It’s British Hi-Fi Week here Which Hi-Fi?, so what better excuse to come up with a beautiful system made up of the best British components? The setup we have here is thoroughly 2023, embracing the twin joys of streaming and vinyl in one neat system. And for the price of a (decent) all-in-one system, you can enjoy the undisputed benefits of specialized parts doing what they do best, delivering sound that’s unmatched for the price.
The system
Music Streamer: Audiolab 6000N Play (£449/$600/AU$999)
Turntable: Rega Planar 2 (£499 / $775 / AU$999)
Integrated amplifier: Rega io (£420/$725/AU$949)
stereo speakers: Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 (£249/$399/AU$699)
Total: £1617 / $2499 / AU$3646
The joy of selecting products for a high quality system consisting of only British equipment is the sheer amount of choice that ‘limitation’ brings. That advantage, of course, causes serious selection headaches. Which top artists will we leave on the bench for the final? “What?” we hear you cry: “Despite their many years of loyal service? Cruel…”
Well, maybe. But such decisions have to be made, and looking at the kit making the cut, we can’t think of many products we’d rather have in every position, British or not.
Here, then, we present our first team representatives for an all-round great British streaming and vinyl stereo system that offers great value for money. It would make the UK proud of a World Cup of hi-fi, we have no doubt about that.
Music Streamer: Audiolab 6000N Play
First up is the award-winning Audiolab 6000N Play streamer. To have Play Fi from DTS hi-res, multi-room platform at the software core means that when the 6000N Play is connected to a network via Ethernet or its dual-band Wi-Fi, it can access services such as SpotifyConnect, tidesHD tracks, Deezer, Qobuz, Amazon musicNapster, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and SiriusXM.
It also means it can stream high resolution music files up to 24-bit/192kHz from network servers, thanks to DLNA and UPnP compliance. In other words, it covers most of the basics for the modern world of digital music streaming. There are digital and analogue outputs, the latter of which can be connected to Rega’s io amplifier (below) in this system.
The Audiolab is an insightful and engaging listening experience, with great clarity, openness and a down-the-middle tonal balance that keeps us pleasantly engaged. It reveals a wide-open canvas, colored with well-depicted detail, lavished with a welcome amount of subtlety and space. It also has insight into a song and has the dynamic interest to capture and hold the listener’s attention for the duration of a piece.
Turntable: Rega Planar 2
However, the modern hi-fi system is far from just about the digital realm. Despite the vinyl-bashing fanfare with which the compact disc entered the musical fray 40 years ago, after only a few years of dormancy, the turntable reemerged to re-enter the musical field. Enter the Planar 2, Rega’s midfield general.
The model number has existed in various guises for nearly 50 years; Introduced in 2016, this iteration features Rega’s RB220 tonearm, which features new ultra-low friction ball bearings, a stiffer bearing housing and automatic bias adjustment, making it virtually plug ‘n’ play.
And anyone well versed in Rega’s impressive decks will no doubt recognize his sonic stamp: balanced and authoritative with impressive scale and natural musicality. It has a great toe tapping ability and delivers bass with punch and texture. It also has insight and dexterity, while being precise and rhythmic enough to accurately represent a soundstage. Yet at the same time it manages to maintain a pleasant enthusiasm for the music.
That ability to tie all the musical strands together and paint them on a precise and spacious canvas seems to come easily to the Rega, which is what sets it apart as a place in this lineup.
Integrated amplifier: Rega io
One thing the Planar 2 doesn’t have is a built-in phono stage; thankfully that base is nicely covered by its stablemate amp which comes complete with a very decent moving magnet stage. Another award winner, this time from the 2021 vintage, the Rega io is an impressive little bag of tricks that works with both the Planar 2 and the Audiolab 6000N Play streamer. The 30W-per-channel, entry-level (for Rega) io can be purchased as part of the brand System one all-in-one proposition with the Planar 1 turntable and Kyte speakers. But it comfortably holds its own in this step-up system.
Rega’s consistency with components and their implementation make the io instantly recognizable as a descendant of the more expensive, and really quite excellent, Brio. They both display an incredible sense of rhythm, snappy dynamics, agility, detail and all-round fun.
As we say in our review of the io: “Play Drake’s Money In The Tomb ft. Rick Ross, and the nature of the io emerges, his natural sense of momentum propels the dominant bass line forward. The two rappers’ deliveries have the transparency, richness and clarity that demands to be reckoned with, while the amplifiers innate musicality captures the rhythmic chimes that hold everything together.” There’s an immediacy and buoyancy to the io’s sound that makes for a truly immersive listening experience.
It’s not the most versatile amp out there – it’s analog only, which works perfectly in this system – but those happy with a simple, basic, pure analog amp and putting entertainment first will be more than happy; Rega’s unmistakable and no doubt entertaining signature amp sound is now more accessible than ever.
Stereo Speakers: Wharfedale Diamond 12.1
The latest members of this potentially world-beater for the price British hi-fi squad are Wharfedale’s lovely Diamond 12.1 standmount loudspeakers. These neat, well-made, compact boxes are just 31cm high so they won’t dominate any room. They aren’t too fussy about placement, but they do excel if they’re a little away from walls.
And for their size, the Diamond 12.1 has a surprisingly bold and powerful presentation. They sound confident and composed – especially when you consider their very reasonable price – and offer plenty of refinement.
When playing Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa they dig up a pleasing amount of detail and manage to organize things in a cohesive and musical way, with a presentation that doesn’t get confused when things get busy.
They are supple and forgiving, but remain nicely balanced, with plenty of bite. We like the reassuring way the Diamonds handle large-scale dynamics, delivering more authority and scale than their modest price and size would suggest. Low frequencies come through with confidence and fullness than expected.
They also deliver a good soundstage, have a strong punch and deliver rhythms with a steady sense of drive. We’re impressed with the seamless integration between the drive units and the way these speakers deliver vocals with such confidence, conveying the passion in music really well.
Pronunciation
If you want to get the most out of your music, it’s generally accepted that separate components are the way to go. We think this quartet proves that. There’s undeniable convenience to an all-in-one system, and they keep getting more competent and impressive; but using a specialized kit in each role can’t help but do a better job and bring you more enjoyment in listening to music. If you’ve got around £1600 to spend, you’ll struggle to do better for your money – UK reps or not.
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