Happy new year! It's the time when people traditionally make resolutions, and if yours is to listen to more music with the latest technology, then you're in luck – the February issue of What Hi-Fi?, available on the newsstands today, is dedicated to wireless systems.
We have reviews of some truly impressive premium wireless speakers and wireless noise-cancelling headphones, allowing you to enjoy top quality sound without being tethered to the nearest plug or socket, or getting tangled by wires.
The missing links
Not so long ago, the idea of a wireless speaker would have seemed like witchcraft or science fiction. But now everyone wants the convenience of a tether-free connection.
While it is possible to buy a wireless speaker that does a decent job for under £100, for truly hi-fi sound, you’ll need to invest a little more. Which is where the February issue of What Hi-Fi? comes in. Whether it’s the classic B&W Zeppelin Wireless or the newer KEF LSXs, we have a product that will tick your boxes.
We also test two of the best £600 stereo amplifiers on the market. It's a fierce battle between the brand new Audiolab 6000A and the two-time Award-winning Rega Brio – but which comes out on top? Find out in the February issue of What Hi-Fi?.
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition
Rock around the block
But if it’s music on-the-go you want, then you’ll enjoy our Group Test of premium noise-cancelling cans, featuring models from Bose, B&W and AKG going up against our Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM3s.
And speaking of wireless, enter our superb competition and you could win a 65in Philips 4K OLED TV and one of three pairs of B&W PX wireless headphones.
In our second head-to-head in the issue, we pit two five-star £1000 floorstanding speakers against each other. The fledgling Fyne Audio speaker brand goes up against the more established Monitor Audio – it's an exciting showdown.
Tempting offers
Our Temptations section this month features reviews of Dali Callisto 6C speakers with the Dali Sound Hub, plus the Moon 390 pre-amplifier. That’s around £10,000 worth of kit, but you need to spend your Christmas money somewhere, right?
Few brands have sparked so much interest in recent years as Technics, and What Hi-Fi? travelled to Japan to meet Tetsuya Itani, Technics' chief engineer. We spoke to him about how the brand's turntables are developed and tested – you'll find the full interview in our Insider feature.
We also look back at the Mission 70 MkII speakers in our That Was Then feature. Do these class-leading stereo speakers from the early 1980s still measure up against today’s best? Pick up the February issue of What Hi-Fi? to find out.
First choices
Our First Tests section is where you’ll find reviews of all the latest hi-fi kit from amplifiers to the latest stereo speakers. In the February issue, we feature the stunning Rega Planar 8 turntable with Apheta 2 cartridge – which we said “pushes the boundaries of performance at this level”.
We review the Audio Pro A10 and Amazon Echo Dot wireless speakers, plus the Dali Oberon 1 stereo speakers. There’s also Philips’s 65OLED803 4K TV, the Bluesound Pulse Soundbar 2i and Sony’s VPL-VW270ES projector. Finally, there’s the AudioQuest Rocket 11 speaker cable, which we think will “optimise your system’s performance”.
And don’t miss your chance to get your hands on a free pair of SoundMagic E10C headphones (worth £40) when you subscribe to What Hi-Fi?.
The February issue is not to be missed. So unplug those headphones and go grab your copy of What Hi-Fi? on sale today. Or simply download it on your tablet or smartphone instead. Enjoy!
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition