Five products to look out for this month
INSIDER
1Roon Nucleus One£400 approx
Roon is more than just a subscription-based music-management system; it also makes server hardware on which users can store their music. While it has leaned more towards the premium market for some time, the new Nucleus One promises audiophile sound without breaking the bank. It offers space for 2.5in internal SATA drives (SSD or HDD) for an 8TB storage capacity, which can hold up to 10,000 albums or 100,000 tracks; you will need a pretty large digital music library to fill this server up. The Nucleus One’s tricks don’t stop there, though, as it can facilitate up to six zones of multi-room streaming – handy if you are someone who likes music in every room of your house.
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2Denon DHT-S218£249
Cheap Dolby Atmos soundbars appear to be the trend right now, with manufacturers offering the immersive audio experience in bars that come in well below £500 (as our last issue proved). Now it is Denon’s turn, with the DHT-S218, which is set to offer the spatial audio feature in a soundbar for less than £250. Complete with an HDMI passthrough port that supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR, this neat device looks as though it might be the full package, despite costing half the price of a Sonos Beam. Featuring six drivers in a 2.1 configuration inside a bar that measures only 90cm in width, the DHT-S218 could be the bargain soundbar to watch.
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3JLab Studio Pro ANC£100
Sony, Bose and Sennheiser have the active noise-cancelling headphone scene locked down, but their headphones all cost a pretty penny. Enter the JLab Studio Pro ANC, which offers four levels of noise cancelling, a claimed 43-hour battery life with ANC on, and support for Siri and Google Assistant – all for a penny under £100. These headphones are looking like serious value for the money, and they even include a handy carrying case in the box. JLab also promises excellent comfort with ‘Form-Fit’ earcups and ‘Cloud Foam’ ear cushions, and the ’phones have a handy folding design that should make them an ideal travelling companion.
whf.cm/JLabStudioPro
4iFi Go Bar Kensei£449
This small but mighty portable DAC shares its n
