Christmas gifts for music lovers: 5 stylish presents they'll love this year

Well appointed, as is everything Ruark produces, the R610’s throwback attitude makes a lot of sense in today’s hi-fi world. It’s an amp, a streamer, a host to your turntable or TV, and ready for Ruark’s forthcoming USB CD player too. Just add sDRIVEpeakers to the set-up – and why not make them the delightful matching Sabre-R bookshelf set (£700 a pair)?
£1,200 (around $1500), ruarkaudio.com

We’ve fallen in love with Meze’s almost playful approach to high-end headphones in recent years, so the growing Romanian company’s debut IEMs had us excited. Featuring a build which encourages thick bass while giving every other frequency the room it needs to breathe, they’re the perfect gift for the budding audiophile looking to try out pro-level in-ears.
£159/$159, mezeaudio.eu

Activo is a new name in the portable music space, but it’s not exactly starting from scratch.
A sister brand of market leader Astell&Kern, Activo is designed to offer premium products, while A&K looks after the luxury end. The P1 doesn’t miss the mark. It’s impeccably constructed, features a transparent and expansive soundstage, and it won’t break the bank.
£399/$429, activostyle.com

AKG’s return to headphones had to be something special, and it looks like the Samsung subsidiary has nailed everything that matters. Fully wireless, with a USB dongle for hi-res 2.4GHz signal transfer as well as Bluetooth, they’re striking to look at and packed with features like pin-sharp ANC and spatial audio. An instant competitor in a mature market.
£299/$325, uk.akg.com

When WiiM drops a consumer pairing like this it’s vital we stop and listen. Both present ample streaming options, with the Amp Pro (£399) adding Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 to a hot amp with a superb 32-bit/384kHz DAC suitable for passive speakers and the Ultra (£349) keeping the DAC but omitting the amp in favour of a 3.5in touchscreen.
From £349/$329, wiimhome.com

Both multiroom capable and loud enough that it could fill your whole house with music by itself, the Evo One is a real box of tricks. Fourteen speakers around its body blast out sound with real panache, it’s highly capable as a streamer and as an amp for whatever source you throw at it, and it’s rather lovely to look at. The definition of all-in-one.
£1,300/$3000, cambridgeaudio.com

Direct-drive turntables don’t come much sharper than the AT-LP8X. It’s semi-automatic and built to repel noise and unwanted vibrations. The cartridge can be switched out for any other in A-T’s VM95 series, meaning vinyl afficionados can play with stylus profiles or make the most of the direct drive to play back 78rpm discs. A versatile wonder.£859/$999, audio-technica.com

Bigger sound from smaller speakers, thanks to Q Acoustics’ brand new C3 cones and a host of design ideas drawn from the company’s Concept series.
A mechanically isolated and sealed high frequency driver ensures the thickness of the main woofers never takes over, and braced cabinetry minimises reverberation. Basically they’re on point, and nicely priced.
£399/$499, qacoustics.co.uk