Five products to look out for this month
INSIDER
2FiiO R7 £650
FiiO’s first desktop hi-res audio player features a unique design and, on paper at least, promises much. The system is powered by ESS Sabre ES9068AS DACs and a high-level THX-788+ desktop-grade amplification chipset. It also has a multitude of wired and wireless connections for hooking up both headphones and speakers. These include Bluetooth 5.0 and compatibility with all of the major music-streaming services on the wireless side, and optical, coaxial, line-level and balanced XLR outputs for wired connectivity. There is also the option to download music files locally to the device, as well as a touchscreen to navigate the Android system running on the R7. whf.cm/FiiO_R7
4Wharfedale Dovedale £5000 (£5500 with stands)
The heritage speaker revival trend continues apace, and Wharfedale is introducing its biggest pair yet with the renewed Dovedales. Taking inspiration from the Dovedale 3s, which were originally released in 1971, this new model is slightly taller, wider and much deeper. This larger build houses a 25mm fabric-dome tweeter in its own rear chamber and a pair of 3cm midrange and 25cm bass drivers made from Kevlar. Wharfedale says that these speakers deliver a sound that “reveals a lively and transparent level of reproduction that suits all styles of music at whatever power level you choose”. whf.cm/Dovedale
1 Sony WH-CH720N £130
Sony’s WH1000-XM5 sit atop many of our best headphones lists, but we wouldn’t recommend them if you are on a budget. Thankfully, Sony’s latest pair of entry-level wireless headphones include the same Dual Noise Sensor technology and Integrated Processor V1 as the flagship XM5, for almost a third of the price. The WH-CH720N also feature a 35-hour battery life with ANC active, Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity – and you can customise the noise-cancelling experience via the Sony Headphones Connect app. Voice controls come as standard and
