Hi-Fi Choice

Can this single driver standmount speaker design really deliver full-range qualities?

On test in the February issue: KEF LSX wireless speaker system, Rega Aura MC phono stage, Naim ND5 XS2 networked music player, Reloop Turn5 direct-drive turntable, Falcon Acoustics RAM Studio 20 standmount loudspeaker, plus a six-way integrated amplifiers Group Test with models from: Audiolab, Cambridge Audio, Musical Fidelity, NAD, Rega and Yamaha.

Following Apple’s move to drop the headphone jack from the iPhone and the news that Samsung will follow suit with its flagship Galaxy models in 2019, the portable headphone market has gone wireless crazy. Like many brands, 1More has been quick to respond and takes its £100 wired Triple Driver in-ear headphone design – reviewed in HFC 425 – and adds wire-free connectivity and noise-cancelling for just £20 more than its wired counterpart.

There’s much debate about the direction the UK economy will take post-Brexit, but we’re already seeing a shift to things being made in Britain again. With this in mind, it’s good to discover that this flagship pre/power amplifier combination is made here in Blighty. While we expect Bremont watches and Aston Martin cars to be manufactured here, it comes as something of a surprise to learn that Mitchell & Johnson is turning out this £2,598 amplifier combo from a factory based in the Midlands. As the first two pieces in the company’s new top-of-the range 800 Series, they are entirely designed, engineered and built in the UK and company boss David Johnson says that making its top series here means better control of product quality.