Wilson Benesch has announced its new Greenwich turntable at this year’s Audio Delux hi-fi show. The 64kg Greenwich (£82,000/$130,000) is now the entry point into the company’s ultra-high-end GMT series of record players.

It is essentially the motor unit of the Prime Meridian (£170,000/$240,000) and range-topping GMT One (£215,000/$300,000) packages, and comes without arm, cartridge, rack or clever VTA adjustment included in the others.

All these can be added as required at the time of purchase, and there are various trim options to fine-tune the deck’s cosmetics to taste.

The Greenwich’s heart is undoubtedly Wilson Benesch’s impressive Omega Drive system. It is an innovative direct-drive design that integrates the platter directly into the motor.

Omega Drive was developed through collaboration between Wilson Benesch and Sheffield Hallam University and supported by Innovate UK funding. At 15 inches in diameter, this is claimed to be the largest motor ever developed for use in a turntable.

Omega Drive is a slot-less synchronous design with an architecture optimised to eliminate clogging effects and minimise torque ripples.

Its structure consists of 21 precision-wound coils and 14 NdFeB (Neodymium-Iron-Boron) magnets (the strongest type of commercially available permanent magnet).

The result is claimed to deliver smooth, stable platter rotation without the noise, vibration and speed instability often associated with traditional belt, idler, and direct-drive configurations.

Speed options are 33 ⅓, 45 and 78 RPM, and they are selected using the Alpha Drive electronic controller. This hefty 30kg box feeds the Omega motor quartz-regulated, multi-phase sinewave signals to ensure accurate and stable speed of platter rotation.

All Wilson Benesch’s GMT turntables are supplied with a control app that allows the user to Stop/Start and adjust rotational speeds in 0.1 RPM increments.

Production of the Greenwich turntable will start in April with a lead time of 12-14 weeks. Start saving.

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The Bristol Hi-Fi Show may not have "High End" in the title like a certain Munich-based event set to happen in May, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a wealth of awesome, premium audio hardware to check out at the expo.

In fact, myself and the wider team of top-end hi-fi hunters at What Hi-Fi? has already earmarked three Temptation level products set to appear at the show that we haven't had a chance to see or hear in the flesh yet.

Here’s what you need to know about them.

1. The Wilson Benesch Horizon

We first covered the Wilson Benesch Horizon floorstanding speakers in January, where they immediately caught many hi-fi fans' attention.

First, because they sit in the same Fibonacci Series of loudspeakers as the A.C.T. 3Zero and Discovery 3Zero, which both earned a perfect five-star rating from our testers when we got them in for the full What Hi-Fi? review treatment.

Second because they’re technically interesting beasts featuring a wealth of proprietary hardware, including Tactic 3.0 drivers and a Fibonacci Tweeter, which the company claims will let them deliver "extraordinary clarity, speed and detail across the frequency spectrum".

The Bristol Hi-Fi Show is the first time we’ll have the opportunity to check them out in the flesh, with the company running demos throughout the event.

2. The Devialet Astra

Devialet is an interesting company, with a strong record for creating beautiful looking and sounding high end hi-fi that started all the way back in 2012, when we tested its D-Premier amp and gleefully reported:

“It's like nothing we've seen before, but in terms of sonic ability, the Devialet D-Premier is an incredible performer”.

Which is why we’re super excited that we’ll get the chance to have a first look at its new Devialet Astra streaming amplifier at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show this year. Set to retail for $20,000 the unit boasts 600W of power and all the streaming support you’d expect in 2025.

We haven’t gotten full details what speakers the amp will be paired with at the demo, but we can’t wait to find out and get an early listen to the Astra at the show.

3. The Rotel Michi Q5 CD

Though it was announced all the way back in September last year, the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2025 will be our first chance to see the Rotel Michi Q5 CD in the wild.

Rotel markets the unit as a “Transport DAC” but it’s essentially a CD player with digital inputs and high resolution file playback that sits in the same family as the X3 and X5 Series 2 integrated amplifiers, which first appeared in 2023.

The flexibility to play CDs, or high resolution files is awesome, but the unit also packs some impressive hardware under the hood. This is headlined by eight-channel ESS ES9028PRO DAC that’s been specially configured so that its channels are split equally between the left and right audio signal paths. This will apparently help it deliver "extraordinary detail retrieval" and a much wider soundstage.

We’ll be curious to check it out at Bristol where the £5499 / $6999 / €5999 spinner will be on show.

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Wilson Benesch will be launching a new pair of high-end floorstanders at next month's Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2025. Called Horizon, this model will join the brand's Fibonacci Series of loudspeakers and expand the range thanks to the success of its previous launches – both of which were announced at previous Bristol Shows.

The Sheffield-based hi-fi brand claims the Horizon "embodies all the qualities of the award-winning Fibonacci Series, setting a new benchmark in cutting-edge loudspeaker technology and craftsmanship within its class". We've tested two speakers from the Fibonacci range – the Discovery 3Zero standmounters and the A.C.T. 3Zero floorstanders – both of which received five-star reviews.

As with the rest of the Fibonacci Series (and in line with Wilson Benesch's cutting-edge approach across its 30 years), the Horizon uses a Monocoque enclosure similar to its bigger A.C.T. 3Zero sibling, which is made of a bio-based composite material (developed thanks to a pan-European research project funded by the EU to the tune of €7.4million to find alternative sustainable materials). This enclosure is designed to offer "unparalleled" rigidity and damping and is precision-engineered to maximise internal air volume for deep, taut bass, while ensuring next-to no noise from the cabinet itself compared with more conventional wood cabinets.

For drive units, the Horizon uses proprietary Tactic 3.0 drivers and a Fibonacci Tweeter (also present in the A.C.T. 3Zero model) for "extraordinary clarity, speed and detail across the frequency spectrum".

We don't have further specifications or confirmed prices yet, but the Horizon speakers will sit between its two five-star siblings, both of which sport exceptionally expensive price tags. The Discovery 3Zero cost £18,995 / $32,000 / AU$41,000 while the A.C.T. 3Zero are yours for a cool £31,995 / $54,000 / AU$68,000. Something in the £20k region for Horizon, then?

We called the A.C.T. 3Zero "a technological tour de force that delivers a sublime listening experience", so let's hope some of that magic trickles through to the new Horizon. As ever, these speakers will be available in a variety of premium finishes, including real wood veneers and hand-polished pearlescent metallic paints.

Wilson Benesch's new Horizon loudspeakers will be shown and demoed to the public for the first time at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show (21st-23rd February), where you can find them on Stand Conservatory 1 on the Terrace/Conservatory floor.

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The past few months have been a real treat for me. Due to a serendipitous sequence of circumstances, much of my time has been spent in the company of some of the most interesting, exotic and, simply, best record players on the market.

The most modest was the new Rega Planar3/Nd3 combination (£799 / $1395 / AU$1699). Now, the Planar 3 deck is about as well known as specialist record players get, having been in production for almost 50 years. Over that time it has consistently remained one of our go-to recommendations at its price, and this latest package simply reinforces that. It remains as musically talented a turntable as we have heard at this level. That its price remains unchanged from the previous Planar 3/Elys 2 package is also laudable.

Next up the price ladder comes Linn’s ‘entry-level’ LP12 Majik partnered with the company’s Koil MC cartridge (£3935 / $5320 / AU$7395). This is a good starting point on the LP12 ladder and delivers a decent dose of the legendary deck’s magic. Our main comparison for the Linn was the Award-winning Vertere DG-1S/Magneto combination (£3950 / $4995 / AU$7000) but at the same time, we also had the mighty SME Model 20 Mk2/Series V arm/Ortofon Windfeld Ti MC (£30,349 / $35,619 / AU$58,000) package ready for review. As a team, we spent some entertaining days swapping between the Linn, Vertere and SME, as well as our reference Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC record player (£21,494 / $20,000), before forming our opinions on the review products.

Good as all these record players are, the highlight has got to be the all-too-short time I spent listening to a system fronted by Wilson Benesch’s new Prime Meridian Turntable. This comes partnered with the company’s Graviton Ti Arm and Tessellate Ti-S cartridge. At the time of writing, this package weighs in at a frankly astonishing £203,000. And it isn’t even Wilson Benesch’s range-topper… 

Add the prices of the two Regas, the Linn, Vertere, Technics and SME to the Wilson Benesch and it totals £264,326. I feel privileged to have spent time with this collection of record players, more for the musical enjoyment I got and the experience of their exceptional engineering than anything related to price. However, I couldn’t help but notice that, while they all do the same job, their routes to success are very different.

One of Rega’s core philosophies for its turntables has been combining low mass with high rigidity. The ultimate expression of this is the limited-edition Naiad model that features ‘an ultra-lightweight’ carbon-fibre plinth with a Rohacell foam core with ceramic braces between the main bearing and arm to further add to the rigidity. The more humble Planar 3 doesn’t go to such extremes, of course, but its lightweight acrylic laminated plinth and twin phenolic braces adhere to the same philosophy. 

Any regular reader knows just how highly we rate Rega’s turntables and they have garnered a huge amount of five-star reviews and awards over the years. So the low mass/high rigidity approach appears to be the right one for record players to follow. 

But life isn’t so straightforward. Such an approach certainly works for Rega; but then we listen to high-mass alternatives such as our reference Technics SL-1000R or the SME Model 20 Mk2 and find that they sound fabulous.

Similarly, while the Rega, Vertere, Linn and SME deliver excellent results using belt-based drivetrains, we get equally persuasive results using the direct drive (where the motor spindle is directly connected to the platter) found in the Technics and Wilson Benesch. 

Are there specific traits that can be assigned to each type of drive? It is tempting to say that the direct-drive decks tend to sound more secure and exhibit more in the way of stability at low frequencies. Tempting, but then we try Vertere’s DG-1S with its clever flexible motor mount (that equalises belt tension) and hear much the same positive result. 

Belt drives isolate the sensitive stylus/record interface from unwanted motor vibrations, and so should benefit all aspects of sound quality; but both the Technics and Wilson Benesch prove astonishingly capable, so there are obviously ways around the issues.

Elsewhere, the Linn and SME both have suspended sub-chassis to provide isolation from external vibrations. This does make them less sensitive to positioning and support quality than more ‘solid’ designs such as the Rega and Vertere, but regardless, all the decks (with the exception of the Wilson Benesch, which doesn’t lend itself to be used on third-party supports) sound better when placed in a rigid, low-resonance support positioned as far from the speakers as practical. Once again, no single engineering approach seems to yield the best overall result.

The other interesting thing I noticed was that you get what you pay for. This is as obvious in the quality of the build as it is in the sound. Each of the decks I tried is a fine performer at its price point, but as we step up in price from the Rega to the Linn and further, there are clear sonic and construction benefits in doing so. That continues even when we switch from something as expensive as the SME Model 20 Mk2 to the Wilson Benesch. The Law of Diminishing Returns does kick in to a degree, but once you hear genuine improvements it is hard to go back. All this (obviously) depends on the transparency of the partnering system and how important squeezing that final percentage point of sound quality is to you. It matters greatly to me.

The conclusion? As a consumer, don’t get caught up in the engineering philosophy behind the design of a record player. There are so many ways to skin this particular cat. What matters most is the skill of the designer in delivering optimum results for the ingredients and budget available.

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August is upon us, and as well as finally getting some good weather it has also brought with it one other key treat – the latest entry into our Pick of the Month column.

In it we reveal the latest batch of hi-fi and home cinema products that impressed our reviewers enough to earn a five-star rating over the past month.

It’s a big entry for July as a whopping seven items made the cut, which is just shy of a record. These included everything from premium laser projectors to affordable Bluetooth speakers. 

Each has been subject to thorough testing in our dedicated viewing and listening rooms to ensure it truly is worth your hard earned cash.

Without further delay, here are the What Hi-Fi? team’s top products from July. 

Monitor Audio Studio 89 

The Monitor Audio Studio 89 are being pitched by the UK hi-fi house as a reimagining of the Studio 15 model the brand first introduced in 1989. 

While our reviewers weren’t altogether convinced of the family resemblance, with the new Studio 89 having a very different look that is more akin to 2018’s Monitor Audio Studio, we can safely confirm they sound great.

The moment we got the Studio 89 set up in our listening rooms it was clear Monitor has taken great efforts to apply many of the lessons it learned developing the high-end Hyphn floorstanders to its new standmounts.

Highlights include the use of a new third-generation MPD (Micro Pleated Diaphragm) tweeter, and appearance of two of the firm’s latest RDT III C-CAM mid/bass drivers.

Paired with a variety of reference hardware ranging from the Cambridge Audio CXA81 to more premium Naim Nait XS3, the speakers delivered an impressively seamless and robust sound. Hence our reviewers’ conclusion: 

“Monitor Audio's Studio 89 are talented and engaging performers that excel in clarity, precision and resolution.”

Our only caveat is that they require space to breathe to perform at their best, so think about the environment you plan to use them in carefully.

Read our Monitor Audio Studio 89 review

JVC DLA-NZ800  

The JVC DLA-NZ800 is the latest premium 4K laser projector to pass through our viewing rooms, and based on our testing a fantastic option for home cinema fans with deep pockets.

Despite its high price, this is actually the step down option in JBL’s current line, sitting just below the DLA-NZ900. This means it has a smaller 65mm all-glass module. The more expensive NZ900 has a larger 100mm unit.

It retains a very impressive feature set despite its step-down status. One highlight is the inclusion of JVC’s Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) projection technology which aims to combine the best aspects of DLP and LCD to deliver deep black levels and improved levels of detail.

Backing this up there’s JVC’s Blu-Escent laser diode system, which offers 2700 lumens of brightness and in turn lets it deliver a 100,000:1 contrast ratio – both figures are significantly higher than what you’ll find on most projectors in this class.

Fancy specifications aside, our reviewers were delighted with how well it performed during our tests. Whether it was Dune II, Oppenheimer, Barbie, Drive or The Dark Knight Rises, the projector delivered balanced yet engaging colours and oodles of contrast. Hence our testers’ verdict: 

“The JVC DLA-NZ800 is about as cinematic as projectors come, with a beautifully balanced and deeply captivating picture that truly puts the ‘cinema’ into ‘home cinema’.”

Read our JVC DLA-NZ800 review

Ruark Audio R1S 

Our testers’ description of the Ruark Audio R1S as being “as close to hi-fi as a small radio can get”, tells you pretty much everything you need to know about it.

The R1S is the smallest option in UK brand Ruark’s growing line of radios. It costs a little more than its predecessors, but for the money Ruark has added key functions including wi-fi and built in music streaming support, which make it a lot more versatile. 

Featuring Ruark’s trademark wooden design and a full-range driver powered by Class A/B amplification, the R1S justified the price increase on the previous R1 model during our tests. As well as looking lovely, it also performed admirably during our listening checks, delivering impressive audio for a unit its size with pleasing amounts of clarity, detail, precision and agility. This earned it a five-star rating and led our reviewers to heap praise on it, concluding: 

“With an articulate and authoritative sound and stylish design, this sophisticated, versatile internet radio is a tempting proposition.”

Read our Ruark Audio R1S review

JBL Xtreme 4 

If you’re looking for a rugged travel companion that can deliver impressive levels of volume without completely compromising audio quality then we’d recommend considering the JBL Xtreme 4 Bluetooth speaker.

Though the name makes our editor think of a fairly terrible cover band he once saw of early-’90s legends Extreme, during our checks the Xtreme 4 delivered solid results and ticks all the boxes required of a travel-ready Bluetooth speaker.

For starters, it’s been designed to meet IP67 ruggedisation requirements, which make it safe to use by the pool or in a bathroom. To accommodate its large size, JBL’s also included an attachable strap, that makes it easy to use on the go. 

But most importantly, JBL’s taken advantage of the increased chassis size to load it with two 70mm woofers and two 20mm tweeters. 

During our checks, this configuration let it deliver reliable, engaging audio by Bluetooth streaming standards, that easily matched, if not beat, rivals including the three star UE Everboom, which we also reviewed in July.

