prefer your physical media to be a little more compact and shiny – and at the same time have a surplus of serious cash – then you might want to consider the Rotel Michi Q5.

This undeniably premium CD player retails for £5499 ($7499 / AU$9499). That's a clear level above the £2995 ($3995 / AU$4999) Cyrus 40 CD we recommend as the top option in our best CD player guide.

After putting it through its paces, though, we can say that it’s certainly worth it – assuming you have the accompanying amplifier and speakers to back it up. The giant unit is packed with top-end, custom hardware designed to make the absolute most of CDs.

Highlights include a bespoke CNC-machined aluminium CD-transport mechanism and ESS ES9028PRO eight-channel DAC chip. The latter lets you play 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 files via its USB input, in addition to its CD-spinning capabilities.

Most importantly, when paired with our price-appropriate reference Burmester 088/911MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers, it delivers stellar audio. Whether it’s layered classical arrangements, bopping pop, or booming metal, the unit delivers audio with impressive detail resolution, expressive dynamics and a nicely taut bass.

As you will see from our reviewers' five-star rating and verdict: “Some people will baulk at the Michi Q5’s price, and that’s understandable. Given we are so far into the age of streaming, a high-end CD player certainly isn’t going to make sense for everyone. However, if you are dedicated to the original silver disc and have a collection that justifies this kind of expense, we have no hesitation in recommending the Rotel Michi Q5 highly.”

Five stars

Read our full Rotel Michi Q5 review

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The introduction of the Michi Q5 had us pondering why a company like Rotel chose to launch a CD player rather than a music streamer in its high-end statement range. Given the popularity of Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz et al, it seems a surprising move until we remember that hundreds of billions of CDs have been sold since the format’s introduction in 1982, and many are still in use.

Music fans with huge CD collections are hardly rare, and they still need a dedicated player capable of making the most of their discs. Step forward the new Michi Q5.

The Rotel Michi Q5’s £5499 / $7499 / AU$9499 price tag is certainly hefty in general terms, but it may surprise many to learn that it sits on the lower end of the scale as far as high-end CD players are concerned.

Given the current state of the CD player market, there isn’t as much choice in this (or any) part of the sector as there used to be, but it is still not too difficult to find alternatives at far higher prices. The beautifully engineered Esoteric K-05XD (tested at £11,650 / $12,000 / AU$15,000) is a particular favourite of ours.

Design & build

Rotel clearly means business with its new Michi CD player. Just look at it. The bluff, no-nonsense exterior design exudes a mix of seriousness and lack of frippery we think high-end fans will admire, and though it may not be apparent from the accompanying photos, this thing is huge.

Does a CD player have to be big enough to dwarf most amplifiers on the market? Admittedly, the size impresses superficially, but we suspect not. Maybe Rotel just wanted to use the same casework across its high-end Michi components to take advantage of the economies of scale, but at least doing things this way gives a pleasing visual consistency across the products. What we do know is that this beast is beautifully made.

The quality of fit and finish is as good as it gets at this level. The casework is impressively rigid and well-damped; it has clearly been assembled with obvious care. Each panel aligns with a precision that’s rare in the world of high-end hi-fi, with its relatively tiny production numbers and resultant more ‘hand-made’ manufacturing processes.

The Michi Q5 is about as chunky as a typical high-end integrated amplifier, and coming in at 23.5kg it weighs as much as one too. Take a look inside and you will find a pair of toroidal mains transformers, which account for some of that weight.

This is a top-loading design, which does away with a conventional drawer-loading mechanism and adds to the feeling of interaction. It’s not quite the rich ritual experience we get with vinyl and record players, but it's far more engaging than using a typical music streamer, where a tap on a tablet or phone screen gets the music started.

The Michi’s beautifully made metal CD lid lifts off like a saucepan lid and fits snugly into position. It is a relatively heavy piece that features some lovely detailing and clamps down on the disc when put back in position.

When removed, it exposes the bespoke CNC-machined aluminium CD transport mechanism. This is an impressively quiet and responsive transport in use and it didn’t have an issue in reading any of the discs we tried, even some heavily scratched ones.

