Best Buys – Audio & AV

Best Buys Audio & AV is loaded to the gills with authoritative reviews on all types of hi-fi and home theatre products, from wireless speakers to valve amplifiers, AV projectors and streaming computer audio – it’s a must-read for those looking to assemble or upgrade their home entertainment systems. By publishing easy-to-read, well researched reviews, Best Buys Audio & AV provides at-a-glance summaries together with detailed reviews by Australia’s most experienced hi-fi and AV teams from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines.

Best Buys Audio & AV • BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV • Issue 2021-#1

HOW TO WATCH 4K ON YOUR 4K DISPLAY • Sounds like a ‘duh’? Not at all. Plenty of people think they’re watching 4K when they’re stuck on something less. Read on to make certain of content that will make your 4K TV shine.

BENQ GS2 • A permanent projector has day-time limitations of ambient light. So how about a packaway portable projector capable of creating bigscreen entertainment wherever you go?

EPSON EpiqVision EH-LS300B • A projector tucked up against your wall, shining up a giant image — this is the joy of ultra-short-throw projection. But Epson’s LS300 goes further, with built-in sound and Android smarts, making it as much an everyday ‘TV’ as a projector.

HISENSE 65SX • For years manufacturers have been trying to make an LCD TV which delivers the contrast ratio available from OLED. Has Hisense finally achieved this with its 65SX Dual Cell UltraHD TV?

SONY VPL-VW790ES • Lesser projectors offering Ultra High Definition deliver the required pixel count by pixel-shifting panels of lower resolution. Sony’s VW790ES is native up to full 4K, and it’s the best picture we’ve ever seen.

MARANTZ NR1711 • The Marantz NR1711 updates Marantz’s longstanding winning ‘slimline’ AV receiver formula with the latest video standards plus a host of features and connectivity, including the HEOS streaming and multiroom platform.

MARANTZ SR8015 • Our second Marantz AV powerhorse is the company’s current top-of-the-range integrated solution, a multichannel amplifier rather a receiver, combining exceptionally full features with seemingly bottomless power reserves.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SOUNDBAR • Once seen as low-performance compromise solutions, soundbars have risen to new and Atmos-enabled heights in their latest generations. But while some have evolved, others are still touting the old tricks of virtualised surround. Choose wisely, however, and you can enjoy big sound to match today’s big screens.

TCL RAY DANZ TS9030 • TCL delivers a soundbar and subwoofer design with a difference, stereo waveguides scooped out of the frontage to deliver wider front-channel sound.

YAMAHA SR-B20 • If you’re after a neat TV audio solution, you can’t get neater than a soundbar without a subwoofer. With this SR-B20, the price is also impressively right. Can it deliver enough oomph to make movie magic and music too?

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-LP120XUSB • Direct drive on a turntable brings DJ advantages of speed control and rapid start-up — how does that affect the sound of this deck for day-to-day replay in a hi-fi context?

GOLD NOTE PH-1000 • This stunningly high-end phono stage sounds wonderful and comes loaded with every feature and facility you’re ever going to need. Plus it’s also has pre-amplifier inputs and a headphone amplifier into the bargain…

RUARK R3 • Ruark’s all-in-one system combines a staggering number of ways to play music, from CD and radio to streaming music services, Bluetooth and network streaming.

SENNHEISER CX 400BT • With its Momentum models, Sennheiser has proven itself one of the leaders in true wireless in-ear headphones. Can it repeat the trick when it comes to these more affordable designs?

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