CATEGORIES

Taste buds

Cliff Joseph applauds the budget brilliance shown by his new buddies

Paint it black

T+A’s more affordable take on its flagship is still a very serious piece of kit

Think inside the box

All-in-one systems might be an old idea, but today’s cutting edge is breathing new life into the concept, as David Vivian discovers

Spendor - Classic 3/1 £2,730

The aesthetics might be a little ‘pipe and slippers’ for some. The performance is anything but

JBL - HDI-1600 £1,500

It might be comfortably the most affordable speaker, but it more than holds its own in impressive company

Q Acoustics - Concept 300 £2,500

When is a standmount not a standmount? Q Acoustics pushes the concept to its limits with the Concept 300

Table's turning

PRICE: £400 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: TALKELECTRONICS.COM

Fyne Audio - F1.5 £3,000

The Fyne is small in stature, but much bigger in terms of charm and capability

Bowers & Wilkins - 705 Signature £2,700

The Signature updates to B&W’s 705 have created a very compelling standmount indeed

Frequent flier

PRICE: £130 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: AUSOUNDS.COM

Dutch master

Philips has thrown everything at this wireless ANC headphone, but does it actually sound any good?

Astell&Kern - AK USB-C Dual DAC Cable

IF YOU’RE LOOKING to use headphones to listen to music on your PC or laptop, bear in mind that the socket only uses the internal sound card and so is unlikely to offer decent quality.

Rotel's X Appeal

The up-market Michi series makes a welcome return with two new integrated amplifiers overflowing with power, but can they match up to their EISA-award winning predecessors?

True nobility

Texan range comes to the UK

Edwards Audio IA5 £500

Here’s an amp that ditches fancy features in favour of quality electronics and high performance

Marantz PM6007 £500

Can the latest take on one of recent history’s most praised amps stay ahead of the pack?

Cambridge Audio AXA35 £300

This is textbook budget integrated fare, but Cambridge makes it look and feel so much more special than that

Sixth sense

It might not be supernatural, but David Vivian can’t help but wonder just how B&W has managed to finesse the original 606 quite so effectively

Pro-Ject MaiA S2 £450

The updated MaiA has several refinements but, as before, size is the real surprise

Rega io £380

Though Rega’s amplification starting point is analogue only, its sonic talent is no surprise

Direct action

Audio-Technica has updated its hugely successful affordable direct-drive turntable, so Ed Selley gives it the shake down

NAD D 3020 V2 £400

The original 3020 rewrote the budget amp playbook, can its digital take do the same?

Disc, man

B&O’s sturdy portable speaker gets a makeover just in time for summer. CliffJoseph fires up the barbecue

Allez les Bleus!

As Focal beefs up its closed-back headphone offering Ed Selley works out if blue really is the warmest colour

The second coming

Mark Levinson’s sophomore turntable matches refreshing simplicity with supreme sound. So much for that difficult follow up

Northern lights

This new entry-level integrated promises more fans for the iconic Norwegian brand. David Vivian counts himself among them

The MM vs MC debate

Both moving-magnet and moving-coil phono cartridges have their pros and cons, but which is best for your budget? Neville Roberts weighs up the relative issues

Fix streaming now!

The major music corporations are making a killing from streaming while the artists themselves starve. Nigel Williamson thinks it’s high time for a change

Do as I sing, not as I do...

Steve Sutherland finds himself struggling with mixed feelings as another one of his favourite artists turns out to have some decidedly unsavoury views

Cambridge Audio- SX-80 £400

Can this cheerful new floorstander from an old British brand live up to its reputation?