Home Cinema Choice – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 HOME CINEMA CHOICE

SELECT 109

TOP 10 Subwoofers

REL HT/1205

« £700

A larger (12in) driver and

punchier amp than on the

HT/1003 increases LFE

enjoyment – but still at a

bargain price. Lacks a bit of

subtlety though. HCC #290

REL HT/1508 Predator

« £1,600

The fl agship of REL's Serie

HT lineup uses a 15in woofer

and claimed 800W power

plant to hammer home its

home-cinema-centric ethos.

Enormous fun. HCC #296

Eclipse TD725SWMK2

« £5,000

Eclipse aims for speed and

accuracy with this fl agship.

Dual opposed 10in woofers

perform as advertised – bass

is astonishingly precise

and percussive. HCC #297

Fyne Audio F3-12

« £600

12in driver in a ported

enclosure at a great price.

Basic setup and styling, but

it maintains control and

nuance while dropping deep.

HCC #297

Bowers & Wilkins DB1D

« £3,750

This sequel to the DB1 moves EQ to an app and changes driver/

amp design. Beautifully controlled performance with depth

and detail. Gorgeous bodywork. HCC #277

GoldenEar SuperSub X

« £1,450

Four drivers squeezed into

a relatively compact design

and given plenty of push from

a 1,400W amp. Standout

traits are impact and depth.

HCC #272

Bowers & Wilkins DB3D

« £1,950

Twin 8in drivers (rather than

the 12in units on the DB1D)

result in a compact bass-

maker that still dazzles with

its control and performance

purity. HCC #299

SVS SB16-Ultra

« £2,500

A 16in driver and 1,500W

amp combine to give SVS's

fl agship sealed sub real

appeal. Goes low but remains

tight and fast. App-assisted

EQ and operation. HCC #270

REL No.25 « £6,500

REL celebrates its 25th anniversary in style with this

15in/1,000W premium concoction that exhibits exhilarating

speed and nuance down to serious depths. Big, but beautiful.

HCC #271

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TOP 5 Console games

Red Dead Redemption II

Rockstar Games' years-in-the-

making Wild West action/puzzler

prequel off ers a mammoth

open-world gaming experience

with excellent attention to

detail. Fantastic fi ve-star fun,

despite muted visuals. HCC #293

Resident Evil 2

Capcom remakes the legendary

horror survival game for

current-gen PS and Xbox

consoles, retaining the original's

charms but tweaking gameplay

and delivering a fi rst-rate AV

experience. HCC #296

Tom Clancy's

The Division 2

Duck-and-cover shooter with

both solo and multiplayer online

modes that's an AV treat

(particularly in 4K on Xbox One).

Lengthy missions limit casual

appeal, though. HCC #298

Super Smash Bros.

Ultimate

Boasting a host of characters

(including some retro surprises),

eight-player multiplayer, smooth

60fps visuals and frantic action,

this Nintendo Switch beat-'em

up is a hoot. HCC #295

Days Gone

Slotting easily into the upper

echelons of PS4 exclusives,

Sony's zombie-infused

open-world survival/RPG/

shoot-em-up benefi ts from

its sheer scale and playability.

HCC #299

SVS SB-3000

« £1,275

A new 13in driver and 800W

amp combi is added to SVS's

app-based EQ/control. The

result is an excellent value

sealed sub that hits deep

and hard. HCC #298