Homefront: The Revolution review

Homefront: The Revolution review

 

Available on Xbox One, PS4, PC

There was a point whilst playing Homefront: The Revolution that I thought it might actually be getting good

I’d opened up a good number of the game’s different zones and built myself some decent custom weapons, converting a battle rifle to a sniper rifle with a handy long-range scope. I'd also transformed a crossbow into a flamethrower, which was great for close-quarters fights against the nasty Norks (The Revolution’s dodgy epithet of choice)

I’d also worked my way around the game’s clumsy aiming and slow movement, and the worst of the poor frame rate issues seemed to be behind me. Maybe this Revolution isn’t so bad

This is a game with some great ideas. It’s hampered by its bizarre and spectacularly unlikely premise, but does its best to make a North Korean occupation of America seem possible by altering history with a touch of xenophobic paranoia (if you find Homefront convincing, you might want to don your tin-foil hat and bin your smartphone)

The Revolution is at its best when it’s trying to simulate what things may be like under such a regime. It provides a glimpse of a population living in fear, or places you in scenarios where you have to blend in with the crowd and work covertly – rather than firing at the nearest KPA goons

I also love the way that you can see revolutionary fervour breaking out in the yellow zones, as you establish resistance bases and attack the enemy infrastructure. As people start to ask questions, and the level of crime rises, you can feel your efforts having an impact

Most of this good stuff takes place in Philadelphia’s yellow zones, but plenty happens in the war-torn red zones too. There’s some fun to be had dodging traps and working your way along boards and up scaffolding to establish new resistance positions, and a real sense of tension when the drones and KPA airships get too near

Riding around and performing stunts on the motorbike has its moments, and some of the skirmishes against the enemy are well conceived. A little annoying is the fact that many of the side-missions that crop up impose a time limit, where it's barely possible to get where you need to be before it’s too late, but they add to the flavour of being part of an insurgent force

Meanwhile, the weapon customisation system is arguably Dambuster Studios’ finest touch. Don’t like a gun? Turn it into something that you’ll want to use. A crossbow can become a flamethrower, which can then become a hard-hitting blunderbuss. Combine that with teddy bear incendiary devices and radio-controlled car bombs, and it isn't hard to ramp up the mayhem when the need arises

Each zone also has its own personality. One red zone might be a warren of rubble-strewn streets, another a nightmare of wider boulevards where airships, drones and snipers make it imperative to sneak your way through. Another still comes clad in poisonous dust

One yellow zone feels like a ghetto, another a more pleasant neighbourhood where the regime’s collaborators try to live in peace with each other and their own troubled consciences. The green zone is both home to the city’s best architecture and heavily fortified, too, leaving you in no doubt that you’re facing your toughest challenge

Yet it’s a killer combo of clumsiness and crassness that spoils Homefront: The Revolution

Even following a couple of days of play, you'll continue to come across things that surprise – such as KPA troopers stuck glitching through the open door of a porta-toilet, or their unfortunate tendency to blast away at the wall next to a doorway rather than, say, you just through it. They’re hopeless shots when manoeuvring up stairs, yet Olympic sharpshooters when they’re 200m away behind a barricade with you having wandered in front of an open window

Movement remains a problem. The jump-and-mantle manoeuvre works on occasion and sometimes doesn’t. Your walking speed is painful and sprint speed slow. If it weren’t for the enemy’s inability to search in dumpsters – even when you have the lid slightly ajar for a peak – you’d never get away with the regular acts of murder the game demands. The KPA might make great brutal enforcers, but police work isn’t their strong suit

All this contributes to The Revolution’s biggest problem: the longer you play, the harder it becomes to care. Open-world shooters are by their nature repetitive – and The Revolution is far from the worst in this regard. However, most keep you going either through addictive feedback loops – the lure of more power or better gear – or through having a storyline that’s interesting enough to keep you engaged. The Revolution doesn’t really work on either count

On the one hand, the combat grows stale and the side activities – a requirement in the yellow zones – grow more tiresome with repetition. On the other, the storyline becomes less involving, mostly because it’s hard to care about what you’re fighting for. Your comrades are either ludicrous or spectacularly unsympathetic, while the game’s attempts at exploring the morality of the conflict veer between clumsy and confused

It’s difficult to say what’s worse: the stilted animation of the characters, the dialogue – or, in fact, the way it’s delivered. Either way, we’re deep in direct-to-DVD territory here. Worse, your comrades’ habit of loudly going through their plans while supposedly sneaking around undercover makes them seem laughably moronic. Are you listening, Mr KPA border officer? Would you like us to repeat our "top secret" plans while you jot them down

A little hope comes from an unlikely quarter: the co-op multiplayer mode. Here you can create your own resistance fighter before teaming up with up to four comrades to fight across six missions, with more on the way through a season’s worth of paid-for DLC

