Naim Mu-so Qb

The Mu-so Qb is Naim’s most affordable system yet. Ed Selley finds out if its small dimensions can produce a big sound

It’s fair to say that Naim’s product development over the last few years has taken the company in directions it would have been hard to imagine back at the start of the millennium. One of the most radical of the recent offerings is the Mu-so all-in-one network music system. This broke new ground by integrating the speakers into the main chassis and introducing an aesthetic that has more in common with the flagship Statement pre/power than the classic black and green livery of the rest of its familiar range.

Arcam FMJ C49

Arcam’s C49/P49 pre-power amplifier combination is an unsung hero of the affordable high end, says David Price

In hi-fi’s glory days back in the late seventies, it felt like there were more preamp/power amplifier combinations around than there were people to buy them. But some time around the late eighties, when everything began to downsize we saw the appearance of the ‘super integrated’ amplifier breed. Fewer people bought separate pre-power combos as a result, and now they’re scarce compared with back then.

Leema Xen 2

Leema Acoustics has reworked its classic speaker into the Xen 2. David Price finds out how it compares with the original

Once upon a time, two former BBC engineers decided to form a hi-fi company. Prior to starting Leema, Lee Taylor was the recipient of BAFTA and Palme d’Or awards for his work in recording and sound mixing for television, music and film, while Mallory Nichols was involved in the manufacturing of Magtrax monitors for recording studios and mastering companies from the early nineties.

Marantz HD-AMP1

Marantz has built on the success of its HD-DAC1 with an all-new integrated – and it’s a real star, says James Parker

Once upon a time, you could survey the shelves in your local high street hi-fi shop and choose between any one of a dozen or more amplifiers from the big Japanese brands, but the hi-fi landscape has changed. Now ranges have been pared back, and more than a few of those oncefamous names have withdrawn from the mainstream separates market.

Meridian Explorer2

Meridian has just brought improved sonics and MQA functionality to the Explorer DAC’s sleek alloy chassis, says David Price

Meridian’s original Explorer DAC, was a little out of the ordinary (not least because it was a new market sector for a traditionally high-end brand), but didn’t quite set the world alight. Perhaps its successor might have more luck.

Questyle QP1R: Gold standard

Combining high-end build with old-school design, this hi-res player does things a little differently as David Vivian discovers

Few current audio trends seem to be gathering pace with quite the urgency of personal high-resolution audio players. Considering how many consumer temptations the proliferating sector has snagged, it isn’t hard to understand why. Perhaps it was inevitable that the early aspirational appeal of Astell&Kern’s carbon fibre-clad, tech-dense luxury items would open the way for the skilfully compromised but high-achieving, cost-very-much-an-object Far East offerings that have grown the market and realised the idea that the sonic advantages of hi-res on the move are for every music lover and not just the diehard audiophile or well heeled.