Google’s latest Chromecast with Google TV is filling in one of its biggest missing apps, with the company announcing that it’ll soon be offering an Apple TV app in early 2021.
The Apple TV app will function similarly to other versions of Apple’s service on other devices, allowing subscribers to watch Apple TV Plus original shows, movies, and documentaries (including Ted Lasso and other shows that are not Ted Lasso, which are therefore less good). Those Apple TV originals will be integrated into Google TV’s content aggregation system, too, allowing the software to recommend them based on your interests.
Additionally, the Apple TV app will give Chromecast users access to their purchased iTunes library of TV shows and movies, as well as any Apple TV channels to which they’re already subscribed. The news marks the second major addition of Apple services to Google products, following the recently added support for Apple Music on Google Assistant smart speakers earlier this month.
Google hasn’t given an exact release date for the Apple TV app, but it promises that the app should launch in early 2021 — first on the Chromecast with Google TV, then followed by other Android TV OS-powered devices.
It’s not the first time a high-end audio brand has collaborated with an aspirational automobile manufacturer to produce audio kit not intended for use behind the wheel of your hypercar – in the past few years Porsche has teamed up with KEF to produce headphones and wireless speakers and Klipsch worked with McLaren on a set of sports in-ears to name just two. But if ever a set of monolithic floorstanders harked back to the 1930s supercar they’re named after, its the new Bugatti Royale.
Bugatti is collaborating with premium German audio firm Tidal (no relation to the music streaming service) to create “the Bugatti of home audio,” and it’s kicking things off with this remarkable set of speakers.
Bugatti connoisseurs will almost certainly know that the French car manufacturer produced only six of its huge Type 41 motor vehicle (better known as the Royale) between 1926 and 1933, a car intended to be the biggest, most luxurious, most expensive in the world. And only four of those were actually sold. Obviously, both Tidal and Bugatti are hoping to avoid a similar situation with the new Royale speakers, but there are several more positive similarities.
Tidal is offering two limited-edition versions of the Royale speaker – Edition Blanc and Edition Noire (yes, black and white) but there will apparently be an almost limitless selection of customisation options for buyers, similar to the way that Bugatti allows its customers to personalise their hypercars in various veneers and finishes. Buy a set of Royales, and you’ll be able to pick from various materials, with carbon fibre, leather, precious metals, dark aluminium and polished stainless steel on the menu – but not cheese. The speakers are available in one of two themes – Monocoque or Duotone cabinets, and piano finishes are also available.
The Bugatti logo also adorns the speaker and ‘Tidal for Bugatti’ is branded on the back. Each Royale stands almost 1.5m tall and weighs a whopping 160kg – about as heavy as a reindeer.
(Image credit: Bugatti)
Under the bonnet, each speaker comes with four long-throw subwoofers and two front-firing woofers with aluminum diaphragms. The Royale also features one high-efficiency diamond tweeter (the same as those found in the cars) and one high-efficiency ceramic midrange driver, though customers can upgrade the latter to a diamond one.
Interestingly, the Royales are active speakers, meaning they house what Bugatti is calling “extremely powerful amplifier channels” inside the cabinets. The matching Bugatti-branded music controller (pictured) will allow you to connect to your sources, including music streaming services and TVs.
And the price? It hasn’t been disclosed; a sure sign that if you need to know, you can’t afford them. A fee involving six figures is likely…
MORE:
Want to get up to speed on in-car audio tech? Read our hands on with the Sennheiser Ambeo Mobility sound system
Prefer a Burmester and Porsche collaboration? See our Burmester High-End Surround Sound System (2020 Porsche 911) review
More high-end speakers? See 12 of the world’s most expensive loudspeakers
Seasoned players do not need to be convinced that the right sound allows them to survive in many games. In many productions, every detail matters, and JBL, the brand behind the JBL QuantumSOUND Signature technology, is aware of this, allowing you to hear enemies and other details of the surroundings accurately. The new JBL Quantum headphones 50 are equipped with this solution. And although it is a model designed mainly for mobile gaming, there is nothing to prevent it from being used with other platforms. The designs offer functional controls with a separate volume slider, microphone mute and multi-function button for calls and music.
The JBL brand has unveiled its new wired headphones for gamers – Quantum 50. A number of technologies used here are to ensure the most accurate sound reproduction in mobile games and more.
Creative Outlier Active v2 headphone test – when good gets better
The in-ear wired headphones are powered by two 8.6 mm drivers. The producer ensures that thanks to the JBL QuantumSOUND Signature technology, the player will hear the most subtle sounds, which will allow him to dominate the game. In addition, complete control is achieved through a cable-mounted control panel with a volume slider and microphone mute. The cable itself has a light, durable and fabric braid. The Voice-Focus microphone is different from the control buttons.
Great test of True Wireless in-ear and in-ear headphones
This one is closer to the mouth to record your voice as accurately as possible. Another technology used in the headphones is Twistlock, which is nothing more than a way of putting on headphones to guarantee a comfortable fit, which, combined with ultra-soft tips, is to allow for hours of ergonomic fun. The headphones are also compatible with PC and Mac computers, and with Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch consoles. The kit weighs 21, 5 grams, works in the bandwidth 20 Hz – 20 kHz, and was priced at PLN 139 PLN.
If you listen to a Vivid, you experience something new The next step towards realistic sound The difference between listening to your hi-fi equipment or listening to the music The Vivid Kaya S 12 is a mini monitor Seems innocent has a no-holds-barred charisma and a certain degree of cuddlyness Once inside, the true nature manifests itself Perhaps comparable to your mother-in-law Therefore, an introduction – Read more
Or at least, they do in Google’s latest machine learning experiment, the awe-inspiring Blob Opera, which will see a chorus of four adorable, colorful blobs serenade you with spine-tingling operatic music. Drag a blob up or down, and you’ll change what pitch they sing in; drag them from side to side, and you’ll change the vowel sound. Each blob will also harmonize with the others, in what can only be described as magical.
The Blob Opera just sounds beautiful, with soaring harmonies ringing out from each blob. Four actual opera singers — Christian Joel (tenor), Frederick Tong (bass), Joanna Gamble (mezzo‑soprano), and Olivia Doutney (soprano) — recorded 16 hours of singing (Ingunn Gyda Hrafnkelsdottir and John Holland-Avery also contributed), but it’s not their actual voices you’re hearing when the blobs sing.
Rather, the team trained a machine learning model on those voice recordings. The blobs are singing what the algorithm “thinks” opera sounds like, based on what it learned through the training. An additional model works to enable the harmonizing.
Created by David Li working in collaboration with Google’s Arts and Culture team, the Blob Opera isn’t just a cute toy — it’s a great example of how machine learning can be levered to create something new and unexpected out of existing data.
The machine learning-based nature of the opera is why the blobs are limited to vowel sounds instead of actual words, but the random noises still manage to approximate the gist of a true opera, in spirit if not lyrics.
But the best part of the Blob Opera isn’t just the lovely harmonies or adorable characters — it’s the “holiday surprise” that’s activated by clicking the Christmas tree icons, which will give you the option to let the blobs sing any number of popular Christmas carols.
The new Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) update is out, and as per usual it includes a bunch of changes and fixes that will make your streaming life just a little bit better. The biggest change in this version of OBS is support for the feature that Twitch debuted in Twitch Soundtrack — the ability to play music in a second track while you’re streaming to Twitch, so that it can be stripped out of your recorded broadcast, or VOD (video on demand).
This release adds a second audio track when streaming to Twitch which will be saved to the VOD instead of the stream audio. You can enable this feature in Output settings when streaming to Twitch. Special thanks to @Twitch for assisting during the development of this feature!
— OBS (@OBSProject) December 15, 2020
For the uninitiated: it’s normal to play music in the background of live streams, but issues around copyright mean that it can be dangerous. Twitch has been engaged in an extended battle with the music industry because streamers habitually play copyrighted music on-stream that they don’t have the rights to; it came to a head earlier this year, when streamers were flooded with copyright takedown requests from the music industry. Those requests were based on copyrighted music found in clips from streams and full recorded broadcasts — which is what Twitch Soundtrack, and by extension this feature, are meant to solve.
