Best Buys – Audio & AV

Best Buys Audio & AV is loaded to the gills with authoritative reviews on all types of hi-fi and home theatre products, from wireless speakers to valve amplifiers, AV projectors and streaming computer audio – it’s a must-read for those looking to assemble or upgrade their home entertainment systems. By publishing easy-to-read, well researched reviews, Best Buys Audio & AV provides at-a-glance summaries together with detailed reviews by Australia’s most experienced hi-fi and AV teams from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines.

Best Buys Audio & AV

THE HI–FI HEADLINES • NEWSLETTER No. 248

EPSON EH-TW7100 • Epson pixel-shifts using its 4K Pro-UHD technology in this impressively priced projector that uses brightness and colour to create fine bigscreen movie images.

HISENSE LASER TV • A TV? Not really. But it’s not quite like a projector either. Hisense’s ‘Laser TV’ brings together elements of each technology to deliver something new and effective.

BOWERS & WILKINS FORMATION BAR • B&W’s Formation Suite is the company’s wireless multiroom platform. Here we review the Bar soundbar and Bass wireless subwoofer, used with two wireless Flex speakers for surround.

KRIX MX-5 • Krix’s modular front array brings the concepts used in real cinemas home, to go behind or below a home cinema screen. The results are formidable with movies, and surprisingly musical.

YAMAHA YAS-209 • A stereo soundbar plus wireless subwoofer, with Alexa voice control built in, Yamaha’s YAS-209 delivers a powerful TV and movie performance at an impressive price.

JBL LINK PORTABLE & MUSIC • Two smart JBL speakers — both have Google Assistant built in, both stream via Wi-Fi, AirPlay and Bluetooth. One is portable, one is permanently plugged in. So which is the one for you?

NAIM NAIT XS 3 + NDX 2 • This is serious hi-fi — and yet also some of the best fun you can have with the music you love. The combination of Naim’s network streamer and integrated amp just bowled us over with its sound.

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-LPW40WN • Winner of Sound+Image’s 2020 Turntable of the Year $500-$1000, this LP spinner from Audio-Technica cuts out the extra features to concentrate firmly on getting the best sound for your investment.

MERIDIAN 210 STREAMER • Meridian’s small and neat 200-Series streamer delivers an output which proves to be equally perfectly formed.

PRO-JECT AUDIO X1 • When the world was giving up on turntables, Pro-Ject was just getting started. The X1 shows how far they’ve come in offering high-value vinyl replay.

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-OC9X RANGE • The most important part of your turntable is the bit which actually plays the music — the cartridge. Audio-Technica has just launched five new moving-coil models which take its classic OC9 design to new levels of vinyl reproduction.

CYRUS ONE CAST • Cyrus takes its already solid Cyrus One amplifier, adds a shedload of smart functionality, upgrades the power section, and connects it to all three main voice assistants. We like it very much.

MARANTZ NR1200 • It’s a hub for HDMI devices, for wireless multiroom streaming, it has FM and DAB+ radio — and at its heart it’s a Marantz stereo amplifier. The NR1200 should make a lot of people happy.

MCINTOSH MA252 • Valves that glow green mark out Mcintosh’s hybrid integrated amplifier — valves in the preamp stage, transistors in the output stage. It’s a combination that brings magic into the home.

NAD M10 • NAD’s Masters Series moves up from the traditional midrange hi-fi of this famous brand to something higher. Add BluOS smart multiroom streaming, and the M10 delivers something special.

AUDIOSOLUTIONS OVERTURE O202B • With unusual looks, delightful finishes and some fine sonic performance, these high-quality...