How important is sound quality? On the surface, that sounds like a simple question.
If you have little interest in hi-fi, the answer is likely to range from ‘a lot’ to ‘very important’. What is Hi-Fi? turns 50 this year, and during that time we’ve been consistent in prioritizing sound quality – and, I feel, we should.
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However, while the ‘first sound’ principle is important, things are not so simple in the real world. The Sonic Talent has to balance many factors, including reliability, features, build, looks and price. Think about it long term and ease of use should enter the equation.
All of those things are important, of course, and we as reviewers try to judge a product on the balance of those qualities. But sometimes it’s not easy. The Mixx Analog+ is a good example.
This is an unusual combination that plays both records and CDs and sells for a perfectly reasonable £300 in the UK. I still don’t understand how Mixx managed to produce such a well-built and well-made product for such a small amount of money.
The Analog+ record player section is fully automatic and operates via a series of front panel controls. The user never touches the tone. The arm mechanism and controls work smoothly which is a far cry from some of the awkward mechanisms we are used to seeing. Sure, the Mixx makes low-level whirring noises as it goes about its business, but none of the review team found that annoying. Bluetooth is included as well, which opens up a variety of system options, including powerful speakers and wireless headphones.
Look around the product and you’ll find the Analog+ casework is well done. It feels reasonably solid, and the finish quality is good for the price. All the controls have a nice feel, and the front panel display is bright enough to read from a distance. At first glance, this Mixx product seems like a no-brainer for someone looking for a clean source all-in-one that plays both disc formats, all for surprisingly little money.
However. despite this, we ended up giving an average rating of three stars with just two stars for the sound. It gets the job done, but with little flair or enthusiasm. On the one hand, we could not understand how much money Mixx brought in, and on the other, we admit that the important task of any audio component is to play a good recording, it was not successful.
What’s the point of buying any audio product if you don’t want to listen to it?
The WiiM’s Ultra music streamer is another example where the balance between performance, features and usability meant the conclusion was not straightforward. It received four stars for sound quality but five overall for the sentence.
Why? However, the Ultra had a very strong price – just like the Mixx – but in this case, the combination of a great app, lovely build, generous features and best-in-class usability was enough to force the star rating up.
We were (slightly) skeptical about the sound, but we couldn’t deny that the WiiM is a great buy for the money.
It’s easy to be naive about products and think of performance as the only thing worth considering. But, in the real world, where almost all products have to balance price and features, build and performance, there needs to be a little leeway.
In the end, that product still requires interesting listening, but some of its features are really important.
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