Hi-Fi Choice March 2022

The inspiration for this month’s Group Test came on New Year’s Eve when the conversation about intended resolutions among family and friends took an unusual twist away from the customary goals of giving up the booze, going to the gym, climbing a mountain, learning a new language etc. to being happier and trying to ignore the prevalence of negativity all around us. So it occurred to me – now nicknamed Sunny Steve – that, as there are times when it seems the only world worth living in is your own, it would be fitting to look at wireless noise-cancelling cans to help you disappear into your own headspace and get blissfully lost in the opera, podcast or R&B playlist of your choice. As David Vivian notes: “If we accept that…

PRICE: £230-£600 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ACOUSTIC-ENERGY.CO.UK ACOUSTIC ENERGY HAS redesigned, upgraded and relaunched its entry-level 100 Series loudspeakers in the shape of the AE1002 bookshelf, AE1092 floorstander, AE1082 active subwoofer and AE1072 centre (for home cinema setups). Meanwhile, a new AE1202 flagship floorstander is due to follow in the future. The company says the design brief was to: “try and maintain the compact dimensions and sleek appearance of the previous 100 Series, but offer a more mature, refined and bigger sound with greater bandwidth and power”. What this means is that the 100mm paper cone has been increased in size to a 127mm driver utilising a four-layer voice coil with flux rings, while high-density fibreboard (HDF) is now being used – which AE claims is: “unheard of at this price-point and…

PRICE: £650-£1,000 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ROTEL.COM JAPANESE SPECIALIST ROTEL is upping its output to celebrate its 60th anniversary with the arrival of the A12MKII (bottom) integrated and CD14MKII (middle) and RCD-1572MKII (top) CD players, following the recent launch of the A14MKII (HFC 480), RA-1572MKII and RA-1592MKII amps and RC-1572MKII and RC-1590MKII preamps. The company explains that: “the new models benefit from innovations and improvements to the circuit designs and enhancement to critical audio components, resulting in exceptional performance, improved accuracy and greater acoustic detail. The soundstage of the new models delivers wider and more genuine presentation of the music with increased depth and natural expression.” All models feature a new Texas Instruments 32-bit DAC, power supply refinements, precision acoustic coupling capacitors and circuit board layout isolation intended to lower the noise…

PRICE: £300-£850 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: TECHNICS.COM TECHNICS HAS LAUNCHED its new SA-C600 Compact Network CD Receiver as part of its Premium C600 Series, joining the SB-C600 Compact Speaker System launched back in September. “The SA-C600 is a significant add-on to the Technics portfolio, filling the gap between all-in-one compact speaker systems such as the C70MK2 and true separate component systems such as the C700 and G700 systems,” according to the company. “This enables a performance level not possible with all-in-one solutions, yet without the need to find space for lots of components within the home”. The new SA-C600 makes use of full-digital amplification technology based on the company’s JENO Engine and boasts a top-loading CD design, quoted power output of 2x 60W into 4ohm and low noise power supply left and…

PRICE: £2,000 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ASTELLKERN.CO.UK ASTELL&KERN HAS INTRODUCED its new desktop headphone amp with digital audio player (DAP) capabilities – the ACRO CA1000, which features a four-step gain level that drives high-impedance headphones with a 15Vrms output or below. It boasts 3.5mm and 6.35mm unbalanced, and 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, plus an array of digital/analogue inputs, while the onboard ESS ES9068AS Quad-DAC supports high-resolution audio playback up to 32-bit/384kHz and native DSD512. Using Astell&Kern’s patented TERATON ALPHA Sound Solution technology, it has Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD and LDAC codecs supported. Its 8,400mAh built-in battery provides up to 10.5 hours playback, while USB-PD fast charging means that anyone with a charger that supports USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) can experience improved charging times – a one hour blast provides…

PRICE: £350 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: IFI-AUDIO.COM IFI AUDIO IS expanding its ZEN Signature range with the new ZEN One Signature. The company describes it as: “a universal DAC” owing to its increased input options. The ZEN One Signature takes the DAC stage from the ZEN DAC V2, adds optical and coaxial inputs alongside the USB port and Bluetooth technology from the ZEN Blue V2. The result, the company says: “is a pure DAC (with no built-in headphone amp or volume control) that serves as a home audio hub for all your digital devices, from smartphones and tablets to PCs and Macs, disc players and audio servers to TVs and games consoles”. The DAC’s digital engine is based around a Burr-Brown chipset and involves an XMOS chip that processes the audio…