Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey has caused quite the stir and is already one of the most talked-about films of the year. Whether that’s because it’s the first film to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras, or translator Emily Wilson’s damning review of Nolan’s interpretation of the classic text.

While I have booked to see the epic on an IMAX 70mm screen in September, I just could not wait to watch so I headed to my local cinema in the meantime. Despite the smaller aspect ratio, I was still blown away by the beautiful visuals and emotive score.

But there was one element that detracted from the whole experience for me: it is a very loud movie. The volume level during one particular scene made this startlingly clear (mild spoiler ahead). When Odysseus and his men attack a huge cyclops, the foghorn-like scream that the giant emits made me cover my ears.

Now, that could be attributed to a variety of different factors, from my cinema’s volume levels or the sound mixing, but I am not alone in my experience. One user on Reddit said, “I was expecting a masterpiece, and yet all I could focus on was the fact my head felt like it would explode”. Others also commented that their smartwatches detected unsafe noise levels.

It has not been the case for everyone, but for me these loud moments did pull me out of the film a little. It was especially jarring when, in one moment, I was straining to hear what the characters were saying and the next getting blasted by that ear-splitting roar.

That’s why I’m excited to get it into the test room once it comes out on 4K Blu-ray so I can control the volume levels myself. Of course, I still want to experience the thrill of the shift in dynamics, but not to such an extreme extent.

Nolan is also infamous for making films with muffled dialogue, with releases such as Tenet and Oppenheimer leaving some viewers stumped on what characters are actually saying. That irritating habit popped up again in The Odyssey, so the dialogue-boosting feature on a TV or soundbar’s audio system should bring voices to the front of the experience. And if that doesn’t solve the problem, there’s always the option of subtitles.

Don’t get me wrong, seeing Nolan’s epic on the big screen is a thrill that I wouldn’t miss. But having more control of the dynamics should let me enjoy the film differently.

MORE:

Check out our The Odyssey format explainer

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Looking for a new pair of headphones?

There’s a lot to consider. Do you want the convenience of wireless or the sound quality of wired? Portable earbuds or powerful over-ears?

It can be a tough choice. And it’s not helped by a more competitive market than ever, with Sony, Sennheiser and more pulling out all the stops and improving on their already impressive headphones with every new iteration.

Luckily, we are here to help. I have put together a quick 30-second quiz that will determine which of the top-rated headphones are right for you, based on your preferences and requirements.

At the end of the quiz, you will be presented with a pair of the best headphones that we recommend – all of which have been tried and tested by our team of experts and deemed worthy of a top recommendation.

So what are you waiting for? Dive into our quick quiz and you could soon be acquainted with the headphones of your dreams…

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Anyone who has read my Sony WF-1000XM6 review will know I’m a big fan of these premium wireless earbuds.

However, as I’ve also written about previously, I don’t think they’re perfect. Put simply, I’m not the biggest fan of the eartips that come supplied with them.

If you’re new to my moaning (or what I like to think of as constructive criticism), I don’t find them particularly pliable, or super comfortable when in place.

If there was only one thing I could change about these five-star earbuds, it would be the material used and possibly the shape/sizing of the replaceable tips. After all, I think the buds’ sound quality, call quality and noise-cancelling skills are second-to-none.

So, in the name of journalism (and comfort), I’ve been on the hunt for alternatives.

I have been using the WF-1000XM6 since launch, and now I think my pair are in need of some attention, especially as the tips currently attached to them are starting to break up, which can be the case with foam designs. It’s like your favourite slippers when the soles have lost their grip and your heels start to wear through the furry surface.

The world of aftermarket eartips won’t be a surprise to many, but as someone who tends to believe that the manufacturer knows best when it comes to product R&D, it’s not something I’ve really looked into until now.

Hop on Amazon, and your choices are seemingly endless, whether you want memory foam or silicone, domed or flanged. Shapes and styles vary, as do prices. (Special mention to whathifi.com reader cyclonaut for bringing my attention to a couple of the popular brands in the eartip world)

I settled on four different options, one of which, Comply, actually reached out after reading one of my articles on a different pair of earbuds. Here’s what I picked and what I thought of them…

Comply Truegrip Pro £20 (L/L/L)

The Comply memory foam tips are a tiny bit shallower and more domed than the Sonys, with more of a pronounced tip. Their opening is larger, and like the Sonys, they have a mesh in the middle to protect from any debris.

I didn’t find them as comfortable as the silicone designs, and when it came to music, although they allow for an open, expressive and powerful delivery, I think they sacrifice subtlety, and there was less space between the different elements of tracks.

Buy the Comply Truegrip Pro at Amazon

AZLA SednaEarfit Max £27 (M/ML/L)

These were my favourite silicone tips. They feel premium and smooth to the touch and are easy to slide onto the tubes of the XM6 buds. There’s a nice balance between the flexible silicone dome and the more robust silicone nozzle.

I didn’t have any issues with fit or comfort, and I also like the fact that they have a built-in mesh guard. However, they don’t isolate as well as the Sony or Comply tips. They promote a balance which sounds more open but lacks the solidity and focus of the memory foam alternatives.

Buy the AZLA SednaEarfit Max at Amazon

SpinFit Omni £12.49 (L)

These looked and felt the most interesting tips. Their diameter was slightly smaller than the Comply and Sony alternatives. It was more of a struggle getting these onto the Sony tubes, but the tight fit means they won’t be slipping off any time soon.

The lack of any mesh in the tip would make me nervous that debris could make its way into the Sony tubes and potentially impact sound quality. Like the AZLA tips, they promote an open, airy sound, but it’s still a leaner balance, and the isolation wasn’t great.

The design includes a patented ‘spinnable core’ which claims to improve comfort. The silicon used here feels tackier than on the other pairs, which gives the impression it’s going to help with the seal. I didn’t have any issues with comfort or fit.

Buy the SpinFit Omni at Amazon

SpinFit Neo £11.49 (x1 L)

I found the sound quality of both SpinFit models to be very similar – there’s good detail and edges of notes sound crisp and precise. But, as has been the case with all the silicone tips I tried, music just doesn’t have the natural warmth or solidity as it does when heard through either of the memory-foam pairs.

The Neo tips were easier to fit than the Omni, requiring less force to slide them on. Comfort levels were very good, but once again, there’s no mesh protector in the nozzle to protect from wax.

Buy the SpinFit Neo at Amazon

Verdict

So, what did my eartip encounters tell me? The main conclusion I took away was that the Sony tips performed the best.

Is that a surprise, though? Sony must have spent a lot of time and money on research, learning about ear shapes, trying different materials, sizes, and fits. For me the WF-1000XM6 just sound better balanced, more subtle, and more natural when using their own tips.

But I can certainly see the appeal of trying something different. I don’t love the tips that currently come with the XM6, so if there was something more comfortable out there that didn’t sacrifice sound quality, then it would be foolish not to try to track them down.

I can see why some people might like a silicone alternative – there is something a bit more open and forward about the sound, giving the impression it’s more exciting – but for me, you are shifting the sound away from what Sony intended and what makes them arguably the best wireless earbuds on the market right now.

Not only does sound quality take a hit, but the switch to any of the silicone tips has a major effect on isolation and therefore noise cancelling. This is a big problem, because the eartips and earbuds will have been designed to work together.

Not only will the extra density of the memory foam give you more isolation just through the choice of material, but one would assume Sony will also have factored in which frequencies its tips are isolating and formulated its ANC to take this into account.

During testing, I found a track of ambient cafe noises, and the amount of information the silicone tips were letting through would seriously put me off using them long-term, especially in crowded environments or on places like the London Underground.

In conclusion it looks like I’m going to have to stick with a like-for-like replacement for my eartips for now, but that still won’t stop me asking for a slightly comfier design from an WF-1000XM6 successor.

MORE:

Read our full Sony WF-1000XM6 review

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KEF touted its LS Luxe wireless active speaker system as its “most ambitious creation to date”, and it has certainly been a success in our test rooms.

Costing £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375, the LS Luxe is a more premium proposition than the established £2199 / $2999 / AU$4295 price of the LS50 Wireless II, but the clear step up in performance means that, to our ears, the LS Luxe justifies that considerable extra outlay.

Boasting a distinctively curved aesthetic designed in collaboration with artist Ross Lovegrove, the LS Luxe has ticked all of the right boxes, and gained five stars from us across the board for its excellent standard of construction, vast feature suite and refined, authoritative sound.

To explore the process that brought KEF’s latest creation into the world, delve deep into the technologies behind it, and discover what marks the Luxe out as distinct from its stablemates, we spoke to KEF’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Dr Jack Oclee-Brown, to shine a light on the five-star LS Luxe.

KEF’s journey to active speaker systems

To understand how we arrived at this point, a brief history lesson is in order. After its founding in 1961, KEF’s first speaker was the K1, a three-way monitor with a polyester ‘Melinex’ dome, followed soon after by the original Celeste bookshelf unit and, in the 1970s, the legendary BBC LS3/5A studio monitors.

In the late 1980s, KEF released the C35 standmounter, the first of its speakers to use the now-iconic Uni-Q array, the same array (subsequently refined and amended over the years) that you will find at the heart of the LS Luxe.

More immediate heritage naturally stems from KEF’s recent success in producing full-blooded wireless stereo systems, starting in 2018 with the LS50 Wireless and refined a few years later with the Award-winning LS50 Wireless II.

Housing amplification, streaming and an extensive connectivity suite into a pair of speakers clearly came rather naturally to KEF since the launch of the LS50 Wireless, with later models, such as the LSX II and LSX II LT, garnering further plaudits.

KEF’s success at blending performance with streaming features and built-in amplification is established, and it’s the lessons taken from the successes of the brand’s active streaming speakers which have been instrumental in the development of the LS Luxe.

According to Dr Jack Oclee-Brown, “We’ve always had a strong belief in the technical advantages of active speakers. A key tenet of this is that active and passive loudspeakers shouldn’t necessarily have the same configurations of drivers or technologies.

As he explains, the development of KEF’s active and streaming-capable speakers requires bespoke technologies and design concepts: “We have an aggressive research plan that’s targeting technologies for active speakers. The algorithms are continually improved and are several generations more advanced than in our early active speakers. Our aim is to widen the performance difference between active and passive.”

So, why active wireless systems? It might seem like an odd question, but it’s a big part of KEF’s present and, most likely, its future.

Oclee-Brown explains that part of the reason is ease of use for the consumer. “Active systems are simpler; they don’t require the customer to have any prior experience of hi-fi and no other partnering equipment. The customer makes one purchase, and that’s all they need.

“I believe KEF appeals to hi-fi fans who are looking for cutting-edge performance and the very latest acoustic technology. There are many people who enjoy music and, at KEF, we are also trying to make products that will allow this audience to enjoy their music more deeply. This has been one of the driving factors behind KEF’s active streaming loudspeaker push over the past decade.”

There are advantages on the side of the manufacturer, too.

“From a technical perspective, active speakers have huge advantages, which allow us to make active speaker systems that can outperform a traditional hi-fi system of the same total price.

“It’s even more true today because we have spent the past ten years developing new acoustic technology specifically for active loudspeakers, such as ‘Uni-Core’ and ‘Velocity Control Technology’.” We’ll get to those in a moment.

A smooth operator

It’s hard to talk about the LS Luxe and not mention the design. Before you have listened to a single note from KEF’s new system, you’re probably going to have strong feelings about its curved, almost egg-like speaker cabinets.

We keep our egg-based comparisons to ourselves when asking KEF about its choice to once again collaborate with Ross Lovegrove, the Welsh designer with whom KEF previously joined forces when developing its big-money Muon floorstanders.

According to KEF, the LS Luxe’s design is a blend of the functional, the luxurious and the natural. Says Oclee-Brown: “Ross’s style is very organic, and he uses a lot of shapes inspired by nature. For the LS Luxe, his was an excellent match and resulted in a form that works extremely well from a performance perspective.”

That last part is crucial, as the speakers’ design goes beyond mere looks. Those curved edges seek to improve performance by reducing build-up of standing waves within the cabinet, while durable ‘Bulk Moulded Compound’ (BMC) composite material reduces the need for excessive internal bracing, allowing for greater internal volume within the speakers to aid their low-frequency response.

