New issue of What Hi-Fi? out now: superb streaming amplifiers to power up your system

Convenience tends to come with compromises. It might be easier to use a piece of home-entertainment equipment that is fully automatic and does all the hard work for you; but traditionally, you will always get the very best results by taking the time to get to know a particular unit’s features and settings, and tweaking them to get the best performance for you. And, of course, by investing in specialist individual components that each do a particular job very well.

While the above still holds true, these days the compromises we have to make have considerably lessened. Which is why we would urge you to think about investing in one of the streaming amplifiers we suggest in this month's What Hi-Fi?. There’s barely a compromise among them.

Also this month, we pit the latest of Sony’s remarkable offerings in the wireless noise-cancelling headphone market against some serious opposition from the might of Apple, Bose, B&W, Dali: there really isn’t a loser in this fierce contest.

Streaming amplifiers

Loving music as we do here at What Hi-FI?, we will always value sound quality over convenience. But if you can have both in one neat package, then what’s not to like? And that, we are pleased to report, is what today’s streaming amplifiers provide.

Until recently, despite the medium of streaming reigning unchallenged as the pre-eminent way of accessing music for well over a decade now, hi-fi manufacturers’ attempts to combine a reliable music streamer with adequate amplification in the same box tended to produce less than impressive results.

Products were usually significantly compromised in terms of sound quality and often suffered streaming drop-outs and other technical glitches.

Things have improved greatly over recent years, though, and you can now buy a wide variety of slick, good-quality streaming amps for prices that won’t leave you poorer than a church mouse.

With the choice of quality streaming amps growing by the month, we decided that now was the time to put together a quartet of our favourite models to help you find the streaming amplifier to suit you and your pocket.

Find out more in the September issue of What Hi-Fi?

Premium wireless over-ears

It’s fair to say that not much good came out of 2020. But still, that year did at least herald a significant development in the world of head-fi: the launch of Apple’s AirPods Max.

Seen as pricey at the time, but undeniably proving worth the money, these luxurious over-ears opened the gates for rivals to join them in the new premium headphones category.

Five years on and we’ve seen such hi-fi stalwarts as Bowers & Wilkins, Sony, Bose and Dali enter the fray. The AirPods Max themselves have had a minor upgrade in 2024, but their sound quality remains consistently high and, for Apple fans especially, they remain the benchmark at their kind of money.

For this group test, we’ve rounded up four potential rivals to the Max – the latest models of undeniably premium headphones from the aforementioned brands. These are all five-star pairs, which we’d heartily recommend. We’ve dug deep into their relative build quality, feature sets and, most importantly, audio performance, so that you can make a more informed choice if you’re thinking of taking the plunge with what is, after all, a fair sum of money.

So, which of these headphones are set to win you over? Find out this issue!

Coaxial drive units

This month, we ponder the advantages of coaxial driver arrangements in stereo speakers, and ask why more hi-fi manufacturers don't use the tech, which offers a more balanced and precise soundstage. Then, we look at two superb examples of the tech used in products by the aforementioned Fyne Audio and KEF.

First with reviews

As always, our First Tests section is filled to the brim with in-depth, impartial and expert verdicts on the very latest hi-fi and AV gear.

We're always excited to see a new TV from tech giants Sony, and so it was with bated breath we tested the company's new Bravia 8 II QD-OLED set. Was it all we hoped for? Spoiler: yes, it was. Find out more in this month's mag.

Staying on TVs for a moment, we also had the new Sky Glass Gen 2 in for review. This is a complete 'TV package' that includes a soundbar and a TV service solution; those Sky subscriptions you'll need will start to add up, of course, but does it deliver for Sky fans? Find out in September's What Hi-Fi?

But of course, that's not all. This month, we also have expert and in-depth reviews of the Lindemann Limetree Bridge II streaming transport, the Canvas HiFi Canvas 65 soundbar, Audio-Technica AT-LP8X turntable, and the excellent BenQ W272Oi – a projector that impressed us enough to also build a home cinema system around it this month.

Finally, KEF's first soundbar, the XIO, also earned itself five stars for its performance.

See what our review team thought of all these products in September's What Hi-Fi?

Worth every considerable penny...

Our Temptations section of the magazine is where you'll find the highest of the high-end of hi-fi and AV products.

This month we had SME's high-end Model 8 turntable in our testing rooms. We found it to be an "immaculately made product that gives of the aura of something built to last for decades", and our reviewers also noted that they were "impressed with the authority on show" with the turntables's presentation.

Then we turned our attention to the Fyne Audio F701SP standmount speakers. Pricey, but our five-star rating should tell you they are undoubtedly worth the money.

Find out more in September's What Hi-Fi?

Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive and freshly updated list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy – including winners of 2024's What Hi-Fi? Awards. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of the best wireless headphones to a home cinema speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.

Whatever you do, don't miss the September 2025 issue of What Hi-Fi?. Grab a copy today, or simply download it onto your tablet or smartphone. Enjoy!

You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition