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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity’s designers talk about following up Breath of the Wild

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which launched on the Nintendo Switch last week, is a curious thing: a blockbuster release that’s both a sequel and a prequel. It’s a follow-up to 2014’s Hyrule Warriors, a game that mashed together the fantastical realm of Hyrule with the action-heavy gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors series. But it’s also a game that takes place before the pivotal events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, making it a key piece of lore for diehard fans.

To find out a bit more about how the game came about, and how developer Koei Tecmo partnered with the Zelda team at Nintendo, I was able to ask a few questions of Age of Calamity producer Yosuke Hayashi and director Ryouta Matsushita. Here’s what they had to say about making the game and why weapon durability didn’t make a comeback.

(And if you’re looking for more Zelda insight, be sure to check out our lengthy chat with the directors of Breath of the Wild.)

How did the idea of making a prequel to Breath of the Wild come about? What made this timeline / setting a good fit for the Hyrule Warriors-type of experience?

Hayashi: Nintendo explicitly suggested the idea of using Dynasty Warriors gameplay to show the Great Calamity in Breath of the Wild. We also enjoyed Breath of the Wild as fans, and thought we’d be able to make a really fun game with the idea. So I don’t remember really worrying much while we were solidifying each specification.

Were there specific ways you wanted to build off of or change things from the original Hyrule Warriors?

Hayashi: Something we realized with the previous game was that we wanted to create a story that revolved more tightly around the Link, Zelda, and Ganon trio. While I’d like everyone to experience the rest of the details for themselves, I think that we were even successful in achieving that in the first Hyrule Warriors.

Since this game is so tightly connected with Zelda lore, did it require more direct collaboration with Nintendo? How would you describe the way Koei Tecmo and Nintendo work together on a project like this?

Hayashi: Previously, Hyrule Warriors was a spinoff game where Koei Tecmo had a certain amount of freedom with development. However, since we’re depicting the previously unknown environment of 100 years prior to Breath of the Wild here, we needed the complete cooperation of the Zelda team at Nintendo. While building up the project, we got input on a variety of areas from the Zelda team, including visuals, scenario, sound, and the direction of gameplay.

Matsushita: To ensure that the game inherited the worldview and tone of BOTW, we asked for in-depth reviews starting from the initial design stage. Creating a world that brings together everything in Breath of the Wild, at a high level, is impossible without this collaborative effort. For the gameplay system, we aimed to respect the gameplay of Koei Tecmo’s Warriors series while incorporating new gameplay elements that lived up to the expectations of the Zelda team.

It’s likely a lot of players will be coming to this game after playing BOTW and not necessarily Hyrule Warriors. Is this something you took into consideration? Is the game designed in a way to ease in new players?

Hayashi: Our policy in developing Age of Calamity was to create a game that would be fun for Breath of the Wild players. So I think that it’s fun even if you haven’t played the previous Hyrule Warriors.

Matsushita: It is an action game where you fight enemies, but you can also use creative methods such as items or the environment, in addition to fighting techniques, to defeat powerful enemies. I think we’ve created these elements so that they have hints that are easily recognizable to fans of the Legend of Zelda series.

Aside from the setting, were there any elements specific from BOTW that you wanted to incorporate in this game? Were there key things from BOTW that just didn’t work in a Dynasty Warriors experience?

Hayashi: One system that obviously doesn’t work well is weapon durability. While this was very effective in Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity assumes that you’re strengthening your weapons as you play, so we’re using a system unique to this game.

Matsushita: Using limited resources, such as weapons or food, was an element unique to Link in Breath of the Wild. Since this game is about a war that encompasses all of Hyrule, we needed ways to depict a different aspect.

Razer Blade Stealth (Late 2020) Review: A Well-Executed Oddball

Our Verdict

The Razer Blade Stealth is confused about what it wants to be. It’s priced as a premium ultraportable and looks like one too. But as a gaming notebook, it’s quite underpowered for the price. While the OLED screen is beautiful, Razer needs to work on the keyboard.

For

Great build quality
OLED screen is gorgeous
Thunderbolt 4 on both sides

Against

Cheaper gaming laptops offer better graphics
Uncomfortable keyboard

There are a few things I can say with certainty about the Razer Blade Stealth ($1,799.99 to start, $1,999.99 as tested). For one thing, it’s built like a tank. Our option had a beautiful OLED display, and Razer doesn’t heap on bloatware.

What I can’t tell you, though, is who this laptop is for exactly. Razer calls it a “gaming ultraportable,” and prices it among the

best ultrabooks

, which are often expensive partially due to build quality. But the mix of an Intel Core i7-1165G7 and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, while they can play eSports games or AAA games, are low-end for a laptop of this price. Competing gaming notebooks with far superior graphics performance can be found for less money. To make it more confusing, Razer has announced

the Razer Book 13

, a non-gaming ultraportable that houses Intel’s Xe integrated graphics.

Among competing ultrabooks, the

best gaming laptops

and in Razer’s own stack, the Blade Stealth feels more niche than it used to. And yet, somehow, it still gets plenty right.

Design of the Razer Blade Stealth

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We last reviewed the Razer Blade Stealth in September with a 10th Gen Intel Ice Lake processor, and the design hasn’t changed a bit in the intervening two months. But for those who aren’t familiar with it, the Stealth is a black aluminum notebook. The lid features the Razer tri-headed snake logo, but at least the company made it black on black, so you can mostly ignore it if it doesn’t fit your style.

The no-frills aluminum build continues when you unfold the laptop. It’s all-black aluminum on the deck, with speakers flanking both sides of the keyboard. That’s the one spot with some color, as the keys are lit with single-zone Chroma RGB. The display is surrounded by a moderate, but inoffensive, bezel.

The left side of the laptop has a Thunderbolt 4 port over USB Type-C, USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A and a headphone jack. The right side is the same, minus the headphone jack. I do appreciate that Razer has the ports evenly distributed across the laptop, and you can charge on either side via the Thunderbolt ports.

If you consider the Stealth to be a gaming notebook, it’s small at 3.1 pounds and 12 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches. The

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

, a 14-inch gaming notebook, is 3.5 pounds and 12.8 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches, and even that’s petite for a gaming notebook.

But if the Blade Stealth is an ultraportable, then it’s big. The Dell XPS 13 9310 is 2.8 pounds and 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches, though it does have fewer ports.

Razer Blade Stealth Specifications

CPU	Intel Core i7-1165G7
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q (4GB), Intel Iris Xe Graphics (integrated)
Memory	16GB LPDDR4X-4266
Storage	512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Display	13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, OLED, touch
Networking	802.11ax Intel Wi-Fi 6
Ports	2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4, 3.5 mm headphone/mic jack
Camera	720p IR
Battery	53.1 WHr
Power Adapter	100 W
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Dimensions(WxDxH)	12 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches / 304.6 x 210 x 15.3 mm
Weight	3.1 pounds / 1.4 kg
Price (as configured)	$1,999.99

Gaming and Graphics on the Razer Blade Stealth

The Razer Blade Stealth comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti for gaming. To put it flatly, that’s not going to get you strong performance outside of some eSports titles, unless you’re willing to bring down your settings.

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I tested out the Stealth playing a few rounds of Rocket League, an eSports title that’s matches the type of game one should most expect to play on this laptop. In a round, I saw frames fluctuate between 177 and 202 frames per second (fps) on high quality mode at 1080p resolution. Since our review unit’s screen only has a 60 Hz refresh rate, it really would have made sense to limit the frames.

You may notice that our primary competitor in gaming, the Asus Zephyrus G14, has a much better GPU: an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q. This isn’t an accident — you can get that machine for $1,449, which is cheaper than the Blade Stealth we’re reviewing. What the Stealth offers is better than the integrated graphics you get in most ultraportables, but other, cheaper gaming laptops do offer more power.

On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, on the highest settings at 1080p, the Stealth ran the game at 26 fps, which is below our 30 fps playable threshold, while the Zephyrus G14 hit 49 fps. Red Dead Redemption 2, at medium settings and 1080p, was also unplayable at 22 fps, while the Zephyrus G14 hit 35 fps.

On Grand Theft Auto V, at very high settings at 1080p, the Stealth played at 35 fps, but the Zephyrus G14 hit 115 fps.

The Blade managed to play Far Cry New Dawn (1080p, ultra) at 47 fps, but the Zephyrus beat it again at 73 fps.

To stress-test the Blade Stealth, we ran the Metro Exodus benchmark 15 times on a loop, which simulates about half an hour of gameplay. On the high preset, the game ran at an average of 29.9 fps, suggesting that you really need to drop down to normal or lower for playable frame rates. It hit 30 fps the first two runs before dropping down to around 29.9 for the rest of the gauntlet.

During that test, the CPU measured an average clock speed of 3.5 GHz and an average temperature of 60.8 degrees Celsius (141.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The GPU ran at an average speed of 1,287.6 MHz and an average temperature of 57.2 degrees Celsius (135 degrees Fahrenheit).

Productivity Performance on the Razer Blade Stealth

We tested the Razer Blade Stealth with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. The package is a formidable workhorse, though other machines in both the gaming and ultraportable space do have some advantage.

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On Geekbench 5.0, the Stealth earned a multi-core score of 4,992, falling to the XPS 13 (also with a Core i7-1165G7) and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, a gaming machine with an AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS.

The Blade Stealth copied 4.97GB of files at a rate 946.6 MBps, beating the XPS 13 9310 but still slower than the Zephyrus.

On our Handbrake test, Razer’s laptop took 16 minutes and 19 seconds to transcode a 4K resolution video to 1080p. That’s faster than the XPS 13, but the Zephyrus smashed it in less than half that time.

Display on the Razer Blade Stealth

The 13.3-inch FHD OLED touchscreen on the Stealth sure looks nice. The trailer for Black Widow (is it ever going to come out?) looked excellent. When the titular heroine is surrounded by flames in a car chase with Taskmaster, the orange reflections really stood out on a dark road. The villain’s navy suit contrasted with Red Guardian’s, well, red, knockoff Captain America outfit. In Rocket League, the Blade Stealth’s screen made the orange and blue cars pop against green turf.

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Razer’s panel covers 83.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, just a smidge higher than the Zephryus’ display. The XPS 13 covers 69.4%.

The Blade Stealth measured an average brightness of 343 nits, while the XPS 13 was the brightest of the bunch at 469 nits. The Zephyrus G14 was a tad behind at 323 nits.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Razer Blade Stealth

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Earlier this year, Razer fixed a long-maligned keyboard layout that put the shift key in an awkward place. That’s a major improvement, and the next step should be to focus on key travel. The keys have soft switches, and I had a tendency to bottom out on the aluminum frame, which tired my fingers. As I got used to the keyboard, I hit 112 words per minute with my usual error rate, which isn’t bad, but I could’ve felt a bit better doing it with more travel.

It wouldn’t be a Razer device without Chroma RGB lighting. The keyboard is single-zone backlit and can be controlled via the Synapse software.

The 4.3 x 3-inch touchpad is tall, making it more spacious than much of the Windows competition (though it’s still not as luxuriously large as what you see on Apple’s MacBooks). Windows Precision drivers ensure accurate scrolling and gestures. This is definitely one of the best touchpads on a Windows 10 laptop.

Audio on the Razer Blade Stealth

I’ll give the Blade Stealth’s audio this: It gets loud. The twin top-firing speakers immediately filled up my apartment with sound — in fact, I found it uncomfortable at maximum volume. When I listened to Blackway and Black Caviar’s “What’s Up Danger,” I got the best results with audio around 85%. The audio was clear, with vocals mixing well with sirens and synths in the background, as well as some drums. Bass, however, was lackluster. In Rocket League, car motors and bouncing balls were all clear.

