10 BEST HI-FI COMPONENTS- The Independent, 7 June 2004

Treat your ears to a sumptuous stereo spread of the finest hi-fi audio. Technology expert Mark Harris takes his favourite amplifiers, CD players and turntables for a spin

Yamaha RX-V1400RDS Home Cinema Receiver £800
As hi-fi audio goes multi-channel, you’ll need a surround sound amplifier to fully immerse yourself in your music. The sophisticated (but bulky) V1400RDS can cope with all the latest audio and movie sound formats. It even has a Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer that automatically adjusts up to seven speakers to create the best possible sound on your sofa.
Yamaha (01923 233166 ; www.yamaha-audio.co.uk)
Naim NAIT 5i integrated amplifier £700 --- BEST LUXURY BUY
High-end manufacturer Naim considers its new NAIT 5i amplifier an entry-level model. But there’s nothing budget about the stylish anti-resonance zinc and aluminium casework, programmable audio-visual input or powerful 50W continuous output. And if the 5i whets your appetite for smooth, transparent audio, you can trade up to Naim’s four-figure audiophile pre- and power amps.
Naim Audio (01722 332266; www.naim-audio.com)


Denon DVD-2200 Universal Player £600
You can justify buying this player on space-saving grounds alone. Not only will it play DVD movies, audio CDs and MP3 discs, it can also tackle all types of recordable DVD and even the new DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD formats. With surround sound and multimedia extras, these high quality audio discs look set to replace CDs in the future.
Denon (01234 741200; www.denon.co.uk)

Gyro Spider Edition turntable £895
This pedigree turntable will squeeze every last note from your collection of vinyl. The massive acrylic platter comes with gold-plated brass weights for stability as well as a clamp to flatten out distorting warps in your LPs. However, you will need to budget another £200 to £500 for a tone-arm.
Michell Engineering (0208 953 0771; www.michell-engineering.co.uk)

NAD C320BEE integrated amplifier £220
The latest upgrade of this classic 50W stereo amplifier includes circuit refinements and new finishes in either crisp titanium or unassuming grey. Sound quality is clean and strong, with plenty of flexibility for such an affordable amp. Although there are seven line inputs, the phono stage for connecting a turntable costs an extra £50.
NAD (01908 319360; www.nadelectronics.com)


Cambridge Audio Azur 540C CD player £200 --- BEST BUDGET BUY
While many hi-fi products revel in their geeky appearance, Cambridge Audio’s budget disc spinner looks – and sounds – in a different league. From its smart aluminium remote control to its assured command of even the most demanding tunes, the 540C is simply unbeatable at this price. The Azur range also include amplifiers and a DVD player.
Richer Sounds (0870 900 1000; www.cambridgeaudio.com)

Pure Digital DRX-702ES DAB tuner £330
This ultimate tuner seamlessly combines analogue AM and FM reception with sophisticated DAB technology for receiving dozens of crystal-clear digital radio stations. The 702ES speedily tunes itself, sorts stations by name and can even be upgraded in the future via a connection with your home PC.
Imagination Technologies (01923 260511; www.pure-digital.com)

Rega P3 turntable £350 --- BEST BUY
For over 20 years, Rega has been dazzling eyes and ears with its best-selling turntable. Today’s P3 has a floated plate glass platter (available in eight colours), a low vibration motor with new electronics, and comes with one of the most celebrated tone-arms ever to grace a record deck, the RB300.
Rega Research (01702 333071; www.rega.co.uk)

Sony RCD-W3 CD recorder £200
If you’re still fussing around with cassette tapes, make the change to digital with this twin-deck CD-R recorder. You can copy from audio CDs to blank CD-Rs at up to four times normal speed. And with its optical and analogue inputs, the Sony is also ideal for backing up old tapes and vinyl albums to CD-R.
Sony (0870 511 1999; www.sony.co.uk)

Arcam DiVA CD73 CD player £400
The award-winning CD73 includes the latest generation 24-bit DAC, a double-sided, through-hole plated motherboard and a low noise toroidal power transformer. But forget the jargon and just enjoy the lush treble and solid, driving bass from this classy CD player. The CD73 can also be upgraded to even better performance by adding new DAC modules.
Arcam (01223 203203; www.arcam.co.uk)

  Return to The Independent 10 best page