An ESS ES9028PRO eight-channel DAC chip sits at the heart of the Michi Q5’s digital circuitry. The ESS’s eight outputs are combined and split evenly between the left and right audio channels, a configuration that is claimed to improve resolution and reduce distortion.

This DAC chip is compatible with 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 files, which might seem excessive when the CD format is limited to 16-bit/44.1kHz datastreams, but that extended capability comes in useful when the Michi Q5’s USB-Type B, coaxial and optical inputs are employed.

The USB input is capable of carrying music files to those limits, while coax and optical are restricted to 24-bit/192kHz, as is usual.

Usability

Any CD player at this level demands a suitably talented partnering system, and the Rotel Michi Q5 is no different. We use it with our reference Burmester 088/911MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers for the bulk of the test sessions, though we also swap in PMC’s Cor integrated amplifier and Fyne Audio’s F1-8 standmounters for a change of flavour. The CD player’s well-balanced nature means that it works equally well in both systems.

The Michi Q5 exhibits some quirks in use, though. That metal CD lid may feel beautifully made, but it is a little heavy, and you need a place to put it down every time you change a CD. We wouldn’t advise putting it on the Q5’s top panel for fear of scratching either part, so you need somewhere else that isn’t dusty and won’t mark the lid with repeated use. A hinged lid design of some sort would probably have been more convenient in use.

The player’s on-unit control buttons are tucked away under the front panel. These can be a little awkward to operate if the Q5 isn’t positioned at the right kind of height. Admittedly, most people will use the simple but nice metal remote instead, so it shouldn’t be a major issue.

We’re less forgiving of the way our review sample displays album art and information on its colour TFT screen. It uses an online database to get that information, which is a neat way of doing things, but there are too many times when the song information is wrong.

Our sample usually gets the artist album and track number correct, but proves hit and miss with the song title. We’re sure that this is something that can be fixed with a software update, so over to you, Rotel.

All these things are annoyances to a lesser or greater degree, but they matter a lot less once we start listening to this CD player. It really is a capable unit that delivers a quality of sound from our CD collection that’s hard to better at this price.

Sound

The Michi Q5 sounds impressively clean and clear. If you value scale and authority, this player is happy to oblige. It has no trouble delivering the drama of Tchaikovsky’s Marché Slave Op.31. The music’s bold dynamic shifts are conveyed with confidence while retaining an admirable sense of composure; the Michi never sounds flustered, even when the music becomes demanding.

There is none of the grain or lack of purity that we hear in lesser machines, either. Each sound and instrument is rendered with delicacy and precision, while low-level instrumental strands are tracked with ease.

This is a detailed-sounding performer that has no trouble rendering instrumental textures or subtle shifts in intensity. It resolves plenty of information and has the organisational skills to turn it into a musically cohesive presentation.

Tonality? The Michi Q5 is about as neutral as they come, sounding as convincing in this respect as any player we’ve heard near this level. It has a lovely top-to-bottom evenness that, once heard, is hard to ignore when it is missing on other players.

Stereo imaging is good too. This disc spinner has a wide and well-focused presentation with a decent degree of depth (if the recording has it to begin with). We have no issue with image stability, and there is no sense of blurring, irrespective of how difficult the music gets.

Undun by The Roots shows that the Q5 can also shine with more rhythm-driven music. Here, it conveys the irresistible flow of Kool On effortlessly. It sounds expressive and enthusiastic, conveying voices with clarity and passion, while navigating the difficult balance between analysis and emotion well. Despite the impressive amount of insight, it still feels like the Michi Q5 always puts music and entertainment first.

The player’s low frequencies are impressively taut and agile, rendered with plenty of weight but never so much that it makes the presentation sludgy. Move up the frequency band and midrange clarity is excellent. Leading edges are crisply defined but never over-etched, while voices and instruments sound natural rather than forced.

The good news continues when we try out the Michi Q5’s digital inputs with our MacBook Pro (loaded with high-resolution music and Audirvana music playing software) and the digital output of our reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer.

