Sound+Image wireless active speakers GROUP TEST by nextmedia Pty Ltd

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aktiMate BlUesOUND Dali DeFiNitiVe teCHNOlOGY DYNaUDiO HeOs keF klipsCH rUark aUDiO sONOs sYsteM aUDiO triaNGle YaMaHa

Wireless speakers

Last issue we tested a group of soundbars, and finished up, on the whole, sadly unsatisfied. Might active wireless stereo speakers provide a better solution, delivering good music as well as improved TV audio? We’ve reviewed 13 models here, and the answer is a big YES.

t seemed like a simple task — assemble a collection of active hi-fi loudspeakers. Specifically stand-mount/bookshelf size — indeed one of our thoughts was to emphasise how a pair of speakers like these either side of your TV may be a much better solution than most soundbars. But also they’d be good for listening to music from various other sources — and in nearly all cases direct from your smart device of choice. Indeed if your preferred music is now all available to your smart device, either stored on it or as a streaming service, then some of these active speakers may be enough to form your entire hi-fi system, all on their own. We decided not to aim at a particular price point, but more broadly to give a sense for what might be available for different budgets. Our main aim was speakers with a nice bit of sound quality and, of course, built-in amplifiers, and we had in mind simple speaker boxes. But several of the 13 models we ended up with turned out not to be not a natural stereo pair, rather part of a multiroom system. In each case two of them can be joined together — connected via your home network — as a stereo pair. But that added a

layer of complexity, especially as some of them were fine doing stereo when fed music from the network using their app, but couldn’t deliver stereo audio from an external input; indeed, one set didn’t even have any physical input. Most models here have Bluetooth to stream from a smart device or laptop, and most with Bluetooth include the higher quality aptX codec which delivers better sound from those Android phones which support it. Only one had the AAC codec which allows Apple devices to deliver better than bog-standard Bluetooth. Most of the network-capable speakers supported Spotify and, in some cases, other streaming services. Most of them could not act as generic DLNA renderers, which would allow you a choice of DLNA player software to send tunes from any shared music on your network. Instead they lock you into their app. And an iOS or Android device was essential to the proper use of nearly all of them. If you’re considering a pair of speakers from this kind of space, read through and give consideration as to the kind of connectivity you want. While our bias is towards the more hifi-ish speakers, both in styling and layout, you might want to go multiroom so that you can

send music throughout your home when not sitting down to listen to a stereo pair. Throughout, as always, we gave the greatest weight to sound quality. And although bass is important to us, we excluded ‘2.1’ speakers (with separate subwoofers) since that goes against the simplicity we were hoping to show to be possible here. That said, we certainly considered bass enhancement capabilities — chiefly, is there a subwoofer output (and do they need one)? So in addition to standalone listening, we gave those with such an output a listen with a subwoofer as well, to see the improvement as well as in case there were any untoward interactions. I used the subwoofer that normally sits under my desk, the rather nice little Krix Seismix 1 Mk4 with a downwards-firing 200mm driver and a 200W amplifier. It’s a very good match for high-quality small speakers, though of course good subwoofers aren’t particularly cheap — the current Krix Seismix 1 is $895. So read on, and see what you like. As always, we suggest you take our judgements here as suggestions and that you audition the ones that interest you at a hi-fi shop before making a final decision. Stephen Dawson

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01 Up to $1000

WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $1000

Ruark Audio MR1 Mk 2

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uark Audio, once a builder of traditional loudspeakers, has remade itself over the last decade through its nifty DAB radios and other compact audio systems. These MR1s saw the company putting several of its key technologies into a neat pair of standalone powered speakers. Originally released in 2013, they are now freshly revised in a new Mk 2 version, still just as usefully compact.

Equipment

Yep, compact indeed. Each of the MR1s stands, basically, 175mm tall by 130mm wide and 135mm deep. I shall confess that upon removing them from their carton and seeing their size, I expected them to be, shall we say, rather thin in their sound. (Spoiler: I was wrong.) Their rounded edges and the neat wrap (walnut and soft grey versions are available) along with the non-removable ‘British milled fabric’ grilles endow them with a rather attractive look. The right speaker is active, the left passive. A large volume and selection knob (Ruark’s RotoDial) sits on top of the active speaker and a small triangular section at the bottom of the grille is the receiver for the tiny infrared remote control. Inside each enclosure is a 20mm silk-dome tweeter and a 75mm bass/ midrange driver. Each enclosure is held almost a centimetre from the surface upon which it is placed by four rubber legs, leaving space for the bass reflex port to fire downwards. Ruark Audio says that each channel is provided with 20W of Class A/B power, spruiking the design’s claimed sonic advantages over digital amps. No networking here, but Bluetooth, optical and analogue audio inputs are provided. The Bluetooth supports the aptX codec though not AAC, so higher-

end Android phones are likely to give slightly better results than Apple devices. There’s a level-controlled subwoofer output should you desire more bass than the speakers are capable of producing. The controls are restricted to level, input selection and on/standby. None of that silly EQ stuff here. They switch on and off automatically when a signal (including Bluetooth) is detected. One clever feature is that if the cable connecting the two speakers — it’s terminated at both ends with mono 3.5mm jacks — is removed from the active speaker, it switches to mono operation.

Performance

I put the Ruark speakers on stands in the location normally occupied by my much larger main listening speakers. Size be damned. They filled the room with sound. Two things on volume. First, the speakers went to a very satisfying level on regular music. They will probably not satisfy the most frenzied metal fan, and they lack the headroom for the crescendos of large orchestral works. But otherwise? Very impressive, and ridiculously impressive in view of their tiny size. Second, they also have plenty of gain, including with Bluetooth. Many Bluetooth speakers won’t go very loud even though they clearly have additional capacity (usually revealed with analogue input signals) simply because they have insufficient level with the volume control maxed out. None of that here. You can turn these speakers up loud. Each press of the volume key, or click advance on the top control knob, amounted to around two decibels of level adjustment. Initial impressions had me very surprised and very pleased. I played a track from The Clash — The Magnificent Seven — and the sound had bite but fine control and a very engaging bass line that

FACTS & FIGURES

The optical input here proved to support input signals up to 24-bit and 192kHz sampling. The subwoofer output is variable, so once you match the sub level with the speaker output level, they should remain in balance. The sub output is not filtered, so you will need a subwoofer with a low-pass filter control on its input. Finally, the deeper bass output was at midrange level, down to 110Hz, although there was a five or so decibel boost around 200Hz. Still, compared to the midrange the bass was at -6dB at 80Hz and continued to fall away evenly below that point. No real kick drums from these speakers.

SPECS

Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2

$699

Connectivity: Bluetooth, optical, analogue Dimensions: 175 x 130 x 135mm Internal power: 2 x 20W Frequency response: Not stated Contact: Synergy Audio Web: www.synergyaudio.com + Rather nice sound from the upper bass upwards + Very compact + Subwoofer output - Limited native bass output

seemed fully in balance and, while not particularly extended, was nonetheless surprisingly deep considering the compactness of these speakers. In part that was an artifact of the particular track. Later, with more familiar tracks from Dire Straits ‘Brothers in Arms’, the familiar bass from Ride Across the River was missing its underpinnings, and there was a hint of zing in the upper frequencies. The latter was easily tamed simply by placing the speakers so that they fired straight ahead, rather than having them angled in towards the listening position. But then I played Kate Bush’s ‘The Kick Inside’ and again things seemed a lot more balanced, especially at the bass end. The thumping part of percussion was entirely absent, of course, but the bass line was strong and tuneful. I’d say that all this suggests that the speakers provide strong bass performance to a particular cut-off — perhaps 90Hz or so — and almost nothing below that point. Moving to George Ezra’s album ‘Wanted On Voyage’, that upper frequency zing was confirmed, verging on a slight whistle. To be fair this album has obviously been recorded with pop sensibilities and radio play in mind, so it isn’t especially restrained at the top end. It depended, too, on the track. Blame It on Me had some vocal elements that verged on piercing, while Budapest was merely brightened by the sound. When I coupled the speakers with the Krix subwoofer (filter set to around 90Hz), the performance lifted to a new level. The zing seemed tamed and the mids and highs felt smoother. We loved the little Ruarks — they proved stylish and friendly, while sounding bigger than they look.

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WIRELESS SPEAKERS

02 Up to $1000

UP TO $1000

AktiMate Mini+ B

ktiMate has been making highly regarded active speakers of Australian design for this past decade, and there’s barely a model among them that hasn’t won one of our awards — indeed after charming the Australian market with what was, back then, a pretty much new concept in active stereo speakers, they went on to success in Europe too. For this group we have renewed our acquaintance with the latest incarnation of its original model, the AktiMate Mini, now called the

AktiMate Mini+ B, with Bluetooth added to its selection of wired inputs.

Equipment

These are decent-sized but not excessively large bookshelf models. They stand 300mm tall and 185mm wide, and weigh on one side four-and-half kilograms, and on the other, six-and-a-half kilograms. The left-hand unit weighs two kilograms more than the right because it contains all the electronics, the connections and a hefty rear heatsink for the built-in amplifier. The right speaker is passive,

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carrying standard binding posts for connection using the supplied threemetre cable. AktiMate rates the output of the Class A/B amplifier at 40W ‘RMS’ per channel into the four-ohm speaker load. That amp is based on the National Semiconductor LM4780 Overture amplifier chip. The datasheet for this chip says that it offers into four-ohm loads a guaranteed minimum of ‘50 watts RMS’. (What’s with the use of RMS in technical datasheets? Perhaps this battle is now lost….) And typically 55 watts. Which says to me that AktiMate are traditionalists in hi-fi terms, underspecifying and over-delivering. The drivers are a 25mm soft-dome unit with neodymium magnet and a 165mm polypropylene cone woofer. The enclosures are bass reflex loaded with large ports on their rear sides. The units supplied for review has a bold gloss red finish. I loved the colour and would be prepared to decorate a

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WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $1000

room so that they’d fit in, but recognising that some loved ones may not necessarily agree, AktiMate also has them available in gloss black and gloss white. The original Minis had a metal grille over the tweeter while the woofer cone was exposed. The Mini+ B speakers have black metal grilles over both. The grille of the tweeter is surrounded by an aluminium ring. For sources there’s a USB-B input for computer, Bluetooth, and three analogue audio inputs. No optical nor coaxial, which means if you have one of those silly TVs which lack a headphone output, you’d have to buy a little DAC to use these with your TV’s optical output. The USB-B input allows the speakers to act as USB audio devices for computers. No driver is needed for Windows PCs because it’s limited to 24 bits and 96kHz and complies with the USB Audio Class 1 standard, rather than Class 2. Just plug it into either a Windows PC or Mac and select it as your default audio device. There’s a subwoofer output in case you aren’t satisfied with the bass performance. This has a mild low pass filter — -3dB at 187Hz, says the specifications, which is probably too high. I did some listening with a subwoofer and found that it worked nicely with its filter set at 50Hz, near the minimum available. A small remote control allows input selection, volume control and play control of Bluetooth music. A knob on the left speaker in AktiMate’s traditional position also controls volume and can be pressed to cycle through the inputs.