OBS pointed out that Twitch helped with the development of the feature, which is interesting because the company already has Soundtrack. I can only imagine it means that this is the latest front in Twitch’s fight with the music industry — because if streamers get used to stripping music from their VODs as a general practice, the problem of people broadcasting copyrighted music on Twitch might eventually solve itself. Though, personally, I believe that’s wishful thinking. Either way, OBS implementing the feature means that more streamers will use it.
I’m not sure if anyone was really asking for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. I know I wasn’t. The series’s reputation had never been lower after Activision ran it into the ground, first through over-exposure and finally with the disastrous comeback attempt that was THPS 5. In fact, almost the exact same idea had been tried not so long ago with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, which blended levels from 1 and 2 into a clunky, unsatisfying whole.
Turns out, it isn’t a bad idea if you nail it. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is an incredible remake that does virtually everything right and more. It might sound odd to call it the best game of 2020, but nothing else this year made me happier. It was certainly the best surprise.
THPS 1 + 2 includes all of the stages from the original games, with a unified structure that lets you bounce between progression through each. Developer Vicarious Visions re-created each environment with meticulous attention to detail, sometimes in ways that spark even more nostalgia; the mall level is all boarded up and abandoned, for instance, as if it closed after THPS was released and you’re revisiting it today.
The sense of an alternate-timeline THPS is amplified by the cast of skaters, which includes visibly aged pros who were featured in the original alongside younger current stars. I found this unexpectedly poignant. It serves as a tribute to the original pros’ legacies while lending the series’s cultural relevance with a fresh, more diverse roster. You get a sense of how skating’s popularity has grown through the decades since the original games were released and how the skaters have grown up themselves.
The same could be said of the soundtrack, which adds dozens of new artists while keeping almost every track from the originals. THPS has always had great music, but the earlier HD remake only preserved a handful of tracks; Activision deserves credit for doing the licensing legwork here. I loved hearing new additions like Skepta and Pkew Pkew Pkew, but it wouldn’t be THPS 1 + 2 without Rage Against the Machine and Millencolin.
Most important, of course, is how the game actually plays. Almost miraculously, it plays great. I don’t know exactly what Vicarious Visions did to the skating model, but THPS 1 + 2 somehow feels both perfectly authentic to the originals and as modern as you’d want it to be. One big mechanical change comes from my personal favorite in the series, THPS 3: the revert mechanic that lets you manual out of tricks and chain together huge combos across the stage. This was a transformative shift in how THPS was played, and revisiting beloved old levels with the ability in your back pocket almost feels like cheating. But it’s not cheating: it’s THPS.
Against all odds, THPS 1 + 2 is a thing of beauty. From the creative direction to the nuts and bolts of the engine, it’s one of the most lovingly produced remakes I’ve ever seen — the rare repackaging that not only captures the spirit of the original release but manages to feel emotionally resonant in its own right decades down the line.
I often feel like a kid again when my favorite games are rereleased, but THPS 1 + 2 hits different. It places the originals firmly in context while updating them for today, reminding me that I’m not the same person I was when they first came out. Tony Hawk has changed, and so has skating, and so have video games, and so have I.
Contracts sucked up on the phone or excessively long contract periods and notice periods – the federal government wants to better protect consumers from being ripped off. A corresponding draft law, which is available to the dpa, is to be passed in the cabinet tomorrow, Wednesday. Among other things, it concerns the duration of contracts for cell phones, streaming services, fitness studios or newspaper subscriptions.
“The proposed regulations are intended to Further improve the position of consumers vis-à-vis entrepreneurs and achieve that not only the conclusion of the contract takes place under fairer conditions, but that the contents of the contract are also subject to fairer regulations, “says the draft. Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) had proposed changes some time ago, but the Ministry of Economic Affairs had concerns so far.
The planned new consumer law in detail Contract periods : Contracts for the gym, cell phone, Netflix or a music subscription have often been offered for two years. From the point of view of the Ministry of Justice, this reduces the market opportunities for consumers, because they cannot switch to cheaper offers at short notice. In future, such contracts will usually only run for one year. Up to two years are allowed if the consumer is made an offer for the same service with a term of one year. This offer may cost a maximum of a quarter more on a monthly basis.
Automatic contract renewal : Forget the termination – and you have an unpleasant contract for another year on your cheek. That shouldn’t happen so easily in the future. A contract can be automatically extended by three months. An extension of four months to one year should only be possible if the consumer has been advised of the possibility of termination. This does not have to be done by letter, an SMS with the note: “Warning, if you do not cancel now, your contract will be extended by one year”.
Notice period: The notice period for consumer contracts should generally only be one month – instead of the previous three months.
Electricity and gas contracts : It should no longer be possible to conclude supply contracts for electricity and gas on the phone alone. In order for a contract to be effective, it must be available “in text form”, for example by email. So far, a phone call was actually sufficient – consumers were often talked into changing contracts, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Advertising on the phone : In the future, companies must document and store the consent of consumers in telephone advertising.
Consumer advocates had recently repeatedly called for the changes, also because of the Corona crisis. Many citizens currently have less money and would have to see what expenditure they could reduce, said the head of the federal consumer association, Klaus Müller, the German press agency. “Many people are now parting with services that they can no longer pay for.” It is particularly annoying when contracts are automatically extended by 12 months if you miss a termination date.
You probably already know this, but Sennheiser is a brand with a lot of prestige. Founded in 1945, it began as a manufacturer of microphones before soon expanding into other areas of audio. It claims to be the first company to have made an open-backed pair of headphones.
Today, it makes (a lot of) headphones to suit all styles and budgets – and (a lot of) very good-sounding ones at that. So good, in fact, that many pairs feature in our very best headphones for all budgets list. We’ve lost count of how many What Hi-Fi? Awards the brand has acquired over the years.
Whether you’re after sporty earbuds for running and the gym, a premium pair for travelling, or a high-end pair of headphones for home listening, you’ll find something here to satisfy you.
So, without further ado…
(Image credit: Sennheiser)
1. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
A fine addition to the world of true wireless headphones.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2s bring a raft of improvements compared to their predecessors and one of the most refined sounds we’ve heard from a pair of wireless headphones.
The design looks much the same as the original, but there has been a slight aesthetic tweak. The earpieces are slightly slimmer, so they protrude less from your ears, and, more importantly, they’re more comfortable to have in place for long listening sessions. One of the major changes is the introduction of noise-cancelling, which works extremely well and is pretty much on par with the Sony WF-1000XM3. They’re nice to use too, with touch-sensitive pads on each earpiece which can be customised to control music playback and features.
Battery life is competitive, with a single charge giving seven hours of playback and the charging case providing an additional three charges, bringing the total battery life at your disposal to 28 hours.
It’s all positive and we haven’t even touched on the sound quality, which is extremely refined and sophisticated for the money. Highs and lows are composed and controlled but dynamics aren’t sacrificed. The Sennheisers present a detailed soundstage with impressive scale and authority. They’re a little pricier than other wireless in-ear headphones, but if your budget can stretch, your ears will be rewarded.
Read the full review: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
(Image credit: Sennheiser)
2. Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless
Superb noise-cancellers that enhance Sennheiser’s reputation
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth: Yes | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 17hr | Charging: USB-C | Built-in mic and controls: Yes
Reasons to Buy
Energetic, rhythmic presentation
Convenient usability features
Effective noise cancellation
Reasons to Avoid
Uncompetitive battery life
Sure, the 17-hour battery life can be bettered, but with these Sennheisers Momentum 3 Wireless, that’s where the gripes end. Their thick leather earpads make these headphones incredibly comfortable and even provide a good dose of noise isolation – handy if you don’t have enough juice left to power the noise-cancelling feature. The on-cup controls and their collapsible design also make them easy to use and very convenient to take with you, too. And then there’s the sound.
They’re rich and gloriously full-bodied but still maintain clarity, particularly in the midrange. It gives them a superb tonal balance alongside their depth of bass, which will reward listeners of all stripes.
Admittedly you can get some great competitors for a fair bit less. But rhythmically speaking, these Sennheisers are cohesive and consistently dynamic too, making them quite the class leaders. Proof that you get what you pay for.
Read the full review: Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless
There are actually two variants of the Momentum in-ears: the M2 IEis have the relevant in-line mic and controls for Apple phones, while the IEGs work with Android handsets. But they both share the same excellent sound quality – it’s smooth and balanced, with plenty of drive and a good sense of musicality. A fine option and among the best wireless earbuds costing less than a ton.