Oclee-Brown gives us a more detailed explanation as to just how much difference the speakers’ rounded form makes. The smooth shape “reduces diffraction, where sound tends to scatter from sharp edges, and this gives much smoother on- and off-axis performance, leading to the impressive and three-dimensional soundstage.”

For KEF, those rounded exteriors are key to both the LS Luxe’s look and sound.

A Luxe for life

While the LS Luxe has been a success in our test rooms, we are keen to hear how the team behind it perceive their latest creation.

In terms of prospective buyers, KEF believes “there is demand for a higher-performance stand-mount active wireless speaker that is a step up from LS50 Wireless II,” allowing for the introduction of technologies such as VECO and the implementation of that more distinctive design.

The LS Luxe is clearly billed as a step up from the LS50 Wireless II, but what’s interesting to hear is how KEF’s perception of the LS Luxe during its development marries closely to the resultant sound we experience in our listening rooms. We press Oclee-Brown to see if there is such a thing as ‘KEF’ sound, something which he describes as “wide-bandwidth, low colouration and evenly balanced”.

Admittedly, that matches up with what we have heard during our test time. We describe the LS Luxe as being “gratifyingly unfussy about placement” thanks to its “supremely well-integrated sound”. It’s a quality that tallies with KEF’s aim during development “to produce loudspeakers that work well in a wide range of rooms and with a wide range of music”.

Oclee-Brown expands upon that tuning philosophy further, explaining that a KEF speaker “can be listened to for long sessions without being fatiguing. All KEF products follow the same tuning philosophy, and as we develop new technologies or improve our facilities, the KEF sound evolves, but we still have the same overall target.”

We wonder if the tuning of this latest project in any way diverged from that established KEF philosophy, sensing a desire for evolution rather than revolution.

As KEF’s CTO further explains: “The specifics of each product, such as the size, shape, drivers, and technology package, do have an impact on the final tuning. However, we do try to remain faithful to our KEF tuning philosophy, and the outcome is that the sound signature is broadly consistent across the whole KEF speaker range.”

Again, that comes as little surprise. The LS Luxe may outshine the likes of the LSX II and the LS50 Wireless II, but the sound still exhibits the even, balanced, and refined signature of its more affordable antecedents.

The technical innovations behind the sound

A lot has gone in to creating the LS Luxe, and we get a sense that after six years of research and development, there was a desire to push beyond the boundaries of what came before.

KEF has either integrated new technologies or refined its established designs to do so. The integration of its 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array is at the heart of each speaker; it is backed by KEF’s heralded Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which absorbs rearward sound from the back of the tweeter dome.

If you’ve already read our review, you might have noticed that each speaker draws on two distinct types of amplification. With our nerdy engineer’s hat on, we probe for an answer as to why:

“One of the huge advantages of an active speaker is that there is one dedicated amplifier for each driver. We use a Class D amplifier for the low-frequency driver, which means we can have high power and high efficiency.

“For the high-frequency driver, we are using a class-A/B amplifier, which avoids switching artefacts and gives a very wide bandwidth. In both cases, the amplifiers are highly customised to the driver they are connected to.”

Notably, this is also the first speaker or speaker system to feature KEF’s ‘Velocity Control Technology’, as seen in the brand’s five-star XIO soundbar. ‘VECO’ measures the speed of the cone movement, compensating for any differences between that and the expected value in real time to reduce distortion levels.

The implementation makes sense. With KEF touting its new system as a simple, easy-to-use solution that can handle the demands of a separates hi-fi system while filling up a listening room, the Luxe needs to be able to handle the sonic demands placed upon its rounded shoulders.

As Dr Oclee-Brown explains, Veco technology has “the dual target of increasing bass output from small speakers, or reducing distortion in conventionally sized speakers such as the LS Luxe.

“In addition, it allows us to use current-output amplifiers, which also give a significant midrange distortion reduction and eliminate power compression.”

We get a feel for that ability in our test rooms. As we say in our review, “the scale and authority showcased belie the Luxe’s compact form, serving up a rendition of Hans Zimmer's Why Do We Fall? that soars… with power, scope and grandeur.”

Integrated systems, be they active, wireless stereo systems or all-in-one units, are becoming ever more popular at a time when modern music fans are increasingly seeking a blend of performance, convenience and ease of use.

The LS Luxe feels like the culmination of KEF’s desire to “appeal to hi-fi fans who are looking for cutting-edge performance and the very latest acoustic technology” in a more user-friendly design.

And we think it might have a hit on its hands. The LS Luxe is undoubtedly pricey, but from what we have heard, it’s an impressively strong alternative to an equivalent separates hi-fi system that could quite easily cost a good deal more.

MORE:

Read our review of the more affordable KEF LS50 Wireless II

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A new Sonos product is just weeks away. CEO Tom Conrad announced the September launch in the firm's third quarter earnings call. And while he stopped short of revealing the device itself, he did hint that it will be focussed around AI.

Noting that "conversational computing and predictive intelligence are moving into the home," he bigged up Sonos' 20 years' experience in solving the issues this brings, which he defined as "sound, form, systemness, and intelligence."

(If anyone knows what "systemness" is, we'd love to know.)

Unsurprisingly, he said Sonos is uniquely well placed to take advantage of the AI boom thanks to its ecosystem of multi-room-enabled speakers, which encompasses soundbars, home speakers and portable models.

While all AI models will soon offer the same abilities, he thinks what will differentiate systems is "what surrounds the [AI] model in a real home: the hardware that can converse with quality across every room, the system that already knows the shape of a home and the way a family lives in it, the connectivity to reach the speakers, services, and devices that turn a request into coordinated action.

"That’s the operating environment for AI in the home, and Sonos has spent twenty years building it."

So, we can hazard a guess that we'll see a new speaker, but the biggest changes will likely be on the inside, pivoting the Sonos platform to encompass more AI abilities.

Sonos' most recent launch was the Play earlier this year, a portable speaker that earned four stars. It recently launched its new mobile app in beta, in an attempt to win back customers frustrated at the notorious botched app launch of 2024.

That disastrous move introduced bugs while removing certain existing features, and ultimately led to the then-CEO stepping down. Since then, Sonos has been on a major charm offensive to win back customers' trust, even cancelling its rumoured set-top box in order to prioritise fixing existing problems.

A move to AI does bring big opportunities for Sonos, but also a fair amount of risk. Will customers weary of having been put through the wringer over the last couple of years really want a whole new direction and focus for the platform? Or will they just want a bit of stability following all the chaos?

It all depends on what exactly Sonos is offering.

We'll bring you any rumours concerning the launch in the run-up to September.

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Winamp, the popular media player launched in the 90s, has announced a strategic partnership with music-streaming platform Deezer, which will see the media player redesigned as a unified service, handling music and podcasts, both streamed and local.

The partnership will employ Deezer’s white-label music-streaming technology and global music catalogue to power a new premium music subscription service, which will be integrated into the upgraded Winamp Player.

Although the service will be a paid subscription, Winamp says it will deliver “a fundamentally different experience from today’s traditional digital streaming platforms, reimagining both the listening experience and the subscription model.”

Scheduled for release in the first half of 2027, the player will not be limited to streaming and will also give users access to local music libraries, internet radio stations, podcasts, personal cloud-based collections and other audio sources.

Staying true to the original version, the new player will keep its customizable interface – 90s kids, rejoice!

First released in 1997, the original Winamp media player was known for its customisation options, which included skins for the user interface. The media player’s visualiser, which created real-time, music-reactive graphics, was yet more renowned and has since become a hallmark of early 2000s music culture.

According to Alexandre Saboundijan, CEO of Winamp Group: “Winamp has always been about giving users the freedom to experience music their own way. Twenty-five years ago we changed the way people listened to digital music, and we believe the time has come to challenge the listening experience once again.”

The new Winamp Player is expected to launch in the first half of 2027. No pricing has yet been announced.

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As the resident deals writer of What Hi-Fi?, there’s one question that haunts me more than any other… when is the best time to buy an OLED?

Black Friday? Prime Day? Just after the next model comes out?

Now, those are all valid answers – they are all times we have seen price crashes on various OLED TVs. But which one is actually the cheapest? Obviously TVs become cheaper the longer they are out – but where’s the sweet spot before the TV gets discontinued or just becomes woefully outdated?

To settle things once and for all, I have undertaken a price history on one of the biggest and best TVs out there: the LG C5. The model is perfect for this exercise, as the LG C-series is extremely popular, follows a yearly release cycle, and, if you check our reviews, is a rather impressive OLED TV line.

Having covered many LG C5 deals since it was released in spring 2025, we have a fair bit of data about its price history over time. So let’s get stuck in…

LG C5: a price history

For convenience’s sake, let’s start with one size: the 55-inch LG C5, which is the largest model we reviewed and one of the more popular sizes. We reviewed the 55-inch LG C5 on 12 April 2025 at its launch price of £1900 / $1999 / AU$3299.

It didn’t take long for some serious discounts to arrive. On 21 May 2025, barely two months after release, we reported that the 55-inch C5 was down to £1520 at Richer Sounds. That’s a £380 (20 per cent) saving already – and that highlighted price didn’t even include a cashback offer that was running at the time.

55-inch LG C5 Price History

Price (£)

Date

LG C5 55-inch

Price Data

Timestamp (date)	LG C5 55-inch (£)
0	1900
1	1520
2	1199
3	1199
4	1199
5	1050
6	1099
7	1069
8	965
9	949
10	989
11	977
12	969

The next big price decrease we spotted came on 6th October 2025, when we reported that the C5 was now £1199 at Richer Sounds. The C5 had been out for more than six months at this point, so a big price decrease was not unexpected; with another six months to go until the inevitable release of the C6, the C5 was now reduced by £700 (37 per cent). But all eyes were now turning towards Black Friday...

Curiously, while we did see a good price of £1069 on Black Friday, the 55-inch C5 was actually a tad cheaper a few weeks earlier on 6th November, when we spotted it at £1050.

The C5 saved its best discount for Cyber Monday, however, when it broke through the £1000 barrier and crashed to £965 – a good 49 per cent off.

Here we see the price of the C5 start to stabilise just under the £1000 mark. Even the arrival of the LG C6 in spring 2026 didn’t result in any significant further discounts.

The next round of new lowest prices came around yet another sales event: the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026. This was a period when retailers were dropping new lowest prices on TVs left, right and centre. The LG C5 was not left on the bench – it hit rock bottom on 5th June 2026, officially reaching half price with a £949 price tag, once again at Richer Sounds.

By the time Amazon Prime Day rolled along in June 2026, the World Cup was in full swing and new TV discounts had started to die down a bit. The LG C5 was one of the star products of that sales event, with prices dropping back down to £977, but that wasn’t quite a new low for the 55-inch model.

And now? As of July 2026, the best price we found for the 55-inch LG C5 was £969 at Richer Sounds and Sevenoaks thanks to a £30 voucher code. That’s a fine price for an Award-winning OLED TV, but it’s still a few whiskers off the lowest ever price.

It’s also worth noting that it was often specialist retailers who were offering new lows on the 55-inch C5 – not always Amazon, as some might assume.

How do the other sizes compare?

After an exhaustive look at the 55-inch model, it’s only fitting that we have a quick look at other screen sizes to ensure we weren’t dealing with an outlier. Take a look at the graph below and you will see that all models roughly follow a similar trend: a rather steep drop in the first few months, before levelling out a bit after Black Friday, after which we start seeing more incremental drops.