We play a range of music from Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions and Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall, both in DSD, to Kate Bush’s 50 Words For Snow (24-bit/96kHz), and the Michi isn’t fazed at all. The insight and balance that we so enjoyed with compact disc is just as apparent here.

It doesn’t take long to realise that the Q5’s internal DAC circuitry is hugely capable and right up there with some of the best premium standalone digital-to-analogue converters on the market. It shifts between file types and differing resolutions seamlessly, too.

Verdict

Some people will baulk at the Michi Q5’s price, and that’s understandable. Given we are so far into the age of streaming, a high-end CD player certainly isn’t going to make sense for everyone.

However, if you are dedicated to the original silver disc and have a collection that justifies this kind of expense, we have no hesitation in recommending the Rotel Michi Q5 highly. It is an excellent performer, and those few functional quirks notwithstanding, we suspect it will prove a pleasure to own.

Review published: 10th November 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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As the clocks go back and the nights get colder and darker, this is about the time we wish that we had some Class A amplifiers in for review to keep us toasty and warm.

We sadly don't have a valve amplifier in for testing, but we do have Rotel's high-end CD player that's built like a tank, a new Clearaudio turntable and Sennheiser's new hi-res wireless headphones that aim to please audiophiles – all in our test rooms to get the full review treatment by our experienced test team.

Our winners for the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 have been announced across 24 categories, but that doesn't mean all the most exciting products have been covered for the year. Far from it – there are plenty of new hi-fi and home cinema products that are waiting for our review team in our test rooms this November, and you can see our top 5 picks for the month below. Along with the three hi-fi products mentioned, we are also looking forward to testing JBL's affordable Bar 300MK2 soundbar and the high-end BenQ W5850 projector.

If you have any questions about the products we are testing, comment below or email us at whathifi@futurenet.com, and we'll do our best to find the answer during our testing process and get back to you.

Clearaudio Compass

It's been a while since we have had a Clearaudio turntable in our test rooms, and we're curious to find out how the new Clearaudio Compass performs at its £1099 / €1290 price point. The belt-drive turntable is the brand's new entry-level model, and features precision-milled components, a new T1 aluminium tonearm fitted with a new N1 moving magnet cartridge, electronic speed change and a 20mm acrylic platter.

Like the previous five-star Clearaudio Concept model we tested over a decade ago, the new Compass is designed to be fairly plug-and-play; it is handmade in Germany and aims to deliver “accessible performance without compromise”. At this price range, it has the multiple Award-winning Rega Planar 6 to face off against. Let's hope it puts up quite the fight.

Rotel Michi Q5

The Michi Q5 is a beast of a high-end CD player. Weighing 23.5kg in total and just about fitting on to our hi-fi racks, as you can see from the picture above, this is a serious digital player for serious audiophiles.

It costs a hefty £5499 / $6999 / €5999, and every element of the product is meticulously designed for ultimate sound quality: dual toroidal transformers, fully balanced circuity and an eight-channel ESS ES9028PRO DAC split equally between the right and left channels for greater detail, wider soundstage and less distortion. The Michi Q5 plays CDs as well as hi-res PCM, DSD and MQA files, and features RCA and balanced XLR outputs, as well as optical, coaxial and type B USB inputs.

The highlight is the top-loading CD mechanism crafted out of aluminium and mounted on a custom floating spring assembly; taking the lid off to play a CD is an event in itself.

Sennheiser HDB 630

Sennheiser's new pair of wireless headphones aims high: it wants to bring high-res Bluetooth streaming and audiophile-level tuning to the masses.

Building upon the five-star Momentum 4 Wireless headphones' design, this step-up model features the kind of audio tuning normally reserved for the brand's HD 600 wired audiophile headphones, promising twice the detail resolution of the Momentum 4. It also comes with a USB-C Bluetooth transmitter that delivers up to 24-bit/96kHz quality using the aptX Adaptive codec when plugged into any mobile device – including an iPhone.

The accompanying app lets you customise the sound to your heart's content, from in-depth parametric EQ settings to crossfeed options, while battery life is quoted at 45 hours with ANC turned on and with hi-res files playing.

