“Powerful, but with great poise, it is also the life and soul of the party” 6RQXVIDEHU6HUDƂQR7UDGLWLRQ HiFi News - Nick Tate “The Amati is one sexy-sounding speaker.” Sonus faber Amati Tradition HiFi News - Ken Kessler “They have acted as custodians of the Sonus faber ethos” Sonus faber Guarneri Tradition HiFi Plus - Alan Sircom We all want to live “the sweet life” and Sonus faber’s new Homage Tradition loudspeakers let you do just that. Inspired by the work of traditional luthiers in Cremona DQGWKHƂQLVKRIWKHPRGHUQLFRQLF5LYD<DFKWOLQHWKH VWDQGPRXQW*XDUQHULDQGƃRRUVWDQGLQJ$PDWLEXLOG on remarkable loudspeakers from Sonus faber’s past DQGDUHMRLQHGE\WKH6HUDƂQR Designed to ignite musical passion in the listener, but with a sculptural intent that is a perfect foil for even the most design-oriented home. These aren’t simply music makers; in the Homage Tradition series, Sonus faber has created audio art that will look as elegant decades from now as it does today. absolute sounds ltd. International Distributors & Consultants of Specialised Hi-End Audio & Video Systems 58 Durham Road, London, SW20 0TW T: +44 (0)20 89 71 39 09 W: www.absolutesounds.com E: [email protected] For Your Nearest Dealer Please Visit The Absolute Sounds Website One More Time Sometimes perfection needs a few takes Like the best recordings, Chord Company cables “The Shawlines are really top-class are made with care and attention to detail. interconnects... Give them an audition and hear for yourself” Our aim is to get closer to the artist’s intended sound. Every part we use is crucial to the final OUR VERDICT performance. Non-essential components are Chord Shawline Analogue RCA removed, but if we find a way to improve things, Hi-Fi Choice Jul 2016 we don’t hesitate to incorporate it. The result is a range of award-winning, cost- effective, high-performance interconnects and “..there is certainly great energy and excitement speaker cables featuring our unique ARAY with the performance. The ShawCan sure can deliver sonic benefits and so consequently comes conductor technology, advanced shielding and very highly recommended.” insulation materials and ground-breaking connector OUR VERDICT designs, backed-up with over 30 years of experience and constant innovation. Chord Shawline ShawCan headphone cable Hi-Fi Choice Nov 2017 Designed and built in England by music lovers since 1985. Enjoyed by music lovers all over the world. “The tonal complexities of the instrument really come to life in my listening room Demonstration cables available from all good with the Shawline installed. This is an Chord Company retailers. Find your nearest at: excellent power cable that delivers real sonic benefits.” www.chord.co.uk OUR VERDICT Chord Shawline Power Chord Hi-Fi Choice Jul 2018 INTRODUCTION Welcome PASSION FOR SOUND www.hifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 444 January 2019 With more ways to listen to music than ever before, the type of products we choose to use differs for many of us. While I always prefer to hear my favourite tunes on my main hi-fi system – comprising floorstanding speakers, pre/power amplification and dedicated sources for all 42 format types – the majority of my friends and family Markaudio-Sota listen to their's via discreet smart speakers. At first Cesti MB glance, some might see my setup as old fashioned, but play an LP, CD or music stream and its doesn't take long to see why I have the setup I do. Here at Hi-Fi Choice we realise that listening to music in this way isn't always possible due to the practicalities of our domestic arrangements, and consumer electronics firms along with the specialist hi-fi industry 117 have been quick to identify the interest in small wireless Pro-Ject music systems that meet our practical demands while Primary E Phono offering great sound quality. Although active speakers have been slow to get off the ground in hi-fi circles, Dynaudio's Xeo 20 (p16) is a fine example of this increasingly popular breed and combines traditional speaker design with 260W of stereo amplification and support for wireless hi-res streaming. For those looking for sounds from something more compact still, the world of intelligent 98 speakers with voice recognition, sound calibration and José James multi-room capabilities is hotly contested. To find out Lean On Me which one we rate the best, turn to p24. BADGES EXPLAINED Lee Dunkley Editor OUR AWARDS Follow us: twitter.com@HiFiChoiceMag facebook.com/hifichoice.co.uk EDITOR’S RECOMMENDED: GROUP TEST CHOICE: Products that WINNER: hifichoicemagazine Awarded to those we feel meet a Comparative tests products that are high standard of can only have one judged to deliver performance winner, and this outstanding badge says it all! SUITE 25, EDEN HOUSE, ENTERPRISE WAY, performance Picture credit: Cherry Chill Will (José James) Cherry Chill Will credit: Picture EDENBRIDGE, KENT TN8 6HF JANUARY 2019 3 Contents hifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 