LG C5 Price History

Price (£)

Date

LG C5 42-inchLG C5 48-inchLG C5 55-inchLG C5 65-inch

Price Data

Timestamp (date)	LG C5 42-inch (£)	LG C5 48-inch (£)	LG C5 55-inch (£)	LG C5 65-inch (£)
0	1400	N/A	N/A	N/A
1	N/A	N/A	N/A	2700
2	N/A	N/A	1900	N/A
3	N/A	N/A	1520	N/A
5	N/A	N/A	N/A	2100
6	N/A	N/A	1699	N/A
7	N/A	1500	N/A	N/A
8	N/A	999	N/A	N/A
9	N/A	N/A	1199	N/A
10	949	N/A	N/A	N/A
11	N/A	N/A	1199	N/A
12	949	N/A	N/A	N/A
13	N/A	N/A	1199	N/A
14	N/A	1049	N/A	N/A
15	949	N/A	N/A	N/A
16	N/A	N/A	N/A	1699
17	N/A	N/A	1050	N/A
18	849	N/A	N/A	N/A
19	N/A	949	N/A	N/A
20	N/A	N/A	N/A	1499
21	849	N/A	N/A	N/A
22	N/A	N/A	N/A	1499
23	N/A	N/A	1099	N/A
24	849	N/A	N/A	N/A
25	N/A	949	N/A	N/A
26	N/A	N/A	1069	N/A
27	N/A	N/A	N/A	1399
28	799	N/A	N/A	N/A
29	N/A	N/A	N/A	1299
30	N/A	N/A	989	N/A
31	N/A	849	N/A	N/A
32	740	N/A	N/A	N/A
33	N/A	N/A	955	N/A
34	N/A	N/A	N/A	1231
35	727	N/A	N/A	N/A
36	N/A	N/A	965	N/A
37	740	N/A	N/A	N/A
38	N/A	849	N/A	N/A
39	N/A	N/A	N/A	1279
40	N/A	N/A	N/A	1399
41	719	N/A	N/A	N/A
42	N/A	N/A	999	N/A
43	N/A	N/A	N/A	1249
44	N/A	849	N/A	N/A
45	699	N/A	N/A	N/A
46	N/A	807	N/A	N/A
47	699	N/A	N/A	N/A
48	N/A	849	N/A	N/A
49	N/A	781	N/A	N/A
50	656	N/A	N/A	N/A
51	N/A	749	N/A	N/A
52	N/A	N/A	949	N/A
53	N/A	N/A	989	N/A
54	649	N/A	N/A	N/A
55	N/A	759	N/A	N/A
56	N/A	N/A	N/A	1299
57	N/A	N/A	977	N/A
58	623	N/A	N/A	N/A
59	N/A	725	N/A	N/A
60	611	N/A	N/A	N/A
61	N/A	N/A	969	N/A
62	N/A	N/A	993	N/A
63	N/A	N/A	969	N/A
64	749	N/A	N/A	N/A
65	N/A	849	N/A	N/A
66	N/A	N/A	N/A	1399

Interestingly, the prices of the 42-inch and 48-inch models come very close to each other, with both crossing the £1000 barrier at similar times in late September 2025.

All models reached new lows during the Black Friday sales, even if the drops weren’t particularly dramatic from the pre-sale prices. Still, it was the 65-inch model that saw the best discount, with a whopping 54 per cent reduction from its launch price.

In terms of their lowest ever price, the two smaller models both reached this during Prime Day 2026. The 55-inch C5’s came a few weeks earlier during the World Cup sales, while the 65-inch version was a lone exception with a rock-bottom price on Black Friday thanks to a Hughes discount code.

The LG C6: history repeating itself?

So is the new LG C6 repeating the same trend? We have reviewed only the 65-inch model so far, but we’ve crunched the numbers to find out.

We have compared the prices of the LG C5 and C6 after launch in their respective years below. It’s worth noting that the LG C6 launched at a cheaper price than the preceding C5 – the 65-inch C6 came in at £2500 compared with £2700 for the corresponding C5.

LG C5 & C6 Post-launch Price History

Price (£)

Date

LG C5 65-inchLG C6 65-inch

Price Data

Timestamp (date)	LG C5 65-inch (£)	LG C6 65-inch (£)
1	2700	N/A
2	N/A	2500
3	N/A	2166
4	N/A	2079
5	2100	N/A
6	N/A	2099
7	N/A	2034
8	N/A	1889
9	1699	N/A

As we can see, the LG C6 started at a lower price and also dropped faster thanks to the World Cup sales. However, the price drops have slowed somewhat, which has allowed the LG C5 to overtake during the same time period. We’ll have to see if the C6 can reclaim the value crown over the course of this year…

When is the best time to buy an LG C-series OLED?

So when was the best time to buy the LG C5?

If you’re after the lowest-ever price, three of the four sizes we looked at hit this milestone during June 2026, which happened to coincide with the World Cup and Prime Day sales. So it seems as though a summer sale around 15 months after release is the cheapest time to buy. For the best LG C6 price, then, you’re probably looking at Prime Day 2027.

That, though, is a rather long time to wait – and it’s near the end of the TV’s life cycle, of course, when newer, more advanced models will have taken the shine away somewhat.

Our advice? Looking at the data, the sweet spot between price and time may well be during the Black Friday sales, as long suspected. While three of the C5 models went lower after Black Friday, this was only by up to nine per cent (£124) maximum – so six months is a rather long time to wait for a rather incremental drop.

When you buy a new TV is, of course, a rather personal decision that depends on several factors. But if you’re deciding based on price alone, now you know when to look for a bargain.

MORE:

Check out our list of the best TVs

Find out how to set up your TV

I have crunched the numbers, and Filmmaker Mode uses less energy

The LS Luxe is the latest active wireless speaker system to emerge from KEF’s hi-fi oven. And, from what we have heard from our testing, it’s undoubtedly one of the finest.

KEF had previously laid down a benchmark with the outstanding LS50 Wireless II in the early 2020s. The Luxe builds upon that Award-winning legacy in some style. For us, it’s five stars all around.

That is provided you get the best out of the LS Luxe, of course. This is an outstanding system with serious ability, and while KEF’s latest is capable of putting up with less-than ideal sources, stands and situations, you’ll want to pamper it as much as possible if you want to see just how stellar your five-star system can be.

With that in mind, this is how you coax the maximum performance from the mighty KEF LS Luxe.

Get a pair of S-Luxe speaker stands

The £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375 asking price for the LS Luxe is not mere pocket change, so we understand that would-be buyers might be put off at the prospect of having to part with a further £800 / $800 for a pair of dedicated S-Luxe stands. The LS Luxe is an unfussy, fairly forgiving wireless speaker system, so surely your own stands will do?

To some extent, they will. We spent a good chunk of time listening to the Luxe sitting atop our own Custom Design FS104 Signature stands, and there is no question that the resultant performance remained an enjoyable one. This is a talented system, after all.

Clarity, punch, dynamism and control remained in ample supply, and we don’t doubt that we could quite happily have lived with the Luxe perched upon our in-house plinths.

The thing is, KEF’s latest system is so good, you’ll want to get the best out of it. To do that, you’ll want the S-Luxe stands. £800 / $800 is not a small sum, but the dedicated plinths allow the Luxe to soar to new heights across practically every area of sonic performance, all while matching the speakers’ aesthetics and providing stability by screwing into each cabinet’s base.

Yes, you could put standard petrol in a Ferrari, but it’s a Ferrari. It needs premium, dude. Premium!

Use the app to fine-tune your listening

For getting the most out of your shiny new KEF system, you will need to download the accompanying KEF Connect app.

Naturally, this is the place from which you’ll find the streaming services you want, do a bit of EQ tinkering and check your general settings. But the depth of tweakery on offer allows you to really get into the nitty-gritty of optimising your system’s performance.

For a start, we’d strongly urge you to check out the app’s calibration settings.

KEF’s ‘Room EQ’ digital signal processing helps you fine-tune your sound to your listening space. It’s worth spending a bit of time with the app’s calibration parameters, wherein you can adjust your Luxe’s sonic output depending on factors such as room size, the distance you have placed your speakers from your wall, and how damped your listening space is.

You can also choose the level of depth you want to go into when tinkering with your settings, with a ‘Basic’ mode for more casual changes sitting alongside an ‘Expert’ mode for listeners who want to dig into the minutiae of their experience.

Either way, you should notice a big difference.

Use the interconnect cable

We know it’s not particularly attractive to look at, but if you want to get the best sound from the LS Luxe, the provided interconnect cable is a must.

The Luxe is capable of accepting PCM files up to 24-bit/384kHz, but if you are using a wireless connection between your speakers, this is downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz. Connecting the master and slave speakers using the included cable, however, pushes playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

It’s totally worth it in our book. Wires have always been a more efficient means of transmission than wireless methods, and the sonic dividends you’ll reap from having that interconnect are significant. Everything sounds crisper, cleaner and more defined, with more punch and authority than a wireless connection can provide.

And the cable is literally included in the box. Aesthetics aside, you’ve got nothing to lose. And, if you also end up picking up a pair of S-Luxe plinths, they are designed so that you can hide your cables away at the rear of each stand.

Get the right look for your space

This isn’t a design that will suit everyone.

The speakers themselves, designed by Ross Lovegrove, continue the distinctive aesthetic language of Lovegrove’s previous collaborations, with smooth, edgeless cabinets that have elicited mixed responses in our offices. Some of us like their looks; others are less keen; some have found that the aesthetic has grown on them over time.

The point is, the LS Luxe is designed to be an artistic statement, as well as a musical one. With that in mind, you’ll want to make sure that the speakers will fit in with your listening space. You could find that they stick out like a sore thumb if you try to place them in your panelled reading room or Victorian boudoir. Whatever a boudoir is.

Our advice? Find a physical retailer and go to see the LS Luxe for yourself. Partly to figure out if the design will fit with your space, partly because you may be able to hear them for yourself, and partly because you’ll be able to appreciate the different finishes on offer.

From what we have seen, the shiny, luxurious texture of our silvery ‘Dusk Titanium’ test sample is very different from the matte finish of the ‘Mineral White’ option or the rather foreboding visage of the ‘Eclipse Black’ colourway.

These things make a big difference, especially as this is going to be a purchase that you may well be planning to keep for years or even decades.

Experiment with positioning

Thanks in part to its signature Uni-Q driver array, the LS Luxe is impressively unfussy about placement. The Uni-Q array has always been a winner when it comes to producing a supremely well-integrated, consistent sound that times brilliantly – and with the LS Luxe, it's the same old story.

Naturally, we experimented with positioning when testing KEF’s latest; and you should too.

Not all listening spaces are born equal, however, and while we found that our test sample performed around its best with the speakers firing straight ahead on their dedicated stands sitting roughly 30cm from the back wall of our smaller 3m x 4m x 7m listening room, that won’t be the case for everyone.

It’s always worth seeing what works for you in your listening room to optimise the performance you receive, even with a system as unfussy as this one. Moving a little closer or further to or from your back wall will affect the resultant bass output, while you might find that you prefer the way the speakers sound when they are angled slightly towards you.

We advise you not to use the Luxe on a desktop unless you really have to. The speakers will perform admirably when plonked on a desk or table, but you’re simply not going to get close to revealing the limits of their considerable abilities.

To us, it just seems like a bit of a waste.

MORE:

Read our KEF LSX II LT review

And our KEF Coda W review

Our guide to the best speakers we have tested and recommend across all budgets and types

Welcome to the first edition of What Hi-Fi?’s resurrected Sound Advice feature!

This used to be something we ran in the magazine, where we answered reader questions, and now it’s back, in new, improved website form.

This is your opportunity to ask us those burning hi-fi, home cinema and TV questions. We can help you decide on your next purchase, give you our opinions on new formats, and answer questions about our reviewing process.

Aside from diagnosing faults with your kit (which the manufacturer is better placed to handle), if your question relates to hi-fi or AV, we can almost certainly help.

There are, in fact, two components to this reborn Sound Advice feature.

First up, we’re running a live Q&A between 1pm and 3pm today. You can go ahead and pop your questions into the box below now, if you want to get ahead of the game, or wait for us to be actively manning the page from 1pm.

We have also collated reader questions that have been sent to us via the website, our socials and the whathifi@futurenet.com email address. Simply scroll down or use the quick links to see these.

Live Q&A

Time to upgrade a 30-year-old hi-fi?

LSX II LT vs Wiim Ultra + speakers

OLED vs RGB Mini LED

Sony SW9 review?

Dedicated home cinema projector

Recap vintage speakers?

