It’s a great time of year for reflection, and we have taken it upon ourselves to do all of your hi-fi-based reflection for you, so you know exactly what the best value gifts are. After all, the greatest gift in the world is music… but high quality hi-fi is even better! So, if you have a music lover in your life (or of course, you are one yourself!) here are the very best of the very best for under £100, based on our own observations, those of the critics and those of our customers (the opinion that matter the most!).
As with any ‘budget’ items, this lot is particularly good for newcomers to the field, and great for piquing an interest in the delights the hi-fi world can offer…
1. KEF’s “50 Years of Innovation In Sound” Book – £49.95
A gift in two parts: for the hi-fi lover, and the book worm! There are plenty of hi-fi books out there, but this one is one of the best in terms of both content and overall quality. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and even if your interest in hi-fi is a mild one (or you’re not all that interested in KEF) it’s packed to the brim with absolutely fascinating information. As a bonus, you can also grab KEF’s limited edition CD for £50 to really round up your gift, still keeping it under £100.
2. Yamaha EPH100 Earphones – £69.95
… are you at all surprised? Yes, we have mentioned these beauties many a time, but that’s because they’re still our favourite IEMs for under £100. And there’s a very very good chance they always will be! Some of the best sound we’ve ever heard have come from these and we simply can’t get enough. A perfect gift, on pretty much every level and completely exclusive to us. But don’t take our word for it, read up on what the other experts have to say via the Head Fi blog!
3. Arcam miniBlink Bluetooth Receiver – £100
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the notion of the Bluetooth receiver by now (turning any old hi-fi system into a wireless streamer instantly!), and it’s an excellent gift no matter what you buy. But if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it right. And you don’t get much better than the miniBlink. By far it gives the best sound and the best overall performance of any of the receivers we;ve been privvy too, and is widelt regarded as the best you can get by everyone else too. Link it up to your integrated amplifier or your active speakers and enjoy (it really is that easy!)
4. Art Vinyl Play and Display LP Frame Triple Pack – £98.99
We’ve sold a great many vinyl frames in our time, but these are by far the best. Fantastic quality, perfect for any decor and an innovative flip down system which means you can easily change the LP (or tale it out to play it!) without the need for taking it off the wall. There are three frames per pack, but if this is a little too pricey, the Rock On Wall frames are an excellent substitute.
5. Sennheiser Momentum M2 IEG Earphones Android – £89.90
Relative newcomers to the circuit, yet already incredibly popular with the IEM crowd, and praised in particular for their incredible level of detail, vocal projection and bass response. They are also available in black chrome… and yes, to all iOS fans, there is an Apple model just for you too!
6. Chord Clearway Speaker Cable – £79 (for 2m)
Perhaps this one is a slightly more specialist gift, but if your loved one has a pair of reasonable speakers they will definitely thank you for this! Presented here professionally terminated by us with Chord banana plugs (and also available in terminated 3m pair for £99) this is Chord’s latest and greatest budget-yet-blissful champion speaker cable, designed to replace the original award winning Chord Silver Screen and already hugely popular in its own right, winning a 2015 What Hi-Fi Award!
7. Sansui CDD 201 CD Player – £99
Once sold for twice the price (£199), we loved the CDD 201 so much that we bought out the last of the stocks when it was discontinued, and still have just enough to service your gifting needs for some time yet. A very high quality CD player that is very impressive to behold in the flesh due to it being very well made and fantastic sounding. The CD is very much alive and well, all it needs is a decent sounding player to bring out its best bits. Take a look at our video review and see for yourself!
8. Naim Sampler 8 CD – £5.99
Need a CD to play in your brand new CD player, or want to round off that gift in the best way possible? Look no further! From one of the biggest names in hi-fi (it’s as though they new when they chose Naim as their moniker!), there is now a sampler CD packed with some amazing tracks, chosen especially for the hi-fi friendliness. A great stocking filler, or extra present on top of the big one (a CD player perhaps? See above!)
9. Focal Sphear Earphones – £99.95
If you’re a fan of Focal, then you really have to try out their headphones! The Sphears make perfect gifts, owed to 20 years of Focal’s experience in delivering prime headphones alongside incredible loudspeakers (just check out the gorgeous Sopra!) these statement earphones are incredible value (especially for Focal, who are very high end indeed!) and compete against some of the finer (and more expensive) options on the market.
10. Audio Affair Glass Head Headphones Stand – £29.95
Sadly we don’t have any headphones in this top 10, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your loved one doesn’t have any headphones. And if they’re into their music they almost certainly do! Our very own Glass Head Stands are a really eye-catching way of displaying headphones loud and proud. They’re very stylish, and don’t show dust either, so won’t look shabby for a very long time (in our experience, headphone stands can look pretty naff the second they get slightly dusty!)
A good place to start for your gifts, don’t you think? Give us a call if you have any questions about stock. You will get next day delivery if we have it in (and we probably will, but it’s always best to check if you’re unsure!)
…and if you want to treat your loved one even more, check out our gift ideas for under £500!