We love the fire-truck red, but the gloss black and white AktiMates are, we gather, bigger sellers...

Performance

Once I’d checked that the computer DAC and Bluetooth functions worked properly, I did the bulk of my listening using the analogue inputs. These speakers had what I’d characterise as a very high fidelity feel to them. That is, rather than trying to impose some kind of character of their own on the sound, they delivered essentially what was there regardless of source. On the other hand nothing in particular stood out, in a sense making them hard to review. Which I think might be a good thing. Playing heavily processed what one might call ‘unnatural’ music, such as the album ‘10000 Hz Legend’ by Air, there was good punch and excellent precision in the imaging. And low distortion. I found myself having the volume level up rather more than I normally would,

FACTS & FIGURES

Each nudge of the remote volume control amounted to three decibels of adjustment. The front volume control was a bit tricky to use. Rather than its position relating to the volume, the adjustment depended on the speed with which it was turned. Turn it slowly and carefully and there’s no change in level. As far as I could work out, it also had a minimum effect of plus or minus three decibels. Measured up close, the output from the woofer was almost entirely even from 110Hz to 800Hz. It fell away below that point, but the output from the port kicked in, peaking at around 70Hz. Using the port output as a guide, I’d put the -6dB point at 50Hz and the -10dB point at 44Hz.

because the speakers delivered so cleanly. With this music there were hints of seriously deep bass. Keith Moon’s drumming on ‘Who’s Next’ was clean and precise, without being especially lifted above the mix. Precision was excellent. I listened again to the Wynton Marsalis, English Chamber Orchestra CD ‘Baroque Music for Trumpets’. Recorded in 1990, the digital recording technology was still quite primitive. Marsalis’ playing of the multiple trumpet parts had to take into account the latency in the system, so he had to play ahead of what he was hearing through his headphones. The result is musically gorgeous, but with a very natural and spacious feel to the orchestra, wonderfully captured by these speakers, and somewhat artificial placement of each of the trumpets. All delivered finely by this system. When the original AktiMates arrived, they were a bold concept as well as an excellent performer. Now that wireless speakers are in abundance, we were pleased to hear that the AktiMates still showed their quality and value. SPECS

AktiMate Mini+ B

$795

Connectivity: Bluetooth, 2 x stereo (RCA), 1 x stereo (3.5mm), USB-B DAC Dimensions: 300 x 185 x 210mm Internal power: 2 x 40W RMS Quoted frequency response: 50-22,000Hz ±1.5dB Contact: Audio Heaven Web: www.audioheaven.com.au + High precision sound + Excellent value for money + Strong bass performance - No optical input

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03 Up to $1000

WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $1000

Klipsch RW-1 paired

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lipsch specification sheets often have one odd field: ‘Built From’. That’s the kind of thing you do when one of your models has been ‘Built From’ 1946! But of course the Klipsch RW-1 wireless network speaker has only been ‘Built From’ 2016.

input. Unusually in this group, there is no Bluetooth, but you can play from your smart device through your home network using the app (thereby potentially better quality than Bluetooth). So all wireless stuff will be via the network only. A line of four backlit buttons on the top of each unit provides local control.

Equipment

Performance

The RW-1 is marketed primarily as a single wireless speaker (at $449), and is part of Klipsch’s relatively new ‘Klipsch Stream Wireless Multi-Room Audio System’, so able to communicate with others in the Klipsch Stream range (which includes soundbars as well as larger standalone speakers). Indeed it’ll work with a wide range of units from other brands as well, since the Klipsch Stream system uses the DTS Play-Fi platform, and all the brands using that platform are (to our experience so far, anyway) able to work together. For our purposes here, a group test of stereo wireless speakers, we made use of the RW-1’s ability to pair with another RW-1 to work as a seamless stereo pair. Even in tandem, this remains a compact solution — each speaker is only 229mm tall and 117mm wide — and we reckon they are quite stylish, the dark fixed grille pleasantly offset by some bronze colour details. Being from Klipsch, the 19mm aluminium-dome tweeter is horn-loaded, while the bass driver is one of the smaller ones of this collection, at 89mm. The enclosure is sealed. The power specifications were unusual: each speaker packs a 26.5W amplifier for the woofer and a 3.5W amplifier for the tweeter, as if rather than designing to match some pointless ideal in which a tweeter requires as much power as a woofer, Klipsch has optimised the power output for each driver. As noted, these are network speakers which, like the Definitive Technology W7 speakers in this group, use the DTS Play-Fi system. They have both Ethernet and WiFi connectivity — dual-band in the latter case. Plus a 3.5mm stereo

We had some initial frustration here connecting this pair of speakers to my network. I refused to resort to Ethernet, which usually bypasses all the hard stuff, although in retrospect I probably should have. The ‘Klipsch Stream’ app differs only cosmetically from the ‘Definitive’ one (p58), and connection procedures were the same — but at the last step here (finding the speaker through the network you’ve just connected it to), it failed multiple times, even on a different access point, even after rebooting the router. In the end, I used the Definitive app and it found a speaker instantly! The Klipsch app then found the other one too. Firmware updates were then applied, so maybe that had something to do with it. At the start of each update the app announced that the connection had failed, another heart-in-mouth moment, but in both cases the ‘Try Again’ worked. All of which was a pity, because that initial problem aside (and we try not to be too affected by first-impression frustrations) the RW-1s proved a ridiculously fine pair of speakers in view of both their size and price. I put on Blood, Sweat and Tears’ I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know, and out rang the track with a full representation of everything that was happening, most particularly the bass guitar, which was balanced and clean and very well articulated. It was really very surprising. The treble was clean and clearly extended, and there was plenty of detail. In fact I started playing that track using the MP3 version on an iPad Mini 4 itself, and there was a slightly weird airy phasing effect which had some of the sound floating about the speakers. It was

FACTS & FIGURES

The close-miked output peaked at 110Hz, around 8dB higher than the 300Hz region, and then rolled off gently below that point to around 60Hz (as you’d expect given the sealed enclosure), with the slope increasing a little beyond that point. The -6dB point from the peak was at 57Hz, and from the 300Hz region around 45Hz. Given the size of these speakers, you have to count that as impressive.

SPECS

Klipsch RW-1

$449 each, $898 pair

Connectivity: Ethernet, Dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, 1 x stereo (3.5mm) Dimensions: 229 x 117 x 135mm Internal power: 26.5W (woofer) + 3.5W (tweeter) continuous Frequency response: Not stated Contact: Powermove Distribution Web: www.powermove.com.au + Good tonal balance + Surprising bass extension + Very compact - Can’t play direct inputs in stereo - Can’t supplement bass with subwoofer - No gapless playback

pleasant, but not the norm. So I replayed the track, this time the FLAC version played from my networked server, and normal delivery was restored. The imaging was a little variable, by which I mean that the central image seemed to be uncertainly located, moving slightly, with such material as Laura Marling’s album ‘I Was An Eagle’. I’m not sure that the DTS Play-Fi system always locks in timing quite to the precision required. But again detail was excellent and treble was extended, while maintaining reasonable restraint on this album’s occasional sibilant excesses. I would have liked more gain to be available from the system. I did most of my listening with the volume set to a hundred per cent. That was satisfyingly loud, but it meant that on those occasions when I want a real blast, nothing further was available. I guess that way Klipsch ensures that the limitations which must exist in the system aren’t exceeded. Incidentally, the volume control of one of the speakers adjusted the stereo volume and was reflected in the app, while the other one adjusted that speaker only. Which did which? You’ll have to experiment. For me it was the left one, which was also the second speaker I’d linked to the system. The lack of gapless playback seems a DTS Play-Fi weakness, and it applied in full to this speaker. As did the limitation that the auxiliary inputs are not delivered in stereo, only through the one speaker to which you connect, ruling out this pair for, say, use either side of a TV. Otherwise the paired RW-1s proved impressive for their size and price.

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WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $1000

04 Up to $1000

Sonos PLAY:3 paired

nce there were but two network audio systems. Then Yamaha MusicCast (which tends to be forgotten as an early entrant) went away for many years, licking its wounds, only to return again in the past few years. While it was gone, that left Sonos alone, dominating the field. Here we have, from somewhere in the middle of the Sonos range, a pair of Sonos PLAY:3 speakers.

Equipment

Sonos isn’t one to release annual updates of its hardware — the PLAY:3 was released in 2011, and physically it hasn’t changed at all since. But Sonos does regularly update software, which

can have dramatic effect. For example the PLAY:3s can these days be paired with the Sonos SUB — there is no subwoofer output, you simply select that configuration in the Sonos app and the system adjusts to fit, relieving the PLAY:3s of most of their bass duties in the process, and so creating a very different level of performance. But here we are dealing with the PLAY:3s alone or, rather, as a pair. They can of course work individually as part of a multiroom system — playing different music, or grouped to both play the same thing, or as here, paired in stereo configuration, one being the left, the other the right. Sonos doesn’t specify the sizes of the drivers, but from online resources, it looks as though there is a 25mm dome tweeter in the centre of the front, with a 100mm bass/

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midrange either side of it. Sonos likewise doesn’t state the power output, nor a frequency response. Our recurrent concern with wireless systems in this round-up has been how a wirelessly-linked pair handles external stereo inputs. Forget about all that with the Sonos system. There are no signal inputs at all — not analogue, not optical, not coaxial digital. Nor, for that matter, Bluetooth. This is a strictly networkbased music system. There are three buttons on the top: volume up and down, and apparently ‘mute’ according to the universal symbol with which it is marked. But this last button is actually a Play/Pause button. Which kind of makes sense in a 100% network audio situation. You typically don’t want the thing to continue streaming while it’s silent, so you might as well pause it. We say the buttons are ‘on the top’, but you can, as pictured above, up-end the PLAY:3s. Sonos says that the EQ will automatically adjust according to orientation.

