hi-fi news VERDICT

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Operational foibles aside, the DreamPlay XC looks and sounds every bit as ‘dreamy’ as we might have hoped. Maybe it’s not quite the ‘four in one’ its manufacturer claims – the lack of external inputs beyond networking and USB counting against it as a preamp. Nevertheless, as a standalone player it is superb – the characterful sound matching those striking looks to produce a true statement machine.