I spent a day testing elite hi-fi kit — here are 11 products I’d buy if money were no object
Many major cultural achievements have come from Bristol: Blackbeard, Aardman, Concorde, Brunel’s various engineering works, me… And between February 20 and 22, the cider-loving British city also gifted the world several major new audio gadgets.
Money no object
We love to give practical buying advice about the latest tech products here on TechRadar. But sometimes what we love even more is to indulge in the most outrageously high-end, cutting-edge, luxurious propositions on the planet. That’s what we bring you in these Money no object columns – you can read the whole series here.
This is all thanks to Bristol Hi-Fi, an annual audio show which turns the UK city’s Marriott Hotel into an audiophile’s paradise for three days. The show sees many of the world’s major hi-fi brands take up residency around the corner from the train station, and transform hotel rooms into immersive listening booths for the pleasure of the paying public.
TechRadar’s resident Bristol expert — and Hi-Fi tester — was on the ground, to test all the various new music gadgets released at the show. Most importantly, that includes plenty of gadgets that are outside the usual audiophiles budget — but may be appealing for people to whom budget is no concern.
Below, you’ll find plenty of cutting edge hi-fi separates — not all brand new, but at least released in the last year — which may not fit into the average audiophile’s budget, but which may still be worth bearing in mind for the passionate music lover.
1. ATC Anniversary EL50
There won’t be a particular order to this list, but I wanted to start with the priciest model just to scare off those who like to flex their capital through their Hi-Fi purchases. The ATC Statement EL50 cost £49,500 (roughly $66,700, AU$94,200), so they’re not exactly for the budget audiophile. When I saw them at Bristol Hi-Fi, a pair of them was enthralling an entire suite of listeners; they’re floor-standing giants, standing as tall as a (juvenile) human.
According to ATC’s materials, these monoliths deliver 3-channel audio with 200W bass, 100W mids and 50W high-frequency output. The drive unit is designed to reduce distortion, with tweeters designed with neodymium motors and ATC drivers super-charging the mids. The listening room at Bristol Hi-Fi was huge, and I was staggered that two speakers could fill such a space.
The catch (other than the price)? The Anniversary EL50 is only selling in a run of 50 units, so only a handful of buyers are going to be able to enjoy these wood-covered powerhouses. Best get your name on the list…
2. Lockwood Universal Stanley 2
As someone who’s tested almost too many products in his time, I love options that let you customize their appearance and craft something which suits your home. For £4,899.99, then, I could buy the LUS2 (as I’m shortening them to).
These are floor-standing speakers which come in walnut carving… or your choice of literally any Pantone color. Having tested my fair share of Moto smartphones, all of which come in certain shades of Pantone-endorsed hues, I’ve come to appreciate this kind of color overlord-ship.
Specs-wise, these things put out at 200W and have custom 5-inch drive units. I didn’t get to spend as much time listening as I’d like, because too many other people at Bristol Hi-Fi were enjoying them, but they sound pretty good — and offer more versatility into your home decor than alternatives.
3. Advance Paris A10 Apex
Speakers were left, right, and center at Bristol Hi-Fi, but no tower is an island, and your system’s other components are just as important. That’s now how I found Advance Paris’ A10 Apex, though; my ears were leading the way.
This amplifier costs £2,450, (which is around $3,312 or AU$4,675) true to that ‘money no object’ mantra. It has a built-in ESS9018 DAC, voltage regulators and a power supply designed to lower noise, and offers a range of outputs including HDMI eARC, coax, optical and phono MM. So, it’s lovely and powerful.
I heard the A10 Apex powering a few other speakers offered by retailer Decent Sounds, including a CD player from the same brand.
4. Astell & Kern SP4000 Copper
It may surprise some readers who’ve gotten this far, that I really have used audio products before. I know that TechRadar gave the Astell & Kern SP4000 a glowing review, even though spending $3,999 / £3,799 / AU$6,599 on a digital audio player can (and will) give some buyers conniptions.
Well, there’s a new build: the SP4000 Copper. This offers the same fantastic sound quality with an impressive array of specifications, but also comes in a premium protective hue: copper, the patron saint of audiophiles. And yes, it costs more: its UK price bumps up the asking rate by £200 on the original model.
5. Creek Audio Cymatics 6
I love a good narrative angle, and Creek Audio is providing a juicy one with the Cymatics 6. This is the brand’s first new loudspeaker in 30 years — the same number of years as I’ve been around — and it’s planned as the middle member of an upcoming trio of speakers. Hey, Creek: take it as one member of a trio, the first is always the best.
This speaker costs £2,800, putting it in ‘money no object’ territory. According to my copious notes, it was pumping out classical when I listened, although I have a strong hunch that it was an orchestral rendition of The Lion King (hey, no judgement).
Either way, the three ticks in my notebook prove I was impressed by this speaker: the speaker handled the detail and nuance of a live recording of an orchestra really well. At the Hi-Fi show, nearly all audio samples chosen were mid-20th-century rock, and the few modern picks were obscure funky tracks. I don’t recall another exhibitor picking something orchestral.