444 January 2019 NEWS & OPINION GROUP TEST 6 Audiofile The latest news on the hottest products 24 from the world of hi-fi coming your way We put the emphasis 69 Letters on sound quality as we Put your points of view and queries on check out six best of audio matters to our team of experts breed smart speakers 79 Opinion The Hi-Fi Choice team say it as they see it as they discuss the issues of the day 93 Music Reviews The month’s essential new CD, vinyl and hi-res releases given a work out READER SERVICES 122 Reader Classifieds Sell your unwanted hi-fi for FREE here 130 Next Issue The sonic treats to look out for next month FEATURES 10 Show Report Highlights from the UK’s most important high-end audio show The Hi-Fi Show Live 62 62 The Music Of Doctor Who As the popular TV series thrills viewers, we pay tribute to the Radiophonic Workshop 88 Beautiful System 93 What no speakers? This month’s stunning setup is designed for music on the move 100 Music Legends Let’s get it on with the definitive voice of soul music, the legendary Marvin Gaye 106 Destination Richmond, Yorkshire Blues Night opens its doors with its unique take on all things related to blues music 108 Gift Guide 6 Treat the hi-fi lover in your life or even yourself with our roundup of present ideas Audiofile: KEF LSX wireless speaker system Music Reviews: Good, The Bad & The Queen 4 JANUARY 2019 CONTENTS JANUARY 2019 “What’s Going On found a resonance more than 8,000 miles away on Robben Island 113 where Nelson Mandela heard it” Samsung VL5 Music Legends: Marvin Gaye p100 TESTED THIS MONTH 50 Audiolab 6000A 16 Dynaudio Xeo 20 REVIEWS GROUP TEST 52 Kit testing Wireless speaker systems Melco N100 16 Dynaudio £200-£500 Xeo 20 two-way active wireless 27 Apple HomePod standmount loudspeaker 29 Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i 42 Markaudio-Sota 31 Google Home Max Cesti MB full-range, single-driver 33 JBL Link 500 standmount loudspeaker (Exotica) 35 Riva Audio Stadium 46 AVID 37 Sonos One Ingenium Plug&Play belt-drive turntable 50 Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier CHOICE EXTRAS 52 Melco 113 Samsung VL5 wireless speaker N100 2TB music server 115 Audio-Technica 54 DALI AT-VM95E moving-magnet cartridge Oberon 7 two-way floorstanding 117 Pro-Ject loudspeaker Primary E Phono turntable 59 Lindemann 118 True Colours Limetree Headphone amplifier Industries Tiger II RCA interconnect 54 118 Soundeck DALI Oberon 7 PM platter mat Never miss an issue – turn to p120 for our latest subs offer Picture credits: Pennie Smith (The Good, The Bad & Queen Pennie credits: Picture and BBC (Doctor Who) JANUARY 2019 5 THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS… Wireless world KEF introduces its LSX stereo speaker system, bringing together fully active speaker duties and wire-free connectivity in a neat compact design PRICE: £1,000 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01622 672261 WEB: UK.KEF.COM FOLLOWING ITS AWARD-WINNING LS50 driver – recognised for its wider stereo imaging Wireless active loudspeaker system introduced in over a larger area – and is combined with the 2017 (HFC 413), respected hi-À speaker maker company's Music Integrity Engine DSP to ensure KEF looks set to continue to be the go-to-brand in accurate time alignment and phase coherence, compact music systems with the introduction of no matter where the LSX is placed in a room. its £1,000 LSX wireless stereo speakers. Packing The twin active stereo speakers support wi-À in 200W of Class D ampliÀ cation (2x 30W + 2x and Bluetooth connectivity – with Apple AirPlay 70W), the smaller two-way standmount design 2 support expected early in 2019 via a À rmware measures 155 x 240 x 180mm (WxHxD). It update. Optical digital and 3.5mm analogue employs the respected Uni-Q driver array with inputs are also onboard for hardwired a 19mm aluminium dome tweeter and 115mm connections. The LSX is available now in a choice The LSX packs 200W magnesium/aluminium alloy cone mid/bass of fabric-clad colours as well as gloss white. of Class D amplification 6 JANUARY 2019 COMMENT HEAD STRONG Every once in a while, a product category in the consumer electronics industry almost inexplicably seems to come from nowhere before growing in popularity to the point where every manufacturer is jumping on the bandwagon in an ef ort to get in on the action. Forget vinyl, over the last few years it's headphones that have seen the most surprising growth. Once something used exclusively for enjoying music at home by considerate The LSX wireless stereo listeners that didn't want to disturb their speaker system comes neighbours or other members of the household, the growing popularity of in a range of attractive mobile devices has meant that consumers started ditching the poor-quality in-ears fabric-clad colours as usually bundled with their kit and thought well as gloss white nothing of spending vast amounts of cash on top-notch replacements.