This month’s group test for standmounters is incredibly tight – one of the tightest we can remember, in fact. It shows that the battle for supremacy at the lofty £2500-plus heights is fierce indeed when it comes to loudspeakers. That’s a lot of money, of course – but when you realize that these beautiful speakers will serve you brilliantly for many, many years, the investment is well worth considering.
If you prefer your speakers to stand on their own, without any support, we also have a roundup of our favorite premium floorstanding speakers; some amazing performers there too.
And while we’re talking about superior sound, wired headphones will always be the best of their similarly priced wireless siblings – which is why we’ve got a roundup of the best wired headphones for this number too.
And as usual, we also have reviews of the very latest hi-fi and AV products in our First tests section.
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Loud and proud
As the crucial final stage of an important sound journey from your source to your ears, the role of your speakers is either defining or breaking. And if the highest audio quality is important to you, take a look at the level of the standmounted speakers we test here. We wanted to see how four of our favorite pairs of two-way premium standmounters would fare against each other – and it wasn’t an easy task to line up ourselves. All of these speakers are extremely talented and each has something different to bring to your system, in terms of design, engineering and sonic character. These speakers are on the more expensive side of the market (£2000 and up), but at this level you can certainly expect a high quality return on your investment.
Honestly, the quality here is extremely high, making the competition as close as we’ve ever seen Which Hi-Fi? group test. Find out how close in this month’s magazine.
Down to the wire
Pound for pound, you’ll almost always enjoy better sound quality from wired headphones than from the ubiquitous wireless variety. In some cases, you may even have to pay twice as much for your wireless cans to get sonic equivalence. In a world where perceived convenience often trumps outright quality, that is often overlooked; but for those of us who consider music food for the soul rather than just a pleasant distraction, it’s critical.
In this month Which Hi-Fi? we’re rounding up our favorite high-quality, affordable wired headphones, ranging from AKG’s remarkable K92 for just £49 to the excellent Meze Audi 99 Classics.
Pro Secrets
In April Which Hi-Fi? we discover the secret behind the AirPod Pro 2’s audio success, thanks to an insightful conversation with Esge Andersen from Apple’s acoustics team. Find out why the Pro 2 sounds so good, only in this month’s magazine!
First with reviews
Us First tests In this section you will find our renowned in-depth, unbiased and expert reviews of the very latest AV and hi-fi kit.
This month we welcome back the HomePod, and the second generation of Apple’s smart speaker sounds better than ever – read more in this month’s magazine!
Another follow-up to wireless speakers, Tribit’s Stormbox Micro 2, is also featured in this issue, as is Rega’s Elex Mk4 integrated amplifier, which we believe delivers “a revealing and successful performance”.
The fantastic Philips 65OLED937 was next on our test benches and our reviewers declared this set to be nothing short of “one of the most all-round spectacular TVs ever made”.
In this issue, we also test new headphones from Final, the UX3000, as well as Samsung’s 43-inch BU8000, Fyne Audio’s F8SP AV speaker package, and Atacama’s Nexxus 600 Essential speaker stands.
Find out what we thought of all of these products in the April 2023 issue of Which Hi-Fi?
The best (a lot of) money money can buy
Our Temptations section of Which Hi-Fi? here you will find high-end hi-fi and AV products with a suitable price tag.
Epos’ 1980s ES14 standmounter delivered exceptional sound quality thanks to a range of clever technical solutions – and here we have an impressive update in the form of the ES14N. The Epos ES14N Standard speakers aren’t cheap, but they’re beautifully balanced and insightful, delivering an all-round performance that we’ve yet to hear better for the money.
We also take a look at the NW-WM1ZM2, Sony’s latest and most expensive personal music player. For the kind of money you’re looking at, you’ll want this latest Walkman to come in gold. Oh wait, it does!
Finally, don’t forget to check out our Buyer’s Guidewith a definitive list of the best home entertainment kits money can buy, including the 2022 winners Which Hi-Fi? Awards. If you’re looking to buy anything from a pair of wireless headphones to a home theater speaker system, find out where to spend your money wisely in this section.
Whatever you do, don’t miss the April 2023 issue of Which hi-fi?. Grab a copy today or simply download it on your tablet or smartphone. To enjoy!
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here (opens in new tab)or buy the digital edition iPhone, iPad (opens in new tab), Android devices or Kindle Edition (opens in new tab)