MORE:

Here are all of the best speakers, best TVs and best projectors you can buy right now

The Disney+ Premium subscription just got a lot worse in certain countries. The service has removed access to 4K and HDR in some European countries, FlatpanelsHD reports.

Previously, Disney also removed support for Dolby Vision and 3D over a patent dispute before restoring both.

The loss of 4K and HDR is due to a court case, Disney claims, and it describes the move as “temporary”. However, there’s no word on when access will be restored, or whether those affected will receive compensation.

Like with the Dolby Vision and 3D issue previously, it mostly affects Nordic countries. We have confirmed on our own Disney+ Premium subscription that UK viewers are not affected.

“Following a recent court ruling affecting the technology we use to deliver 4K UHD and HDR, we have temporarily removed support for 4K UHD and HDR on Disney+,” The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltic told Flatpanels. “We are disappointed and share our customers’ frustration. We are working hard to restore support as quickly as possible.”

This leaves Premium subscribers in the affected regions paying for features that they cannot access.

In the UK, Disney+ Premium costs £14.99 a month, compared with £9.99 for the Standard tier.

Disney hasn’t disclosed the exact details concerning the court ruling in question. The removal of Dolby Vision and 3D was related to a decision by the Unified Patent Court (UPC) in Europe following a patent dispute involving US-based company InterDigital.

It’s yet another reminder that streaming customers are beholden to the vagaries and legal quandaries facing the companies providing the service. We’ve never heard of a Blu-ray disc being downgraded after purchase.

MORE:

The best Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray players you can buy

Why I will never give up my DVD collection

Here's how much your streaming habit actually costs a year

Every hi-fi or AV product that sits in your living room had to start somewhere. Some are brand-spanking new, while others have been around for more than 100 years.

Behind each product are years of experimentation and innovation. But where did their journeys start? We have picked a few of our favourite firsts, and challenge you to a battle of wits.

Plenty of technologies now used in the home were first developed for businesses, but we will be focusing on when they first became commercially available. There’s no prize for a spotless score sheet, but you can picture a thankful round of applause.

MORE:

These are the best soundbars

Check out the best floorstanding speakers

Can you name all the types of hi-fi and AV cables from the photos?

Picture, if you can, a man of entirely average fitness on a bicycle, wheezing his way up a steep rural hillside in a pair of cycling shorts that are rather too small, carrying a ‘work’ rucksack containing Roberts’ new outdoor radio, the SolarDAB 99.

Besides the exciting tech in his bag, it isn’t a particularly charming scene, is it?

Well, let me tell you, it’s even less charming when you are that man. But, having committed to putting the radio manufacturer’s new outdoor-friendly offering to the test, I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

I arrived at the campsite just before sunset, and much to my delight, found it deserted. On my cycle over, I had worried that it might be too busy for me to test the radio’s volume controls in good conscience. But, without a soul in sight, the sonic landscape was ours for the evening.

So, after pitching my one man tent, I got down to business.

First impressions

Right off the bat, I liked the look of this radio. Like a sleeker, smaller version of a Makita job site radio, it has a rugged, no-frills appearance that is refreshingly out of step with some of Roberts’ more retro-styled lifestyle radios that we have tested. Around the radio’s edges, Roberts has included sturdy bumpers to protect the main body.

With its handy carry strap and various powering options (solar panel, hand crank, USB-C, and a rechargeable battery), the multi-tool approach taken to this design is hard to miss – but it’s well integrated and tasteful.

Pulling the SolarDAB 99 from my bag and setting it down in the dry, yellowing grass, I was also pleased by its weight. On my journey over, I hadn’t felt that I was carrying any excess, but in hand – and despite its plastic casing – the radio feels just bulky and solid enough to give a real impression of quality.

Once I switched the radio on and extended its lengthy telescopic antenna, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease with which I was able to set it up.

Despite being fairly well in the middle of nowhere, I encountered no trouble scanning for and tuning in to a broad selection of DAB, DAB+ and FM stations – more of them, indeed, than I was ever going to get time to listen to.

Connecting via Bluetooth was also a breeze, and the radio appeared in my iPhone 15’s Bluetooth settings almost immediately after I selected pairing mode.

Into the woods

By the time I had spent a while exploring the SolarDAB 99’s features, the sun was bowing out below the horizon. So I thought I had better go for a wander, lest my evening in the wild be wasted.

Clipping the radio to my bag via its robust carry strap, I set off into the woods to the soundtrack of BBC Radio 4.

As it got darker, I turned on the radio’s useful flashlight. This features options for a wide beam of white light, a more narrow, focused beam and a red light. Each setting is available in two brightnesses, and as a flashing SOS signal or a regular flashing mode.

Soon, having lost myself in the forest, I was relieved to find that the torch’s light was more than bright enough to hike by. Fumbling for the illumination mode button, I accidentally set off the radio’s emergency alarm, which, blessedly, starts off relatively quiet, increasing in volume with each beep.

For those of you planning to listen to the radio and hike with a torch simultaneously (you crazy cats, you), it’s worth noting that the flashing modes do sometimes add white-noise interference when listening to weak FM signals. With a strong signal, however, you shouldn’t have any issue.

The radio’s solar panel also seems to work a treat. While Roberts claims a 20-hour battery life from the SolarDAB 99’s rechargeable battery, with the help of earlier sunlight, I didn’t see the charge drop by more than a single bar (of which there are a total of four) during my trip, despite listening for the entire evening.

Roberts says the hand crank offers seven minutes of playback per minute of cranking, but given that I already had charge, I didn’t get to put that to a proper test. It does, however, have a very satisfying feel for a few spins.

Eventually, by a fusion of pure chance and nerve-soothing radio, I made it back to the tent.

But can Roberts sing?

Day to day at What Hi-Fi?, we are blessed with the work of listening to music on a wide variety of systems, some of which are well and truly top of the line products. As such, I was conscious of approaching the SolarDAB 99’s sound with an open mind.

But, as it happened, this radio had no need for my tolerance. Radio presenters’ voices are delivered with naturalness and low-end authority, especially for a small DAB/FM radio measuring just 11.4 x 20.3 x 8.9 cm (hwd). Music sometimes sways towards the richer side of things, but nonetheless comes across with power and a satisfying degree of clarity.

To get the most out of the radio’s high frequencies, I would suggest tilting the speaker towards your listening position. Conveniently, the rear dynamo crank can be pulled part way out to act as a lean support.

Dynamics – which are often all but lost to the compression processes necessary for radio transmission – are also distinct, making for an expressive and entertaining listen overall.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the radio’s maximum volume isn’t going to burst any eardrums, but it certainly goes loud enough that, had I been sharing the campsite with anybody else, I suspect I would have been somewhat unpopular. Turn it down low, and the SolarDAB 99 does a great job of holding on to its low end punch.

One of my favourite qualities of this radio, however, was one I discovered by accident.

Leaving the radio playing while I made my way to the campsite’s primitive latrines, I noticed that, although I had been playing music at an eminently hearable volume, mere metres from my pitch, I could hardly hear a thing.

Morning thoughts

Come morning, as I packed away my optimistically labelled ‘one-man’ cocoon, I found myself feeling rather impressed with the SolarDAB 99 radio.

While its roster of adventure-friendly features might seem overkill at first glance, they had each proven useful – occasionally, completely vital – during my trip. Indeed, finding that my smartphone’s battery was nearly depleted, I could even recharge it via the radio’s 5V USB-A output.

In the words of the architect Charles Eames: “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host, anticipating the needs of his guests.” In this case, I think Roberts has managed to do exactly that.

MORE:

Best DAB radios 2026: the best-sounding digital radios we have tested and highly recommend

Read the Roberts Stream 219 review

We asked eight sound engineers for their top studio test tracks – here’s what they picked and why

We would always recommend going for the biggest TV your space and budget allows – but for some of us, that will only be a 42-inch TV. If that’s the case for you, then we have found a great deal for you – £120 off the Samsung S90F.

This TV has dropped to just £629 at Richer Sounds. That’s £20 cheaper than at Amazon. Bargain.

Samsung S90F 42-inch deal

Cards on the table: we haven’t reviewed this exact model. But the 48-inch S90F earned five stars, so we have high expectations of the 42-incher.

True, it has feet rather than a pedestal stand like its bigger brother. And smaller screens tend to have a lower HDR brightness than their larger equivalents. On the plus side, the smaller panel size should mean a higher pixel density, and hence a slightly sharper image.

The 42-inch model is as well equipped for gamers as the 48-incher, with four HDMI 2.1 ports, and a host of gaming features such as AMD FreeSync Premium, HGiG, AI Auto Game Mode, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Game Motion Plus and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR).

We found the 48-inch S90F’s picture a bit red at first, and the motion a bit too smooth, but tweaking the settings helps. Overall, picture quality is superb, with realistic skin tones and solid detail levels across both the light and dark parts of the image.

Contrast might be a touch heavy-handed, leading to some black crush, but “the overall image is wonderfully three-dimensional and immersive”, we concluded.

The 42-incher has only 40W of sound output, compared with the 48-incher’s 60W. We found the latter’s speakers weak and plagued by distortion at higher volumes – hardly surprising, given that most small TVs sound terrible. So we wouldn’t expect much of the 42-incher’s audio.

But if you can put that £120 saving towards one of the best budget soundbars, you should be richly rewarded.

MORE:

Read our Samsung S90F review (48 inch)

I test OLED TVs for a living – and trust me, different sizes perform differently

We rate the best small TVs around

Picking a pair of floorstanding speakers is quite the challenge. We have rated the latest efforts from PMC, Fyne Audio, and ProAc all rather highly as of late, and there are some impressive options from Q Acoustics and Acoustic Energy to be mindful of, too.

With an overwhelming influence of British audio brands present on our list of the best floorstanding speakers, I have been searching further afield to scope out some alternative options. And one of my most recent voyages took me all the way to Mississauga, Canada.

This city, 28km southwest of Toronto, is home to speaker manufacturer Paradigm, as well as its sister brands Martin Logan and Anthem. Paradigm's latest speaker release is its Premier v2 range, and as the name may suggest, it’s a successor to the brand's original Premier speaker range.

Along with a fascinating factory tour and some interesting discussions with key members of the Paradigm team, I had a chance to listen to the top-of-the-range floorstanding speakers from this newly updated series.

The Premier 820F v2, as you’re about to find out, made a strong first impression, but with this much competition in the market, can it displace some of the British stalwarts on our list?

Price

Paradigm has shared pricing for its Premier V2 range in the US, but UK pricing is currently unconfirmed. What I can say, though, is that the Premier 820F floorstanders I heard cost $1300 per speaker, so that's around £980 based on current currency conversion, or $2600 (around £1960) for a pair.

That puts these speakers in the mid-range of the hi-fi speaker market and in direct competition with the Award-winning Fyne Audio F502S (£2300 / $2800 / AU$3000) floorstanding speakers.

The PMC Prodigy 5 also loom large as 2024 Award-winners, priced at £1995 / $2510 / AU$3399.

Paradigm also sells another, slightly smaller, set of floorstanders in this range – the Premier 720F v2 – as well as two pairs of standmount speakers (the 120B v2 and 220B v2), alongside two centre channel options: the 520LCR (which can be used as either a centre, left or right channel) and the dedicated 620C v2 centre channel speaker.

With Premier in the name, it should come as no surprise that this series is destined for use in home theatre rooms in a 5.1 surround sound (or larger) arrangement.

Build quality

The Premier 820F v2 are a sensibly styled pair of speakers and, in many ways, they look and feel a touch more premium than their price tag may suggest.

At the core of the design is the vortex-like spiral waveguide, which has become a staple on the company’s other, more premium speaker ranges. It looks good, and it serves a purpose, which we’ll divulge shortly.

These speakers sport clean, sharp lines with prominent, protruding metal-spiked feet on the bottom edge of each speaker, which look pleasingly industrial and help to reduce unwanted vibrations.

I saw these speakers in both walnut and black-walnut finishes, and found them eye-catching yet not too distracting for those who want speakers to blend into their listening space. Paradigm will also offer these speakers in a piano-black option for fans of high-gloss finishes (and dusting).