Of the little software pre-installed on the system, one you might want to check out is THX Spatial Audio. Switching between stereo and spatial audio didn’t make a huge difference, but there are some presets, including games, music and voice to toggle between.

Upgradeability of the Razer Blade Stealth

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Ten Torx screws hold the bottom of the Razer Blade Stealth’s

chassis

to the rest of the system. I used a Torx T5 screwdriver to remove them, and the bottom came off without much of a fight.

The SSD is immediately accessible, and the Wi-Fi card and battery are also easily available for upgrades. The RAM, on the other hand, is soldered onto the motherboard.

Battery Life on the Razer Blade Stealth

The Razer Blade Stealth’s history with battery life has been mixed, but this iteration with Intel’s 11th Gen Core processors is decent, especially considering it has a discrete GPU. The laptop ran for 9 hours and 11 minutes on our battery test, which continuously browses the web, run OpenGL tests and streams video over a Wi-Fi connection, all at 150 nits of brightness.

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But ithe Razer was outclassed by both the Dell XPS 13 (11:07) and the Zephyrus G14, the longest-lasting gaming notebook we’ve ever seen (11:32), so there’s still room for improvement on Razer’s part.

Heat on the Razer Blade Stealth

Since Razer classifies the Blade Stealth as a “gaming ultraportable,” we took our heat measurements by pushing it to the limits on our Metro Exodus test.

During the benchmark, the keyboard between the G and H keys measured 42.7 degrees Celsius (108.9 degrees Fahrenheit), while the touchpad was cooler at 30.9 degrees Celsius (87.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

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The hottest point on the bottom of the laptop reached 47.3 degrees Celsius (117.1 degrees Fahrenheit).

Webcam on the Razer Blade Stealth

Above the display, the Razer Blade Stealth has a 720p resolution webcam with infrared (IR) sensors. The IR sensors let you use facial recognition to log in to Windows 10 with Windows Hello, which was quick and accurate.

The webcam is passable. It caught details about as fine as a 720p webcam can, like hairs on my head, but the picture was still a little grainy and could definitely be sharper. On a laptop that has so many of the little details right, I’m ready for an upgrade on the camera.

Software and Warranty on the Razer Blade Stealth

You won’t spend much time removing bloatware from the Stealth. The only major piece of software that Razer adds to Windows 10 is Synapse, its hub for Chroma RGB lighting, adjusting performance modes, registering products and syncing accessories.

Windows 10 comes with some bloatware of its own, including Roblox, Hulu, Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure, Spotify and Dolby Access.

Razer sells the Blade Stealth with a one-year warranty.

Razer Blade Stealth Configurations

We reviewed the $1,999.99 top-end variant of the Stealth, with an Intel Core i7-1165G7, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 13.3-inch OLED FHD touchscreen.

I suspect that those who are using this system primarily for gaming will prefer the $1,799.99 base model, which has all of the same parts except for the display, which is a 120 Hz FHD screen.

Bottom Line

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The Razer Blade Stealth does a lot right, with great build quality, a lovely OLED screen and symmetrical Thunderbolt 4 ports for convenient charging on either side of the system.

If you’re buying this as an ultraportable, it’s expensive at $1,999.99 (with the OLED screen, anyway). But if you’re buying it as a gaming notebook, you should look elsewhere to save money and get better performance. The Asus Zephyrus G14 gives you the best Ryzen mobile processor for gaming around and has an RTX 2060 Max-Q for $450 less at $1,449.99. It doesn’t have Razer’s build quality or an OLED option, but it’s a worthwhile tradeoff in performance and you still get a 120 Hz display.

Razer doesn’t offer a version of the Stealth without the GTX 1650 Ti. That’s saved for the new Razer Book 13, which we haven’t reviewed yet as of this writing. But with that notebook in the wings, and the excellent

Razer Blade 15 Advanced

on the other side of Razer’s lineup, it makes a lot of sense to either spend more for better parts for gaming or spend less for better parts for productivity.

Those who just want to mix in some casual eSports play with work will get what they need out of this laptop, but a high-priced eSports laptop is a bit of a niche. While the Stealth is still a decent laptop, it doesn’t make as much sense as it used to.

Sony Xperia 5 II, here is the best Sony smartphone of 2020. The review

If Sony Xperia 1 II were one smartphone aimed at very demanding users in terms of “creativity”, Xperia 5 II is less extreme and aims at a wider audience. Compared to the more expensive model it also has some additional features and the absence of 4K support is not felt that much. Reliability and performance remain, all enhanced by the 120 Hz that was missing on Xperia 1 II. Here is our review.

by Nino Grasso published on 24 November 2020 in the Telephony channel

Sony

We liked Sony Xperia 1 II a lot when we tried it last August. A complete smartphone, with a masterful and perfectly managed 4K display, and two “Pro” modes for taking pictures and shooting videos. All surrounded by powerful hardware and sober and essential software, but at the same time complete and very precise. Among the defects the price and the fact that it is a smartphone designed for very demanding and above all prepared users. Not everyone is able to understand its strengths. The solution could be Sony Xperia 5 II , which we would dare to call the “consumer” version of the Japanese top of the range. In this case the keyword is not only “creativity”, but also “speed”. We tried it and we tell you our impressions on this device.

Article index

Technical features
Equipment, prices and availability
Software and user experience
Technical analysis

Benchmark
Display
Autonomy

Camera
- Examples of shots
Final considerations

Technical specifications

Sony Xperia 5 II focuses on speed thanks to the Snapdragon 865 , but not only. The Japanese smartphone implements a display from 120 Hz , where the older brother stops at 60 Hz, also adopting a display from 21: 9 as aspect-ratio. The “elongated” form factor typical of Sony flagships therefore remains, a feature that allows an ergonomic and elegant design, but which not everyone might like. Up Xperia 5 II (you can also read here Mark Due) we find a 6.1 “diagonal (therefore smaller than the 6.5” of Xperia 1 II), Full HD + resolution support (2020 x 1080) and compatibility with the HDR standard.

Sony defines the integrated panel as OLED CinemaWide configurable in two modes: Standard and Creator, designed for maximum color accuracy based on to the reference standard used by the media being played. The high refresh rate is instead clearly designed for game lovers and the touch sampling rate is 240 Hz, with Sony promising a gaming experience at the highest levels with Triple A for Android.

This is also thanks to the integrated hardware: Sony Xperia 5 II uses as already mentioned it Snapdragon 865 5G (like Xperia 1 II) with support for sub-6GHz networks (no mmWave, as usual). On the memory side we also find 8GB of RAM and two expandable storage cuts: 128 is 256 GB. The battery is 4. 000 mAh and can be charged with 50% approximately 30 minutes with the supplied PD charger (21 W). This is a nice leap forward compared to the Xperia 5 (which had a 3140 mAh), especially considering that the dimensions remain almost unchanged.

Returning to gaming, we also have software optimizations, such as the Competition Mode (allows you to release the RAM used by the system at that time, hide all notifications, disable adaptive brightness and disable the smartphone keys while gaming) and the option Heat Suppression Power Control , which minimizes throttling during gameplay while the smartphone is charging, in order to always maintain high gaming performance.

The smartphone also allows you to block touches in parts of the screen that are not used i for gameplay purposes, record and share game screenshots with a burst at 20 fps, and there is also an audio mixer to record game audio and voice with different volumes . Sony can also take advantage of its presence in the gaming sector by offering full compatibility with the Sony DualShock 4 controller of PlayStation 4 , and the smartphone can be docked on the joypad with a dedicated holder.

In this way the player can take advantage of the dual speaker stereo audio system, well-finished as on any high-end device from the Japanese manufacturer. The 3.5mm audio jack is present and offers, through dedicated signal routing, the lowest stereo crosstalk in its category. Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Audio Wireless and LDAC standards are also supported, and DSEE Ultimate to convert lower quality sources (including streaming) into high resolution. There is no shortage of Dolby Atmos and 257 Reality Audio with integrated hardware decoder.

OS (at launch)	Android 10	Android 10
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 a 7-nm 1 x Kryo 585 @ 2,84 GHz 3 x Kryo 585 @ 2,42 GHz 4 x Kryo 585 @ 1, 80 GHz
Memories	8 GB of RAM 128 – 256 GB Expandable via microSD	8 GB of RAM 256 GB Expandable via microSD
Display	6.1 “OLED (21: 9) 2520 x 1080 px (449 PPI) 120 Hz HDR BT. 2020	6.5 “OLED (21: 9) 3840 x 1644 px (643 PPI) HDR – BT. 2020
Cameras	Back: Normal (24 mm): 12 MP f / 1.7 Dual Pixel OIS Ultra-wide (0013 mm): 12 MP f / 2.4 Dual Pixel Tele 3x (70 mm): 12 MP f / 2.2 Dual Pixel OIS Ultra HD HDR Video @ 84 fps Front: Normal: 8 MP f / 2.0	Back : Normal (24 mm): 12 MP f / 1.7 Dual Pixel OIS Ultra-wide (16 mm): 12 MP f / 2.4 Dual Pixel Tele 3x (70 mm): 12 MP f / 2.2 Dual Pixel OIS ToF 3D: 0.3M Ultra HD HDR Video @ 60 fps Front : Normal: 8 MP f / 2.0
Extra	4G LTE-A Cat. 18 (1200 / 150 Mbps) Wi-Fi 6 2.4-5GHz Bluetooth 5.1 NFC Optional Dual SIM (Nano) Side fingerprint sensor DAC 24-bit/192 kHz Dolby Atmos	4G LTE-A Cat. 19 (1600 / 120 Mbps) Wi-Fi 6 2.4-5GHz Bluetooth 5.1 NFC Optional Dual SIM (Nano) Side fingerprint sensor DAC 24-bit/192 kHz Dolby Atmos
Doors	USB Type-C NO 3.5 mm audio jack	USB Type-C NO 3.5 mm audio jack
Battery	4. 000 mAh PD Quick Charge 21 W	4. 000 mAh Quick Charge PD 21 W Reverse wireless charging 11 W
Dimensions	158 x 68 x 8 mm	165, 1 x 71, 1 x 7.6 mm
Weight	163 grams	181 grams

Three rear cameras , arranged in a vertical module e , as on Xperia 1 II, they all use sensors from 11 MP. The main has an equivalent focal length of 24 mm and an OIS stabilized lens with an f / 1.7 aperture. Comes with an ultra wide angle lens from 16 mm with aperture f / 2.6 and a canvas of 70 mm with f / 2.4 aperture, also with OIS optical stabilization. The cameras use Zeiss lenses and can calculate exposure and focus 60 times per second, with maximum burst support 20 fps.

Sony Xperia 5 II has some very interesting numbers to show such as the size of the main module’s Exmor RS sensor, from 1 / 1.7 “ and much larger than that of its predecessor (1 / 2.6 “). This, together with the integrated BionzX for mobile processor and an improved RAW + JPG shooting mode, should lead to brighter, less noise photographs. Individual sensor pixels are 1.8μm large (on Xperia 5 they were 0.8μm), with Sony Xperia 5 II only using 10 ms from taking the shot to saving the photo.

There is no lack of support for the “Foto Pro” apps and “Cinema Pro”, designed for the most demanding users. The smarpthone can also record in 4K at 120 fps in slow-motion with HDR, with apps that allow you to manually set any setting. Among the noteworthy features we also have a dedicated shutter button , and a button for launch the Google Assistant . Android 10 is natively pre-installed.

Sony Xperia 5 II: prices and equipment

Xperia 5 II is available in Italy in black, blue and gray and the price is much more interesting than the big brother: 899 ??. The original equipment is quite sparse, since it only includes charger and cable, however those who buy the smartphone by 30 November 2020 gets bundled i Sony WF – 865 XM3 , true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation with excellent audio quality.

Sony Xperia 5 II : 899, 00 ??

