ISSUE 379|COMPUTERSHOPPER|SEPTEMBER (^201969)
AUDIO
CREATIVEOutlierAir
★★★★★
£75•uk.creative.com
SONYWH-1000XM3
★★★★★
£275•www.amzn.to/2HHUG1J
QACOUSTICS3010i
★★★★★
£198•www.amzn.to/2xi4CsE
CREATIVEMuvo2c
★★★★★
£30•www.amzn.to/2wzSxB8
BOWERS&WILKINS 607
★★★★★
£399•www.weybridge-audio.co.uk
Amarvellous
set of true
wireless
headphones,the Outlier Air c y y
with acomfy (if large) design g y p
supportis worth the moneyinparticular.
Bose’s QuietComfort
headphoneshave at last
been toppled from the ANC
throne.The WH-1000XM3headphones
don’t just sound outstanding,with very effective noise cancellation,
but they’re smartlydesignedand come with ahost of extras.
Louder and more
precisethan the 3010,
these bookshelfspeakers
are worth the money. You’ll just need to plug them intoanexternal
amplifier,like ahi-fi amp or AV receiver.
Consideringit’s both
pocket-sized and dirt
cheap,the Muvo 2c’s
bass presenceand sheer loudnesscome
as apleasantsurprise,and it’s water-and
dust-resistantas well.
Inspiredby the classic
600 series, the wired
607s deliver an exciting
and enthusiasticsound 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 (^1) • RMSPOWEROUTPUTNotstated•DOCKCONNECTORNone•NETWORKING
Bluetooth4.2(SBC)•DIMENSIONS93x38x67mm•WEIGHT159g•WARRANTYTwoyearsRTB•
DETAILSuk.creative.com•PARTCODE51MF8250AA011•FULLREVIEWJul2018
SPEAKERS (^4) • RMSPOWEROUTPUT125W•WEIGHT4.7kgperspeaker•
NETWORKINGNone•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.bowers-wilkins.eu•
PARTCODE (^607) • FULLREVIEWJun2019
UEBoom3
★★★★★
£99•www.amzn.to/2ThounT
This IP67-rated Bluetooth
speakeris acomprehensive
upgradeon the Boom 2: it’s
more durable,looks better,has longer wireless
range and soundseven 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 speakerscome in all shapes
and sizes, so you’ll need to decide
what you want to do with the speakerbefore
you buy.Ifyou don’t plan to take your music
outdoors or aroundthe house,look fora
wired speaker.These are typicallycheaper
than speakerswith built-in batteries.
If you do want aportablespeaker,
however,pay particularattention to how
much it weighs.Ruggedisedmodelsshould
be able to surviveaccidentaldrops, water
spills and unexpected rain showers.
02
Many of the cheapestBluetooth
speakersuse the lossy A2DP
Bluetooth protocol, which is prone to
compressingyour music and discarding
detail comparedwith the originalrecording.
Choosing a... Bluetooth speaker
It’s hard to tell the differencewhen listening
to pocket-sized speakers,but if you’re
lookingforaspeaker to fill aroom, an
aptX-compatibledevice is abetter option.
This Bluetooth protocol retainsmore detail
than the A2DP profile,althoughyou’ll need
to use it with acompatiblesmartphonein
order to get the benefits.
03
As with any audio product,the
numberand size of speakerdrivers
can have asignificantimpacton the quality
of sound you get from aBluetooth speaker.
Typically,the presenceof multipledrivers
enablesthe manufacturerto tune each one
forspecific frequencies,directinghigh-end
soundstowards atweeter and sendingthe
mid-rangefrequenciesto the main driver.
Single-driverspeakerswith larger driver
cones can be just as capableof producing
fantastic audio,however.
04
Most Bluetooth speakershave at
least one auxiliaryinput 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.Speakerswith built-in batteries
mayhaveaUSB port forchargingyour
smartphone,orabuilt-in microphoneto turn
it intoaspeakerphonewhen apaired
smartphonereceivesacall. Not all speakers
have physicalcontrols;many rely on your
paired device’s controlsforadjustingthe
volumeor mutingplayback.
e
d
ous
combineallively anddynamicsound
ignand longbatterylife. BluetoothaptX
c. jardin
(C. Jardin)
#1