My pictures show another reason why I liked it: it has that lovely classical wood-carved look, and it’s eco-friendly apparently.
6. Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10
Pro-Ject’s new turntable was one of the big new Bristol Hi-Fi releases I was hunting down, as our list of the best turntables is topped by the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo. At £999 (roughly $1,350, AU$1,900), the Debut Reference 10 is a more premium option, though I’m not convinced it’s a real ‘money no object’ buy. Still, I wanted it here rather than on my affordable list from the Bristol Hi-Fi Show.
The Debut Reference 10 has a 10-inch tonearm, made with both aluminum and carbon fiber, with the Pick it Pro cartridge from Pro-Ject. Its platter is acrylic with an aluminum sub-platter, with the plastic elements from other Pro-Jects replaced with other materials (except the dust cover).
I was struck by how minimal the Reference 10 is, even as high-end turntables go, but I guess it is a manual player. When I listened to this new record player, it was paired with various other kit from the brand, including the Speaker Box 12 E Carbon and Phone Box S3 B, so it was a real test case for Pro-Ject’s tech.
7. Era Acoustics XTL
OK, the price of the products featured in this ‘super-premium’ listicle is trending down and down. So let’s remedy that: meet the new XTL speakers from Era Acoustics. They mark the first release from Era which, as far as I can tell, also launched itself at Bristol Hi-Fi.
These new £7,500-per-pair (about $10,000, AU$14,300) loudspeakers are hand-made in a range of finishes and colors, though I was captivated by the Cracked Gold one shown off at the show. Apparently, the stands and premium finishes cost more, but I don’t know how much.
The stand-mounted XTL uses quarter wavelength transmission to reduce phase and distortion, with a 50W power rating. It sounds like you can pick the drivers when you order the speakers (they’re made to order, so you can’t pop down to the Amazon website to pick them up).
8. Devialet Phantom Ultimate
After so many boxy speakers, I was glad to see the Devialet Phantom Ultimate, even if the two members of its family look like the villain of a new Portal game. These members are the Ultimate 98dB, for £1,400, or the 108dB for £2,800, and max volume isn’t the only difference between these models. Technically they’re not new, as we covered them back in September, but I guess they’re still new-ish.
These unique-looking pod speakers pack plenty of home-brewed features like HBI (Heart Bass Implosion, which sounds a little worrying, but is meant to simply “take you to the lowest frequencies ever emitted”), and AVL (adaptive volume level, to adjust how loud varying songs are). The Ultimate offer 1,100W amplification in the top unit (400W in the 98dB) and support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. No, no wired, apparently.
My specs list shows an ‘Opera de Paris’ option, costing an extra £250 for the 98db model and £500 for the 108dB speaker. I don’t know what this means, although we saw the name used before for a ludicrously-expensive streaming amp from the brand.
9. Ruark R810 MIE
We covered the Ruark R810 MIE when it was announced a month ago, and it’s a limited-time variant of the ‘standard’ Ruark.
The Ruark 810 (normal) is a giant ‘radiogram’ which offers all the trappings you’d hope from a modern speaker: compatibility for just about every modern audio streaming service, various connections, radio play and Hi-Res music support. It has two silk dome tweeters, two woofers and a long-throw subwoofer, with a built-in amp and DAC.
We’re not talking about that model, though, because I got to see the newish MIE model which, at £6,495 (about $8,955 / AU$12,795), is twice as pricey as the normal edition. Only 100 units have been made, between two wood finishes.
MIE stands for ‘Made in England’ and that explains its price: it was made in Blighty by artisanal furniture makers, and looks absolutely stunning. I saw the Leaf-line Oak model (it’s the one pictured) and I love the patterns and look. This comes from something called marquetry, a process of applying multiple layers of veneer in order to create a distinct look.
10. Neat Audio Iota Alpha II
It felt like 99% of speakers I saw at Bristol were either floor-standing monoliths, or small-box stand speakers, so I was happy to see something in the middle. The knee-high Iota Alpha II from Neat Acoustics cost £1,995 (about $2600, AU$3,800).
These second-gen floor-standing speakers hide their best feature: there’s a down-firing driver for bass, which goes hand-in-hand with a bass/mid unit and tweeter that have seen some upgrades since the original model.
Walking into Neat Acoustic’s testing room, I was surprised to see these (relatively) small marvels filling a room just as well as some bigger alternatives.
11. Rega Planar 6 RS
Rega has been releasing spins on its Planar 6 turntable for a few years, with different cartridges, and now it’s getting a premium make-over in the Planar 6 RS Edition (RS stands for ‘Rega Special’). At £2,000 (about $2600, AU$3,800), it’s a bit costlier than the other versions of the 6.
This premium turntable borrows some elements of its premium-er sibling, with a tonearm and cartridge from the Planar 8, and a glass platter that I love the look of.
At Bristol, it was paired with Aya loudspeakers, an Elex amp and Fono phono stage, with Rega’s cables tying the bundle together. It was tinkling out a little Fleetwood Mac, a nice change from all the Dire Straits I’d had to hear from other brands.
The best turntables for all budgets
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