Considering the technical features of this device and attention to detail, in addition to the sober and top quality design, we believe the outlay requested by Sony is extremely competitive. The purchase can be made through the official e-store.

Software and user experience

The experience of Sony Xperia 5 II very closely resembles that of Xperia 1 II, so here too we find ourselves with a top-of-the-range performance, free of lag, jamming or waiting for no reason. Here everything is embellished with the possibility of activating the update frequency at 120 Hz which allows for smoother animations and overall more enjoyable experience? At what cost? During our tests we found a slightly higher power consumption, but not such a noticeable impact. The day can be completed without problems both at 60 Hz both at 120 Hz.

The Japanese smartphone is fast and responsive and helps the little customized Android version. Few additional functions, such as the sidebar natively integrated on the operating system: compared to the first implementations on previous Sony smartphones, it is now much less difficult to activate it, however we would not miss it if it were eliminated completely. This is to allow the user to give the most frequent actions with one hand: it is accessed with a double tap on the edges of the display, but it probably takes less time to search for the desired functions or apps on the Home or in the typical quick commands of Android.

The smartphone also implements a “Game enhancer” function, which has been translated into Italian with “Game enhancer” : used to inhibit notifications, to search online for suggestions on the gameplay of various titles, or even to record game sessions in order to share them with friends and contacts. Gaming side Sony Xperia 5 II also offers support for Sony’s DualShock 4 , which can thus be used to play Android titles.

There are few apps pre-installed on the device, just as the Settings do not have great customization possibilities (which is not necessarily bad). However, the user can go into detail with the display settings , while the whole multimedia creation experience is based on the two pre-installed apps, Cinema Pro and Foto Pro , which we will discuss in the chapter dedicated to the camera.

Excellent l ‘ergonomics also thanks to the weight of only 163 grams, while the side fingerprint sensor is easily accessible and allows you to unlock your smartphone in an instant. The bezels above and below the display are quite evident compared to the “frame-less” fashion of the moment, however in our opinion they are not a problem. Aesthetically, the Xperia 5 II, just like its older brother, is one of the most successful devices of the 2020.

I 21: 9 clearly help to make the smartphone usable at all times, however – despite the integrated functions – it is quite inconvenient use with one hand (which is now true for almost all smartphones on the market). The elongated format on paper can give satisfactions, but it must always be kept in mind that the vast majority of the Google Play Store apps are designed for the most common formats.

Small consideration more technical: i 21: 9 of the display can all too often represent a compromise in use of multimedia contents , especially online where they are presented in the vast majority of cases in 16: 9. Panorama format films are an exception, but even in this case the exact format is 2, 39: 1 (the CinemaScope is instead in 2. 35: 1 ). That of Xperia 5 II can be approximated in 2, 30: 1 therefore it is practically impossible to see a content without black bands, more or less large, or to cut a portion of the image.

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

Format 2, 39: 1 – Small black bands above and below

Good viewing experience

Video on YouTube

Format 1, 78: 1 (16: 9) – Huge black bands on the sides

I 21: 9 are not comfortable even in photography, so they can be mainly justified with the creation of contents on device through the dedicated apps and their display.

Xperia 5 II is then equipped with the technology Dolby Atmos both with headphones and when listening with the integrated speakers. By activating the function, the sound gains volume, detail and spatiality, even and above all when listening through the two integrated front-facing stereo speakers. For headphone lovers, the 3.5mm jack, absent on the predecessor, makes a great return. Finally, an “old style” vibration motor should be noted, which gives an effect that is not very pleasant to the touch.

Technical analysis

Xperia 5 II uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon processor 865 that we find on Xperia 1 II, a processor that is no longer very recent but still extremely valid, representing one of the best solutions for Android devices to date ( find here our in-depth analysis). The CPU part offers a maximum operating frequency of 2, 78 GHz for the main core, while we have two other clusters, always with Kryo core 585, three and four cores at lower frequencies. The GPU is an Adreno 650, while on the memory side we have LPDDR5 RAM for RAM (8GB) and UFS 3.0 chip for storage. On the archiving side there are two versions for sale, one from 93 GB and the other – as the top of the range – from 256 GB , both with the possibility of expansion via microSD to be purchased separately.

Performance offered by the Sony smartphone are absolutely very high, even if from the benchmarks it is possible to deduce a slightly conservative management especially of the graphics section, just as it happened with Xperia 1 II. During our tests, the smartphone did not give any signs of excessive overheating, becoming lukewarm at most during demanding sessions on the computational level.

Benchmark

Below are the benchmarks we performed with the terminal .

Display

Sony Xperia 5 II uses a more “normal” panel than Xperia 1 II, but still valid also on the front of the definition. In fact, in practical use there are no huge differences between the 4K of the top of the range and the Full HD + of this device (equal to 2520 x 1080 pixels), while the 84 Hz that the Xperia 5 II can pull off. The management of the update frequency is up to the software, which establishes on which apps to keep the maximum value and on which instead it is convenient to fall back on 60 Hz. The touch sampling rate is 192 Hz, and in fact it is definitely reactive with the scrolling animation that perfectly follows the movement of the finger.

As happens on all Sony top-of-the-range, the panel can be managed in a capillary manner through the integrated “standard” settings, with simple commands to understand especially for more technical users. For example, you can change the White Balance by choosing between three presets (warm, medium, cold), or by customizing the three primary components via three separate sliders or by choosing the preferred temperature for white also on the basis of the various standards (D 50, D 55, D 61, D 65, until93) .

The management of the content being played resembles that found on Apple iPhones: the smartphone extends or not the color gamut based on the color profile of the displayed content. Two modes are user configurable: Creation , which aims to provide a reproduction that is as faithful as possible; Standard , which instead blocks the chromatic extension “for brighter and more intense color effects”. However, both refer to the profile color of the file being played, with Creation trying to be as close as possible to the reference (be it, for example, DCI-P3 or sRGB, extending or not the covered gamut triangle); while Standard aims to provide more saturated colors even going beyond DCI-P3 or sRGB, with a gamut triangle that is always slightly wider than the reference.

With the Standard mode you can choose whether to enable the Creation Mode dynamically when opening certain apps (in order to have the “wow” effect of the Standard Mode with some, and the chromatic precision of the Creation Mode with others), or enable the Video image enhancement which uses integrated technology X1 for mobile , so as to transform into HDR also content with SDR encoding.

Analysis Display

Creation Mode

Gamut

White Balance

Gamma curve

Color Fidelity (DCI-P3)

Standard Mode

Gamut

White balance

Gamma curve

Color Fidelity (DCI- P3)

HDR playback

Gamut

White Balance

Gamma Curve

Color Fidelity (DCI-P3 HDR SMPTE 2084)

The maximum luminance of the display is 778 cd / m² with an APL of 15% on HDR content, 645 cd / m² with SDR content, sufficient but not a lot for example under the sunlight. The contrast ratio is optimal, thanks to the presence of an OLED that can turn off the pixels to “reproduce” the black, and also in terms of color we are faced with excellent values. The display of Sony Xperia 5 II is, in this area, among the best in the entire category.

The analysis of The fidelity of primary and complementary colors at maximum saturation shows how the Creation mode is more precise in all cases even without manual calibration compared to Standard mode. Xperia 5 II, as already mentioned, restricts the playback gamut in the presence of SDR content, while activating material with content saved with more extended profiles or HDR brings the maximum saturation of the various color components up to the DCI-P3 standard. Both in SDR and HDR we find ourselves with a color temperature close to the reference, with a white point only slightly shifted towards cold shades. Manual calibration is still very simple, even by choosing a hottest preset among the many available basic settings in the device Settings.

Color fidelity is excellent in Creation mode , both with SDR content (DeltaE = 3.7, good ) and HDR (DeltaE = 2.4, excellent). The gamma is also very correct (apart from some small inaccuracy in the highlights in SDR), in Creation Mode, with both SDR and HDR content. In the first case we have an average range of about 2.3 (the reference value is 2.4), with a linear trend on all white levels. The behavior with HDR content is even better, where the reference is followed up to a white level of 75%, when you start to manifest the clipping that stops the maximum luminance from the 75% onwards to a value of approximately 780 nit (very high, although not at the top of the category).

Autonomy

Smaller display and lower resolution are good for the ‘operating autonomy of Xperia 5 II compared to Xperia 1 II. The differences are not striking, but certainly there are compared to the flagship, while the situation appears more balanced when the 120 Hz. In our test (which we made at 60 Hz), we got a decidedly decent result for Sony Xperia 5 II, in the category average: 810 minutes , over an hour more than the big brother.

The test was carried out by running an automated script that simulates human interaction with different web pages, after setting the brightness of the display at the value of 200 nit. Here are the comparisons with other relevant smartphones.

Camera

The photographic sector of Sony Xperia 5 II is very similar to that of the older brother, with all the sensors of the rear module that can shoot up to a resolution of 12 Mpixel. The only difference between the two models is the absence of the ToF 3D module for the analysis on the depth of the pixels. There are three shooting modes: wide angle with focal length of 24 mm equivalent in the format from 35 mm, with an aperture of f / 1.7; ultra wide angle with focal length of 16 mm; and finally canvases from 70 mm equivalent.

Both the main sensor and the telephoto sensor are optically stabilized, a feature that can be used in both photos and videos. It is very interesting, in fact, the possibility of exploiting all the modules, even the optical zoom and the ultra wide angle, for recording videos by dynamically switching from one to the other. All modules can then also shoot in RAW mode.

Sony Xperia 5 II, features camera

Standard
- Sensor from 12 MP
- Lens f / 1.7 OIS
- Dual Pixel Autofocus
- Length focal 24 mm equivalent
Ultra-wide
- Sensor from 12 MP
- Lens f / 2.4
- Dual Pixel Autofocus
- Focal length 16 mm equivalent
Zoom 3x
- Sensor from 12 MP
- Lens f / 2.4 OIS
- Autofocus PDAF
- Focal length 65 mm equivalent

Video 4K Ultra HD HDR @ 120 fps

Besides Cinema Pro , the application dedicated to manual video recording that we had already seen with the previous generation, sau Xperia 5 II is also natively installed Photo Pro , which it works in a similar way to the first but is dedicated to taking pictures. Several smartphones allow you to manually set values such as exposure, focus or white balance, and there are a myriad of applications on the App Store or Google Play Store that allow you to gain fully manual control in taking photos and recording videos.

Sony Xperia 5 II implementation is native, though, and allows for a more reliable approach in setting the various modes. Compared to Cinema Pro , however, Photo Pro does not add much to the smartphone usage experience . While it is true that it brings the interface of Sony digital cameras to the smartphone, it is also true that those interfaces were born and designed on very different devices. In short, the standard point and click interfaces are more effective and easier to use, in many ways, and the ability to manually set the focus on a smartphone can only help in very special cases.

The Photo Pro interface allows you to set different shooting modes through a dial, like on digital cameras, between AUTO, P (Program), S (shutter priority) and M (fully manual). You can then access a menu where you can set the various settings in a more intuitive way for the inexperienced user or activate the level and histogram. The user can choose to use the three different modules for shooting and access a bar that offers all the chosen shooting settings, including shutter speed, aperture, exposure and ISO. On the right side of the screen there is also a panel for quick access to all functions.

This is a professional approach to photography, which on a smartphone is a little out of place. above all because point and shoot is often preferred, or in any case simplified interfaces that highlight the characteristics of sensors and lenses typical of smartphones.

More useful in our opinion the “old” Cinema Pro , which now also allows you to record to 120 fps at 4K resolution (on Xperia 1 II we stopped at 60 fps) and to set all the recording options manually and with a dedicated interface. More useful on a video is the ability to lock white balance, stop autofocus by setting it to different modes, and choose a shutter. Here too, however, the same considerations can be made: it is difficult to use a smartphone for professional purposes, with the videos recorded with the mobile device that are mainly used for quick sharing.