Hence our conclusion:

“The Xtreme 4 might look beefy, rugged and uncompromising but the sound quality on offer is anything but. It’s another hugely engaging and entertaining Bluetooth speaker for the brand.”

Read our JBL Xtreme 4 review

Bose SoundLink Max  

The Bose SoundLink Max is the second Bluetooth speaker to earn a five star rating from our reviewers in July. Though it costs considerably more than the above JBL, if you have the money it offers a wealth of features you won’t find on most rivals.

For starters, it has a discreet but durable design, complete with a travel handle for those that want to lug it to their local park or take it on their travels – though be warned at 2.13kg it’s a little heavy to lug with you on long walks and hikes.

The big differentiators that justify its increased cost are the use of Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and aptX codec support, which combine to accommodate higher quality streams and lower latency than you’ll find on many more affordable speakers in the same class.

Most importantly, the speaker delivered great audio, once we tempered its bass – which was a little too pushy out of the box. 

Once this issue was sorted in the accompanying mobile app’s settings menu, the results were excellent – whether it was Guns N’ Roses Welcome To The Jungle or Visions by Lane 8, the speaker delivered a lively energetic sound. Hence our reviewers’ verdict: 

“Bose wraps up excellent sound quality and an enjoyable user experience in an attractive, outdoor-friendly package.”

Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero  

Though they could also be described as “speakers”, the Wilson Benesch sit on an entirely different end of the spectrum to the above JBL and Bose units. The high-end speakers are about as hi-fi as you can get, retailing for £18,995 / $32,000 / AU$41,000 and aimed squarely at the audiophile market.

We first got a glimpse of these speakers at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show earlier this year. They’re the standmount siblings of the floorstanding Wilson Benesch A.C.T 3Zero we reviewed and also gave five stars to last year, and share a lot of the same core DNA.

This means that while they require careful pairing with equally high-end hi-fi, they can create truly magnificent results. Paired with our reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, Technics SL-1000R record player and Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power, the Discovery 3Zero offered exceptional levels of transparency and insight. This led our reviewers to conclude: 

“If you are after a transparent and revealing pair of speakers then there are few alternatives as capable as these. They may be hugely expensive but when partnered well and carefully set up they are capable of sounding magical.”

Read our Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero review

Marantz Cinema 30 

The Marantz Cinema 30 is a premium AVR designed for home cinema fans that want the best audio possible when watching movies. 

At its heart, it shares some of the same hardware and features as the Denon AVC-X6800H, which we also gave five stars to when we reviewed it in April. This thankfully includes the useful ‘Setup Assistant' which makes it blissfully easy to get the unit up and running, even for home cinema newbies, using a series of step by step instructions.

At a hardware level it does have a few differentiators from its Denon sibling, however. Two of the biggest are the use of HDAMs, which are effectively amplifier models made of discretely mounted components, as opposed to an integrated circuit, and a newly developed DAC section. The HDAM’s aim is to let the Marantz deliver 'more dynamic, accurate and detailed sound'.

Putting the unit through its paces with our reference PMC Twenty5.23 7.2 speaker package, the Cinema 30 delivered the goods. Whether it was with our tried and tested Blade Runner 2049 chapter two or our new Dune Part II stress test, the Cinema 30 delivered audio full of scale, punch and spatial precision. Hence our conclusion:

“The Cinema 30 delivers all of the luxury and refinement you would expect from Marantz with all of the crispness and punch you could desire and all of the latest tech specs, too, making it a rare all-rounder of an AVR.”

Read our Marantz Cinema 30 review

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The What Hi-Fi? team loves hi-fi in all its shapes and sizes. But there’s always a special buzz when we get a Temptation-level (read: very expensive) product in. For those new to the site, these special products usually cost more than most of us pay as a deposit for a house and sit in an exclusive category of hi-fi that’s akin to a “super car”.

This year may only be halfway through, but we’ve already found it to be a fantastic year for any audiophile or general music fan, with several Temptation-level products earning five-star ratings from our expert reviewers – which is an impressive feat considering, even in the upper echelons of audio, we still test and review products using our hallowed performance-per-pound/dollar metric.

Here are some of our favourites.

1. Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero speakers 

Kicking off the list we have the Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero, a pair of £18,995 / $32,000 / AU$41,000 standmount speakers we originally got a peek at during the Bristol Hi-Fi Show earlier this year. 

Wilson Benesch is one of the few small specialist hi-fi companies we know of that makes most of its parts in-house. (Our technical editor recently visited its factory in Sheffield.)

When the Discovery finally arrived in our listening rooms, we had high hopes for them as they are part of the same family as the almost twice the price A.C.T. 3Zero floorstanders we gave top marks to last year.

Thankfully, when we paired them with appropriately high-end equipment, including our reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, Technics SL-1000R record player and Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power, they delivered great results.

Whether it was the Flower Duet from Delibes, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor, the Discovery 3Zero delivered audio full of vivid dynamics and exceptional levels of transparency and insight. Hence our reviewers’ conclusion:

“If you are after a transparent and revealing pair of speakers then there are few alternatives as capable as these. They may be hugely expensive, but when partnered well and carefully set up they are capable of sounding magical.”

If that wasn’t enough to pique your interest, having seen them in the flesh we can confirm they are beautiful and an engineering marvel. 

Read our full Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero speakers review

2. Luxman L-509Z integrated amplifier

Many hi-fi fans still ascribe to the basic principle that simplicity is king and it's better to do one thing well than 10 things merely okay, especially in the world of separates. This year Luxman went a long way to disprove that old adage with its £10,999 / $12,495 / AU$18,499 L-509Z integrated amplifier. 

The L-509Z integrated amplifier is a Swiss Army knife product featuring a built-in switchable phono stage, tone, loudness and balance controls, the ability to switch between two pairs of speakers and a choice of headphone outputs. 

If the wealth of features turn you off, or have you worried about audio quality, let us tell you in no uncertain terms: don’t be dissuaded. Using the L-509Z integrated amplifier in our listening rooms with a variety of reference hardware, the results were excellent. We tested it with the Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and Technics SL-1000R turntable as sources, and ATC SCM 50 and previously mentioned Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero speakers.

In each listening check, whether it was Arvo Pärt’s Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten, Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor or Michael Jackson’s Bad, the Luxman offered strikingly clean and detailed audio. This is largely due to incredible work by Luxman designing every part of the amp, which means every part ranging from the volume control to the power supply has been made with painstaking attention and care. Hence our reviewers’ conclusion:

“What we have here is a high-end integrated amplifier that ticks all the boxes. To our eyes, it looks appealing in a retro way and there is plenty to admire in its design and build. After that, there is the sound quality that is as good as any alternative we have heard. If you are lucky enough to buy at this level, the Luxman L-509Z deserves a high place on your shortlist.”

Read our Luxman L-509Z integrated amplifier review

3. Esoteric K-05XD CD player 

We all love physical media. We know this because any article we write about vinyl, CD or, on the other side of the fence, Blu-ray and DVDs automatically leads to a flurry of conversation on our forums and social media pages. 

But even for us die-hard CD fans, there’s no denying £11,650 / $12,000 / AU$15,000 is a lot to pay for a CD player in this day and age. But, for enthusiasts with deep pockets and a large SACD/CD collection, it’s hard not to recommend the Esoteric K-05XD, based on our experience with it.

Confused as to what SACD is? The short version is that it was a pioneering hi-res disc format that never quite went mainstream, even in its prime. 

Even if you’re not one of the few people with SACD collections, the CD player is full of atypical hardware. Highlights include a VRDS Atlas transport mechanism and the use of a digital-to-analogue conversion circuit capable of playing 32-bit/384kHz PCM hi-res files as well as DSD512 music streams. Paired with our reference Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers the player delivered great results

Whether it was Disc 1 of George Michael’s Ladies & Gentlemen or our SACD of Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring, the Esoteric K-05XD delivered brilliant audio with exceptional levels of clarity and detail. Our reviewers’ short but sweet conclusion says it all: 

“Esoteric’s K-05XD is without doubt one of the world’s finest SACD/CD disc spinners.”

Read our full Esoteric K-05XD CD player review

4. Fyne Vintage V speakers 

The V are the smallest option in Fyne Audio’s charming-looking Vintage line of speakers, sitting below the larger Vintage Ten, and Vintage Twelve and Fifteen.

Despite their tiny size, the speakers are packed with impressive hardware and have a beautiful, classic design reminiscent of early Tannoy speakers – which is no surprise given Fyne’s history and links to the iconic Scottish audio brand.

Starting with the aesthetics. Each speaker is hand-made of birch ply, finished in an oiled walnut veneer and has a burr walnut inlay. Further to this, the Five have an anodised gold trim and leather grille tab that makes them look like something out of The Great Gatsby.

At an engineering level, they’re also interesting. Inside they feature a 12.5cm mid/bass driver with the tweeter placed in the middle of the unit – Fyne calls this an Isoflare arrangement.

But most importantly, based on our time reviewing them, they sound excellent when paired with a good source – in our case Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, the Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC record player and a Macbook Pro loaded with Audirvana music-playing software and connected to a Chord Hugo TT DAC. 

In this set-up, the Fyne Vintage V audio showed incredibly precise stereo imaging, impressive resolution and leading levels of clarity. Which is why we heaped praise on them in our review, concluding:

“The Vintage Five are easy speakers to underestimate. The retro appearance suggests that they are for those who yearn for the past, and their dinky size makes them harder to take seriously, especially at what looks to be a high price. But consider the exceptional build, quality of engineering and, when used in an appropriate system, terrific sound, and it is hard not to be won over. We certainly are.”

Read our full Fyne Vintage V review

5. Naim NSS 333 streamer 

The NSS 333 is part of Naim’s wider 300 Series, which was first unveiled in May 2023. Built on Naim’s established NP800 platform, it has excellent file and streaming support. Specifically, it can play up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM files and DSD128 and plays nicely with all the staple services you’d expect, including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple Music and Qobuz.

Under the hood Naim’s also worked magic, customising its circuitry to create a compelling unit that can deliver astounding results when paired well. Running with our reference Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers, whether it was Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring or Outkast’s ATLiens set, the streamer delivered an engaging and emotionally charged performance.

Quite simply, concluded our reviewers, “the Naim NSS 333 is one of the most musically satisfying music streamers we have heard”.

Read our full Naim NSS 333 streamer review

6. Chord Ultima Integrated amplifier

The Chord Ultima Integrated amplifier is the antithesis of the Luxman L-509Z integrated amplifier featured further up this list. 

It takes the more traditional no-frills, purist approach favoured by many h-fi enthusiasts. Rather than trying to offer a portfolio of features, it focuses on doing one thing and one thing alone to a gold standard.

Featuring four line-level inputs and nothing else, every bit of R&D investment has been put into creating an integrated amp with unparalleled signal purity that can deliver exceptional sonic results. Key steps include buffering and filtering all the inputs, and taking borderline neurotic levels of care to configure the signal path in a bid to reduce radio frequency interference degradation.

Trust us, it may look simple from a features perspective, but lots of work and thought has been put into this integrated amp. And having reviewed it paired with a wealth of reference hardware, including Naim's ND555/555 PS DR streamer and ATC SCM50 speakers, we can confirm the work has paid off.

Across a variety of genres, the Chord Ultima Integrated delivered audio with astonishing agility, precision and clarity. As our reviewers said in our full review: “It is a refreshingly straightforward product to use, and when partnered with a similarly talented system is capable of weaving a wonderfully spellbinding sound.”

Read our full Chord Ultima Integrated amplifier review

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The city of Sheffield in the north of England was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. As I get off at the city’s train station, there are reminders everywhere of the heavy industry that was once based there. It seems fitting that this is home to an engineering-focused company such as Wilson Benesch.

The brand was founded in 1989 and its first products were a high-end turntable called, quite simply, The Wilson Benesch Turntable, and the A.C.T. One tonearm. The initials A.C.T. stand for Advanced Composite Technology, and indicate the pioneering use of carbon fibre in the turntable’s sub-chassis and the arm’s tapered arm tube. 

At the time, only four companies in the UK were capable of producing carbon fibre: Lotus Racing, two suppliers connected to the Ministry of Defence, and Wilson Benesch. It is impressive that a start-up could be numbered among that group, but it also showed the adventurous nature of the brand when it comes to new technology. That drive continues to this day, with the company’s extensive use of 3D printing and the inclusion of innovative biocomposite materials in its speakers such as the Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero we have just tested.

The company is a family business, co-owned by Craig Milnes (design director) and Christina Milnes (managing director) and supported by their son Luke Milnes (sales & marketing director). It is based in a charming art deco building occupying a space of around 25,000 sq feet, and currently has 18 staff members. 

As I walk through the front entrance, it becomes clear that this is a place that makes things rather than simply assembles parts. For context, most small companies I visit tend to buy parts, such as drive units or speaker cabinets, from specialist suppliers rather than make them.

Wilson Benesch works differently. It has invested heavily in production equipment, from multiple CNC machines and carbon fibre tools to industrial 3D printers, and as a result can make a large portion of the parts used in its products. I see the billets of aluminium that go into making various items from speaker-stand bases to parts of the innovative motor system on the company’s recent direct-drive turntables, the GMT One and Prime Meridian.

As I am shown around the factory, it is hard not to marvel at the range of parts the company makes on-site, from tweeters and the larger Tactic 3.0 drivers to the carbon fibre innards and top panels that go into its extensive loudspeaker range. Wilson Benesch even veneers the metal corner pieces that go on the front of some of its speakers. These are all specialist tasks that most hi-fi manufacturers would outsource, but WB prides itself on making all these things in-house; it gives absolute control of quality and allows the brand to make refinements quickly and easily. Outside suppliers are used when it comes to applying the finish on parts or when extrusions are needed, but the company remains demanding in its quality requirements.

The Tactic 3.0 drive unit is a great example of where this bears fruit. This 17cm driver is used in some form in all the company’s speakers, but it is slightly tweaked for each application to optimise performance. These are not obvious changes, but they help to make the driver better suited for its specific task. If the Tactic 3.0 were bought in from an outside supplier, such flexibility would not be practical.

I witness the iGx infrasonic generator (subwoofer) being built and several of the larger standmount Endeavour 3Zero being assembled in another part of the factory. This is normally done by one or two skilled people, depending on the job – and the emphasis is always on quality.

After I look around the factory I go into the company’s new demonstration room, a large space with around 6 x 11m of floor area. I settle on the comfy sofa for a quick listen to some of the company’s top-end products. The system is made up of Wilson Benesch’s Prime Meridian Turntable, Graviton Ti Arm and Tessellate Ti-S cartridge (£203,000) feeding a CH Precision P1 dual-mono phono stage (£23,500) and a Trilogy 914/2 x 995R pre/power combination (£50,000). The speakers are WB’s range-topping Eminence floorstanders (£148,000). These towers stand over 1.9m tall and pack a driver array that includes four Tactic 3.0 bass drivers in addition to a quartet of isobaric units (each a pair of Tactic 3.0) per side. Ignoring cables – but not the £18,000 worth of in-house equipment racks – that little lot ends up at a grand total of £442,500.

I also noticed a sample of the company’s original turntable on one of the equipment racks and am surprised at just how modern it still looks. There wasn’t time for a listen, unfortunately.

Before I get to listening impressions, the usual disclaimers apply here. The room and every component in the system are unfamiliar, as was most of the music played. This makes it hard to make any definitive statements or judgements. What follows should be seen as a first impression, nothing more. Time was short too, giving me the chance to play just three tracks. One was from Laura Marling’s Live from York Minister set, another from Talvin Singh’s 1998 OK album; the track I did know was Spinning the Wheel by George Michael.

That system price is stunning, but then again so is its sound. Probably, though, not in the way that you might expect, given such powerful mono amplifiers (200 watts in Class A/B mode) driving such huge floorstanders. Of course, there is plenty of volume, scale and deep bass, but the thing I notice first is the naturalness of the system. 