They may not be the newest earbuds around (they won our Product of the Year award way back in 2017), but they still remain up there in the competition – especially now they can be picked up for a lot less.
Read the full review: Sennheiser Momentum M2 IEi
4. Sennheiser CX 5.00i
A brilliant in-ear upgrade for those on a tight budget.
If you’re looking for another cheap and cheerful headphone upgrade, these could be for you. They cost only the price of a drinks round, look pretty stylish, and sound superb for the money. They have a rich, luxurious tone that makes music seem full but never clogged up. Bass is satisfying too.
If you want a real sound upgrade but don’t have a huge budget, the Sennheiser CX 5.00is are now among the best budget wired in-ears that sporty types can buy. They look smarter than their price would suggest, too.
Read the full review: Sennheiser CX 5.00i
(Image credit: Sennheiser)
5. Sennheiser HD 450BT
Smooth, durable performers with typical Sennheiser appeal.
While they may lack the outright transparency and simplicity of the very best noise-cancelling pairs out there, there really is plenty to like in the HD 450BTs – not least in the way of top-notch features, such as excellent, 30-hour battery life and aptX Low Latency support, which are far from given in headphones of this price.
If battery and bass are up there on your list of priorities, you won’t regret making these Sennheisers yours.
Read the full review: Sennheiser HD 450BT review
6. Sennheiser HD 820
Serious closed-back headphones for serious home hi-fi systems.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: Over-ear | Wireless: No | In-line mic/remote: No | 3.5mm connector: No | Weight: 360g
Reasons to Buy
Robust, full-bodied, detailed sound
Powerful, agile base
Cleverly engineered
Reasons to Avoid
Pricey
Design limits performance
These are very much high-end headphones for proper home hi-fi systems. They’re closed-backed, and use Corning Gorilla Glass which is usually found in high-end smartphones.
The tonal balance is smooth and full-bodied, while they’re sure-footed rhythmically. If your system demands premium headphones and you can stretch to the HD 820s you won’t be disappointed. They’re comfortable and engineered to last.
Read the full review: Sennheiser HD 820
7. Sennheiser HD 201
These budget over-ears are surprisingly good value for money.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: Over-ear | Wireless: No | In-line mic/remote: No | 3.5mm connector: Yes | Weight: 163g
If you thought over-ear headphones had to cost the earth, check out the HD 201s. They’re a cheap, no-frills pair, about as basic as they come but surprisingly good given the price. You have to make do without any bells and whistles like noise cancelling or an in-line remote, but sound quality is decent, with highlights being insight and balance.
They paint a clear sonic picture, while the top end is never harsh. If you’re after headphones that don’t cost the earth and make you drum along on your desk, these will do nicely.
Read the full review: Sennheiser HD 201
11. Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless
A very talented pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones.
If you fly a lot and want a pair of wireless noise-cancellers, these should be on your shortlist alongside those made by Sony and Bose. They’re discreet enough for the discerning business traveller (who they’re aimed at), and comfortable enough for all but the longest of long-haul flights.
Two levels of noise-cancellation keeps you isolated and they fold down to fit in a carry case. Sound is clear, they’re rhythmically sure-footed and they stay just the right side of overstated. A must for the business traveller.
Sporty types, these are for you, as indicated by that splash of neon. But there’s much more to these than just an eye-catching colour scheme: they’re wireless, so you won’t get tangled while working out, and they’re splash- and sweat-resistant, so should last a while. The sound is clear, with expressive mids and bass powerful enough to get you pounding the treadmill. A solid and appealing pair of sports headphones.
Read the full review: Sennheiser CX Sport
13. Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear Wireless
No wires, but excellent sound quality.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: In-ear | Wireless: Yes | In-line mic/remote: No | 3.5mm connector: No | Weight: 313g
The neckband design won’t be for everyone, but if you can get on with it there’s a lot to like about these headphones. Wireless connectivity, for starters. And less chance of losing an earbud. There’s a decent sense of space and openness, and sound is packed with detail. They’re dynamically strong too, with the Sennheisers scaling highs and lows with ease. You’re treated to an inviting presentation, with the expressive mids a particular highlight.
Read the full review: Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear Wireless
14. Sennheiser HD 2.30
No funky stand-out looks here, just a solid Sennheiser sound.
These aren’t the most stylish on-ears around, but then at this price they’re not trying to be. They do have appeal in the sound department, however – it’s a chunky, relatively smooth sound that works well across a wide range of genres and recordings. An attractive price is the icing on the cake.
Read the full review: Sennheiser HD 2.30
Best headphones 2020
Best wireless earbuds: Budget and premium
Best over-ear headphones: Wired, Bluetooth, noise-cancelling
(Pocket-lint) – Launched in 2016, Sky Q, a subscription-based TV and entertainment service, has evolved dramatically since by constantly adding new features to try and make the viewing experience as seamless and easy-to-use as possible.
Sky Q is the company’s flagship offering, allowing you to not only access terrestrial TV stations, but a bevy of dedicated channels from Sky and others, including BT Sport. There’s also built-in access to Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Spotify, Fiit and YouTube (separate subs required where needed), plus you can rent and purchase the latest movies and TV shows as they announced.
So, should you opt for the all-singing, all-dancing Sky Q system, or does it cost too much to warrant its cover price?
How Much does Sky Q cost?
Sky Q is now available from Sky’s online store. Prices vary drastically depending on what channels you take, whether you bundle in broadband (recommended as it’s unlimited for Sky Q customers) and whether you bolt on extras like the additional Sky Q Mini boxes.
Prices start from £22 for the basic setup and can soon escalate to around £100 a month if you opt for all the packages and options.
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Sky Q boxes
4K (UHD) capable
2TB and 1TB storage options
Record 6 channels, while watching 7th
There are two main options when it comes to getting Sky Q in your home. Sky offers a 2TB or 1TB UHD Sky Q box with either the ability to add additional boxes in other rooms of your house (and app support with Sky Go Extra), or go for a single-room experience.
The box hardware and design is the same regardless of which hard drive size you choose. Unlike the original Sky Plus experience you can record up to six shows at once, while watching a seventh channel live. The 1TB storage space gives you 150 hours of HD recordings, which soon gets eaten up, especially if the kids series link their favourite TV show. The 2TB box delivers around 300 hours of HD recordings.
The boxes are both 4K ready and although you can’t currently watch 4K movies or TV shows on live channels, there is a wealth of 4K content, including TV shows, films, and sport available to download. Some sport – including all F1, Premier League matches, some cricket and rugby – is available in 4K via a dedicated tuner, but encounters a short delay of about 30-seconds as a result (if you hear people cheering down the street when someone scores, that’ll probably be why).
Pocket-lint
The chances of you wanting to watch seven things that all happen to be on at the same time are fairly slim, but that array of tuners is designed to let you watch content on the additional Sky Q Mini boxes in other rooms or preview channels while you’re watching another.
Yep, those tuners also allow you to carry on watching television on the main screen while getting a preview of another channel in the pop-up electronic programme guide (EPG) at the same time, which is really handy if you’re one of those channel hopping types.
There’s support for up to four Sky Q Mini boxes, which connect to each other via Wi-Fi and then act as Wi-Fi extenders to beam your Wi-Fi signal around the house. It’s not as good as Mesh networks from the likes of Google or Linksys and we’ve found you will have to have the boxes fairly near to each other – those in big houses will need to account for this – but it does let you not have to bother with cables all through your home.
If all that sounds complicated, it shouldn’t. Sky engineers install the system in your home, make sure the Mini boxes can talk to the main Sky Q box, and it starts working straight away.
Sky Q Touch Remote and other controllers
Two remote control styles
Bluetooth, so don’t have to point at box
Voice control functionality
The Sky Q system comes with two remote controls: a fancy one for the main Sky Q box; and a more traditional one for the Sky Q Mini boxes. Both are well designed and feature all the buttons you need.
The fancier one connects to the Sky box via Bluetooth so you no longer have to even point it in the right direction. It can be used to control your home cinema speakers, such as the Sonos Playbar, and originally came with a touch-sensitive pad for speedy navigation and a voice control button on the side.
The traditional remote generally used for the Sky Q Mini boxes loses the touch-sensitive controls, the voice command button, and the Bluetooth functionality.
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Following an update, however, the fancier remote has been redesigned. It instead features the same spongy buttons as the Sky Q Mini remote, and moves the voice command button to the front rather than it being on the side.