Perhaps it’s the more straightforward, focused nature of the missions, or maybe just that you’re working with other players, but the action seems to pick up a notch, making for a decent two hours or so of fun

More difficult levels and the lure of unlockable customisation and equipment packs offer a little replay value, too, although much depends on who you end up playing with and whether they bother to revive you. If they don’t then there’s no timer to respawn yourself – bad idea

It’s such details where Homefront: The Revolution falls. I’m still convinced that there’s a solid shooter buried somewhere in here, but does the world need another solid shooter? Maybe not

Although a third-person game and online-focused, The Division offers up tighter action, a more convincing scenario, a stronger storyline and better co-op play. Far Cry 4 provides a richer and more varied open world – and it’s hard to say whether The Revolution’s cut-off zones even really count. Both games leave Homefront: The Revolution looking second-rate

Verdict

Homefront: The Revolution has a distinctive personality and some decent ideas – but overall, the execution is a mess. Cool weapon customisation options are no substitute for thrilling combat, while the element of exploration is spoilt by poor movement and controls. A storyline that already struggles for credibility isn’t helped by charmless characters and cringe-worthy dialogue, and visual glitches and poor AI only make the game feel unfinished.

The result? Homefront: The Revolution is a game with big ambitions that fails to hit the mark


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Tannoy Mercury 7.2 review

Tannoy Mercury 7.2 review

 

What is the Tannoy Mercury 7.2

This standmount speaker hails from Tannoy’s seventh-generation Mercury range and follows in the footsteps of the Mercury Vi, which we reviewed as a 5.1 system in 2014. It’s one of two standmounts in the range, costing around £40 more than the smaller Mercury 7.1 bookshelf speaker. Completing the range is the new Mercury 7.4 floorstander and Mercury 7C centre speaker

At just £169 per pair, the Mercury 7.2 could be a good bet if you want audiophile sound on a tight budget

Tannoy Mercury 7.2 – Design and Connections

Mercury 7.2 is a fine-looking speaker with a timeless, traditional design. Like all the speakers in the range, 7.2 comes in a choice of Walnut, Light Oak or Black Oak finishes. The wood-grain effect on the Walnut version looks utterly classy, particularly in rooms with wooden fixtures and period decor, although the vinyl veneer lacks the luxury of lacquer-coated systems when you run your hand over it

Good-quality stands are advised, since the 7.2 is a little too chunky to perch on shelves or furniture – try the 7.1 if that’s what you want to do. But the benefit of the larger, 9.4-litre cabinets is increased bass oomph, making them more suitable for use in larger rooms. You can use them as a stereo pair for music, or as surround/rear speakers in a 5.1 or 7.1 setup

The entire front baffle is hidden behind a dark-weave cloth grille, which attaches using plug fixings; not magnets. Pull them off and what lies beneath is best described as "industrial chic". It looks the business

Both the tweeter and woofer are bonded to the baffle using chrome bolts, while the black, rubberised long-throw surrounds contrast stylishly with the silver trim. The tweeter lens at the top bears a subtly embossed Tannoy logo

The heavy, robust cabinets have a more luxurious air than you might expect for the money. Internally, the braced fibreboard construction is bolstered by Tannoy’s Differential Materials Technology, achieving what the company describes as its most acoustically neutral cabinets to date. Out to use in Tannoy’s top-end Prestige range, DMT is used in critical areas across the cabinet to damp unwanted vibrations and further reduce colouration

On the rear you’ll find a single pair of gold-plated binding posts, encased in chunky transparent plastic to improve your grip when tightening them. They’re banana plug-compatible for easy cable connection

Tannoy Mercury 7.2 – Drivers

The Mercury 7.2 boasts brand-new drive units, namely a 6-inch mid/bass driver with a "smooth profile" cone and a 1.1-inch soft dome tweeter

The mid/bass cone is made from Tannoy’s proprietary multi-fibre-coated paper, the lightness and stiffness of which helps to deliver fast bass notes, while the smoothly sculpted profile aids dispersion and mid-range accuracy

It’s housed in a new, long-throw rubber surround, which gives the cone ample room to move without over-damping it. The motor assembly behind is larger than previous models in order to handle the increased power

Meanwhile, the polyester tweeter is laminated with a micro layer of nitro urethane, which damps the dome and pushes break-up frequencies beyond the audible range. Behind it lurks a revised neodymium magnet system

Tannoy Mercury 7.2 – Performance

Speakers always look good on paper, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating – thankfully, the Mercury 7.2s are delicious

They deliver a highly musical performance with terrific dynamics, detail and timing. Their presentation is refined and easy on the ear, but with enough bite to keep excitement high when the music demands it. They’re not aggressive by any stretch, but you certainly won’t be bored

The balance is well judged – not too rich, not too bright. It’s simply a clean, neutral sound that lets the music do the talking. Such neutrality might not impress those who like warmth and richness, but it allows the speakers to paint a clear sonic picture with excellent dynamics

