Happy Monday and welcome to the latest entry into What Hi-Fi?'s Rewind column. In it, our intrepid team of expert reviewers and hi-fi and home cinema newshounds detail the top stories to break over the past seven days.
And what a week it was. During the period we saw everything from new Sony earbuds, to a surprise release from Marantz hit the headlines.
Here’s what you need to know.
YG Acoustics's premium floorstanders are great, but a little fussy
Is £30k / $30k a lot of money to spend on a pair of floorstanders? Unless you’re Jeff Bezos, yes, is the answer. But after getting YG Acoustics’ Carmel 3 speakers in we can confirm that, if you have the money to spare and accompanying hi-fi to do them justice, they can be well worth the investment.
Though the all metal design led to a Marmite reaction among the What Hi-Fi? team, we are united in our love of their performance. When matched right, the units delivered a bold presentation with striking levels of dynamic punch, making them an easy five-star recommendation for the few buyers that can afford them. Our verdict says it all: “Elaborately engineered, expensive and rather talented.”
Read our in-depth YG Acoustics Carmel 3 review
Marantz is is back in the “proper” hi-fi game
It has been a while since Marantz released any hi-fi, instead focussing on home cinema hardware, like the five-star Home Cinema 30 we reviewed in July. Specifically, the last time we saw some “proper” hi-fi from the brand was all the way back in 2016. Which is why we were pleasantly surprised when the brand announced the launch of the Model 10 stereo amplifier, the SACD 10 SACD/CD player and the Link 10n network audio player last week.
We haven’t got a firm price or release date for the SACD player or network audio player yet. But if the stereo amp’s price is anything to go off they won’t come cheap, with the Model 10 set to retail for a hefty £12,000 / $15,000 / €14,500 when it hits stores at an unspecified point later this year.
Read the full story: Marantz aims for a high-end home run with its new 10 Series hi-fi separates
We built an awesome modern hi-fi system
We all love a proper rack, but if you’re after all the modern conveniences, but as well as retro charm, you’ll want to check out our latest recommended system. Built entirely of five-star products we’ve reviewed and checked in our listening to make sure each part plays nicely with the others, it's a veritable treat for any buyer short on space.
Specifically, it combines a 10th Gen iPad with a streaming-ready Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 internet radio and Grado SR80x wired headphones, creating a flexible audio set-up that’s surprisingly affordable.
Read the full article: This terrific trio from Apple, Grado and Ruark epitomises the modern-day music system
We did a deep dive into Tidal’s lossless audio claims
Regular readers know that the What Hi-Fi? team are fans of Tidal. Offering higher quality audio than Spotify, and for less money, it easily earned five-stars when we re-reviewed it earlier this year. But is it actually lossless? Last week our former editor-in-chief Jez Ford and his partner in crime Stephen Dawson dived down the audio rabbit hole to find out!
Read the full story: Tidal is definitely lossless, and my mate can prove it
Our former editor penned a note in defence of streaming
Not content to stop with Tidal, Jez then went on to take a separate look at the ongoing streaming vs CD debate. Specifically, penning an opinion piece arguing that in many ways not only is streaming better, but that CDs were always a little bit ridiculous.
Read the full story: How music streaming is righting a wrong of the Compact Disc
MORE:
These are the best CD players we’ve reviewed
We rate the best speakers money can buy
The best stereo amps tried and tested