Voice command works much like a walkie talkie. The mic is in the remote, so you don’t have to shout, and the system quickly works out what you are asking for and displays the results your TV set. This makes a real difference, being especially handy if you’re switching channels or searching for something specific.
And before you ask, no you can’t use older Sky remotes with Sky Q.
Sky Q Mini & Sky Go app: How to watch TV in other rooms
Sky Q Mini: 1080p (Full HD) maximum, not 4K (UHD)
Lets you carry on watching in another room
Access recordings from main box
Doubles as Wi-Fi hotspot
Even though the Sky Q Mini is essentially a media streamer, it cleverly acts almost exactly like the main Sky Q box that feeds it. You will barely know the difference, with little to no lag in video streaming between them.
Unlike the previous Sky Plus multi-room service, all recordings are recorded to the main hub, which means all the recordings are available at any point. That’s a huge benefit over the original system, which saw you relegated to the bedroom, because that’s where you recorded it. Such is the benefit of the network between these boxes.
However, the Sky Q Mini boxes only offer 1080p (Full HD) resolution rather than 4K (UHD). They’re considerably smaller too, although not as small as a Roku streaming box or Apple TV for example.
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That goes for the Sky Go Extra app (previously called the Sky Q app). Available on four of your chosen devices (smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc.) you can watch at the same time or even enjoy later without any internet connection. Yes, that opens up watching Sky while you’re in the bath.
The Sky Go Extra app apes the Sky Q main interface and is easy to use. It also allows you to access all the Sky content (aside from the BBC) outside of your home, allowing you to take your entertainment with you.
It’s worth noting that you’ll only be able to access your Sky Q box recordings when on the same Wi-Fi network, but you will be able to download shows directly to the app to watch later without a connection.
That’s brilliant if you want to catch-up on your favourite shows and movies on the go, and especially handy if you’ve escaped for the weekend but still want to watch something specific on Sky – even if where you’re staying doesn’t have the service installed.
Sky Q: A new user experience
New interface with high-level of personalisation
Lots of features added monthly like spilt screen for sports
Online apps like YouTube and Vevo
The hardware aside, the user experience is by far the most important part of the Sky Q setup and offering. It starts with the homepage. Rather than a top bar of tabs on the conventional Sky boxes, navigation in Sky Q is through horizontal planes, which run from left to right. On the left, there’s a picture-in-picture view of the current channel. On the right you always see the relevant information of content for a specific section.
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You flick through menus in a similar way to media apps such as Plex, by selecting subject headings in simple-to-access lists. They are all meticulously thought out, so the content you most want to get to quickly is available through as few swipes on the touchpad as possible.
The other thing you immediately notice about the Sky Q user interface is it’s very picture based. All movies and shows are represented by cover art, whether they are your own recordings, streamed/downloaded shows, or content available on the internet, such as YouTube or Vevo videos.
That’s key to Sky’s philosophy behind the new system: it needn’t ever matter to the end user where the content is coming from, it’s about presenting the shows you want to watch when you want to watch them, regardless of the source.
The My Q section of the homepage gives you curated content suggestions and the option to carry on with recordings you’ve been watching without having to scroll through other areas. The TV Guide is easy to get to, which makes up for the lack of a dedicated remote button. And sections for Sports, Kids and Music make it easy to get to relevant programming.
Beyond Sky’s traditional content there’s an Apps section where you’ll find access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Spotify, YouTube and other services. Separate subscriptions are required where necessary, though Sky does do a bundle that includes Netflix.
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In terms of parental settings there’s lots of control too, giving you peace of mind if you’ve got kids. We love the ability to make sure the young’uns aren’t watching movies or TV over certain classification ratings, and the ability to lock them into the Kids area so they can only watch suitable content if you’re elsewhere is fantastic. It would be nice to be able to lock the whole experience down altogether to stop them sneaking off to watch the TV, but you can’t have everything.
Sky Q in 4K
Movies, TV shows, and sports
Downloads and live broadcasts
Need the 2TB box and 4K TV
If you own a 4K TV, Sky Q’s 4K (UHD) offering is one of the best ways to find content that makes use of it. Its 4K movies section is well populated and is updated regularly, while Sky also offers a number of its own TV shows in Ultra HD too. Shows like Chernobyl are simply stunning through the Sky Q system.
Sadly, Sky Q doesn’t support HDR (high dynamic range). It says it’s coming, but it’s been saying that since 2018 so don’t hold your breath just yet.
Unlike services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, the Sky Q system is designed around downloading content rather than just purely streaming it. If you’ve got a fast internet connection this isn’t a problem and you can start watching a show fairly soon after you request it. If you’ve got slow internet you might have to wait a while, especially with 4K movies, and it’s also worth remembering to delete them from the box afterwards to save storage space.
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Once you’ve consumed all you can through the available downloads, you can also rent or buy 4K content through the Sky Store. New content is added weekly, but again, not all shows or movies are available in 4K.
When it’s not movies and TV shows, it’s about sports with Sky broadcasting football, F1, cricket, and other sports regularly in 4K. The action is incredibly crisp.
Ultimately, if you enjoy movies and sports, Sky’s Ultra HD service is a must if you’ve got a 4K TV. It’s noticeably better than the HD version of the same experience, although quality does vary depending on the source: some movies look spectacular, others just great. You also have to ensure you have a Sky Cinema and/or Sky Sports subscription to access 4K movies and/or sports respectively.
For TV box set fans, while there are shows to enjoy, there are still a lot of gaps in the offering, and many of the blockbuster HBO hits (available on Sky through Sky Atlantic) aren’t available in 4K. That’s right, no 4K Game of Thrones for you.
Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos
Sky Q comes with Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos support. It’s not used on much content as yet, mainly live 4K football matches or the odd theatre production on Sky Arts, but does makes a difference if you have a Dolby Atmos AV receiver, system or soundbar. As you would expect, it adds extra depth to the audio mix and is especially great with crowd effects. The Sky Q menu interface isn’t very good at labelling Dolby Atmos content either, probably because there isn’t much.
Verdict
Sky has created a system to suit all tastes and needs, with a strong multi-room focus and a modern outlook on household entertainment desires. The user interface is vast and has the power to change how you watch television, encouraging you to watch more content when, where and how you want.
The addition of 4K content makes this a flagship entertainment offering that covers all the bases, especially when it comes to movies and sport, but it’s disappointing that there is still no HDR support, Dolby Atmos is lacking on most movies, and the Sky Q Mini boxes at Full HD maximum.
Still, we’ve seen plenty of updates to the service since its launch in 2016, including the addition of Netflix, as one example, with much more to come, showing that Sky is committed to improving the experience.
In addition to exclusives, there’s a huge amount of extra content on offer, including from services beyond Sky’s own offering. It’s all this that makes the system hard to beat. So if you like watching TV, it has to be Sky Q.
With stunningly minimal looks and exceptional performance, Yamaha’s GT-5000 could be the turntable to rule them all. If you don’t already have a tonearm of choice that you’d prefer to use, you’re missing out by not picking yourself up this beauty.
For
Superb performance
Fabulous looks
Against
Plus-sized
Fiddly tonearm adjustment
Aus Hi-Fi mag review
(Image credit: Future)
This review and test originally appeared in Australian Hi-Fi magazine, one of What Hi-Fi?’s sister titles from Down Under. Click here for more information about Australian Hi-Fi, including links to buy individual digital editions and details on how to subscribe.
Don’t be fooled by any photographs you might see of it, including the one above. They all make the Yamaha GT-5000 look like it’s a standard-sized turntable. It’s not. Take the platter for a start. The platter on most turntables is 30cm in diameter. The platter on the GT-5000 is 35cm in diameter. That’s a big difference. So whereas the chassis of most turntables is around 42cm wide and 32cm deep, that of the GT-5000 is around 55cm wide and 40cm deep.
And then there’s the height. Let me tell you about the height.
The chassis itself is 12cm thick, to which you need to add another 4cm to account for the four support feet, then a further 8cm for the height of the tonearm. So, overall, that’s a total height of 24cm. And if you use the Perspex dust-cover, it just gets even higher!
So it’s big, but given the stonkingly good looks of the Yamaha GT-5000, you’ll probably be wishing Yamaha had made it even bigger!