Features

Paradigm has loaded the Premier 820F v2 speakers with a helping of trickle-down speaker technology from its more premium ranges.

These include combined aluminium, magnesium and ceramic (‘AL-MAC’) tweeters, alongside an aluminium and magnesium (‘AL-MAC’) midrange driver, which are designed to produce lifelike and natural-sounding vocals and instruments.

The phase-aligning waveguide (the vortex-style one that I mentioned above) plays a key role in focusing sound towards the listener without having to worry about awkward room layouts.

Paradigm has also outfitted these three-way floorstanders with its 7-inch Carbon X bass drivers, which, alongside the high-volume enclosure, move a considerable amount of air to produce “visceral, controlled bass and expansive soundstaging”.

The inclusion of a rear-facing port also aids bass. These speakers weren't placed too far into the room, and as you can see from the photographs I took in Paradigm's home theatre room, they're not all that far from the corner of the room.

Despite this, the bass doesn't feel boomy or overblown, as we'll continue to find out in the sound section below.

Finally, the industrial-styled feet I touched on earlier also have a special role. They are officially called "Outrigger Shock-Mount Isolation Feet", and they work by physically decoupling the speaker from the floor to control vibrations and resonance.

Inside each foot is a system of springs and an isolation layer, which Paradigm says will achieve “cleaner, more detailed soundstage and tighter bass across any surface”.

Sound

Paradigm’s goal here was to produce speakers that prioritise the original artist’s intent, and that became quickly evident during my demo session.

I must reiterate that this hands-on review doesn’t reflect our final judgement. We’ll need to test these speakers in our dedicated listening room with our reference amplifier and the appropriate comparisons as we do with all What Hi-Fi? reviews, to attach a final star rating.

Paradigm paired these speakers with an amplifier from its sister company, Anthem, for this testing, with music being streamed on Tidal via the Control4 wireless home automation system.

With that in mind, these speakers ticked a plethora of boxes during my listening session, which took place in Paradigm’s sound-treated home theatre space. Aside from a few specially selected tracks, I was also given free rein to stream tracks to the speakers for quite some time.

Paradigm suggested a live rendition of Trouble's What You're In by Fink, which exposed the 820F v2’s strengths immediately. The sense of space revealed here was superb; this recording takes place in the Union Chapel, London, before a live audience, and the Paradigm speakers did a stellar job of recreating the ambience of the venue with this track.

I also felt that the speakers balanced warmth and crispness nicely, with a full-bodied and textured approach to vocalist Fin Greenall's lyrics.

Despite sounding crisp and detailed, the speakers didn’t verge into sounding too revealing or analytical, which also meant that they really drew me in – especially during this track.

I then switched to Taylor Swift’s The 1 (I know; I couldn’t help myself). This is still a fairly slow and stripped-back track, all things considered, but it certainly has more elements compared with the previous track.

The track is underpinned by a melodic piano and simplistic looping percussion, both of which had plenty of texture and depth when being played through the Premier 820F v2.

Swift’s vocals were equally textured, especially during the harmonised sections of the track, and without sounding reductive, these speakers just sounded very listenable and enjoyable. The comforting, warm sound and oodles of detail certainly helped, as I'm sure did the comfy leather recliner I was sitting in.

Finally, I tried Alaska by Maggie Rogers on these speakers, which once again adds more elements compared with the previous track. Here, I got a sense of how the speakers handle the low end – and Paradigm’s mission statement seems to ring true.

The size of these cabinets and the larger bass drivers did their job in delivering a controlled and punchy dose of low end, which juxtaposed Rogers’ sweet and crisp vocals that lean towards the higher frequencies on this track.

Early verdict

We’ll need to properly test these speakers on our side of the pond to draw up any sort of final verdict, but my initial run-in with the Premier 820F v2 left me feeling quite positive.

While I am most interested in trying them in a surround-sound arrangement alongside some cinematic content, this musical demonstration of the stereo pair proved to me that these floorstanders are worth keeping an eye on.

MORE:

Read our full Fyne Audio F502S review

As well as our PMC Prodigy 5 review

And check out our picks for the best floorstanding speakers

Looking for a new TV but not sure where to start?

Well, you’re certainly in the right place. Here at What Hi-Fi? our expert home cinema testers have reviewed hundreds of TVs, and you can see their current recommendations in one of our many best TV buying guides.

But if you’re after something a bit more personalised, we’ve got just the quiz for you. Fill out your preferences in the questionnaire below, and you’ll be presented with a top-rated TV that best fits your requirements.

They are all five-star TVs which we have tested, so no matter which TV the quiz suggests for you, you can be sure it’s a quality product that has earned the What Hi-Fi? recommendation. There are more than a few Award winners included too – be sure to read our reviews for more in-depth thoughts.

For more home cinema advice, have a look at our guide on how far to sit from your TV, as well as our guide to 5.1 vs 7.2 surround sound. For now, though, find out which TV is right for you:

MORE:

Best 65-inch TVs: the top models we have tested

Find out how to set up your TV and get the best picture

How to combine stereo and surround sound in one AV system – your guide

The next Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini could launch in just a couple of months. Both devices could land as soon as the autumn, according to reliable source Mark Gurman at Bloomberg.

Both current devices are getting on a bit now – the Apple TV 4K launched in 2022, while the HomePod Mini made its debut all the way back in 2020.

While the rumour says we won’t get any design changes, the chips inside each will be upgraded. The Apple TV 4K runs on the A15 Bionic (the same processor as the iPhone 13), while the HomePod Mini runs an S5 (also found in the Apple Watch Series 5).

Newer processors should speed up both devices, as well as adding more features and capabilities.

The report also mentions Apple’s new smart home hub, which should launch between October and the start of next year. There are apparently two models in development, one with a screen attached to a half-dome base, the other which is fixed to a wall with magnets.

It could well be the HomePod with a screen that was rumoured years ago.

Facial recognition is said to be a key feature. The device will recognise who’s looking at it, unlock personal content for them (their own personal calendar, for example) and alter the font size and type of information in real time.

We’ve been hankering after a new Apple TV 4K for years now. Top of our wish list? More processing power. Let’s hope our prayers are answered this autumn.

MORE:

Here’s what we want from a new Apple TV 4K

Come on already – where on earth is the new Apple TV 4K?

The new tvOS 27 nearly makes up for the missing next-generation Apple TV 4K

Q Acoustics’ new 3040c floorstanding speaker completes the brand’s most affordable 3000c speaker range, two years after the first model launched.

A step down from its 3050c sibling, it promises to bring the “performance, design, and technological advances” of the 3000c series to a floorstanding form factor.

Like other models in the 3000c series, it features Q Acoustics’ C3 driver platform. C3 (‘C-cubed’) stands for Continuous Curved Cone, and combines the powerful bass response of a traditional straight cone with the superior midrange clarity and high-frequency control of a flared cone. This makes for a “controlled bass performance, expressive midrange and smoother integration with the high-frequency driver,” according to Q Acoustics.

But it also takes technology from the brand’s flagship Concept series. Its tweeter has a floating design that is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated from the baffle, reducing internal pressure and midrange vibrations. Combined with the vented inner chamber, it should create ultra-low distortion and less colouring, as well as a lower crossover point and seamless transition between drivers.

Point to Point (P2P) bracing on internal areas of the cabinet creates a more focused stereo image and wider soundstage, while Helmholtz Pressure Equaliser (HPE) tubes nullify internal pressure to improve the frequency response.

Like the 3050c, it has a solid aluminium stabiliser design, with top-adjustable spikes for making it level. And it benefits from the 5000 series’ low-profile terminal panel with recessed binding posts that let you place it closer to a wall in order to maximise floorspace in smaller rooms.

The speaker cabinet features Q Acoustics’ signature curved profile, with no visible joints or bolts for a streamlined, minimalist look. And it comes in four finishes: Satin Black, Satin White, Pink Oak or Claro Walnut.

The 3040c is out now in the UK; it comes to the US in October. At £599 / $1099 (AU$TBC), it's priced just below the 3050c (which costs £749 / $1199).

MORE:

Read our Q Acoustics 3000c series hands-on review

And our Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 with Q SUB100 review

The best floorstanding speakers around

How well do you know your hi-fi history? To put you to the test, we’ve created this quiz to see if you can name the very first audio products from some legendary hi-fi brands, from Wharfedale to Technics to Sonus Faber.

We have focused on just 12 hi-fi brands here – otherwise we’d all be here forever – and we are looking for the exact product name of each brand’s very first commercially available hi-fi product. (If you get stuck, the answers can be found in many of the recent features on the site, as part of our What Hi-Fi? 50th anniversary celebrations this year...)

There aren’t any prizes for getting full marks beyond your own personal pride and our congratulations – but we hope you have fun along the way. Enjoy, and post your score in the comments below!

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Quiz! Can you name all the types of hi-fi and AV cables from the photos?

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We asked 8 sound engineers for their top studio test tracks – here’s what they picked and why

KEF is to active speaker systems what Spain is to international football at the moment.

From the Award-winning LSX II active wireless stereo system to the Bluetooth-ready Coda W active standmounts, the brand’s blending of features and performance is where KEF has really shone over the past few years.

Acting as a step-up from the fiercely talented (and multiple Award-winning) LS50 Wireless II, the new KEF LS Luxe once again integrates amplification and streaming into a compact stereo system, incorporating all of KEF’s know-how into what is a decidedly more premium standmount package than the company has made before.

At £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375, we’re moving into more high-end territory compared with the £2199 / $2999 / AU$4295 LS50 Wireless II, with KEF claiming that the LS Luxe is the result of six years of research and development. Given how well the product performs, that time has been extremely well spent.

Build & design

“A presence designed to hold the room before a single note is played.”

That’s how KEF has described the LS Luxe’s looks, and while subjective tastes are likely to dictate exactly how you feel about the cabinets’ distinctive styling, there’s no question that the speakers themselves are capable of drawing the eye before they even have a chance to grab you by the ears.

The cabinet exteriors have been designed in collaboration with Ross Lovegrove, the Welsh designer with whom KEF previously joined forces when crafting the mighty Muon floorstanders, the portable Muo Bluetooth speaker, and the distinctive Mu headphones/earbuds range.

The LS Luxe very much continues the distinctive design language of Lovegrove’s previous collaborations, typified by their rounded, edgeless cabinets which, when sporting their ‘Dusk Titanium’ finish, positively gleam thanks to their luxuriously polished exteriors. That pebble-like speaker design will not be for everyone, and it may depend on which of the three finishes – Eclipse Black, Dusk Titanium or Mineral White – you choose.

What’s less up for debate is the tangible high quality of the speakers’ construction.

Pick up each speaker and you’ll feel how weighty and substantial they are, with everything about the LS Luxe – from the finish of their curved shells to the seamless integration of the driver array and front baffle – speaking of a product constructed with genuine care.

That design isn’t just for show, either. That curved form aims to improve performance by reducing the build up of internal standing waves within the cabinet, whereas the use of durable ‘Bulk Moulded Compound’ (BMC) composite material reduces the need for excessive internal bracing, allowing for greater internal volume within the speakers to aid their low-frequency performance.

Turn the speakers around and you’ll see an equally distinctively designed aluminium heatsink, which is crafted to provide a greater surface area to more efficiently dissipate heat generated by the active electronics within. A flared reflex port also sits at the rear of each unit, designed using KEF’s ‘Flexible Port Technology’ where the port’s walls use a flexible material to reduce internal resonances.

At the heart of each speaker is KEF’s 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array, where the tweeter sits in the middle of the mid/bass unit in pursuit of more even sonic dispersion, better integration and improved time alignment. KEF’s now-familiar Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which absorbs rearward sound from the back of the tweeter dome, is also incorporated in pursuit of a cleaner, purer sound.

In terms of power, 280 watts of Class D amplification are directed to powering the mid/bass unit, while 100 watts of Class A/B amplification drives the tweeter.

That Uni-Q driver assembly is mechanically decoupled from the cabinet to reduce panel vibrations. Incorporated within the driver assembly is a decoupling chassis that damps the vibrations of the motor system, preventing them from feeding into the cabinet panels. The aim is to improve clarity and reduce distortion.