In case on the contrary, if you often find yourself recording complex videos with your smartphone to be edited later on the computer or with dedicated apps, the Cinema Pro app can guarantee very interesting results by simplifying post-production and editing itself, albeit with all limits of sensors and lenses installed on the smartphone.

Sony Xperia 5 II shot examples

Click on the thumbnails to see the original photos

Main

Ultra-wide

Zoom 3x

Main in the dark

Main in the dark with flash

The camera of Sony Xperia 5 II offers good quality shots in all conditions, with the zoom from 70 mm which manages to offer excellent detail even in intermediate light conditions, indoors. The smartphone manages to be very incisive even in the most difficult shots, thanks to the (automatic) activation of a long exposure mode with merging of several shots to obtain a single photo rich in detail and with true colors. The secondary modules are also of high quality, with the ultra wide angle that manages to generate a good level of detail under the sunlight, without excelling compared to other products of the same market segment.

Main

Ultra-wide

Zoom 3x

Main

Zoom 3x

Main al dark

Main in the dark with flash

Final considerations

Sony does not aim at the sales volumes of Samsung or Huawei, however if everything were to play on the quality of the product it would have nothing to envy to the two market leaders. Sony Xperia 5 II confirms all the quality of Xperia 1 II that we had tried with great satisfaction, and adds the 120 Hz, a more compact form factor (perhaps too much, considering the 21: 9) and an even greater focus on fluidity and speed in general with support for slow-motion videos at 84 fps also in 4K Ultra HD with HDR.

Xperia 5 II is in our opinion the best Sony smartphone of the 2020, also in virtue of the significantly higher quality / price ratio than the absolute top of the range (which costs 1200 ??, we remember). Compared to the latter, it lacks support for reverse charging, but it is a deficiency that is hardly felt in everyday use (except for sporadic emergencies).

It is an excellent smartphone in absolute and can be a great buy for those who want to stand out from the crowd. It is in fact a smartphone for more savvy than average users : not everyone can understand its merits, and its peculiarities require experience in the corresponding sectors.

It goes without saying that an app like Cinema Pro or the ability to balance the colors of the display based on the temperature of the white they are not for everyone, whereas other competitors grind huge numbers so that with one or two taps you get more than satisfactory results. The problem is that sometimes the competitive results are very similar to those obtainable with the Xperia 5 II or even better, all with half the effort.

PRO

Great display at 120 Hz
Excellent performance
Photo Pro and Cinema Pro
Features aimed at PlayStation fans

VERSUS

Some features for expert users only
In some cases i 21: 9 represent a problem

Review LEAK Stereo 130 and CDT classic hi-fi in retro jacket

When I got the new LEAK Stereo 130 amplifier with matching LEAK CDT CD transport was first seen a while ago in a press release, my hi-fi heart jumped happily. In 2011 a colleague gave me an old LEAK Delta 30 integrated amplifier. That stubbornly designed little amplifier from the late days of the transition between tube and solid state still worked, and despite showing a few signs of aging I wrote this enthusiastic vintage review about it. LEAK had not existed for a long time, but now this iconic brand is back on the market. Not with the crazy high-end price tags, but affordable and equipped with a number of interesting contemporary gadgets. I had to and would put it to the test, and so it happened.

A Little History Â Harold Joseph LEAK founded the brand named after him in 1934 and he became one of the pioneers in the high-quality music playback. Some of his feats were unfortunately a little lost in the dusty recesses of hi-fi history, but it was one of his designs â ???? the Point One amplifier series from 1961 â ???? which was the first to have a harmonic distortion below 0.1%. The company also innovated in speaker technology. The successful LEAK Sandwich speaker out 1961 had a mercenary Don Barlow developed a woofer whose cone consisted of a layer of foamed polystyrene sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum foil, resulting in an extremely light and rigid speaker membrane. A similar principle is still used today by brands such as Podszus-GÃ¶rlich and Zellaton.

A The classic LEAK Stereo 30 (photo: Rene van Es)

In 1969 sold the brand to the Rank Organization, a British entertainment company that made films and television productions, as well as radios, televisions and copiers – the Rank in Rank-Xerox, for the older young readers. End Years 95, competition from the Japanese audio industry became too fierce, and the LEAK brand name quietly disappeared from the market without much residual glory. Definitely it seemed, but nothing could be further from the truth and a ball can roll in a strange way in hi-fi land. After 40 years in a deep slumber, the LEAK brand name was acquired by IAG (International Audio Group). This Chinese investor has the hi-fi heart in the right place and has previously been successful in bringing other British hi-fi classics back to the market, including Quad, Wharfedale and Mission. And now LEAK.

LEAK Stereo 130 Integrated Amplifier In the past you could count on LEAK amplifiers the type number the power to 8? read: so had the Stereo 32 from 1963 rated at 2x 15 Watt. The New Stereo 130 breaks with that tradition and delivers 2 x 48 Watts per channel in Class AB. I mention the Historic Stereo 30 for good reason, because the design of the new Stereo 130 is based on that in detail. The narrow housing, the black band at the bottom of the otherwise aluminum-colored front, with the original name logo at the bottom left. The rotary knobs with a ribbed black plastic cylinder around an aluminum-colored heart, the volume and source selection knobs on the right and left outside with the knobs for tone control and balance in between, even the (now available at an extra cost) walnut casing. The â ???? New â ???? design is really unbelievably retro, but I am amazed how current it is now 2020 actually still looks, certainly the version without wooden casing that I received for review.

There are also differences. The original rotary knobs had a small tip that made it easier to read the position from the listening seat, and the headphone output – which, by the way, only applies to the LEAK Stereo 30 + appeared – hid behind a small â ???? rotary knobâ ???? that more like a â ???? twist capâ ???? was that you had to remove to insert the headphones. Furthermore, the new Stereo 192 a â ???? directâ ???? button with which you bypass the entire – otherwise nicely subtle – tone control, which also results in a slightly more transparent display. On the far right is the standby button, which lights up softly red at rest and lights up brighter when switched on. The source selector now features a ring of small orange LEDs that indicate which source you have selected. The amplifier comes with a remote control with which the functions of the accompanying CDT CD transport can be operated, more about this later.

At the back you will find the bigger differences. So is the Stereo 192 with a secured IEC net entrance with the real on / off button above it. Where the old Stereo 30 (+) had two inputs for record players is that on the Stereo 130 only one (MM), and the microphone inputs (!) are also gone . Instead, there are two analog Aux inputs and a stereo pre-out available, one pair of speaker connections and an extensive digital connection panel that contains not only a coaxial, two optical and a USB-B digital input, but also a coaxial and optical digital output. A network connection is missing, the LEAK Stereo 192 does not have a streamer on board. The da-converter in the Stereo 192 via USB supports resolutions up to 384 kHz (PCM) and DSD 256, but no MQA. The coaxial and optical connection are capped at 256 kHz. A USB-A port for updates and a 15 Volt trigger input and output top it off. Allows the LEAK Stereo 192 thus form the heart of any modern hi-fi system. As icing on the cake, the Stereo 192 an onboard Bluetooth receiver (with external antenna) that supports aptX and Apple AAC.

LEAK CDT CD-Transport Â The LEAK CDT CD transport is not a CD player, but a transport . That means that there is no da-converter and that it therefore has no analog audio outputs. On the rear panel, next to a secured IEC net entrance and the on / off button, we find a pair of trigger connections to synchronize it with the Stereo 130 on and off, and an optical and coaxial S / PDIF digital output. The CDT uses a smooth-running and extremely quiet slot-loading Red Book CD drive. G Ã © Ã © a CD-ROM drive, as is more or less usual nowadays, but therefore also g One one buffer where the read data is first stored. Using SO â ???? One buffer can be an advantage when playing a badly damaged CD â ???? s or CD recordables that have become less legible over the years, but I am in the in practice not encountered a single CD that was not played properly.

On the front is a relatively small but good readable monochrome dot-matrix LCD display with a very wide viewing angle. The control buttons are accurate to use, but I feel that a very little bit of intuitive operation has been sacrificed to the sleek design. It will take some getting used to, but I pressed the eject button several times when I actually wanted to start playback with the play / pause button next to it. To the left of the control buttons is a USB-A input where you can insert a memory stick with music files. There are a few caveats to this. The stick must be FAT 30 or FAT 32 are formatted, and can only contain WAV, MP3, WMA or AAC format files, with a maximum resolution of 50 kHz.

This is a surprising and nice extra function, but I find the operation a bit unclear. Playback starts as soon as you insert the stick into the USB-A socket and with the â ???? inputâ ???? button selects the USB input. Choosing a favorite album or song before playing is therefore not really an option. Via the remote control you can choose with certain keys to search or skip within the main folder or within the currently playing folder, but the display does not show which mode you are in and the displayed metadata is not always clear due to the limited space. My advice is to use this function for example for a stick full of background music, of which the songs are all in one folder, and thus ensure uninterrupted background music enjoyment for a whole party. However, playing files on a well-stocked external drive in a folder structure can cause some frustration.

In Use and Listen Most of the sound assessment took place in my office, because that’s where I listen to music most hours a day. My KEF LS 60 speakers in nearfield setup were connected to the LEAK Stereo with AudioQuest CV-4 speaker cables 130 connected, I connected the CDT with a coaxial AudioQuest Hawkeye digital interconnect, my Mac mini with an AudioQuest Carbon USB and and the Bluesound Node with an AudioQuest Vodka Optical. The devices were within reach in this setup, so I hardly used the remote control. Of course I took a look at how it worked and a few trifles struck me. That the remote control for both the Stereo 192 if the CDT can be used provides a mix of control knobs that takes some getting used to. With the bottom two buttons you first have to choose whether you want to operate the amplifier or the CD transport, which is not useful if you want to change the volume on the amplifier after starting a CD or skipping to another track. I can see why: some buttons have a double function – for example â ???? volume + â ???? for the amplifier, which is also used for “file up” ???? while playing from a USB stick – but you quickly get it wrong and that’s a shame. If you buy both devices, you also have two remote controls that you could use separately. Make sure to mark which squeeze cat is for which device. Anyway, the handling is of course a bit subordinate to how things sound.

I have the Stereo 130 first two days on soft level let the unsurpassed Isotek Burn-in CD play to rinse off the novelty and to stabilize the digital part of the circuit, and then I got down to it. The Stereo 130 may have a typical retro British look, from a dark brown retro appearance that has been used in the years 60 and 70 typified the British hi-fi, however. The LEAK Stereo 130 sounds dynamic, fast and extremely transparent. I can imagine that with a slightly cooler speaker cable and strictly neutral speakers you would go a little bit in the analytical direction, but with the CV-4 and the LS 50 â ???? s was the result is contagious, nice and open and wonderfully spacious. The presentation was a bit more forward than I was from my Peachtree Decco 65 am used to this place, and if maybe something could have had just that little bit of extra color it was low. But you can easily change that with the tone control – albeit with a minimal loss of transparency. Also rhythmically the whole was excellent.

I started with the Bluetooth playback, because that function is especially appreciated by younger users today. The pairing went very smoothly and the reproduction was in my ears pretty good for what you would expect from a compressed digital signal. Tonally it was fine, with a slight emphasis on the midrange, a fair amount of detail and a decent dynamic. However, it was no surprise that it could be even better via an uncompressed digital source, I had not even expected otherwise. The significantly better playback via the Bluesound Node and the CDT drive did not differ much from each other, but I still preferred CD playback via the CDT quite quickly.