It’s finished in high-gloss piano black and, given that Yamaha is the world’s leading manufacturer of pianos, that means it’s had plenty of experience with this particular finish, so as you’d imagine, the piano black gloss finish on the GT-5000 is absolutely superb. It’s mirror-like, with not even the smallest flaw to be seen in its almost mirror-like surface.
The superb piano black finish is made to look even better because of the contrast between it and the massively thick (35mm) silvered platter. The reflection in the black surface of the platter as it rotates is simply mesmerising.
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Equipment
As with almost all turntables, some assembly is required, but with the GT-5000 it’s minimal, and doing it gives you the chance to appreciate the insanely high quality of all the component parts.
Once you’ve unboxed it (no small task in itself, given the GT-5000’s size and weight, so it’s definitely a two-person job) the first thing to do is fit the 2.025kg, 140mm diameter subplatter over the spindle. I’m not too sure what this subplatter is made of… maybe it’s bronze, or it may be brass, but it’s certainly heavy and it press-fits down over the slightly tapered lower section of the spindle so closely that I’d doubt you could fit a single atom between them.
It was the first of my many insights into the stupendously good machining of the GT-5000.
Then it’s time to attach the single, short (480mm) flat rubber belt firstly around the subplatter and then around the alloy drive pulley. The drive pulley is very slightly flexible, which suggested to me that the motor itself is isolastically isolated from the chassis. As with most vendors, Yamaha supplies white cotton gloves with the GT-5000, and you most certainly should be wearing these when fitting the subplatter and drive belt, to avoid oils from your skin from making the surface or the belt slippery.
The main silvery alloy platter is unusual, not simply because it’s so heavy (4.88kg), but also because of its diameter, which I’ve already mentioned, but additionally because of the unusual semi-circular ‘gutter’ that runs around its periphery. Once you have fitted the platter, a rubber mat virtually press-fits down over the entire surface, thanks to a matching ‘gutter’ moulded into it, which can be topped (or not, as you choose) with a final anti-static slip mat.
Although I don’t normally talk about disassembly in my reviews, because the only time you’d do this is if you’re moving house, I just have to mention it in this particular review because it highlights the superior engineering of the GT-5000. Firstly, the fit between the rubber mat and the platter is so glove-like that you’ll be hard-pressed to remove it. That’s amazing for a moulded product. As for removing the main platter from the spindle, well it’s so close to the surface of the turntable that you can’t really get your fingers under it, and the fit around the spindle is so tight (and gets tighter the longer you use the turntable) that Yamaha provides two lifting handles that screw into the platter in order that it can be removed.
As I hope I’ve made perfectly clear, the precision of the machining and moulding on the Yamaha GT-5000 is incredibly good. You can really see/feel the difference between turntable manufacturers that just “do it themselves” using off-the-shelf machinery or get a local engineering firm to just “do it for them” and a company like Yamaha, which is obviously using state-of-the-art equipment to achieve what I imagine to be sub-micron tolerances.
You’ll be able to admire the engineering even if you’re looking at a Yamaha GT-5000 turntable that’s already been assembled. All you have to do is get the platter rotating at 33.33 rpm (or 45 rpm, if you prefer) then crouch down and get an eye-line across the periphery of the platter at a spot on a wall behind. You will immediately see that there’s absolutely no vertical motion at all… it will be as if the platter were stationary.
If you do this same check with any other turntable, I’m pretty sure you’ll see a tiny up/down motion as the platter rotates, showing that it is not rotating evenly. The Yamaha GT-5000’s rotation is dead flat. Amazing! And if you look at the edge during rotation, using the same eye-line trick (or even a laser, if you want to go high-tech, like I did) you’ll see there’s no rotational eccentricity either, which is even more amazing.
(Image credit: Yamaha)
What Hi-Fi Awards 2020: Best turntable of the year
The GT-5000 comes with its own custom, straight arm-tube tonearm already installed, but you will have to firstly install a cartridge and then adjust the height of the tonearm to establish the correct vertical tracking angle (VTA) for the particular phono cartridge you’re using. You’ll also have to set tracking force, but this is via the completely conventional method of having a threaded counterweight. Yamaha actually provides two counterweights of different mass, which you select according to the mass of your particular phono cartridge.
Tonearm height is adjusted by loosening a hex head screw on the side of the tonearm post, after which the post slides up and down. I found making this adjustment quite tricky, because the tolerances are so fine that it’s difficult to accurately move the post up and down by sub-millimetre increments, particularly since it has to be done by hand: there’s no mechanical adjustment system.
Because of this, I’d recommend buying a really, really, cheap cartridge with the same dimensions as the one you intend to use, along with an after-market head-shell, and fitting this while making the adjustment. I’d also recommend doing it while using an LP you don’t play so that if there’s any mishap of some kind, there will be no chance of damaging a stylus or an LP or both, because it’s very hard to get micrometer-like precision on the arm height when you’re reduced to doing it by hand.
If all this seems a bit complex, another method I thought up would be to work out how high the ‘collar’ of the tonearm post needs to be above the base, then make a shim that’s exactly this height and then raise the tonearm post and lower it down on the shim, after which you could then tighten the hex-head screw. Given the almost unbelievably high level of engineering expertise that’s gone into the rest of the turntable, I was rather puzzled that an equal level did not seem to have been applied to the tonearm height adjustment methodology.
Yamaha has gone out on a limb with the design of its tonearm, because it has a shorter effective length than most other tonearms, and lacks an offset angle, which means that its arc across the grooved area is more pronounced than would be the case if it were longer. Also there is no anti-skating device fitted. I thought I should ask Yamaha about its rationale for the tonearm length and the lack of anti-skating, and received a reply from no less a personage than Kiyohiko Goto, Chief Engineer at Yamaha Japan’s AV Division.
Regarding the tracking error he says: “A short straight arm has excellent tracking performance because the inside force is generated at the point of contact between a stylus tip and groove of vinyl and is always variable with the variate of the music groove. In the case of a short straight arm, its null point (= balanced point) is at the middle of the grooved area (so) the maximum tracking error is 10 degrees at innermost and outermost grooves. The distortion caused by this small error angle is inaudible because it is lower than both the tracing distortion and the residual noise. Furthermore, tracking error appears as phase shift between the left and right channels, and even at its maximum (10 degree) error the phase shift that results would be the same as caused by a difference in the distance from the left and right speakers to the listener of only 2mm. This also does not cause any problem for sound.”
As for the lack of anti-skating, he says: “A short straight arm does not require anti-skating because [at maximum error angle] if the vertical tracking force is 2g, the frictional coefficient is 0.3, and so the inside force (outside force) will be approx. 0.1g. In the case of a conventional offset arm with a maximum tracking error of 2 degrees, the inside force will be approx. 0.02g so the difference of the max inside force between a short arm and an offset type will be 0.08g at the maximum, thus the difference in force is very small.”
“On the other hand, when anti-skating is employed, because it applies a constant force it never cancels the inside force which constantly changes as its follows the music signal. The constant differences between the variable inside force at the stylus tip and the constant force by the anti-skating adversely affects the cantilever, hence the tracking performance is not stable. In a short straight arm the tracking performance following (the) music groove is excellent because the variable difference of force between the stylus tip and tonearm (cartridge) is not generated.”
Whatever you think of Yamaha’s approach to tonearm tracking/tracing (and I should point out that in the previous paragraphs that I have paraphrased a translation of Kiyohiko Goto’s original Japanese-language explanation, so any errors are mine alone), the practical result is that you cannot use a conventional Baerwald, Stevenson or Loefgren cartridge alignment tool to align your cartridge in the tonearm.
You instead have to use the alignment tool Yamaha supplies with the GT-5000.
Yamaha’s alignment tool comes in the form of a black metal disc that slides down over the spindle and has the necessary cartridge calibration marks scribed in it. This disc also doubles as a speed calibration device, by virtue of the strobe marks inscribed on it… though you’d be hard-pressed to instantly recognise these as strobe markings because rather than provide them in the form of straight lines, as with most other strobe ‘cards’ I’ve ever seen, Yamaha has instead provided the markings in an ‘arrow’ formation.
I initially thought these arrows were bit of a gimmick, but when I compared Yamaha’s strobe with my own (which has straight lines) Yamaha’s strobe was was actually the easier one of the two to use, and also the most accurate. Yamaha’s strobe lines also look better, but that’s probably by-the-by.
