Computer Shopper - UK (2019-10)

(Antfer) #1

ISSUE 380|COMPUTER SHOPPER|OCTOBER 2019 61


AUDIO


CREATIVEOutlierAir
★★★★★
£75•uk.creative.com

SONYWH-1000XM3


★★★★★


£272•www.amzn.to/2HHUG1J

QACOUSTICS 3010i
★★★★★
£197•www.amzn.to/2xi4CsE

ESCAPEP9


★★★★★


£999•www.stoneaudio.co.uk

BOWERS&WILKINS 607


★★★★★


£399•www.weybridge-audio.co.uk

Amarvellous
set of true
wireless
headphones, the Outlier Air combine alively and dynamic sound
with acomfy (if large) design and long battery life. Bluetooth aptX
support is worth the moneyinparticular.

Bose’s QuietComfort
headphones have at last
been toppled from the ANC
throne.The WH-1000XM3 headphones
don’t just sound outstanding, with very effective noise cancellation,
but they’re smartly designed and come with ahost of extras.

Louder and more
precise than the 3010,
these bookshelf speakers
are worth the money. You’ll just need to plug them intoanexternal
amplifier,like ahi-fi amp or AV receiver.

Adramatically loud, rain-
resistant upright speaker,the
Escape P9 is something nice and
different foroutdoor use –provided you have
plenty of cash to burn.

Inspired by the classic
600 series, the wired
607s deliver an exciting
and enthusiastic sound profile that reveals
the tiniest details in every recording.

HEADPHONESSUBTYPEIn-earheadset•PLUGTYPENone•WEIGHT10g•
CABLELENGTHN/A•WARRANTYTwoyearsRTB•DETAILSuk.creative.com•
PARTCODEOutlierAir•FULLREVIEWJul2019

SPEAKERS (^4) • RMSPOWEROUTPUT125W•WEIGHT4.1kgperspeaker•NETWORKINGNone•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.qacoustics.co.uk•PARTCODE3010i•FULLREVIEW
Nov2018
SPEAKERS (^3) • RMSPOWEROUTPUT300W•DOCKCONNECTORNone•
NETWORKINGBluetooth•DIMENSIONS731x220x220mm•WEIGHT1.2kg



  • WARRANTYOneyearpartsandlabour•DETAILSwww.escapespeakers.
    com•PARTCODEP9•FULLREVIEWSep2019


SPEAKERS (^4) • RMSPOWEROUTPUT125W•WEIGHT4.7kgperspeaker•
NETWORKINGNone•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.bowers-wilkins.eu•
PARTCODE (^607) • FULLREVIEWJun2019
UEBoom3
★★★★★
£99•www.amzn.to/2ThounT
This IP67-rated Bluetooth
speaker is acomprehensive
upgrade on the Boom 2: it’s
more durable,looks better,has longer wireless
range and sounds even better.
SPEAKERS (^4) • RMSPOWEROUTPUTNotstated•DOCKCONNECTOR
None•NETWORKINGBluetooth(SBC)•DIMENSIONS184x73x73mm•
WEIGHT608g•WARRANTYTwoyearsRTB•DETAILSwww.
ultimateears.com•PARTCODE984-001360•FULLREVIEWJan2019
HEADPHONESSUBTYPEOver-earheadset•PLUGTYPE3.5mmjackplug(optional)•
WEIGHT255g•CABLELENGTH1.2m•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.sony.co.uk•
PARTCODEWH-1000XM3•FULLREVIEWMay2019


01


Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes
and sizes, so you’ll need to decide
what you want to do with the speaker before
you buy.Ifyou don’t plan to take your music
outdoors or around the house,look fora
wired speaker.These are typically cheaper
than speakers with built-in batteries.
If you do want aportable speaker,
however,pay particular attention to how
much it weighs. Ruggedised models should
be able to survive accidental drops, water
spills and unexpected rain showers.

02


Many of the cheapest Bluetooth
speakers use the lossy A2DP
Bluetooth protocol, which is prone to
compressing your music and discarding
detail compared with the original recording.

Choosinga... Bluetoothspeaker

It’s hard to tell the difference when listening
to pocket-sized speakers, but if you’re
looking foraspeaker to fill aroom, an
aptX-compatible device is abetter option.
This Bluetooth protocol retains more detail
than the A2DP profile,although you’ll need
to use it with acompatible smartphone in
order to get the benefits.

03


As with any audio product, the
number and size of speaker drivers
can have asignificant impact on the quality
of sound you get from aBluetooth speaker.
Typically,the presence of multiple drivers
enables the manufacturer to tune each one
forspecific frequencies, directing high-end
sounds towards atweeter and sending the
mid-range frequencies to the main driver.

Single-driver speakers with larger driver
cones can be just as capable of producing
fantastic audio,however.

04


Most Bluetooth speakers have at
least one auxiliary input forawired
3.5mm audio jack, in case you want to
listen to music from adevice that doesn’t
have Bluetooth.
There are other extra features to look out
for, though. Speakers with built-in batteries
mayhaveaUSB port forcharging your
smartphone,orabuilt-in microphone to turn
it intoaspeakerphone when apaired
smartphone receives acall. Not all speakers
have physical controls; many rely on your
paired device’s controls foradjusting the
volume or muting playback.

ous

combineallively anddynamicsound
ignand longbatterylife. BluetoothaptX

NEW


ENTRY

Free download pdf