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WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $1000

Performance

Sonos has been at this for a long time now, so it wasn’t surprising that network set-up was straightforward. Somewhat surprisingly (or perhaps a sign of its longevity in the market), it appears to support only 2.4GHz networks, not 5GHz. So it’s possible that in some environments particularly soupy with 2.4GHz comms there might be problems. That said, our test space is not devoid of soup and the system still worked well. If all else fails, there are physical Ethernet connections you can use instead. So that side of setting up was easy. Connecting to the bulk of my music, which resides on network-attached storage, was a little more complicated. Only a couple of DLNA-style servers are supported, and Synology is not one of them. So to get access to network music I had to tell it to log into a shared folder and provide admin details. After which it scanned for a while to build up artist and album lists. There was one other very interesting aspect of set-up: Sonos TruePlay. This is an EQ system which is applied to the speakers to optimise their performance for your room and their location within it. A wizard guides you through the process. It only takes a couple of minutes and involves you waving your iOS device around the room. This function is limited to Apple devices, because this kind of thing relies on known microphone characteristics, and Android devices are just too variable to include. Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ was very nicely rendered within the physical limitations of the speaker. Stereo imaging was steady and quite convincing, without managing

We tested the PLAY:3s as a simple stereo pair, but they can also be combined with a Sonos SUB (it must be specifically the Sonos SUB) to relieve bass duties for the PLAY:3 in a 2.1-channel system.

that three-dimensional feel that real high-fidelity speakers can produce. The nuances in her voice were properly reproduced and the overall tonal sense was one of good balance. And while there was a nice amount of grunt and energy, being familiar with this album it was clear that a couple of octaves at the bass end were missing. Which is kind of what you’d expect. So unless you’re prepared to invest in that Sonos SUB, put deep bass out of your mind. But what you do get is a very solid, well-balanced mid-bass and up. When the track Don’t Hurt Yourself opened with its powerful cymbals, they were delivered with precision. As the rest of the musicians kicked in, and keeping the level up high, there was a fair bit of confusion as the output limits were reached, though I was pleased that the system isn’t gain-limited, so one isn’t left with an anaemic sound. I’d prefer FACTS & FIGURES

20Hz

100

300 500

The output at the front of the Sonos PLAY:3 measured up close (top graph), was flat down to 70Hz with -6dB at 56Hz and -10dB at 51Hz. But it was clear that there was a rear-mounted passive radiator. Measured close (bottom graph) this produced a very pointy peak at 62Hz with output steeply falling away both sides. Its minus -6dB and -10dB points were almost identical at 55 and 52Hz.

Above: frequency plots for the Sonos PLAY:3 from the front (top) and rear (bottom). The graphs for for all this group of speakers can be viewed at www.avhub.com.au/SIgraphs

the option of high volume with a bit of distortion to low distortion and a sound level that might not be able to match my mood. Reducing the volume somewhat, clarity was restored. Moving to Laura Marling’s new album ‘Semper Femina’ — which is rather less challenging in the bass — the same room-filling volumes were achievable without the distortion and with fine clarity. I played that from Spotify, and it was quite the experience because Spotify content can be accessed within the Sonos app, which is unusual. Indeed if you jump out and open the Spotify app itself, you won’t see the Sonos speakers as available options for playback, so the Sonos app is actually the only way to play Spotify to them. So some limitations to the sound here, but of course the Sonos system in toto is legendarily effective, and versatile — in addition to solo, grouped, stereo-paired or SUB-mated operation, you can even use these PLAY:3s as wireless rears to form a 5.1 surround system with the Playbar or the new Playbase. Clever stuff. SPECS

Sonos PLAY:3 paired

$449 each, $898 pair

Connectivity: Ethernet, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Dimensions: 132 x 268 x 160mm Internal power: Not stated Frequency response: Not stated Contact: Sonos Inc. Web: www.sonos.com.au + Decent sound quality + Excellent network features and control + Room tuning with Apple devices + Limited deep bass of course + Can get messy when played too loud

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05 Up to $1000

Wireless speakers Up TO $1000

System Audio Saxo 1 Active

iny. Conventional, but tiny. Yes, some of the other speakers in our group are small, but the System Audio Saxo 1 Active speakers are the smallest that look like conventional speakers. But they turn out to be able produce a remarkable amount of quality sound from their diminutive confines.

Equipment

Each box stands just 260mm tall and only 130mm wide and 200mm deep. Should you be of the declining breed of audio lover who likes their speakers to be visually imposing, forget about it. (Acoustically imposing? Now that’s a different matter.) They are standard rectangular boxes with a 25mm soft-dome

tweeter at the top, a 104mm woofer at the bottom, a bass reflex port at the back and a removable black grille, just like a big speaker. Our review pair were in a high gloss white, while black is also available. The left-channel speaker holds the amplifiers and electronics, which is why it weighs 3.6 kilograms, rather than the 2.9kg of the right speaker which is entirely passive. A 2.5-metre speaker cable is provided to link the two. Rather than separate amps for each driver, a 50W amp is shared between each set of tweeter and woofer. There are two analogue stereo inputs, two optical digital audio inputs and a subwoofer output. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity. The Android-friendly aptX codec is supported. The Apple-friendly

AAC codec isn’t, so iDevices will have to fall back on the lesser SBC codec. Also at the rear is a USB socket, which is there principally to provide power (up to 500mA) for portable devices that may need it. The manual prattles on for a couple of paragraphs about how this switches off when the unit is in standby mode, and how you can make it provide power even in that case. Except that it doesn’t switch off when the unit is in standby! So you can ignore all that. There are few controls on the speaker except for the volume knob, strangely hidden under the grille on the active speaker. Perhaps this is a hint that one should listen without the grilles in place. There’s also a ten-key remote control which performs the usual functions.

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The output from the front of the woofer was maintained down to 100Hz, below which it began to drop away fairly steeply (down 6dB at 92Hz). But this was of course supplemented by the output from the bass reflex port. The port output peaked at around 60Hz, falling away to -6dB at 48Hz and -10dB at 41Hz, which seems impressive. But the port output was actually quite low in level so the effective deep bass was rather lower in level than those numbers suggest. Eyeballing the two curves (you can view all the graphs at www.avhub.com.au/SIgraphs), I’d suggest the -6dB point was around 60Hz and -10dB at 50Hz.

Performance

Connecting this system up was simple. Power, input and wire between the two boxes. The remote worked well at input selection and volume control from a reasonable range. Bluetooth pairing was equally effective and sounded quite respectable, even when using an Apple device and thus relying on SBC. But I did virtually all my listening with audio fed into the speaker via optical from a Denon streamer. And I confess I spent way too much time planted in front of these little speakers, because it turns out that they’re little beauties. They have one obvious weakness: quite limited bass. That’s inevitable given the small enclosure and driver, but I don’t want to overstate it, because on most music there was good upper bass and sufficient mid-bass for solid musical enjoyment. But the deep stuff was simply not there. Of course. The optical input supported all my signals up to 24 bits and 192kHz sampling (which is

not to say it necessarily uses all that data — it may simply take every second sample). As it happens, I have a late 1960s Aretha Franklin album in just that format, and it made for a rather interesting listen through these speakers. Normally it sounds surprisingly modern. I tend to think of the early 1970s as the point where recording quality started to become about as good as it gets, but this album had a certain smoothness about it that seemed almost anachronistic — with many speakers. The little Saxo speakers, though, were quite revealing. A bit ruthless, truth be told, revealing the technical limitations in the miking that would have remained unnoticed in the 1960s. With more modern stuff, that same revealing nature of these speakers simply showed the detail within the music, and they proved to be particularly strong at

fine imaging. Stupid Girls by Pink is a busy little thing with overlaid vocals from different participants sneaking in on each other, partially overlaying something, then being overlaid themselves. Thanks to the precision of imaging from the Saxos it was easy for the ear to pull out what was going on where. Moving to more refined material, Pieter Wispelwey’s cello in Saint-Saens first cello concerto was so smooth in tone and so tangible in location as to seem as though one could walk right over to the cello. Indeed, there was a certain silkiness in all the strings, including violins, in the various classical selections I played. But again and again, it was the beautiful sound-stage that most attracted me. These little speakers also went surprisingly loud, although one should not expect them to fill a very large room. The volume was adjustable with both the remote and the knob in 1dB increments. Space-saving little marvels, then, these little Danish-designed active speakers — not, with these dimensions, delving deep, but making their mark with excellent soundstaging precision. SPECS

System Audio Saxo 1 Active

$999

Connectivity: Stereo analogue audio, optical digital audio, Bluetooth Dimensions: 260 x 130 x 200mm Internal power: 2 x 50W Quoted frequency response: 60Hz-25,000Hz ±3dB Contact: Indi Imports Web: www.indimports.com + Very good imaging + Very revealing + Very musical - Limited deep bass, given their size

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06 Up to $1000

WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $1000

Yamaha NX-N500

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ith the NX-N500 active speakers, Yamaha is doing a bit of a shout out to its famous NS-10 speakers which were the dominant studio monitors throughout the 1980s. Given that the NS-10 speakers were regarded as ‘love them or hate them’ units, perhaps it’s as well that the resemblance is cosmetic rather than sonic.

Equipment

Conventional two-way models in design, they feature a 25mm dome tweeter protected by a sturdy round grille, and an exposed 125mm woofer. The enclosures are mid-sized in this collection: 285mm tall by 170mm wide and 239mm deep. The review units had a black vinyl wrap finish to the enclosure, but white and light walnut are available. The cone of the larger driver is, like that in the NS-10, white. But the cone is conventionally formed, not glued end-to-end from a curved material sheet like the NS-10. Each speaker gets 24W for the woofer plus 20W more for the tweeter from amplifiers built in to each enclosure, though the main electronics are in the left speaker. You end up with quite a few cables, because in addition to two mains cables and any inputs you use, you need to connect an Ethernet cable between the speakers for control purposes, and a shielded cable terminated with XLR plugs to link them with a line-level analogue audio connection. Three-metre lengths of both are provided, so that’s the practical limit of their separation. Say what you like about them, they are extremely full-featured. Take full accounting of all the input options on all the speakers in this collection, and

the Yamaha NX-N500 has them all covered. Optical? Yes. Analogue stereo? Yes. Ethernet? Yes. Wi-Fi? Yes (but only 2.4GHz, not the 5GHz band). USB-DAC connectivity? Yes. AirPlay even? Yes! And Bluetooth — with support for the AAC codec, a boon for Apple people, yet still surprisingly rare. There’s no aptX, though, so no higher performance for those with premium Android phones. The optical inputs support up to 192kHz PCM, while the USB-DAC input supports very high resolution audio including 384kHz PCM and even regular and double-speed Direct Stream Digital. The speakers are part of Yamaha’s MusicCast multiroom ecosystem, where they are treated as one stereo speaker, so they don’t have to be paired in any special way. This also gives full app control with easy access to Pandora, Spotify Connect, and DLNA network streaming. They can even share via Bluetooth, sending to one other Bluetooth speaker (or headphones).

