What Hi-Fi? March 2022

Every part of a system is crucial to the overall sound of your hi-fi, of course. But the loudspeakers are probably the most noticeable – and certainly the most audible – part of any set-up, so investing wisely in the right pairing for your needs is fundamental to the enjoyment of your music. And, of course, the sky is the limit as far as budgets go, with the ultimate premium offerings going for many tens of thousands. In the more real world, however, there are plenty of wonderful performers that will provide years of delightful service for less than £1000. In this issue then, we offer our favourite stereo speakers (p34) at under four figures. And what is really satisfying as far as we are concerned is that there are now…

EXPERIENCE. HERITAGE. We’ve been helping the world discover the best in hi-fi and home entertainment for more than 40 years, and have more than 100 years of reviewing experience under our collective belts – so you can count on our expert opinion. DEDICATED TEST FACILITIES We test every product against its peers in our extensive, bespoke reviewing facilities in London, Reading and Bath. We conduct all our tests as a team – our opinions and conclusions are always the result of collaboration. HOW WE SCORE All review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole – not an individual reviewer. Each product will be listened to and/or viewed by several members of the test team, who will then discuss the final verdict before it appears in the magazine or on the website. This…

View offers Television | £1199 | whf.cm/QE50QN90A Just because a TV is small by today’s increasingly expansive standards doesn’t mean it has to be boring. The 50in Samsung QE50QN90A is a case in point: here we have a relatively diminutive screen that throws everything but the proverbial kitchen sink at delivering a premium picture and sound performance to rival the best that its much bigger brethren have to offer. Not surprisingly given the level of specification it boasts, the QE50QN90A sits in the upper fringe of today’s 50in TV price bracket. In fact, at £1199 it costs £100 more than LG’s 48in OLED48C1 OLED TV. That’s some pretty uncompromising company to be keeping. Its relatively high price also raises the question of who might pay so much for a modestly sized TV when you…

View offers Headphones | £160 | whf.cm/ReflectFlowPro The ‘pro’ suffix has come to represent one thing in the true wireless earbuds world – active noise-cancelling (or ‘ANC’ if you are an admirer of initialism). And we don’t need to tell you the brand that doubtlessly made that so. The JBL Reflect Flow Pro don’t go against that naming grain; active noise cancellation is very much on the menu here, complete with the increasingly common ‘ambient’ mode that actually makes external noise more discernible so as to keep wearers aware of their surroundings from a safety or convenience point of view. Safety is particularly important for a pair of earbuds geared towards exercise, of course. And JBL has been in the game long enough to know that sporty types demand a few fitness-friendly flourishes…

View offers Earbuds | £449 | whf.cm/Aonic5 Wired in-ear headphones are a dying breed, especially at the budget end of the market, but manufacturers with a rich history in this category don’t seem ready to pull the plug just yet, particularly when it comes to more premium pairs. Take Shure. It boasts years of experience in the world of in-ear monitors and a stack of five-star ratings for its audiophile headphones would suggest the company knows a thing or two about making a decent pair. And the Aonic 5 buds prove it. Good credentials At £449 these headphones are the top in-ear model in Shure’s Aonic range and on paper their design credentials look suitably impressive. Most notably, they use three high-definition balanced armature drivers in a dual-woofer, single-tweeter configuration. You can actually get a closer…

View offers Soundbar | £79 |whf.cm/HS214 The primary concern for most manufacturers of smaller budget soundbars is usually to improve dialogue clarity while broadening your TV’s soundstage a little and maybe offering a few options for playback from a handheld device. Compact soundbars are by definition limited in size, meaning that adding some low end to proceedings is typically the preserve of larger, mid-range models. But obviously no-one told Hisense, whose cheap and cheerful HS214 soundbar has a 75mm downfiring woofer positioned on its underside, adding a welcome touch of bass to this petite, straightforward and affordable TV speaker upgrade. One among many Hisense has garnered a name for itself as a significant player in the budget TV sector and already has a range of companion soundbars available in the USA and Australia. The launch…