Money's too tight to mention, right? And it's more important than ever to be careful with your cash. But frugality need not be at the expense of your listening pleasure, as we'll show you in the new issue of What Hi-Fi?
Our November issue is devoted to getting the very best value from your hard-earned cash – those products that bring you so much more than you might justifiably expect from your outlay. These aren't necessarily cheap pieces of home entertainment kit – though plenty will set you back less than you might think. Our pick of systems, for example, shows how great individual products can work together to create a wonderful team that is greater than the sum of its parts.
To enjoy your music without spending the earth is important, and so our roundups of wireless speakers, and headphones mostly costing under £100, will serve you well. This month we also give you top money-saving tips on upgrading your system for little money, as well as buying second-hand gear.
And, as usual, we also have reviews of the very latest hi-fi and AV products in our First Tests section.
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition.
Systems for a steal
In November's What Hi-Fi? we have assembled a series of affordable systems that cover all the principal ways in which music can be heard, including CD- and vinyl-based set-ups as well as portable and streaming ones. We've aimed to strike the perfect balance between sound quality and value here, and all of these set-ups sound far better than their price might suggest.
Many of the products that feature in our systems have earned What Hi-Fi? Best Buy Awards – which means we've already praised their price-per-performance talents. But most importantly here, the various components work well with each other, and achieving that requires subtle chemistry. Don't worry, though, we've done the equations for you, and firmly believe the results will work for you in terms of both affordability and listening pleasure.
Listen for less
Just because something is cheap, doesn’t always mean it’s cheap. In the world of budget headphones, this is particularly true. All of the ’phones featured in November's What Hi-Fi? – wired and wireless, open and closed back – pack in features and decent sound quality at an affordable price.
Here you will find highly competitive headphones from impressive budget marques and even manufacturers known for their higher-end audio products.
Whatever you’re looking for from a pair of headphones, there will be something
here that is pleasing to both your ears and your wallet.
Upgrade economically
Your hi-fi system is never complete, but upgrading it doesn’t always have to cost the earth. There are a number of inexpensive things you can do to give your set-up a lift – and some of them are completely free! In this issue of What Hi-Fi?, we bring you some money-saving tips on how to hone your system in a way that doesn’t hurt your wallet, from introducing affordable kit such as an external DAC, to tips and tricks that can make a big difference to sound quality.
First with reviews
As always our First Tests section is where you'll find our famously in-depth, impartial and expert reviews of all the latest kit in the worlds of both AV and hi-fi.
This month we kick off with Sony's VPL-XW5000ES laser projector. If you're building a home cinema, this one is well worth auditioning – it's quite the stunner! Family-run NY-based company Grado have been making fantastic open-backed headphones for years, and their latest RS1x models are beautifully made, involving exotic wood for a truly unique look. On the subject of headphones, Sennheiser's Momentum 4 Wireless noise-cancellers may have toned down their appearance but are packed with great features. Find out how they fared on our test benches this issue!
Elsewhere we've got the unusual-looking Devialet Dione soundbar and the latest iteration of Vertere's Award-winning phono stage, the Phono-1 MkII L. Amazon looms large with the great value Amazon Fire 7 tablet, and a Fire-packing TV from Chinese brand Xiaomi. Finally, we give Triangle's Esprit Comete Ez standmounts a run-out.
Check out our reviews of all this great gear in November's What Hi-Fi?!
And if you do have the money...
At the other end of the price spectrum from our great value, affordable kit round-ups, our Temptations section of What Hi-Fi? is where you'll find high-end hi-fi and AV products with a price-tag to match.
This month we invite you to drop jaws for SME's Model 60 turntable. At almost £50K, you'd expect this to be quite the record deck – and we found that it is indeed a superb bit of kit. "There's a very real feeling that the SME turntable is digging up every last bit of information from the record groove," we wrote in our review. Find out more in this month's mag!
In this month's Temptations we also take a look at the PrimaLuna Evo 300 Hybrid amplifier – a hybrid of solid state and valve amplification that, naturally, doesn't come cheap. Read more on this in November's What Hi-Fi?
Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of wireless headphones to a home theatre speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.
Whatever you do, don't miss the November 2022 issue of What Hi-Fi? Grab a copy today, or simply download it onto your tablet or smartphone instead. Enjoy!
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition