Hi-Fi Speaker

Hardly a household name just yet, France-based Octavio has introduced its first solo active streaming speaker, the Maestro. But we get to hook up two as a stereo pair, as recommended by the company. Active and powered speakers now make up a busy marketplace. Let’s see how this set fares.  

The Aya is not simply a new speaker from Rega; it’s the beginning of a whole new way of making speakers for the company and represents a possible answer to an issue that has been bugging audio for the last decade. Is it any good though?  

Tribit is at it again in the Bluetooth speaker arena with the StormBox Flow. At double the size but only marginally more expensive than its smaller sibling, the StormBox Micro 2, will it bring the musical rain?  

Having finished doing a spot of Signature work, Bowers & Wilkins turns its attention to more terrestrial matters with an updated 600 Series. Is the 606 S3 the sub £1k speaker you need in your life?  

The new 2-way twin speaker system features a custom-designed heatsink housing a bi-amp set-up to deliver a multi-faceted Hi-Fi solution.  

Neat produced a Product of the Year, in the form of the Petite Classic so the expectation is high that its big brother, the Elite Classic is going to be rather good too. Can it deliver?  

The saying that good things come in small packages seems apt when looking at the latest arrival from Elac. Is this one of the best affordable one stop solutions you can buy?  

We peel back the layers of the Orange Box portable speaker to see if it's really as refreshing as its citrous namesake.  

The Prodigy 1 is the new entry point for PMC ownership and it’s a grand less than the previous starting point. Is this still a legit PMC experience and can it cut it against the best this level has to offer?  

When is a ‘retro’ product not retro at all? The Epos ES14N might look like it’s escaped from the eighties but the reality is rather different…  

The Nines follow the path laid by The Fives but, in classic American fashion, they’ve been supersized. Is this hefty beast the device you need in your life.  

We all knew it was coming but, even when we think we know what’s going to happen, Q Acoustics has ensured that 5020 still has a surprise or two in store.  

World Exclusive! The Theva range is the second phase of a revamp of Focal’s more affordable product lines and complements the Vestia models. Can the Theva No2 deliver decent scale on a sensible budget?  

They may look more like discarded props from a 1960's American sitcom and with retro branding, a walnut wood veneer and cream-coloured grille, Klipsch’s latest The Sevens powered monitors could be hand-me-downs from your granddad. But most of you will want to know what lurks behind the facade. Let’s take a listen.  

Amazon’s latest Echo Studio adds spatial audio, Dolby Atmos processing and an improved frequency range to its roster of features. The speaker exhales big and retains the chunky and solid build quality of its ancestor. Let’s see if Amazon has finally achieved Hi-fi-grade performance from a smart speaker.  

The Fyne Classic VIII is a retro tinged speaker with some rather modern ideas - is this the big banger that your music needs to shine?  

The Vestia range arrives to reinforce Focal’s offerings around the key £1-2,000 price point. What can the smallest member of the family do to win you over?  

Never mind summer, how about getting in for spring first? Maybe then we can cast our attention to the outdoors and some music to go with it. Poolsides, beaches and barbeques… or are we thinking of another country? Either way, the Tribit Stormbox Blast might just be the portable companion you need when the rain finally abates.