March is finally here – which means a fresh entry into our Pick of the Month column. Here, then, we detail the top hi-fi and home cinema products to pass through our testing rooms over the past 30 days.
February was a particularly interesting and fast-moving month, with our team having (and happy, of course) to contend with surprise Apple product launches and a wealth of new audio hardware at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2025.
Despite that manic rush, we managed to uncover five key products worthy of our hallowed five-star rating over February.
Here’s what you need to know:
The WiiM Ultra is the latest product we have tested from a brand you, our readers, can’t seem to get enough of.
Thankfully, after a sea of comments came flooding in after we announced we were testing it, we can now confirm the sleek music streamer is a fantastic performance-per-pound option for any hi-fi fan.
During testing, despite its lower than you might expect price tag, it competed with a number of heavyweight rivals including the Cambridge Audio MXN10 and Bluesound Node Nano.
Highlights include crisp, clear audio with a balanced tone that works with nearly every genre of music, solid connectivity and streaming support, plus a cool “Mac Mini” like design, complete with a touch-screen interface.
All of which make it an easy recommendation. As our review notes: “With remarkable versatility for its affordable price, the Ultra is a hugely appealing design that is a joy to use.”
Score: 5/5
Read our full WiiM Ultra review
Technics SL-1300G
Technics’ direct-drive record players have carved out a strong niche in the DJ space thanks to their near indestructible build and high-torque motors. Now though, having put it through its paces in our review rooms, we can confirm the brand’s latest new SL-1300G turntable is also pretty awesome for music listening.
Featuring Technics' newest direct-drive system, which combines a twin-rotor motor with the firm’s Delta-Sigma Drive control, the unit delivered excellent results when paired with our reference system. Hence our five star rating and verdict:
“The Technics SL-1300G turntable is a great alternative to the existing class leaders. It is superbly made, easy to use and well-engineered. We love its fuss-free nature almost as much as its powerful and wonderfully stable sonic character. If you are looking for a record player at this level, this one deserves to be heard.”
Score: 5/5
Read our full Technics SL-1300G review
Esoteric F-01/PS-01F
The Esoteric Class A F-01 amplifier is the only Temptations product in this list. It’s an interesting beast: despite costing £22,000 / $18,000 / AU$30,000 it offers just 30 watts of power per channel – which is unusual to say the least.
Thankfully there’s a good reason for this: Esoteric has configured the Class-A amplification intentionally this way to reduce heat.
This, plus clever optimisations to its circuitry and power-supply design, paid of in spades during our tests; the amp delivers excellent detail resolution and class-leading refinement when paired well. As we say in our Esoteric F-01/PS-01F review:
“It should be clear by now that we have fallen for Esoteric’s F-01/PS-01F in a big way. Provided it is matched with care, this hefty integrated delivers one of the most alluring performances we have heard from an amplifier at this level. Yes, it is hugely expensive, but the rich strain of magic that flows through its circuitry is truly spellbinding.”
Score: 5/5
Read our full Esoteric F-01/PS-01F review
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition
The B&W Zeppelin is a piece of hi-fi history. It started life as an iPod dock, before evolving into a premium wireless speaker; sadly, it didn’t quite deliver the goods in that guise, with the 2021 iteration earning a respectable four-star rating from What Hi-Fi?.
Thankfully B&W has come back swinging and fixed the minor wobble on the new Pro Edition. It features the Zeppelin’s iconic design, but benefits from a wealth of under-the-hood updates to its driver design and wireless connectivity. The end result is a cool-looking speaker capable of delivering a muscular, full-bodied sound with plenty of detail. As we say in our review of the Zeppelin Pro:
“Powerful, authoritative and sonically superior to the 2021 edition, we’ve got a whole lotta love for this latest addition to the Zeppelin roster.”
Score: 5/5
Read our full Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review
Fyne Audio F501E
The Fyne Audio F501E floorstanders are part of the Scottish brand’s new F500E entry-level range of speakers, which is replacing the firm’s well-received budget F300 series.
What makes them of particular interest is the inclusion of Fyne’s trademark Isoflare driver array, which places the tweeter in the throat of the mid/bass unit in a bid to improve audio performance. This is the first time we have seen the technology trickle so far down Fyne’s portfolio.
Thankfully, we found that, as well as being technically interesting, the floorstanding speakers live up the F300’s legacy and are unfussy to match with other products, while offering excellent sound quality. Highlights include a cohesive, expressive and entertaining presentation with taught and tuneful bass.
This, along with their stellar build quality, makes them an easy five-star recommendation and led our testers to conclude: “Fyne’s F501E are terrific performers for the money and are good enough to upset the established class leaders.”
Score: 5/5
Read our full Fyne Audio F501E review
MORE:
These are the best floorstanding speakers we have reviewed
We rate the best stereo amplifiers
Our picks of the best wireless speakers
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