Hi-Fi Choice December 2019

www.hifichoicemag.com Issue No. 456 December 2019 Hi-fi enthusiasts understand the importance of employing a pair of full-range loudspeakers in their listening room to achieve the best stereo soundstage. There’s no better way to bring music to life in a tangible three-dimensional way. When it comes to smart wireless speakers, however, their popularity stems from the simplicity of their single-chassis designs equipped with impressive speaker arrays and utilising multiple high and low-frequency drivers powered by sophisticated DSP technology to give an approximation of an involving soundstage. It’s a neat trick, but one that’s not always entirely convincing. Although these ‘plonk-anywhere’ wireless cabinets are targeted at those wanting to get into multi-room, I can’t help but think that true music fans are missing out. By not pairing these single-chassis designs together to deliver two-channel…

www.hifichoicemag.com Issue No. 456 December 2019 Hi-fi enthusiasts understand the importance of employing a pair of full-range loudspeakers in their listening room to achieve the best stereo soundstage. There’s no better way to bring music to life in a tangible three-dimensional way. When it comes to smart wireless speakers, however, their popularity stems from the simplicity of their single-chassis designs equipped with impressive speaker arrays and utilising multiple high and low-frequency drivers powered by sophisticated DSP technology to give an approximation of an involving soundstage. It’s a neat trick, but one that’s not always entirely convincing. Although these ‘plonk-anywhere’ wireless cabinets are targeted at those wanting to get into multi-room, I can’t help but think that true music fans are missing out. By not pairing these single-chassis designs together to…

PRICE: £450-£1,200 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01480 452561 WEB: WHARFEDALE.CO.UK HIGH-END SOUND AT down-to-earth prices is the promise touted with the introduction of Wharfedale’s EVO4 Series. The new loudspeaker line sits between the Diamond 11 Series and the company’s flagship Elysian range and comprises six models with two standmounts: EVO4.1 (£450, pictured) and EVO4.2 (£600); two floorstanders: EVO4.3 (£1,000) and EVO4.4 (£1,200); plus a centre speaker: EVO4.C (£500); and on-wall surround speaker: EVO4.S (£1,000) to cater for multi-channel setups. An additional centre speaker is said to be joining the series by the end of the year Developed side by side with the company’s Elysian flagship speaker series, the EVO4 is said to benefit from processes lavished on the upmarket range and borrows design cues for the cabinet construction and driver configuration. Each EVO4…

PRICE: £450-£1,200 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01480 452561 WEB: WHARFEDALE.CO.UK HIGH-END SOUND AT down-to-earth prices is the promise touted with the introduction of Wharfedale’s EVO4 Series. The new loudspeaker line sits between the Diamond 11 Series and the company’s flagship Elysian range and comprises six models with two standmounts: EVO4.1 (£450, pictured) and EVO4.2 (£600); two floorstanders: EVO4.3 (£1,000) and EVO4.4 (£1,200); plus a centre speaker: EVO4.C (£500); and on-wall surround speaker: EVO4.S (£1,000) to cater for multi-channel setups. An additional centre speaker is said to be joining the series by the end of the year Developed side by side with the company’s Elysian flagship speaker series, the EVO4 is said to benefit from processes lavished on the upmarket range and borrows design cues for the cabinet construction and driver configuration.…

PRICE: £170-£350 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 0800 2321513 WEB: BOWERSWILKINS.COM INTRODUCING FOUR NEW headphones to Bowers & Wilkins’ product portfolio, all supporting aptX Adaptive wireless tech. The flagship PX7 over-ear (pictured right) is priced at £350 and has active noise cancelling. It has a 43mm dynamic driver in each earcup and proximity sensors built in to pause music when the headphone is removed before resuming when placed back on the head. It comes with fast USB-C charging and claims battery life of up to 30 hours – a 15-minute quick charge claims five hours playback. The smaller PX5 on-ear (£270) has 35mm drivers, customisable adaptive active noise-cancelling tech and claims battery life of up to 25 hours – quick charge claims three hours playback. The PI3 (£170) is a wireless in-ear…

PRICE: £170-£350 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 0800 2321513 WEB: BOWERSWILKINS.COM INTRODUCING FOUR NEW headphones to Bowers & Wilkins’ product portfolio, all supporting aptX Adaptive wireless tech. The flagship PX7 over-ear (pictured right) is priced at £350 and has active noise cancelling. It has a 43mm dynamic driver in each earcup and proximity sensors built in to pause music when the headphone is removed before resuming when placed back on the head. It comes with fast USB-C charging and claims battery life of up to 30 hours – a 15-minute quick charge claims five hours playback. The smaller PX5 on-ear (£270) has 35mm drivers, customisable adaptive active noise-cancelling tech and claims battery life of up to 25 hours – quick charge claims three hours playback. The PI3 (£170) is a wireless in-ear headphone with…