A favorite CD to test new hi-fi is still Jan Bang’s And Poppies From Kandahar. This wonderful and fantastically produced album has the war problem in Afghanistan as its underlying theme, but it never becomes finger-pointing or violent. Very exciting, because it is one big musical radio play that takes place in 12 plays mostly instrumental tracks and leaves much to the imagination of the listener. Favorite track? Passport Control, in which a subcutaneous but uplifting beat drives an increasingly full sound image to a long climax at the end of the more than nine minutes long track. Due to the nearfield setup of the LS 50 â ???? s a beautiful and strong bubble of sound was created that completely surrounded me and which I was completely absorbed in.

The somewhat forward placement and the generous spaciousness also remained upright in the large set below on my prototype Kharma speakers. Given the enormous price difference, this is no small achievement. In the big set I tested the MM phono stage, with a simple but excellent performing AudioTechnica AT 95 E element in the Thorens TD 125. I am delighted to say that the discreetly constructed phono stage in the Stereo 130 is of excellent quality, close to the level of the digital inputs. With a better element, even better results can undoubtedly be achieved, but of course also with an external phono stage of some stature. The built-in headphone output is excellent, but here too it is not comparable to a separate headphone amplifier. However, on my AudioQuest NightHawk Classic it performed well, with a sound that resembled the reproduction through speakers: detailed and dynamic, with a slight emphasis on the mid-range and a nice smooth low that was just a tad on the slim side.

ConclusionA The LEAK Stereo 192 and the CDT CD transport form a classic looking but fully performing two-unit by today’s standards at a surprisingly affordable price. Future price increases aside for less than 1934 euro – just a little more if you want the gorgeous walnut console around it – a set that, in combination with the right speakers, really plays the stars of the sky. Obviously, the purchase of the CDT drive is not mandatory, but if you still play CDs, it is certainly worth considering. It works quickly and smoothly, runs really quietly and in combination with the da-converter in the Stereo 130 for a catchy, spacious and light-hearted display. Due to the somewhat clumsy operation of the USB playback option, it unfortunately loses n Ã © t half a star score.

The Stereo 130 integrated amplifier is a treat to see and hear. It is well built, sounds modern and open, and offers plenty of digital and analog connectivity options including Bluetooth. As icing on the cake, he has an excellent MM phono stage on board. However, here too, just half a star off, mainly due to the somewhat clumsy mix of functions on the otherwise beautiful remote control with a metal front plate, and the small note regarding the combination with certain cables and speakers. Nevertheless, a more than excellent and well-deserved score. Don’t let its compact dimensions fool you, this punchy performance set has what it takes to become a true retro classic just like its illustrious predecessor.

LEAK Stereo 192

LEAK Stereo 130 Silver: 799 euro

LEAK Stereo 130 Walnut: 899 euro

LEAK CDT Silver: 549 euro

LEAK CDT Walnut: 799 euro

Rating: 4.5 / 5

MIKA Distribution | mikadistri.nl

Quad board | quad-raad.nl

Best hi-fi and AV racks 2020: budget and premium

Best hi-fi and AV racks Buying Guide: welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s guide to the best hi-fi and AV racks you can buy in 2020.

There are some people who don’t believe racks make much difference to the performance of a sound system. We disagree. Hi-fi or home cinema electronics need support and isolation to have the best chance of delivering everything they’ve got.

In our experience, the best AV racks can have a notable affect on the performance of equipment. Clever design elements such as spikes and dampening gaskets help to kill vibration, upgrading the musical performance of your kit.

So what do you need to know about racks? Most are modular, so you can select the number of shelves you need. They’re usually flat-pack but easy to assemble in around 15 minutes or so. You’ll also want to pay attention to the type of wood used to make the shelves and choose a finish that suits your style.

We’ve drawn up a list of the best hi-fi and AV racks below.

(Image credit: Atacama)

1. Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 SE2

Well-made and award-winning

SPECIFICATIONS

Modular: Yes | Max load per shelf: 30kg | Floor spikes: Yes | Finishes: 3 | Dimensions (hwd): 67 x 60 x 40cm

Reasons to Buy

Well-made

Modular design

Helps your system reach its potential

If you’re of the opinion all hi-fi racks are created more or less equal, the Evoque Eco 60-40 SE2 will make you rethink your position. It’s as fine an equipment support as we’ve tried for the money – and the winner of the Best Equipment Rack at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2019.

It’s well engineered and the bamboo shelving is beautifully finished. Great care has been taken to control the flow of mechanical energy in the rack’s structure, with each leg decoupled from the shelf it’s attached to.

Paying just short of £600 for a three-tier Evoque Eco SE2 is hardly a trivial sum, but if you really want to hear just how well your system can perform, this is a sound investment.

Read the full review: Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 SE2

(Image credit: Hi-Fi Racks)

2. Hi-Fi Racks Omnium8

A wonderfully versatile hi-fi rack

SPECIFICATIONS

Modular: Yes | Max load per shelf: 90kg | Floor spikes: Yes | Finishes: 8 | Shelf dimensions (hwd): 27 x 60 x 40cm

Reasons to Buy

Allows for a weighty, natural sound

Impressive versatility

The Hi-Fi Racks Omnium8 is an incredibly versatile rack. There’s a choice of eight standard finish options and no less than four different types of uprights. Buyers can specify the number of shelves, their spacing and whether the uprights are bolted or spiked. You get the idea – this rack can be configured to accommodate just about any set-up.

And whatever the configuration, this solid oak rack support will add sonic weight and warmth to your kit. The Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 Special Edition (below) might offer a touch more agility and precision, but both set-ups render similar amounts of detail.

A superb, high-quality product. If its looks and flexibility float your boat, dive right in. You won’t be disappointed.

Read the full review: Hi-Fi Racks Omnium8

3. Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 Special Edition

An affordable yet impressive rack

SPECIFICATIONS

Modular: Yes | Max load per shelf: 30kg | Floor spikes: Yes | Finishes: 3 | Shelf dimensions (hwd): 7 x 60 x 30cm

Reasons to Buy

Helps composure and organisation

Attractive design

The Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 Special Edition has an instant effect on our reference system, delivering crisper detail, tighter and more composed low end, and better-organised instrumentation.

It builds on the previous Eco 60-40’s design with longer legs, tuning counterweights for dampening, channels carved into the underside of each bamboo panel to direct vibrations towards the legs, and steel feet with bronze to facilitate a steadier flow of mechanical resonance.

In short, the Eco 60-40 SE rack really has everything going for it – and at this price it’s fantastic value for money.

Read the full review: Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 Special Edition

(Image credit: Atacama Apollo Storm 6)

4. Atacama Apollo Storm 6

Elegant looks and and a flexible design

SPECIFICATIONS

Modular: Yes | Max load per shelf: 30kg | Floor spikes: Yes | Finishes: 2 | Shelf Dimensions (hwd): 27 x 59 x 45cm

Reasons to Buy

Sturdy build

Variable leg lengths

Want to give your system adequate support for a decent price? Atacama has you covered with the Apollo Storm 6. It’s a more affordable version of Atacama’s Award-winning Evoque 60-40 Special Edition: a modular support that blurs the lines between class-leading hi-fi component and typical household furniture.

It’s built from 27mm blocks of warp-resistant oak, instead of the Evoque 60-40 SE’s bamboo, but they share the same impeccable build quality. You get a choice of four leg lengths and two finishes.

A decent step up from traditional living room furniture, the Storm 6 will help your system shine, delivering dynamic performance at a bargain price.

Read the full review: Atacama Apollo Storm 6

(Image credit: Hifi Racks)

5. Hi-Fi Racks Podium XL

Well-made, spacious and AV-friendly

SPECIFICATIONS

Modular: Yes | Max load per shelf: 150kg | Floor spikes: Yes | Finishes: 8 | Shelf Dimensions (hwd): from 4 x 80 x 40cm

Reasons to Buy

Performs well

Modular design

Solid build

Stylish

The larger, AV-friendly variant of the standard-size Podium has been an excellent option for a good while now. The XL uses a 40mm thick platform of solid oak and build quality is impressive throughout.

The Podium XL’s expansive size (up to 1.2m wide) means you can fit a 65-inch TV, three components side-by-side on each shelf, and easily accommodate a large centre speaker.

It conveys plenty of openness in the midrange and treble, and can help add more weight, dynamics and top-end refinement compared to similarly-sized alternatives. It’s not quite as easy to assemble as we’d like, but if the dimensions suit your needs, look no further than this stellar support.

Read the full review: Hi Fi Racks Podium XL

(Image credit: Atacama)

6. Atacama Elite Eco 12.0

Beautifully-crafted, TV-friendly modular rack

SPECIFICATIONS

Modular: Yes | Max load per shelf: 30kg | Floor spikes: Yes | Finishes: 3 | Shelf Dimensions (width x depth): 98 x 55cm

Reasons to Buy

Smart looks

Free optional cable management loops

Sturdy build

Reasons to Avoid

Rather large

Stacking shelves is tricky

The Elite Eco 12.0 caters for AV use as well as hi-fi. It comprises a base unit and shelves that stack up on top, standing on isolation cones. Each module costs around £250, but while it’s a pricey option, you won’t be disappointed.

We were impressed by how our system performed when using this rack: our reference system delivered a fluid and spacious presentation, and we heard a high level of detail, precision and authority.

There are three leg lengths plus cable management loops carved out of the back at no extra cost. A stylish, solid option for AV kit and TVs.

Read the full review: Atacama Audio Elite Eco 12.0

Best speaker cables 2020: budget and premium audio cables

Best KEF speakers: budget, premium, bookshelf and standmount

Best KEF speakers Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s round-up of the best KEF speakers you can buy in 2020.

KEF is one of the finest purveyors of British hi-fi, with an illustrious heritage that stretches back more than 50 years. It’s had a few ups and downs in that time, but hasn’t lost its talent for engineering classy, superb-sounding speakers.

Most of KEF’s speakers feature the firm’s innovative Uni-Q driver. Rather than having a separately mounted tweeter and midrange driver, the tweeter is set into the centre of the mid. A simple idea – but it’s what sets the company apart from the pack.

More importantly, KEF has kept pace with the times and diversified into wireless speakers, including Bluetooth desktop speakers and wireless all-in-one streaming systems such as the magnificent LSX (below).

With more choice than ever, you might be wondering where to start. The good news is that we’ve done the legwork and rounded up the very best that KEF has to offer.

11 of the best KEF products of all time

(Image credit: KEF)

1. KEF LS50 Meta

These standmounters set new standards at the price.

SPECIFICATIONS

Speaker terminals: Single | Frequency response: 79-28,000Hz | Sensitivity: 85dB/W/m | Dimensions (hwd): 30.2 x 20 x 27.8cm

Reasons to Buy

Exceptional sonic transparency

Subtle and precise presentation

Innovative technology

The KEF LS50 Metas don’t look any different from the LS50s, and in many ways they aren’t. The company considered revising that beautifully made enclosure but concluded that little could be improved.

The one area ripe for improvement was the LS50’s Uni-Q driver array, where the tweeter sits in the throat of the mid/bass unit. This has been thoroughly reworked, taking in all the refinements that KEF has developed over the past eight years and adding something new in the form of Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) – KEF’s way of coping with the sound that comes off the back of the 25mm aluminium tweeter dome.

It doesn’t take long to realise that the LS50s have improved significantly. While the basic sonic character is instantly familiar, the new ones have gained a level of clarity and finesse the originals only hinted at.

Read the full review: KEF LS50 Meta

(Image credit: KEF)

2. KEF LSX

A splendid, rhythmic all-in-one hi-fi system

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver: 11.5cm Uni-Q mid/bass with integrated 19mm aluminium dome tweeter | Features: Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX codec, Hi-res audio support | Dimensions: 24 x 15.5 x 18 cm (H x W x D)

Reasons to Buy

Class-leading insight

Extensive connectivity

Neat, colourful design

Despite their dinky proportions, these active bookshelf speakers wowed us with their accomplished, expressive and full-bodied sound. There’s much more to them than just sonic supremacy, though, as they double as a wireless all-in-one system capable of handling hi-res files up to 24-bit/192KHz.

