Here we have put together a wonderful all-rounder of a system, not least as it features both a streamer and a turntable as its musical sources.
As we have often said in the past, putting together systems really isn’t simply a question of shoving a quartet of What Hi-Fi? Award winners together and assuming they will gel into a musically cohesive whole. Life, and marrying hi-fi products, just isn’t like that.
Having said that, you will see that three of the four products in this system are indeed 2024 Award winners – and they have a lovely synergy that will make the very best of their considerable abilities.
The one exception to winning a gong in 2024 is the Pro-Ject turntable, which is an excellent five-star product in its own right (of course it is – it’s in this system). It was up against some serious opposition in its price range as far as the Awards go, but it fits in this group beautifully, with each component playing to the strengths of the others.
The system
- Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2 (£599 / $699 / AU$1299)
- Streamer: Cambridge Audio MXN10 (£449 / $499 / AU$899)
- Amplifier: Rotel A8 (£399 / $449 / AU$649)
- Speakers: Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 (£249 / $399 / AU$699)
- Total price: £1696 / $2046 / AU$3546
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2
The Debut Evo 2 is a really simple turntable to use – less intimidating than some of its mid-priced rivals. You can adjust speeds between 45rpm and 33⅓rpm at the turn of a knob, in contrast to many rivals, where you need to get rather more hands on and physically move the drive belt to a different position.
The deck has a beautifully fluid delivery and a particularly lovely and sweet-toned midrange – qualities that make it a very appealing listen. To go with that sweet appeal, it has a lively, fleet-footed presentation that zips along merrily through every song; this is an enthusiastic performer that just wants to have fun. It is capable enough to reveal differences in an album or recording's quality, but it is with voices and instruments such as piano that the Evo 2’s true talent lies.
The fact that we can connect the sweet-sounding deck to an amplifier of the capability of the Rotel A8 is a huge positive.
Amplifier: Rotel A8
The Rotel is a fuss-free, well-built product that sets an enviable standard for sound quality at this level, and the pair harmonise beautifully. The amp has a modest claimed output of 30W per channel into an 8-ohm load that rises only slightly to 40W per side as impedance halves. On paper that suggests the A8 might need extra care in speaker partnering, but it drives the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 without issue.
Initially this Rotel sounds a little restrained and mechanical, but given a few days of use, its presentation becomes more natural, and loses that trace of hardness, gaining a good dose of fluidity. After things have settled down, the A8 fades into the background, as a good amplifier should, letting the recording and the other components in the system step into the limelight. It is surefooted with rhythms and unusually expressive as far as dynamics are concerned. Overall, it is an authentic performer with pleasing resolution and good insight into music’s subtleties.
As we say in our A8 review: “It sounds organised and controlled even at points where most rivals struggle to stay coherent. There is a calmness about this amplifier’s delivery with difficult music that is hard to better without spending much more.”
Which is why it sits so neatly in this system – and marries so well with the streamer we have paired it with on the digital side of things.
Streamer: Cambridge Audio MXN10
Cambridge Audio’s junior network music streamer is one of the most unobtrusive network players you will find, not to mention one of the least expensive.
The MXN10 has a plethora of streaming methods and services including Google Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz, as well as support for Bluetooth 5.0 – which is a great bonus, as the Rotel amplifier is lacking Bluetooth connectivity.
The MXN10’s StreamMagic streaming module and app are at the heart of the player, providing the oft-lauded bespoke Cambridge Audio software so that you can stream from your phone using a decent app that is incredibly easy to set up.
The streamer hits a sweet spot by taking many of the sonic strengths of direct rivals from Audiolab and Bluesound, while adding a dose of dynamic expression and rhythmic coherence that they can’t match. The MXN10 remains composed when the music becomes demanding, and it renders the tone and texture of instruments in a convincing way.
As we say in the MXN10 review: “Moving away from purely comparative tracks, we let the Cambridge Audio streamer stretch its legs, with what by now are becoming routinely impressive results. The more we listen, the more the MXN10 reveals its myriad strengths, providing Wu-Tang Clan’s Gravel Pit with bounce and heft before wowing us with a powerful yet clean and organised rendition of Deftones’ Swerve City. Listening to the MXN10 is a pleasure, and one we aren’t keen on ending.”
Speakers: Wharfedale Diamond 12.1
The final piece of this excellent streaming and vinyl system comes in the form of the Wharfedale 12.1 standmount loudspeakers.
Winner of our Best Buy for standmounts under £300, the 12.1 are neat, compact boxes standing just 31cm tall, so they won’t dominate any room.
These speakers have a surprisingly bold and full-bodied presentation, sounding confident and composed in a way that evades most budget rivals. They top those strengths off with a good degree of refinement.
We note in the full Wharfedale 12.1 review that “they dig up a pleasing amount of detail and manage to organise it in a cohesive and musical way, with easy-to-follow low-level musical strands and a presentation that doesn’t start to get confused when things get busy. Tonally they are smooth and forgiving but remain nicely balanced, with enough in the way of bite.
“We like the reassuring way the Diamonds handle larger-scale dynamics, delivering more in the way of authority and scale than their modest price and size suggest. Low frequencies come through with confidence and more fullness than expected.”
All of which means that this quartet of well-priced hi-fi kit gel together beautifully to form a brilliant stereo system for around £1700 / $2000 / AU$3500. While that is a lot of money in anybody’s book, when you consider the many years of joy you will get if you invest in this system, it becomes something of a bargain for the outlay.
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