Priced at £399.90 / $499.95 / €499.90, can the new HDB 630 beat our current favourite at this price – the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6 – and deliver a whole new standard of quality for Bluetooth headphones?

JBL Bar 300MK2

We’re always on the lookout for great affordable soundbars, and we have a new contender from JBL in our test rooms right now.

This entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar boasts a claimed 450W of power and HDMI passthrough, and it costs £100 less than a Sonos Beam Gen 2.

The previous model got four stars – can the new one go one star further and dethrone the Beam?

BenQ W5850

The Sony VPL-XW5000ES looms large over the £5000ish projector price category (it’s just won its fourth What Hi-Fi? Award in row), but other brands are still keen to take a shot at it.

First was the Epson EH-QB1000 which, despite its five-star performance, couldn’t quite topple the Sony. Now, it’s the turn of the BenQ W5850, which combines most of the hardware of the five-star W5800, and adds a new shorter-throw lens so you can get a bigger image from a shorter distance.

Has the Sony XW5000ES finally met its match? Stay tuned for our full review to find out!

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The stereo amplifier is the beating heart of your hi-fi separates system. At What Hi-Fi?, we have been testing them ever since 1976, and our experienced review team has collectively tested hundreds of integrated amplifiers, priced anywhere from £200 all the way up to £30,000.

You don't have to spend thousands to get a good stereo amplifier, though. In fact, you don't need to spend very much at all to get a truly great integrated amplifier these days.

Right now, there are three superb amps that I can recommend to you at three different price points. These three five-star amps are tried and tested products we constantly recommend. They deliver outstanding sound-per-pound value, and work with a variety of partnering speakers and sources at their respective price levels.

So if you are building a hi-fi separates system and are looking for a budget, mid-priced or premium amplifier, then look no further than this trio of top choices.

Budget: Rotel A8

Our budget amplifier pick at the moment is unequivocally the Rotel A8.

Yes, its styling is quite functional, but at this entry-level price point, Rotel has focused its efforts entirely on the performance of the A8. Still, the amplifier itself is well-built and all controls are nicely engineered and feel satisfying in use.

Unlike the long-running Marantz PM6007 that used to hold the fort as our budget favourite for many years, this Rotel doesn't have any digital inputs. We don't find this to be an issue, as we usually find that the DAC in your music streamer, CD player or even laptop will be on par (or even better) with any digital module fitted in a budget amp. The A8's three line-level RCA and a pair of phono inputs are enough to connect your turntable, streamer and CD player.

The Rotel A8 really shows its mettle with its sound quality, and outshines all of its rivals, which include five-star options from Marantz, Rega and Cambridge Audio. This 30W per channel amp has a fine sense of drive, control and sure-footed agility with rhythms, along with punchy bass.

We find its dynamic ability to be “unusually expressive” at this level, handling large, orchestral dynamic shifts and the subtler shadings in vocal nuance with a great deal of composure and skill. It sounds organised and controlled at moments where its rivals struggle to stay coherent.

The rival Marantz PM6007 offers a larger and more spacious soundstage, but Rotel counters with better detail resolution and digs into subtleties with greater insight. We find it is considerably more articulate and textured when it comes to the lower frequencies than any alternative we have tested.

It simply sounds more authentic and handles music with a calmness that we tend to hear with much pricier amplifiers. We say in our review: “This is an amplifier that just fades into the background, letting the recording and the other components in the system step into the limelight.”

The Rotel A8 works well with similarly budget-friendly partnering equipment, and such is its talent that it will quite likely be the last component in your budget system that will need updating. While a natural set-up would be include the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 speakers, a Rega Planar 1 turntable, Cambridge MXN10 streamer and/or Marantz CD6007, we tried the A8 in a more premium system involving the KEF LS50 Meta speakers, Rega Planar 3 and Arcam CD5 (these being double the A8's price) and found that the composed Rotel amp more than held its own.

Unassuming, but hugely capable with whatever you pair it with, this pleasingly capable Rotel A8 will reward you greatly at this budget price.