They might look like they’ve been zapped with a shrink ray when compared to the LS50 Wireless speakers, their older sibling, but they’re no less impressive. Blessed with Uni-Q drivers, 200W Class-D amplification and a choice of stylish colours that would put Farrow & Ball to shame, these come top of KEF’s class.

Read the full review: KEF LSX

(Image credit: KEF)

3. KEF Q350

Elegant, detailed and surprisingly affordable.

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver: 16.5cm Uni-Q mid/bass with integrated 25mm aluminium dome tweeter | Features: 2-way bass reflex | Dimensions: 35.8 x 21 x 30cm (HxWxD)

Reasons to Buy

Stunning levels of clarity and detail

Huge scale of sound

Good timing

Reasons to Avoid

Lack some punch and drive

Not best at low volumes

Looking for the best sub-£500 standmount speakers? You’re in the right place. Redesigned to reduce distortion and improve performance, the updated Q350s now offer a winning combination of sleek, sophisticated looks and stunning presence.

The sturdy, beautifully-crafted cabinets come in a choice of black or white satin finishes, accented with black or silver Uni-Q drivers. What the the Q350s lack in punch, they more than make up for in clarity, depth and composure. If they’re within your budget, these are a no-brainer.

Read the full review: KEF Q350

(Image credit: KEF)

4. KEF R3

Stunning sonic ability at a reasonable price

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver: 16.5cm bass and 12.5 Uni-Q midrange driver with integrated 25mm aluminium dome tweeter | Dimensions: 42.2 x 20 x 31.2 cm (H x W x D)

Reasons to Buy

Exceptional insight and resolution

Balanced and entertaining sound

Excellent build and finish

The R3s won our stamp of approval back in 2018 thanks to their exceptional level of detail and insight. You’ll find them sonically balanced and extremely capable. In fact, we think they deliver a big chunk of the performance of the pricer R1s – but at a fraction of the cost.

They’re brilliant all-rounders and pair well with almost any system; give them a decent feed and you’ll discover that they put most sub-£2000 competitors to shame. Well-engineered, outstanding value for money and darn stylish to boot.

Read the full review: KEF R3

(Image credit: KEF)

5. KEF LS50 Wireless

Premium all-in-one streaming hi-fi- system

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver: 13cm Uni-Q mid/bass driver with 25mm aluminium dome tweeter | Features: Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, Hi-res audio support | Dimensions: 30 x 20 x 30.8 cm (H x W x D)

Reasons to Buy

Great clarity

Impressive bass and dynamics

Brilliant build quality

This impressive all-in-one streaming music system is a bigger, more powerful take on the KEF LSX. Sound quality is nothing short of masterful, delivering effortless clarity and plenty of maturity – especially when it comes to tricky dynamic shifts.

They might be built for the digital age, but KEF hasn’t abandoned its hi-fi pedigree, so you can expect a good array of analogue inputs. Like most wireless active speakers, these aren’t truly ‘wireless’: both the master and slave speaker need to be plugged into the mains, with a cable run between the two. But that’s a small price to pay for this level of performance in a sleek, stylish package.

Read the full review: KEF LS50 Wireless

(Image credit: KEF)

6. KEF R5

These floorstanders are classy and refined performers

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver: 2 x 13cm bass and 12.5cm Uni-Q mid with integrated 25mm aluminium dome tweeter | Features: Bi-wireable | Dimensions: 103 x 18 x 34cm ( H x W x D)

Reasons to Buy

Weighty and refined sound

Good detail and seamless integration

Excellent stereo imaging

Reasons to Avoid

Lack dynamic subtlety of the best

Impeccably built with sleek design and a bunch of innovative features, there is evidently a lot of work gone into making the KEF R5. You’ll get two bass drivers top and tailing the Uni-Q midrange, both paired with a tuned reflex port, so you can imagine the kind of heft these floorstanders can deliver.

But it isn’t just power the R5s have on their side. There’s brilliant detail on offer and stereo imaging is superb, while those drivers all integrate wonderfully for an even and controlled presentation.

Read the full review: KEF R5

(Image credit: KEF)

7. KEF Reference 1

Proof that British hi-fi rocks

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver: 16.5cm bass and 12.5 Uni-Q mid with integrated 25 aluminium dome tweeter | Features: Three-way bass reflex | Dimensions: 44 x 20.5 x 43 cm ( H x W x D)

Reasons to Buy

Sonic authority and composure

Revealing yet unfussy nature

Impressive engineering and terrific build

Reasons to Avoid

Cost of dedicated Reference 1 stands

Ready to blow the budget? The Reference 1s deliver a thrilling, beautifully-layered sound that will lift and enhance almost any track. Bass is a particular highlight: refined yet punchy, it underscores KEF’s talent for balancing firepower with precision.

Some high-end speakers tend to suit a certain genre of music, but that’s not the case with the Reference 1s. They’re stellar all-rounders, aren’t too demanding when it comes to positioning, and are constructed to KEF’s exacting standards. If you have a healthy bank balance, they’re worth every penny.

Read the full review: KEF Reference 1

(Image credit: KEF)

8. KEF Egg

Egg-cellent desktop speakers

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver: 16.5cm Uni-Q mid/bass with integrated 25mm aluminium dome tweeter | Features: Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX | Dimensions: 27.4 x 13.6 x 17.2 cm (H x W x D)

Reasons to Buy

Very good integration

Balanced audio

Versatile

Reasons to Avoid

3.5mm input could be neater

These quirky miniature marvels are KEF’s unique spin on desktop speakers. They work equally well as wireless or wired speakers, so they’re a real master of all trades. And since they’re kitted out with a built-in 50W amplifier, they have the necessary oomph to upgrade the sound of your laptop or TV.

When it comes to sound dispersion, the Eggs are no yolk, projecting a surprisingly lively and immersive soundstage. Assuming that their retro, “1960s sci-fi film prop” looks don’t scramble you brain, the Eggs are a cracking buy.

Read the full review: KEF Egg

How to choose the right speakers, part one: research
How to choose the right speakers, part two: buying
How to choose the right speakers, part three: set-up

Review LEAK Stereo 130 and CDT classic hi-fi in a new retro look

When I got the new LEAK Stereo 130 amplifier with matching LEAK CDT CD transport was first seen a while ago in a press release, my hi-fi heart jumped happily. In 2011 a colleague gave me an old LEAK Delta 30 integrated amplifier. That stubbornly designed little amplifier from the late days of the transition between tube and solid state still worked, and despite showing a few signs of aging I wrote this enthusiastic vintage review about it. LEAK had not existed for a long time, but now this iconic brand is back on the market. Not with the crazy high-end price tags, but affordable and equipped with a number of interesting modern gadgets. I had to and would put it to the test, and so it happened.

A Little History Harold Joseph LEAK founded the brand named after him in 1934 and he became one of the pioneers in high-quality music reproduction. Some of his feats were sadly lost in the dusty recesses of hi-fi history, but it was one of his designs – the Point One amplifier series from 1961 – which was the first to have harmonic distortion below 0.1%. The company also innovated in speaker technology. The successful LEAK Sandwich loudspeaker out 1961 had a Mercenary Don Barlow developed a woofer whose cone consisted of a layer of foamed polystyrene sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum foil, resulting in an extremely light and rigid speaker membrane. A similar principle is still used today by brands such as Podszus-Görlich and Zellaton.

The Classic LEAK Stereo 30 (photo: Rene van Es)

In 1969 the brand sold to the Rank Organization, a British entertainment company that made films and television productions as well as radios, televisions and copiers – the Rank in Rank-Xerox, for the older youth of readers. End Years 95, competition from the Japanese audio industry became too fierce, and the LEAK brand name quietly disappeared from the market without much residual glory. Definitely it seemed, but nothing could be further from the truth and a ball can roll in a strange way in hi-fi land. After 40 years in deep slumber, the LEAK brand name was acquired by IAG (International Audio Group). This Chinese investor has the hi-fi heart in the right place and was previously successful in bringing other British hi-fi classics back to the market, including Quad, Wharfedale and Mission. And now LEAK.

LEAK Stereo 130 Integrated Amplifier In the past, LEAK amplifiers could have type number the power to 8? read: so had the Stereo 32 from 1963 rated at 2x 15 Watt. The new Stereo 192 breaks with that tradition and delivers 2 x 48 Watts per channel in Class AB. I mention the Historic Stereo 32 for good reason, because the design of the new Stereo 130 is based on that in detail. The narrow housing, the black band at the bottom of the otherwise aluminum-colored front, with the original name logo at the bottom left. The rotary knobs with a ribbed black plastic cylinder around an aluminum-colored heart, the volume and source selection knobs on the right and left outside with the knobs for tone control and balance in between, even the (now available at an extra cost) walnut casing. It ‘new ones’ design is really unbelievably retro, but I am amazed how current it is now 2020 actually still looks, certainly the version without wooden casing that I received for review.

There are also differences. The original rotary knobs had a small tip that made it easier to read the position from the listening seat, and the headphone output – which, by the way, is only available on the LEAK Stereo + appeared – was hiding behind a small ‘twist knob’ that was more like a ‘twist cap’ that you had to remove in order to pierce the headphones. Furthermore, the new Stereo 192 a ‘direct’ button with which you bypass the entire – by the way nicely subtle – tone control, which also results in a slightly more transparent reproduction. On the far right is the standby button, which lights up softly in red at rest and lights up brighter when switched on. The source selector now features a ring of small orange LEDs that indicate which source you have selected. The amplifier comes with a remote control with which the functions of the accompanying CDT CD transport can be operated, more about this later.

At the back you will find the bigger differences. So is the Stereo 130 with a secured IEC net entrance with the real on / off button above it. Where the old Stereo 32 (+) had two inputs for record players is that on the Stereo 130 only one (MM), and the microphone inputs (!) are also gone. Instead, there are two analog Aux inputs and a stereo pre-out, one pair of speaker connections and an extensive digital connection panel that includes not only a coaxial, two optical and a USB-B digital input, but also a coaxial and optical. digital output. A network connection is missing, the LEAK Stereo 192 does not have a streamer on board. The da-converter in the Stereo 192 via USB supports resolutions up to 384 kHz (PCM) and DSD 256, but no MQA. The coaxial and optical connection are capped at 256 kHz. A USB-A port for updates and a 12 Volt trigger input and output top it off. Allows the LEAK Stereo 130 are the heart of every modern hi-fi system. As icing on the cake, the Stereo 192 an onboard Bluetooth receiver (with external antenna) that supports aptX and Apple AAC.

LEAK CDT CD-Transport The LEAK CDT CD transport is not a CD player, but a transport . That means that there is no da-converter and that it therefore has no analog audio outputs. On the rear panel, next to a secured IEC net entrance and the on / off button, we find a pair of trigger connections to synchronize it with the Stereo 130 on and off, and an optical and coaxial S / PDIF digital output. The CDT uses a smooth-running and extremely silent ‘slot-loading’ Red Book CD drive. G éé one CD-ROM drive, as is more or less usual nowadays, but therefore also g one one buffer in which the read data is first stored. Using so ‘ One buffer can be an advantage when playing a badly damaged CD ‘ s or CD recordables that have become less legible over the years, but I have not encountered any CD in practice that did not play properly .

On the front is a relatively small but easy to read monochrome dot-matrix LCD display with a very wide viewing angle. The control buttons are accurate to use, but I feel that a very little intuitive operation has been sacrificed to the sleek design. It will take some getting used to, but I pressed the eject button several times when I actually wanted to start playback with the play / pause button next to it. To the left of the control buttons is a USB-A input where you can insert a memory stick with music files. There are a few caveats to this. The stick must be FAT 16 or FAT 32 are formatted, and may only contain WAV, MP3, WMA or AAC format files, with a maximum resolution of 48 kHz.