KEF has included a suitably premium-feeling remote control with the LS Luxe, as well as a speaker interconnect cable to optimise performance and an HDMI cable for use with your TV or home cinema set-up. Two power cables are also included, with both speakers requiring mains power – something to bear in mind when setting up your system.

What you don’t get included in the LS Luxe’s standard sale price are dedicated stands. If you want to get hold of a pair, KEF sells a set of S-Luxe stands for £800 / $800 / AU$1230 which you’ll have to put together yourself and screw into the base of each speaker.

That’s a considerable outlay on top of an already premium purchase, but our testing found that these stands help to optimise performance, secure the speakers in place and, thanks to their complementary aesthetic, and help them look their best. In other words, we feel that these stands would be money well spent.

Features

The KEF LS Luxe offers a suitably well-stocked connectivity suite to go with the system’s premium outlay.

KEF has been generous with the array of physical connectivity options on offer. Around the back of the primary speaker unit, you’ll find HDMI eARC, 3.5mm analogue, optical and coaxial inputs, while each of the two speakers has a dedicated output for adding a single subwoofer or a pair if necessary.

On the streaming side, the system uses KEF’s W2 Wireless Platform, which we’ve already experienced in the brand’s established LS wireless range. This grants access to popular streaming services such as Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect and Deezer, along with internet radio.

There’s also the further convenience of AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast and Bluetooth 5.3, while UPnP compatibility means you can stream hi-res music from a connected external NAS drive. Roon Ready support is slated to arrive in 2027.

Hi-res file support depends on how you choose to set up and listen, with KEF’s new system capable of handling PCM files up to 24-bit/384kHz alongside DSD128. If you’re using a wireless connection between your speakers, those higher resolution files are internally downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz, whereas connecting the master and slave speakers using the included interconnect cable pushes playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

Further technologies seek to enhance the LS Luxe’s performance beyond mere hardware. This is the first speaker product to feature KEF’s ‘Velocity Control Technology’, as seen in the brand’s five-star XIO soundbar, where the speed of cone movement is measured, and any differences between that and the expected value are compensated for in real time. The result is lower distortion levels.

Additionally, a proprietary ‘Music Integrity Engine’ tech uses digital signal processing algorithms to maintain accuracy and tonality no matter the volume at which the LS Luxe is played.

For getting the most out of your shiny new set-up, you’ll want to download the comprehensive and easy-to-use KEF Connect app, from which you’ll be able to control and set up your speakers. You can tweak the sound yourself using a customisable equaliser, while KEF’s ‘Room EQ’ digital signal processing helps you fine-tune your sound to your listening space.

It’s worth spending a bit of time with the app’s calibration settings, as, while the LS Luxe isn’t a prima donna in terms of positioning, you’ll certainly notice a difference when you tinker with the app’s various parameters, such as room size, the distance you’ve placed your speakers from your wall, and how damped your listening space is.

Sound

We decide to give our review sample the best chance possible to showcase its talents by screwing each speaker tightly to their dedicated S-Luxe stands, using the provided inter-speaker cable for the highest transmission rate possible (24-bit/192kHz), and kicking off with some hi-res wireless streaming via Tidal.

Naturally, we experiment with positioning, and find that they perform best with the speakers firing straight ahead and sitting roughly 30cm from the back wall of our 3m x 4m x 7m listening room.

Thanks in part to that updated Uni-Q driver array, the LS Luxe is gratifyingly unfussy about placement, producing a supremely well-integrated sound that remains consistent no matter our listening position.

What we discover is a wireless system with poise, control and, dare we say it, genuine grace. Like a fine wine or one of those acclaimed French arthouse movies, the KEF LS Luxe needs a little time for its true spectrum of talents to be appreciated.

The LS Luxe does not reach out and grab us by our lapels; instead, it reproduces our music with an even-handed, mature yet authoritative nature that slowly but inevitably places us under its bewitching spell.

This is a sonic signature we’ve heard before, from the more affordable LSX II and LSX II LT stereo systems and the established LS50 Wireless II. But the Luxe piles on extra helpings of detail and precision to that confident, articulate presentation we’ve experienced from KEF in recent years.

Listen to Massive Attack’s Atlas Air, and you’ll get a clear indication that for clarity, textural detail and overall scale, the LS Luxe is considerably ahead of the LS50 Wireless II, anchored by a taut, authoritative bass reproduction that sinks low without sagging like a bulldog’s floppy jowls.

While what we’re dealing with is a standmount speaker system, the scale and authority showcased belie the Luxe’s compact form. We load up Hans Zimmer’s Why Do We Fall? from the Dark Knight Rises soundtrack, and our reward is a rendition that soars with so much power, scope and grandeur that it’s hard to resist the urge to don our cape and cowl and go out looking for bad guys to bring to justice.

Punch and panache live side by side, with the LS Luxe knitting music together so expertly that even truly demanding tracks can’t catch it napping. Whether it's the gale-force hurricane of Slipknot’s Before I Forget, the magisterial grandeur of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture or the carefully curated strangeness of Yosi Horiko’s Bubbles, the Luxe barely breaks a sweat.

Interlocking rhythms are expressive and nimble, while dynamic ebbs and flows are communicated confidently without sounding artificial or overdone.

We use our Cyrus CDi player connected to the optical input to test the internal DAC, and again, that core character is firmly intact as we spin Jeff Buckley’s Grace, and the LS Luxe excels at revealing the intimacy, delicacy and emotion of the seminal record. We also connect the Luxe to the Cyrus using a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable, and we continue to receive a high standard of performance.

While most of our listening is done using the S-Luxe stands, we also place the speakers on our tried-and-tested FS104 Signature plinths, and while the performance remains impressive, it isn’t as crisp and dynamic. The speakers themselves are just about compact enough to be placed on a desk, but at this premium price, they’re best suited to being listened to on stands.

Switching to Bluetooth will also result in an inevitable drop-off in clarity and precision, but the LS Luxe still retains its even, mature nature when playing through this less-than-ideal streaming medium. They do their best to shine, but it’s clear that we’re placing a limit on the system’s considerable abilities.

Verdict

The LS Luxe feels like another milestone in KEF’s recent history of providing outstanding wireless stereo speaker systems.

Yes, it’s a good deal more expensive than the LS50 Wireless II, and no, that distinctive curved design won’t be for everyone – but in terms of performance, this is a mightily impressive addition to KEF’s catalogue.

If you’re willing to pay that premium price – and fork out a bit extra for some dedicated stands to get the best out of them – then slick performance and outstanding sound will be your reward.

Review published: 30th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF LS50 Wireless II

Also consider the KEF LSX II

Best active speakers: our experts pick the top pairs with integrated amplifiers

KEF has a new pair of active wireless speakers. The LS Luxe sits above the Award-winning LS50 Wireless II, and its distinctive aesthetics are the brainchild of renowned designer Ross Lovegrove, the man behind KEF’s ultra-high-end Muon speaker, Muo Bluetooth speaker, and (rather disappointing) Mu wireless headphones.

We have already given our verdict, so check out our exclusive KEF LS Luxe review to see what we make of it.

The LS Luxe speaker system is touted as KEF’s “most ambitious creation to date”, with numerous proprietary technologies helping it “set a new definition for wireless hi-fi”. Bold claims, but then these active speakers with network streaming do offer a lot of impressive technology.

One such example is a 12th-generation 6.5-inch Uni-Q driver array supported by KEF's 'Metamaterial Absorption Technology' (MAT). Uni-Q has been at the heart of KEF’s speakers for years – this driver array puts the tweeter at the acoustic centre of the woofer, meaning more even sound dispersion, with a wider sweet spot and minimal distortion.

The MAT technology claims to absorb 99 per cent of unwanted rear sound from the tweeter for clearer highs, and, because the Uni-Q assembly is mechanically decoupled with a flexible chassis, it isolates vibrations for greater sonic integrity.

LS Luxe also has the same Velocity Control Technology (VECO) as the Award-winning XIO soundbar, making it the first speaker to feature the tech. VECO – recipient of our recent Innovation Of The Year Award – is a closed-loop system whose velocity sensor monitors the Uni-Q driver in real time, so the amplifier can instantly correct any movement inconsistencies to improve the bass and reduce distortion.

We’re not done with the acronyms quite yet. KEF’s 'Music Integrity Engine' (MIE) promises more detail, accuracy and better tonality even at lower volumes, and uses finely tuned digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms to maintain definition.

Each speaker has a 100W Class A/B and 280W Class D current-drive amplifier inside, to deliver “high output with lower distortion for pure, dynamic sound”.

KEF’s W2 wireless platform brings native support for streaming services such as Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer and more, as well as QPlay, AirPlay and Google Cast. You can also stream from a local NAS drive or music server.

KEF’s new system is capable of handling PCM files up to 24-bit/384kHz alongside DSD128. If you’re using a wireless connection between your speakers, files are downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz, whereas connecting the speakers using the included interconnect cable pushes playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

In terms of wired connections, you get HDMI eARC, analogue, optical and coaxial inputs, letting you hook up a TV, CD player or games console. Each speaker also has a subwoofer output for beefing up the low end.

The KEF Connect app lets you fine-tune the sound to match your environment and preferences, while Advanced Room EQ DSP will analyse your surroundings and optimise the sound accordingly.

KEF is making a big deal of the Luxe’s design, describing it as “a functional work of art that captivates the senses and enriches its environment”. In fairness, it does look quite distinctive.

Its rounded, low-diffraction form, robust materials, flexible decoupling chassis and advanced bulk moulding compound should make it sound even better than the LS50 Wireless II, claims KEF, with greater clarity and deeper bass.

The KEF LS Luxe comes in three finishes: Dusk Titanium, Eclipse Black or Mineral White, and it costs £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375 per pair. You can also buy dedicated S-Luxe floor speaker stands for £800 / $800 / AU$1230 per pair.

We have reviewed the LS Luxe, and awarded it five stars across the board. Read our exclusive KEF LS Luxe review for the full picture.

MORE:

Read our exclusive KEF LS Luxe review

Check out the KEF LS50 Wireless II review

Hi-fi in 2076? How engineers envisage the next 50 years of music listening

Following its recent global expansion, Australian-owned audio platform, AudioBro, has announced the V2 update for its popular service, representing the “largest evolution of the platform since development began more than three years ago”.

The premise remains the same: in-depth, analytical advice to help hi-fi and home cinema enthusiasts get the best possible sound from their system, without having to resort to buying new equipment.

Where AudioBro has made big strides is in how that advice is delivered. Previously, users of the AudioBro platform would need to select which tool they think will best suit their needs. In the new V2, that’s all changed, as the platform will now take all the guesswork out of the equation.

Users now simply describe the problem they’re experiencing and to upload whatever evidence they have — such as room photos, measurements and calibration data. AudioBro will then intelligently determine which of its tools will best fix the problem, and will recommend “one practical, highest-impact next move”.

V2 also introduces Room Memory, so previous analyses, uploaded measurements, implemented recommendations and verified changes remain connected over time.

To make this process even easier, both Starter and Pro users can now speak naturally to the platform about whatever they’re hearing and discuss uploaded evidence. AudioBro founder Ateeq Sheikh says this makes “the experience feel much more like talking to an acoustic consultant than using traditional software”.

There are differences between the depth of analysis given to Starter and Pro users, with the latter unsurprisingly receiving more curated responses. Starter users can still upload room photos and equipment information, and even speak aloud any issues they’re experiencing, and AudioBro will return guided recommendations.

Pro users can go further, receiving proper two-way conversations with the platform, along with the ability to upload REW MDAT files for analysis. The AudioBro platform also offers more advanced measurement interpretation and deeper optimisation capabilities for Pro users.

And, if you were thinking "surely I can just get the same results from ChatGPT?", think again. As Ateeq explains, "ChatGPT is an exceptional general-purpose AI, but it's designed to know a little about almost everything. AudioBro has been built over the last three and a half years to know as much as possible about one thing: hi-fi, home theatre and room acoustics."

"A good analogy is the difference between visiting a GP and seeing a specialist consultant. Both are knowledgeable, but one has been purpose-built for a specific field. AudioBro has been trained specifically for hi-fi rather than general knowledge."