Interestingly, there were only two strobe rings (one for 33.33 rpm and the other for 45rpm) on the calibration disc, which means that Yamaha must be supplying completely different calibration rings depending on whether the turntable will be used in a country with a 50Hz mains frequency (Australia and the UK, for example) or in a country where the mains frequency is 60Hz (such as the USA or Japan).
As for the strobe light that’s necessary for the strobe card to work, any fluorescent light will suffice for this purpose, but on the off-chance that you don’t have one handy, Yamaha provides a small strobe light with the GT-5000. It’s at the end of a piece of flexible cable that plugs into a power supply at the back of the turntable.
So what does the post at the front of the GT-5000 do if it’s not a strobe post? That’s where you adjust the speed of the platter. This means that you have to hold the strobe light with one hand while you use the other hand to adjust platter speed. I have to say that while this is a perfectly practical way to do this, it felt a little ‘odd’ and just a bit ‘Heath Robinson’. I wish Yamaha had thought of another way to implement this.
Speed change is achieved by pressing the small button behind the large Start/Stop button at the right side of the turntable plinth.
When you change speed by pressing it down and releasing it, the relevant (33 or 45) LED blinks green twice very brightly then glows steadily at reduced brightness. When the switch is at 33, it sits exactly flush with the bezel around it, whereas when it’s at 45 the top of the switch sits 2.5mm proud of the bezel.
The same physical action is true for the platter Start/Stop button and the Power button (at the left of the plinth). When the Start/Stop button is in ‘Start’ mode, the button is flush with the bezel, and when it’s in ‘Stop’ mode, it sits proud of it. And when the power button is set to ‘On’, the button is flush with the bezel, whereas when it’s off, it sits proud of it. This is not only elegant engineering, it also means you can instantly tell the status of the control even when your eyes are closed, or in complete darkness.
(Image credit: Yamaha)
Around the rear of the GT-5000 you’ll find something completely surprising, which is that it has not only a pair of standard unbalanced RCA outputs (gold-plated of course), but also a pair of balanced XLR outputs (also gold-plated). Even the essential ground terminal screw is gold-plated. All these are located on one mounting plate at the left of the turntable. At the right is another plate that has a standard 3-pin mains socket and a smaller, 3.5mm socket for the strobe light.
Also on the rear are four chromed knurled screws, in two pairs. These are to attach the heavy-duty clear perspex dust cover that in many countries is apparently an optional extra but here in Australia comes standard with each turntable, but packaged separately, so that owners can choose to fit it or not.
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Listening sessions
Yamaha does not supply a phono cartridge with the GT-5000 and, so far as I could ascertain, does not supply a list of cartridges that might be suitable for it. When I say ‘suitable’ I intend this to mean a list of phono cartridges which can be installed in it such that their stylus is able to be correctly calibrated according to Yamaha’s gauge.
I mention this because several of my cartridges had their stylus so far back in the cartridge body that I could not get the stylus to the alignment point on Yamaha’s gauge even when the mounting holes at the top of the cartridge were at the extreme end of the adjustment slots on Yamaha’s head-shell.
As a professional hi-fi reviewer I was in the enviable position of having many different cartridges on-hand, and was fairly easily able to find several that I was able to align as per Yamaha’s instructions.
I also had quite a few different head-shells available, several of which allowed a greater range of adjustment than the one Yamaha supplies, which then allowed me to use the ‘shorter’ cartridges. In the absence of a list from Yamaha, you will need to depend on your hi-fi retailer’s knowledge with regards to phono cartridge suitability.
My ability to fit alternative head-shells was made possible because Yamaha’s tonearm has a standard ‘universal’ head-shell fitting.
The very first thing I had to do after cartridge alignment was to use the strobe to ensure the platter was rotating at exactly 33.33 rpm. Having not done this initially, I found it a bit difficult to locate the strobe cord’s plug in the socket at the rear, so you should bear this difficulty in mind if you’re planning on regularly inserting and removing the strobe light… and I certainly wouldn’t recommend leaving it switched on permanently.
In point of fact, the only reason I can think of that you’d have to regularly insert and remove the strobe light is if you regularly play 45 rpm LPs, because I found that if I set the speed to 33.33 rpm using the strobe, then switched to 45 rpm, the strobe showed that the platter was running slightly slow, which meant tweaking the platter speed up a little. If I then switched back to 33.33 rpm, the platter ran slightly fast, which meant another platter speed tweak.
But any constant speed adjustments using the strobe would assume, of course, that you actually want the platter to be rotating at exactly 33.33 rpm or at 45 rpm and there’s really very little reason you would actually want to do this. The simple fact is that a great many LPs need to be run slightly off-speed if you want the music that’s contained on them to be true to the pitch at which the music was originally played.
This comes about because of the limited playing time available on an LP meant a work that was played and recorded at the right pitch (i.e. A=440Hz) would often be too long to fit onto the two sides of an LP. Recording engineers would then ‘solve’ this problem by speeding up the tape recorder feeding the cutting lathe, which then reduced the duration of the work so that it would fit.
However, speeding up the recorder in this way also raised the pitch of all the instruments (and voices), so that if the turntable used to play the LP was set for 33.33 rpm (the so-called ‘correct’ speed) the pitch of those instruments and voices would be higher than it should be. Being able to set the platter to rotate slightly slower than 33.33 rpm (via a pitch control) allows corrections for such pitch inaccuracies.
Another situation where you might not want a turntable to play at exactly 33.33 rpm is when you want to play along with an LP with a notionally fixed-pitch instrument, such as a piano, and you find that, for whatever reason, your piano is slightly out of tune with the LP. A little tweak on the pitch control (either up or down, as appropriate) will have you playing along in perfect harmony. And if you sing along, and can’t quite reach the very highest notes (or the very deepest) an appropriate touch on the pitch control will fix both these issues as well.
Call me slow to twig, but I had not realised why there was a groove at the periphery of the GT-5000’s platter until it came time to actually place my very first LP onto the platter, at which point it suddenly dawned on me that because the Yamaha’s platter was ‘way bigger than the LP, the groove was essential in order to allow LPs to be easily positioned and removed.
Which got me to thinking why the platter was so much larger than usual in any case, and another light in my brain went on: Inertia, or probably (I forget the physics and didn’t google it), Moment. Basically, the larger the diameter of any wheel (platter), the greater the ‘flywheel’ effect, and thus the greater the stability of rotation.
Clever, very clever! (And here I’m not talking about me, but about Yamaha’s engineers.)
The large, heavy platter has one slight drawback, which is that it’s a bit difficult for the single flat drive-belt to coax it up to speed. I discovered that every time I pressed the play button, there was initially a tiny bit of slippage, after which it took 15 seconds for the platter to stabilise at 33.33 rpm. And if you press the play button again to stop the platter, it takes a full 23 seconds for the platter to come to a complete halt.
(Image credit: Yamaha)
It won’t come as a surprise to regular readers to find that that very first LP I placed on the Yamaha GT-5000’s platter was my new favourite recording of Eric Satie’s Gymnopédies as performed by Anne Queffélec (Virgin Classics 522 0502) whose tempi are perfect and whose rubato is glorious. I just love the liberties she takes with the score, which elevates it from just being ‘another virtuoso performance’ into another league completely. (Though as another reviewer was insistent I point out, she was not brave enough to omit the final chord.)
The reason for playing Satie was, of course, that slow (very slow, insanely slow) piano music will immediately reveal if a turntable’s platter is ‘wowing’ (slow speed variations) or ‘fluttering’ (higher speed variations) as it rotates. I can happily report that I heard zero wow and zero flutter when auditioning the GT-5000. I also did not hear any cogging effects which, of course, is precisely the reason Yamaha elected to use a belt drive rather than a direct drive for its GT-5000 in the first place.
In the words of Yamaha’s Kiyohiko Goto: “A belt drive has been adopted to minimise the effects of uneven rotation due to motor cogging. Feedback used for direct-drive control cannot fundamentally eliminate the response time regarding rotation unevenness caused by cogging, and this affects the sound. To avoid this, a motor drive that does not require feedback technology has been adopted.“
Cogging is a strange phenomenon, but it’s certainly audible, and the GT-5000 obviously doesn’t have it. But in a world of superior belt-drive designs, the GT-5000 to me stood out as being even more superior, because the sound was just so smoooth (and I stand by the extra “o” in that word, because the sound from the Yamaha GT-5000 is actually smoother than smooth, but I just didn’t have a word to describe it). There was a beautiful ease and ‘flow’ to all the music I played on the GT-5000 that transported me to a higher plane.