It sounds convincing and, if anything, a little understated despite delivering dynamics with unusual freedom. While the system was obviously capable of thunder when the music demanded, it was the delicacy and unforced nature of the presentation that stood out. Detail resolution is exceptional, just as you would hope, and I could not find anything to criticise in the way the system assembled all that information. It sounded musical and entertaining. The high level of transparency was clear as I shifted between recordings, and rhythmic drive was good without dominating.

The system’s tonal balance was nicely balanced and stereo imaging, such as it could be judged by the recordings I heard, was expansive and nicely layered. All in all, the Wilson Benesch system was a real treat to hear and I would have loved to stay longer and tried a more varied array of music.

And then it is over all too soon. I haven’t got much time to get to the station before the train leaves and London beckons. As I collect my thoughts on the way back, it is fair to say I’m impressed by Wilson Benesch. While I knew it had always pushed material technology boundaries and wasn’t afraid to challenge industry norms with its products, I didn’t expect it to have so much engineering capability. It seems Sheffield’s rich industrial DNA continues to shine.

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Amazon Prime Day 2024 may be less than 24 hours away, but that hasn’t stopped brands from unleashing a sea of fresh hi-fi and home cinema news.

Here to help you stay on top of all the latest announcements, our team of experts has penned a fresh entry for our weekly Rewind news digest.

Scroll down to get the inside scoop on all the latest developments in the world of hi-fi and home cinema you need to know about.

Wilson Benesch’s uber-expensive standmounts justify their price 

Even for audiophiles, £20k / $30k is a lot of money, especially for a pair of stereo standmount speakers. But, having put Wilson Benesch’s premium Discovery 3Zero speakers through their paces in our listening rooms, we’re pleased to report that, if you have the money and equipment to match them, they are a fantastic investment.

We originally saw the Discovery 3Zero, which are the standmount version of the company’s even more premium A.C.T 3Zero floorstanders, at the Bristol Hi-Fi show earlier this year. But it was only last week we got to properly test them.

During our checks, while you need very high-end separates and careful matching to make them truly sing, we found they are undeniably wonderful performers that will delight the small number of people that can afford them. Whether it was bopping pop, noodly prog or complex neo-classical tracks, the speakers delivered exceptional transparency and wonderfully vivid dynamics during our tests. With next to every part built by Wilson Benesch in-house, they’re also an engineering marvel.

Read our full Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero review

Samsung unveiled its latest Apple AirPods rivals

Last week Samsung unveiled a wealth of new hardware at its Unpacked events in London and Paris. The most relevant to you, our lovely readers, were its new Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. The new buds are different to their predecessors, in that they feature a distinctly AirPods-like design, featuring long stems protruding from the buds’ bottom. 

Inside they also feature completely reworked hardware that Samsung promises will let the Pro in particular produce significantly improved audio. The only slight downside we noticed, outside of the fact that we didn’t get a chance to listen to them at the launch event, is that you’ll need a compatible Galaxy device to stream hi-res audio.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro hands-on

We explained the difference between MLA and QD-OLED

One of the biggest fights going on in the world of home cinema is the ongoing grudge match between LG Display’s Micro Lens Array (MLA) and Samsung’s QD-OLED panel technologies. Both are staples at the top end of the OLED TV market, with MLA being on key sets including the five-star LG G4, and QD-OLED featuring on rivals such as the Samsung S95D, which also scored five stars when we reviewed it. 

On paper they’re also very similar, both being designed to help radically improve OLED sets’ max brightness levels. Despite this there are some pretty big differences between the two that any buyer should be aware of. Which is why last week we penned an MLA vs QD-OLED guide detailing the biggest differences, based on our expert knowledge of and experience with the two competing technologies.

Read the full story: MLA vs QD-OLED

Denon and Marantz premium AVRs went head-to-head

Last week our experts took the time to run Denon and Marantz's flagship AVRs head-to-head in our test rooms, in an attempt, in part, to finally dispel the myth that both companies’ products are identical outside of their branding. Specifically, we tested and detailed the differences between the Denon AVC-X6800H and Marantz Cinema 30, which we can safely confirm are very different beasts.

Read our Denon AVC-X6800H vs Marantz Cinema 30 guide

Our experts revealed which TVs to look out for this Prime Day

Prime Day 2024 is a mere day away, and with it we’re expecting to see the usual sea of TV deals that come with it every year. Here to help you find the best discount possible for your needs and budget, we wrote a quick guide detailing the main sets our team are keeping a personal eye on over the event.

Read the full story: I review TVs for a living, and these are the ones to watch out for on Prime Day 2024

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Our picks of the best speakers

We rate the best AVRs money can buy

Wilson Benesch’s Discovery speakers and What Hi-Fi? have a history, and it is a good one. We reviewed the first generation model just over twenty years ago and at the time we loved its brave design, clever engineering and class-leading performance. Subsequently, we used the speakers in our reference surround music system. DVD Audio and SACD multichannel had just been launched and we wanted a speaker package that could put a microscope on the performance of each format. The Discovery did that with aplomb.

Build & design

So here we are a couple of decades later sitting in front of the latest generation of Discovery speakers and they feel ever so familiar. The Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero design’s original concept remains remarkably uncorrupted by the passing of time from the curved, composite cabinet with integral stand to the 2 1/2-way driver configuration with isobarically configured bass units half exposed at the base of the enclosure. What the company has done over the last few decades, however, is to obsessively evolve every ingredient of the Discovery recipe to gain not only more performance but also become more environmentally friendly.

The biggest change is to the cabinet where the main U-shaped carbon fibre section that once made up the sides of the enclosure in the original has been swapped for one made of a new biocomposite material. This material is claimed to be stiffer and better damped while being more natural, renewable and sustainable than carbon fibre. It was developed as part of a pan-European research project financed by the EU to the tune of €7.4million. The rest of the enclosure consists largely of aluminium, including the spine of the cabinet which is an integral part of the stand. The result is a structure that feels immensely solid and well controlled. The cabinet’s curved shape and angled top panel also resist the build-up of internal standing waves, which is a good thing as far as sound quality is concerned. 

It is impressive that a company as small as Wilson Benesch has designed all the Discovery’s drive units in-house. The Fibonacci tweeter is a hybrid design that uses a 25mm silk dome diaphragm reinforced by carbon fibre strands to add rigidity to its centre and around the sides. This reinforcement is claimed to improve all aspects of the dome’s performance, allowing the design to reach 30kHz. Another clever design feature is that the dome’s rearward sound isn’t just fed into a damped chamber like most rival designs. Rather it is absorbed by a 3D-printed labyrinth structure mounted directly behind it so that none of this unwanted sound reflects back and causes distortion. Neat.

That distinctive tweeter faceplate is also 3D printed. It is shaped to improve dispersion and helps to deliver a more even frequency response. The faceplate is decoupled from the tweeter assembly and this reduces structure-borne resonances.

A Tactic 3.0 mid/bass unit sits above the tweeter on the front baffle. We have heard this driver before in the company’s A.C.T. 3Zero floorstanders, but it is important to note that Wilson Benesch optimises the drive unit for its intended use in each model, so they differ in detail. That’s the advantage of making all the drivers in-house rather than buying from large OEM suppliers as most rivals do.

This 17cm drive unit uses an isotactic polypropylene diaphragm (of the kind the company has championed for many years) and a specially designed 3D printed dustcap that is claimed to improve the cone’s behaviour at break-up (the very top end of its operating frequency). Bass is delivered by a pair of the Tactic 3.0 drivers, configured in an isobaric clamshell arrangement and mounted on the underside of the Discover’s cabinet. There are separate ported chambers inside the enclosure for both the mid/bass unit and the compound drivers.

Isobaric designs aren’t very common because of design complexity and the additional cost of a bass driver, but such a configuration does yield greater bass extension for a given cabinet volume than conventional alternatives such as reflex ports or passive radiators.

Wilson Benesch favours simple crossover designs and the one used here is no different with first-order networks used at the top end of the mid/bass and isobaric pair’s operating band and a still-gentle second-order to roll to tweeter. The crossover point between the tweeter and mid/bass is relatively high at 5kHz while the isobaric pairing starts helping below a more conventional 500Hz.

The Discovery’s build quality is as good as you would hope at its price. Its cabinet feels as inert and solid as would be expected given the elaborate construction methods and high-tech material involved. This is a thoughtful and obsessively engineered product and that’s the way it comes across. The basic finish option is textured black but you can add more extravagant finishes to the front edges, sides and even the magnet system on the exposed isobaric driver for a price premium. It shouldn’t be difficult to fine-tune the Discovery’s look to your room and tastes.

Compatibility

These speakers aren’t particularly difficult when it comes to positioning. Their low-end behaviour is controlled enough for them to sit relatively close to a wall but that’s not something we would recommend. Do that and you will lose a fair portion of the Discovery’s enviable ability to render a convincingly-layered soundstage. In our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) test room they sound best out in the open, and despite their relatively compact nature, manage to deliver enough in terms of low-end reach and power to satisfy.

They are less forgiving of partnering equipment, though. That’s not down to any fundamental shortcoming in their character, more that they are staggeringly transparent. These speakers won’t hide weaknesses, so make sure you are thoroughly convinced by the rest of your system. There is an upside of course, and that’s when you use top-class components (Naim's ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, the Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC record player and Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power in our case), when these Wilson Benesch speakers shine.

Sound

The first time you listen to them don’t be surprised if you feel like something is missing. It took a few minutes to realise that the missing thing was the lack of sound from the speaker cabinet. You can usually hear that as something that raises the speaker’s noise floor, so reducing dynamic expression, or as background hash that degrades clarity, definition and even the accuracy of tonal textures. All that fuss over the Discovery’s cabinet design and the materials employed clearly pays dividends; it really feels like we are hearing just the output from the drive units and nothing else. 

As we play The Flower Duet from Delibes we are taken by the Discovery’s ability to float a huge soundstage and populate it with precisely focused and layered voices and instruments. Just as impressively, when we close our eyes it is impossible to pinpoint the location of the speakers within the soundstage, so discreet is the cabinet contribution and so cohesive the drive units’ dispersion. The latter is helped by the way the speaker’s design positions all the drive units so closely together.

The Discovery 3Zero speakers have impressive powers of resolution. They can dig deeply into any recording and lay it all out for the listener to analyse. Time after time we find ourselves hearing low-level information that most other speakers simply ignore. We hear the subtle clues that define the size of the recording venue in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and marvel at the convincing way these speakers render the rich harmonics of the piano. The leading edges of notes are crisply defined yet never sound hard-edged or unnatural. There is a pleasing amount of weight and authority here too, though if you prioritise low-end power and muscularity you should really be looking at much larger alternatives or budget for the Discovery’s floorstanding sibling, the equally exceptional A.C.T. 3Zero. 

Our Discovery review samples are the very same pair that Wilson Benesch used for its demonstration at the 2024 Bristol Hi-Fi Show. Those who visited will know that the company was in a very large space at that event and used the Discovery with the new IGx subwoofer to great effect. So, there are plenty of options for those who want more low-end heft in larger spaces than these relatively compact speakers can deliver.

Tonally, these Wilson Benesch sound balanced and essentially neutral; there is no obvious emphasis at any part of the frequency range. They are free-flowing when it comes to dynamics too. As we listen to Give Away Your Heart by The Unthanks we’re taken by their unrestrained dynamics and the explicit way they communicate shifts in musical mood. The group’s vocals come through with class-leading clarity and naturalness, and it is a treat to hear the way these speakers reproduce vocal textures and nuances. Just as pleasing is the enthusiasm with which they deliver rhythmic drive and their masterly manner of conveying the changing momentum of the music. 

The Discovery 3Zero’s rhythmic ability is highlighted when we play an old favourite in the form of Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor. Here, they prove happy to dance and deliver the hard-charging music with all its effervescence intact. We’re pleased with the attack and bite on offer and love the speaker's taut yet fluid bass performance. They really are the complete deal.

Verdict

It should be clear by now that we rate the Discovery 3Zero very highly, as we did their bigger A.C.T. 3Zero siblings. If you are after a transparent and revealing pair of speakers then there are few alternatives as capable as these. They may be hugely expensive but when partnered well and carefully set up they are capable of sounding magical.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

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Read our Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero review

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

British brands have a long history of creating top of the range hi-fi equipment, including amplifiers, speakers, record players, and everything in between.

Many involved in the world of audio cite a unifying ‘British sound’ – an all-encompassing sonic quality that applies to the hi-fi products made by British companies. It’s a topic we have explored in the past, and the descriptions we heard were often along the lines of “accurate", "faithful" and "true”. 

Others pointed to changes in pop-music production in the 70s and 80s having shaped a certain British sound; but what do people think today? What is the British sound, and does it even exist?

“We have been asked this question before, and we don’t believe there is one,” says Simon Webster, sales & marketing coordinator at Rega. The Southend-on-Sea-based company has been building excellent hi-fi equipment for more than 50 years. 

“We work with multiple suppliers and design thousands of unique component parts,” Webster adds. “Our design signature has always been neutral and we do everything we can to design products and circuits that do not colour or distort the music. We aim to deliver the original recording as faithfully and accurately as possible.”

Peter Thomas, founder and owner of PMC speakers has similar thoughts. “I'm not convinced there is a British sound these days,” he says. PMC was founded in 1991 by Thomas after his time spent at the BBC, meaning he brought an incredible wealth of knowledge from a company that pioneered the loudspeaker industry.

“PMC has always made accuracy one of its main goals, which works for any country with any style of music.” He continues. “In the past, the compromises designers had to make were often geared to certain types of music and room designs. This often led to countries being associated with a particular sound.” 

Cambridge Audio, which was formed in the late 1960s, often states its opinion on the matter of British sound. On its website, the brand proclaims: “For us, ‘British Sound’ represents audio in its purest form. An unadulterated and true representation of what the artists intended when they first plugged in their gear at the recording studio.

“The Americans loved adding big, chunky bass to their recordings and the lovely folk in the far-east liked to boost their midrange to enhance vocal tracks” it goes on to say. “We Brits just wanted something honest and pure.”

The breadth of companies we have creating equipment in the United Kingdom means that we have quite a variety of sounds, a point that Stephen Oakes, the sales manager at Neat Acoustics touches on. Neat was formed in 1989 in the north of England and today produces several excellent speaker designs.

“I don't think there is a British sound!” Oakes says. “Some people associate the British sound with the BBC-style speakers from Rogers and Harbeth, but those designs have little in common with, for example, a Bowers and Wilkins product or Neat speakers. A Quad amplifier doesn't sound like a Naim, and a Rega turntable doesn't sound like a Vertere. There are lots of different ‘British Sounds’!”

This makes sense; with so many excellent brands vying for attention across the same categories, each company must display a level of variety, innovation, and differentiation to stand out from the crowd and capture an audience of its own.

Like Neat, Wilson Benesch was also formed in northern England in 1989. The brand is now known for making exceptional high-end audio equipment. “A Wilson Benesch loudspeaker sounds like no other,” says Luke Milnes, sales and marketing director for the company, echoing the same sentiment as Oakes. 

“The Wilson Benesch sound is characterised by its neutrality, speed, dynamics and its ability to faithfully communicate a recorded piece, be it a full orchestra or a solo vocalist," he adds. "Every loudspeaker we make is hand built and fitted with our drive units and tweeters which are also built in-house from our designs.”

James Luce, the creative director at Acoustic Energy comments, “Every product and manufacturer will have its flavours in the recipe, but the emphasis should always be on reproducing the recording as faithfully as possible.” He goes on, “I'd say the British Sound would be rooted in accuracy and an even-handed balance of the full musical range.” The company was founded in 1987 and has been based in the Cotswolds since the mid-90s; it acknowledges its links to the area by naming its most recent speaker Corinium, the Romans' name for Cirencester.

