Latest articles by Jez Ford
The trouble with my listening room: speakers weren't made for it
A realisation that open-house lifestyles may not provide quite the conditions for which your loudspeakers were designed...
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2024 report: all-Aussie supersystem, Avantgarde world debut, and more
The highlights from, and the lowdown on, the weekend’s Australian Hi-Fi Show in Sydney...
Hubbl
Can the latest little streaming box for Australia deliver on its promise of being “the future of TV and streaming”?
BenQ X300G
BenQ's compact 4K XPR projector is specialised for gamers, but proves a capable all-round entertainer, with Android TV and built-in speakers
Marantz Cinema 30 Sound+Image
The integrated rangetopper brings 11 channels of power and 13 of processing, along with HEOS streaming and several paths to multiroom playback. How does it sound?
Sonus Faber Duetto
Wireless active speakers that combine the company's Italian design flair with fully modern streaming – including an early appearance of consumer Ultra WideBand technology.
JBL Spinner BT Sound+Image
JBL’s Spinner BT is the cheaper of the company's two new turntables, yet it comes loaded with a phono stage and Bluetooth wireless playback. We reckon it’ll sell bucketloads.
Yamaha True X System Sound+Image
Yamaha revives a higher level of soundbar in a ‘True X’ format which pairs bar with a wireless subwoofer and two battery-powered rears – which have a wireless life of their own
Leica Cine 1 Sound+Image review
This upmarket ultra-short-throw ‘Cinema TV’ projection solution from the camerameisters at Leica in Germany proves a beauty in both its design and its delivery on the screen.
Vivid Audio Kaya S12
It’s Vivid’s smallest speaker, with just 12 litres of internal space. Yet it loves going loud and it’s not short of bass. What’s its trick?
BenQ GV31 Sound+Image
This successful circular projector concept is now upgraded with higher-quality visuals yet the same impressive simplicity of set-up and battery operation
Denon DNP-2000NE
A high-res audio streamer with HEOS – but also a whole lot more, while showing the advantages of a full component-width unit
TCL 55C845
800 nits full white, 2200 peak: TCL’s Mini LED TV retains its dazzle and continues to compete effectively with OLED.
The story of Excalibur – how Richter created a new flagship speaker after 25 years
We interview designer Dr Martin Gosnell on Richter's new flagship speakers – and how they couldn't be more black...
Rega Planar 3 50th Anniversary Edition
Rega celebrates its half century by making its longest-lived classic turntable just a little bit more classic
JBL Bar 1300 Sound+Image
Pull off the ends of this bar and they work as wireless rears – or standalone speakers. Neat trick, but how does it all sound?
I changed one setting on Netflix’s Tour De France Unchained – and it brought the whole show to life
Égalité, fraternité, they say, but the English and French soundtracks of Tour de France Unchained do not treat their audience equally.
Dolby Atmos music just went to another level, and I’ve never heard anything like it
Medieval music in a big cathedral is not generally my first go-to for an evening listening session. But wow, now it is.
Clearaudio... a history and a new Reference
Clearaudio's first-ever turntable is reborn, as the German vinyl meisters turn 45. We speak with Robert Suchy.
Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT
Adding Bluetooth but not noise-cancelling keeps these excellent cans in a bargain category
PSB Speakers: a brief history
From a home-made violin – via Floyd Toole and Canada's National Research Council – to a a 50-year-strong speaker brand.
Yamaha R-N2000A
The R-N2000A sees Yamaha leaping into a relatively underpopulated category – medium to high-end smart amplifiers.
