Gramophone – Way of life hi-fi comes of age – and even the sceptics are impressed

As a hi-fi reviewer, I are inclined to have an alarmingly excessive throughput of what I take into account fascinating items of kit. As a end result, I’m accustomed to issues I feel relatively thrilling getting not more than a so-so response from these round me: ‘What’s that? How a lot? Oh actually …’ nearly covers it.

Yes, it’s encouraging when somebody says ‘Well, that sounds better’ – affirmation is all the time factor – however real pleasure? It occurs all too not often, sadly, main me to conclude {that a}) nearly all of ‘civilians’ – as a colleague of mine calls these not offered on the entire hi-fi factor – don’t get the enchantment of superb audio techniques, and b) all they actually need is one thing that makes a noise to a suitable normal, and is straightforward to make use of.

With all that in thoughts, the response to the topic of this month’s primary audio evaluate, Primare’s Altt-i-Ett system, gave me pause for thought. It was in place over a Bank Holiday weekend once we had household guests, fulfilling the dual capabilities of taking part in music and carrying sound from the TV, and swiftly grew to become the supply of some curiosity.

The in-laws, presently with a mix of Alexa audio system and a traditional micro-system, had been intrigued by the truth that this one unit might fill a complete room with music, and would even allow them to join a turntable to play the household’s heirloom file assortment.

Others took some convincing that the music wasn’t coming from the massive floorstanding audio system additionally in residence within the lounge, and that sound from the TV up on the wall was coming from this compact bar sitting under it, whereas nonetheless showing to emanate from the display screen, whereas there was additionally amazement on the capability to conjure up nearly any listening request, from Bach to Beyoncé or Ok-pop supergroup BTS, on demand from Qobuz or Tidal.

But above all there was the amazement that ‘real hi-fi’, as one customer declared it, ‘doesn’t contain a stack of black containers and funny-looking audio system on wobbly stands.’ Indeed, just lately acquired stepdaughter pronounced the system to be completely ‘Enzo-proof’, referring to her manic, marauding miniature dachshund.

To put this response in context, I ought to level out this wasn’t a gaggle completely new to the thought of one-box hi-fi; because the one within the household who ‘knows about this stuff’, I’m often charged with turning as much as occasions – birthdays, Bank Holidays, even our wedding ceremony final 12 months – with my long-serving Naim Mu-so and an iPhone loaded with acceptable playlists.

But this was an opportunity for the household to spend a while taking part in with considered one of these techniques, and the dialog quickly turned as to if this was a novel concept, and what alternate options, if any would do the identical type of factor. And I swear that, had been I to be within the enterprise of promoting these items, I might have come away with numerous expressions of curiosity, if not precise orders. In truth, I could be on to one thing right here …

I’m joking, after all – however solely as a result of it appears this sort of high-performance ‘lifestyle’ hi-fi sells itself, defying all of the snobbery one hears in some quarters that it’s not far faraway from the type of funds Bluetooth audio system one can choose up on-line or within the retail park house equipment sheds. All one must do is permit the ‘customer’ to expertise the mixture of favor, ease of use and efficiency on provide, and these merchandise grow to be aspirational: discussions begin as to the place the system might go, whether or not extra might be used round the home, and the way ‘Alexa, play …’ might become wider-ranging musical explorations.

Numerous firms are within the enterprise of offering for these wants: Sonos has lengthy had this market cracked; the newest Denon Home speaker techniques look attractive; Naim has a compelling providing with its long-running Mu-so fashions; Cambridge Audio has just lately added its Evo One streaming speaker system; KEF has its LS wi-fi speaker vary – and the listing goes on.

And if that is what it takes to carry high-quality music playback to an untapped viewers, who’s complaining?