So, the experts have spoken. Rather than an overarching sound that applies to all the great British brands, we instead see more of a focus on faithfulness and accuracy. As a result, companies end up with a unique sound that distinguishes them from the rest of the crowd. 

Perhaps in the past, the UK had a more unifying sound due to the production limitations of the time. However, as processes change and companies set their course, we the listeners reap the rewards from a variety of exciting products that, in the end, each offer something different to suit different needs and tastes.

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We asked top British hi-fi engineers for their favourite test tracks – this is what they said

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Another Bristol Hi-Fi Show has come and gone. After all of the excitement and build-up, it's time to say goodbye to the West Country and reflect on the highlights of Britain's biggest hi-fi showcase.

While we've witnessed and heard cartridges, amplifiers and turntables, new speakers remain a perennial favourite for brands to show off to eager hi-fi fans at the show. While we had our own hugely popular and seamless tech demo, we spent much of our time doing the rounds and listening to speakers of various shapes, sizes and prices as they fired out everything from classical concerts to '20s jazz (and, inevitably, a lot of Dire Straits).

Here is our selection of the most exciting reveals and demos from this year's show.

PMC Twenty 5i Active 

We've been really impressed with PMC recently, especially with regard to the British brand's excellent Prodigy 1 standmounters and Award-winning Prodigy 5 floorstanders.  

The aforementioned Prodigy models are passive speakers, but at Bristol we had the unveiling of the company's Twenty5i Active series, an active version (obviously) of the passive twenty5 range that first launched in 2016. With built-in amplification and the inclusion of an optional active upgrade module which slots straight into the back panel of the passiveTwenty5 series, PMC's Friday demo was a real highlight for those attending.

PMC launches Twenty5i Active speaker range at the Bristol Show

Fyne Audio Special Production

Our booth was opposite Fyne Audio, so we were in the best possible position to see what the Scottish brand was exhibiting at this year's show, including its new Special Production floorstanders: the F702SP and the F703SP.

When we reported on the possibility of a new pair of Fyne floorstanders, we teased the integration of "F1 engineering" for the F702SP and F703SP, both of which borrow tech from the company's flagship F1 Series. Scotland has a proud motoring history (see Jackie Stewart, David Coulthard etc.), and it will be aiming for pole position with its Special Production models which blend upgraded electronics with an improved crossover.

Fyne Audio brings F1 engineering to its latest Special Production floorstanders

Epos ES-7N

Big floorstanders with large footprints and even larger price tags are a big draw at the show, but we are just as keen on cute, small-form units. The new Epos ES7N certainly fall into the latter category; a pair of small bookshelf speakers designed to be as comfortable sitting inside a bookshelf as they are on stands in an open space.

There's a switch on the rear of the speaker that allows you to select the correct crossover filter and switch between two versions of tonal balance depending on where the speakers have been placed. With an asymmetrical two-way design and a front reflex port, the diminutive new monitors are available now for £1890.

Epos ES7N bookshelf speakers make their debut at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show

Wilson Benesch Discover 3zero 

Wilson Benesch's products are usually drawn from the "if only I had the money" end of the price spectrum, so getting a chance to hear any of the British manufacturer's products is something of a treat. The company was showcasing a few different models and combinations at Bristol 2024, including the third iteration of its 'Discovery' standmount speaker, the Discover 3zero, in its regular first-floor conservatory location.

Wharfedale Super Denton 

Wharfedale was one of Bristol's heaviest-hitting names, with the British brand delivering the goods with its Super Denton standmount speakers. They're a new addition to the company's Heritage Series and continue to build on the legacy of the original Wharfedale Denton, incorporating a three-way design and an industrial, slightly abstract look.

We're hoping for more info regarding the Denton in the coming days, and having heard them for ourselves, they could be worth looking out for if you're a long-time Wharfedale fan. The Super Denton will hit shelves on March 4th for £999.95 per pair.

Wharfedale's latest standmount speakers see the brand celebrate its illustrious British heritage

Leak Sandwich 

The new Sandwich 150 and 250 speakers draw on the design of the original Sandwich which first launched back in 1961. They feature Leak's nifty "Aluminium-Foamcore Sandwich" cone used in bass, mid and mid/bass form, plus a 30mm textile-dome tweeter. The cleverly crafted cabinets are built using a special glue filling, sandwiched (get it?) between an outer layer of MDF and an inner layer of high-density particle board.

The new Leaks weren't on demo at the show but they looked the part, and if that sandwich-based tech pays dividends, they could certainly be worth your hard-earned dough.

Leak's two new Sandwich speakers look very well bred – see them at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show

Focal Aria Evo X

French company Focal had quite the presence at this year's event, showcasing speakers in two separate rooms with a dedicated listening area on the hotel's first floor to hear the Bathys and Stelia headphones. As we can verify, that was worth the price of admission on its own.

Focal also treated us to a real-world look at its new Aria Evo X speakers, the long-awaited successor to the original Aria 900. With a proprietary ‘M’-shaped inverted dome tweeter supposedly capable of reproducing frequencies up to 30kHz and Focal's signature flax cone midrange and bass drivers, let's hope Focal's Evo X loudspeakers sound as good as they look.

Focal's Aria Evo X speaker range could be the stylish home cinema solution you've been searching for

Acoustic Energy Corinium 

The Corinium are officially here. We reported on the unveiling of Acoustic Energy's premium floorstanders back in October last year, but Bristol was the first chance we had to hear the sizeable towers in person. With each unit weighing around 40kg and standing 110cm tall, the burly monoliths were designed with mid and high-frequency drivers positioned at ear height alongside a dual-subwoofer set-up lower down the cabinet face.

The Acoustic Energy Corinium will set you back around £6000 per pair and are available now in four different colourways: real wood veneer, matt white, matt black and metallic British Racing Green.

Hear Acoustic Energy's new Corinium floorstanding speakers at the Bristol Show

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And these are the best bookshelf speakers money can buy

These are the good old days. Because tempting though it may be to reminisce about the "golden age" of British hi-fi, it's worth remembering that present day products are pretty awesome too.

In fact, since the dawn of the millennium we've seen some of the best hi-fi products of all time, as technology advances and design is refined. As part of British Hi-Fi Week 2024, we've collated our 28 favourites from all manner of British brands.

They include everything from speakers from B&W and ATC, hi-fi systems from KEF and Naim, a CD player that ruled the roost for many years, and some stupidly high-end turntables. And all as British as James Bond driving an Aston Martin off the top of Big Ben, only to be saved by a Union Jack parachute. 

Yes, all of the below are British, but in truth, they would all make a list of this century's best hi-fi gear from any country, such is their quality. 

Cups of tea at the ready then, as we count down the best British hi-fi products of the 21st century so far...

Quad ESL 988 (2000)

We could easily have picked one of Quad’s legendary electrostatic speakers from both sides of the millennium – after all, the 2008 ELS 2805 were positively stunning in our books – but the ESL 988 (smaller versions of the ESL 989 pictured) were standouts, and as well as delivering a memorable sound were also interesting for their place in the British company’s history. They were essentially designed as a similar but improved successor to its 1988 ESL-63 when the International Audio Group (IAG) acquired Quad in 1998. But inside were advanced components, a new transformer and they were more rigidly constructed. Plus their sound rocked, which always helps.

Mission 780 (2000)

Mission’s diminutive 780 were the first standmounters to really grab us at the turn of the century, winning the stereo speaker Product of the Year award in both 2001 and 2002. Despite their relatively compact (for their time) dimensions – they were the smallest of the company’s 78 Series – they produced a size of sound that belied it. Their clever tweeter isolation system and ceramic mid-bass driver produced an even-handed tonal balance that made them wonderfully listenable, with the sonic highlights being its impressively transparent midrange and powerful bass.

Arcam DiVA A85 (2001)

“The A85 blasts away any preconceptions of what an Arcam amplifier sounds like with the ferocity of a sledgehammer smashing through glass” – that's how we opened our DiVA A85 review in 2001. In place of Arcam's warm, smooth, safe sonic signature we had come to know and love was a different approach entirely – clear, powerful and bursting with energy, with a midrange clarity and resolution that was unrivalled. 

For the A85, Arcam introduced entirely new circuit designs in both the pre-amplifier and power amplifier sections, and that new approach to the internals paid off. It said its A85 was “unquestionably a class-leading integrated amplifier” – and we could only agree.

Wilson Benesch Full Circle (2001)

“The Full Circle is an elegant product: for its build, ease of use and sound it's highly recommended… an open, even-handed record player that works well with all types of music.” We’ve used higher degrees of superlatives to describe products than the ones we reached for in our Full Circle review, but make no mistake, we were blown away by this round layer-cake-shaped Wilson Benesch desk – back in 2001 and for years to come. 

Like many Wilson Benesch products of that time, including its only descendant at that time, the 1991 Wilson Benesch Turntable, the Full Circle used chiefly carbon fibre in its construction, from its armtube to its cantilevered suspension technique. The result was a precise, spacious sound complete with a smooth treble and full bass.

Cyrus 8 (2002) & CD 8 SE (2008)

It’s hard to pick between the Cyrus 8 Series amplifier and CD player (pictured), so we won't. The 8 (and its multiple variations) has been a case of familiar design, familiar sound and familiar result throughout the model’s history, which began in 2002 as a successor to the well-received Cyrus 7. Familiar in a good way, that is, like when your favourite meal is placed in front of you. The 8 amplifier represented everything we had come to expect from Cyrus – classic looks and trademark transparency. 

The CD8SE proved equally accomplished and just as valuable to the 8 series, offering, as we said at the time, “effortless musicality, forensic detail retrieval and masterful control of timing… it makes for an endlessly absorbing player that can rob you of your time in the most gripping way.”

Naim CDS3/XPS2 (2003)

A rather frightening performance befitting a rather frightening price tag (£10k). We heralded this two-box Naim CD transport/DAC (CDS3) and power supply (XPS2), which was an alternative to the typical two-box configuration (transport in one box; DAC in another), as one of the world’s best CD players. “There are products that cost many times more (honestly) that would have trouble bettering this performance,” we said in our review. 

Timing was its forte, allowing the musicality of songs to really come through, and its level of resolution and clarity contributed to how emotional content was able to come through the player untainted.

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (2004)

Another ‘best of’ list, another Wharfedale Diamond inclusion. We know, we know – but we can’t help it. The Diamond really has been an iconic speaker range over the decades, and the 9 Series was one of the standout iterations. Representing it here are the 9.1 bookshelf speakers, which deserve to go down in history as one of the greatest budget loudspeakers ever made. 

Back-to-back What Hi-Fi? Award winners, designed and built in-house, and with 13cm Kevlar mid/bass woofers, 25mm textile tweeters, and custom crossovers at their engineering core, they looked and sounded like a much more expensive speaker. 

Roksan Xerxes 20 (2006)

The Xerxes design originated in the 1980s and was developed over the next two decades, with every iteration delivering an improvement on the last. “The Xerxes is arguably the first turntable to give the previously all-conquering Linn Sondek LP12 a real run for its money,” we said at the time. It might not have looked all that special – not like the Wilson Benesch further up this list. 

But what it lacked in aesthetic distinction it made up for in first-class engineering. A motor that turns on its axis to compensate for torque fluctuations, a bearing designed to minimise noise, and rubber suspension tuned to dampen specific frequencies were just some of the flourishes Roksan engineers worked into the Xerxes to make it perform as it did – exceptionally.

Audiolab M-DAC (2011)

Like the Grado SR325 headphone, the M-DAC was a product we championed for years. We couldn’t help it: the multi-Award-winner had it all. Punchy timing, seamless dynamics and plenty of space in a well-constructed stereo soundfield, not to mention class-leading features (hi-res connections, XLRs, several DAC filters), a well-constructed build, and a price tag rival brands couldn’t undercut with something better during those years of domination. 

It was finally knocked off its perch in 2015 by the Chord Mojo (which is still dominating that slice of the market eight years on) and succeeded by the bigger, better-sounding and more equipped M-DAC+. As we introduced the M-DAC+ back then, “for every tough-act-followed-with-aplomb like Kasper Schmeichel there’s a Jordi Cruyff…”

ATC SCM 11 Mk2 (2013)

Both the first generation of ATC SCM11 (2006) and the Mk II deserve their place on this list, such has been their collective dominance over the past nearly two decades. That's thanks to the in-house manufactured soft-dome tweeter and the classier curved cabinets.

But the main innovation was the sealed cabinet. This was meant to improve sound quality, though there were some concerns that bass would suffer. They proved unfounded, however, as the Mk2 matched class rivals in terms of low frequencies while outdoing them for detail, dynamics and rhythmic ability. 

These ATC monitors went on to dominate their price point at the What Hi-Fi? Awards for the next five years and remain first-class contenders, even today. Impressive doesn't do it justice.

Read the full ATC SCM11 Mk2 review

B&W 606 (2019)

The entry-level 600 Series from B&W was introduced back in 1995, and in the two decades since it has picked up multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards. It uses top technology from its cutting-edge speakers, repackaged in a more affordable chassis.

Our pick of the current range? The 606. They might feel a little less premium than their more expensive stablemates, but they still ooze quality. They're a good size too, with everything in proportion.

And they sound amazing. The sonic balance is spot on, with clear treble, cavernous bass and class-leading detail and dynamics. With such a legacy behind them, the 606 model is proving to stand the test of time, with the Award-winning 606 S3 continuing to do the brand proud.

Read the full B&W 606 review

Cambridge Audio CXA81 (2019)

This Cambridge Audio amp is still a relative newcomer, but in its pretty short life it's already had a seismic impact on the market. It immediately set a new standard for integrated amps at this price – one that still stands five years later.

Give it a whirl and it's clear why. Feed it any genre of music, and you're met with a delightfully punchy, dynamic and detailed presentation. It's powerful and weighty in the low end without sacrificing agility, while the treble is blissfully free of harshness.

In terms of features and connections, it improves on every front compared to its predecessor. And it makes the competition sound positively cloudy by comparison. A more-than-worthy Award winner, and comfortably one of the best products of the decade.

Read the full Cambridge Audio CXA81 review

Chord Hugo (2014)

The original Hugo set new standards for portable audio (and in the process, embarrassed pretty much every similarly priced battery-powered DAC on the market). 

It was all thanks to the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), which came loaded with proprietary software that handled all the digital processes tasked to the DAC. Chord used this instead of off-the-shelf chips, which gave it much more control over how the music signal was handled. This put it head and shoulders above the competition.

Four years later, the Hugo 2 bettered the original and is still a benchmark setter (and could well be until a Hugo 3 comes along). But it couldn't be as groundbreaking. Few products are.

Read the full Chord Hugo review

Cyrus CDi (2013)

For as long as we can remember, Cyrus' CD players have been up there with the best in the world. And the CDi was its best-sounding yet. Don't believe us? It's won the What Hi-Fi? Award for Best CD Player in its price bracket for 10 years in a row!

Hitting the market in 2013, its audio output was on a par with much more expensive players. It sounded pleasingly weighty but still fast and fluid, with pace and momentum exercised with articulation and vibrancy.

Yes, its blocky, black-on-green display looked dated in 2013, so it looks positively ancient now – though maybe that now qualifies as retro cool (much like CD players in general). A classic CD player that shows Cyrus at its best.

Read the full Cyrus CDi review

KEF LS50 Wireless (2017)

Believe it or not, this is a full hi-fi system. The pair of active speakers have preamp functionality, Bluetooth, and music services built in. They also have streaming functionality to entertain tunes stored on a NAS drive or computer over your home network. 

In short, the Award-winning LS50 Wireless does away with the decades-old vision of a hi-fi system involving lots of boxes spread around the room. For that, it's a genuine landmark product.

The sound quality is up there with that of a separates system. They may not be completely wireless (each speaker has a mains cable, and there's a wire connecting them), but it's still a very neat and clutter-free way to enjoy a high-quality audio performance. The LS50 Wireless II has taken sound quality even further, not to mention its convenience factor by removing the interconnecting speaker cable, and for that deservedly takes the reigns as the best all-in-one stereo speakers at this level.

