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Welcome to the AVTech Awards for 2014/2015, the distillation of knowledge from the UK's trio of premium AV brands – Hi-Fi Choice, Home Cinema Choice and Hi-Fi News & Record Review. Collectively we test and review more hi-fi, TV and home theatre equipment than any other organisation in the UK, with hundreds of pages of editorial content published every month! Our Awards are informed by this pool of experience which stretches from earbuds and headphones to flagship high-end floorstanding loudspeakers; from 4K TVs to state-of-the-art projectors; to universal disc players, media streamers, USB DACs and headphone amps, turntables, integrated and pre/power amplifiers and every black box and cable in between. So whether you are a diegard stereo or AV home theatre enthusiast, or a progressive consumer looking for the ideal 'connected' system, let the AVTech Awards be your guide to the best that's available in 2014/2015. Best Floorstanding Speaker Monitor Audio Silver 8 Monitor Audio’s Silver 8 is a wonderfully capable floorstander, delivering music with subtlety and sophistication and offering a cavernous, well-projected soundstage.

DETAILS PRODUCT Arcam FMJ A39 ORIGIN UK/China TYPE Integrated amplifier WEIGHT 11. 5kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 433 x 100 x 425mm FEATURES ● Quoted power: 120W RMS per channel into 8ohms ● 7x RCA phono line inputs; 1x 3. 5mm front panel input jack ● 3. 5mm headphone output DISTRIBUTOR Arcam WEBSITE arcam.

Computer music Computer audio is now one of the most important growth areas in two-channel audio. It is no longer the preserve of the budget category or lifestyle setups and thereis now a wider selection of equipment available at virtually every price point from the very affordable to the ultra high end. At the same time, the supporting infrastructure that allows computer audio to deliver on the promises of sound quality and convenience has made equally significant progress. Storage is cheap and getting cheaper.

There are umpteen wireless speakers around now, but what makes the Air-X 403 interesting is that it’s aimed at serious audiophiles and yet is (relatively) affordable. Startingat £2,499 for these entry-level 403s plus £349 for the base station, there’s also the option of the larger 407 floorstanders for £4,299. Elac makes very fine loudspeakers and has done some pioneering work especially with tweeter technology over the years. So we’re not talking about a consumer electronics company sticking its wireless tech into any old pair of transducers here! They are effectively active, wireless versions of the highly capable BS 403 passive standmounter.