July 2017 issue on sale now!
By What Hi-Fi Admin published 7 June 17
Vinyl galore! This issue of What Hi-Fi? celebrates the revival of the LP record. Expensive turntables and phono stages, AI assistants and a couple of fierce floorstanders go into battle too.
This is a record issue of What Hi-Fi?, with players stealing the spotlight. The July issue features a torrent of great vinyl-related features, including the science behind the technology and how to digitise your record collection. Plus of course, reviews - of the best decks we've ever had the pleasure of listening to, of six stellar phono stages and even a range of four cartidges to keep your vinyl happy.
And if you don't know what to play on your turntable , then our feature on 30 albums that every audiophile should hear is a great place to start. You can always tweet us or send us a message on Facebook when it turns out your favourite isn't on the list.
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad or Android devices, or Kindle edition.
Delivery discs
But if you thought that was all our vinyl-related content, you'd be mistaken. And for this one, you don't even need to leave your house.
We've found an array of subscription services to send you vinyl...and a little something extra. Whether that's wine from Vinyl Me, Please (why they didn't call it 'Winyl' is beyond us), an ecclectic selection from Vinyl Moon or seasonal recipies from Turntable Kitchen, there's bound to be something for everyone.
(And speaking of music and wine, how about beer and wireless speakers?)
I need your clothes, your boots, and your Wi-FI password
How many varieties of smarthome hubs do we have now? There's the Amazon Echo - the current favourite - followed by the Google Home, and Cortana on Microsoft's as-yet-unreleased speaker.
Siri is sure to get its own place; as is Bixby, the assistant on the Samsung Galaxy S8. Even the maker of Android has come out with a new hub, the Essential Home.
But how much do we want Big Brother looking in on your life? We take a look at the ins-and-outs of our artificially intelligent servants and see how they might handle our commands.
Floorstander face-off
Being the king of floorstanding speakers is a mighty achievement - and that's certainly how we see the Q Acoustics 3050s.
But, like all kings, you have challenges on all sides from those looking to take your throne from you. And that's what Dali's latest floorstanders are looking to do.
Each of these speakers offer two very different musical flavours, but they meet each other with a £500 price tag. Which one will come out on top?
Five-star phono stage
Rounding off our vinyl special is a £5000 phono stage from Luxman and a £18,670 turntable from Linn.
Certainly, no expense has been spared in either of these products. While phono stages are normally nondescript boxes, Luxman has built its stage into a full-sized casework, packed with toggle switches, dials and signal-level meters.
The turntable, meanwhile, is an updated version of the LP12 (one of the best turntables of What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime), and it's certainly made its mark. The new version has had each element honed for the modern-day, and it retains the same great sound.
Not thoroughly entertained by now? Well, if not, we've got even more for you:
Filling our first test pages are Sony's first OLED television and its first 4K HDR Blu-ray player, the new Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice control, a Dolby Atmos soundbar from LG, the Google Home speaker and Samsung's QLED television.
The July issue is on sale now, and it's the perfect way to start off your summer - happy reading!
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition.
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