FOR Neat presentation; good level of detail; fi le compatibility
AGAINST Lacks drama; some issues with older Mac OSs
Why buy a personal music player? You already have a phone that plays music, and who wants to carry two separate devices around? The argument in favour of dedicated music players seems tenuous – right up until you start listening to one. They just sound better than most phones.
Pioneer is looking to expand into this category and why not? The brand has an excellent stereo heritage, littered with enough quality kit to suggest it could challenge current class leaders such as Astell & Kern and Sony.The similarities between the XDP-30R and our current favourite music player – the £500 Astell & Kern AK70 – are striking. From the overall shape to the positioning of the inputs and controls, they look very similar. The dimensions are a little different, but they are close enough to raise eyebrows. If the XDP-30R can match the Astell & Kern in performance as well as appearance, at a reduced price, then Pioneer is on to a winner.
Apple issues
Things start brightly enough. This is a well-equipped unit and will play PCM files up to 32-bit/192kHz and double speed DSD. MQA support is on its way, with a firmware upgrade expected by the end of summer. Streaming isn’t ignored either, with Tidal, Deezer and Tunein support built-in.
At 16GB, the built-in internal storage isn’t particularly generous, but it is augmented by two mini-SD card slots, each capable of a maximum of 200GB memory. That should be enough for most hi-res music fans.
Bu hikaye What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision dergisinin September 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision dergisinin September 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Out with the old Bose and in with the new
Sony Bravia 8 (K65XR80)
Can the Bravia 8 pick up where the awesome A80L left off?
Philips OLED809 (650LED809)
The Philips OLED809 is a great mid-range OLED TV designed for the masses
LG C4 (OLED65C4)
LG's C-series is back on top
Tidal
The best music service for streaming-savvy audiophiles
Spotify
Is Spotify still the world's best music streaming service?
Apple Music
Apple aces many things, but is streaming music one of them?
Amazon Music Unlimited
A solid streaming service to rival Apple Music and Spotify
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Are these the best-sounding AirPods?
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Samsung sends the Galaxy on a quest to outdo Apple and co