Chris Haslam chooses the best hi-fi equipment for your classical music listening
THIS MONTH: MID-RANGE BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS
SUPER STEREO SYSTEM
Klipsch R-40PM £499
These powered monitors might stretch the brief a little, but given the style, price and all-in-one design, I had to take a listen. The right cabinet contains a 35W amplifier and full suite of inputs including Bluetooth, optical, RCA, USB and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The second speaker is joined by standard speaker cable (included).
The gorgeous Spun-Copper TCP 100mm woofer and a 25mm LTS aluminium tweeter look stunning. Connected to high-res laptop streaming, they were a joy. CDs were equally impactful, but Bluetooth streaming sounded thin in comparison.
klipsch.com
COMPACT YET CONSIDERED
Q Acoustics 5010 £499
The 5010 is the smallest and cheapest of Q Acoustics’s new 5000 range of speakers, but when paired with my trusty Marantz HD-AMP1, I’m struck by the presence, control and punch from such a modest cabinet (264 x 160 x 263mm).
Q Acoustics has developed a mid/bass driver, the C3 Continuous Curved Cone, which blends the bass of a straight, conic cone with the high/mid-range frequency control of a flared cone. The aim is to reduce distortion, integrate seamlessly with the tweeter and to allow for less-than-ideal positioning, no matter how quirky the space. qacoustics.co.uk
BEST IN TEST
Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 £599
The Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 replaces the multi-award-winning 607 S2, and features an all-new 25mm titanium decoupled double-dome tweeter and 13cm continuum mid/bass driver. The relatively compact, living room-friendly cabinet (300 x 165 x 207mm) has also been re-engineered with a new speaker terminal back panel that makes positioning them closer to the wall easier, and a substantially stiffened internal bracing system that helps minimise vibrations.
I listened to both new and old B&W 607 speakers side-by-side, and while the older speakers still shine, the difference in scale and energy with the new design was striking: there’s a confidence to the sound that belies the size of the s
