Hi-Fi Choice April 2020

With the clocks springing forward and the urge upon us to get out and about, what better time to take a look at the best affordable, portable headphone amplifiers presently on offer? The Group Test in this month’s issue – the first I have the great pleasure to edit – compares half a dozen excellent DACs. Ranged in price from £70-£400 to account for varying depths of pocket, all were found to pleasurably enhance your experience of music on-the-go so… knock yourselves out! Elsewhere we report back from February’s bustling Bristol Hi-Fi Show. The 33rd such gathering, it was packed with demos and product launches. See p10 for all the info on what you missed. Other issue highlights include an update on the new PMC twenty5i series of loudspeakers plus…

With the clocks springing forward and the urge upon us to get out and about, what better time to take a look at the best affordable, portable headphone amplifiers presently on offer? The Group Test in this month’s issue – the first I have the great pleasure to edit – compares half a dozen excellent DACs. Ranged in price from £70-£400 to account for varying depths of pocket, all were found to pleasurably enhance your experience of music on-the-go so… knock yourselves out! Elsewhere we report back from February’s bustling Bristol Hi-Fi Show. The 33rd such gathering, it was packed with demos and product launches. See p10 for all the info on what you missed. Other issue highlights include an update on the new PMC twenty5i series of loudspeakers plus reviews of…

PRICE: £2,000-£8,500 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 08704 441044 WEB: PMC-SPEAKERS.COM FOLLOWING THE SUBSTANTIAL re-engineering of its twenty5 series, PMC has launched a new range claimed to reduce unwanted vibrations and remove “anything that detracts from the music”. The twenty5i series consists of four two-way designs – the compact twenty5.21i, with its 130mm bass driver (£2,000), the slightly larger twenty5.22i (£3,000) with a 165mm driver and the corresponding floorstanders: the twenty5.23i (£3,500) and twenty5.24i (£5,000). The range is completed with the three-way twenty5.26i (£8,500), twenty5.sub (£3,800) and a home cinema centre speaker. The new high-frequency 19mm Sonomex soft-dome tweeter is derived from PMC’s flagship fact range, the bass drivers remain unchanged from the earlier twenty5 series, while the 50mm soft dome midrange featured in the three-way twenty5.26i is said to “preserve the…

PRICE: £2,000-£8,500 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 08704 441044 WEB: PMC-SPEAKERS.COM FOLLOWING THE SUBSTANTIAL re-engineering of its twenty5 series, PMC has launched a new range claimed to reduce unwanted vibrations and remove “anything that detracts from the music”. The twenty5i series consists of four two-way designs – the compact twenty5.21i, with its 130mm bass driver (£2,000), the slightly larger twenty5.22i (£3,000) with a 165mm driver and the corresponding floorstanders: the twenty5.23i (£3,500) and twenty5.24i (£5,000). The range is completed with the three-way twenty5.26i (£8,500), twenty5.sub (£3,800) and a home cinema centre speaker. The new high-frequency 19mm Sonomex soft-dome tweeter is derived from PMC’s flagship fact range, the bass drivers remain unchanged from the earlier twenty5 series, while the 50mm soft dome midrange featured in the three-way twenty5.26i is said to “preserve the essence of the original performance exactly…

PRICE: CIRCA £800 AVAILABLE: SPRING CONTACT: 01235 511166 WEB: KLIPSCH.CO.UK DEBUTING AT THE Bristol Hi-Fi Show, Klipsch’s Five is a heritage-inspired powered standmount loudspeaker designed to deliver superior stereo audio regardless of source. Featuring an analogue phono input, it accepts line-level signals and can even be connected to a turntable. Digital inputs include optical, USB and HDMI-ARC for hookup to a TV screen as well as wireless Bluetooth. Designed with 25mm titanium tweeters on Tractix horns and a 114mm bass driver, Klipsch describes it as the most versatile speaker on the planet. The onboard DAC is claimed to support sampling rates of up to 192kHz, while a filtered low-frequency output in the form of an RCA phono socket is on hand for easy connection of a subwoofer should you require…

PRICE: CIRCA £800 AVAILABLE: SPRING CONTACT: 01235 511166 WEB: KLIPSCH.CO.UK DEBUTING AT THE Bristol Hi-Fi Show, Klipsch’s Five is a heritage-inspired powered standmount loudspeaker designed to deliver superior stereo audio regardless of source. Featuring an analogue phono input, it accepts line-level signals and can even be connected to a turntable. Digital inputs include optical, USB and HDMI-ARC for hookup to a TV screen as well as wireless Bluetooth. Designed with 25mm titanium tweeters on Tractix horns and a 114mm bass driver, Klipsch describes it as the most versatile speaker on the planet. The onboard DAC is claimed to support sampling rates of up to 192kHz, while a filtered low-frequency output in the form of an RCA phono socket is on hand for easy connection of a subwoofer should you require it. Physical dials on the top…