Between Amazon Prime Day and the heatwave, last week was challenging for a variety of reasons. It’s quite possible, then, that you have struggled to keep up with all the latest hi-fi and home cinema news.
Here to help, we have put together a fresh entry for our regular Rewind news digest, with all the top stories neatly explained by our experts.
Grado’s new headphones aren’t as fun as their predecessors
We reviewed the Grado SR325 Classic, open back, wired headphones last week. As the name suggests, they sit in the same family as the iconic Grado SR325x, which we often recommend, and view as a classic set of cabled cans in their own right.
During testing, we found plenty to like about the SR325 Classic, with the new open-backs delivering a clear sound with lots of detail, alongside rugged, reliable build quality. But there’s one key difference that stopped them earning a five-star rating: they’re just not as much fun.
Read our full Grado SR325 Classic review
Apple raises its prices
For a variety of reasons, lots of companies are raising their prices right now. And last week, tech giant Apple joined the list, raising the prices on a number of its AV products.
The entry level 64GB Apple TV 4K went up £50 / $50, for example. It now retails for £199 / $199. The HomePod 2 smartspeaker also jumped in price by £50 / $50 to £349 / $349, while the HomePod Mini now costs £20 / $20 more, retailing for £129 / $129.
Read the full story: Apple just raised the prices of its best hi-fi and home cinema products – here’s how to beat the price hikes this Prime Day
Triangle launches three new speakers
Triangle launched its new Solstice line of speakers last week. The line comes in three varieties, the Solstice 8 floorstanders, the Solstice 3 standmounters, and the home-cinema-oriented Solstice C3 centre channel.
The line is designed, says Triangle, to appeal to everyone from “hi-fi newcomers” to seasoned audiophiles. Marketing aside, the line targets the very competitive £1000-£2000 sector of the market, with the Solstice 8 set to retail for £1999 / €1999 / $2799 and the Solstice 3 standmounts £999 / €999 / $1349 per pair.
That puts them in square competition with some big players, with the Solstice 8 taking on the Award-winning PMC Prodigy 5 and smaller Solstice 3 the stellar PMC Prodigy 1.
Read the full story: Triangle's new speakers are aimed at those “looking for their first hi-fi system” and “demanding audiophiles” alike
We took a fond look back at Mission’s iconic 771e speakers
Ah, the year 2000. When Nu Metal was cool, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was giving our thumbs a daily workout and we had just learned that the Y2K bug was not, after all, going to end the world. There was a lot to like about the 21st Century’s opening act.
Which is why last week, we took a look backwards and wrote a fond retrospective looking at the Mission 771e, a key set of speakers that cemented the brand’s presence, and lead, in the affordable market and got many a millennial into hi-fi.
Read the full story: Mission's 771e proved it could do no wrong in the budget speaker market at the turn of the century
Our old editor-in-chief took a trip down memory lane
Many big names have held the title of editor-in-chief at What Hi-Fi?. And to help celebrate our 50th birthday, last week we persuaded hi-fi powerhouse, and former What Hi-Fi? big-boss, Clare Newsome, to write a feature, chronicling the highs and lows of her time at the helm.
Read the full story: I edited What Hi-Fi? through the era of plasma TV, SACD and the iPod – and an infamous cover catastrophe
MORE:
These are the best floorstanding speakers we have tested
We rank the best hi-fi systems
Our picks of the best wired headphones