Read the full KEF LS50 Wireless review

Linn LP12 Klimax (2017)

The Klimax has some serious heritage: the original Linn LP12 dates from 1973, and by the 1980s was the dominant deck in the UK. With such an illustrious pedigree, expectations were high when we ushered the latest model into our test room, but needless to say it didn't disappoint.

It feels like it's built to last decades. That's not hyperbole - the original LP12s can be retrofitted with more modern parts to bring them up to today's standards. Sound bursts with detail, while still coming together as a wonderfully compelling whole. There's an evenness to the presentation that means peaks and troughs in the frequency range never become too distracting.

The result? An immediacy and agility to proceedings that most rivals fail to muster. Pricey, sure. But this is one piece of hi-fi kit that truly endures.

Read the full Linn LP12 Klimax review

Naim Mu-so (2014)

Pre-2014, wireless speakers were mostly cheap, portable and a little bit underwhelming. Then 'proper' hi-fi company Naim came along and rewrote the rules. Awesome sound quality? Check. High-quality materials? Check. A refusal to compromise on design aesthetic? Check.

By treating wireless speakers with the same reverence as it does its wired models, Naim reinvented the wireless category, and inspired a host of imitators in the process. So it wasn't surprising when a better-sounding sequel, the Mu-so 2, showed up in 2019 to remind rivals who is boss.

Read the full Naim Mu-so review

Rega Planar 3/Elys 2 (2016)

Rega's Planar 3 turntables have been massively influential since they originally launched in the 1970s, and to this day they're still the go-to for vinyl aficionados around the world. But success brought a cautious approach, with each new model being more of an evolution than a revolution. Until this model touched down in 2016.

Just about every part of it had been rethought and reengineered. Combined with the slick new look, it made for a turntable that appealed to newbies and Rega diehards alike.

But one thing didn't change: the simplicity. The Planar 3 remained as easy to use as ever, and provided you take some care with placement, it's still tremendously pleasing to the ears. It's cleaner and clearer than its predecessor, with great transparency and more detail.

Read the full Rega Planar 3/Elys 2 review

Roksan Caspian M2 (2010)

More than a decade after hitting the market, this amp is still one of the best at its price. That's quite an achievement. The excellent build quality and superb sound make the M2 easy to recommend, even after all these years. 

It only shows its age when it comes to the feature set. There are no digital inputs whatsoever, no streaming skills, not even a phono stage in sight. It's strictly an analogue-only affair. Old school.

But if you can live with that, you'll love the levels of dynamic expression, insight and rhythmic coherence on show. Bravo.

Read the full Roksan Caspian M2 review

Naim ND555/555 PS (2019)

It took a while for music streamers to seriously impress in the sound department, so it was probably sensible that Naim didn't bless its flagship 5000 Series with one until fairly recently. The two-box offering – again, one for the source (ND555), the other for the power supply (555 PS) – was the best digital streaming source we had come across by 2019, and remained so until the Linn further down this list showed up. For its £20k/$30k asking price, the pair was (and still is) as mature a streamer as you could expect, combining class-leading streaming software with decades of experience going into Naim’s purist analogue audio circuitry. 

And yep, it remains a vital part of our hi-fi test room’s reference set-up because of that.

Read the full Naim ND 555/555 PS DR review

KEF LS50 Meta (2020)

The KEF LS50 Meta have already qualified as some of the all-time greats – certainly if you add their success to that of their descendants, the definitely-legendary LS50. The multi-Award-winners threw down the gauntlet when they arrived in 2020 with their exemplary resolution retrieval and effortless musicality, and their impact is still resonating around the market. Untouchable… as of yet.

Read the full KEF LS50 Meta review

Vertere DG-1 (2021)

Vertere has secured a brace in its DG-1 and subsequent DG-1 S release. The former launched as a breath of fresh air in 2021 for its standout design and clever engineering (like its flat, triple-layered, aluminium alloy/polymer sandwich arm). The latter has since taken engineering plaudits – and consequently performance – even further. The result is a record player that is unrivalled for entertainment and insight at its high-end (well, entry-level high-end) price point.

Read the full Vertere DG-1 Dynamic Groove review

Linn Klimax DSM AV (2021)

If you have read our Klimax DSM AV review, you probably would’ve known this entry was coming. The music streamer is second to none when it comes to streaming sound quality, period. It’s the best standalone streamer we’ve heard by a mile, an accumulation of streaming experience that is pretty much unrivalled in the market (Linn has been in the ‘serious’ streaming game far longer than many). When you also consider that it’s vastly furnished with features, upgradeable and modifiable, and has perhaps the most intuitive, seamless app platform and operation in the business, its inclusion speaks for itself.

Read the full Linn Klimax DSM AV review

PMC Fact Fenestria (2022)

This is a landmark product in speaker history, and is well worth its place in this list. PMC's reference towers are as nuanced and agile as they come, ruthlessly revealing, and natural-sounding to the nth degree. Prohibitively expensive (for many), yes. But they're a great advert for PMC’s engineering principles and vision, and indeed the wider British hi-fi industry at that.

Read the full PMC Fact Fenestria review

dCS Rossini Apex DAC (2022)

Rarely does a product live up to a model name with such strong positive connotations, but the dCS Rossini really does represent the apex of DAC design. The ‘Apex’ in the product name actually signifies a major overhaul of the company’s hugely celebrated Ring DAC circuit, which combines with a solid streaming module (yes, it’s a music streamer too), a significantly improved analogue board, and more connectivity and tweaking options than you need or will likely ever use to produce an outstanding all-round performer. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine how this DAC performance can be bettered.

Read the full dCS Rossini Apex DAC review

SME Model 60 (2022)

SME’s reputation is built on exceptional build quality and the Model 60 maintains that high standard. One look at that handsome precision-machined aluminium chassis and you can be in no doubt you’re looking at a turntable most people could only dream of owning. But that’s just the icing on the proverbial cake, of course. The Model 60 is the company’s first new flagship player in three decades, taking that esteemed position from the Model 30 which launched in 1991, and has been every bit worth the wait. 

“There’s a very real feeling that the turntable is digging up every last bit of information from the record groove,” to quote our review. “It’s a convincing performance that transports us in time and space to the point the music was recorded. We can’t ask for more than that.”

Read the full SME Model 60 review

Rega Naia

If you're talking about the best British turntable of the last few decades, the Rega Naia must be in the conversation. Though it didn't launch until 2023, the project started in 2009, when Rega started researching the limits of low mass and high rigidity. With the sky as the limit, no expense was spared, and the result, the legendary Naiad turntable ended up as a victim of its own success. Because while it was intended purely as an experiment in what could be achieved, it was so good that plenty of people wanted to buy it.

And so, after a limited run of 50 units of the Naiad, Rega set about creating a production-ready version. The result is the Naia, a truly outlandish deck that reimagines what's possible from a home record player. Truly awe-inspiring.

Read the full Rega Naia review

Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero

During our testing every year, we listen to hundreds of products, some good, some bad, but rarely are any as sublime as Wilson Benesch’s A.C.T. 3Zero. These floorstanders share some of the same DNA as the firm's A.C.T. One, which acted as part of our reference system for testing during the late 90s. They swap the One's carbon fibre composite enclosures for a biocomposite that's not only more sustainable but stiffer and better damped. 

The results speak for themselves – they sound exceptional, with levels of transparency and insight that are rarely heard. The result is they uncover new subtleties in familiar tunes, breathing new life into even well-worn tracks. What more could you ask for?

Read the full Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero review

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We listen to hundreds of products every year. Some are bad, many are good and the odd few are truly excellent. But then, once or twice in a decade if we’re lucky, we come across something as sublime as Wilson Benesch’s A.C.T. 3Zero.

Now, we’re no strangers to Wilson Benesch’s speakers. We’ve reviewed and liked a number of them over the years, and back in the late ’90s even used a pair of the original A.C.T. One in our main reference system. Those floorstanders were the brand’s first speakers and set the template for everything that has followed. The One’s DNA clearly still runs strongly through the 3Zero.

Those originals pioneered the use of curved speaker cabinets; the shape reduced the build-up of internal standing waves, but in our opinion, that wasn’t the most important part. The clue lies with the initials A.C.T., which is an acronym for Advanced Composite Technology. What does that mean? In the case of the One that meant carbon fibre; a material that even today seems exotic in the context of a speaker cabinet. 

The A.C.T. One combined carbon fibre, metal and wood to produce a wonderfully elegant enclosure that was class-leading when it came to balancing rigidity, inertness and resonance control. Compared to the standard rectangular wooden boxes made by most of the competition at the time, and even now for that matter, this Wilson Benesch design was light years ahead. Drive units? Originally, the company bought in drivers made by respected Danish OEM specialist Scanspeak, but over time and numerous generations of the speaker, these were changed to in-house engineered units.

Design

Fast forward to today and it is fair to say that the new A.C.T. 3Zero are arguably the most significant variant yet. Why? They mark the move away from carbon fibre to a biocomposite that is claimed to deliver a better sonic performance while being a more natural, renewable and sustainable material. This biocomposite material was developed as part of a pan-European research project financed by the EU to the tune of €7.4million. The aim of the project, which combined the talents of numerous universities working with both small and large businesses, was to develop alternatives to oil-based non-recyclable materials.

This new biocomposite forms a large U-shaped monocoque that makes up the sides of the A.C.T. 3Zero. It is claimed to be stiffer and better damped than the carbon-fibre composite piece the company used previously. This new monocoque is added to an aluminium front baffle, rear spine and base together with a sloped carbon fibre top panel. This entire structure is then held together by 13mm internal steel tensioning rods to create an impressively rigid and well-damped 113cm tall enclosure. 

Wilson Benesch’s in-house drive units are almost as impressive. The Fibonacci tweeter is a 25mm hybrid design that uses a silk dome reinforced by carbon fibre strands which add rigidity to the centre of the dome and around the sides. This is claimed to improve all aspects of its performance and allows the tweeter to reach 30kHz. That distinctive faceplate is 3D printed. It is shaped to improve dispersion and helps to deliver a more even frequency response. The faceplate is also decoupled from the tweeter assembly and this reduces structure-borne resonances.

Wilson Benesch has always preferred simple crossover designs and you can’t get any simpler than connecting the amplifier directly to the midrange unit. Most conventional 17cm units would struggle to deliver good results, but not the company’s new Tactic 3.0 driver. Here it has a dedicated volume inside the 3Zero’s cabinet that is vented from the rear. Without the help of a filter network, this isotactic polypropylene-coned unit is left to roll-off mechanically at both ends of its operating range. This could quite easily result in massive distortion and an uneven response curve. But with careful development, and that includes the distinctive 3D printed dust cap designed to control cone resonances, Wilson Benesch has achieved admirable results.

The lower of the two front baffle-mounted 17cm Tactic 3.0 drivers is a dedicated bass driver. It too enjoys a separate space inside the cabinet, though this time the volume of air is fully sealed. But the drive unit count doesn’t end there. You’ll find another two of the Tactic drivers sitting in the base of the 3Zero and they work in an isobaric arrangement, something that delivers great results if designed properly.

Isobaric designs aren’t very common because they need an extra (hidden) drive unit that adds cost and complexity to the design, but such a configuration does yield greater bass extension for a given cabinet volume than conventional alternatives such as reflex ports or passive radiators.

Build

The price point demands top class build and finish and the A.C.T. 3Zero certainly don’t disappoint. These speakers are beautifully finished and feel wonderfully solid. Tap any of the sides and all you’ll get is a dull, heavily-damped thud and sore knuckles. Every part, from the nicely machined bi-wire speaker terminals to the impressively chunky floor spikes, has the aura of thorough engineering. 

On the whole, we feel these speakers look understated, clean and elegant. Given how huge some of the alternatives are at this level, the Wilson Benesch even qualify as compact by high-end speaker standards. Our only complaint is that the multi-layered plinth arrangement at the base looks out of character and a little too busy. We hope the company can make this look less awkward for the next generation.

There are plenty of finish options as you would expect, but the prices we’ve quoted are for the standard black versions. Expect to pay a decent premium for the more exotic finishes.

Any speaker at this level positively demands a high-quality partnering system. We stick with our reference set-up of Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart record player and Burmester 088/911 Mk III amplifier for most of our listening. We also have a Goldmund Mimesis 37S/Telos 300 three-box pre/power to hand to see how the Wilson Benesch react to a different, more analytical character of amplifier.

The A.C.T. 3Zero are relatively sensitive speakers at a claimed 89dB/W/m sensitivity and have a nominal impedance of 6 ohms that drops to a minimum of 4 ohms. None of these numbers are extreme, so this seems a case of having a partnering amplifier that’s more about quality than outright power. Though, given the 3Zero’s performance, something with a bit of grunt will certainly make the most of the speakers’ excellent dynamic abilities.

Sound

It pays to take care when positioning these speakers. They are capable of exceptional stereo focus and layering if placed with care. We have them around a metre out from the rear wall of our 5m x 7m test room and well away from the sides. This gives us a gloriously wide spread of sound but also a pleasing solidity in the way sound is presented. The stereo sweet spot is relatively narrow though, so these aren’t speakers that encourage much freedom in the main listening position.

Once up and running it is fair to say these Wilson Benesch are exceptional performers. We can’t recall hearing an alternative that matches the A.C.T. 3Zero’s transparency or insight. These speakers uncover previously unheard subtleties in familiar music – low-level acoustic information in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa comes to mind – and render such complex recordings with control and composure that is truly straight out of the top drawer.

Resolution – the ability of these floorstanders to reproduce fine detail – is exceptional. The A.C.T. 3Zero reveals a massive amount of information and is perfectly capable of taking a recording apart for analysis. But, given a suitably well-matched system, it prefers to deliver all that detail in a cohesive and musical way. That’s one of the things we really like about these speakers; for all their impressive technical abilities, they concentrate our attention on the emotional impact of the music. We listen to the award-winning Broadchurch OST by Ólafur Arnalds and are taken right back to the sadness and pain at the heart of that show. The 3Zero’s ability to communicate dynamic nuances is second to none in our experience, and we think that ability is partially a direct consequence of the cabinet being so well controlled.

Just as importantly, we love the way these speakers render instrumental textures. Their impressive transparency allows the natural timbre of instruments and voices to shine through, giving us a range and variation of tonal colours that’s extremely rare. It is a characteristic that draws us into the music and keeps us hooked.

Play a recording as demanding as Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and these floorstanders deliver the music in a full-throttle manner, thumping out the wide-ranging dynamic swings with confidence. There is plenty of power and punch here, with a bass that’s second to none when it comes to grip and definition. We do not doubt that there are (larger) rivals that deliver more bass and punch it out with greater power, but we certainly haven’t heard anything that tracks lows with such faithfulness. 

Take a step back and you’ll find the 3Zero’s tonal balance is superbly judged. To our ears, it is as neutral as they come with both frequency extremes integrated so well that it becomes hard to talk about them as separate entities. This is a wonderfully unified sound that rivals what we hear through the very best electrostatic designs and is made all the more impressive by knowing that there are no less than five separate drivers involved. Note, those very same electrostatic designs can’t match the Wilson Benesch in punch and attack.

Our time with these speakers is a blur of music as we work our way through our collection, finding musical treats around every corner. Poor recordings are revealed as such without the speakers going out of their way to make things worse, while better recordings such as Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis or Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall burst through with musical energy firmly intact. 

Verdict

Judge these speakers by hi-fi criteria such as tonal balance, stereo imaging or detail resolution and they ace the test. Judge them on the ability to communicate the emotion in music, and they are similarly successful. Given a suitably talented system, these Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero are easily among the finest speakers we’ve ever tested. 

Wilson Benesch… we salute you.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

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Wilson Benesch has shared further details of a built-from-the-ground-up turntable system it says "sets the new benchmark from which all other analogue replay systems will be judged by". 

