August is over and which means one more instalment of What Hello-Fi?’s Decide of the Month, the place we have fun the best-performing merchandise to move by our testing rooms over the previous 30 days.
Most of us could have been enjoyable by the pool with a pina colada in hand after making our summer season “Escape” from the workplace – see what we did there – however our staff of reviewers has been locked up in our check rooms placing every thing from high finish amps to reasonably priced community streamers by their paces.
In that point we’ve had various nice merchandise earn high marks, with every thing from new audio system from business legend Bowers & Wilkins to reasonably priced over-ears from Sony incomes excellent scores.
With out additional delay listed below are the staff from What Hello-Fi?’s really useful merchandise for August 2023.
Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3
The primary of two Bowers & Wilkins audio system to earn a spot on this month’s Decide of the Month. The 606 S3 is the bigger sibling to the 607 S3 slightly below on this checklist.
Sitting within the agency’s entry-level vary the standmount audio system are glorious bang on your buck based mostly on our testing. Taking them out of their field we have been instantly smitten with their splendidly clear, nearly minimalist, two-way vented design, which incorporates a 25mm dome tweeter and a 16.5cm cone.
Powering them up in our listening rooms, whereas we discovered they could be a little fussy with partnering gear, they ship nice audio with fantastic readability and element throughout most genres.
This led our testers to conclude:
“With enhancements all through, these admirable 606 S3s are pleasingly large-scaled, spacious, and refined performers for the cash.”
In actual fact, our solely actual criticism was that they aren’t fairly nearly as good worth, in sure areas, as their smaller sibling, which we examined alongside them.
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 overview
Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3
The 607 S3 are amongst a few of the finest standmounted audio system to move by our listening rooms in fairly a while, with one in all our notably arduous to impress reviewers going as far as to name them a “delight” throughout testing.
The smaller sibling to the 606, they’ve the identical two-way configuration and design because the 607s, to the purpose it’s possible you’ll wrestle to inform them aside from images alone.
Placing them by their paces in our check room they delivered a beautiful efficiency, throughout a mess of genres. Whether or not it was Alt-J’s BreezeblocksBruce Springsteen’s Terry’s Tune or John Williams’ Jurassic Park theme they delivered a punchy, dynamic and energetic sound.
This led our reviewers to conclude:
“What we actually get pleasure from about these new 607 S3 audio system is that they clearly know how one can have enjoyable, they usually need you to have enjoyable whereas listening to them. The very best praise we may give them is that we find yourself listening to each observe in full by the 607 S3, with no skipping.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 overview
Q Acoustics 5040
The Q Acoustics 5040 are the center baby within the agency’s present portfolio, sitting between the price range 3000 fashions and the extra premium Idea vary.
At first look, they characteristic the corporate’s customary design, pairing a twin mid/bass driver with a tweeter within the center. What makes them totally different from older Q-Accoustics is that the mid/bass drivers have a brand new “Steady Curved Cone” design.
We examined the audio system with our reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and Burmester 088/911 MKIII amplifier earlier than transferring on to verify how they carried out with the costlier Naim’s Nait XS3 and Cambridge’s CXA81. In all cases, for the cash, they delivered glorious sonic efficiency.
Amongst a wide range of genres, our testers have been notably impressed with their readability and expressive dynamics, which made for a toe-tappingly enjoyable listening expertise.
This led them to conclude:
“When partnered with care they ship a splendidly expressive and insightful efficiency that’s class-leading at this stage.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Q Acoustics 5040 overview
Atacama Elite ECO 24 Reference
The catchily named Atacama Elite ECO 24 Reference are the newest gear racks to move by our check rooms.
Although they’re most likely too costly for most individuals, placing them by their paces we discovered they fully ship within the two core areas we anticipate from racks: trying good and providing secure assist for our hi-fi equipment.
This led our reviewers to conclude:
“Paying £300 per module is a dear sum. When you’ve got a price range hi-fi system, you’ll probably be very happy along with your merchandise positioned on common furnishings like a desk or sideboard.
“But when every unit in your system prices upwards of £1000, then it may be value investing in a specialist gear rack that’s designed to eke the last word finest out of your merchandise’ efficiency (and may even be an alternate means of updating your system’s sound with out changing particular person equipment).”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Atacama Elite ECO 24 Reference overview
dCS Lina DAC
The dCS Lina DAC is being marketed as a community DAC however once we acquired it into our check rooms we discovered its superior capabilities make it extra akin to a full-fat music streamer.
