It’s the start of the week, which means a fresh entry into our regular Rewind column, where our team of hi-fi and home cinema experts once again detail the top stories you need to know about.
The only thing hotter than the weather was the wealth of juicy stories to break last week, with our experts covering the launch of a new streaming amp from Cambridge Audio and delivering their final verdict on a key set of PMC floorstanders.
Here’s what you need to know.
Cambridge Audio launched a new streaming amp
The big news last week was Cambridge Audio launching a new Evo 150 SE streaming amp. As the naming suggests, it’s heavily based on the original Evo 150, which we reviewed and gave five-stars in 2021.
Key changes to justify the added “Special Edition” branding include the use of a more powerful ESS SABRE ES9018k2m DAC and new Hypex NCOREx module designed to reduce noise.
Outside of this the Class D amp can deliver 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms, which makes it a fairly muscly unit that should be able to drive demanding speakers.
Read the full story: Cambridge Audio takes one of our favourite streaming amps to the next level with its fully featured Evo 150 SE
Our head honcho decided the Sonos Arc isn’t for him
What Hi-Fi? content director and semi-retired reviewer, Joe Cox, dusted off his keyboard and penned a feature detailing the trials and tribulations of swapping his aging Sonos Playbar for a more modern Sonos Arc.
And while he liked the newer model, there was something missing that made him go back to the Playbar in less than 24 hours, showing newer isn't always better in the AV world.
Read the full story: I switched my old Sonos Playbar for the Arc soundbar – but 24 hours later the Arc was back in the box
PMC’s classy floorstanders sound excellent
Last week our audio experts finished testing the PMC Prophecy 7 and found that for their target, high-end enthusiast market they are a perfect match. The speakers are part of the latest range from PMC, replacing the firm’s long-running Twenty 5i series.
Offering a classy design that manages to pack a lot of muscle into a surprisingly small frame, the speakers deliver excellent results when paired with appropriate partners.
Whether it was 12-bar blues, bopping pop or classical, the speakers delivered exceptional clarity and resolution, plus impressive low end heft, considering their size.
Read our full PMC Prophecy 7 review
Our managing editor asked: does Bluetooth really make hi-fi better?
These days Bluetooth seems to be a box every hi-fi manufacturer feels the need to tick. Even in the high-end market we’re seeing more and more amps, turntables and systems come loaded with it as standard.
And at first glance there’s a good reason for that. Why not? It makes it easier to stream and connect devices, right?
But, with Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, AirPlay, Chromecast, and more, also becoming increasingly standard and offering better quality, is it actually needed?
This is the very question our managing editor, Becky Roberts, pondered in her latest column.
Read the full story: This popular amplifier feature is super practical on paper but almost pointless in practise
We celebrated 12 awesome albums that are turning 20 this year
While they’re still a year off being able to buy a beer in the United States, a number of awesome albums are set to hit a key milestone this year.
Eager to celebrate, our team of audio experts took the time to detail their favourites, whittling the long list down to 12 iconic albums that are well worth revisiting, or checking out for the first time.
Read the full story: 12 albums from 2000 that are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year
MORE:
These are the best floorstanding speakers we’ve fully reviewed
We rate the best stereo amplifiers money can buy
Our picks of the best soundbars revealed
