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First Tests

12 PAGE TVSPECIAL! 2012’s hottest tellies enter our test rooms. But which is best? There’s only one way to find out…

Tests p16

A 21:9 widescreen from Philips p10

Panasonic’s 42 inch TX-P42GT50

p14 A stunning Samsung big-screen

More first tests! Including the Arcam rPAC portable DAC, the T567 Blu-ray player by NAD, and the amazing HTC One X smartphone.

p20

The Arcam rPAC

Cambridge Audio’s Minx p21

p21

Sansui makes a welcome return p27

A monumental amplifier from Heed

One-make systems p38

Supertest One-make hi-fi systems p38

One-make systems offer convenience and unity of sound (plus they look nice, too). This Supertest sees us put mid-priced integrated amplifier and CD player combinations from four big names through their paces.

Budget Blu-ray players p54

The first Blu-ray players of 2012 have arrived in our testing rooms – and they’re more featurepacked than ever. We’ve taken three new models, all priced under £200, to see which gives the best hi-def bang for your buck.

Video streamers p64

Video streamers offer access to thousands of hours of great on-demand music and video content both online and on your network. We hooked up five to our network and dived in…

Temptations Six pages of high-end kit p74 This month we have a £17,000 phono stage – yep, you read that right – and an amp that uses analogue and digital circuitry simultaneously. Not your usual product lineup, then…

Blu-ray players p54

Video streamers p64

p28

Yamaha’s YHT-5401 soundbar

4 www.whathifi.com CONTENTS

First Test p6 Toshiba is to be applauded for laying down such an amazing gauntlet at the feet of its rivals

Temptations p74 The Digital approach means this amp is highly flexible, and the wireless sound is excellent

Playlist p84 The songs are built around scruffy, grimy guitar and swampy percussion

A-Z of kit tested Televisions LG 55LM960V £3300 p12 Panasonic TX-L32ET5 £750 p18 Panasonic TX-P42GT50 £1200 p10 Philips 21:9 Gold £2000 p16 Samsung PS51E8000 £1700 p14 Toshiba 55ZL2 £7000 p6

Home cinema Blu-ray players LG BP420 £160 p56 NAD T567 £600 p24 Panasonic DMP-BDT220 £180 p57 Samsung BD-E6100 £150 p58

Projectors Epson EH-TW9000 £3200 p26

Soundbars Yamaha YHT-S401 £500 p28

Style speaker packages Cambridge Audio Minx S215 £500 p21

Hi-Fi iPod docks Logitech UE Air Speaker £300 p27

Amplifiers Arcam FMJ A18 £500 p40 Cyrus 6a £700 p42 Devialet D-Premier £11,450 p74 Heed Obelisk Si £1290 p27 Rega Brio-R £480 p44 Roksan Kandy K2 £750 p46

CD players Arcam FMJ CD17 £500 p40 Cyrus CD6 SE2 £700 p42 Rega Apollo-R £550 p44 Roksan Kandy K2 £750 p46

DACs Arcam rPAC £150 p20 Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 £200 p24

Stereo speakers Dali Zensor 7 £650 p20

Wireless speakers Canton your_Duo £600 p28

Digital media devices Video streamers Apple TV £100 p66 D-Link Boxee Box £150 p67 Roku 2 XS £100 p68 Sony SMP-N200 £100 p69 Western Digital WD TV Live £100 p70

All in one systems Micro and style systems Sansui WMH-700L £500 p21

Portables Mobile phones HTC One X £480 p22

Tablets Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition £330 p29

Accessories Phono stage Aesthetix Io Eclipse £16,790 p78

Our ratings explained

We always test products as a team, and always compare them with their peers – which is why our ratings are the most authoritative in the industry

Stunning all-rounder Well worth considering Decent Disappointing Awful

★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★

If it’s one of our winners, you know it’s top quality

Features

SYSTEM BUILDER

Let us do the work for you p62 Pioneer’s N50 hi-fi streamer is our current favourite – and an amazingly flexible and well-built piece of kit. We show you how it can work with three easy-to-build systems, and recommend the accessories you’ll need to complete your set-up.

Every month

Insider: The future of 3D p30 We look at the format ahead of this summer’s sport bonanza and see how stances have changed on active vs passive tech.

Subscriptions p34

Every new subscriber will receive a Chord Supershield HDMI cable and 15% discount.

Best Buys p36

What to buy and what to partner it with. We’ve assembled our favourite products into some fantastic complete systems.

Playlist p84

The latest music and media to hit the shelves, including War Horse, Kinekt Star Wars and the latest albumbs from Dr John and Spiritualized

Sound Advice p86

Our team of experts dive onto the forums and into the postbag to answer your queries

Look out for this logo in this and future issues: with the ‘Blippar’ app installed on your smartphone you can view enhanced and interactive content

Buyer’s Guide

The ultimate AV bible

Over 1200 products tested and rated p91

For a full list of specifications and other useful info visit whathifi.com www.whathifi.com 5