Although they price £12,500 / $13,650 / AU$22,000 the Lina DAC is definitely one of the crucial reasonably priced entry factors into dCS’ portfolio. The Lina DAC retains the corporate’s stellar construct high quality and stays true to its “honesty first” method, aiming to supply an genuine, “because the artist recorded it” efficiency.
Working it by our reference system, which included a Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/energy mixture which we paired with ATC SCM 50 audio system or Wilson Benesch’s A.C.T. 3Zero floorstanders, in all cases we have been blown away by its efficiency, with our reviewers going as far as to conclude:
“It could be entry-level in dCS’s world however the Lina DAC nonetheless serves up an enormous portion of the corporate’s magic.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our dCS Lina DAC overview
Sony WH-CH520
The Sony WH-CH520 are an entry-level set of over-ear wi-fi headphones from the corporate behind our present really useful flagship set, the WH-1000XM5. Retailing for a modest £49 / $59 / AU$79, they’re additionally the most cost effective merchandise on this checklist by a rustic mile.
Throughout our listening checks, whereas they undeniably really feel a little bit plasticky and will do with a little bit extra dynamism, at this value there’s nothing higher. For the cash you get an reasonably priced set of wi-fi over-ears with surprisingly balanced audio, nice battery life and an intuitive management app.
This led our testers to explain them as being “compromised within the least compromising” means and conclude:
“You possibly can’t actually anticipate the Earth if you’re paying pennies lower than £50 for a pair of headphones. What’s outstanding concerning the Sony WH-CH520 is how little compromise they demand of you, each by way of audio efficiency and ergonomics. They’re a little bit little bit of a discount.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Sony WH-CH520 overview
Fyne Audio Classic Traditional X
The Audio Classic Traditional X made an impression on our testers the second they took them out of the field. That includes an unashamedly retro, large design they appear like they’ve been time-warped direct from the Nineteen Seventies – which is not any dangerous factor in our thoughts.
Regardless of their old-school stylings, they’ve some pretty spectacular {hardware} below the hood, that includes Fyne’s Isoflare level supply driver array. That is an atypical method the place the tweeter, on this case a 75mm titanium dome compression design, sits within the throat of the 25cm multi-fibre mid/bass unit.
We examined the audio system with a wide range of {hardware} together with a Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and the Technics SL-1000R report participant in addition to our customary Burmester 088/911 MkIII mixture.
The outcomes have been spectacular. Although they’re undeniably characterful and never the purest performer to move by our check rooms not too long ago, in all our checks they supplied expressive dynamics and a splendidly articulate presentation.
This led our testers to conclude:
“Whereas the Traditional X’s look is certain to separate opinion, there isn’t any denying their stonking efficiency. They’re simply one of the crucial sonically proficient floorstanders we now have heard on the value.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Fyne Audio Classic Traditional X overview
T+A Solitaire T
We’ll admit £1200 / $1600 / AU$2160 is some huge cash, even by our requirements, for a pair of wi-fi over-ear headphones. However in case you have the money, and need the perfect efficiency attainable, we’d totally suggest testing the T+A Solitaire T.
German agency T+A has one easy justification for his or her value, the atypical acoustic development. The headphones characteristic a brand new 42mm dynamic transducer made from a wooden fibre plastic combination that’s paired with a customized strain chamber system. The latter options sound guides and filters designed to enhance frequency response and bass replica.
Placing them by our customary suite of listening assessments our reviewers have been significantly impressed. Enjoying every thing from arduous rock and metallic tracks to clean synthwave the headphones ship a impartial, correct sound with a purity lacking on most of the competing units we overview, together with the equally expensive, however older Mark Levinson No.5909.
This led our testers to conclude:
“They price lots of greater than most individuals would ever dream of paying for headphones, wired or wi-fi, however for individuals who prioritise comfort and sound high quality equally, and have the price range to spend massive, the T+A Solitaire T nail that stability with out compromise and are essentially the most convincing wired/wi-fi hybrids we’ve come throughout. For now, they’re in a league of their very own.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our T+A Solitaire T overview
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