£3840

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Apple ipad Air

Look at pretty much all the other systems we present to you here, and you’ll see plenty of bits of kit all vying for your attention – and all vital parts in helping to create the synergy of a fine hi-fi system.

As you can see from the images, this system is somewhat different. Sometimes, after all, people don’t want to have to accommodate a plethora of boxes in their room; or they can’t be bothered to have to think about cabling and accessories to make everything sound its very best. Sometimes simple is best. When we say ‘simple’ we mean uncomplicated as far as the end user is concerned. We certainly don’t mean simple technology. For the Dali Rubicon 2 C that graces this page is not what it seems; because, on the face of it, it seems to be a pair of loudspeakers. With a small extra box to keep them company.

Essentially, the Rubicon 2 Cs are an amalgamation of Dali’s five-star Rubicon 2 passive speakers (they borrow the

There are two digital optical inputs and a coaxial feeding a Burr Brown PCM1796 DAC, a pair of stereo RCAS, a 3.5mm socket and aptx HD Bluetooth. Although that list omits a phono input for hooking up a turntable, one can be accommodated through an external phono stage connected to the RCA input.

There are also two modular expansion ports on the Sound Hub’s back panel too, one of which is filled with the BLUOS streaming card (included), providing fully fledged streaming of networked libraries and music services such as Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify – all controlled via the BLUOS app. The other port is blank, allowing Dali to create another add-on module if newer technologies come along.

A process to improve processing

Although the Rubicon 2 Cs rely largely on past Dali engineering – no bad thing considering its success – the Danish company has worked hard to advance the digital-signal processing side of things to further improve driver integration.

Cambridge CXA81

Technics SL-1500C

Technics SL-G700

We at What Hi-fi? were delighted when the Technics brand reappeared after years in the wilderness. Since 2014, the brand has released a steady stream of products with varying degrees of success, but there are now signs that it is truly hitting its stride.

The high-end SL-1000R turntable, introduced in early 2018, was the first product to confirm that the brand really could deliver. We were so impressed that’s it’s now become our reference record player. That good work has continued with the SL-1500C.

It comes supplied with the wellrespected Ortofon 2M Red (£95 if bought separately) and, importantly in this system, is equipped with a built-in phono stage. The overall standard of build is impressive. The SL-1500C feels solid and well engineered with a pleasing sense of precision to the way everything works.

Surprise number one is that the built-in phono stage is really good. That and SACD form – as well as streaming music from across a network or via Bluetooth. Airplay and Chromecast both feature. Even MQA is firmly on the menu.

At first glance, it looks just like a humble disc player. We like the understated visuals but love the build. This is a premium-priced product and certainly feels it.

It isn’t the most responsive piece of kit around, though, and takes a few seconds to think about things rather than doing them instantly – particularly when switching between streaming duties. The SL-G700 user experience simply doesn’t feel as polished as the best streamers around. The saving grace for the Technics is that it does a lot more than those rivals.

Agility and cohesion

We may not have warmed to the way this player operates, but we can certainly admire how well it plays music. We spin Prince’s Diamonds And Pearls on CD and are a little surprised to find out just how good a player the SL-G700 is. It’s up there