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7 REASONS WHY A DAC COULD BE YOUR MUSIC PURCHASE OF THE YEAR

Welcoming a DAC into your life can radically improve your enjoyment of music, says managing editor Becky Roberts
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WELCOME
SOUND INVESTMENTS
FREE! Laptop bag, worth £90 when you subscribe!
HOW WE TEST
EXPERIENCE. HERITAGE. We’ve been helping the world discover
PROJECTOR
Sony VPL-XW5000ES
Sony’s new laser projector is a stunner at the price
HEADPHONES
Grado RS1x
‘Exotic’ isn’t a word we have associated with Grado headphones… until now
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
Same old supreme Sennheiser sound, even if something else is missing
BEST HEADPHONES BELOW £150
Looking for a pair of headphones that deliver on great sound without breaking the bank? Read on...
Sennheiser HD 250BT
Wireless on-ears
SoundMagic E11C
Wired in-ears
AKG K72
Wired on-ears
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus
Wireless in-ears
Earfun Air Pro
Wireless in-ears
Sony WF-C500
Wireless in-ears
Austrian Audio Hi-X15
Wired on-ears
Panasonic RZ-S500W
Wireless in-ears
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
Wireless in-ears
JBL Reflect Flow Pro
Wireless sport in-ears
Grado SR80x
Wired on-ears
TABLETS
Amazon Fire 7
A capable device that won’t burn a hole in your wallet
Tablet system
Apple iPad (2021) Q Acoustics M20 powered spea
STEREO SPEAKERS
Triangle Esprit Comete Ez
So you want your music to be fun and exciting? Try these Triangles
PHONO STAGE
Vertere Phono-1 MkII L
Vertere’s Award-winning phono stage gets even better
TELEVISION
Xiaomi F2 Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV loses the sticks but finds a telly
SOUNDBAR
Devialet Dione
High-minded and high-priced, but is the Devialet Dione hi-fi?
TOP FIVE
TOP FIVE LAUNCHES
Five products to look out for this month
BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK SYSTEMS
If you’re looking for the place where sound quality and affordability meet, this collection will show you the way
MICRO SYSTEM
Micro system
Denon RCD -M41 DAB Dali Spektor 1 System
DAC
Portable DAC system
Chord Mojo 2 Beyerdynamic DT700 Pro X System
CD PLAYER
CD player system
Marantz CD6007 Marantz PM 6007 Elac Debut B5.2
TURNTABLE SYSTEM
All-in- one system
KEF LSX II System £1199 A piece of
STREAMING SYSTEM
Turntable system
Rega System One System £1199
STREAMER
Streamer system
Bluesound Node Rega io amp Wharfedale Dia mond 12.1
BETTER HI-FI
10 AFFORDABLE WAYS TO UPGRADE YOUR HI-FI SYSTEM
Don’t think that the quest for better sound always involves wallet-busting outlay. There are a number of inexpensive things you can do to give your set-up a lift – and some of them are completely free
BEST WIRELESS SPEAKERS BELOW £150
These affordable Bluetooth speakers prioritise great sound as much as portability and convenience
WIRELESS SPEAKERS
JBL Go 3
Sounds great on-the-go
Tribit Audio Stormbox Micro
A budget Bluetooth belter
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
A little wonder for the money
Apple HomePod Mini
Small but mighty smart speaker
JBL Flip 6
Sonically impressive
JBL Charge 5
Still leading the charge
Bose Soundlink Flex
Simple, music-focused portability
HOW TO BUY SECOND-HAND AND VINTAGE HI-FI SPEAKERS
If you’re after premium sound quality on a modest budget, buying used can do the trick. Try our tips for bagging some vintage speakers
FREE MUSIC
Best free music streaming services
Because music plus free equals a top deal. Here are the best free music streaming services available on iOS and Android
TURNTABLE
SME Model 60
EXPENSIVE, YES. BUT YOU KNOW YOU WANT THEM
AMPLIFIERS
PrimaLuna Evo 300 Hybrid
EXPENSIVE, YES. BUT YOU KNOW YOU WANT THEM
BUYER’S GUIDE
The definitive guide to the best home-entertainment kit you can buy
HI-FI
HI-FI AMPLIFIERS
THE BEATING HEART OF YOUR HI-FI SYSTEM
CD PLAYERS & TRANSPORTS
GET THE RIGHT PLAYER AND CD CAN STILL SHINE
DACs
A DIGITAL-TO-ANALOGUE CONVERTER IS A MODERN HI-FI MUST
How to digitize your vinyl collection
Read more at... www.whathifi.com/features Turntables might not be
MUSIC STREAMERS
THE BEST WAY TO SHARE YOUR TUNES AROUND THE HOUSE
RADIOS
THE ORIGINAL WIRELESS IS STILL GOING STRONG
STEREO SPEAKERS
THEY BRING THE MUSIC TO YOUR EARS – SO CHOOSE WITH CARE
Positioning your speakers
It’s no good spending hundreds of pounds on your new speakers if you then don’t allow them to perform properly. Take care with positioning to get them to sing.