Having been a bit concerned about the tracing ability of a shortish arm and the lack of anti-skating, I put the combo to the test with a couple of my favourite albums only to find that it absolutely sailed through Emerson Lake and Palmer’s first and second albums (they being Emerson Lake and Palmer and Tarkus) both of which are notable for possessing far more bass energy than most ordinary phono cartridges (and tonearms) can handle and therefore are very difficult to track. (Though not as difficult as the cannon-fire in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on Telarc, which the GT-5000 also sailed through with flying colours. )
ELP is a tour-de-force of an album, not least because of the individual musicianship of the band members – particularly Emerson – but also because two of the tracks (Barbarian and Knife Edge) were partly written by those three famous rock musicians Béla Bartók, Leoš Janáček and Johann Sebastian Bach.
(For confused readers, Barbarian is a reworking of Bartók’s Allegro Barbaro – from whence the name – and Knife Edge sounds a lot like a melding of the first movement of Janáček’s Sinfonietta with the Allemande from Bach’s French Suite in D minor, BWV 812.)
If you’re at all surprised by this revelation, you shouldn’t be. Many of the greatest rock classics of recent times are just knock-offs from the great classical composers. One of Billy Joel’s most famous compositions is almost a transcription of a well-known classical piece, indeed I very recently saw a TV interview where when Paul Simon was being praised for a particular tune that bore his name he quite happily admitted that it wasn’t his, and played the original, classical version on the guitar he just happened to have in his lap to prove the point. And just in case you were wondering, it’s all perfectly legal and legit. The copyrights lapsed a few hundred years ago, and you don’t even have to credit the original composer.
When it was pointed out that what is possibly Procol Harem’s most famous song (A Whiter Shade of Pale) was a Bach knock-off, with even Wikipedia coyly noting that: “The similarity between the Hammond organ line of A Whiter Shade of Pale and J.S. Bach’s Air from his Orchestral Suite No. 3 BWV1068, (the Air on the G string), where the sustained opening note of the main melodic line flowers into a free-flowing melody against a descending bass line, has been noted.” Gary Brooker, who is credited with the composition (and still owns the copyright!) told Uncut magazine: “I wasn’t consciously combining rock with classical, it’s just that Bach’s music was in me.”
Just to be fair and even-handed, all the greatest classical composers also “knocked off” tunes from other composers, as well as blatantly recycled their own best themes and melodies into other of their compositions, but back then, copyright wasn’t a thing, and due to a lack of recording/playback facilities, any liberties taken by composers who knocked off others’ compositions were unlikely to be discovered.
Rumble, signal-to-noise ratio… call it what you will, you don’t want any in a turntable and you certainly won’t find (hear) it issuing from Yamaha’s GT-5000. This is one silent turntable. Super silent. I eventually gave up trying to hear any rumble or bearing noise when listening to music and instead resorted to using a stethoscope borrowed from my brother-in-law to listen to the plinth in a dead-quiet room. While I could hear some noise at the ‘motor’ (left) side of the plinth, I could hear nothing at all at the all-important (tonearm/right) side of the plinth.
Verdict
Yamaha’s GT-5000 is such a mind-blowingly fantastic turntable that the only way I think it could be improved is for Yamaha to offer a version without a tonearm. Admittedly such a model would most likely appeal only to those audiophiles who already own a favourite tonearm, such as ‘The Wand’ from Simon Brown, or a Sorane ZA-12, or maybe even a classic such as an SME Series V, but I think there’s a fair few of them around, and given the level of performance of the GT-5000, they’d be absolutely queuing to buy one!
But if you don’t already own a favourite tonearm, then you have absolutely no excuse not to buy a Yamaha GT-5000: it’s just that good!
Lab test results
The absolute speed accuracy of the Yamaha GT-5000 will be down to how accurately the user can set the speed using the strobe light and disc, because there is no ‘default’ or ‘0’ setting on the pitch control knob, so Newport Test Labs instead used a test record with a 3kHz test tone and set the speed using a frequency counter to ensure the most accurate measurements.
Once the GT-5000’s speed was set to exactly 33.33 rpm, the lab switched the platter speed to 45 rpm and played a 3kHz test tone that had been recorded at 45 rpm. The frequency counter reported the frequency as 2990Hz, 10Hz lower than it should have been. This is only 0.3% low, and not much in terms of absolute pitch so you may not want to bother about adjusting it, but of course it’s easy enough to do if you do care.
Long-term speed variations were vanishingly small, as you can see from the histogram below.
(Image credit: Australian Hi-Fi Magazine)
Rotational stability, as measured by Newport Test Labs, and as shown in Graph 2 (below), was also excellent. This test measures the speed for a full 30 seconds. The raw variations are shown by the khaki coloured trace. The mean speed over the period is indicated by the dashed blue line. The overall wow and flutter, measured according to the IEC 386 standard is shown for a dynamic measurement (purple trace) and for a 2-Sigma analysis (red trace).
(Image credit: Australian Hi-Fi Magazine)
Newport Test Labs used separate Meguro and MTE instrumentation to measure long-term (20-minute) speed variations and reported wow and flutter as being 0.06% RMS unweighted and 0.08% CCIR weighted. The wow and flutter the laboratory measured was identical for both 33.33rpm and 45rpm speeds, for both the RMS and CCIR standards.
(Image credit: Australian Hi-Fi Magazine)
Graph 3 shows the noise (rumble) of the Yamaha GT-5000, referenced to a 315Hz test signal recorded at a velocity of 3.52cm/sec. You can see that it’s mostly more than 90dB down, which is an outstandingly good result: the best I have ever seen, in fact.
The Yamaha GT-5000’s power consumption is negligible, with the turntable drawing only 0.41 watts (+0.845 PF) in standby, and only 10.67-watts (+0.755PF) at 33.33rpm.
On the basis of these outstandingly good test results I can confidently state that the Yamaha GT-5000 sets a new standard in turntable performance.
Facebook has publicly launched Collab, an experimental music-making app that first launched as an invite-only beta back in May, TechCrunchreports.
The app allows users to create short-form music videos by combining up to three independent videos. So, for example, three musicians could each play a different part of a song and combine them into one video. But each video that’s created is also posted to a public “Collab” feed, where people can view and play along with it if they choose.
So you could also record one part, then mix it with two other parts you find on the Collab feed that other people have recorded. Or you can just mix other people’s videos together — you don’t need to be a musician yourself. (Every user is properly credited for their contributions, according to Facebook.)
You won’t have to worry about lining all the videos up — Collab includes in-app tools to sync the parts together. Per its App Store page, “We make sure that as you swipe, the videos play at exactly the right moment to be in sync.”
The app isn’t directly integrated with Facebook (yet, at least), but you can export the finished products to your Instagram story (as well as other platforms, including TikTok) via iOS share sheet.
Collab is free on the App Store, and you can download it today.
Apple’s new Fitness Plus service is officially out now, marking the launch of the company’s latest subscription service. Fitness Plus offers a variety of guided workouts (similar to competitors like Peloton) and costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year.
At launch, the service features workouts in 10 categories: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), strength, yoga, dance, core, cycling, treadmill (for both running and walking), rowing, and “mindful cooldown.”
To actually use Fitness Plus, you’ll need — at minimum — an Apple Watch Series 3 (or newer) running the just-released watchOS 7.2 update paired to an iPhone 6S (or newer) running the also-just-released iOS 14.3.
If you’re planning to use an iPad or Apple TV to view Fitness Plus videos, you’ll also need to have those devices updated to iOS 14.3 or tvOS 14.3, respectively.
Once you’ve updated your iPhone and Apple Watch, Fitness Plus can be accessed through a new tab in the Fitness app that’s preinstalled on your phone. iPad users will be able to download the Fitness app from the App Store, while Apple TV users will automatically see the app installed once they’ve updated to tvOS 14.3.
Existing Apple Watch owners can get a one-month free trial of Fitness Plus, while customers who buy an Apple Watch Series 3 (or newer) can get three months of free service. A single Fitness Plus subscription can be shared with up to six users through Apple’s Family Sharing service, and it’s also included in the Apple One Premier plan (which includes Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus, and 2TB of iCloud storage for $29.95 per month).
