Unlike so many one-lump bluetooth speakers The Three II is a proper stereo

The Three II

£395, henleyaudio.co.uk 

One of the first questions that pops into your head after you unbox a record deck and some alarmingly expensive records that you previously bought for about £2 in the Eighties is: ‘What do I plug this into again?’

The art of pairing hi-fi separates (and boring friends and neighbours rigid about it) seems to be lost in time, along with other ancient techno skills such as tightening up the tape on audio cassettes with an HB pencil.

The Three II speaker has a deliciously retro touches such as clicking metal switches that make you feel like a World War II radio operator

The Three II speaker has a deliciously retro touches such as clicking metal switches that make you feel like a World War II radio operator

Hence gizmos such as Klipsch’s bafflingly titled The Three II speaker, which has a phono pre-amp built in (so you can plug in a turntable directly, without having to slog back to the hi-fi shop to buy an extra piece of kit). 

It doesn’t hurt that it comes in a mid-century finish (the cabinet is real wood), with deliciously retro touches such as clicking metal switches that make you feel like a World War II radio operator. Vinyl is half about the look and feel, after all, so it does all help.

There are ports for a 3.5mm connector and USB audio, so you can also plug in a CD player or even computer

There are ports for a 3.5mm connector and USB audio, so you can also plug in a CD player or even computer

Unlike the average one-lump speaker, it’s actually a proper stereo, housing two full-range drivers plus a long-throw woofer. But it’s equipped for our wireless age with a Bluetooth connection (for pairing with smartphones), although it’s lacking the fancy stuff like Spotify Connect. There are ports for a 3.5mm connector and USB audio, so you can also plug in a CD player or even computer.

It sounds splendid, of course, and it helps to soothe the techno discomfort of adapting to vinyl, although you’ll still face the shock of having to walk across the room to flip a disc from side A to side B again.

 

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