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Welcome to the February 2016 issue of Hi-Fi Choice – the essential guide to getting the best possible sound from your hi-fi, whether you're buying, tuning or tweaking. . . 

 As a fellow audio enthusiast, you will already know that listening to music is an art, one that gives a tremendous amount of pleasure – especially when the tunes in question are played back at the highest quality available.

Mention noise-cancelling headphones to anyone on the street and there’s a good chance many will think of brands other than AKG. But the big-name headphone brand owned by parent company Harman is making a big noise (so to speak) in the specialist noise-cancelling headphone sector thanks to its remarkably sophisticated sound optimisation technology built into its flagship N90Q headphones. The growth in hi-res portable music players and the fact that more of us are choosing to listen to music on the move has meant that the once humble headphone has seen a massive growth in recent years. As manyof us struggle to find time to listen to our favourite music through our hi-fi systemsat home, more of us are opting for a set of good-quality cans as our first choice for music listening.

It’s Elac Jim, but not as we know it! I have reviewed countless loudspeakers from this established German company over the years, and been impressed by many aspects of the sound, style and design – but the Debut B6 represents a ‘clean sheet’ loudspeaker by a newly hired acoustic engineer, done in a foreign country at a new price point. How’s that for a change of direction? Traditionally, Elac loudspeakers have had a distinctively bright, bracing and detailed sound with a delicate and well resolved treble thanks to the innovative and expensive tweeter. However, the new B6 – designedin Cypress, California – sells at a substantially lower price point than the company’s previous wares – at £299 per pair. For this, says designer Andrew Jones, a completely new approach was required that has meant new, bespoke drive units, careful fettling of less exotic cabinets and a meticulous costing of all the component parts to give the best sound per pound.

Heavy metal legends Iron Maiden have teamed up with Onkyo to launch a pair of headphones specfically designed for listening to the band's music. The ED-PH0N3S have been designed to provide fans of Iron Maiden, rock and heavy metal the ultimate way to hear their music, with the clarity and full acoustic range required byMaiden bassist, founder member and co-producer Steve Harris. The official Japanese launch event took place on Tuesday at the Astro Hall in Harajuku, Tokyo and saw the launch of a special companion Maiden Audio smartphone app for both iOS and Android users. The app, which is now available for download in the Apple Store and Google Play Store, includes exclusiveIron Maiden custom EQ settings.