What Hi-Fi? June 2021

What a summer of sport lies ahead of us! As well as the usual highlights of Wimbledon tennis, test-match cricket, horse racing and the like, we can look forward to plenty of truly world-class action held over from last year, in the shape of Euro 2020, the British Lions tour, and the Tokyo Olympics – as well as, a little later on, golf’s greatest team event; the Ryder Cup. Now is the time then, surely, to think about finally replacing that old television? While it’s still tricky to get to see much sporting action in the flesh, to see it broadcast in the best quality possible should be a real treat. Our best TVs round-up (p30) for a summer of sport gathers together the very best sets that are available right…

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 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 avoids…

View offers Stereo speakers | £1600 | whf.cm/Classic4-5 If you’re after a great sounding premiumstandmounter, there’s a plentiful supply on the market. But if you want those speakers to be small, unfussy in nature and sound great without being pampered, that choice dwindles significantly. This is where Spendor’s new Classic ⅘ come in. These are the smallest speakers in the company’s retro-themed Classic range, but that doesn’t mean they’re reliant on nostalgia for their appeal. In many ways, the ⅘ are as modern as they come, despite a heritage that leans on BBC research carried out half a century ago. These are the smallest speakers in the company’s retro-themed Classic range, but that doesn’t mean they’re reliant on nostalgia for their appeal. In many ways, the ⅘ are as modern as they come, despite…

View offers Smartphone | £829 | whf.cm/9Pro A premium build Android smartphone with the best technology and no trade-offs, at a lower price than other flagship mobiles – that’s the promise of the OnePlus 9 Pro. It certainly looks the part – the 9 Pro is a 5G phone fitted with a bold 6.7in AMOLED display ready to whip up HDR video and lossless file music entertainment on the go. The OnePlus 9 Pro is available in three finishes. The Stellar Black and Morning Mist options cost £829 and come with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage, whereas the Pine Green version costs £929 and has 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Fits the flagship name The OnePlus 9 Pro’s 6.7in screen and the 2.2mm aluminium frame design is fitting of the flagship name, as…

View offers DAC | £449 | whf.cm/DacMagic200M Cambridge Audio’s DacMagic 200M is the DAC equivalent of an all-inclusive holiday that not only offers flights, meals and accommodation, but also throws in room upgrades, free excursions and unlimited ice-cream for the kids. And while we may have forgotten what holidays feel like right now, this digital-to-analogue converter is a generous soul that should please anyone in the market for a well equipped DAC for their hi-fi or desktop audio system. Wide compatibility The DacMagic 200M wants to accommodate every music source and file you already own, or might conceivably think of owning. There are pairs of coaxial and optical inputs for covering CD players, games consoles and Blu-ray players, as well as a USB-type B socket (with a ground/lift switch) that welcomes laptops and PCs…

View offers Stereo speakers | £1200 | whf.cm/Argon1 A great-sounding pair of speakers is one thing – and the Amphion Argon1 certainly fit into that category – but what’s more impressive is when you can hear a company’s values with every note that is played. In Amphion’s case, the Finnish manufacturer’s ambitious aim of creating versatile speakers that will pair with almost anything, and that you don’t have to rearrange the house to make sound good, is clearly evident. At this price, that skillset is rather hard to come by. It has been more than a decade since we last tested a pair of Amphion speakers, and it’s fair to say we weren’t overly enamoured back then. That these diminutive gems are worthy of recommendation is even more welcome. Compact and versatile At around 32cm tall…