They’re not hugely fussy about the calibre of your amp either – they were as happy being driven by a mini-Bluetooth amplifier I had kicking around as they were by my powerful Onkyo AVR

The 6-inch woofers offer fabulous bass reproduction, extending deep into the low frequencies while remaining quick and agile. This lays the foundation for a big, weighty sound with plenty of puff – you can really hear the benefit of those large cabinets

The Tannoys are equally confident in the mid-range. Vocals are clearly projected and laced with detail. Play "What’s Going On" by Marvin Gaye and his plaintive voice sounds like velvet, while the strings and saxophone solos soar with clarity and confidence

In terms of high-frequency reproduction, they’re not the most insightful standmounts I’ve heard, but the tweeters generate impressive air and openness for the money. And in any case, their boundless energy means you’ll be too entertained to fret over the very finest musical details. Seamless driver integration and excellent stereo imaging seal the deal

Crank up the volume and they show decent composure, refusing to sound hard. They lose their grip on basslines a touch when you go really loud, but it’s not a major problem

Should I buy the Tannoy Mercury 7.2

In short, the Mercury 7.2s are great-sounding standmount speakers at a great price. Their sound is clean and well balanced, but exciting when you need them to be – and it's backed by deep, agile bass. There’s plenty of detail and finesse for the money, despite lacking the insight of bigger-budget standmounts

Combine this pleasing performance with a timeless design and robust build quality and the Mercury 7.2 makes a worthy addition to any hi-fi system. Give them an audition.

Tannoy Mercury 7.2 – Verdict

Tannoy’s terrific standmount speakers deliver wonderful sonics at a great price, bringing you audiophile performance without breaking the bank




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Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT review

 

What are the Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT

The Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT are the full package. As well as being wireless headphones, they’re in-ear ones that also offer active noise cancellation

You don’t often see in-ear sets with this amount of tech. Sure enough, they offer effective noise cancellation and pretty good wireless smarts

As is so often the case with tech-heavy headphones, though, the sound quality doesn't match similarly priced conventional competitors'. So, how much you do you want wireless? If the extras really appeal, these make great commuter and exercise earphones

Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT – Design

The Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT design's actually pretty good. To look at the pictures, you might not think that, though

They use a large but otherwise traditional traditional earpieces joined together by a neckband that is part chunky remote, part battery. I liked the two parts' placement as it stopped either pulling on my ears, or running down my chest, as they often do on competing headphones

As such, they’re great for runners or gym-goers. While they are a little bit eye-catching, a clear ‘gadget’, they probably aren’t any more embarrassing than the next person’s gym gear

The Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT band is flexible and has an ever-so-slight tension and elevated friction thanks to a slightly rubbery finish. As such they stay almost still during exercise without feeling like they are gripping your neck, and leave nothing to pull down from your ear canals.

As I said at the beginning: pretty good design

All the controls sits on the left end of this band (as worn), letting you change the volume and switch the active noise cancellation on and off. It uses the same QuietPoint branding as other cancelling Audio Technica headphones, but the way any of these kind of earphones/headphones work is similar anyway

They use microphones on the outside to monitor ambient sound, then inject inverse waves to cancel out that sound. That’s why more intense ANC headphones cause a weird sensation of pressure in your ears. While they reduce noise, they actually increase sound pressure. The effect is only very minor here, though.

For the most part the ANC works very well. There’s a little switch on the outside of the band that turns it on and off, and it really takes the edge off the noise of public transport. The Audio Technica house sound isn’t exactly a thundering wall of sound, so having good ANC is very welcome and means the earpieces don’t need a too-invasive fit.

It works. But it is not perfect. In certain conditions it seems to create a distracting mid-range drone, as if a certain band isn’t touched by QuietPoint. I remember this happening in the hubbub of a busy pub, but I also heard it in a near-empty car park once. Go figure. It becoming obvious is a rarity, though.

Bluetooth performance is similar, in that it is good but not perfect. Range is perfectly fine, letting me move about through a couple of rooms without break-ups, but there are some less explicable glitches. It varies between phones

With the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus+, each session seemed to begin with 30 seconds or so of serious glitchiness before settling down. With the Huawei Mate S Premium I experienced just a couple of brief glitches in several hours of listening spread over a few sessions. Clearly some Bluetooth chipsets just get on better with others, but it is only right to let you know my experiences (the Samsung phone worked perfect with Samsung’s Bluetooth headphones (no surprise) so it’s not as simple as blaming either party outright)

With just Bluetooth and no ANC, Audio Technica says you’ll get 13 hours of use, or eight hours with ANC plus Bluetooth. It has been a bit tricky to reliably assess stamina out in the real work because of one little thing: it’s devilishly easy to leave ANC switched on when you stop listening. There's no auto-off feature. And it’s worth using most of the time because it has, unusually, virtually no major effect on the sound. ANC generally has a significant effect, either altering the tone or volume level

