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What Hi-Fi?
We built a classy streaming hi-fi system with two brand-new, five-star products and a recent Award-winner
By Jonathan Evans,
1 day ago
Our recent review of the Monitor Audio Studio 89 standmounters revealed a pair of hi-fi speakers that perform admirably for their price, and certainly merit a place on any shortlist at around the £2000 / $2500 / AU$3999 mark.
At roughly the same time, give or take a week or two, our team also had Audiolab’s new music streamer to put through its paces. Which we also rather like. It didn’t then take too long to wonder how we could get these two five-star winners together in a system that might do even a touch more than merely doing them justice.
Enter the Award-winning Arcam A15 , which covers some of the feature gaps that the Audiolab has, while also providing top-sounding amplification for the money. As always, it pays us to state here that it doesn’t always follow that chucking three five-star products together will produce a stunning five-star system – life just isn’t that easy. Our expert in-house reviews team, though, know their stuff and has many, many years of experience at solving just this sort of challenge. Here, then, our three five-star pieces of hi-fi combine to create a sound that is more, even, than the considerable sum of their parts.
You will see from our Audiolab 9000N review that we really like the company's range-topping network audio streamer – although it doesn’t tick every single box a user could possibly want. Chief among those missing talents is Bluetooth capability. Audiolab claims this is because Bluetooth isn’t good enough for a piece of hi-fi equipment as high-end as this; which may be true – but it is remarkably convenient to be able to just chuck it some tunes easily from a smart device if you feel the need for some background listening. That Bluetooth omission is, of course, catered for elsewhere in this set-up, so we can go on to enjoy the strengths of this streamer.
And it has many strengths. At this price, build quality and finish ought to be (but aren’t always) a given. We have no issues here, though. This Audiolab unit is up to the standards we have come to expect and appreciate from the brand.
It’s the sound it provides, though, that really makes this streamer stand out at this price. Its large-scale presentation is tonally neutral, and it remains composed no matter what we throw at it. Its main rival is probably the Naim ND5 XS2 – which, you won’t be surprised to read, we also love – and it is rather a case of horses for courses than having an overall favourite. The Naim possibly has more punch and drive, but the Audiolab counters that with greater precision, clarity and some terrific energy.
Amplifier: Arcam A15
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
This means it fits in beautifully with the amplifier we suggest for this system. The Arcam A15 was released less than a year ago, and it blew us away with its combination of sonic ability, features and sheer excellence. So much so, indeed, that it is our current Award winner in its category.
It fits in so well here, not only because of its music-playing brilliance but also because it provides some features that the Audiolab streamer does not. It will, for example, allow you to add a turntable to this trio, if you should so wish, to cover more musical bases. More importantly for this day and age, perhaps, it offers you the chance to add a Bluetooth connection to the system – an option lacking in the Audiolab streamer.
Most relevant, though, is how wonderfully the electronics pair gels together. As we say in our review of the A15, “This is a wonderfully commanding and controlled performer. It excels in terms of grip and composure, delivering way more in terms of scale and authority when compared to its little brother (the Arcam A5 , also a 2023 Award winner). It also sounds more open and dramatic.
There is no shortage of punch and power, but this is no muscle-bound thug. This Arcam is insightful, tracking the music’s multitude of instrumental strands with skill. Dynamic nuances are conveyed with finesse and we love the way it renders instrumental textures with such delicacy.” It doesn’t get much better than that, surely?
Speakers: Monitor Audio Studio 89
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
This brings us back around to the Monitor Audio speakers we opened this piece with. We were delighted when we heard these rather diminutive standmount speakers in our test room. “If we were asked to describe the Studio 89’s sound in three words,” we say in our review, “they would be detailed, agile and polished. Their presentation is impeccably clean and precise without sounding overly analytical. They can delve deep into a complex production such as Massive Attack’s Heligoland and reveal subtleties that most rivals simply overlook. While there is no denying their control and organisation, we are pleased that they also retain enough of the music’s dramatic energy to be a fun listen.”
Despite their relatively small size, the Studio 89s deliver pretty impressive bass – although, of course, there are limits to what a smaller cabinet volume can provide, so don’t expect truly seismic shifts of air. “The Studio 89 dig deep and true,” we say, “right down to their limit, and are controlled enough not to over-extend themselves.”
It won’t be an enormous shock, though, to read that it is in the mid and upper ranges where these little Monitor Audios truly shine. They are remarkably articulate with voices and portray each musical strand with precision and clarity.
As we go on to say in our review: “Tonally things are even and well-balanced. In no way do these speakers sound forward, thin or undernourished. If they do come across that way, then the finger of blame should point to the rest of your set-up.”
Needless to say, that really won’t be an issue here. These three five-star products really do marry together beautifully to provide an impressive hi-fi system that will stand the test of time – and can be added to as well, as and when funds are available. We believe this one’s a winner all the way.
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