Performance

As always I went wireless, setting up via Yamaha’s MusicCast app, all pretty straightforward, with just one brief jump-out to set the speaker as the Wi-Fi access point. The only set-up oddity was when it came to naming the speaker — imaginatively I called it ‘NX-N500’, but somehow the app decided that ‘Boudoir – N500’ was more appropriate. I couldn’t bring myself to change it. [This turned out to be our Editor’s sense of humour when he previously used these speakers.] Initially I was a bit concerned about volume levels. I had started Beethoven’s first piano concerto (original instruments, The Hanover Band) and, as is so often the case with classical music, the

FACTS & FIGURES

20Hz

100

300 500 800

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100

300 500 800

Above: frequency plots for the Yamaha woofer (top) and port (bottom). Plots for all this group can be seen at www.avhub.com.au/SIgraphs

It was a bit hard to work out the incremental effect of a press on the remote control volume – one button press seemed to have no effect. Several were required. Still, it was quite fine-grained so I could set the output to within about half a decibel. The woofer output to the front was very smooth from 110Hz up to a kilohertz (probably beyond, but that was our bass measurement limit). Below 110Hz it rolled off to be -6dB at around 68Hz. The peak port output was from 45 to 75Hz, with the -6dB point for that at 41Hz and the -10dB mark at 35Hz. Those figures would suggest a strong kick drum from Rage Against the Machine. But I do the measurements at a moderate level — around 80dBSPL output. I’m guessing that the electronics tailor the sound according to level to protect the speakers.

SPECS

Yamaha NX-N500

$999

Connectivity: Ethernet, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, optical digital audio, analogue stereo audio, USB-B (computer) Dimensions: 285 x 170 x 239mm Internal power: 24W (woofer) + 20W (tweeter) each speaker Quoted frequency response: 54Hz-40,000Hz (-10dB) Contact: Yamaha Music Australia Web: au.yamaha.com + Powerful, high quality sound + Excellent value for money + Very versatile sound support - No aptX for Android phones that support it

encoding level is fairly low. At maximum volume as set in the app, the output level was barely satisfying. Ah, but you can control how loud the system will go, thanks to the gain control knob on the rear of the main speaker! I’d recommend just winding that fully clockwise. Maxed out, the Beethoven was good enough in level, adequately loud. But I’d have still liked a little more headroom. After than I switched straight to Rage Against the Machine, and it was... loud. Even on my slow-to-respond analogue SPL meter it was peaking close to 100 decibels. (A digital one had it hitting 103.7dB!) It did so cleanly, without excessive distortion, and with impressive control. The deep bass didn’t have quite the slam one would normally hope for to match the volume level, but really, that’s asking a little too much for their size. As for general sound, the quality was really very high. There was plenty of precision, particularly in the mids and highs, and a fine tonal balance. Imaging was very good. And dynamic performance on drums was also very good. As for the speakers being limited to the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band, that did not prove to be any problem, at least in my test environment. I streamed 24-bit/192kHz FLAC music and doublespeed DSD to the speakers without the slightest hiccough. These NX-N500s won our 2016 award for Multiroom Component of the Year. It’s good to see that they remain exceptional value performers today — great sound, exceptional connectivity, and a price still just under a grand.

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07 Up to $2000

WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $2000

Triangle Elara LN01A

y goodness, what a delightful surprise I had when I looked at the back of the Triangle Elara LN01A active loudspeakers. They have a set of phono inputs, along with a substantial grounding post. We say hooray!

Equipment

There’s much more to these French loudspeakers than that of course. What we have here is the smallest model from Triangle’s Elara loudspeaker range, fitted with 50W-per-channel amplifier and relevant electronics. So far, the LN01A is the only active model in the range. These mid-sized bookshelfers use a 25mm silk-dome tweeter with neodymium magnet and a 135mm bass driver with a treated paper cone... or not quite a cone, it has a concave spherical section. Triangle says avoiding a dust cap increases its rigidity and efficiency. The bass reflex port is at the rear. The enclosures are available in black or white. The grilles are removable. To my eye, they looked better naked. [Don’t we all... Ed.] There are inputs beyond the phono ones. Indeed, the phono ones can be switched to line-level input using a slider on the back. But there’s a also permanent line-level input (via 3.5mm), plus optical and coaxial digital audio inputs, plus Bluetooth with support for the aptX codec. That means the Bluetooth is kind to those Android phones which support aptX, though less so to iPhones which will have to fall back on the lower quality SBC codec. The amplifier and electronics

group test are in the right speaker. The passive left speaker is connected via the supplied three-metre cable. Not happy with the claimed 50Hz bass extension? Then add an active subwoofer to the system using the dedicated output. There didn’t appear to be any filtering on this output, so you’d do best with a subwoofer that has its own low-pass filter. You will typically control everything using the remote control, but there is a volume control on the rear of the right speaker. It doubles as an input selector (you press it to cycle through the inputs). A bright light with sufficient intensity to push the photons through the grille cloth is located to the bottom left of the main driver, indicating that power is on. It’s green in most circumstances, but blue when Bluetooth is in use.

Performance

It was a genuine pleasure using these speakers. They were trouble-free in operation and sounded delightfully smooth, including with digital audio inputs. But I spent quite a bit of time just enjoying some vinyl, taking the opportunity to pull out some discs which apparently never made it to CD or other digital formats. Such as ‘Cha’ by Jo Jo Zep, a wonderfully irreverant recording featuring a great mix of voices and instruments with big band, jazz and pop influences. It was nicely rendered by these speakers, with the kind of dynamic delivery needed to fully convey the delight of the performers. Prince’s album ‘1999’ (a new pressing) was delivered with a tight bass control and timing fitting for both his musicianship and craftsmanship. Surface noise wasn’t unduly emphasised, though of course inevitable with vinyl. The inner tracks of Laura Marling’s ‘Short Movie’ were still marred with defects (as they were when brand new last year, I may say) but tolerable. Which led me to going digital and Marling’s latest, the brand-new ‘Semper FACTS & FIGURES

The close-miked woofer in the LN01A delivered a flat response from 95 to above 500Hz, with its output down by six decibels at 82Hz. The output from the bass reflex port peaked around 65Hz. I’d judge the output to be down by six decibels at 43Hz, and by ten at 40Hz. Which explains a lot about the bass performance.

SPECS

Triangle Elara LN01A

$1199

Connectivity: Bluetooth, analogue stereo, optical & coaxial digital audio, phono, sub out Dimensions: 291 x 165 x 291mm Internal power: 2 x 20W Quoted frequency response: 56Hz-22,000Hz ±3dB Contact: Audio Marketing Web: www.audiomarketing.com.au + Excellent high fidelity sound + Very good imaging + Phono input! - No marked centres for tone controls

Femina’, played from Spotify, using a Denon streamer connected via optical to the speakers. Marling, it turns out, is getting better all the time. Her characteristic vocal, close-miked and pushed near to overload, sounded as immediate and with as much presence as my regular much more expensive system. As usual, her voice verges on sibilance in some songs, but these speakers held it just the right side of being objectionable. I switched over, while remaining in Spotify, to Bluetooth and continued listening with the music now being delivered by a Samsung Galaxy S7 (with aptX) via Bluetooth. There was a slight degradation, to be sure, essentially a harshening and a slight loss of imaging focus, but the delivery was still musical and pleasing. Switching to high-quality FLAC, decoded to PCM and delivered again by the Denon streamer, I played some UB40 to check out the bass. The extension and control of the bass line on Madam Medusa completed the music. It actually seemed fully realised, and felt like it extended beyond the 50Hz bottom end indicated in the specifications. The optical digital audio input — and I will assume the coaxial one as well — happily accepted 24-bit, 192kHz stereo PCM when tested, so you can freely run your high definition audio into here. I appreciated the presence of the treble and bass controls on the remote, but a clear indication of the centre position would have been useful. The volume control changed the level by a little over a decibel on each press. Fine little speakers, then, with an excellent set of inputs for versatility, and truly hi-fi performance available.

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08 Up to $2000

Wireless speakers Up TO $2000

HEOS by Denon HEOS 5 HS2 paired

hen the HEOS line of speakers first arrived a few years ago, it was a well-developed multiroom system, but lacked support for high-resolution audio. With the updated HS2 range, HEOS has completely killed that defect. Here we’re looking at the HEOS 5 standalone speaker unit, midway up the range, and as with some other wireless units in this group, we’re doubling them up as a stereo pair.

Equipment

Each HEOS 5 HS2 is essentially stereo on its own, with two tweeters and two bass/ midrange drivers, plus a passive radiator, though we could not find information on how exactly the drivers are positioned, nor

any quoted power specifications, just that the amps are Class D. So the HEOS 5s can be independent, grouped, or connected over the network as stereo pairs. Feeding music over the network is their design focus, but they also support Bluetooth (just plain SBC) and have an analogue minijack stereo input and a USB socket for playing music back from flash memory. There is no optical input, so if your TV has no headphone socket, you need a DAC to plug in your TV. There’s no subwoofer output, but they can be grouped to work with the new $999 HEOS subwoofer. The only controls on the units are volume up and down, plus mute. Everything else (and you’ll be manipulating volume this way too) is via the

HEOS app. You use this to select inputs, adjust bass and treble and volume and all that stuff; effectively you must have your smart device at hand to use HEOS. The expanding HEOS ecosystem is shown opposite, and in recent months the technology has started appearing in some of Denon’s and Marantz’s higherend AV receivers.