No big effect is what you want, though, especially as you can also use the ANC40BT when the battery dies with the included USB-to-3.5mm cable. Most ANC sets have a little 3.5mm socket, but to save space the Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT output audio from the charge socket, which is smart

Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT – Sound Quality

You have a right to expect great sound in any £150 pair of earphones, even if they have Bluetooth wireless and noise cancellation. Do the Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT provide it? For the most part, although there are some issues

Their greatest strength is something that doesn’t instantly hit you over the head, because these are not earphones with a focus on one part of the sound: no club-like banging bass or ultra-intense treble. There’s more of an even balance than that

So while the bass’s really quite excellent quality won’t strike you on first trying them on, it is certainly there. It is fast and intricate, a lot more disciplined and taut than the £50-70 earphones I had been testing beforehand. In wine critic nonsense-speak you might call it plummy

This restrained-quantity, top-quality bass gives the Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT a clear signature. It’s often bass or mid-bass that ends up clouding sound

It’s the frequencies higher up that aren’t quite so perfect. For a £150 set they are a little prone to sibilance, and the upper-mids have a slightly hard, synthetic edge that you wouldn’t want to hear in a £100-plus ‘normal’ set of earphones

These effects aren’t necessarily deal-breakers. They’re things I’ve noticed in comparison with other earphones and headphones, not things that have caused obvious fatigue after an hour or so of listening. But it does mean that, aside from the bass, these might not be the audiophile-quality earphones you were hoping for

Should I buy the Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT

With fairly effective active noise cancellation and, when paired with the right phone, good Bluetooth performance, the Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT get a lot right. It’s also handy that you can use Bluetooth/ANC independently, go wired when the battery dies and that the sound barely changes as cancellation is switched on and off. That’s a real rarity

There are little shortfalls in each area that make them less than a sure-fire hit, though. Not everyone’s going to love the look/feel of the neckband, Bluetooth performance isn’t flawless, ANC is bettered by the (more expensive) Bose QC20 and the mids/treble are a little hard and slightly sibilant for the price

Still, if this is the exact combo of features you’re after, I’m not going to deny having enjoyed using them. I’ll be on the lookout for other potential ‘ultimate’ travel/sport earphone sets for review later this year

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Fidue A65 review

Fidue A65 review

 

What are the Fidue A65

The Fidue A65 are reasonably affordable in-ear headphones. They cost £50, have an Android/iOS hands-free remote and metal bodies to give you the sense you’re using something that costs a lot more

They offer clear sound which, while a little less wide and smooth than the Sennheiser alternatives, also has better bass control

Fidue A65 – Design and Features

The Fidue A65 are some of the more striking earphones in this price range. They’re a little more eye-catching than our go-to Sennheiser CX5.00, with metal bodies that look like copper

Unusual, right? It has a brushed finish, although the caps are more familiar silvery metal, and the whole lot is actually aluminium (a zinc-aluminium alloy, to be specific). Up close I think the copper bit looks a bit too bold and shiny, but Fidue is clearly going for a confident look here anyway. Generic is not the aim

Even the cable has a hint of copper to it, with what looks like a copper-coloured sheath inside translucent smokey rubber. It’s a nice look

Look really close and you can see little signs these aren’t ultra-premium earphones, but the general impression is of a set that can take punishment without suffering

The aluminium can hack being stood on, although the copper part’s shiny finish will start scraping off if it gets grazed

Common to pretty much all earphones at this price, the Fidue A65 have a non-removable cable, so don’t be too mean to them. And, out to work with as many sources as possible, they use a single-button remote rather than the triple-button type generally designed to work with iOS

Despite being a little heavier than Fidue’s entry-level plastic earphones, the metal doesn’t cause any comfort issues. They’re just fine

The only issue I have is that the Fidue A65 seem a little prone to becoming blocked by moisture, if you wear them soon after having a shower or in the gym. It seems to be to do with the filter style, or potentially the ‘micro’ driver (anecdotally I’ve had the same issue more with tiny-driver sets like this). You generally end up with one ear sounding quieter than the other, with a good dabbing of the earphone's aperture needed to get the balance right again

For this reason I wouldn’t recommend them as gym earphones. These are general-purpose

In the box you get four sets of silicone tips, including one dual-flanged pair and a basic carry case: nothing too special

Fidue A65 – Sound Quality

Other than the interesting look, one thing that drew me to the Fidue A65 was their use of 8mm ‘titanium’ drivers. Contrary to what you might assume, smaller drivers like this often sound better than those that try to spread out towards 11mm, or even further

When earphones aren’t out to impress with big-sounding drivers, it often also comes with better tuning

The Fidue A65’s sound balance is rather nice, with a more neutral or accurate tone than you normally get at this sort of price. There’s a good bass kick, but no sense of the lower frequencies dominating or even pulling focus to any serious extent. Even the Sennheiser CX5.00, among our favourites at this price, do that a bit

