While old and new may blend wonderfully when it comes to barn conversions and Lucy Dacus covering Carole King, it doesn’t always in the case of hi-fi system aesthetics. We should know – on our rack we have an old-school, dial-heavy Marantz integrated amplifier sitting below a sleek, minimalist Cambridge Audio streamer. And, to make it worse, one is silver, one is black. The company badges don’t remotely line up. Visually, they are as compatible as wedding invitations and the Goosebumps font.
On the flip side, there are surely very few things more beautiful to the eye of a hi-fi enthusiast than a handsome rack of matching separates. Naim’s streamlined black-punched-withilluminated-green, heavy metal components spring to mind, as do the attractive tiers of blue glow that come from the marriage of multiple illuminated McIntosh electronics. You can probably picture those, but if the image of a Chord Electronics source stack is beyond your mental conjuring, just take a look at that beauty on the opposite page and try not to drool. It displays the kind of uniformity of which an army lieutenant would be proud.
But while aesthetics are important – more so to some people than others, naturally – and are the most obvious advantage of keeping it in the family when it comes to building a system of separates, it shouldn’t be what first and foremost determines your system. There are other things to take into consideration, starting with component compatibility.
Strong sonic synergy
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2023-Ausgabe von What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision India.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2023-Ausgabe von What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
The slim, not shady soundbar
Shaking up the category and its nomenclature, Sony is pulling no punches with the BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9.
New world charm
The Music System (Gen 2) doesn't mince words, does it? It does exactly what it says on the wrapper play music. Simple.
Singing the verse
One of the most hallowed Indian hi-fi brands, Sonodyne has been making speakers for virtually every kind of application for decades now.
Radio Ga Ga
FOR Build quality, retro design, natural sound, simple controls
Maximizing on Mini
FOR Bright panel, calibrated modes, great picture quality
Vertere Dark Sabre
Details matter in audio design.
INDOOR PLANTS IN FULL BOOM
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I SPENT 24 HOURS IMMERSED IN DOLBY ATMOS MUSIC - THESE ARE 8 KEY THINGS I LEARNED
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TAKE TO THE FLOOR
From pumping dance music to grand orchestral heft, these pillars of strength will deliver in spades