This is a surprising and nice extra function, but the operation is a bit unclear . Playback starts as soon as you insert the stick into the USB-A socket and select the USB input with the ‘input’ button. Choosing a favorite album or song before playing is therefore not really an option. Via the remote control you can choose with certain buttons to search or skip within the main folder or within the currently playing folder, but the display does not show which mode you are in and the displayed metadata is not always clear due to the limited space. My advice is to use this function, for example, for a stick full of background music, whose songs are all in one folder, and thus ensure uninterrupted background music enjoyment for a whole party. However, playing files on a well-stocked external drive in a folder structure can cause some frustration.

In-use and Listen Most of the sound assessment took place in my office, because that’s where I listen to music most hours a day. My KEF LS 50 speakers in nearfield setup were connected to the LEAK Stereo with AudioQuest CV-4 speaker cables 130 connected, I connected the CDT with a coaxial AudioQuest Hawkeye digital interconnect, my Mac mini with an AudioQuest Carbon USB and and the Bluesound Node with an AudioQuest Vodka Optical. The devices were within reach in this setup, so I hardly used the remote control. Of course I took a look at how it worked and I noticed a few trifles. That the remote control for both the Stereo 130 if the CDT can be used provides a mixture of control buttons that takes some getting used to. With the bottom two buttons you first have to choose whether you want to operate the amplifier or the CD transport, which is not useful if you want to change the volume on the amplifier after starting a CD or skipping to another track. I can understand why: some buttons have a double function – for example ‘volume +’ for the amplifier, which is also used for ‘file up’ during playback from a USB stick – but you quickly get it wrong and that is a shame. If you buy both devices you have o Incidentally, two remote controls that you could use separately. Make sure to mark which squeeze cat is for which device. Anyway, the operation is of course a bit subordinate to how things sound.

I have the Stereo 130 first two days at soft level the I played the unsurpassed Isotek Burn-in CD to rinse off the novelty and to stabilize the digital part of the circuit, and then I got down to it. The Stereo 192 may have a typical retro British look, from a dark brown retro appearance that has been used in the years 60 and 70 typified the British hi-fi, however. The LEAK Stereo 192 sounds dynamic, fast and extremely transparent. I can imagine that with a somewhat cooler speaker cable and strictly neutral speakers you would go a little bit in the analytical direction, but with the CV-4 and the LS 50 ‘s the result was infectious , nice and open and wonderfully spacious. The presentation was a bit more forward than I was from my Peachtree Decco 65 am used to this place, and if maybe something could have had just a little bit of extra color, it was low. But you can easily change that with the tone control – albeit with a minimal loss of transparency. Also rhythmically the whole was excellent.

A favorite CD to test new hi-fi is still… And Poppies From Kandahar by Jan Bang. This wonderful and fantastically produced album has the war problem in Afghanistan as its underlying theme, but it never becomes finger-pointing or violent. Very exciting, because it is one big musical radio play that takes place in 12 plays mostly instrumental tracks and leaves much to the imagination of the listener. Favorite track? Passport Control, in which a subcutaneous but uplifting beat drives an increasingly full sound image to a long climax at the end of the more than nine minutes long track. Due to the nearfield arrangement of the LS 50 ‘s created a beautiful and strong bubble of sound that completely surrounded me and which I was completely absorbed in.

The somewhat forward placement and generous spaciousness also held up well in the large set downstairs on my prototype Kharma speakers. Given the enormous price difference, this is no small achievement. In the big set I tested the MM phono stage, with a simple but excellent performing AudioTechnica AT 95 E element in the Thorens TD 125. I am delighted to say that the discreetly constructed phono stage in the Stereo 130 is of excellent quality, close to the level of the digital inputs. With a better element, even better results can undoubtedly be achieved, but of course also with an external phono stage of some stature. The built-in headphone output is excellent, but here too it is not comparable with a separate headphone amplifier. However, on my AudioQuest NightHawk Classic it performed well, with a sound that resembled the reproduction through speakers: detailed and dynamic, with a slight emphasis on the midrange and a nice smooth low that was just a tad on the slim side.

Conclusion The LEAK Stereo 192 and the CDT CD transport form a classic looking but fully performing two-unit by today’s standards at a surprisingly affordable price. Future price increases aside, you will have for less than 1500 euro – just a little more if you want the stunning walnut console around it – a set that, in combination with the right speakers, really plays the stars of the sky. Obviously, the purchase of the CDT drive is not mandatory, but if you still play CDs, it is certainly worth considering. It works fast and smooth, runs really quietly and in combination with the da-converter in the Stereo 130 for a contagious, spacious and light-hearted display. Due to the somewhat clumsy operation of the USB playback option, it unfortunately loses n é t half a star score.

LEAK Stereo 130

LEAK Stereo 130 Silver: 799 euro

LEAK Stereo 130 Walnut: 899 euro

LEAK CDT Silver: 549 euro

LEAK CDT Walnut: 649 euros

Rating: 4.5 / 5

MIKA Distribution | mikadistri.nl

Quad board | quad-raad.nl

Testing Tests overview Smartphone Realme 7 Pro in the test: OLED display and 65 – Watt loading Huawei Mate 35 Pro in the test: Great, but without Google Samsung Galaxy M 21 Test: Solid cross-country skier at a budget price Oneplus 8T: battery full in 45 minutes and 120 – Hz display Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 5G in the test: better and cheaper Pixel 5 in the test: Google just does it better Elephone U5 in the test: The cheap phone from China is so good Smartwatch Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in the test: competition for Apple? Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro in the test: Smartwatch with cross-country battery Apple Watch: Smartwatch with contract from 15 € per month Buy Apple Watch 6: All generations in Price check Skagen Falster 3 in the test: Smartwatch with Wear OS Test Huawei Watch GT 2: Noble fitness tracker in watch form Huawei Watch GT in the test: record-breaking batteries ufzeit Multiroom Bose Portable Home Speaker in the test: battery, WLAN, Airplay 2 Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Musiccast: Multiroom from Yamaha in the test Denon Heos in the test: versatile multiroom system Flat soundbar Teufel Sounddeck Streaming in the test Teufel Raumfeld in the test: rich multiroom sound Technisat Digitradio 465 in the test: The gray all-rounder Keyfinder Tile Slim ( 2019): Key finder in credit card format Tile Pro Bluetooth key finder in the test : 122 m range! Key finder Tile Pro in the test: the range champion Orbit Bluetooth tracker in the test: looking for wallet and keys Nonda iHere 3.0: smart keyfinder in the test Chipolo Classic and Plus: Bluetooth key finder in the test Musegear finder 2: Keyfinder without registration obligation Action-Cam DJI Pocket 2 in the test: Zoom and 64 – Megapixel sensor Actioncam Insta 360 One R: 1-inch image sensor in the test Gopro Hero 8 Black in the test: Back to the Tip Insta 360 One R in the test: The modular action cam Motorola Moto G8 Plus Test: Great smartphone, but … Insta 360 Go: Micro-GoPro in the test Motorola One Action Test: Good hardware, bad camera microSD In the test: Kingston UHS-I U3 microSDXC Kit MicroSD card for smartphone: Samsung Evo Plus 2017 Test report: Lexar Professional 1800 x microSDXC Kit Test report: Intenso Premium microSDXC card with 64 GByte Android Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Honor 20: Inexpensive high-end smartphone in the test Xiaomi Mi 9: Top technology at a bargain price Doogee S 90 in the test: modular outdoor smartphone ZTE Axon 10 Pro in the test: high-end phone at a competitive price Motorola Moto G7 Power in the test: large battery, small price Sony Xperia 01: Smartphone with 21: 9 display under test Adviser Advisor overview Purchase advice Bargain: Which Fire TV Stick from 19 € is the right one? Purchase advice: What good is a leaf blower with a battery for 45 Euro? True wireless headphones: How much do you have to invest? Buying advice water cooling: High-end PCs cool better Advice: Air conditioning and fan against the heat wave Sony shows the Xperia 1: Is the predecessor XZ3 worth it now? Purchase advice: Current headphones with ANC to 360 Euro Practice Caution, money away: Kickstarter & Co. are not shops Switch off Android notifications from annoying apps This is how it works: Now install the new Android L keyboard ieren Tip: Use “Ok Google everywhere” in Germany In the test: Does the jailbreak work for iOS 7.1? Goderma and mobile medicine: The doctor apps are coming ! Instructions: Jailbreak for iOS 7 on iPhone 5S, 5, 4S and 4 Technology Import technology from China, part 2: Customs, Taxes and Tricks Drones & copters: From toys to FPV racers What does the end of an ecosystem mean? Smartphones with a flexible display: What’s in it for me? Smartphone processors at a glance: Everything Snapdragon? Evolutionary dead ends: the very worst cell phones mpass: Pay with the NFC mobile phone – or the NFC toilet roll Display calculator Calculate pixel density, number and display proportion Best list Test winner Price comparison Price comparison overview Smartphones from Android 7.0 Phablets with stylus Fitness tracker with GPS Bluetooth headphones with ANR Drones with GPS Video TechStage Adviser Playstation 5 accessories: headset, memory, controller Beginning Pulse 3D Headsets Charging station Streaming Remote control Controller Memory expansion … Storage system … Conclusion Comments by Sönke and Benedikt // 20. 11. 2020 16: 22 Clock

Close One week after the start of the Xbox Series X and S, competitor Sony in Europe sends the Playstation 5 into the next-gen race. We’ll show you which accessories make the PS5 even better.

Before we introduce headsets, charging stations, Sony’s official PS5 accessories and more in this guide, an important note: Since the PS5 – just like the Xbox Series X / S – attaches great importance to Most of the PS4 accessories also work on the PS5. Whether headset, steering wheel or arcade stick, most gadgets do their job without any problems. In terms of PS4 gamepads and external memory expansions, however, there are restrictions that we explain in more detail in the text.

The official headset: Sony Pulse 3D As with the launch of PS3 and PS4, Sony is also offering an official headset for the PS5 launch. It bears the futuristic name ” Pulse 3D Wireless Headset “, brings about 300 grams on the scales and is coupled to the Playstation 5 via the supplied USB dongle. A coupling with the PS4, Windows PCs and Mac is also possible and worked without any problems in the practical test.

The USB dongle sends on the 2.4 GHz frequency and takes care of it Distances of up to ten meters for interference-free transmission. Super: A 1, 25 Meter-long jack cable is included and allows wired operation or use with other devices with a jack plug input on request.

The Pulse 3D Wireless Headset including the supplied USB dongle. The Pulse 3D Wireless Headset scores well when it comes to wearing comfort. The main reasons for this are the elastic band underneath the headband, which hardly exerts any pressure on the head, and the pleasantly soft padded ear cups. In addition: The control buttons on the outside of the left ear cups are all very easy to reach. Be it the volume control, the mute button, the balance control between game sound and chat volume or the monitor button – after a short time you can find the controls without any problems and without looking. Keyword monitor button: It enables the user to check how their own microphone sound sounds to other players.

Let’s get to the sound quality. Be it now Astro’s Playroom , Sackboy: A Big Adventure , Demon’s Souls or Spider-Man: Miles Morales – the sound goes right into the ear and enables very precise location of noise sources for games that support Sony’s Tempest 3D AudioTech. Bass-heavy situations like explosions or collapsing buildings also come into their own.

And the microphone? Strictly speaking, there are two of them: one above and one below the left auricle. Both are embedded directly into the headphones, have noise-canceling technology and reproduce chat conversations in good quality. However, as expected, they cannot keep up with professional podcaster microphones acoustically.

