Hi-Fi Choice

KEF unveils LSX wireless active loudspeaker

Hi-Fi Choice | Dec 05, 2018 | 0 comments

Following its award-winning LS50 Wireless active loudspeaker system introduced in 2017 (HFC 413), respected hi-fi speaker maker KEF looks set to continue to be the go-to-brand in compact music systems with the introduction of its £1,000 LSX wireless stereo speakers. Packing in 200W of Class D amplification (2x 30W + 2x 70W), the smaller two-way standmount design measures 155 x 240 x 180mm (WxHxD). It employs the respected Uni-Q driver array with a 19mm aluminium dome tweeter and 115mm magnesium/aluminium alloy cone mid/bass driver – recognised for its wider stereo imaging over a larger area – and is combined with the company's Music Integrity Engine DSP to ensure accurate time alignment and phase coherence, no matter where the LSX is placed in a room. The twin active stereo speakers support wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity – with Apple AirPlay 2 support expected early in 2019 via a firmware update.

News

January issue on sale

Hi-Fi Choice | Dec 05, 2018 | 0 comments

With more ways to listen to music than ever before, the type of products we choose to use differs for many of us. While I always prefer to hear my favourite tunes on my main hi-fi system – comprising floorstanding speakers, pre/power amplification and dedicated sources for all format types – the majority of my friends and family listen to theirs via discreet smart speakers. At first glance, some might see my setup as old fashioned, but play an LP, CD or music stream and its doesn't take long to see why I have the setup I do. Here at Hi-Fi Choice we realise that listening to music in this way isn't always possible due to the practicalities of our domestic arrangements, and consumer electronics firms along with the specialist hi-fi industry have been quick to identify the interest in small wireless music systems that meet our practical demands while offering great sound quality.

Cables & Accessories

AudioQuest Rocket 22

Hi-Fi Choice | Dec 04, 2018 | 0 comments

In common with the Rocket 11 loudspeaker cable (HFC 440), the Rocket 22 uses two pairs of conductors per channel, which allows both pairs to be wired in parallel for conventional ‘full range’ wiring, or each pair to be connected separately for bi-wiring. The conductors are made from a combination of the company’s Long-Grain Copper (LGC) and Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC). The LGC and PSC wire is laid out in a ‘true-concentric’ configuration. This means that each layer of strands in a concentric conductor is spiralled in the opposite direction from the one below.

Loudspeakers

Klipsch R-41PM

Hi-Fi Choice | Dec 03, 2018 | 0 comments

The powered speaker market – where a stereo amplifier is built into one of the loudspeakers – has become an increasingly popular area with those seeking desktop music systems. US brand Klipsch is embracing the versatile sector, and the R-41PM is a small powered design that’s closely related to its R-41M passive loudspeaker.

Cables & Accessories

Missing Link Silver Surfer

Hi-Fi Choice | Nov 30, 2018 | 0 comments

As we all know, looks aren’t everything, and it’s fair to say that some hi-fi brands don’t tend to agonise over the way their output is presented quite as much as others. Despite this, products that don’t stand out for their good looks can very often sound quite special and I would certainly put this Missing Link cable into this category. Designer Mark Sears is a straight-shooting sort of chap with an insatiable interest in engineering and materials science and a stickler for detail. His company’s entry-level interconnect is called Silver Surfer, which isn’t the most inspiring name but shows that money hasn’t been wasted on fancy branding.

Loudspeakers

Ruark Audio MRx

Hi-Fi Choice | Nov 29, 2018 | 0 comments

Having focused on conventional Bluetooth speakers in the past, Ruark is now moving into the multi-room realm with new models like the wi-fi-equipped MRx before you. Available with a walnut or soft grey finish, it’s a substantial bookshelf speaker, measuring 300mm wide, 180mm high and 180mm deep when lying flat in ‘landscape’ mode – although there’s a metal stand that also allows you to stand it upright if space is tight.

Loudspeakers

Sonos Beam

Hi-Fi Choice | Nov 28, 2018 | 0 comments

You certainly can’t accuse Sonos of resting on its laurels. The company already dominates the multi-room audio market with its Play range of speakers, and it moved quickly to introduce the new Sonos One (HFC 433) last year, adding support for Amazon’s Alexa voice technology, and pitching it as the “smart speaker for audiophiles”. Now, barely six months later, it’s introducing the Beam, which brings Alexa smart tech to the company’s range of television soundbars for the first time.

Integrated Amplifiers

Arcam SA10

Hi-Fi Choice | Nov 27, 2018 | 0 comments

Completing Arcam’s trinity of new HDA products, the SA10 is the entry-level amplifier and I can’t help but detect a frisson of concern as you read this. After all, surely leaving its review until last is a sure-fire source of disappointment? It can’t be as good as its bigger brother, the SA20, right?

Headphones

Denon AH-D7200

Hi-Fi Choice | Nov 26, 2018 | 0 comments

A home headphone that strikes a balance between comfort and sound quality is essential for the best listening experience, and the AH-D7200 over-ear offering from Denon aims to deliver on both fronts.

Phono Preamplifiers

Lindemann Limetree Phono

Hi-Fi Choice | Nov 23, 2018 | 0 comments

Bavaria-based Lindemann is perhaps best known as a purveyor of audio products aimed at the high-end hi-fi sector, but to mark its 25 years in business the company has launched a series of more affordable components. The Limetree range uses the same 120 x 120mm form factor and the moving-magnet and moving-coil phono stage is the first to be released in the UK through distributor Elite Audio. We’re told that a USB DAC, headphone amplifier and streamer components will follow in due course.

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