Mid-price: Arcam A15

For a serious step above the budget A8, we have to go with the Award-winning Arcam A15. This burly, sturdy unit boasts 80W per channel (into 8 ohms), an ESS ES9018 DAC chip and offers a generous specification sheet that includes multiple digital and analogue connections.

Optical and coaxial inputs sit alongside RCA line-level and moving-magnet phono inputs. It even has two-way Bluetooth aptX Adaptive codec support, so you can stream songs from your smartphone to the unit as well as play songs back wirelessly on connected Bluetooth headphones. Neat.

Sound-wise, the Arcam 15 is a powerful, precise and poised performer. It's a terrifically open and authoritative sound, and offers excellent grip and composure when confronted with complex musical arrangements. There is punch and drama, but the A15 is also nimble and delicate when it needs to be.

We say in our review: “This Arcam is insightful, tracking the music’s multitude of instrumental strands with skill. Dynamic nuances are conveyed with finesse and we love the way it renders instrumental textures with such delicacy.”

Its stereo imaging is expansive and stable, while its tonal neutrality, combined with clarity and precision, delivers a commanding and involving listening experience that wows us every time we listen to it.

The A15's phono and headphones stages are of good quality too, delivering a dynamically expressive sound that is clear, dynamic and, most of all, enjoyably musical.

The Arcam A15 has fought off many rivals at this price point (and even higher) that we've heard so far, and we would expect anyone buying at this level to take some care with partnering to get the best out of this integrated amplifier. The superb Cyrus CDi, PMC Prodigy 5 floorstanding speakers and Cambridge Audio CXN100 streamer are great options to suit the Arcam A15's commanding presentation.

The A15 is a terrific all-rounder and has a useful array of features to suit everyone – we would highly recommend it as a mid-price option.

Premium: Naim Nait XS3

Now, if you have both the inclination and bank balance to set your sights higher for your hi-fi separates, we can't recommend the Naim Nait XS3 amplifier enough.

Originally released in 2019 and a mainstay of our best stereo amplifiers guide, this Naim integrated has the distinction of winning five What Hi-Fi? Awards in a row and earning a Hall of Fame 2024 entry for its talents – it's even one of our trusty reference amplifiers in our test rooms.

So what's the fuss all about? Naim's amplifier pedigree is legendary, and its engineers have taken obsessive care with the components, circuitry and power stages for this XS3 integrated, including a completely new (and very good, indeed) phono stage.

Once again, the focus is on absolute sound quality so digital inputs have been forsaken for analogue line level and phono inputs. Naim recommends an outboard DAC at this level (or an appropriately talented CD player or streamer with a great DAC integrated).

This Nait XS3 is quite simply a supremely natural, musical performer. There are bigger, more impressive-sounding alternatives – such as the muscular Roksan Blak or the spacious Cambridge Audio EXA100 – but the more dynamically expressive and rhythmically capable Naim gets the intent behind every song across.

Its ability to knit together musical strands in a cohesive manner is unmatched at this level. It's an insightful, agile and enthusiastic performer, balancing bombastic punch and finesse and emotion in equal measure. Voices are beautifully nuanced and emotive – you can hear the personalities behind every word and every note.

The phono stage in the Nait XS3 deserves special mention. Built-in phono stages don't always sound the best, but this one delivers a detailed, punchy and lively performance.

We said in our original review that this Naim amp delivers “a musical and emotionally absorbing performance” – and its greatest strength is the ability to get you fully involved with the songs being played. Its “fit and forget” nature convinces you to pay less attention to any critical analysis when listening and simply enjoy the music instead.

It is, of course, part of our reference system. We have used so many different components with this Naim amp, and it has never faltered. Pair it with equally highly talented components, such as the Rega Planar 8 turntable, Epos ES14N speakers and Naim's own Uniti Atom HE streamer at the bare minimum, and you're in for a treat.

This is an amplifier that gets straight to the heart of the music – and that's the mark of a truly great piece of hi-fi. If your budget stretches this high, this Naim is the one to get.

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Nostalgia aside, is the cassette tape a viable hi-fi format in 2025?