Performance

The HEOS way of network set-up is quite different to the other network speakers here. There’s no fiddling with our iPad Mini 4’s Wi-Fi connection. At all. All you do is use the included four-pole 3.5mm cable to connect the headphone socket of the iPad to the auxiliary input of the speaker, then follow a few steps, typing in

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Given the firm grille supports underneath the cloth, it wasn’t entirely clear where the drivers were located, so I measured from centre front and, guessing the passive radiator would be at the back, centre rear. At the front the output was within ±3dB from 60Hz to over 1000Hz with the mid bass slightly elevated. At the back the peak output was from 48 to 73Hz. The -6dB point overall was at 44Hz, and -10dB at -43.5Hz. I suspect a digital high-pass filter to account for the rapid drop-off.

the password network when it’s requested (and only for the first one; the app remembers it for the second speaker). And then it was done. It took less than two minutes in total. I really appreciated the positivity of this wired connection, and I think plenty of regular purchasers would as well. It’s probably silly, but wires still seem more trustworthy than wireless networking. The only pause in the process was during the seconds consumed by the speakers logging onto the wireless access point. This was followed by a much longer pause after set-up, because the speakers discovered a new firmware to load. That took about ten minutes. You do at least have a choice about whether or not this will happen. After that, setting the stereo pair was straightforward... once I consulted with the online manual. Initially the left and right channels were the wrong way around, but a button in the same place in the app where you establish a stereo pair allows them to be swapped. Use a piece of music you know well to judge whether a swap is required. There was none of that silliness about the stereo function not working with external inputs, as on the DTS Play-Fi units in this group. Through the app you can select any input on any HEOS device and send that to any speaker, pair or group in the system. In this case the auxiliary input on either of the speakers could

be selected. Likewise you can select a USB memory stick plugged into either, navigate its contents by file name, or by artist, album and so on. With a setting in the app on a control device, you can make the music thereon also available to the system — even when it’s controlled by a different device. The HEOS app is about as well organised as the best of them. Everything is run via playlists. But for some reason every so often the HEOS app would just stop. Nothing dramatic: it disappeared, but was fine again after an app restart. (That was on the iPad Mini 4. Perhaps the Android app is better behaved.) The sound was... interesting. I started with a bit of Iron Maiden and was rewarded with amazingly powerful bass along with a clean and clearly extended top-end. But the vocals seemed somewhat distant. I switched over to something a bit more familiar — Deep Purple’s ‘Machine Head’ — and it also seemed to have slightly recessed vocals, though not to the same extent. Over time, it came to seem that there was a certain mellowness to the sound, but accompanied again by that powerful bass. It was just a little overblown, and sometimes things got a touch confused

with the level up fairly high, but it was remarkably extended. By that I mean notable impact from the kick drum. So, has high-definition music really been added? Indeed. I fed both from USB plugged into one of the speakers, and from the network, high-resolution ALAC, high-res FLAC (up to 192kHz) and even regular and double-rate DSD. It all worked perfectly. Unusual aesthetics for a stereo pair, then, but effective sound, and all the benefits of the HEOS platform. SPECS

HEOS 5 HS2 paired

$649 each, $1298 pair

Connectivity: Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, analogue stereo audio, USB (for flash memory) Dimensions: 209 x 294 x 166mm Internal power: Not stated Frequency response: Not stated Contact: QualiFi Web: www.heos.com.au + Incredibly versatile + Supports all manner of high-res audio + Surprising bass - No optical digital audio input

The HEOS eco-system includes soundbars, standalone speakers, a preamp, amp and ‘receiver’, and is also incorporated into some Denon and Marantz AV components.

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09 Up to $2000

Wireless speakers Up TO $2000

DALI Zensor 1 AX

f you tend to think of extravagant moustaches and inappropriately melted clocks when you see the word Dali, think again. In the audio world, it stands for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries (and so can for once be correctly capitalised as DALI). And here, off the container just in time for deadline, we present the new DALI Zensor 1 AX active speakers.

Equipment

These are exactly what we were seeking when we first began gathering this group — a stereo pair of bookshelf-style speakers, active with internal amplifiers,

and with wireless abilities. There’s no networking involved — no Wi-Fi or Ethernet — just amplified speakers to use with external inputs or with Bluetooth. We reckon the Dali Zensor 1 AX speakers are a sensibly basic system. Those inputs are analogue audio (via a 3.5mm socket) or optical digital audio, making these ideal for use with a TV. The Bluetooth connection supports the aptX codec for use with higher quality with higher-end Android phones, though not AAC, so Apple devices will fall back on the basic SBC codec. The speakers are marked ‘Designed and Engineered in Denmark’. The main

bodies of the enclosures (we had the white models for review, but black and walnut finishes are also available) had a white vinyl wrap, neatly finished. As you can see in the main image above, there is a groove around the edge just behind the baffle, and forward of that the few millimetres of edge and the front of the baffle are finished in gloss. Not that you’ll normally see that since a grille sits in front of the baffle, held on four posts. But it is removable, and to my eyes removing the grille elevated these speakers from nondescript boxes to rather elegant transducers... but then we do like a fine speaker driver. The DALI units certainly look fine with the 25mm soft-dome tweeter centred in a large aluminium face-plate, and the maroon/ brown cones of the woofers below with their hints of wood fibre. The IR receiver is on the baffle to the left of the drivers. It includes an indicator light which illuminates in four colours, giving easy visual indication of what input is selected, once memorised.

group test The left enclosure contains all the electronics and inputs. Each speaker is provided with 50W of Class D power. The on-enclosure controls are all at the rear (see right): buttons for cycling through the inputs and raising or lowering the volume. Using both up and down volume buttons together enables Bluetooth pairing. There’s also a hard-wired rocker for power. But you’ll generally be using the tiny supplied remote control, which has direct selection of the input, volume, mute, power/standby and a button, again, to invoke Bluetooth pairing mode. Should you like the concept but consider the Zensor 1 AX speakers a touch small, you could consider the floorstanding version, the Zensor 5 AX. Apart from the larger enclosures, these add an additional 133mm mid/bass driver, 10Hz of lower bass extension and two decibels of peak output level.

Performance

Setting up was straightforward, there being no networking to muck around with. I stuck with the optical input, using a high quality network audio streamer (can’t get away from that network!) and the Bluetooth connection. The four-metre cable provided to connect the amplifier output from the left speaker to the right speaker was of impressive quality and nicely thick, yet slipped easily into the holes in the binding posts on both ends. I started with something a little light: the album ‘La Prima Stavaganza’ from the Australian Baroque ensemble Capella Corelli. With a beautifully restrained harpsichord underpinning and sometimes leading the strings and

FACTS & FIGURES

Close-miked, the output from the woofer was flat in the mid and upper bass, and turned downwards starting around 110Hz to be down six decibels at around 90Hz. But of course the bass reflex port pitched in, with output flat from 45 to 70Hz and a symmetrical roll-off on both sides of the peak, down by 6dB at 37Hz and 10dB at 28Hz. What do I say? It didn’t sound as extended as that. Control was reasonably fine, with each button press on the remote changing the level by one decibel.

the occasional recorder, this can break speakers that are unpleasant in the treble and upper midrange. But not these DALIs, which seemed equally restrained and smooth, and completely up to the task. Each note of the harpsichord occupied its own place in the plane between and around the speakers, with decent height and fine accuracy, the tune dancing delightfully from place to place. Moving from upper frequency delights to a rawer pop, I listened to Cake’s 1996 cover of I Will Survive. Again, fine tonal control and balance were in evidence, with good dynamic handling of the drums, and the limited stereo spread of this recording didn’t hide the accurate image placement. But my main interest was the bass guitar, which dances around the scale. This delivered a nice grind and excellent control. The kick drum was well sketched, if not fully delivered in its fundamentals.

I had lots of fun with the live 1987 recording of the Capp/Pierce Juggernaut, ‘Live at the Alley Cat’. The big band wasn’t too big for these speakers and the rhythmic brass blasts provided plenty of energy. Guest singer Ernestine Anderson’s voice was somewhat emphasised in the upper harmonics, but otherwise performance was exemplary. Moving over the Alice Cooper’s ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, delivered at 24-bit/96kHz to the optical input, the track Generation Landslide was delivered with a touch of zing, again suggesting a high-end boost. The kick drum was again sufficiently well sketched out to give a solid sense of the whole rhythm section. Imaging, again, was excellent. The specs suggest that the optical input is only good for 96kHz. Yet it somehow coped with some Art Blakey at 192kHz, so perhaps things are downsampled internally. Compact good lookers with highquality drivers and the right choice of inputs for easy operation with music and TV audio — the Zensor 1 AX should answer the needs of many users. SPECS

DALI Zensor 1 AX

$1395

Connectivity: Optical digital, minijack analogue stereo, Bluetooth Dimensions: 274 x 162 x 240mm Internal power: 2 x 50W Quoted frequency response: 54Hz-26,500Hz ±3dB Contact: DALI Distribution Australia Web: www.dali.com.au + Good solid performance across audio band + Plenty of volume available + Very pleasing styling - A touch bright on some content

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1195 Botany Road Mascot NSW 2020 02 9317 3330

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WIRELESS SPEAKERS

10 Up to $2000

UP TO $2000

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Bluesound Pulse Flex paired

iven that Bluesound was pretty much built up around the concept of network audio, it’s not surprising that the focus of the Bluesound Pulse Flex speakers is indeed on network audio. But rather than a third-party platform such as the DTS Play-Fi used elsewhere in this group, this is very much Bluesound’s own ecosystem at play.

Equipment

These are very compact speakers, only 183mm tall, 125mm wide and 100mm deep. Potential wall mounting (pictured overleaf) is aided by the quarter-inch threaded holes at the rear. Each contains a 25mm tweeter and 89mm bass driver,

and each driver scores 20W of power. Bluesound specifies the frequency response of each unit as 45 to 20,000 Hz. In addition to network functionality, they support Bluetooth (with the Android-friendly aptX codec for higher quality if your Android device supports it) and have both analogue stereo and optical digital audio inputs on a shared 3.5mm socket. Since 3.5mm optical inputs are relatively uncommon, Bluesound includes an adaptor for a standard optical plug to work with it. There are 3.5mm headphone outputs on each speaker which, for the briefest moment, I thought might be employed to replace the omitted subwoofer output. But of course the speakers switch off when something is plugged in there.

There are Ethernet sockets for wired network connections, or you can use Wi-Fi. Bluesound says that the Wi-Fi conforms to the 802.11n standard but didn’t indicate whether it was dual-band or not. I keep a spare Wi-Fi access point in my office with separate SSIDs for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and the speakers were only able to see the former. They appear to be quite robust, and the grille covering the drivers seems to be metal. An optional battery pack can be purchased to power a Bluesound Pulse Flex for up to eight hours.

