Hi-Fi Choice August 2021

www.hifichoice.com Issue No. 478 August 2021 Here's what I don't understand. If, like many of you, I'm still working from home, avoiding the dreaded commute etc., how come I don't have any more time on my hands? I can't honestly remember when I last did just one thing. We used to call it multitasking and held it up as something clever to aspire to. Now it's just normaility. With that in mind, it's nicely appropriate that our Group Test this month features six high-end in-ear headphones which allow you to listen to your favourite podcast while simultaneously watching the football, keeping an eye on the puppy and doing the washing up. In fact, time, and how precious it is, is a theme that runs throughout this issue. In the Letters…

www.hifichoice.com Issue No. 478 August 2021 Here's what I don't understand. If, like many of you, I'm still working from home, avoiding the dreaded commute etc., how come I don't have any more time on my hands? I can't honestly remember when I last did just one thing. We used to call it multitasking and held it up as something clever to aspire to. Now it's just normaility. With that in mind, it's nicely appropriate that our Group Test this month features six high-end in-ear headphones which allow you to listen to your favourite podcast while simultaneously watching the football, keeping an eye on the puppy and doing the washing up. In fact, time, and how precious it is, is a theme that runs throughout this issue. In the Letters pages a couple of…

PRICE: £2,299 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: QACOUSTICS.CO.UK FOLLOWING THE RECENT launch of its Q Active 200 bookshelf speaker, British company Q Acoustics is releasing its Q Active 400 floorstanders which boast the same BMR drive unit arrangement as the Active 200, but feature eight discrete amplifiers with 440W of total power output. The company says the key difference with the Q Active 400, besides its taller cabinet size, is that it features two rear-firing 4.5in subwoofers: one subwoofer at the top of the cabinet, one at the bottom. This arrangement is designed to neutralise the cabinet’s internal standing waves, which, the company claims, “in turn reduces unwanted resonance and delivers a cleaner, tighter bass sound.” Like the Q Active 200, the 400 is available in two finishes: matte white and matte…

PRICE: £2,299 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: QACOUSTICS.CO.UK FOLLOWING THE RECENT launch of its Q Active 200 bookshelf speaker, British company Q Acoustics is releasing its Q Active 400 floorstanders which boast the same BMR drive unit arrangement as the Active 200, but feature eight discrete amplifiers with 440W of total power output. The company says the key difference with the Q Active 400, besides its taller cabinet size, is that it features two rear-firing 4.5in subwoofers: one subwoofer at the top of the cabinet, one at the bottom. This arrangement is designed to neutralise the cabinet’s internal standing waves, which, the company claims, “in turn reduces unwanted resonance and delivers a cleaner, tighter bass sound.” Like the Q Active 200, the 400 is available in two finishes: matte white and matte black. Q Acoustics says…

PRICE: £109.95 - £329.95 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: GRADO.CO.UK GRADO IS INTRODUCING its next generation of Prestige Series headphones with five new models – the SR60x, SR80x, SR125x, SR225x and SR325x. The New York company says the Prestige X Series features new enhanced speakers, an advanced cable design and a more comfortable headband, all handcrafted at the Brooklyn-based headquarters. The new speaker design encompasses an improved magnetic circuit with a newly designed voice coil and diaphragm to reduce distortion and enhance harmonic integrity. As a result, the company says, the new Prestige series, “is easier to drive across a variety of portable devices and deliver the best audio performance possible.” The new cable has been designed to offer more durability and flexibility. The 8-conductor (SR125x, SR225x, SR325x) and 4-conductor (SR60x, SR80x)…

PRICE: £109.95 - £329.95 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: GRADO.CO.UK GRADO IS INTRODUCING its next generation of Prestige Series headphones with five new models – the SR60x, SR80x, SR125x, SR225x and SR325x. The New York company says the Prestige X Series features new enhanced speakers, an advanced cable design and a more comfortable headband, all handcrafted at the Brooklyn-based headquarters. The new speaker design encompasses an improved magnetic circuit with a newly designed voice coil and diaphragm to reduce distortion and enhance harmonic integrity. As a result, the company says, the new Prestige series, “is easier to drive across a variety of portable devices and deliver the best audio performance possible.” The new cable has been designed to offer more durability and flexibility. The 8-conductor (SR125x, SR225x, SR325x) and 4-conductor (SR60x, SR80x) cables feature a super…