Computer Shopper - UK (2019-12)

ISSUE 382|COMPUTER SHOPPER|DECEMBER 2019 61

AUDIO

CREATIVEOutlierAir

★★★★★

£70•uk.creative.com

SONYWH-1000XM3

★★★★★

£270•www.amzn.to/2HHUG1J

IKEASymfonisk

★★★★★

£150•www.ikea.com

ESCAPEP9

★★★★★

£999•www.stoneaudio.co. uk

BOWERS &WILKINS 607

★★★★★

£399•www.weybridge-audio.co. uk

Amarvellous

set of true

wireless

headphones, the Outlier Air combinealively and dynamic sound

with acomfy ̣if largȩ design and long baΞery life. Bluetooth aptX

support is worth the moneyinp articular.

Bose’s Ēuiet$omfort

headphones have at last

been toppled from the Aã$

throne.The ŠH-1000XÛ3 headphones

don’t just sound outstanding, with veryeɏective noise cancellation,

but they’re smartly designed and come withahost of extras.

Ikea, withaliΞle help from Sonos,

has produced two great-sounding

wired speakers. The cheaper

͗bookshelf’model is slim and subtle,but it’s worth

paying extraforthe ͗lamp’model, which both

sounds fuller and doubles asaworking lamp.

Adramatically loud, rain-

resistant upright speaker,the

Escape P9 is something nice and

diɏerentforoutdoor useȸprovided you have

plenty of cash to burn.

Inspiredby the classic

600 series, the wired

607s deliver an exciting

and enthusiastic sound profile that reveals

the tiniest details inevery recording.

HEADPH ONESSUBTYPEIn-earheadset•PLUGTYPENone•WEIGHT10g•

CABL ELENGTHN/A•WARRANTYTwoyearsRTB•DETAILSuk.creative.com•

PARTCO DEOutlierAir•FULLREVIEWJul2019

SPEAKERS (^2) • RMSPOWEROU TPUTNotstated•WEIGHTNotstated•NETWORKINGWi-Fi•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.ikea .com•PARTCO DESymfonisk•FULLREVIEW
Nov2019
SPEAKERS (^3) • RMSPOWEROU TPUT300W•DOCKCONNECT ORNone•
NETWORKINGBluetooth•DIMENSI ONS731x220x220mm•WEIGHT1.2kg

• WARRANTYOneyearpartsandlabour•DETAILSwww.escapespeakers.
  com•PARTCO DEP9•FULLREVIEWSep2019

SPEAKERS (^4) • RMSPOWEROU TPUT125W•WEIGHT4.7kgperspeaker•
NETWORKINGNone•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.bowers-wilkins .eu•
PARTCO DE (^607) • FULLREVIEWJun2019
UEBoom3
★★★★★
£129•www.ʱohnlewis.com
This IP67-rated Bluetooth
speaker isacomprehensive
upgrade on the Boom 2: it’s
more durable,looks beΞer,has longer wireless
range and soundseven beΞer.
SPEAKERS (^4) • RMSPOWEROU TPUTNotstated•DOCKCONNECT OR
None•NETWORKINGBluetootḥSBÇ•DIMENSI ONS184x73x73mm•
WEIGHT608g•WARRANTYTwoyearsRTB•DETAILSwww.
ultim ateears. com•PARTCO DE984-001360•FULLREVIEWJan2019
HEADPH ONESSUBTYPEOver-earheadset•PLUGTYPE3.5mmʱackplug̣optiona ļ•
WEIGHT255g•CABL ELENGTH1.2m•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.sony.co.uk•
PARTCO DEWH-1000XM3•FULLREVIEWMay2019

01

Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes

and sizes, so you’ll needto decide

what you wantto do with the speaker before

you buy.Ify ou don’t planto take your music

outdoors or around the house,look fora

wired speaker.These are typically cheaper

than speakers with built-in baΞeries.

If you do wantaportable speaker,

however,pay particular aΞentionto how

much it weighs. Ruggedised models should

be ableto survive accidental drops, water

spills and unexpected rain showers.

02

Many of the cheapest Bluetooth

speakers use the lossy A2DP

Bluetooth protocol, which is proneto

compressing your music and discarding

detail compared with the original recording.

Choosinga... Bluetoothspeaker

It’s hardto te ll the difference when listening

to pocket-sized speakers, but if you’re

lookingforaspeaker to fill aroom, an

aptX-compatible device isabeΞer option.

This Bluetooth protocol retains more detail

than the A2DP profile,although you’ll need

to use it withacompatible smartphone in

order to get the benefits.

03

As with any audio product, the

number and sizeof speaker drivers

can haveasignificant impact on the ̈́uality

of sound you get fromaBluetooth speaker.

Typically,the presenceof multiple drivers

enables the manufacturerto tune each one

forspecific frë́uencies, directing high-end

soundstowards atweeter and sending the

mid-range frë́uenciesto the main driver.

Single-driver speakers with larger driver

cones can be ʱust as capableof producing

fantastic audio,however.

04

Most Bluetooth speakers have at

least one auxiliary inputforawired

3.5mm audio ʱack, in case you wantto

listen to music fromadevice that doesn’t

have Bluetooth.

There are other extrafeatures to look out

for, though. Speakers with built-in baΞeries

mayhaveaUSB portforcharging your

smartphone,orab uilt-in microphoneto turn

it int oaspeakerphone whenapaired

smartphone receivesacall. Not all speakers

have physical controls͵ many rely on your

paired device’s controlsforadʱusting the

volume or muting playback.

ous

combineallively anddynamicsound

ign and long baΞery life. Bluetooth aptX

NEW

ENTRY