Performance

Connecting was straightforward, if a little old-fashioned (you connect to the speaker as your Wi-Fi access point and

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WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $2000

then type in a pseudo website address which brings up a configuration menu). That done, a download of the app — the ‘BluOS Controller’ — got things going. It found the speakers instantly, and promptly announced they needed firmware upgrades and started doing it, without asking, which we think a little rude. What if the timing was inconvenient? You can play network music, but the app doesn’t make it particularly easy. Rather than drawing on the DLNA data served up by my network attached storage, I had to access it as a Network Share, which means entering the name of the server and the user name and password. (You do know those, don’t you? Fortunately I do.) After entering them, ticking a box, and hoping I’d done everything right, it was just a matter of waiting as the app went and indexed the tens of thousands of tracks on my server using its own scheme. After an hour or so, the material from my server appeared under the Library section of the app, properly indexed with cover art and so on. The speakers are not DLNA-compatible, so you’ll be using Bluesound’s app and nothing else. The sound was smooth, balanced and extremely pleasing from upper bass through to treble extremes. There wasn’t much deep bass, and even the mid bass seemed a little recessed, but what was produced was well-controlled. What really stood out here, though, was the stereo imaging. Yes, these are network multiroom speakers, but paired up in stereo they did a remarkable job, with a distinctly rounded sound-stage and considerable height spread in the instruments. Their time synchronisation must be excellent. Another very welcome thing to note: the system plays back network audio gaplessly, including local MP3 files on the iPad Mini 4 and FLAC files on the network server.

FACTS & FIGURES

It turned out (see main text) that the bass level wasn’t low at all. When I measured, close-miked, the bass output of these speakers, I was surprised to see that ±3dB envelope encompassed the range from 58Hz to 1200Hz! The bass actually starts falling away at 68Hz. The -6dB point (referenced to the higher band) is at 57Hz, and around 51Hz it gets down to -10dB. So solid, balanced bass covering the upper bass region, but very little in the depths.

For the longest time I thought you couldn’t play external music inputs — such as from the optical input — via the two speakers grouped as a stereo pair. The input didn’t appear on the list of music sources. I had the source plugged into the right speaker. I ungrouped the speaker pair and selected the right speaker and, yes, the optical input appeared (it detects the presence of the plug). I played some music quickly. It worked. I recreated the group, but this time the system created them with right switched for left. And now the optical input appeared. And now a source played through it, in stereo to both speakers. It seems that one of the speakers is going

to be the dominant one, and you’ll have to make sure your external inputs are plugged into it. So how good was the stereo on that, given that one speaker would be decoding the digital audio then sending half of it to the other speaker over the network? The sync was seemingly just as good as when the same music was being fed via the network. The image was as precise, but the height was a little different — higher in general on the sound-stage with network than with the optical direct feed. The successful sharing of an external input means that these could be used as a stereo pair for TV audio; this would be especially applicable if your TV allows backwards as well as forwards audio sync adjustment (i.e. delaying the video, as can some LG TVs and Oppo Blu-ray players, among others), just in case the encodenetwork-decode causes sync issues. With high-res multiroom in a wellregarded ecosystem, only a lack of the lowest bass counts against the Flexes. SPECS

Bluesound Pulse Flex x 2

$699 each, $1398 pair

Connectivity: Ethernet, 2.4GHz 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth with SBC and aptX, 1 x stereo (3.5mm), 1 x optical digital audio (3.5mm) – shared Dimensions: 183 x 125 x 100mm Internal power: 20W (woofer) + 20W (tweeter) to each Quoted frequency response: 45Hz-20,000Hz Contact: Convoy International Web: www.convoy.com.au + Very nice stereo imaging + Smooth balanced sound + Gapless playback - Can’t supplement bass with a subwoofer

No compromise!

If you’re really honest with yourself, you have to admit it: you’ve let yourself go. That system is a little bloated now. The speakers are dated and too big; there are too many components; it’s a nightmare to dust… You’ve seen fancy wireless systems, but they just don’t look right. You want speakers, not a dock. You want a simple life – not hours spent configuring apps, widgets, antimatter containment systems and whatever else ‘they’ come up with next. You just want to listen to music when you get home from work. You want Dynaudio Focus XD. It’s active, hi-res, digital and wireless. And it’s still a traditional hi-fi speaker. Each driver is powered by

its own perfectly matched, DSP-optimised digital amplifier for super-clear, super-accurate sound. That means your 24-bit/192kHz files – or any other source you connect – sound exactly as their creators intended. It means no wires. And because the speakers adjust automatically to the room they’re in, it means you’ll never have to tweak (unless you want to). So if you really must quarrel, let it be about the next song. Not the stereo. See the new Focus 20 XD, Focus 30 XD and Focus 60 XD at dynaudio.com

group test

11 Up to $2000

WIRELESS SPEAKERS UP TO $2000

Definitive Technology W7 paired

efinitive Technology is a company that very frequently goes its own way with loudspeaker design. And we have no problem with that approach, because its idiosyncracies produce some very interesting results. So while most of the speakers in this collection feature one or perhaps two tweeters per box, the Definitive Technology W7 has four!

Equipment

The W7 is part of the ecosystem for Definitive Technology’s wireless multiroom range. So it can form part of a whole home of networked and streaming audio. They’re normally sold singly, and each W7 is stereo in itself. But they can,

as with many such wireless speakers, handily pair up to do a wider spread of stereo work, and can even be pressed into service as rear speakers in a surround system. The Definitive Technology ecosystem was one of the first to employ the DTS Play-Fi wireless system, rather than going for some proprietary tech, and this has proven a great call, since not only has Play-Fi developed into one of the better third-party platforms, you can use Play-Fi speakers from one brand with those from others. Indeed, I gave the W7s a quick whirl with the Klipsch RW-1 speakers in this group, all under control of the Definitive Technology app. It all worked well. Def Tech’s version of the Play-Fi app allows, of course, different streams of

music from different sources to be sent to each speaker or to groups of speakers. But, vitally for our purposes, it also allows speakers to be grouped into stereo pairs. Which is how we used the W7s. The W7s are close to cubical, with a maximum dimension of 176mm. The review units had a full surround cloth grille — obviously not removable — with piano gloss top caps and aluminium bases. A control panel juts out from each unit with play/pause, volume up and down and source selection keys. Each W7 packs four 25mm aluminium-dome tweeters and one 102mm bass/midrange driver. Two of the tweeters are on the front panel and one is on each of the left and right sides (see the exploded image opposite). That’s a

group test FACTS & FIGURES

The optical input would support PCM up to 96kHz and 24 bits, but not 192kHz. I measured the bass output twice, close miking the bass driver and then one of the passive radiatiors. The latter appeared to be tuned to around 85Hz and produced solid output from 53 to 125Hz. The driver peaked at around 95Hz, up by around six decibels compared to the higher frequencies. It was back to their level at 75Hz and fell away rapidly below that.

lot of tweeters! But we shouldn’t be too surprised. Definitive Technology has a history of bipole speaker designs, so why not go quad-pole? The company also likes passive radiators for tuning the bass performance of its cabinets, and sure enough each of the W7s has two 102mm passive radiators, again one each on the left and right sides. There are optical digital audio and stereo analogue audio (3.5mm) inputs on each W7, but it’s important to note that these can’t be shared as stereo between the speakers. As with the Klipsch DTS Play-Fi wireless speaker pair in this group, that disqualifies the W7s from being used for TV audio either side of your TV, since plugging in an optical input from your TV will only give you sound from one speaker. There is no subwoofer output here, nor can you add the sub from the W Series, so what you hear is what you get — although the W7s can act as wireless rears in a 5.1 system with the W Studio Micro (and sub) from this range.

Performance

With Wi-Fi speakers one vitally important requirement, in our view, is a smooth set-up. I followed the instructions very carefully with the W7 speakers — first performing a factory reset to ensure an ‘out of the box’ experience. The instructions are clear. and everything worked perfectly. It’s a somewhat cumbersome process, but very much the standard way of doing these things. You set up via the ‘Definitive’ app and you connect to each speaker in turn as a Wi-Fi access point, and use the connection to pass on the network password.

The app expected each speaker to be given the name of a room, but I named them ‘left’ and ‘right’ and then by dint of drilling down into various settings I found the way to connect two speakers together not as a group (which would have each reproducing both channels of the same stereo signal) but as stereo pair. Thereafter they were treated by the app as being stereo. There’s a fairly steep learning curve with the app, but once familiar, it all seems obvious enough. On the offchance you experienced Play-Fi in its earliest version, try again — it’s entirely different now, and much improved. And the learning curve is in part because the system is so powerful. You select within it ‘Music’ (which means music on the iPad/iPhone/ Android phone), or a media server, internet radio or one of a bunch of streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal, Pandora and so on. I used the speakers

with music on an iPad Mini 4, from my NAS server, and from Spotify. The first thing to note is that the speakers and Play-Fi supported all my high resolution music up to 24-bit/192kHz. That said, Definitive Technology does note that Play-Fi downsamples high-res files when playing back via a wireless connection, though with an Ethernet cable, 24/96 music should come through intact. We enjoyed music immensely from CD-quality FLAC files from our server, and also from Spotify. Despite the number of tweeters, the treble was not overblown, just clean and strong. I assume that the tweeter arrangement was chosen with the idea of a single W7 filling a whole room with sound. The bass was remarkably well extended, although disguised a little by a slight emphasis on the upper bass. Overall the sound was very slightly busy, lacking the air or space by which each note is individualised in high-end speakers, but these are wireless speakers after all, so perhaps it’s pushing it to look for that kind of purity. What it did deliver was very exciting drums, punching through the mix with little if any dynamic compression, and surprising high levels of sound. And that bass. It delivered a real sense of bass guitar and provided enough of it so that one could manage the fundamentals of the bass strings. The one music playback weakness was significant gaps between tracks on playback. Plus remember you can’t stereo-share an optical or analogue inputs. Both seem DTS Play-Fi traits. But sonically things were certainly impressive, that bass delivery in particular, while the neat design and Play-Fi app control bring you firmly into the new age of streaming audio. SPECS

Definitive Technology W7

$800 each, $1600 pair

Connectivity: Ethernet, dual-band 802.11n WiFi, 1 x stereo (3.5mm), 1 x optical digital Dimensions: 176 x 150 x 168mm Internal power: 30W (woofer) + 4 x 15W (tweeters) in each Frequency response: Not stated Contact: Advance Audio Web: www.advanceaudio.com.au + Good tonal balance + Powerful bass performance + Quite compact - Can’t play direct inputs in stereo - Can’t supplement bass with a subwoofer

group test

12 Over $2000

WIRELESS SPEAKERS OVER $2000

KEF LS50 Wireless

group test

bout five years ago there was a well-founded fuss about a new loudspeaker from UK maker KEF. Called the LS50, it celebrated KEF’s 50th anniversary with the company’s top-of-the-line version of its coaxial Uni-Q tweeter and woofer combination, putting them in a newly designed, extremely well-built compact enclosure. What happens when you take those speakers, build in generous amplification and add wireless connectivity? That’s what we’re about to find out, with the KEF LS50 Wireless.