What this gets you as well as that desirable sense of a flat-ish frequency response is good mid-range clarity. This is the frequency range in which vocals sit, so it’s pretty important. If you’ve owned earphones before that sounded a bit muddy, muggy, foggy, or something that, there’s none of that in the Fidue A65. Bass isn’t 100% perfectly controlled, but for the price it’s very good

As such, the Fidue A65 are a good step into the world of ‘proper’ earphones if to date you’ve only been willing to spend £10 on a pair. You get some of the more important tonal properties of more expensive earphones

There are a few things that mark the Fidue A65 out as a cheaper set, though. While the mids are well defined, they are also a little bit raw. I wouldn’t go as far as to call them harsh or grating, as they are in the OnePlus Icons, but they’re not smooth and ultra-refined either

It’s actually a similar property we saw in the SoundMagic E50, another top pick at this price. The two are comparable in several areas of sound, in fact

But should you buy these or the Sennheiser CX5.00? The Fidue A65 have a narrower soundstage and the Sennheisers sound much richer, smoother and perhaps a bit more involving thanks to their grander scale. However, the Fidue A65 have a bit more mid-range definition and better bass control, in part precisely because of those other differences

Should you buy should the Fidue A65

The Fidue A65 are great all-rounder headphones for those who want the sort of extra definition you get when upgrading from entry-level earphones to ones around the £50 mark

They aren’t quite as ear-charming as some at the price – most obviously Sennheiser’s pairs – but this comes with a quite correct sonic reserve that shouldn’t be undervalued. Plus they’re powerful and bassy enough to still be considered good fun. They’re quite comparable to the SoundMagic E50, with perhaps a little more energy if a little rougher around those mid-range edges

The only bit you might want to worry about is how they’re pretty prone to becoming blocked by moisture, making them less-than-ideal exercise earphones

Verdict

A pair of rough diamonds, the Fidue A65 are good everyday earphones

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Moon Neo 230HAD review

What is the Moon Neo 230HAD

If you spend a lot of time at your desk enjoying music through high-end headphones then you need a DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) in your life, and the Moon Neo 230HAD should be a serious consideration if you have the cash

The Moon Neo 230HAD is a headphone amplifier and DAC that channels music from computers and other audio devices through its formidable arsenal of high-end electronics. "Why do I need a DAC when my PC has perfectly good 3.5mm jacks?", you ask. Well, your PC's sound card and audio outputs are most likely not high-end pieces of kit (unless you have a dedicated sound card), with cheap components causing a noticeable drop in audio quality for even non-enthusiast listeners. That's why a DAC is so important if you want the best audio quality from your existing equipment, taking digital signals via USB and converting them into lovely, clean analogue away from the mess of interference that is your PC or laptop

With a price of £1,150, it isn't exactly a budget option. But considering headphone amps can sell for much more, the 230HAD could be seen as good value if you’re in pursuit of high-end performance at a more reasonable price

Moon Neo 230HAD – Design and Connections

The design is esoteric but stylish. The thick curved faceplate is textured with an elegant, brushed effect, while the silver Moon logo and silver standby/input buttons are eye-catching touches. The top and sides have a coarser, dappled texture.

The large volume knob on the front turns smoothly but firmly, offering a more satisfying way of adjusting the volume than buttons. A central blue light fires up when you switch it on, while two columns of red LEDs on the left indicate the selected input – each one labelled to match the rear sockets – and the sample rate of the incoming signal

The Neo 230HAD’s DAC supports PCM up to 192kHz/24-bit through all inputs, and up to 384kHz/32-bit via USB. It also supports DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256



Three LEDs indicate whether it’s receiving a 44.1kHz, 48kHz or DSD signal, but for higher sample rates up to 384kHz, the 2x or 4x LEDs also light up. For example, if the signal is 192kHz, the 48kHz and 4x lights come on. Similarly, when playing DSD128 or DSD256 files, the DSD indicator comes on alongside the 2x or 4x light respectively

All these lights make the front panel more cluttered and make interpreting what you're actually listening to needlessly complicated – a screen would have been nice – but with that said it isn't exactly difficult to use

Also on the front panel are a 3.5mm analogue input for portable audio players and a 6.3mm headphone jack, ideally placed to plug in headphones and devices as you slog away at your desk



The rear panel is well stocked with connections. There are four digital inputs – one optical, two coaxial and a USB-B port for your PC or laptop – plus a set of single-ended analogue RCA inputs. They’re joined by two sets of RCA analogue connectors offering fixed and variable output, which means you can use the 230HAD as a DAC and pass the analogue signal to an amplifier

Moon Neo 230HAD – Operation

Controlling the 230HAD is a cinch whether up close or on the sofa. The input button on the front toggles through the six inputs quickly and the volume dial turns with a pleasing action



