Hi-Fi Choice

As a reader of HFC you’ll no doubt share our passion for great-sounding hi-fi gear. But I wouldn’t mind betting that each of us got hooked on our hi-fi habit for very different reasons. For some it’s all about the kit and a desire to listen to tracks that show off a system’s capabilities to the fullest, whether you truly enjoy a piece of music or not. For me, it’s always been about a connection to the music; the way a piece communicates when all the elements in a system come together and allow me right into a recording to hear the artist as they intended.

Yamaha’s MusicCast wireless multi-room speakers have undergone a refresh, with a series of streaming speakers, soundbars and a wireless subwoofer all set for release in September. First up is the MusicCast 20, which can be used as a standalone speaker, paired or as part of a surround setup. Equipped with wi-fi, AirPlay and Bluetooth (version 4. 2), it features a 30mm soft dome tweeter, 90mm mid/bass driver and pair of passive bass radiators.

Australian manufacturer Audeara is perhaps best known for its past in the medical realm. However, a recent Kickstarter campaign changed all of that when it launched the A-01 headphone, designednot only to protect the user’s ears, but also to deliver a sound specifically catered to them. The first time the user wears the A-01, they use the companion app to undergoa hearing test, the results of which are then stored bythe cans. Using this unique profile, the headphone then adjusts the sound signal (making changes to left and right channels) so that the sound is individually tailored to the listener, while monitoring their hearing over time.

Hot on the heels of the impressive floorstanding M-6 loudspeaker review in HFC 436, Danish manufacturer Scansonic has announced another addition toits speaker lineup, but this timein the more diminutive guiseof a standmount. The new MK-5 is a compact two-way bookshelf model, boasting the same ultra-light sealed ribbon planar magnetic tweeter that appears in the aforementioned M Series. Formed from a kapton-aluminium sandwich that’s claimed to be just 20µm thick, and boasting a mass that’s described as being as much as 50 times lower than conventional textile, ceramic, beryllium or diamond domes, the tweeter’s membrane is reputed to result in a performance with significantly higher resolution and less material colouration. Partnering the tweeter is a new 114mm Kevlar-coned mid/bass driver (which incidentally is where the K part of the MK-5’s name comes from).