SYSTEMS
CONVENIENCE DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN LOWER QUALITY
TURNTABLES
DECKS TO KEEP THE VINYL REVIVAL THRIVING
WIRELESS SPEAKERS
FREE YOUR MUSIC WITH ONE OF THESE STREAMING WONDERS
HOME CINEMA
HOME CINEMA
ENJOY HIGH-DEF MOVIE THRILLS
HOME CINEMA AMPLIFIERS
POWERFUL SOUND THAT TRULY BRINGS MOVIES TO LIFE
PROJECTORS
BECAUSE A MASSIVE PICTURE IS HOME CINEMA
SET-TOP BOXES
THE BEST WAY TO ACCESS THE WORLD OF TELEVISION
SOUNDBARS & SOUNDBASES
A BRILLIANT WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR TV’S SOUND
SPEAKER PACKAGES
GOOD SURROUND-SOUND IS A MOVIE-MAGIC MUST View
VIDEO STREAMERS
DON’T RESTRICT STREAMING TO A LAPTOP – GET IT ON THE TELLY
SPEAKER PACKAGES GAMESCONTINUED CONSOLES
Games consoles Sony PlayStation 5 £450 Online ★★★★★
TELEVISIONS
MAKE THE FOCUS OF YOUR ENTERTAINMENT HUB A GOOD ONE
PORTABLE
PORTABLE HEADPHONES
BIN THE BUNDLED BUDS AND INVEST IN BETTER SOUND
PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYERS
TREAT YOUR TUNES TO A DEDICATED MUSIC PLAYER
What is DSD audio?
What is DSD? How is it different from other music files and how can you listen to it?
SMARTPHONES
SUPERB MUSIC AND VIDEO PLAYERS THAT MAKE PHONE CALLS TOO
Amazon Prime Video tips, tricks and features
Whether you’re a Prime professional or just thinking of signing up, you’ll want to get the most out of the service. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to do exactly that.
ACCESSORIES
STREAMING APPS & SERVICES
THE BEST WAY TO GET YOUR STREAMING FIX
TABLETS
VIDEO, GAMES AND MUSIC ON A PORTABLE SCREEN
ACCESSORIES
ANALOGUE INTERCONNECTS
AV & HI-FI RACKS
HI-FI KIT CAN ONLY SOUND ITS BEST WITH THE PROPER SUPPORT
CARTRIDGES
YOU CAN’T HEAR YOUR RECORDS WITHOUT ‘EM
HEADPHONE AMPLIFIERS
HOW TO GET THE VERY BEST FROM YOUR CANS
MAINS PRODUCTS
A CLEAN POWER SOURCE IS VITAL FOR INTERFERENCE-FREE HI-FI
PHONO STAGES
EVERY RECORD DECK NEEDS A PHONO AMP
SPEAKER CABLES
ONE OF THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE UPGRADES YOU CAN
SPEAKER STANDS
STANDMOUNT SPEAKERS NEED THE BEST SUPPORT YOU CAN
Know your stuff: Know speaker yourcables
It’s not always easy to navigate your way through the terminology of hi-fi, so for those who haven’t yet mastered the art, here are a few speaker cable-based terms worth knowing
SEVEN TRACKS TO TEST YOUR HI-FI
7 BEST-PRODUCED TR ACKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY TO TEST YOUR KIT
T hese excellently produced recordings released since the
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