You also get a remote in the box, which is useful but looks like it fell out of a 1990s time capsule. The button layout is fairly cluttered and all the keys look the same, despite the addition of blue panels to differentiate the transport controls – for Moon CD players – and number keys. It's certainly an old-school touch, but it's probably time for a change

Moon Neo 230HAD – Performance

I hooked up some headphones and headed straight for "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk (88.2kHz/24-bit). When the dramatic intro to "Give Life Back To Music" kicks in, the 230HAD’s pedigree pours through the headphones with a rich, cohesive presentation of the guitars and synths as the track builds

When the disco drums are let loose, they’re energetic and full-bodied, probing the low-frequency talents of the drivers. The kicks are tight and punchy and the bass line is solid, yet there’s lovely agility and accuracy in the notes



Bass doesn’t dominate the balance, however – the clear mid-range and silky treble are given equal attention. There’s tons of detail, with the 230HAD bringing attention to even the subtlest cymbals and effects. The level of refinement and insight here easily justifies the price tag

Power isn’t a problem either. The 230HAD reaches eardrum-damaging levels with the dial turned barely half way, and dives enthusiastically into the madness of the closing track "Contact" with all its dynamics and scale intact

It also offers good levels of attack, although with more aggressive styles such as hip-hop or drum and bass, I'd have liked just a little more bite and drive – I needed to crank up the volume to get the adrenalin flowing

  But that aside the 230HAD shines, making tunes sound great no matter the source or sample rate

Should I buy the Moon Neo 230HAD

The Neo 230HAD needed something special to justify its substantial price tag, and just about pulls it off. Top-drawer build quality gives it the feel of a high-end product, while its muscular, spacious and detailed sound will let your high-end headphones unleash their true potential

Certain aspects aren’t quite up to scratch, like the old-fashioned front LEDs and naff remote, plus the sound could do with a little more bite, but on the whole this Moon is unlikely to be eclipsed at this price

Moon Neo 230HAD – Verdict

With its luxury construction and glittering sound quality, Moon’s headphone amp is a solid purchase for avid desktop listeners

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Sond Audio Bluetooth Speaker review

 

What is the Sond Audio Bluetooth Speaker

Available from ebuyer.com, this portable Bluetooth speaker – or "Bluebooth" according to the box – lets you listen to music on the go. With NFC and an impressive 18 hours of battery life, it’s on paper ideal for those long lazy days in the garden as you chill to your favourite tunes – or, more realistically, as you play cards indoors watching rain cascade down your window. But sadly, it overall appeal is let down by poor audio quality

Sond Audio Bluetooth Speaker – Design and Connections

Despite the cheap-as-chips price tag, it’s a surprisingly well-made speaker. It feels solid and the bodywork has a tactile rubbery texture that provides grip as your lug it around. A red sponge pad on the bottom offers a secure cushion for desktop placement

There are a few reminders of its budget price, however, such as the flimsy mesh covering the speakers that feels like it could be peeled off, and a naff-looking touch key display – but otherwise it passes muster. It also looks nice in its funky combination of black and red

The speakers are angled at 30 degrees to fire the sound upwards, which according to the blurb allows you to "maximise your home-cinema sound experience" – but if you’re using a portable Bluetooth speaker for movies, you need to ask yourself some serious questions

At 193mm wide, it’s compact enough to slip into a bag or perch on a shelf. A plastic panel on the front is home to volume and play/pause keys plus a button to activate the 3D mode. On top is the NFC touch point and a power button, with a surrounding ring of blue light that blinks when pairing

The rear panel sports a 3.5mm mini-jack input to hook up non-Bluetooth devices, and a micro-USB port to charge it from a laptop or mains socket (the cable is supplied)

Sond Audio Bluetooth Speaker – Features

The Sond’s Bluetooth 4.0 spec includes apt-X support for high-quality audio streaming

The quoted 18-hour battery life is music to the ears of anyone fed up of charging their devices every five minutes – indeed, I didn’t have to recharge the unit once during the entire test

It’s a stereo speaker that offers 16W of power. The 3D mode delivers "simulated surround sound", while the bass tube design is designed to enhance low frequencies; the port on the back controls the airflow

Sond Audio Bluetooth Speaker – Operation

The touch-panel display on the front is clunky and inaccurate. It isn't illuminated, so you don’t know if the 3D mode is on or off, although when you adjust the volume the unit gives out a helpful little beep. Bluetooth pairing didn’t pose any problems. There’s a reasonable range, but it did start to break up before I reached the quoted 10m mark

Sond Audio Bluetooth Speaker – Performance

Having tested Sond Audio’s active Bookshelf Speakers and EMBW-13Y31 2.1 Bluetooth speaker, I know the company is capable of delivering decent sound quality. Sadly, that’s not evident here. Music sounds thin and compressed, barely better than my smartphone’s speakers