Conclusion: At the price of just under 100 Euro, the Pulse 3D Wireless is a really successful headset, with good ergonomics, great sound quality and a chic design that fits perfectly with the PS5. The biggest point of criticism remains the battery: After nine to ten hours of intensive gaming, it has to be recharged using the UBS-C cable provided. Headsets from other manufacturers last much longer.

Headphones and headsets Sony’s Pulse 3D Wireless is a great all-rounder at a fair price. If you want even more comfort and features, you will also find convincing alternatives from numerous other manufacturers. We would like to briefly introduce two of them at this point. On the one hand the Stealth 700 Gen 2 from Turtle Beach. Compared to the previous model, Turtle Beach has improved in many areas and thus created a professional headset that is available at a price of approx. 150 Euro leaves little to be desired.

That starts with the supple auricles made of memory foam, the Thanks to the gel core, they hardly heat up even when worn for long periods of time, thanks to the flexible material they also fit perfectly with glasses wearers and can be easily removed for cleaning. The high level of comfort is supported by a metal-reinforced headband with very comfortable padding on the inside.

Thanks 50 mm nanoclear driver gives the stealth 700 Gen 2 acoustically decent gas, delivers powerful bass and nuanced highs. If you like, you can also use the companion app “Turtle Beach Audio Hub” to adjust the sound experience in detail, reassign certain headset buttons and – Bluetooth makes it possible – even integrate cell phone calls directly into the audio feed. The foldable microphone earns praise: it captures what is being said crystal clear and can be intuitively muted by simply flipping it up. The all-round carefree package is rounded off by terrific funk performance and a 1000 – mAh battery that is running out 20 for hours.

The look des Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 is simple, but still chic. The Arctis 7P Wireless from Steelseries. Be it the excellent wearing comfort, the high system flexibility (PS5, PS4, PC, Android, switch) thanks to the supplied USB-C dongle, the excellent wireless connection via 2.4 GHz frequency, the convincing sound with its very well-coordinated bass and heights or the phenomenal battery life of up to 23 hours – the Arctis 7P is worth its high price of 180 Euro more than fair. On top of that, it also goes well with the new Sony console in terms of color.

If you don’t want to dig deep into your pocket after buying expensive consoles and games for a headset, you should take a look at das Head: Set 5 from Snakebyte. At a bargain price of just 17 Euro you get a soundproof headset with 40 – mm audio drivers, a 1.2 meter jack cable and some practical convenience functions. The latter include the detachable and removable microphone with pop protection, a volume control and mute button on the cable, as well as the option to fold the ear cups inwards, which makes transport noticeably easier. As a little treat, Snakebyte also includes a right-angled headset holder, which can be attached to the desk etc. with two adhesive strips.

charging station The DualSense controllers offer – depending on the intensity of the vibration effects – an average of around twelve hours of gaming. It is then charged using the USB-C cable supplied ex works or one of the numerous charging stations that appeared at the launch. The official one from Sony is called DualSense Charging Station , costs just under 35 Euro and works exactly like its predecessor for PS4. In other words: The controllers are placed in two troughs arranged one behind the other, where they can recharge their batteries using the contact surfaces next to the headset connection on the underside of the Dual Sense. Well done: Sony’s charging station takes up the typical V-design of the PS5 front and, like this one, is black and white.

Visually, it hits a very similar notch Twin: Charge 5 from Snakebyte. Here, too, up to two DualSense controllers snap into place one behind the other in a black and white docking station. The two charging indicators on the front of the Twin show whether a controller is actually being charged: Charge 5. To ensure that the charging station is securely held on smooth surfaces, Snakebyte also provides four anti-slip rubbers on the underside. Cost: 19, 95 Euro – and therefore just under 15 Euros less than the Sony variant.

The front of the Snakebyte Twin: Charge 5 is oriented on the V-shaped PS5 design. Another interesting one, also about 20 Euro expensive charging solution comes from Blade . The principle here: Instead of charging the controller via the contacts near the headset connection, a so-called mini-safe plug is plugged into the USB-C port of the DualSense and then placed in the station. Advantage: The controller does not protrude as high when charging as with the first-mentioned alternative, which is useful if you want to stow the charging station in a rather low shelf compartment. Disadvantage with Blade: If you don’t keep the two mini-safe plugs provided in the compartments provided in the station, you run the risk of losing the tiny ones. Do something different again it Raptor Gaming . Here you plug the pads for charging directly into two USB-C ports that look out of the middle part of the futuristic station on the left and right. So that everything is safely stowed away, the pads are also placed on a small storage area. Charging indicators are also provided. With a price of approx. 29 Euro, however, the Raptor variant is significantly more expensive than the versions of Snakebyte and Blade.

Accessories for Twitch streamers and YouTubers In addition to the Pulse 3D Wireless Headset and the Charging Station Sony also offers other official accessories. This includes the HD camera equipped with two full HD wide-angle lenses . The pleasantly compact camera has an integrated stand and is either clamped to the top of the screen or the television or placed on the surface below. A further fine adjustment of the camera angle is then possible via two rotating hinges in the base.

On screens with a border thickness of up to The HD camera has a great hold of five centimeters. With everything beyond that, things get shaky. Once connected to a USB port on the PS5 with the two meter long cable and successfully set up in the accessories menu, the HD camera is primarily used to show the player in a small window in the video when broadcasting Twitch or YouTube live streams. The location of the display can be specified in the options menu.

If the HD camera is used in conjunction with the PS5’s own video editing program Share Factory, it is also possible to use the background from the recording to remove and replace with another. This worked best in the test with a green or red background. White room walls, on the other hand, were less suitable. It is also a shame that this function is currently not available for streaming.

At the moment, the HD camera is not compatible with PlayStation VR. The latter still only works via the PS4 camera, which in turn is connected to the PS5 with the so-called PlayStation Camera Adapter. Tip: You can request the adapter free of charge from Sony after entering the serial number of the PS VR headset.

Remote control for Film and series fans The round 30 Euro expensive Media remote control has a white and black PS5 design and is primarily aimed at all those who like their next-gen console to watch Blu-rays and as a player want to use for streaming services. It is therefore not surprising that shortcut buttons for Disney +, Netflix, Spotify and YouTube have been placed at the bottom of the remote control. However, the respective assignment and labeling cannot be changed. So if you want to reprogram a button on Amazon Prime and one on Hulu, for example, look into the tube.

The Media Remote weighs just once 85 grams and lies comfortably in the hand. Above the shortcut buttons are the standard interaction buttons (fast forward and rewind, play / pause, level back, menu) as well as a 4-way directional pad with a centrally positioned selection button. All buttons have a solid pressure point and are not only used to control media playback, but also for convenient navigation through the entire PS5 system menu.

The keys in the upper third of the Media Remote. They allow rudimentary functions such as adjusting the volume or muting the audio output on compatible TVs.

Unfortunately, the microphone button at the top of the cannot be used at the moment Middle of the media remote control. It will most likely serve a voice control function planned for the future. When Sony will add this function for the console and remote control has not yet been determined.

Controller Games developed for the PlayStation 5 must all use the DualSense Controller from Sony, especially since only this one has adaptive triggers and noticeably improved vibration functions. Conversely, this means: If you need additional gamepads for PS5 games suitable for co-op or multiplayer, you currently do not need to buy additional DualSense controllers.

Very important: Playstation-4- Controllers can be connected to the PS5, but only to play backward compatible PS4 and PS VR titles. It is not yet clear when third-party manufacturers will offer alternatives to the official DualSense controller.

Memory expansions Similar to Microsoft, Sony offers an officially certified NVMe SSD with which the internal memory can be expanded. If you want to add more fast storage to the console, you have to retrofit a compact, PCIe 4.0 compatible SSD via an M.2 interface. The slot required for this is located inside the console and is accessible if you carefully push the right side wall of the console (the one without the PS5 logo) downwards with both hands. Now remove the cover of the SSD slot and the memory expansion can be installed.

However, there is currently one crucial problem: A list of certified expansion SSDs, which anyway hl fit in the slot and are fast enough to deliver the performance of the integrated SSD is not yet available. As a result, it is currently not possible to expand the SSD storage for PS5 games. In view of the huge size of many games, it shouldn’t take too long until the corresponding memory expansions find their way onto the market.

Similar to the Xbox Series S / X but you can help yourself with USB storage devices. If you want to install PS4 games on the PS5, you can do this as usual on a external storage medium as long as this is connected via USB 3.0 and via the console has been formatted accordingly. Inexpensive models for this purpose include the My Passport hard drives from Western Digital with, for example, 4 TB or the 6 TB model of the Expansion product line from Seagate.

Storage systems Order must be! This not only applies to the home desk, but also to everything to do with gamepads, accessories and game packaging. If you have just bought a PS5 and want to neatly stow the things just mentioned in one place, you should get the Games: Tower 5 by Note snakebyte. In a kind of mini-shelf, users can store up to four controllers, ten games and smaller accessories such as the media remote control presented above in a well-organized manner.

The Games: Tower 5 ensures order on the gamer’s desk. The construction of the accessory tower is a bit cumbersome at first, as the plastic parts only snap into place with a lot of pressure. But once you have overcome this hurdle and removed the protective film on the anti-slip pads on the underside, the Games: Tower 5 does very well and is stable.

Exciting for multi-format gamers: In addition to DualSense controllers, the controller holders on the outside are also suitable for all common wireless PS4, Xbox One and switch pads. The slots for the games are so high that PS4, Xbox One and Switch titles can easily be accommodated in them.

Conclusion There are already enough exciting accessories for the Playstation 5 at the start. It’s just a shame that PS5 games can only be played with the – admittedly excellent – DualSense controller. At least for titles with locally playable co-op or multiplayer mode, Sony should make an exception. In the long term, however, it is to be expected that third-party manufacturers will also be able to offer their own pads for the PS5.

The current status quo is also somewhat unsatisfactory in terms of additional storage for PS5 -Games. 667 GB of free space on the system’s ultra-fast SSD is a start on But definitely not enough in the long run for most gaming enthusiasts. It is to be hoped that Sony will certify compatible SSDs as soon as possible and communicate clearly which memory expansions will ultimately allow further PS5 game installations.

If you are looking for a suitable TV, We recommend our TV purchase advice for PS5 and Xbox Series X. In our Consoles theme world, we also have further tests, for example for Xbox or various retro consoles.

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Our Verdict

For

Against

Design of the Razer Blade Stealth

Razer Blade Stealth Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Razer Blade Stealth

Productivity Performance on the Razer Blade Stealth

Display on the Razer Blade Stealth

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Razer Blade Stealth

Audio on the Razer Blade Stealth

Upgradeability of the Razer Blade Stealth

Battery Life on the Razer Blade Stealth

Heat on the Razer Blade Stealth

Webcam on the Razer Blade Stealth

Software and Warranty on the Razer Blade Stealth

Razer Blade Stealth Configurations

Bottom Line

Technical specifications

Sony Xperia 5 II: prices and equipment

Software and user experience

Technical analysis

Benchmark

Display

Analysis Display

Creation Mode

Standard Mode

HDR playback

Autonomy

Camera

Sony Xperia 5 II shot examples

Final considerations

PRO

VERSUS

1. Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 SE2

Reasons to Buy

2. Hi-Fi Racks Omnium8

Reasons to Buy

3. Atacama Evoque Eco 60-40 Special Edition

Reasons to Buy

4. Atacama Apollo Storm 6

Reasons to Buy

5. Hi-Fi Racks Podium XL

Reasons to Buy

6. Atacama Elite Eco 12.0

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

1. KEF LS50 Meta

Reasons to Buy

2. KEF LSX

Reasons to Buy

3. KEF Q350

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

4. KEF R3

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5. KEF LS50 Wireless

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6. KEF R5

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7. KEF Reference 1

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8. KEF Egg

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

Vivo TWS Neo

Audio quality and controls

Considerations

Vivo Wireless Sport

Considerations