The GMT One System – named after the reference GMT time zone – is the outcome of the South Yorkshire company's latest collaborative R&D project and has been created primarily to preserve valuable recordings, promising to minimise the impact of transcription and deliver "unprecedented levels of accuracy". 

The project was funded with the help of £327,000 of Innovate U.K. funding, won by a Consortium comprised of Sheffield Hallam University (namely Dr F. Al-Naemi, Dr J. Travis and Professor G. Cockerham) and CAAS Audio (helmed by Dr C. Broomfield and N. Broomfield). 

Together, they developed a new and "innovative" motor and dedicated poly-phase motor power supply system called The Omega Drive, which patents are being applied for and which comprises many design registrations. Within the motor drive system, poly-phase drive signals are synthesised by a microprocessor-controlled DAC module that controls each critical variable in real-time, while analogue, linear amplifiers then handle the transfer of these synthesised signals.

The GMT One System turntable sits within the R1 rack Wilson Beneach created for it years ago and features its N6 Carbon-reinforced, low-mass Moment tonearm (pictured above), which was developed collaboratively with a team of five engineers at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Sheffield. We believe it to be one of three tonearms that will be made available, alongside the higher-mass, reference Graviton – made from a single piece of carbon fibre tube – and the low-to-medium mass CTi-30.

The GMT has been designed and developed in-house, which is where it will also be manufactured (including the electronics supplied by CAAS Audio). Pricing is yet to be confirmed but, following previous unveilings of prototype models (one of which we spied at High End Munich back in 2019), Wilson Benesch is hoping to publicly launch the turntable in January. We'll keep an eye out for more details.

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It is said that if an optimist sees a glass is half full and a pessimist sees it as half empty, then an engineer will tell you that the glass is twice as large as it needs to be. 

We are reminded of this old adage when we asked some of the best engineers of the British hi-fi industry whether or not there is a distinctly British sound.

“Accurate, faithful and true,” says Nick Clarke, director of engineering at Arcam, when we ask him about a British sound. “I don’t associate it with a sound as such, the equipment should get out of the way of the music. If it doesn’t, it hasn't been designed correctly,” he adds.

“Understated, genuine and faithful reproduction throughout the entire bandwidth,” says Craig Milnes, co-owner and design director of Wilson Benesch. “Precise, natural, accurately reproducing the original recording,” says Matt Bartlett, Chord Electronics' managing director. 

So, just as the job of the glass is to carry the water from the table to your lips – not to change the flavour or colour the liquid in any way – your hi-fi system should be true to its name and deliver the recording as faithfully as possible.

But as noble as that aim is, does the glass of water analogy actually stand up? Compared to record players, amplifiers and loudspeakers, the glass is a simple device. There are no problems of leakage, mechanical loss, the infidelity of digital to analogue conversion, splitting of water into different frequencies or issues of unwanted resonance. The water ripples, maybe a little of it evaporates, but it still tastes the same as it did when it left the tap.

• Read our British Hi-Fi Week reviews and features

When building a piece of hi-fi equipment, there are limitations and choices of compromise to make. Creating kit that delivers the original recorded sound, truly untainted, is next to impossible.

“Sound is what turns out after the brief,” says Roy Gandy, co-founder and owner of Rega. “You choose the best materials for each required element that's affordable for each price point, then you use that material to achieve the best performance."

“We take a disc which, when rotated, creates vibrations which are read by the cantilever and stylus. The job is to be faithful with as little augmentation as possible.

"While we don't, and think it's detrimental to performance, some manufacturers might use a suspended sub-chassis to eliminate motor noise, but that adds in the natural frequency of the suspension itself and the harmonics of that; it's often a pleasant warmth. There are also materials in platters that add sound. People have got used to plastic platters and these can make a subtle church-like reverb.”

Maybe we’ve all become accustomed to some degree of additive in our audio listening, but that still doesn't mean that there is no such thing as a British hi-fi sound. Just because none of these British audio engineers is doing anything on purpose, that doesn’t mean that, from the outside, a distinctive sound doesn’t exist. The view from abroad would seem to suggest it does.

Take Marantz – not a British hi-fi company, of course, but one that has engineered specific UK editions of some of its best-loved models. The Award-winning PM6006 and CD6006 amplifier and CD player are the obvious examples. If there really is no identifiable British sound, why did Marantz bother?

“We did it partly because of the love for stereo in the UK,” says Roger Batchelor, product specialist at Sound United. “Compared with the rest of Europe or the USA, the percentage of multi-channel amplifiers sold in the UK is lower. Also, there’s a demand here for budget products with high performance and simple, straight-forward design, where sound quality is the first and foremost priority.”

And what is that sound quality exactly? According to Bachelor and his colleagues at Denon and Marantz, it’s a warm, natural overall balance; an accurate, clean bass; and wide stereo imaging with a good sense of depth and height. It's musically fun to listen to with emotional involvement, rather than pure detailed resolution. A sound with a good sense of rhythm and dynamics that draws the listener in.

On the surface, it seems obvious – timing, dynamics, tonal balance, who wouldn’t want these things? However, some markets have traditionally demanded something slightly different, particularly when it comes to low frequency. Peter Comeau, director of acoustic design for IAG (which counts Wharfedale, Quad and Mission among its brands) says it wasn’t until he left the UK that he first conceived of how this kind of sound could be deemed to be typically British.

“I started hearing about hi-fi products coming out of the USA in the late 1960s with designs from Acoustic Research, Marantz and JBL appearing out of the Atlantic fog. US speakers had a different tonal balance to British designed speakers, with a fatter bass and a more prominent presence which exaggerated the upper harmonic range of vocals, string and wind instruments. 

“At the time, I decided that this was to favour US pop music, a lot of which had a marginally larger-than-life, brighter, projection. However, as soon as a record of classical music hit the turntable, the departures from neutrality quickly let the side down.”

According to Comeau, there was a sound difference even among the US designs, with an east coast/west coast divide – in the east were brands such as Acoustic Research and in the west, JBL. Both competed with the more neutral and, Comeau ventures, 'accurate' British sound, although there were plenty of US commentators who found the UK style rather warm and flat, not unlike a pint of bitter.

Undoubtedly, the influence of British pop music in the 1960s and '70s did much to influence the flavour of hi-fi of that time and the notion of a British sound. “If you played Beatles records, the squawky upper-mids were too much to bear when using JBLs,” says Comeau.

In all likelihood, the roots of a British sound go back even further than the '60s and to an era at the BBC a decade earlier. The BBC created its own research and development facility for television and radio technology, from which arose advancements such as Nicam stereo, digital audio and monitor loudspeakers.

“The BBC was the first to research loudspeakers in a holistic way, including drive units, cabinet resonance-suppression and crossover phase linearity,” says Lee Taylor, an ex-BBC sound engineer and founder of Leema Acoustics. “The resulting devices, such as the BBC LS3/5a loudspeaker, are still unsurpassed in many ways. I publicly apologise for blowing up quite so many in my time at the BBC.”

When pressed to name a product that best typifies a possible British sound, several of our interviewees listed the LS3/5a. These small studio monitors were developed for outside broadcast vans to ensure a good quality of broadcast sound. “A polite, smooth, pleasant, non-controversial sound; a loudspeaker with flat frequency response,” is how Rega’s Roy Gandy describes their audio.

Through licensing to produce these speakers under brands such as Rogers and Spendor, that balanced, neutral sound became the standard. British loudspeaker companies spun out of this research with the LS3/5a something of a common ancestor. But while these speakers were hugely influential in their own right, it was ultimately the expression of those who built them – their spirit and their methods – that was the DNA of the inherited British sound.

“For me, British hi-fi is adventurous. Those pioneers led the world in the development of high-fidelity sound,” says Peter Thomas, founder and chairman of PMC. “One of the main things that differentiated them was a willingness to use objective and subjective testing. They trusted their ears when it came to designing equipment as well as measurements. And we still produce some of the best cutting-edge designs in the world – we’re not frightened to try new ideas.”

Those pioneers include names such as Gilbert Briggs and Peter Walker, who started Wharfedale and Quad respectively in the '30s, and who passed down the baton to the likes of Stan Kelly and Arthur Radford, inventors of the Kelly ribbon tweeter and of low-distortion amplifiers. It was their passion for innovation and quality that showed the way for the next generation. 

“Products built using hand-selected components, crafted with care, pride and respect” is their legacy, according to Jason Gould, brand ambassador for Naim. The long-term effect was to create a British hi-fi industry with brands such as B&W, Linn, Mission, KEF, Arcam, Rega, Naim and others all trying to out-perform each other in terms of innovative engineering. 

The British entrepreneurial spirit also contributed too, inspiring the likes of 17-year-old Rob Lawley, who would later become managing director of Sevenoaks Sound and Vision, as first started by Paul Lee-Kemp in 1972. “The result was that the consumer was spoiled for choice and great sounding kit, and much of this was driven by individuals with a real vision for better sound, rather than just commercial gain,” Lawley says.

Times change, of course, and whether British-owned or otherwise, these audio companies still exist 50 years on. With different commercial pressures and influences, the methods and ideals of British hi-fi’s heyday have been diluted for some as, indeed, has that familiar sound they promoted.

But if a British sound isn't the driving force behind the people who make hi-fi in the UK, perhaps it doesn't matter. While British audio brands may not be trying to sell a British sound, there are certainly people who are looking to buy it. The label of British hi-fi still carries some meaning for AV enthusiasts across the world. 

“Our products are given an immediate elevation in status when you introduce them, even in the great audio producing countries such as the USA or Japan,” says Alex Munro, Q Acoustics' brand director.

And at the end of the day, it’s really all about what the customer wants. “The feedback generated by our customers should not be underestimated,” says Ben Lily, technical sales manager at ATC. “This is a large part of what British hi-fi means to us and a huge reason why there are a large number of hi-fi companies per capita in the UK. We are lucky to have so many enthusiasts on our doorstep.”

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We're celebrating all things British hi-fi this week on What Hi-Fi?, so we had to include our updated round-up of our favourite sets of speakers to have emerged from our modest little island.

This list includes some big, some small, some heavenly high-end, some much more affordable – but all straight from the top draw when it comes to performance-per-pound value. There's also a lot of history here, with our rundown going back to the early '80s and then running all the way through to speakers built within the last few years.

What's clear is that the hi-fi industry has been - and continues to be - spoilt with British engineering talent, as you can see for yourself from the following list of superlative hi-fi speakers. From pioneering Wharfedales to ever-dependable ATCs, British hi-fi has produced some absolute gems.

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Wharfedale Diamond I (1982)

The original Wharfedale Diamonds were the seeds for what has become one of the most successful speaker ranges of all time and that, in itself, is a deeply impressive legacy.

While speakers these days come in more shapes and sizes than ever before, these pint-sized efforts stood at just 24cm high and were designed for those who needed a speaker to fit into a tight space. Hi-fi isn't always seen as something "for the masses", but the Diamonds made that musical, insightful Wharfedale sound accessible to practically everyone, not just those lucky few pulling in substantial salaries.

The handsome little units had a particularly praiseworthy midrange and bass considering their budget price, though they were slightly fussy in terms of partnering kit, working better with more upmarket amplification. With tuneful lows and musical highs, the Wharfedale Diamonds paved the way for one of the most successful British speaker ranges of all time.

• That Was Then... Wharfedale Diamond review

Heybrook HB1 (1983)

Heybrook was a British hi-fi manufacturer that started life in 1978 and was named after Devon's Heybrook Bay, which was near the site of the company's original factory. It's no longer around in its original form, but the legacy of the HB1 is enough to keep the name alive well into the 21st Century.

Heybrook got off to a flying start after its inception, though, with the Peter Comeau-designed, entry-level HB1s proving a highlight of What Hi-Fi?'s early years. It was the first product to win three What Hi-Fi? Awards in a row, and that's a tricky thing to do even today. Not many products manage to even nab a single one.

With a sealed box design, they worked well when positioned close to a wall or surface, but what made them special was the fact that - thanks to a high-quality finish and dynamic sound - the HB1 were another example of a speaker that could hold its own against much more expensive efforts. 

Acoustic Energy AE1 (1988)

Acoustic Energy's AE1 were also smaller speakers whose performance belied their rather restricted size. They were capable of impressive punch and dynamic reach - in part thanks to their metal drivers, which were rare at the time. 

They also weren't limited to one decade, evolving over several years and several variations to inspire what is today one of our favourite active speakers, the suitably-named AE1 Active, a former What Hi-Fi? Award-winner that owes a great deal of its sonic character to the fun, excitement and rhythmic sharpness of the 1988 speakers.

Epos ES11 (1991)

We enter the 1990s with Epos' ES11, which were similar in sonic character to the legendary ES14 but available for a fraction of the price. A win-win for both the speakers and the consumers, then.

As was usual for the brand, the crossover was minimal – it employed a single capacitor for the tweeter – helping them produce surprisingly sturdy bass and excellent resolution, in addition to superb rhythmic drive and dynamic expression.

A modest-looking but really musical pair of speakers, they could deliver just the right amount of aggression, delicacy and restraint as a song demanded, earning them a place on this list with ease.

Monitor Audio Studio 20 (1992)

The Studio 20 were, back in 1992, one of the most detailed-sounding speakers we'd ever encountered. They've got that classic, old-school look, too, consisting of a large wooden profile with a couple of drivers plonked at the front of the cabinet, yet the whole thing just seems to work from an aesthetic, as well as audio, perspective.

They needed some fine-tuning and a fair bit of running-in thanks to those metal drivers but, these issues aside, they were incredibly well-finished and sounded terrific, treating listeners to transparency and clarity that very few rivals could contend with.

It was no surprise that their successors, the new-and-improved Studio 20 SE, arrived a few years later and occupied our test rooms as our reference model for many years. We sometimes miss them...

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Mission 753 (1992)

The 753 were an important speaker in Mission's history, ushering in a new slim floorstander design no wider than an, erm, ice skate. If you don't believe us, just see the picture above.

Both looking and sounding the business, they had a smörgåsboard of drive units with four 13cm drivers – two mid/bass drivers, two low bass units – and a single 25cm dome tweeter, through which a fast and punchy sound ensured whatever they were playing was enjoyably involving. They may have been slender and unassuming, but the sound they delivered was anything but anaemic. 

Tannoy Mercury M2 (1997)

The Mercury M2 made an immediate impression when they burst onto the scene in the late 1990s. Back then, we said they were the closest anyone had come to creating the perfect mass-market standmounter, and we stick by that assertion as we look back at the M2 with only slightly rose-tinted spectacles.

Quite frankly, our ears hadn't heard a more satisfyingly musical all-rounder at their price of £150, so it's hardly surprising that we called them "an extremely safe bet (that) will suit a wide variety of systems". Yes, £150 doesn't get you as much these days thanks to inflation, but these were some of the best-value all-rounders you could ever hope to find back in 1997.

Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One (1999)

Five years after launching its first product, the Wilson Benesch Turntable, the British company launched a second: the A.C.T. One speaker.

Unveiled at the 1994 Frankfurt High End show, the floorstanders were made mostly out of carbon fibre (like many Wilson Benesch speakers after them), introducing the world’s first curved carbon fibre composite panel in a speaker design. That distinctive shape helped to reduce the build-up of internal standing waves, while the speakers' eponymous acronym (which stands for "Advanced Composite Technology") meant a combination of carbon fibre, wood and metal coming together to give class-leading rigidity and resonance control.

It all paid off. These superbly engineered and elegant-looking towers were the most analytical and musical speakers we'd heard before the turn of the century.

Read the full Wilson Benesch A.C.T One review

Quad ELS 2805 (2008)

This side of the millennium we have the Quad ELS 2805. After all, it would be sacrilege to not include one of the British company's legendary electrostatic speakers in this list. So here it is.

"Fifty years after its electrostatic speakers first wowed the hi-fi world, Quad breaks new ground," we said of the 2805 in 2008, marvelling at a pair of speakers that felt innovative and cutting-edge at the time. 