The biggest problem is a lack of any meaningful bass output. You can hear basslines, but they’re not conveyed with any depth or punch. So when you’re listening to genres that rely on bass such as house or hip-hop, you end up with a narrow, nasal sound

This problem is compounded by poor high-frequency reproduction. Hi-hats have a brash, spitty character, lacking the smoothness and precision of superior Bluetooth speakers. All of the sound is concentrated in the mid-range and becomes tiring very quickly

At least you can turn it up nice and loud, right? Er, no. The Sond’s other problem is that volume is limited. Turn it right up to maximum and it feels like it’s only halfway. That’s no good if you’re in the kitchen and want to hear Adele over the hum of the washing machine. What’s more, the 3D sound mode makes little difference to the size or width of the sound

I wasn’t expecting audiophile sound quality from a £30 Bluetooth speaker, but I expected more than what I got. You’re better off saving up for the £90 Denon Envaya Mini, which delivers bass in abundance, while another £30 gets you the excellent Pure Voca

Should I buy the Sond Audio Bluetooth Speaker

With better-sounding Bluetooth speakers within reasonable reach, I really can’t recommend buying the Sond Audio. It lacks treble clarity and bass punch, leaving you with a hard, tiring and mid-range-heavy sound, while the limited volume will disappoint those who like it loud. Its only saving graces are the impressive 18-hour battery life and decent build quality

Verdict

A decent design, long battery life and useful features can’t mask the Sond’s poor audio quality

 

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Humax FVP-4000T review

Humax FVP-4000T review

 

What is the Humax FVP-4000T

The FVP-4000T is the first Humax PVR equipped with Freeview Play, a new connected service that combines live broadcasts and catch-up TV in a single electronic programme guide. You can access catch-up content from BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4 and Demand 5 simply by scrolling back through the EPG

It boasts a 500GB hard disk to store recordings (a 1TB version is also available) and built-in Wi-Fi to make network connection a cinch. First impressions of Freeview Play were positive in my review of Panasonic’s flawed DMR-PWT550 Blu-ray player/PVR combi, but I'm hoping Humax’s impressive-looking PVR can unlock its full potential

Humax FVP-4000T – Design and Connections

Humax has gone to town on the FVP-4000T’s adventurous design, offering two rather middle-class-sounding colour schemes – Cappuccino and Mocha. Cappuccino features a gorgeous brown faux-leather top panel with a gold trim and white base, while Mocha sports a dark-brown top, silver band and black base. Both are enhanced by curvy side panels and attractive stitching around the top panel, making them remarkably stylish by PVR standards

The FVP-4000T is compactly sized and robustly built. A row of buttons on the top panel allows you to change channels or control the box’s built-in volume, while an LED in a small window on the front reveals the unit’s status

On the rear is a generous set of connections, including HDMI, optical, analogue RCA and composite video outputs, an Ethernet port and RF input/output. There are two USB ports – one on the side and one on the rear – which allow you to play music, video and photo files from flash drives

Humax FVP-4000T – Features

Freeview Play is the star attraction here – more on that later – but there’s plenty more besides. The built-in Wi-Fi connection allows you to access a wide range of online apps in the "On Demand" menu, including YouTube, Dailymotion, BBC News and BBC Sport, with Netflix likely to be added in early 2016

You can also stream music, video and photo files from DLNA devices on the same network, or play them from USB flash drives. Supported formats include MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, WMV, AVCHD, MP4, AVI, MOV, DivX and MKV, but I was unable to play MKV, FLAC and ALAC

The FVP-4000T’s 500GB hard disk lets you store up to 300 hours of recordings – 600 hours on the 1TB version – and with three Freeview HD tuners on board, you can record four channels simultaneously while watching a fifth. This represents an unprecedented level of flexibility on a Freeview PVR

Of course, the hard disk also lets you pause and rewind live TV, while onscreen messages alert you to recording clashes – but with three tuners on board, you probably won’t see those very often

Humax FVP-4000T – Freeview Play EPG

With its simple, uncluttered layout, eye-catching thumbnails and magnified text, the FVP-4000T’s EPG has clearly been designed with technophobes in mind. It works beautifully, but lacks the clear-cut organisation of Panasonic’s EPG

Hit the Guide button and the first thing you’ll see is a Now and Next programme grid showing five channels at a time. Each row displays the current broadcast, with a column on the right showing the programme up next. Channels are clearly labelled with familiar icons and thumbnails for the current programme (if available)

You can move up and down the channel list using the up/down keys or jump a page using the CH keys, while a long press on the left or right keys lets you jump straight to a specific day. Channels can also be filtered by genre

Scroll left and you’ll enter the catch-up TV part of the EPG, which sticks with the same five-channel format as the rest of the EPG. Any programmes available to stream contain a "play" icon – to view it, simply hit OK and press the "Watch Now" button