Rotel has revealed its latest integrated stereo amplifier, the DX-5. Like its recently announced compact Rotel DX-3 headphone amp, the new DX-5 is conceived as the ideal performer for users with small spaces who still seek premium levels of sonic performance. The new unit employs Class AB amplification and promises powerful sound in an "elegant, space-efficient chassis".

The DX-5 delivers 33 watts per channel into 4 ohms, with Rotel teasing "exceptional sound quality and an immersive listening experience" from the compact unit. Powered by a factory-wound toroidal transformer driving a set of high-current output transistors, the DX-5 strives for unerring midrange precision alongside "pristine highs" and a "rich, deep" bass signature.

The amp uses an ESS ES9039Q2M Sabre DAC in pursuit of a low noise floor and a wide, cinematic soundstage. Capable of supporting hi-res PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz alongside DSD 256, the new model offers coaxial, optical, USB type B and a pair of RCA inputs for physically connecting to a variety of sources. There is also aptX HD Bluetooth support for high-quality wireless streaming.

Further, HDMI ARC is on the menu if you're planning to connect your amp to your TV for a home AV system, with Rotel envisioning its slimline amp as being ideal for music and movies.

The front panel of the DX-5 is fitted with a color graphic display, accompanied by a volume control dial and a 6.35mm headphone jack for private listening sessions. An aluminium remote control is supplied with the amp.

Available in a choice of black or silver finishes, the Rotel DX-5 is on the market this April, priced at £1399 / $1499 / AU$2199. That puts the compact amplifier in competition with the Award-winning Arcam A15 (£1099 / $999 / AU$2195) and the five-star Rega Elex Mk4 (£1199 / $1875 / AU$2499) – hardly a pair of pushovers.

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It's never too late to embark on new beginnings. Rotel has launched the DX-3 – the first standalone headphone amplifier in the brand's 60-plus year history. The Rotel DX-3 isn't just a headphone amplifier, though. It is also a DAC, it has built-in Bluetooth, digital and analogue inputs, and it can be used as a preamplifier.

Rotel pitches the DX-3 as the "ultimate desktop audio companion", and we can imagine its compact footprint will appeal to many of us who want high-quality hi-fi kit but are short on space. It measures 7.6cm x 21.5cm x 24.7cm – which is only a little bit bigger than the WiiM Ultra streamer's size.

You can plug a wide range of wired headphones into the DX-3, with Rotel stating it is compatible with high, medium and low-impedance cans, while users can also select the amplifier gain to suit their headphones. There are 6.3mm and 4.4mm balanced headphone connectors on the front panel.

The unit features an ESS Sabre ES9028PRO eight-channel DAC and is capable of handling hi-res audio files up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256. You'll get that maximum full native resolution using the USB type B input, while there are digital coaxial and optical inputs that can play 24-bit/192kHz files natively. It also has a Bluetooth receiver included, which supports AAC and higher-quality aptX HD codecs.

The DX-3 also features balanced XLR and stereo RCA analogue outputs, so you can use it as a preamplifier in an existing hi-fi set-up with a power amplifier, or use it to drive active speakers in a neat, compact system. There is also a pair of RCA line-level analogue inputs, which is unusual for a product of this type.

The "highest-grade components" are used in the DX-3 to deliver audiophile-grade performance from this headphone amplifier/DAC/preamp, which also has Rotel's renowned audio expertise behind it.

The low-noise toroidal transformer is custom-made and manufactured in-house, while high quality capacitors are used. The analogue and digital power supplies are isolated to reduce interference, while custom-engineered low pass filters and a fully balanced signal path further help to minimise unwanted noise and distortion from affecting the music.

All in all, Rotel aims to deliver music with "the ultimate resolution, rhythm and timing and on an immersive soundstage".

The unit itself looks rather smart, with the front panel boasting a full-colour display that shows off the volume level and source chosen, and a large, knurled volume control that delivers precise steps in 0.5dB increments.

The Rotel DX-3 will be available in silver and black finishes for £1399 / $1499 / €1499. It will be available in the UK and Europe from the end of March, with the rest of the world to follow soon after.

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