These one-way speakers (meaning there was no crossover in the signal path) fired equal amounts of sound backwards and forwards, so care was needed when setting up. Any bother was well worth it, though. The lack of punch and slightly lumpy bass were drawbacks, but in every other way, they were truly exceptional performers.

Read the full Quad ESL-2805 review

B&W 800 Diamond (2012)

Continuing the high-end trend, these £18,500 speakers represented the pinnacle of B&W's cutting-edge technology back in 2012: "The ultimate expression of all the company’s trademark technologies," as we wrote in our original review . This has since manifested itself in the latest Diamond range.

From tweeter domes made out of diamond, to cleverly braced and shaped cabinets, to cones made out of Kevlar, they were innovative speakers that at the time showcased unrivalled clarity, dynamic reach and volume. The bass was stunning, as was the detail, and all of this sound was delivered with speed and kinetic punch.

Read the full B&W 800 Diamond review

KEF LS50 (2012)

The KEF LS50 were, and remain, blindingly good speakers. They've won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards over the years and have recently formed the basis of active versions in the shape of the LS50 Wireless II and LSX, as well as the passive LS50 Meta – all three What Hi-Fi? Award winners themselves. 

Of course, a hat tip deserves to be directed to KEF’s trademark Uni-Q array (an aluminium dome tweeter in the centre of a magnesium/aluminium–coned mid/bass), which was largely behind the LS50's insightful and musical, bassy yet balanced sound.

Read the full KEF LS50 review

Neat Iota (2012)

He who dares wins, right? With a sideways orientation that makes them look more like an AV centre channel speaker than a pair of stereo speakers, the 13cm-tall Neat Iotas were certainly different, but brilliantly so.

The Teesside-based speaker company's unusual design allowed us to experiment using them with the tweeters placed on the inside or outside, the latter of which we preferred. The Iotas sounded remarkable - big and bold, with plenty of detail, weight and scale on offer. And their tiny-boxed design only added to their appeal.

Read the full Neat Iota review

Q Acoustics Concept 20 (2013)

The strength of the competition at this price is always fierce, but it speaks to the talents of Q Acoustics' Concept 20 that they remain firm favourites even after more than ten years in the game.

The Concept 20 utilise what is still some of the company's top-tier technologies, such as the complex cabinet design that sees two layers of MDF separated by a lossy Gelcore material in an effort to dampen resonances. Thanks to such innovative engineering, they produce a multi-talented, all-round sound that delivers everything from punch and attack to subtlety and precision.  

Budget speakers are worthy of just as much praise as super high-end ones, especially if they deliver on the promises they make at their more modest level. As their multiple Awards have demonstrated, the Concept 20 are one of the bargains of the decade.

Read the full Q Acoustic Concept 20 review

PMC Twenty 26 (2014)

Speakers from PMC’s Twenty range have not only been winning awards in recent years but also occupying our test rooms. 

Few rival floorstanders are as musical or as balanced as the Twenty 26, whose strong dynamics, impressive detail, even tonality and seamless integration are hard to find fault with. These may not be the latest models in the Twenty range, but they are among our favourites, demonstrating the British brand's commitment to engineering innovation and consistent quality across the board. 

While more Recent PMC speakers, such as the Prodigy 1 and Prodigy 5 models, have demonstrated the brand's capabilities at the lower end of the market, we still have a huge soft spot for the Twenty 26 floorstanders.

Read the full PMC Twenty 26 review

Spendor SP2/3R2 (2016)

It'd be easy to dismiss Spendor's SP2/3R2 as a retro throwback, but that would be to miss out on a stellar speaker that very much deserves the attention of anyone with this budget. "Despite a design ancestry that dates back to the 1970s, there’s much this dinosaur could teach its modern competition," we noted in our 2016 review.

Sonically, they're huge, with a scale and authority that's made for epic blockbuster soundtracks. Yet there's absolutely no shortage of dynamics or detail either, and while they don't deliver the last word in punch or drive, rhythms are delightfully measured and controlled. If you favour a smooth, refined yet deeply insightful presentation, the SP2/3R2 remain a high point for British hi-fi. 

Read the full Spendor SP2/3R2 review

ATC SCM 50 (2019)

We’ve been using ATC’s SCM50 as our reference speakers for well over a decade, and in that time they’ve been connected to just about every piece of electronics that has passed through our test rooms. And guess what? They've never let us down after all these years, rewarding us time and again with the sort of reliability and dependable quality you'd normally see reserved for your pet labrador or favourite pair of slippers.

Every so often we come across rival speakers – usually of higher cost – that better these ATCs in some respect, whether it’s outright resolution, openness, stereo imaging or rhythmic precision. 

Yet we haven’t managed to find something that’s as satisfying an all-rounder or as practical to use as a day-to-day review tool. Considering the SCM50 was originally introduced in the mid-80s, that’s quite some achievement. It seems great engineering doesn’t age after all.

Read the full ATC SCM 50 review

ProAc Response D2R (2019)

Don't let the lack of curved cabinets or fancy cone materials fool you. The ProAc Response D2R are among the finest speakers we've ever heard and are more than worthy of their spot on this list. They were What Hi-Fi? Award-winners in 2021, after all, with our expert test team hailing them as being "as insightful and entertaining as any speakers at this level". High praise indeed!

You'll need suitable stands, suitable electronics and the patience to spend a suitable amount of time tinkering with positioning, but once you've got those elements sorted, these exceptional standmounters will deliver an intoxicating mix of detail and entertainment that is very tough to beat at this price. They're also very easy with partnering and beautifully made, making them a pair of all-rounders that won't let you down no matter the situation. 

Read the full ProAc Response D2R review

PMC Fact Fenestria (2022)

The PMC Fact Fenestria might be one of the tallest speakers to have been through our test rooms; they're also one of the best speakers we've heard. We liked them so much that they unanimously won the Best Temptation Award in 2022 – high praise indeed. 

Yes, they're very expensive, but they were designed as an opportunity for PMC to take a fresh look at every part of loudspeaker design and come up with engineering solutions that are as free from budget constraints as they can be. Highlights include a lot of decoupling of the driver units from the baffle (and the cabinet itself) and implementing techniques used in skyscrapers to mitigate the swaying motion for the construction of its tall cabinets. It has clearly worked, too; these speakers deliver an awe-inspiring sound that simply demands to be heard.

The Fenestrias deliver sound with a deeply impressive impartiality, handling all genres of music with balance and precision, along with a deep, powerful bass that's never strained nor loose. These are big speakers so you can expect scale, dynamism and authority to match, all delivered with an incredible sense of realism and accuracy.

Read the full PMC Fact Fenestria review

Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero

Wilson Benesch’s speakers are usually quite something to behold. We used the original A.C.T. One as part of our main reference system in the past, and it's been so gratifying to see the One’s exceptional DNA running through the quite incredible A.C.T. 3Zero floorstanders.

The 3Zero make use of the One's pioneered curved cabinets, a shape which diminishes the build-up of internal standing waves within the speaker, alongside a biocomposite developed as part of a pan-European research project with €7.4million worth of EU financial backing. That all gives the 3Zero superb rigidity and dampening, proving that Wilson Benesch is still keen to push the engineering boundaries in a bid to eke out as much performance potency as possible.    

We could go (and have gone) into even greater detail regarding the speakers' impressive Fibonacci hybrid tweeters, 3D printed faceplate or isotactic polypropylene-coned crossover, but what matters to us is how the 3Zero sound. As we stated in our review, they deliver music "in a full-throttle manner", treating you to thrilling dynamic swings complemented by power, punch and precision alongside some of the most insightful and natural sound we've ever heard from a floorstanding speaker.

For us, testing the A.C.T. 3Zero wasn't a job or a chore; it was an experience.

Read the full Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 3Zero review

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Along with amplifiers, record players and TVs, one of the products most closely associated with What Hi-Fi? is stereo speakers. We have been testing stereo speakers ever since our first issue in 1976, and while there have been hundreds of speakers that have passed through our various test rooms, the speakers we have highlighted here are ones that have left a lasting impression in our minds (and in the hi-fi industry as well).

The idea behind a stereo speaker hasn't changed much and is relatively simple, with an enclosure (sometimes small, sometimes big), drivers and crossover capable of taking an audio signal from an amplifier and pumping out sound as the drivers move as accurately as possible. Advancements in technology, machining processes and the discovery of new materials have refined this engineering concept further, with brands able to constantly find new and better ways of making music sound great.

This ever-expanding list is a celebration of the stereo speakers that have a special place in our hearts – and yours too, hopefully – as we flick through nearly five decades of What Hi-Fi?'s past for the best pairs of speakers that we have listened to and enjoyed in our test rooms.

KEF Coda II (1982)

The KEF Coda II were budget speakers designed to be compatible with amplifiers that delivered 10 or more watts per channel, and they offered exceptional value.

Though the Coda II's tonal balance was on the brighter side, they leavened that with an open sound and accurate imaging.

These two-way speakers were available in two finishes (black or simulated walnut veneer) and they looked pretty good, especially when you took the grilles off.

Wharfedale Diamond I (1982)

The original Wharfedale Diamonds were pint-sized efforts for those who needed a speaker to fit into a tight space.

They were nicely constructed, with a solidly made cabinet (an enclosure of just over five litres) and a finish that traded real wood for a good quality plastic imitation veneer.

With sophisticated midrange and bass performance for the price, the Diamonds were fussy in terms of partnering kit but excelled with more upmarket amplification.

MORE: That Was Then... Wharfedale Diamond review

Mission 70 Mk II (1983)

By 1983 Mission had updated its '70' speakers and, despite the model number, the 70 Mk IIs were the third iteration.

That gradual process of evolution led to a pair of speakers that had breadth, scope and vividness beyond their peers. And in spite of the speaker's small size, they had the sound of a larger, more expensive unit.

Treated well, the Mission 70 Mk IIs produced an exciting listening experience.

MORE: Old speakers vs. new speakers: How do they compare?

Heybrook HB1 (1983)

The Heybrook HB1s were a highlight of What Hi-Fi?'s early years, winning multiple Awards in the early 80s.

The HB1s were entry-level speakers, and though they worked well with budget equipment, they excelled when partnered with top-quality electronics.

With a high-quality finish and dynamic sound, the HB1s were another example of a speaker that could hold its own against much more expensive efforts.

Acoustic Energy AE1 (1988)

Acoustic Energy's AE1 were on the smaller side, but let them rip and they were capable of impressive punch and dynamic reach.

They featured metal drivers (rare for the time) and the internal cabinet walls were plaster-coated to minimise the build-up of unnatural standing waves.

Care was required when positioning, but get it right and the huge soundstage, accuracy and speed of delivery on offer were superb.

Read our Acoustic Energy AE1 Classic review

Epos ES11 (1991)

We enter the 90s with the Epos ES11, which were similar in sonic character to the legendary ES14 but available for a fraction of the price.

As was usual for the brand, the crossover was minimal: it employed a single capacitor for the tweeter. That helped the ES11 produce surprisingly sturdy bass and excellent resolution, as well as superb rhythmic drive and dynamic expression.

A really musical pair of speakers, they could deliver just the right amount of aggression, delicacy or restraint a song demanded.

Monitor Audio Studio 20 (1992)

£2000 was a lot for a speaker back in 1992 (and it still is today), but the Monitor Audio Studio 20s weren't your run-of-the-mill floorstanders.

With metal drivers on board, they delivered fast, deep bass, punchy overall sound and sweet treble. This made the Studio 20 one of the most detailed-sounding speakers we'd encountered at the time.

They needed some fine-tuning and a fair bit of running in thanks to those metal drivers but, these issues aside, they were incredibly well-made and finished, and were terrific-sounding speakers.

Mission 753 (1992)

The 753s were stylish floorstanders that produced a dynamic performance.

They had a smörgåsboard of drive units with four 13cm drivers – two mid/bass drivers, two low bass units – and a single 25cm dome tweeter packed into the floorstander's slim cabinet.

The Missions didn't do laid-back, offering a fast and punchy listen that had a real sense of vitality for those willing to take the time to run them in properly.

They were an all-round delight for anyone who enjoyed an involving and exciting sound.

Tannoy Mercury M2 (1997)

The Mercury M2s speakers entered the market in the late 90s and made an immediate impression.

Our review team hadn't heard a more satisfyingly musical all-rounder at this price level. The larger-than-average M2 generated a performance that struck an expert sonic balance, with consistently superb bass and treble performance.

Back then, we felt they were the closest anyone had come to creating the perfect mass-market standmounter.

Dynaudio Contour 1.1 (1999)

The Contour 1.1s were medium-sized standmounters that proved size was no barrier to delivering solid bass.

The quantity of bass didn't affect detail or insight, as the Contours benefitted from a great sense of timing. And their talent with high-frequency delivery found the right balance between sweetness and attack.

If you liked your music to be delivered with a punch, the Contour 1.1's dynamic performance, excellent timing and satisfying bass made them a terrific buy.

Read the Dynaudio Special Forty review

Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One (1999)

Wilson Benesch made a big splash with its first loudspeaker, the A.C.T. One, on the eve of a new millennium.

Made mostly of carbon fibre, solid wood and laminated MDF, these high-end speakers were superbly engineered and elegant-looking units.

More than any speaker we'd heard up to then, they struck a sublime balance between musicality and analysis.

Read our Wilson Benesch A.C.T review

B&W DM602 S3 (2002)

B&W's DM602 S3s were big standmounters that produced an even bigger sound.

They had the latest technology for the time: the two-way loudspeaker featured 25mm aluminium metal dome tweeters and B&W now-classic Kevlar mid/bass units. But they needed breathing space to perform at their best.

Granted that room, the speaker's dynamic presentation, precision and agility at the low end made them a talented proposition.

MORE: That Was Then… B&W 602 S3 review

Mission 780 (2002)

By 2002, Mission's 780 standmounters had bagged two Product of the Year Awards.

They had clever technical features, including a tweeter isolation system, a ceramic mid-bass driver and a cabinet construction that aided structural rigidity.

The bass was tight and powerful, the midrange impressively insightful and the tonal balance was even. The 780s weren't fazed by whatever music you threw at them.

Quad 11L (2004)

The Quad 11L speakers had a rock-solid build and excellent finish, but the sound quality was what really grabbed our attention.

In terms of transparency, detail resolution, speed and dynamics, price rivals really struggled to match them.

If you wanted the best sound and build quality at a reasonably affordable price, the Quad 11L standmounters offered astonishingly good value at the time.

Read the Quad 11L Classic review

ATC SCM 11 (2006)

The ATCs were the type of speaker that could play any type of music with ease.

The Gloucestershire-based company opted for a sealed cabinet for agile bass performance. The speaker's two-way design had a mid/bass driver that was developed in-house and featured a hefty motor system.

As performers, they were talented in various hi-fi disciplines – class-leading (or not far off it) in terms of timing, dynamics and scale.

They lost a little performance at low volume and were not very sensitive – so they needed a hefty amplifier – but these were quibbles. They would only get better with the 2013 iteration.

Read our ATC SCM 11 review

Quad ELS 2805 (2008)

Quad showed no sign of resting on its laurels with the ESL-2805, the latest in a range of legendary electrostatic speakers that stretched back to the 1950s.

Care was needed setting up, as they fire equal amounts of sound backwards and forwards. Once done, the speaker's natural midrange, excellent detail resolution and cohesive sound came to the fore.

The lack of punch and slightly lumpy bass were drawbacks, but in other ways, these electrostatic speakers were truly exceptional.

Read our Quad ESL-2805 review

Wilson Audio Duette (2008)

Wilson Audio's £11,000 'entry-level' Duette model made you question whether the company understood the term.

Designed to be unfussy when it came to placement, these large two-way standmounters had a great sense of detail, timing, resolution and insight.

The soundstage the Duette produced was huge, the bass well-articulated, and the adjustable crossover allowed for a wide range of positions (including horizontally).

One of the best pairs of speakers we've had the pleasure of listening to, offering surprisingly good value even at that huge price tag.