Full access to the platform requires a subscription, offered in two tiers: Starter at US$24.99 per month and Pro at US$49.99 per month, with annual plans priced at US$199.90 and US$399.90, respectively.

Early adopters, however, can secure lifetime access for a one-off fee of US$199 (Starter) or US$299 (Pro).

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The best stereo amplifiers to buy

The McIntosh MX124 AV receiver wants to be the beating heart of your monster home cinema setup

Samsung unveiled three new foldable smartphones last week – and one of them might be my new favourite way to take movies and TV shows on the go.

The Korean giant launched the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8 and the Z Fold 8 – the one I am most interested in – at Galaxy Unpacked. Here it set some pretty clear expectations of what these devices are capable of, and who they are aimed at.

The Z Flip 8 is all about fun, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra is a productivity powerhouse.

The Z Fold 8, however, is a device that is designed to deliver “a more immersive viewing experience”. And watching content on that expansive unfolded screen is one of this Samsung’s biggest selling points.

This all-new folding phone sports a new design with a 4:3 aspect ratio interior display – which makes it a more suitable device for watching content. The Z Fold 7, in comparison, had a unique 1.11:1 aspect ratio, which resulted in sizeable black letterboxing bars when watching 21:9 movies or 16:9 TV shows.

Ultimately, this defeated the point of having a large screen for watching content in the first place. While the big display is nice in theory, in reality the portion that is actually taken up by the content you are watching is roughly the size of your standard ‘slab’ phone.

The Z Fold 8 changes this. Samsung specifically said, during the presentation, that this screen is better for watching content from streaming services, because letterboxing bars are less noticeable and the content fills more of the display.

Further AV-centric upgrades include the new Flex Titanium display structure, which adds a thin layer of titanium alloy and flexible titanium plates beneath the AMOLED display for enhanced display uniformity and rigidity. This makes the display crease, which can catch the light and become distracting on the older models, less of an issue.

These display upgrades immediately caught my attention. As someone who spends far more time than I’d like to admit sitting on lengthy train, coach and plane journeys, a portable large-screen experience that can fit into my pocket is a dream come true.

Now, with my very own Z Fold 8 in my hands, I have been able to test drive this portable AV fantasy. And I’m going all in…

SIM swap…

I have swapped full-time to the Z Fold 8, which means leaving the comfort of Apple’s iOS behind. Everything from my streaming apps to my WhatsApp now resides on the Z Fold 8, and I have been using it as my full-time smartphone for the past week.

To get a true flavour of how this phone handles video, I have logged in to every app imaginable.

Those include dedicated movie and TV streaming apps such as Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+, as well as more casual social-focused video apps such as YouTube and Twitch. I’m even conducting my frequent bouts of TikTok and Instagram Reels doomscrolling on this phone.

I have changed a few crucial settings to get the best picture experience from the phone. I’ve switched off adaptive brightness, eye-comfort shield and adaptive colour tone (all useful features in their own right, but not ideal for video playback), and switched on extra brightness.

I have also changed the colour profile of the display from its vivid preset to natural.

And I couldn’t forget about sound, of course. Samsung allows users to toggle Dolby Atmos on and off with a simple press of a button, so I have switched it on for a more immersive audio experience.

I know that this won’t rival a Dolby Atmos soundbar or speaker package, of course, but it’s a nice smartphone feature to have, nonetheless.

On the subject of audio, I can already reveal that playing music on this phone is a treat. The boxy, passport-shaped cover screen takes on a portable music player (think iPod Touch) persona, which is a treat to use.

A cinematic screen in my pocket…

I’ll leave our upcoming full review of the Z Fold 8 to go into exactly how this phone performs, but I can certainly share how much I’ve enjoyed the process of watching videos on this device.

Watching Superman on HBO Max is a prime example of how this phone can really shine. You are genuinely getting a bigger picture experience here, while also having the convenience of having a phone that can slip neatly into your pocket.

The upgrade from my iPhone 16 Pro’s 6.3-inch display was immediately noticeable, and yet the super-thin form factor doesn’t make the phone feel unwieldy.

Switching to an old episode of The Simpsons (Radioactive Man from season seven) on Disney+ really blew my mind, as the 4:3 aspect ratio of the content matches the display perfectly. The super-thin bezels and display-filling content combine for a seamless and immersive experience.

Moving on to the social video apps that I use day to day, the Z Fold 8 offers a very different but equally impressive experience. Most of the fun here, as Samsung acknowledged in its presentation, is scanning the comments as you watch, and the Fold 8 accommodates this with ease.

Being able to keep the live chat open without significantly shrinking the live stream is a dream, and being able to scroll a full-size TikTok feed with the comments open sells the big-screen experience even more.

It's still a learning curve…

It hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing, though.

I have found that I sometimes find myself mindlessly scrolling on the cover screen, forgetting that I have a bigger and better display lurking beneath. This is simply a case of ‘old habits die hard’, as I’m used to having just one screen on my phone, not two.

And while the letterboxing bars have been significantly slimmed down compared with the Folds that have come before, they are still more sizeable than the ones found on other phones.

That said, I’ve faced the same issue when watching movies on an iPad; it’s an inherent drawback of tablets. Unless any company is willing to make a 21:9 tablet, I can't see that being resolved any time soon.

The more I use the phone, the less these teething issues bother me, and the more I am finding myself enjoying the foldable format.

Having a pocket-sized device with a genuinely immersive OLED display is the dream for any AV enthusiast who often finds themselves on the go. As someone who fits that brief perfectly, it feels as though the Z Fold 8 was made for me.

MORE:

Read our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 hands on review

As well as our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

And check out the best smartphones for movies and music

As What Hi-Fi?'s resident deals writer, I am tasked with keeping abreast of the prices of several of the top products our experts recommend.

Especially products that are as good as the LG C6. LG’s latest step-down OLED is one of our favourite products of the year so far, thanks to a new processor that has squeezed out a brighter, richer and more refined performance.

And it has just hit a new lowest price courtesy of John Lewis. The 65-inch C6 can now be yours for £1889 if you use the discount code LGOLED1007, which will save you 10 per cent at checkout.

This is the first time the 65-inch LG C6 has broken through the £2000 barrier, saving you £611 off the £2500 price we tested it at only a few months ago. It’s even cheaper than it was at the Prime Day sales last month – you can see the full breakdown below:

65-inch LG C6 Price History

Price (£)

date

LG C6 65-inch

Price Data

Timestamp (date)	LG C6 65-inch (£)
1	2500
2	2166
3	2079
4	2099
5	2034
6	1889

However, a new lower price is hardly the biggest draw of the LG C6 – the star of the show may well be the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor. We don’t often get excited about processor upgrades, but this chip blesses the C6 with a brighter, richer and more refined picture than the C5, which itself was a five-star performer.

“Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious,” our LG C6 review reads. “Highlights are more intense, colours have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality.”

Upscaling and remastering have been enhanced as well, while shading subtlety has also been improved.

As is customary with LG TVs, gaming specifications are flawless. Console gamers can enjoy a silky-smooth 4K/120Hz, while PC owners can go all the way up to 4K/165Hz on all four HDMI inputs. VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming are also included.

All the major streaming services are present and accounted for in the app-packed LG WebOS, with all apps well optimised and playing content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos where applicable.

Talking of Dolby Vision, there is broad HDR support with HDR10 and HLG also supported – but be aware that HDR10+ is missing.

Audio is where LG OLEDs have traditionally tripped up, but we are delighted to report some improvements this time around. The overall delivery is more open and immersive than the C5, and while it won’t beat a dedicated sound system, the C6 actually sounds pretty good for a TV in its class.

A £611 saving already is not to be sniffed at – especially for an OLED as accomplished as the LG C6. For one of the year’s best TVs, consider the LG C6 for £1889 at John Lewis.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C5

Read our impressions of the LG G6

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

Welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s latest quiz!

If the electronics are the beating heart of a hi-fi or home cinema system, the cables are the veins, transporting the vital picture and sound between the various components. If you didn’t run the odd cable or two between your kit, you’d be sitting there listening in silence or watching a blank screen.

But how good is your cable knowledge? Can you tell your HDMI from your USB? (There you are, we’ve given you a couple of clues already.)

We have put together images of 13 types of cable which we would like you to identify. Some are pretty straightforward, but we have dropped a couple of tougher ones in there to really put you to the test.

There’s no prize for full marks, we’re afraid, but hopefully you’ll be able to sleep more easily at night knowing that your cable-spotting skills are up to scratch. Good luck – and let us know how you did in the comments!

MORE:

Nine affordable ways to upgrade your hi-fi system

HDMI 2.2: everything you need to know about the new TV connection

Our pick of the best speaker cables you can buy for every budget

The What Hi-Fi? audio team are used to jetting out each year in June to the High End show, to see what fresh new products we might expect to see and hear in our test rooms in the near future.

This year, though, rather than heading off to Munich, where the show had been held for many years, they turned their attention a touch further east to its new host, Austria’s capital city Vienna.

This year’s festival of hi-fi proved to be exciting and worthwhile for more than just the new location, however. There were a remarkable amount of product launches to attend, which meant our intrepid crew could bring a number of hands-on reviews highlighting some of the delights to come.

If you’re in the market for some premium headphones, you won’t want to miss our round-up of the very best examples available. And, talking of premium, we spoke to the designer of Audio-Technica’s new £10,000 cartridge about his thought processes in creating such a top-level component.

Happiness is a High End show

The High End hi-fi showcase is one of the year’s highlights for hi-fi fans and audiophiles, with the European show perennially revealing new top-end kit from the world’s biggest and most lauded manufacturers.

This year, the action moved from the show’s previous home of Munich to Vienna, and we were on the ground to identify the best of this year’s new high-end product launches.

The Austrian capital hosted the show very nicely indeed, with the massive, sprawling halls of the Austria Center Vienna chock full of the best new high-end hi-fi, including speakers, streaming amplifiers, turntables and more from the cream of the hi-fi industry.

This issue you’ll find our hands-on impressions of a handful of the most exciting products unveiled at the show, from JBL, Bowers & Wilkins, Dali, Cambridge Audio, Ruark and Moon.

Headphones that are ahead of the noise-cancelling pack

Back in 2020, paying over £500 for a pair of over-ear headphones raised quite a few eyebrows. But that year, Apple launched its AirPods Max at £549 – at that time, a price tag massively elevated above the majority of wireless noise-cancelling headphones from the likes of Sony, Bose and Sennheiser. But those questioning their price were quickly silenced as the AirPods Max crossed the line from wireless audio into wireless hi-fi, and consequently kickstarted a whole market sector of decidedly premium over-ears.

Six years on, brands such as the aforementioned Bose, Sony and Sennheiser, as well as the likes of Bowers & Wilkins, Dali and Focal, now have their own takes on premium, noise-cancelling cans – and this month we’ve rounded up ten such Apple-rivalling models for your consideration.

Battle for the Atmos

If you are looking for a way to upgrade your TV’s subpar audio without taking up a lot of space in your home, a soundbar is a great way to go.

There are a range of options on the market, from budget bars to more premium models. The Sonos Arc Ultra is an example of the latter, and it has snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award for its excellent performance.

Since its release in 2024, the Arc Ultra has been relatively unchallenged. But the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S has stepped into the ring. Boasting both a subwoofer and a soundbar as opposed to the Arc Ultra’s all-in-one design, the Sony is a slightly different beast. But which will come out on top?

Meet the man behind a £10K turntable cartridge

Yosuke Koizumi is Audio-Technica’s Cartridge Global Product Manager, and the man responsible for the new range-topping £1K AT-MCD1 moving-coil cartridge.

We sat down with Koizumi at the High End Vienna show to find out more about the technology behind the AT-MCD1, and just what goes into designing a top-end MC cartridge.

First with reviews

As always, our First Tests section is where you'll find What Hi-Fi?'s considered verdicts on the very latest hi-fi and AV gear.

A collaboration between lauded high-end manufacturers Focal and Naim was always going to turn our heads, and the Mu-so Hekla is a soundbar with both pedigree, style and a degree of uniqueness in its proposition. But how does it sound? Check out our review in this month's What Hi-Fi?