Equipment

From the front, these may as well be the original LS50 speakers. They have the same curved fronts, the same dimensions of the baffle, and the same exposed drivers. These are the concentric Uni-Q 25mm aluminium-dome tweeter set in the middle of the 130mm aluminiumcone woofer. One other change: the white enclosures have the drivers with a copper-looking finish, while the black ones have the drivers in blue. The LS50 speakers were the other way around. Both speakers are individually powered, but the right-hand speaker has the electronics and the inputs. Optical and analogue audio inputs are provided, along with a USB Type-B socket so you can use the speakers as audio devices with computers (a driver is required for Windows... at least until the April 2017 Windows 10 update). There’s Bluetooth (with aptX for Android phones that support it, but not AAC for better sound from Apple devices), and networking via Ethernet and dual-band Wi-Fi. Five illuminated touch-sensitive controls are on top of the right speaker, with indicators for various functions. There’s also a slim remote control.

Included with the speakers was an interconnect to carry the signal from right speaker to left. This is terminated in RJ45 plugs like a network cable, but it’s Cat6 shielded. However the supplied one was a lousy metre long; I used my own.

Performance

The wireless setting up was very straightforward, with the KEF Wireless app talking me through it (I used the iOS version, but there’s one for Android as well). Naturally it involved departing the app to connect the iPad Mini 4 to the speaker as a wireless access point, but since there was only one of them this was less confusing and quicker than for some. On returning to the app, it quickly asked for my network log-on details and passed them to the speaker, and that was it. All connected. All done. The app is a kind of combo controller for the speaker and for DLNA playback. Its layout appealed to me, being far more intuitive than most such apps. I’m not quite sure if it was acting as a DLNA server or DNLA controller. Either way, it did not support gapless playback, at least with FLAC music from my server. Neither, for that matter, did the speakers when I fed them audio using Bubble UPnP on Android as a controller. I guess they just can’t manage it. As for controlling the speaker, drill down into Expert Settings and you can change the size of the room (this affects the DSP processing of the speaker), indicate distance from the walls, and similar kinds of tuning. One of the most generally praised aspects of the KEF LS50 speakers was their imaging, thanks to both the enclosure design and their concentric drivers. Well, take that and consider the game stepped up even higher here. The imaging from these speakers was

FACTS & FIGURES

20Hz

100

300 500 800

20Hz

100

300 500 800

Each press of the volume keys added to or subtracted from the level by one decibel. I was surprised when I looked at the graph for the close-miked frequency response test. I’m so used to seeing the treble disappear because I have the microphone in front of the woofer, not the tweeter. But of course, in this case it was centred on both, so the treble was more or less in balance too. The bass output directly from the woofer (top graph) was dead flat to 95Hz and then fell only slowly to be 6dB down at 66Hz. The port output (lower graph) was reasonably flat from 43 to 70Hz, with the -6dB point at 42Hz, and the -10dB point at 37.5Hz. See plots for all this group at www.avhub.com.au/SIgraphs

SPECS

KEF LS50 Wireless

$3799

Connectivity: Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optical digital audio, analogue stereo audio, USB-B (computer) Dimensions: 300 x 200 x 308mm Internal power: 200 watts (woofer) + 30 watts (tweeter) each Frequency response: 43Hz-47,000Hz (-6dB) Contact: Advance Audio Australia Web: www.advanceaudio.com.au + Imaging as good as it gets + Very solid bass performance + Overall great sound - No gapless playback

astonishing — jaw dropping. They easily matched and perhaps exceeded the best speakers I’ve ever heard in terms of dimensionality and presence — and in size of the sweet spot. One has much wider latitude in choosing a listening position with these speakers. But whereas the passive LS50 speakers were also great on imaging, they simply didn’t deliver very extended bass. KEF has clearly addressed that in processing. The grunt and grind of these speakers was extremely impressive, with a clear thump of the kick drum and the bass in Bela Fleck and the Flecktones’ ‘The Hidden Land’ beautifully clear, powerful and absolutely even in level regardless of string or note. I’d been playing Rage Against the Machine on another set of speakers when I switched over to these, and again the impact and power was extremely impressive. Dynamic compression was minimal, if there was any at all. And I found myself able to turn up these loudspeakers to ridiculously loud levels without any apparent distortion. There was something magical going on in there, letting all this happen from these compact drivers. KEF says that the speakers are good for 106dB. I didn’t quite manage that, but few would be dissatisfied with what they could do. The only thing to detract in any way from the listening experience was those gaps between tracks. The LS50 Wireless shows that wireless speakers are not just for the mid-range market. Here you get neatness, modern streaming abilities and superb sound all rolled into one. Or rather two.

group test

13 Over $2000

WIRELESS SPEAKERS OVER $2000

Dynaudio Focus 20 XD

irst, a confession. This review may have been influenced by the sheer gorgeousness of these speakers. When I pulled the cloth bag from the first of the Dynaudio Focus 20 XD speakers, I involuntarily uttered ‘Holy Hell!’ In a good way. It is quite a long time since I’ve seen such a glorious finish on a loudspeaker. Does it sound good? Hell, surely it has to when it looks this good...

Equipment

It was the finish, you see. There was such a deep lustre to the gorgeous wood grain of the cabinets, piano gloss on rosewood (as shown above and below right); gloss white, black, walnut and grey oak are also offered. And these speakers, so their label claims, were built in Denmark itself, from where the brand hails, not some low labour-cost nation. I guess that goes some way to explaining their price. As I unpacked them I was thinking that these might be quite independent speakers, perhaps like those Wi-Fi ones, given that they came in two separate cartons. But one was labelled ‘Right’, the other ‘Left’. Turns out that have this special little trick: they connect with each other wirelessly when powered up, using some system of Dynaudio’s devising. They employ Dynaudio’s own drivers: a 25mm soft-dome tweeter in each, and a 170mm woofer. Each driver — not each speaker, each tweeter and each woofer — gets its own 150W amplifier. That of course allows for active crossovers and gives Dynaudio tremendous ability to control performance. There are controls on the back to slightly trim the tweeter level and adjust the bass output to allow for room placement. The tweeter face-plate is wide and the screw heads securing both of the drivers are exposed. Nonetheless, I’d be perfectly happy to leave them exposed rather than FACTS & FIGURES

The volume control had a 2dB effect with each press of a button. The close-miked output from the bass driver showed a smooth bass end, diminishing very gradually as the frequency descended from 100Hz to be down by a mere three decibels at 62Hz. But of course the bass reflex port has its contribution to make. So what did it do? Again measured close, its contribution was virtually flat from 30Hz to 70Hz. I’ll say that again: 30Hz! Minus six decibels was at 28Hz and minus ten at 26Hz. Compact speakers, eh?

group test cover them with the magnetically secured black cloth grilles. If you have two equally capable loudspeakers, each with its own amplifier, how does one split an analogue or digital signal between the two? With these speakers, if you choose digital (coaxial only, not optical) the master speakers will split off the second channel and send it wirelessly to the other speaker. That works with signals of up to 96kHz. If you want to go even higher in sampling rate to 192kHz, you will need to connect the two speakers together by a cable to carry the digital audio signal. Either speaker can be set to be master or slave, so you can use either as left or right for your source. If you’re feeding an analogue signal, you’ll have to use a split cable and plug the relevant channel cable into the matching speaker. You can add more inputs and flexibility with the optional Dynaudio Connect box. That adds Bluetooth (with aptX), more digital inputs, and Wi-Fi networking, with Spotify Connect and DLNA support. The Connect box connects to the speakers wirelessly. If you were wanting to use the Dynaudios with your TV’s optical output, this would be the way to do it, and many of the keys on the supplied remote allow control of all this. Only about half the keys operate the speakers themselves.

Performance

Connecting up really was super simple. I do suggest that you download the full manual (you only get a quick start guide in the box). It explains the meaning of the indicator lights and such. We went for the easiest of options, with a basic coax digital input signal, and it turned out that even without the link, the system works with 192kHz, 24 bit PCM inputs. Presumably it’s

SPECS

Dynaudio Focus 20 XD

$7999 in high gloss walnut/black or satin white $8499 in high gloss rosewood/grey oak Connectivity: 1 x analogue mono (RCA), 1 x coaxial digital audio (more via Connect) Dimensions: 360 x 198 x 322mm Internal power: 2 x 150W (each speaker) Quoted frequency response: 39-24,000Hz ±3dB Contact: Busisoft AV Web: www.busisoft.com.au + True hi-fi with active speaker convenience + Magnificent gloss wood finishes + Startling bass from speakers so small - Only price

downsampled on the fly before wirelessly going from one to the other speaker. With a wirelessly-connected stereo pair such as this, one of the main worries is the synchronisation and timing between the speakers. And the best indicator of this is stereo imaging. So, to that end, I played (digitally, of course) the 2006 album ‘Mercury’ by the Alister Spence Trio, wonderfully realised jazz that is original yet accessible. And it was instantly obvious that not all that $8499 went into the gloss rosewood finish on the speakers. These are truly first-class high fidelity loudspeakers, even with their wireless interconnection. The imaging was spacious yet precise, three-dimensional and lifelike. So, so very good. As was tonal balance and dynamic liveliness. Dynaudio speakers always stand out to me in their reproduction of percussion. With the jazz it was just as I expected, but I decided to turn to something more primal, such as Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled album. This was delivered with a real punch, a visceral feel of honest-to-goodness unconstrained kick drum work. I couldn’t help myself. I turned it up, and up, and up. And suddenly my office was at seeming rock concert levels (it wasn’t really, but it seemed like it). Yet the sound was absolutely undistorted. Damn it, very nearly absolutely perfect. The top of our group test, then, entirely justify their price, both sonically and aesthetically. We were wooed by the finish, but won by their sound.

