Micro systems: How we test
Our panel of five experts will listen to each system for up to an hour using a variety of audio tracks including classical (Suppé by soprano Emma Kirkby), jazz (Jacques Loussier), pop (Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel and Insomnia by Faithless) and also spoken word.
Sound quality
Our experts listen to each system for up to an hour
Each track is chosen to put the systems through their paces and highlight any flaws.
We compare them to a budget separates system to see if any of them can match it for quality; some get close but we rarely find any that can.
We also try each system with some good quality alternative speakers to see whether we get any improvement in sound – if we do, it shows the supplied speakers are a limiting factor.
No bias
We mask out brand names to eliminate any bias and sneak in the same products twice to ensure consistency. No conferring is allowed and they each complete a lengthy score sheet that our statisticians analyse to ensure the ratings we publish represent real differences.
Real life
Underpinning this is a raft of over 50 technical tests that explore each element of the system and assess its capabilities and limits, plus over 150 feature checks, where we log exactly what they can do.
Our ergonomics experts also try out their various functions and features (loading CDs, adjusting the controls, tuning the radio etc), in exactly the way consumers would use them – assessing how easy and intuitive each is, and whether there are any significant drawbacks that would prevent us from recommending a product.