HOME AUDIO GUIDE

Performance, convenience, style – it’s not unreasonable to demand a bit of everything when you’re choosing the home hi-fi kit that will take your listening experience to the next level… so, to make sure you get what you deserve, we’ve put together a list of the best audio gear around, from turntables to streamers

[Words Simon Lucas ]

MONITOR AUDIO STUDIO 89

I t’s not the only hi-fi brand to revisit some of its greatest hits, but Monitor Audio has more justification than most when it comes to its Studio models. Back in the day, these were the pinnacle of the company’s loudspeaker range –and it’s aname that still resonates today.

Of course, it takes more than a retro vibe to make a great pair of passive speakers –especially when they cost a couple of grand. But Monitor knows exactly what it’s doing, and the Studio 89s are a gloriously accomplished pair of speakers as a result.

The 36cm-high cabinets are a slightly strange shape, but when the speakers are bolted to their stands (£499 per pair) the overall look is harmonious. Gloss black is your only finish option, and the execution is absolutely flawless. Add in the fact that the coppery colour of the vertical driver array is echoed in the detailing of the stands and you’ve got a strong, individual look.

Naturally these boxes are specified without apparent compromise. The drivers are mounted in an aluminium baffle attached using ‘through-bolt’ tech, meaning the drivers effectively operate in isolation and there are no visible screwheads.

The MPD III tweeter in the middle uses low-mass diaphragm pleats for rapid response, and sits behind a waveguide designed to fire out the treble equally in all directions. There’s an RDT III mid/bass driver above and below it, using a mix of ceramic-coated alloy, Nomex honeycomb and carbon weave for ultimate speed and fidelity.

All of this –plus plenty more that’s just too nerdy to describe here –combines to produce a speaker that somehow manages to sound effortlessly correct in pretty much any circumstance. The low frequencies are deep and substantial, but rapid and detailed at the same time; the opposite end of the frequency range is open and airy, but has enough substance to prevent it sounding hard or splashy; and in between, the midrange has so much detail that you’re never in any doubt as to whether or not you’re getting the full picture.

The tonality is nicely balanced, and the soundstage is big and properly organised. There’s plenty of headroom available for when the going gets intense, but the Studio 89s are just as adept at teasing out the harmonic variations in a solo instrument.

I could go on, but surely by now the broad point is made: it’s not every company that can move forwards by looking backwards, but if these loudspeakers prove anything it’s that Monitor Audio is not every company.

Price £1999 /go.stuff.tv/Studio89

Key specs

● 1x tweeter, 2x 4.25in mid/bass drivers (each)

●Wired input

● 361x340x157mm, 7.6kg (each)

STUFF SAYS Dramatic looks, absorbing sound and a strong ’80s vibe – what more do you want? ★★★★★

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO CXA81 MkII

Some audio brands, when realising they have an authentic hit on their hands, leave well enough alone and let the product milk as many sales as possible until it gets knocked off its perch by something newer and better. Cambridge Audio isn’t having any of that: even though its CXA81 stereo amp was already the best around at its price, there’s now a MkII. Well, if something newer and better is going to come along, it might as well be another Cambridge.

Visually, this is an understated device and only comes in that silver finish Cambridge insists on calling ‘lunar grey’. Volume, input selection and speaker switching (it can power two sets at a time), plus a headphone socket and a power button –that’s your lot as far as the front panel goes.

Around the back are four line inputs and four digital inputs –two optical, one coaxial and one USB. That’s because the CXA81 MkII has an ESS Sabre ES9018K2M digital-to-analogue converter and can, if connected to a PC, deal with files of up to 24-bit/384kHz and DSD256. And to top it off, it’s also a Bluetooth receiver with aptX HD codec compatibility.

The one thing you don’t get is preamplification for a turntable… but if you have one of Cambridge’s excellent Alva decks with built-in phono stage and Bluetooth (see left), that won’t be an issue.

Class A/B amplification to the tune of 80W per channel looks promising written down… and when heard in action, ‘promising’ is to understate it quite a bit. This amplifier is a direct, detailed and thoroughly positive listen, able to extract the finest details from the music you’re feeding into it. It creates a big, properly organised soundstage with loads of room for every element of a recording to stretch its legs, but still manages to present your music as a tightly unified whole.

There’s more than enough power here to drive your speakers to properly antisocial levels, but the CXA81 MkII never loses composure even if you’re really going for it. It’s always in control, always expressive with rhythms, and never sounds flustered or stressed. It’s dynamic when it needs to be, intimate if the music requires it, and always completely convincing when it comes to tonality, texture and straightforward musicality.

So yes, that ‘newer and better’ thing seems to have happened, and it’s happened in the most confident way. Which means the competition really needs to pull its finger out before Cambridge Audio gets round to delivering the CXA81 MkIII…

Price £999 /go.stuff.tv/CXAmk2

Key specs

● 80W per channel (into 8ohms)

●Analogue and digital inputs, Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX HD

● 430x341x115mm, 8.7kg

STUFF SAYS Marginal gains, yes… but they mean Cambridge is even further ahead of its rivals than before ★★★★★

NOW ADD THIS…

Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2

Not only does the Alva TT v2 turntable come in that special ‘lunar grey’ finish, but it’s fitted with a phono stage and can also stream wirelessly in hi-res. So you can either hard-wire it to your CXA81 MkII, or have it do its thing over the air. And ‘its thing’ sounds glorious. £1399 / cambridgeaudio.com

● ALTERNATIVELY...

WIIM AMP

No, it can’t offer quite the same sort of transparency and dynamism as the classy Cambridge opposite – but that doesn’t mean the WiiM Amp is a non-starter. It’s less than a third of the price of the CXA81 MkII, for starters, and it has built-in streaming smarts – which means you only need to add speakers to this compact, nicely made and easy-to-use machine and you’ve a whole audio system ready to go. And that’s a system with an energetic, up-and-at-’em and very entertaining sort of sonic attitude. Another day, another great-value WiiM device. £319 / wiimhome.com