It’s simple to navigate, particularly once you’ve lived with it for a few days, but I prefer the layout of Panasonic’s EPG, which arranges catch-up content into neat columns for each day. Humax’s layout is less ordered, and as a result it can be a little confusing when you’re trying to find a particular programme

Scroll to the right and you can start browsing the schedule for the next seven days. When you move to a new day, the relevant date helpfully flashes up on-screen. Select a programme using the OK button and you'll see a synopsis plus a few options – Record Whole Series, Record This Programme or Set Reminder. Cleverly, if a repeat is due to be shown, the Humax gives you option to stream it via catch-up TV rather than wait for it to be shown live

Humax FVP-4000T – Operation

The rest of the Humax’s on-screen menus are superb. The Home Menu is superimposed over live TV and features a row of large icons across the bottom of the screen. There are five options – On Demand, TV Guide, Recordings, Media Centre and Settings

The On Demand menu contains the full range of catch-up TV portals and apps, all of which are displayed as large tiles, making it easy to find the content you want. The lower half of the screen houses a selection of lesser-known services, including games, puzzles and lifestyle apps

The Media Centre is your starting point for exploring DLNA servers. Folders follow a logical sequence and the layout retains the large thumbnails and jazzy colour schemes of the other menus

The Recordings menu is designed with similar simplicity. You can choose to view by channel, day or location, and in each case programmes are accompanied by a large thumbnail. The Schedule tab displays any recordings you’ve programmed

If you don’t want to delve into the full Freeview Play EPG then you can hold down the direction pad keys and access the on-screen banner, which gives you an overview of what’s on for the rest of the day. The banner scrolls across the middle of the screen and uses large thumbnails to illustrate programmes. It’s a nice touch and indicative of the FVP-4000T’s sophisticated yet flexible approach

The thoughtfully designed remote makes operation as intuitive as possible. It sports big rubber buttons and bold lettering, with the most-used keys placed exactly where your thumb expects them to be. The direction pad and surrounding keys are particularly well organised, while the Home and On Demand keys are coloured blue to stand out. And with its brush-effect bottom-end it willl look nice on the coffee table too

If you can’t be separated from your smartphone then Humax has launched a couple of apps for that too. The first is a remote app that lets you control the FVP-4000T; the other streams live and recorded programmes from the box, allowing you to watch TV around the house or away from home.

The remote app works well, passing commands instantly over the Wi-Fi connection. It uses a basic but effective layout that closely replicates the physical handset

As for the Live TV app, I was able to access hard-disk recordings easily but there’s a fairly long wait before they start playing. The channel list and Record menus are carefully optimised for the smartphone screen, with a logical and uncluttered layout – the latter even displays thumbnails for each recording. The app is simpler and more co-operative than I expected but is best used in small doses

Humax FVP-4000T – Performance

After living with the FVP-4000T for a few days, I found it to be a slick and obliging PVR. The triple tuner arrangement reduced my recording clash count to zero and the Freeview Play EPG made life easy when looking for programmes I’d missed

Picture quality is uniformly excellent. The box is at its best with high-definition fare such as Fargo on Channel 4HD. The cinematic visuals and bleak colour palette are beautifully handled, plus there’s tons of detail bursting from the screen – skin textures are clearly rendered and the 1970s-style clothing looks sharp and vivid

Record programmes onto the hard disk and any drop in quality is imperceptible. You get the same crisp detail and vibrant colours, plus there’s no pixel shimmering or break up during fast-moving football matches and movies

That goes for standard-definition recordings too, although obviously the source broadcasts aren’t up to the same standard. Shows such as The Big Bang Theory on E4 look soft and fuzzy, plus the hues of Sheldon’s shirts are a little too warm, but it won’t affect your enjoyment in any way

The quality of shows streamed via Freeview Play is excellent, an improvement on the gauzy images offered by the Panasonic DMR-PWT550. Some artefacts are visible, but they’re not as pronounced. Football matches and brightly-lit studio shows such as Only Connect look solid and stable, with strong colours and a surprising degree of subtlety

Should I buy the Humax FVP-4000T

Overall the FVP-4000T is a top-drawer PVR that offers excellent value for money at under £200. Its seamless integration of the new Freeview Play service makes it easy to stream programmes from the last seven days without having to trawl through individual catch-up services. The on-screen menus are attractive and intuitive, while the presence of three tuners brings an unprecedented level of Freeview recording flexibility

Still need convincing? The classy Cappuccino styling makes this one of the most attractive PVRs on the market, plus its wealth of networking features – DLNA file streaming, online content and smartphone apps – make it much more than a mere PVR

Grievances are minor – the Freeview Play EPG doesn’t organise catch-up TV as well as Panasonic’s DMR-PWT550, and streaming TV through the phone app can be a chore. However, given the mountain of positives elsewhere it seems churlish to complain.

 To buy from ebay

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