Read the Wilson Audio Duette review

Eclipse TD 712z Mk2 (2009)

The TD 712z Mk2 encapsulated Eclipse’s approach to stereo speaker design with its single driver unit and sophisticated cabinet.

Intended to properly reproduce an impulse signal (a sharp, short sound), the Mk2 achieved this with aplomb. Timing was brilliant, as were dynamics, and these unique speakers sounded more coherent than just about anything else at the time – regardless of price.

They weren't as adept with the frequency extremes because of that single driver, but we could forgive their limitations. It was a different approach to speaker design that yielded a wildly entertaining sound.

Read our Eclipse TD 712z Mk2 review

Totem Mani-2 Signature (2010)

Glance in the direction of the Totem speakers and they look a bit ordinary.

In production for two decades, the Mani-2 Signature had stupendous bass power and authority thanks to isobaric bass loading.

The overall sound was cohesive and the sonic balance was highly musical. Despite their compact stature, they could offer huge scale too.

In terms of outright enjoyment, few, if any, were better at the price.

Read the Totem Mani-2 Signature review

ATC SCM 100A (2011)

The SCM 100As were imposing and functional lookers, but capable of great sound.

Rarely had we heard bass sound as good, as loud or as nuanced. Tonally they were spot-on and capable of being immensely muscular as well as delivering a dose of subtlety too.

The ATC's range of abilities meant they were handy across a wide variety of music genres. Just be careful moving them: each speaker weighed a back-breaking 68kg.

Read our ATC SCM 100A review

B&W 800 Diamond (2012)

B&W's 800 Diamond speakers were packed to the rafters with cutting-edge technology.

They were the ultimate expression of B&W's approach to sound. From tweeter domes made out of diamond, to cleverly braced and shaped cabinets, to cones made out of Kevlar, and their iconic tweeter-on-top module – they were innovative speakers.

The bass was stunning, as was detail retrieval and dynamic reach. All of this sound was delivered with speed and punch, too. Quite possibly one of the best speakers ever made.

Read our B&W 800 Diamond review

KEF LS50 (2012)

The KEF LS50s were, and remain, blindingly good speakers.

A lot of thought went into the cabinet, from the curved front panel to the materials used in the speaker's construction.

That craftsmanship was felt in the performance – thanks in no small part to KEF's innovative Uni-Q driver – which produced an insightful and musical sound.

The LS50 were a fun pair of speakers and formed the basis of the superb LS50 Wireless system. They continue their legacy in the current multi-Award-winning KEF LS50 Meta speakers with its new innovative MAT technology.

Read our original KEF LS50 review

Neat Iota (2012)

The Teesside-based loudspeaker company employed an unusual design for its compact speaker. They're designed to be used on their sides, not standing up, and they emit a hefty sound that's got plenty of detail, weight and scale for their size.

The tiny Iota speakers are unfussy about positioning – overall, the Neats are odd, but brilliantly so. A speaker unlike so many on this list and ones we've always been fond of.

Read our Neat Iota review

Focal Diablo Utopia (2012)

Focal's Diablos made a convincing case for spending £8000 on a standmounter.

The tweeter domes were fashioned out of the rigid substance Beryllium and the mid/bass motor system had a clever magnet arrangement, one that optimised magnetic power and minimised any losses.

All that technical wizardry generated a performance of exceptional detail, agile bass and seamless integration of voices and instruments.

They cost a fortune, but you got what you paid for.

Read the Focal Diablo Utopia review

ProAc Response D40R (2013)

ProAc's Response D40R were tall speakers that needed a large room to make the most of their potential.

Give them breathing space and you had a musical speaker that was as articulate, transparent and dynamic a floorstander as we had heard at the price.

This was a floorstanding speaker that was good at getting out of the way and letting the music take centre stage.

Read the ProAc Response D40R review

Q Acoustics Concept 20 (2013)

The strength of the competition at their price is fierce, but it speaks to the Q Acoustics Concept 20's talents that they remain a favourite.

They use a complex cabinet design, with two layers of MDF separated by a lossy Gelcore material that reduces cabinet resonances. The Concept 20s deliver a satisfying sense of punch and attack, while also producing an articulate and subtle presentation.

They are good at most things, making them a fine choice for all types of music. For standmounters comfortably under £500, they remain a solid choice.

Read our Q Acoustic Concept 20 review

PMC Twenty 26 (2014)

We've come to expect excellence from PMC's Twenty range and the Twenty 26 floorstanders are no exception.

Though there are more revealing high-end floorstanders available – mostly at higher prices – few are as musical or as balanced as the Twenty 26.

With strong dynamics, impressive detail and an unfussy, musical nature, it is hard to fault these speakers in any one particular area.

Read our PMC Twenty 26 review

Spendor SP2/3R2 (2016)

It would be easy to dismiss Spendor's SP2/3R2 as some kitsch, retro throwback, but that would be to miss out on an easy-going loudspeaker.

Some rivals produced a more exciting listen, but this large standmounter delivered a huge sonic stage with class-leading scale and authority.

They didn't grab your attention with sonic fireworks, but with a relaxed, insightful sound that left you focusing on the music itself.

Read the Spendor SP2/3R2 review

Spendor A4 (2017)

We've noted that recent Spendor speakers tended to prioritise analysis over entertainment.

But not so the A4 floorstanding model, which is capable of both. With an articlate and expressive presentation, they have plenty of detail, insight and a lovely midrange.

Put them away from a rear wall and these unfussy, compact floorstanders are splendid company.

Read the Spendor A4 review

JBL K2 S9900 (2017)

The K2s are fabulous, retro-styled speakers. Oddly proportioned – wider than they are deep – and weighing 83kg each, these speakers are not to be trifled with.

The horn-loaded tweeter and midrange units help their performance in larger rooms, offering exceptional resolution and great insight.

If you have a big enough bank balance, these JBLs are among the best speakers money can buy.

Read our JBL K2 S9900 review

ATC SCM50 (2019)

Technically, these SCM50 speakers have been around for much longer and have done duty as What Hi-Fi?'s reference speakers in our test rooms for over a decade before we officially reviewed them in 2019.

Their honest, balanced and transparent presentation makes them an ideal 'tool' for reviewing, allowing us to hear all the minute differences and subtleties when an amplifier or source is plugged in, regardless of price. Outside of their function as a staple of our reference system, these ATCs are beautifully dynamic, cohesive and musical, with a natural, authentic way with vocals that we haven't heard bettered anywhere else. They sound open, have plenty of attack and punch, solid stereo imaging and unearth layers of detail and nuance from a recording.

The rugged build won't be to everyone's tastes, and it's one of the few speakers that are designed to sound their best with the grilles on. All three drivers are made in-house with decades of engineering expertise and Pro-level reliability. These speakers don't try to flavour the signal they're fed; they simply try to reproduce the signal faithfully. The SCM50s sound great with any music thrown at them, and we continue to hold them in high regard – and continue to use them as our reference speakers – today.

Read the ATC SCM50 review

Audiovector R3 Arreté (2019)

Audiovector's R3 Arreté represent the pinnacle of its R3 floorstanding range, with a classy build quality that exudes "understated luxury". A great deal of care has been taken with the cabinet, resonance control and mountings for the in-house drivers and AMT tweeter.

These relatively compact floorstanders won't dominate a room, but that doesn't prevent them from delivering a wide dispersion with excellent stereo imaging, and a satisfying amount of punch. These are stunningly articulate and detailed speakers, with a terrific sense of responsiveness that communicates the attack, drive and momentum of any song with nuance and precision.

Controlled and dynamic, with excellent low-end authority and an infectious sense of rhythm – we are hugely impressed. A left-field choice perhaps, but very rewarding for the money.

Read the Audiovector R3 Arreté review

Dali Oberon 5 (2020)

The immensely entertaining Oberon 5 remain one of our go-to recommendations for floorstanders, regardless of newer competition.

The two-way floorstanders feature twin 13cm mid/bass drivers and a 29mm dome tweeter, and like many Dali speakers, can be placed close to a wall without needing to be toed in towards the listening position. Coupled with the ability to partner nicely with budget and premium amplifiers, their unfussy nature makes them a likeable proposition.

Sonically, the Oberon 5 have terrifically expressive dynamics, controlled rhythms, a lovely way with voices, and a bold but balanced treble. They have a transparent nature and don't back down from complex arrangements, either, while always remaining fun to listen to.

Read the Dali Oberon 5 review

Fyne Audio F1-8 (2020)

Fyne Audio's speakers may split opinions on aesthetics, but there's no doubting the luxurious, hand-finished cabinets' build and finish quality. While the Scottish brand only formed in 2017, the people involved are ex-Tannoy employees and have decades of experience and it shows in these premium standmounters.

The F1-8 feature an IsoFlare coaxial driver array, notches in the rubber surround to eliminate unwanted mechanical cone energy, and a clever bass diffuser arrangement in the plinth to make the most of the downward-firing bass port.

These deliver a properly weighty, authoritative bass performance that is also agile and tuneful. The mix of exuberance, nuanced detail and wide-ranging dynamics from a pair of standmounters is impressive and makes them an exciting listen. The highest top frequencies aren't the most refined so you'll need to partner them carefully, but these are excellent speakers overall.

Read our Fyne Audio F1-8 review

Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 (2021)

A refined, balanced and revealing performance at an affordable price point? No wonder Wharfedale's 12.3 floorstanders have an armful of What Hi-Fi? Award wins to their name.

Making an affordable floorstander is no mean feat, and the 12.3 follows in the footsteps of its 12.1 standmounter siblings (and indeed the long-running 12 series) to deliver a pair that works well with budget electronics while also sounding sophisticated and well-balanced for this level.

These accomplished towers have just enough of every sonic element to please, with agile rhythms, stable stereo imaging and lovely layers of detail all put together in a controlled, sure-footed manner. These speakers sound good even at lower volumes, too, which is a tricky balance to accomplish at any price level.

Read the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 review

PMC Fact Fenestria (2022)

PMC's flagship, no-expense-spared floorstanders are a feat of engineering and deliver a jaw-dropping performance for the eye-popping price. These are some of the most awesome speakers we've heard and their presence in our test room (above) has left a lasting impression, not least because of their tall stature (1.7m).

The Fact Fenestria was an opportunity for PMC to flex their engineering know-how and create the best-sounding speaker it can, without any budget restrains. You'll have to read our full review for the nitty-gritty details, but suffice it to say PMC took great pains to minimise any speaker-generated distortions, finding ways to get rid of unwanted mechanical energy, vibrations or resonance from affecting the sound quality at every step of the speakers' design.

The resulting sound is one of the most astonishingly transparent and subtle presentations we've ever heard. Bassline are deep and powerful, harmonies are revealed with rich texture and engulf you in its expansive scale; but the Fenestrias never lost sight of PMC's evenhanded approach. The ease with which they deliver any piece of music, regardless of genre, is astoundingly captivating and nuanced. One of the very best.

Read the PMC Fact Fenestria review

Epos ES14N (2023)

The well-regarded Epos brand from the 80s was revived recently thanks to being bought by respected speaker designer and audio consultant Karl Heinz-Fink. While the new ES14N shares much with the original ES14 speaker – not least its large standmounter body – inside is a thoroughly modern design when it comes to engineering.

The driver units are all-new, the crossover is more complex, and the sloped baffle aids time alignment between the drivers and reduces standing waves inside the cabinet. It also lends to the ES14N's slightly odd look overall, but we have come to be charmed by its aesthetic.

The speakers major in analysis, control and organisation, but are deft enough to reveal subtleties and nuances in dynamics. Give them time to run in and you'll be rewarded with a cohesive, balanced sound that is composed and insightful. The Epos ES14N deliver an all-round performance that we haven’t heard bettered at its price point.

Read the Epos ES14N review

Neat Petite Classic (2024)

Small, fun, and endlessly musical. These standmounters may have a compact footprint but their personality far outshines their size or modest build. Neat's fifth-generation Petite Classic model has a sound signature that can be traced back to its debut pair in the early 90s, with spot-on timing and a lively, enthusiastic presentation that never fails to put a smile on your face.

Don't expect lashings of deep bass from such petite cabinets, and a smoothed-off treble makes them easy to listen to; they're not exactly neutral, but we can't fault that sure-footed, agile and musically cohesive performance.

They look unassuming, but these Neats are ideal for those wanting high-quality, premium sound in a small space.

Read the Neat Petite Classic review

YG Acoustics Carmel 3 (2024)

YG Acoustics' distinctive, high-end Carmel 3 speakers are a lesson in not judging by looks alone – or even at first listen. These small, plain-looking speakers hide an elaborately engineered design that is evident in the high-quality aluminium alloy cabinet, in-house precision machining, use of high-quality components and drivers machined out of a solid 2kg billet of aircraft-grade aluminium. Each cabinet takes a day and a half to make.

Give them a few days of running in to calm that hard edge, and you'll be shocked by the ferociously punchy and deep, low-end notes they can pump out with verve and authority. They are tonally even and reveal a huge amount of detail, too, but be warned that these are tremendously transparent speakers – and they aren't forgiving of poor recordings. Given pristine quality recordings and careful partnering, though, these speakers are superb performers.

Read the YG Acoustics Carmel 3 review

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Best speakers we currently recommend across all budgets

Think high-end speakers. We doubt Swiss firm Piega is at the forefront of your mind. Despite a history stretching back more than two decades, the company has never had any impact in the UK.

That's a shame, because the TC70X floorstanders show Piega has what it takes to compete with the likes of B&W and Wilson Benesch at this price level.

Conventional wooden boxes are not what Piega does; it believes such enclosures colour the sound too much. Instead, the TC70X's cabinet is made of extruded aluminium.

This produces a very rigid enclosure and makes it easy to have a curved shape, which minimises internal standing waves.

Standing waves are a bad thing – they spoil the purity of the sound. The metal enclosure is then heavily damped to reduce resonances innate in rigid metal structures.

The result is a hefty, inert enclosure that allows the drive units to work (relatively) unhindered.

Distinctive engineering
The ribbon mid/tweeter module can't help but catch our attention. To see such designs used for treble and midrange drivers is exotic engineering.

Taking it further and mounting the high frequency unit in the centre of the larger driver makes the Piega unique.

Placing the tweeter in the centre of the midrange unit helps with integration and improves dispersion, widening the listening sweet spot.

Ribbon designs are just fine with midrange and treble frequencies, but are impractical at low frequencies due to size and electrical characteristics.

So, it's no surprise to see a pair of relatively conventional 18cm bass drivers handle the low stuff.

Positioned out into the room these beautifully machined speakers give a fine account of themselves. Their presentation is all about control and precision rather than exuberance.

It's easy to be underwhelmed on a short listen. The price-tag combined with a lack of overt sonic fireworks means that many wouldn't take these speakers seriously.

But give them time (we're talking weeks) and the TC70Xs' talents come to the fore.

Music takes centre stage
Listen to Shostakovich's haunting Symphony No.7, the Piegas refuse to intrude. These speakers leave the music to grab the attention – and that's exactly how it should be.

Dynamics swell naturally, and where demanded result in forceful crescendos, with the Piegas staying controlled even at high levels.

The co-incident mid/tweeter arrangement suggests pleasing stereo imaging, and this is just what happens in use.

These speakers deliver a stable stereo image populated with precisely positioned instruments. Precision is also apparent in the way the speaker defines edges of notes.

The minimal contribution of the inert cabinet and natural agility of the drivers results in plenty of speed, but without any form of harshness or brightness.

Tonally, there's a slight lack of attack to the highest frequencies, leaving the midrange to be highlighted.

But this slight deviation doesn't rob the Piegas of the ability to work well with punchy music such as Eminem or Nirvana.

Those twin bass drivers can't quite emulate the ribbon drivers when it comes to speed, so on occasion they draw a little too much attention. That apart, there's little to complain about.

The TC70Xs may not shout about their talents, but given a suitably talented source and amplification, these speakers are bound to please.