Network Audio Players/Servers

Eversolo’s DMP-A8 was an indication of the Chinese brand’s ambition to progress beyond affordable but very capable DACs and streamers into ‘real’ hi-fi territory. The DMP-A10, which ratchets up both features and finish, is the next step. It’s also Eversolo’s first full-sized component, alongside a new AMP-F10 power amplifier that’s clearly been designed to be a perfect visual match.

When a manufacturer announces a new model, it’s tempting to compare it to what’s come before, looking for where upgrades have been made. And, yes, the MS-1 from China’s Matrix Audio does carry on technology and design features from the company’s earlier network players, including the Element X2 and X2 Pure [HFN Oct ’22 and Dec ’23] and entry-level X-Sabre 3[HFN Apr ’22]. That said, you only need lay eyes on the MS-1, with its full-width chassis, large, colourful front-panel display and £9600 price tag, to realise it’s also something different.

The latest member of Focal’s Utopia loudspeaker family is clearly cut from a different cloth – and that’s before you lay eyes on its felt cabinet wrap. Sure, at £29,995 the Diva Utopia boasts a similarly ‘high-end’ asking price to the likes of the £34,999 Scala Utopia Evo [HFN Aug ’17] and its overall styling isn’t far off its siblings either. But this is Focal’s first active loudspeaker, the result of a collaboration with Naim Audio, its stablemate brand since 2012. In fact, to call it a speaker doesn’t really do the Diva Utopia justice. It’s more like a full system inside a loudspeaker enclosure.

With that large screen on show, it's clear the £2799 RAS-5000 is not a back-to-basics Rotel amp. Offering multiple streaming options and smart connectivity, including HDMI eARC, this is a receiver to tempt both hi-fi newbies and hardcore traditionalists. Of course, there are many HDMI-kitted rivals out there, including the Cambridge Audio EVO 150 , Marantz Model 40n , and Yamaha R-N2000A to name just a few. And like the latter two, Rotel's all-in-one packs all its 'modern' functionality into a full-sized housing that will be familiar to followers of the brand. Neither is this a one-off, as the 2x220W/4ohm-rated RAS-5000 is a bigger, more capable brother to the slender S14 streaming amplifier (£1799) launched at the tail-end of 2022.

As the EISA Awards jury noted this year [HFN Oct ’24], AV furniture is ‘often overlooked… but has a crucial part to play’. Monitor Audio would agree, and having acquired Blok in 2019, it has launched a redesigned Stax 2G system this summer. Retaining its predecessor’s wooden box-like supports and full-width shelves, the improved modular form-factor promises to be easier to configure and assemble.

If I had a pound for every time I’d heard someone talking about WiiM in the last year I would easily be able to afford the £329 streaming amplifier auditioned here. Since its arrival in the UK in 2023, WiiM – the consumer-facing brand of California-based smart technology company Linkplay – has earned a reputation for compact, networked hi-fi products that combine wide feature sets and a forward-thinking control app, but at prices that would have seemed like science-fiction just a few years ago.

To some readers, the Model M1 might appear an unusual product to carry the Marantz moniker. After all, for the last few years the brand has positioned itself in the premium sector, with amplifiers like the Model 30 and Model 40n . This, however, discounts the existence of various Marantz Melody mini systems over the years and, more importantly, the perceived need to counter the surge in popularity of soundbars. The (now) £1800 Model 40n was a first step in that direction, adding an HDMI ARC input to a more traditional amplifier. But that's still a relatively expensive piece of hardware, at least for someone otherwise considering a soundbar. The Model M1, at £900, closes that gap and is compact to boot.