Hi-Fi Choice

hifichoice.com Issue No. 498 February 2023 In an industry that thrives on innovation, some of the most impressive recent hi-fi developments have been concentrated on the design and improved specification of wireless loudspeakers. With the best use of space, economy of price and the minimisation of clutter in mind, desk toppers – as we’ve decided to call them – now come in all shapes and sizes, some pragmatic and created to almost invisibly fit in with their surroundings and your chosen furnishings, others snazzy and adventurous, determined to become a stand-out feature in the office or living room. Our Group Test this month puts half a dozen hand-picked models through their paces to discover which will most likely offer the best balance of performance, features and good looks according to…

PRICE: £1,000-£1,100 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: AUDIOLAB.CO.UK AUDIOLAB HAS INTRODUCED its 9000A integrated amplifier, the first component in the UK company’s new flagship 9000 Series. It boasts three rotary controls, an absence of buttons (except for the power switch) and a 4.3in colour screen, which displays a variety of information including volume level, input selection, format data and more. This gives access to the amp’s menu system, which features such options as digital upsampling, input sensitivity adjustment, balance control, automatic standby switching and volume curtailment when the amp is powered up. It can also be set to display a VU meter in either ‘analogue’ or ‘digital’ form, showing real-time decibel levels for the left and right channels and can be dimmed or turned off. The 9000A builds upon the previous 6000A…

PRICE: £4,800 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: YAMAHA.COM YAMAHA HAS UNVEILED its new flagship headphone, the YH-5000SE which boasts a reconstructed ORTHDYNAMIC driver that utilises a thin, ultra-lightweight diaphragm in a bid to achieve what the company is calling: “dynamic contrast between stillness and motion”. Yamaha goes on to explain: “The large-capacity housing of the YH-5000SE comfortably yet snugly envelops the ear, and features ample internal acoustic volume for perfect operation of the ultra-thin film diaphragm, with the open-back design creating ideal airflow to prevent sound reflections inside the rear cavity and eliminate undesirable resonance at the back of the diaphragm”. The YH-5000SE comes in a lightweight magnesium housing frame weighing 320g and is fitted with a two-layer headband to evenly distribute the load on the head and optimise lateral pressure. There’s…

PRICE: £360-£1,050 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: PROJECT-AUDIO.COM HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK PRO-JECT HAS JUST released two new amplifiers – the Stereo Box S3 BT and MaiA DS3. The Stereo Box boasts a claimed 2x 40W output power into 4ohm loads as well as Bluetooth V5.0 with aptX HD (for compatibility with up to 24-bit/48kHz files) and an analogue volume control with motor driven potentiometer. Connectivity includes two pairs of RCA line inputs, variable output for subwoofer or second zone amp, gold plated RCA connectors and isolated speaker outputs, plus it comes with an IR remote control. Built within a rigid aluminium casing, which the company claims protects against interference, the Stereo Box S3 BT is available in black or silver and is priced at £360.  The MaiA DS3 offers 140W per channel at 4…

PRICE: £134 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: RXREELS.COM US-BASED RX REELS has introduced a new 7in reel composed of upcycled aviation-grade carbon fibre which, the company says, is more hard-wearing than plastic or aluminium. “Carbon fibre comes in many grades,” RX explains, “the highest quality being aviation grade, which offers superior strength and durability. Normally, the cost of such a material would be prohibitive, but our location in the USA’s Pacific Northwest gives us ready access to carbon fibre material discarded by local military and aviation manufacturing industries. The material is new, unused and high grade, but it’s often not big enough for their purposes and gets scrapped. But it’s absolutely perfect for ours, so we upcycle it to make our reels.  “RX Reels’ carbon fibre flanges are dense and strong, yet…

PRICE: £150 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: BOOMBOCS.COM British company BoomBocs has launched its new STUDIO portable speaker. Made by the brand’s founder, sound engineer Jonny Williams, STUDIO has a built-in amplifier and stereo full-range drivers tuned to deliver: “true pro-audio sound quality, wherever you are.” Boasting a battery life of up to 15 hours, STUDIO is available in pink, orange, green, black and white – and pays homage to retro portable speakers of the past with its large, stereo speaker drivers on full show. The drivers use aluminium cones for their high-power handling and moisture/impact resistance. STUDIO has dual-band wi-fi and Bluetooth V5.0 connectivity, and has built-in Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music and Internet Radio, all controlled via the top panel buttons and the built-in LCD display or through the UNDOK app…