Moscow tech giant Yandex balances between state control and independence. A blueprint for mega-tech corporations in a democracy?
From the end of March to mid-June, when Moscow was in corona lockdown, the Russian capital was almost empty of normal passers-by. Whenever I went to the supermarket or the pharmacy, whole columns of cyclists in the yellow uniform of the Yandex grocery delivery service passed me. Among the few vehicles on the road – besides police cars or buses – were Yandex taxis, which were disinfected at newly opened stops.
In the West, Yandex is often referred to as Russia’s Google. In reality, it’s more of a combination of Google, Amazon, Uber, and maybe a few other companies. The Russians ask Alice, the company’s virtual assistant, to help them order goods online in the Yandex market. They use the company’s e-mail system, listen to music on its player and visit its website for movie recommendations. Over coffee, they read the morning news on the Yandex news portal. They send money to each other through the Yandex wallet system. And your Google Maps is the Yandex Navigator. Yandex alone is an entire Russian Silicon Valley, says Arkadi Wolosch, CEO and co-founder of the company traded on the Nasdaq electronic stock exchange in New York.
But Yandex’s success has its price. The Kremlin views the Internet as a battleground in its clashes with the West and is increasingly concerned that a company like Yandex, with millions of collected data on Russian citizens, could someday fall into the strange hands. Managing a tech giant in Russia is therefore a delicate balancing act: on one side there is the Kremlin, on the other the New York Stock Exchange with the demands of investors for company independence.
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(Pocket-lint) – Think ‘Grado’ and what you’re probably picturing is a retro-styled pair of headphones made from metal, wood and leather with completely round cans. In 2020, however, the trendy US company has branched out into the ever-growing world of true wireless earbuds.
The GT220 is a new step for Grado, but instead of going with the tech-first approach of so many other in-ears, Grado has gone with an audio-first approach. That means there’s no active noise-cancelling (ANC), no fancy app for controlling features, and no real flashiness to the design. So is it an approach that works?
Minimalism
Twist-to-lock design to fit
Light-up ‘G’ logo
Touch-sensitive panel
Wireless charging case
The first thing we noticed opening up the Grado GT220 was – almost ironically – that we didn’t notice anything. As far as design goes, there’s little in the way of a distinctive shape or design in these buds to make them stand out. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Pocket-lint
Pull the ‘buds out of the packaging and you’ll notice how the surface appears almost completely seamless. It’s finished with a matte black plastic all the way around. On the outer surface, there’s the iconic ‘G’ logo you’ll also find on some of the company’s unique over-ear headphones. Switched off in the case and that logo is white, but when switched on they flash different colours depending on the earbuds’ status.
The surface with that light-up logo on it is touch-sensitive too, giving you easy controls for your music. Single-, double- and triple-taps on the right ‘bud will play/pause, skip forwards or back. The left earbud, meanwhile, can launch your phone’s assistant with a triple-tap.
What’s quite interesting about these ‘buds is that the ear tips are at the end of a tiny curved ‘trunk’, with the curved surface blending seamlessly into it to ensure you have an ergonomic, natural fit in the ear.
To place the GT220 into your ears requires this sort-of twisting motion which the pushes that tip into the entrance of your ear canal. We found it took a while to find the absolute right fit. Early attempts were a bit too forceful and ended with the tip feeling quite invasively lodged inside. But once we got used to the fit – and we found there is a little bit of an art to it – it is comfortable and secure, without feeling too invasive or pressured.
Pocket-lint
As for the charging case, it continues that approach of using matte black plastic on a case that looks like a giant jelly bean. The case lid holds shut well, thanks to using magnets to snap shut, which also means it’s easy to get open to get at your earbuds. That matte finish feels soft to the touch, and it’s equipped with a USB Type-C port and wireless charging to make it convenient too.
Four LEDs along the front show you how much battery remains, but that’s not particularly a worry. Like, ever. And you might just find it takes a long time before you see just a single LED flashing to denote a low battery.
Performance and battery life
Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX
6 hours playtime out of the case
36 hours including case (5x full charges)
Everything about these earbuds screams ‘convenience’. Grado has made no compromises in areas that matter. Battery life: not a problem. Charging: easy. Wireless performance: great. Sound: pretty spectacular.
Once you take the fully charged buds out of the case for the first time you have about six hours of music playtime before they’ll need refuelling again by plonking them back in the charging cradle. That’s a lot of music to listen to in one go. Although it is around about the average for truly wireless earbuds. But when you realise the case can offer a further five full charges before it needs plugging in to recharge, that’s when it gets pretty epic.
Pocket-lint
In total, that’s 36 hours offered by the battery in the case and the batteries in the earbuds. That would be enough to get you through a full work week of commutes, even if you had to travel three hours in each direction everyday.
In real-world use, you might not get exactly 36 hours though. Of course, this is the figure Grado has come up with after testing in labs with the volume set at 50 per cent. Different styles of music and varying volumes will have an impact on battery life. Still, it’s an impressive performer.
The only downside is that – because there’s no downloadable app to view specific battery level – there’s no really accurate way to see how quickly the battery drops on a more macro level. Based on our own usage we suspect most people will be able to go a couple of weeks at a time inbetween charges.
Pocket-lint
When you do need to recharge, you get the convenience of using either a Type-C cable (which you likely already have), or a wireless charger. If – for instance – you have a new iPhone and a MagSafe charger, you’ll easily be able to drop it on top of that and charge it up that way. It’ll work with pretty much any Qi-based charger though, as long as it’s one that lies flat and not an upright style model.
The other bonus here – if you have a phone like the latest Samsung Galaxy flagship with reverse wireless charging – is that you can charge the ‘buds from the back of your phone.
Sound
8mm drivers
20Hz to 20kHz frequency response
No app for EQ control
As we mentioned in the intro, those looking at the Grado pair of TWS buds won’t be those looking for the most impressive-sounding feature list. You’re not going to find active noise-cancelling (ANC) here, and you won’t find sensors that enable auto pausing and playing when you remove the ‘buds from your ears.
So while the feature list might not be all that jaw-dropping, once you put the GT220 in your ears and start playing music, you might just start to go a tiny bit slack-jawed. The sound is fantastic. And if that’s the trade-off for not having ANC built-in, then it’s a trade-off we’re more than happy to live with.
Pocket-lint
What’s impressive about the Grado is just how much sound there is – and how much quality bass you get from a pair of in-ears, but without losing any of the articulation in the other frequencies. There’s clarity and bite, but also bass that retains resolution even when it drops really low.
Listen to tracks with some light acoustic accompaniment and backing from guitars or other stringed instruments, and you’ll hear the clarity and the texture, even when that’s accompanied by punchy low synthesised bass or impactful drumming. One part doesn’t drown out the other, and this balance means the Grado pair is very versatile and suitable for pretty much any type of music.
Whether you want to hear the subtleties and extreme volume swelling in an orchestral piece like Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, or a modern fusion of synth and acoustic instruments like Charlie Cunningham, or even rock out to some nu metal to remind you of better times, the Grado delivers it all in a way that’ll remind you why you loved all those songs in the first place.
Verdict
Grado didn’t set out to make the most technologically advanced earbuds in the GT220. Bose, Sony, Apple, Beats, et al, have that market sewn up already. Instead the focus was on delivering really good sound in a convenient package that still has some of the modern-day conveniences like wireless charging and touch controls.
In that regard, Grado has absolutely delivered. The GT220 is a stunning sounding pair of earphones, with battery life that’s up there with the best of them.
The design might be a bit finickity, and take a tiny bit of time to get used to the fit, but in the end it’s totally worth it.
If sound is what’s important to you and getting the most enjoyment from your music is high on your priority list then we wholeheartedly recommend the Grado true wireless earbuds. Even if you need earbuds to last on long commutes to work and back every day of the week. These ‘buds just won’t let you down.
Best USB-C headphones for Android phones 2020
Alternatives to consider
Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus
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Master & Dynamic has a similar approach to sound, but a very different idea about design, and in the MW07 Plus has made some of the most unique-looking earbuds that are available. There are different eye-catching colours, too, including the acrylic models.
Read our review
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
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If you want an all-singing all-dancing pair of noise-cancelling in-ears, it doesn’t come much better than the QC Buds. These in-ears sound excellent, offer great comfort, and feature market-leading ANC.
Read our review
Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Mike Lowe.
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