Recent content by HappySounds

I have been a happy owner of the STR-DN1080 for a good few years (since shortly after it came out) and there is only one thing that frustrated me about it - the remote is IR only when all the other devices I use have a wireless remote (Amazon FireTV, Sky box etc). I have all the AV gear in a...

It may seem unlikely because we are so used to things always moving forward, but isn’t it just possible that this is IT? It has taken six years to move forward from the STR-DN1080 and even now it is a seriously good bit of kit. The new AN1000 has all the new bells and whistles, but will there...

Yes, and it is disappointing that What HiFi perpetuates this marketing hype. I am not sure whether they are doing this for cultural reasons (the need always to pursue the ultimate, even if there is no real value in it) or because the industry expects this of them, but it does reduce their...

Yes, maybe another way of putting it is "You may think you want it, but do you actually need it?"

One key takeaway from that interview: "We don't think that the codec currently is the limitation of audio quality on Bluetooth products." Is it not at least conceivable that lossless audio will not deliver an appreciably better sound quality for in-ear headphones? I am absolutely convinced...

Lossless audio? For a pair of in-ear headphones? Are you seriously serious? I would wager a large sum of money that NO-ONE could tell the difference in quality in blind testing, and even if they could the difference just would not be significant. Furthermore the quality of in-ear headphones...

Is there some reason you ignore the Falcon speakers? I have been dying to read a review of the IMF100 which can now be obtained in a complete form rather than just as a kit. Being cynical I can’t help but wonder if the reason is that they never pay to advertise in any of your magazines?

In my view the article is really well written and covers the ground pretty comprehensively. However there are two things that I take issue with: Firstly describing ALAC as proprietary when it is royalty-free (since 2011) and readily useable by any company who chooses to implement it. There...

Great article. Beautifully written and very well expressed. Totally agree with the author, and sometimes the leading edge of technology is beyond where we need to be. There are many examples of this, such as stereo TV, and, as the author says, it is not that Dolby Atmos has no purpose - it...

It may be 'magnificent' but it is not perfect and it is entirely valid to point out its shortcomings.

You are going to have to be more explicit about why my argument is ridiculous than simply saying that it is. Why is it 'ridiculous' to say that BBC Sounds should support streaming from the app to Echo devices? If Spotify can do it, so can (and should) BBC Sounds. These things should be as...

Why no mention of the total lack of support for Echo Show devices? You say "vast device support". but apart from my TV this is the one device I would make use of (in multiple rooms) and there is no support for it. Not only that, but there is no support in the BBC Sounds app for streaming to ANY...

For what purpose? You don't say why. If it's to protect the equipment against mains surges (maybe lightning strikes) then yes that MAY be worthwhile, but are you suggesting that it will improve sound quality? If the latter then personally I doubt it will for the reason I gave above. Maybe...

OK, so how about a review of these? I notice that Falcon are now selling pre-assembled units - can you get a pair in for review? If these review well then I am very tempted to get a pair as they sound like they should be great - LS3/5A voicing with substantially extended bass response, all in a...

I am sure it has not escaped anyone's attention that the LG OLED48CX is selling at a ridiculously high price compared to its competitors and has not really been discounted to any degree (apart from £20 or so) since its launch. The 55" TVs of this generation have plummeted down and are much...