group test

Brand Model Price Warranty

wireless speakers

Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 $699 2 years

AktiMate Mini+ B $795 12 months

Klipsch RW-1 $449 (1), $898 (pair) 12 months

• Rather nice sound from the upper bass, upwards • Very compact • Subwoofer output

• High precision sound • Excellent value • Strong bass performance

System Audio Saxo 1 Active $999 5 years (1 on amps)

Yamaha NX-N500 $999 2 years

• Good tonal balance • Decent sound • Surprising bass • Excellent network extension features/control • Very compact • Room tuning (with Apple devices)

• Very good imaging • Very revealing • Very musical

• Powerful, high quality sound • Excellent value for money • Very versatile inputs

• Can’t play direct • High distortion inputs in stereo levels • No subwoofer • Not effective at 20 option hertz • No gapless playback

• Limited deep bass of course

• No aptX for those with high end Android phones

1 x 25mm soft-dome tweeter, 1 x 165mm woofer Bass reflex, rear port

1 x 19mm horn-loaded aluminium tweeter, 1 x 89mm woofer Sealed

1 x 25mm dome tweeter, 2 x 90mm mid-woofers (est.) Passive radiator

1 x 25mm soft-dome tweeter, 1 x 105mm woofer Bass reflex, rear port

1 x 25mm dome tweeter, 1 x 125mm woofer Bass reflex, rear port

Input, volume, bass, treble, mute, play/ pause, track skip Yes, 11 keys No

On/Standby, Volume, Mute, app

Volume, mute (or play/ Input, volume, mute, pause) power/standby, play/ pause, track skip No Yes, 10 keys Ethernet, 2.4GHz No 802.11b/g Wi-Fi No SBC, aptX None 2 x stereo (RCA, 3.5mm), 2 x optical

• Limited native bass output

Description Driver/s

Controls

1 x 20mm silk-dome tweeter, 1 x 75mm neodymium woofer Bass reflex, downwards firing port Volume, input, power

Remote control Network

Yes, 6 keys Nil

Bluetooth Physical inputs

SBC, aptX SBC 1 x stereo (3.5mm), 2 x stereo (RCA), 1 x 1 x optical digital audio stereo (3.5mm), USB-B

Outputs Amp location

1 x sub out Right channel, 1.9m link cable provided Compatible with ‘back pack’ battery, British milled fabric Rich Walnut veneer, Soft Grey lacquer Quarter-inch thread mount at rear

Enclosure type

Yes, 17 keys Ethernet, 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi SBC, AAC 1 x stereo (3.5mm), 1 x optical, USB-B

DTS Play-Fi compatible, Spotify Premium compatible High gloss black, white Black or red M5 0.8: mounting hole at rear

1 x sub out None Left channel, 2.5-metre Both, 3-metre link link cable provided cable provided DSD support, AirPlay

Black, white

White

Threaded mounting point at rear

Wall brackets available

Dimensions (hwd) 175 x 130 x 135mm Weight 1.2kg, 1.3kg Manufacturer’s specifications Amplifier (each) 20W

300 x 185 x 210mm 4.55kg, 6.6kg

229 x 117 x 135mm 1.76kg

132 x 268 x 160mm 2.6kg

260 x 130 x 200mm 2.9kg, 3.6kg

285 x 170 x 239mm 6.2kg, 5.7kg

40W “RMS”

Not stated

50-22,000Hz ±1.5dB

Not stated (separate amps for each driver) Not stated

50W

Specified frequency response Measurements Bass output at -6dB Bass output at -10dB Contacts Distributor

26.5W (woofer) + 3.5W (tweeter) continuous Not stated

60-25,000Hz ±3dB

24W (woofer) + 20W (tweeter) 54-40,000Hz -10dB

80Hz 68Hz

50Hz 44Hz

45Hz 42Hz

55Hz 51Hz

60Hz 50Hz

41Hz 35Hz

Synergy Audio Visual

Audio Heaven

Sonos Australia

Indi Imports Pty Ltd

Telephone Web

03 9459 7474 www.synergyaudio. com

0412 650 723 www.audioheaven. com.au

Powermove Distribution 03 9358 5999 www.powermove. com.au

1800 680 234 www.sonos.com

03 9416 7037 www.indimports.com

Yamaha Music Australia 03 9693 5111 au.yamaha.com

Finishes Fittings

Conclusions: Perhaps the most surprising thing about examining all these speakers was the overall very high standard of sound they managed to produce. And that includes the

None Both

Volume, input, power/ standby, presets

None Both

Other features

1 x stereo, 1 x sub out Left channel, 3-metre link cable provided

No (in app) Ethernet, Dual band 802.11n Wi-Fi No 1 x stereo (3.5mm)

Sonos PLAY:3 $449 (1), $898 (pair) 12 months

multiroom units. BEST OVERALL SOUND: Standing at the top in terms of sheer sound quality were, of course, the Dynaudio Focus 20 XD and the KEF LS50 Wireless speakers.

Black, white, light walnut

These are serious, high-end speakers that also happen to be active. And they are, I’m thinking, probably a little better than their passive siblings. BEST SMALL PERFORMER: Were

wireless speakers

group test

Triangle Elara LN01A $1199 2 years

HEOS HEOS 5 HS2 $649 (1), $1298 (pair) 2 years

DALI Zensor 1 AX $1395 5 years (2 on electronics)

Bluesound Pulse Flex $699 (1), $1398 (pair) 2 years

Definitive Technology W7 $800 (1), $1600 (pair) 12 months

• Phono input! • Excellent high fidelity sound • Very good imaging

• Incredibly versatile • Supports all manner of high resolution audio • Surprising bass

• Good solid performance • Plenty of volume available • Pleasing styling

• Very nice stereo imaging • Smooth balanced sound • Gapless playback

• Good tonal balance • Imaging as good as • High-end sound • Powerful bass it gets quality performance • Very solid bass • Excellent bass • Quite compact performance • Absolutely • Overall great sound gorgeous finish

• Could do with • No optical digital clearly marked audio input centre positions for tone controls

• A touch bright on some content

• Can’t supplement bass with subwoofer • Performs updates automatically

• Can’t play direct inputs in stereo • Can’t supplement bass with sub • No gapless playback

• No gapless playback

• Only price

1 x 25mm silk-dome tweeter, 1 x 135mm woofer Bass reflex, rear port

2 x tweeters, 2 x mid/ woofers; sizes not stated 1 x passive radiator

1 x 25mm tweeter, 1 x 133mm woofer

1 x 25mm tweeter, 1 x 89mm woofer

Bass reflex, rear port

Not stated

1 x 25mm al-dome tweeter, 1 x 130mm alum-cone woofer Bass reflex, rear port

1 x 28mm soft-dome tweeter, 1 x 170mm woofer Bass reflex, rear port

Input, volume, bass, treble, mute, standby, play/pause, track skip Yes, 17 keys No

Mute, Volume

Volume, Input

Volume, Play/pause. Skip. Five presets, app

4 x 25mm al-dome tweeters, 1 x 102mm bass/midrange 2 x 102mm bass radiators Volume, input, play/ pause, app

No (in app) Ethernet, Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi SBC 1 x stereo (3.5mm), USB

Yes, 8 keys No

SBC, aptX 2 x stereo (3.5mm, RCA can be phono), 1 x optical digital audio 1 x sub out None Right channel, 3-metre Both link cable provided Plays high resolution audio, even DSD128

SBC, aptX 1 x stereo (3.5mm)

Black, white

Black, White, Walnut

Black, White

1 x sub out Left channel, 4-metre link cable provided

KEF LS50 Wireless $3799 12 months

Dynaudio Focus 20 XD $7999-$8499 2 years

Input, volume, mute, power/standby, play/ pause, track skip No (in app) No (in app) Yes, 8 keys Ethernet, 2.4GHz Ethernet, Dual-band Ethernet, Dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi 802.11n Wi-Fi 802.11n Wi-Fi SBC, aptX Nil SBC, aptX 1 x stereo (3.5mm), 1 1 x stereo (3.5mm), 1 x stereo (RCA), 1 x x optical digital audio 1 x optical digital audio optical digital audio, /3.5mm) – shared USB-B 1 x 3.5mm headphone None 1 x sub out Both Both Both

On/Standby, Volume, Mute, input

Optional battery pack available for 8 hour portable use Black, White

Nil

Yes, 14 keys No

No 1 x stereo (3.5mm), 1 x optical (3.5mm) 1 x coaxial digital audio Both

DTS Play-Fi compatible, Spotify Premium compatible Black, White

Gloss black or white

Add inputs, Bluetooth and WiFi with optional Connect box Many! – see review

300 x 200 x 308mm 10.0,10.2kg

360 x 198 x 322mm 8.65kg

Hook mounting point, Quarter-inch thread spacers for bottom mount at rear 291 x 165 x 291mm 4.50kg, 5.05kg

209 x 294 x 166mm 3.2kg

274 x 162 x 240mm 4.35kg, 4.0kg

183 x 125 x 100mm 1.23kg

176 x 150 x 168mm 2.7kg

50W

50W 54-26,500Hz ±3dB

20W (woofer) + 20W (tweeter) 45 to 20,000Hz

30W (woofer) + 4 x 15W 200W (woofer) + 30W (tweeters) (tweeter) Not stated 43-47,000Hz -6dB

2 x 150W

56-22,000Hz ±3dB

Class D, output not stated Not stated

43Hz 40Hz

44Hz 43.5Hz

37Hz 28Hz

57Hz 51Hz

50Hz 47Hz

42Hz 37.5Hz

28Hz 26Hz

Audio Marketing

QualiFi Pty Ltd

DALI DIstribution Australia 03 9873 7707 www.dali.com.au

Convoy International

Advance Audio Australia 02 9561 0799 advanceaudio.com.au

Advance Audio BusiSoft AV Australia 02 9561 0799 03 9810 2900 advanceaudio.com.au www.busisoft.com.au

02 9882 3877 1800 24 24 26 www.audiomarketing. www.heos.com.au com.au

space really tight, I could certainly live with the System Audio Saxo 1 Active. They have their limits because of size, but within them they are lovely performers. BEST VALUE:

02 9774 9900 www.convoy.com.au

Standing at the top in terms of value would have to be the AktiMate Mini+ B speakers and the Yamaha NX-N500. And even though the Yamaha pair costs a little more, its sheer

39-24,000Hz ±3dB

versatility, including all the upsides of working as part of a multiroom system with none of the downsides, made it a particular favourite. Stephen Dawson