WIRELESS SPEAKERS
Add new depths to your music – not a bunch of cables
SONY SRS-RA5000
Offering immersive sound from a single enclosure, the SRSRA5000 is the first standalone speaker designed for multichannel 360 Reality Audio. The SRS-RA5000 employs a trio of up-firing speakers that splash sound vertically, while three middle placed speakers fill in the horizontal. There’s also an integrated subwoofer for adding some seriously bouncing bass.
But those extra drivers don’t go unused with non-encoded software. An Immersive Audio Enhancement algorithm is used to upscale two-channel stereo tracks, which is rather handy. And the RA5000 isn’t just for spatial audio; it’s also certified for hi-res. So that’s both of our boxes ticked.
Other features include a built-in Sound Calibration option, to optimise the speaker to your listening room (useful), and an Auto Volume feature that adjusts track-by-track (not sure about that one).
£500, sony.co.uk
AMAZON ECHO STUDIO
Big and beefy, the Studio is the King Kong in Amazon’s Echo jungle. It’s also Dolby-Atmos-enabled, and currently the only way you can listen to Dolby Atmos tracks on Amazon Music HD. It utilises a trio of 51mm mid-range drivers, one of which is up-firing for Atmos height placement, a 25mm tweeter and a downwardfiring 5.25-inch bass woofer. Interestingly, while there’s a 24-bit DAC inside, capable of resolving up to 192kHz, it’s not actually being gainfully employed. The Studio downscales higher-res sources to 24-bit 48kHz, presumably to protect its budget tweeter.
Like other Echoes, it works over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and there’s a 3.5mm aux/mini optical line input if you need it. It certainly goes loud – power output is quoted at 300W – and it sounds suitably huge with 3D audio tracks.
£190, amazon.co.uk
DENON SOUND BAR 550
Not so much a soundbar, more a next-gen audio Swiss Army Knife, Denon’s Sound Bar 550 offers hi-res audio playback courtesy of the built-in HEOS platform, plus Dolby Atmos, delivered by a six-driver array comprising two 19mm tweeters and four 55mm full-range drivers. There’s also a trio of passive radiators to boost low-end performance.
This Bluetooth speaker is also Apple Airplay 2 compatible, and supports voice control, with Amazon’s Alexa built-in. Connectivity includes HDMI, digital optical audio and 3.5mm analogue line in. And if you want all that home cinema stuff, you can also pair it to optional wireless rears for full cinematic shenanigans.
£499, denon.com
KEF LS50 II WIRELESS
Beautifully finished and expertly equipped, KEF’s second-gen active Bluetooth speakers sport the brand’s distinctive Uni-Q driver and have a 380W power plant, with 100W going to the tweeter and 280W to the mid-range driver.
They can handle hi-res audio up to 96kHz/24 bit wirelessly, or full fat 192kHz/24 bit using a cable connection. DSD256 file downloads are welcome, and they’re also Chromecast enabled, with Airplay 2 and Roon functionality.
The LS50 II are good for wired sources too – disc players, games consoles or set-top boxes all work. There’s HDMI, plus optical and coaxial digital audio inputs, and even analogue 3.5mm.
£2,249, kef.com