Sound + Image

SOUND + IMAGE magazine offers a comprehensive package focused on lifestyle home electronic entertainment. It provides easy-to-read information about audio and video equipment and how ordinary consumers can assemble extraordinary systems that look and sound fantastic.

Springsteen under B? • The arcane art of vinyl filing is under threat from computerised dimness.

Sound + Image

What Denon & HEOS did next

Make it short • Ultra-short-throw projectors have evolved to include TV-like operation, while prices are tumbling. Is this the future of bigscreen viewing?

The ‘4K Pro UHD’ EH-LS500

The speed of light • While delivering only 1920 × 1080 resolution rather than 4K, BenQ’s TH585 projector has some handy speed for gaming, as well as movie viewing.

V6 movie engine • Yamaha’s RX-V receivers get a sprucing up as they celebrate 30 years since their first appearance.

Fully-loaded AV • Marantz’s AV powerhouse is the company’s current top integrated solution, a multichannel amplifier rather than receiver, combining full features with huge juice.

Streaming on a stick • Even if you have a smart TV, does it have all the apps and services you want? Amazon’s Fire TV stick is impressively well-stocked, although Australia only gets the ‘Lite’ version.

Apps, apps, and more apps

Cheers for the minibar! • So small in size, and without a subwoofer, Yamaha’s soundbar might not be expected to much improve on a TV’s own internal sound. But no, it delivers almost physics-defying performance...

Ditch the buds & get some REAL HEADPHONES • Real headphones enclose your ears in comfort and sound. But which combination of attributes should you be seeking?

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A PAIR OF OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

JBL Live 650NCBT • A true bargain among wireless noise-cancelling headphones, these JBLs are loaded with tech and deliver sound beyond their price.

Sennheiser HD 450BT • The HD 450BTs are half the price of Sennheiser’s leading wireless noise-cancellers, so what are the compromises here?

Sennheiser HD 560S • These are home headphones — no Bluetooth, no noise-cancelling, and open-backed. They show the value of sound-first design.

audio-technica ATH-ANC900BT • The performance and abilities of these top-of-the-range wireless noise-cancellers prove impressive at the current price.

AKG K371-BT • Can AKG’s wireless headphones deliver the goods wirelessly on the commute and via cable for pro music-makers?

Jabra Elite 85h • Jabra’s over-ear wireless noise-cancellers come loaded with tech and excel especially at call-making.

Sony WH-1000XM4 • With the WH-1000XM3 so widely praised and their price so competitive, what can the latest XM4 model offer by way of improvement?

Bowers & Wilkins PX7 • Luxurious in their materials and sound, Bowers & Wilkins sits proudly at the premium end of noise-cancelling.

Shure Aonic 50 • Once huge in hi-fi, now a new name in noise-cancelling, Shure shows it has the headphone design skills to compete.

Technics EAH-F70N • The revived Technics brand steps sideways from DJ-style headphones to compete in the wireless noise-cancelling space. They certainly look the part, so how does their sound compare with the market leaders?

Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3 • You’d expect Sennheiser’s premium noise-cancellers to be impressive performers. And you’d be right. They also load up on technology.

Bose 700 • Bose has a noise-cancelling reputation second to none, with a line of classics under the QuietComfort sub-brand. But competition is now far more intense. Is Bose still top of the NC tree?

DALI iO-6 • DALI’s first headphone, and what a headphone! Award-winning performance, speaker-led design and...