Fyne Audio's mid-range F500S speakers aim for serious increases in sonic performance, not price
The new Fyne Audio F500S speakers sit above the F500 and F500E. The range comprises five models – two standmounts, two floorstanders and a mountable LCR unit.
IsoFlare driver tech is once again the order of the day, for improved stereo imaging. It's the same tech as found in the five-star Fyne Audio F501E, which certainly bodes well.
Each driver's low-frequency section uses a multifibre cone to create a natural sound, while the 'FyneFlute' roll surround should provide a clean transient response. Look out for them in the spring.
Musical Fidelity's new stereo amplifier houses HDMI ARC and a built-in phono stage
You wait ages for new Musical Fidelity audio gear, and then two new devices turn up at once. This year's Bristol Hi-Fi Show is playing host to the B1xi stereo amplifier and B1xCD CD player, even though they're not set to launch for a few months yet.
The B1xi Class A/B amplifier has oversized transformers and 50 watts of power into 8 ohms, so should be able to drive most speakers without breaking a sweat. It has plenty of connections (including for a turntable and wired headphones) alongside Bluetooth wireless skills.
And the B1xCD? This too has a headphone input, plus a digital display, but otherwise not many details were made public. The B1x CD will likely cost around £599, and the B1xi around £699 – we'll bring you more info closer to launch.
Neat Iota II's ultra-tiny speakers with big ambitions are ideal for small spaces
With a range of compact speakers, Neat Acoustics certainly lives up to its name. In fact, the Iota are some of the smallest hi-fi speakers to have graced our test rooms. But with their five-star rating, they are testament to the old adage about good things and small packages.
Now they have a sequel in the form of the Iota II. These retain the original's diminutive dimensions, but contain an upgraded mid/bass driver and improved crossover. Like their predecessors, they aim to sound much bigger than their small size suggests.
Given that we reviewed the original Iota in 2012, you can expect the sequel to be considerably more expensive. But hey, that's the way of the world...
Look out for a review soon.
Rega reveals 7th generation Brio amplifier – and this time it has a DAC!
Rega's Brio amplifier is now in its seventh generation, and the latest model comes with a DAC.
It retains the 50-watt per channel rating as its five-star predecessor, and the moving magnet phono stage. But the inclusion of a DAC shows how comfortable Rega is becoming with adding digital inputs that don't compromise sound quality.
We've waited six long years for the next generation of Brio, but now finally the wait is over. We can't wait to get one in our test rooms to see how it performs.
FiiO's FT7 flagship headphones take the fight to pricier rivals
It wouldn't be Bristol without some flagship headphones, and these from Chinese brand FiiO do not disappoint. The FT7 follow the FT5 and FT3, but ramp up the premium-ness considerably.
How? With zebrawood grilles, earpads made of lambskin and suede, and Patent Pending Gold + Silver Precious Metal Multi-Layer Coating Technology, that's how.
They will cost "around $800" when they go on sale later this year. But FiiO claims that they will be worthy rivals to much more expensive pairs. Of course, it all comes down to how they sound.
The WiiM Vibelink Amp is WiiM's first integrated amp with no streaming elements
WiiM's new amp foregoes streaming smarts in favour of a more stripped-back approach. The WiiM Vibelink Amp is the firm's first integrated amp to focus purely on amplification – its previous models (like the Award-winning Pro Plus) all have wi-fi for wireless connectivity.
So is this a new direction for WiiM? Or is it just a companion piece to its connected devices, like the Pro and Ultra? It's probably the latter – WiiM has built a solid reputation of late for producing high-quality hi-fi components that have smart connectivity without breaking the bank. Still, it's an interesting new device for the firm.
It's only been teased for now – we won't get the full details until it launches next month. Stay tuned for first impressions from the show floor.
Michell Engineering has unveiled its Apollo phono stage and Muse power supply
Michell Engineering, best known for its iconic Gyro turntable, has taken the lid off the Apollo phono stage and Muse power supply.
The Muse power supply is all about reducing noise (“the enemy of phono stages”) and uses high quality components to deliver a clean supply to the turntable. The Apollo phono stage handles moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, has single ended RCA connections, and is linked to the power supply with a specially designed link cable.
The new Michell duo costs costs £3500 and will be available from March.
3 Temptations are at the show for the first time
Temptation level products are always interesting beasts that sit in the upper echelons of the hi-fi market for price – and hopefully performance.
And while Bristol isn’t as famous for hosting them as High End Munich, which is set to happen in May, this year’s UK show has three key Temptation products we haven’t seen or heard before on display.
First up are the Wilson Benesch Horizon floorstanding speakers. Sitting in the same family as the A.C.T. 3Zero and Discovery 3Zero we gave a five star rating when we reviewed them, you can hear the Horizon at Wilson Benesch’s stand throughout the event.
Next up is the Devialet Astra amp. We don’t know which speakers the unit is being demoed with but the $20,000 the unit is at Bristol and well worth a look at if you get the time.
Finally, you can also check out the Rotel Michi Q5 CD at this year’s show. Though it was unveiled last year, we haven’t had a chance to see the £5499 / $6999 / €5999 CD / Transport DAC in the flesh yet so we’ll be rushing to Rotel’s stand to take an opening look ASAP and recommend you do the same!
Our hi-fi editor has a hitlist for this year’s show
As well as exhibiting, our team of experts also covers the Bristol Hi-Fi Show and, while there are always a few surprises, our intrepid hi-fi editor, Kashfia Kabir, went in with a hit list of products she planned to get a first look and listen to in the flesh.
These include the:
- Quad ESL-2912X electrostatic speakers
- Ruark Audio Sabre-R bookshelf speakers
- Devialet Astra streaming amplifier
- Acoustic Energy AE300 speaker range
- Wharfedale Super Linton speakers
- Rotel Michi Q5 CD transport/DAC
- Chord Electronics Alto headphone amplifier
You can get a breakdown of her specific reasoning for each here, but trust us, if you’re at the show you’ll definitely want to follow Kash’s lead and carve some time to check the products out. For those not lucky enough to attend, don’t panic! We’ll be publishing her thoughts after seeing each ASAP.
Our 2025 demo is up and running!
If you’re at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show and fancy checking out some cutting edge tech being demoed by the What Hi-Fi? team, then make sure to pop by our stand!
This year we’re continuing our home cinema theme showing what a difference next-generation 8K resolutions makes to TVs.
Specifically we’ll be running a demo bespoke designed to demonstrate how video content has changed over the ages, showing the difference in quality between key formats including DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray and even 8K.
We’ll be doing this with some pretty cutting edge hardware that’s headlined by Samsung's top of the range 8K Mini LED TV and Wharfedale Linton full-blown 7.2 speaker package.
Just make sure you get there in good time as there’s limited seating for each demo and we’re running on a first come, first served basis – not line cutting!
