Whether it’s a Christmas gift, a birthday gift, or a gift for no reason at all (quite possibly the nicest gift of all!) it’s nice to do your homework and really knuckle down on the best possible gift in a sea of possibilities.
Or, y’know. you could let the likes of us do the hard work for you. And that’s what we’ve done! Here are our top picks of the best gift ideas for your loved one. As long as they’re a music lover, they’ll love all of these. And all for under £500!
Let’s start with…
1. Audio Pro AddOn T3 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker – £164.95
One of the friendliest little devices in wireless! The AddOn T3 is a hugely popular portable speaker, that swept the board at the What Hi-Fi 2015 awards, as something of a wildcard entry. Who wouldn’t love to receive one of these as a gift – it even looks friendly, and comes in five separate colour options! It won the an award for how brilliant it sounds but we’re sure its design and intuitive usability didnt hurt either (and certainly won our hearts! Excellent value too, delivering far beyond its very humble price point.
Keeping things wireless…
2. KEF Muo Wireless Bluetooth Speaker £299.95
The Muo is as cute as its name suggests, but packs a serious wallop! It is KEF’s first active speaker of this type. At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking this looks like many of the smallish wireless speakers on the market, but Muo is different. Markedly so! This is one of the most accomplished speakers of its type and was designed by Ross Lovegrove, the man behind KEF’s flagship £140,000 Muons (their namesake). They are available in the four finishes above (and a limited edition gold) and they sound absolutely fantastic.
3. Arcam MusicBoost iPhone Headphone Amplifier + DAC – £120
Portable music is getting more and more popular as time goes on. But historically music from a smart phone leaves much to be desired in the sound quality department. Well, those times are quickly becoming things of the past thanks to portable headphone amplifiers – and the MusicBoost is quite possibly the most innovative one yet! Anyone (with an iPhone) who likes listening on the move will love it. Unlike most portable headphone amps, this is designed to slip onto your device, making it incredibly compact and practical. It is optimised for the best sound quality between your phone and earphones/headphones and will also improve battery life as a nice bonus. It;s actually rather obvious if you think about it, yet we have no idea why nobody thought of it before!
4. KEF Egg Wirless Active Speakers – £349
Keeping it KEF, we have another 2015 award winner! These active wireless speakers take KEF’s iconic contemporary high-end design thatv tc (featured in a range of products including the KEF original KHT2005 and KHT3005 through to the current E305 range) but this is the first time they have included that technology in an active or wireless speaker… and theyve nailed it! They sound crisp and clear with an impressive smoothness and punchy bass – a great choice for anyone’s desktop!
5. Onkyo A-9010 Integrated Stereo Amplifier – £199
Not all integrated amps are created equal. Take the rather excellent A-9010. Very low price, very high value. A real budget champion that has impressed us (and others!) hugely. There isn’t anything else at this price point that sound anywhere near this good. And we can back that up with a 2015 What Hi-fi? Award! IF you want to beef up your gift a bit, here are the perfect (within budget!) speakers to match.
6. Sansui WLD 201 Network Player – £165
Do you like streaming? Do you like high-quality and incredible value? Do you like… silver? If your answer to all of those things is yes, then the Sansui WLD 201 may well be the gift you’re looking for (hey, if you like all of those things your loved one is bound to too… right?) This awesome network player was RRP £349 so it’s an absolute bargain at 50% off. And if you want to beef out your gift (again!) we also have a 50% off deal on the matching CD player – but with access to thousands of internet radio channels as well as quick access to music stored on your connected home network, you may question your need for CDs going forward!
It sounds awesome too. Check it out…
7. Oppo HA-2 Headphone Amplifier / USB DAC – £259
A tiny bit more expensive than the other items (so far) but believe me when I say, this little slice of hi-fi genius is worth every penny. It’s the most popular portable headphone amplifier we’ve ever sold. It sounds fantastic, and is just as stylish and well-made as it is sonically impressive, but what makes it a real winner is: it’ll get the very best sound from your headphones. Just treat it like you would a normal head-amp, connected between your cans and and your phone or portable player, and witness your music come to life. If you want your loved one to get the best possible portable sound, one of these alongside a pair of Oppo PM-3, then they’ll get something very close.
8. Focal XS Book Wireless 2.0 Active Bluetooth Speakers – £259
So called thanks to their remarkable likeness to books – the Focal XS books are desktop speakers (always a solid gift choice) with a difference. Not a brand new product but a definitively firm favourite, and a great choice if you (or your loved one!) have limited desktop space as the speakers are very slim and dinky, yet still handle all aspects of the performance with grace, and style. ANd we have them at a pretty chunky discount too!
9. Roth Audio NEO 6.2 SoundCore Sound Base
Is there any gift more perfect than a soundbar? How about a soundbase? Surely you must know what a soundbase is by now, but just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years: a soundbase sits underneath your screen, while a soundbar sits in front. Now, with that out of the way, onto the Roth! This particular soundbase has proven very popular since its release. So popular in fact that it’s legendarily difficult to get hold of! But luckily for you (or indeed your loved one!) we have these in stock, and are ready to ship next day delivery. Just click here and we’ll see it is done!
10. Audio Affair Vouchers!
You can lead a horse to water, but sometimes you’ve just got to give it a voucher! If you have a loved one who adores hi-fi but you don’t have the first clue about what to get them, this is a very good place to turn to. Put one of these vouchers (between £20-£1000) in their stocking and let them spend their Christmas Day merrily browsing. I know I’d like that!
…if you want to treat your loved one even more, check out our top ten luxury gifts!
Remember to give us a shout if you have any questions. If none of the above tickle your fancy, there are plenty more where they came from.