November is over and what a month it was. Not solely did we reveal the Product of the Yr winners on the What Hello-Fi? Awards 2023 for every class, we additionally contended with the annual offers bonanza that’s Black Friday.
As a ultimate deal with, earlier than we go into full-on festive mode, we have now yet one more current for you – our newest Decide of the Month column.
In it, we element the top-performing merchandise that earned an ideal five-star rating after passing by way of our check rooms over the previous month. And it’s been a very aggressive 30 days with solely 5 merchandise impressing our staff of reviewers to five-star success and guaranteeing an look on this column.
With out additional delay, listed below are the What Hello-Fi? evaluate staff’s prime picks for November 2023.
Bose QuietComfort Extremely Headphones
Bose is an enormous identify in headphones, with its newest wi-fi units consistently impressing us throughout testing. And this remained the case with the agency’s new QuietComfort Extremely Headphones over ears. Unveiled alongside the QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds (additionally 5 stars) and the Bose Good Extremely Soundbar in September, the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones are being pitched as a rival to the premium Apple AirPods Max and have Bose’s personal tackle Spatial Audio.
And whereas our reviewers aren’t utterly satisfied in regards to the perks of Spatial Audio for music in its present state, our testing confirmed the QuietComfort Extremely to be a wonderful set of wi-fi over-ears. Lively Noise Cancelling proved to be near greatest at school and greater than efficient sufficient to drown out background workplace noise and the rumbling of trains on our testers’ morning and night commute. This, plus their wealthy, full-bodied sound and punchy supply, led our reviewers to conclude:
“Bose has introduced its ‘A’ recreation with the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones – they’re costly, however in addition they ship sound high quality and noise cancelling straight from the highest drawer.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Bose QuietComfort Extremely Headphones evaluate
Audiovector QR 7
The Audiovector QR 7 are the most recent floorstanding audio system to go by way of our check rooms, and whereas they might be a high-end possibility, they’re a wonderful possibility for any music fan searching for thundering audio efficiency.
They characteristic a three-way design that mixes an AMT (Air Movement Transformer) tweeter to a 15cm midrange and a pair of 20cm bass drivers, with a downward-firing port. These audio system are additionally designed to be comparatively undemanding to drive and their easy-going nature implies that throughout the testing interval, our reviewers had been capable of companion them with all kinds of amplifiers and sources.
Most of all, the efficiency is superb, with the audio system delivering spectacular scale and authority whereas proving surprisingly unfussy round matching. This led our specialists to conclude:
“In our opinion, the Audiovector QR 7 signify loads of potential for the cash. They do all of the issues massive audio system are anticipated to do however mix that with ranges of finesse, decision and perception that aren’t frequent.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Audiovector QR 7 evaluate
iFi hip-dac 3
Because the identify would recommend, that is the third technology of iFi’s line of flask-shaped DACs and, primarily based on our testing, an excellent buy for any music fan.
The DAC has a brand new “Titanium Shadow” end and reworked inside circuitry that goals to scale back sign distortion. Battery life has additionally been raised to 12 hours and a brand new PowerMatch button is added. The latter adjustments the inner amp’s acquire for simpler headphone matching.
However on to the extra necessary query, how does it sound? Based mostly on our testing, very spectacular. Throughout our evaluate, we discovered the iFi hip-dac 3 consistently delivered a pleasingly easy, well-balanced sound no matter which headphones we paired it with. This led our reviewers to conclude:
“Good, versatile and a pleasure to take heed to, the third-gen iFi hip-dac 3 enhances your audio expertise with a sonic profile that feels vigorous and energetic with out ever changing into unrestrained or unwieldy. Like your favorite tipple, it actually hits the spot.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our iFi hip-dac 3 evaluate
Panasonic MZ1500B
The Panasonic MZ1500B is the center baby within the Japanese tech large’s present OLED line, sitting above the MZ980, however under the flagship MZ2000. This makes it a direct rival to the Sony A80L, which picked up the TV Product of the Yr accolade on the 2023 What Hello-Fi? Awards mere weeks in the past.
Whereas we nonetheless advocate the A80L to most individuals, the MZ1500B is an extremely completed set, that delivers the understated “because the director meant” image we’ve come to count on from Panasonic. This, plus its intuitive software program and good, however not nice, inbuilt speaker system, make it an excellent possibility for any fan of Panasonic TVs and led our testers to conclude:
“The step-down OLED within the firm’s 2023 lineup delivers the identical genuine, understated image high quality Panasonic’s turn into well-known for in recent times. Throughout all our checks, colors and movement all maintain an exquisite authenticity that makes for an exquisite viewing expertise, particularly if you wish to expertise motion pictures because the director meant.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Panasonic MZ1500B evaluate
Panasonic MZ2000
The MZ2000 is the second Panasonic TV to earn a spot on this month’s Decide of the Month. It’s the costliest OLED within the firm’s present line and a direct rival to the Sony A95L and LG G3. Key variations between it and the MZ1500 are its use of brightness-boosting Micro Lens Array (MLA) display tech and a extra highly effective Technics-tuned inside speaker system.
As was the case with the MZ1500, although the MZ2000 impressed throughout testing it didn’t fairly carry out effectively sufficient to completely dethrone the Sony A95L as the highest possibility for most individuals at its worth. Nevertheless, for cinephiles who worth authenticity, it’s a implausible five-star possibility, which is why our testers concluded:
“Be in little question, although – it is a excellent TV that delivers the authenticity for which Panasonic is famend with an additional hit of shiny affect, plus a weighty, stable sonic presentation.”
Rating: 5/5
Learn our Panasonic MZ2000 evaluate
MORE:
These are the greatest floorstanding audio system we have reviewed
Listed below are our picks of the greatest OLED TVs
Take a look at our picks of the greatest DACs