Elsewhere this issue we have expert, in-depth reviews of the Sony Bravia 7 II RGB Mini LED TV, Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro projector, Fyne Audio Cubitt 5 active speakers and a new soundbar system from Sony, the Bravia Theatre Trio.

And that's not all, we also had the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, Roberts Stream 219, JBL Live 780NC headphones and Audio-Technica AT-VM740xML moving magnet cartridge under the microscope.

Find all these reviews in September's What Hi-Fi? – out now!

More high-end hi-fi heaven

Our Temptations section of the magazine is where you'll find the highest of the high-end of hi-fi and AV products.

Gryphon's beast of a CD player, the Ethos, ticks all the boxes when it comes to impressing us. It looks great, in a groovy sci-fi kind of way, and most importantly sounds brilliant. At a cool £37,500, it's not just the price that's remarkable.

TAD's ME1TX are standmount speakers that we found impressively detailed. "We think of these speakers as an audio microscope," reads our review. "They allow us to hear low-level detail with class leading clarity."

Find out more in this month's What Hi-Fi?

Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive and freshly updated list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy – including winners of 2025's What Hi-Fi? Awards. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of the best wireless headphones to a home cinema speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.

Whatever you do, don't miss the September 2026 issue of What Hi-Fi?. Grab a copy today, or simply download it onto your tablet or smartphone. Enjoy!

You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition

A good, cheap OLED TV has been top of many cinephiles' wish list for over a decade. This makes the S85H a big-ticket item despite it sitting at the bottom of Samsung’s new OLED TV range.

It’s looking set to be one of the cheapest options for serious movie fans who want a new OLED that sits in the same family as the S99H, a set we recently declared to be the finest Samsung OLED we’d ever tested. Big shoes to fill, then.

Price

The Samsung S85H is available in sizes from 48 to 83 inches. The cheapest 48-inch size launched carrying a £1199 ($1199) price tag, while the giant 83-inch model retails for £3699 ($4499).

We have the middle-child 55-inch model in our review rooms, which launched at £1499 ($1499 / AU$2499).

Initially, that meant it cost slightly less than its closest rival, the LG B6, which cost £1599 (AU$2500) when it first came out.

However, rapid price drops mean it’s now more expensive than its LG rival. The 55-inch B6 is now available for as little as £899 in some places.

However, the S85H puts is still cheaper than most of this year’s mid-tier OLEDs, including its big brother, the 55-inch S90H, which now floats around the £1699 mark.

Design

You won’t find any flourishes like the fancy metal bezel sported by the flagship S99H; instead the S85H has a rather utilitarian look, with a basic, plastic design that is nevertheless mostly solid.

The TV has feet, rather than a pedestal stand design and includes two placement options, central and wide, which puts them on the furthest right and left edges. This is a nice touch that lets you adjust the position to fit on your cabinet and place a soundbar underneath it as required.

Our only minor quibble with the design is that, as well as feeling distinctly plasticy, the feet wobble. Not so much that we’re worried it will break, but enough that you’ll want to place it with care.

The SolarCell remote seen on Samsung’s previous step-down and entry-level OLEDs also makes a return. It is pleasingly compact and intuitive, and features solar and USB-C charging, something that isn’t guaranteed at this price. The only real negative is the ongoing lack of a backlight, which makes using it in the dark a bit tricky.

Features

The set's specifications sheet is nearly identical to the outgoing S85F, with only three big upgrades to mention.

It has been upgraded to Wi-Fi 6E, which will improve connectivity if you have a compatible router using the standard. It also has a new AI football mode, which Samsung claims will “make you feel like you’re in the stadium” using the set’s processing smarts.

Finally, there is a smattering of what Samsung claims to be "performance improvements" – the biggest, apparently, is to its peak and operating brightness. Samsung hasn’t given a definite nit count, however, so we can't be sure how big the alleged brightness upgrades are.

Samsung also hasn’t specified what panel is being used, but the fact that the S85H is powered by the same NQ4 AI Gen2 processor as its predecessor suggests it may be using one of the new OLED SE panels LG Display unveiled at CES in January, which aim to boost brightness while simultaneously bringing prices down.

We had hoped the Q85H would get the newer Gen3 silicon, which brings more accurate tone mapping and better upscaling, among other things, but that remains reserved for the more expensive S99H and S90H models.

The same is true for Samsung’s vibrancy-boosting Quantum Dot tech, which once again is reserved for its flagship offering. A shame, yes, but unsurprising given the S85H’s price. You also, once again, won’t find the firm’s Glare Free screen coating included, which will be an annoyance if you use the TV in a room with lots of ambient light.

Despite the lack of big changes, the S85’s specifications remain very competitive at this price.

The set offers four full-speed HDMI 2.1 inputs, capable of carrying a 4K/120Hz signal for next-generation gamers. ALLM and VRR are also on board, so gamers are fully covered.

The only big omission is the set’s lack of support for Dolby Vision Gaming, or any version of Dolby’s HDR standard, for that matter. The S85H continues Samsung’s HDR grudge match, with it only supporting the HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG standards.

The set also doesn’t support FlexConnect, a bit of audio tech that the LG B6 does. This is a clever technology designed to let you create surround sound systems using compatible speakers on the fly. It includes the power to use the TV’s speakers as the central channel. Samsung, instead, pushes its own Q-Symphony solution, which aims to make the TV’s sound system work with compatible soundbars to improve audio quality and create a wider soundstage.

The latest-gen version of Tizen featured on the S85H is easy to navigate and includes a content bar at the top that splits your apps into categories, curated and arranged to automatically match your usage habits. All the major apps and services are present and running correctly, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV and more.

Picture

In its out-of-the-box Eco mode, the S85H comes off a little strong. Playing our F1: The Movie 4K Blu-ray, the picture is a little sharp, oversmoothed and colours, particularly reds, are overcooked.

Switching to Filmmaker mode, things rapidly improve. Now, the cars’ movements become precise and rapid, losing the artificial floaty feel of its default setting.

Colours are also much more reined in, but reds still look a little overcooked, which leads to a series of quick tweaks before we finally settle on Filmmaker Mode, with the Warm 1 colour profile and Active Dynamic Tone Mapping on for the best results.

The TV’s colours are still a little bombastic compared to the more subdued B6, but the picture’s solidity and three-dimensionality ensure our eyes still favour the Samsung during the heated F1 race.

Switching to Pan, our standard peak brightness stress test due to its atypical 4000 nits mastering, it’s immediately clear that the S85H burns brighter than previous entry-level OLEDs we’ve tested and its main rival, the LG B6. The setting sun offers a wider range of reds and oranges that show up as pure white on its rival.

The only slight issue is that, once again, colours are pushed a touch too hard, with blues looking a smidge too vibrant and the picture a little too warm in general.

(Editor’s note – for our sanity, if a filmmaker is reading this, please master your next film in 4000 nits and shoot an incredibly bright scene we can use for testing. If our reviewers are forced to hear Pan’s butchered version of Smells Like Teen Spirit for much longer, there may be a mutiny.)

Switching to our 4K Blu-ray Sinners test disc, minor black crush creeps in. Although the scene oozes menace and has a wonderful sense of dread, thanks to the perfect blacks, parts of the gangsters’ faces lose definition and fade into the black background.

The S85H also has a tendency to try too hard. In a bid to show how bright it can go, the set artificially raises the brightest sections of the picture, but doesn’t always have the finesse to do it naturally.

Highlights on characters’ skin come up as pure white, losing some detail and adding a distracting artificiality, making it look like they’re in the spotlight on a Broadway stage, rather than drinking and dancing in a dingy Prohibition-era speakeasy.

The aggressive push then flattens faces completely by overbrightening them, losing shadow detail and some of the picture’s otherwise impressive three-dimensionality. The flaw isn’t uniform either, rearing its head at specific moments, which is distracting and breaks our immersion in its otherwise solid performance.

Switching gears to our 4K Blu-ray of Civil War and tagging in step-up OLEDs, including its big brother/sister the S90H, the S85H puts up an admirable fight, but there are obvious benefits if you can afford to go up a price tier.

The S90F delivers a series of modest improvements that add up to make a big difference. On the S85H, greens in a military camp’s grass fields look a little too vibrant, taking on an almost cartoony look. Skin tones lose their warmth and colour volume, coming across as slightly jaundiced during low-light scenes compared to the more lifelike, immersive S90F.

The flames in a burning forest flicker a little brighter on the step-up model, offering more detail, with a wider range of reds and oranges dancing in the brightest parts of the flames. Overall, we get a little more nuance, a sprinkle more finesse, and a generally more natural picture with the S90F.

The S85H does a decent, but not front-of-the-pack, job of upscaling our SDR True Grit Blu-ray. The picture retains the grainy, spaghetti western feel, but the picture is dimmer and a bit flatter than those we've seen on rival sets. Though it retains the intentional grain, some sharpness and detail are lost. The stitches in the characters’ woollen clothes look a bit softer than we’d like, too.

Sound

“Where’s the bass?” is the immediate question we ask, testing the S85H’s 2.0 channel, 20W, Dolby Atmos system with our F1: The Movie test disc.

Engine noise, the sound of the crowd, the boom of cars crashing and skidding across the track; all of it lacks the bite and impact needed to do justice to the scene. The entire sound feels weak, even by TV speaker standards, sounding more like a Scalextric race than a deafening, international F1 event.

And this issue is the sound system’s undoing. Moving to a night-time battle scene in Civil War, explosions are occasionally entirely lost as vocals and the higher-frequency sound of gunfire, bizarrely, overpowers them.

This is a particular shame as, while the speakers never come close to matching a moderately capable soundbar, such as the entry-level Sonos Beam (Gen 2), they do get some things right.

During the musical medley in Sinners, Sammie’s blues vocals don’t have the power or vibrato required to do them justice, but they’re suitably separated from the guitar part.

As the scene develops, adding more and more layers and modern music genres to the song, that decent separation continues, with each part remaining distinct, albeit underpowered. And the set does a reasonable job of offering a sense of direction as the camera swoops through the barn.

The S85H’s speakers are ultimately fine for watching the news or a casual series, but not quite good enough for even basic movie watching. You will need to invest in a soundbar or speaker system for that.

Verdict

If you want an OLED TV but can’t afford to step up into the mid-tier, it’s one of the top options currently available, the Samsung S85H is a very competent option at the price.

Its punchy, immersive and nicely three-dimensional picture is a cut above most of its entry-level rivals. There are undoubtedly palpable gains to be had in paying more for a mid-range OLED, however – ones we think are worth paying for.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 3
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Bravia 7 II

Also consider the LG C6

Read our Samsung S90F review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

There are more streaming services than ever before here in the UK. From the big hitters such as Netflix and Apple TV to more niche offerings including Shudder (for the horror lovers) and Crunchyroll (for anime fans).

The most notable recent addition to the gang is HBO Max, which made its long-awaited journey across the pond in March this year. It offers a selection of sumptuous film and TV offerings, including The Pitt, House of the Dragon and One Battle After Another.

Apart from wanting to binge all this tempting content, there’s another reason I am excited that HBO Max has launched in the UK – its accessibility features.

In the US iteration of the platform, HBO Max offers a variety of films and TV shows with on-screen ASL (American Sign Language) translation. Those include the likes of Barbie, Wuthering Heights and The Pitt.

It also released Sinners in BASL (Black American Sign Language), making it the first major streaming platform to stream a film interpreted in the dialect. It is far from the only streaming service to offer signed translation, but HBO Max takes a more tailored approach than most, by casting interpreters who match the character’s identity.

Why does sign language matter?

“So what’s the point of having sign language if you already have subtitles?”, you might be asking.

We spoke to Natasha Robinson, Inclusion Policy Advisor at RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), to understand why this is not the case. She says that BSL (British Sign Language) is “a distinct language with its own grammar, structure and visual cues that convey meaning, emotion and tone.”

Robinson continues: “Some deaf BSL users may struggle to follow subtitles, especially when speech and sound are very fast or complicated.” She adds that streaming services should offer both BSL interpretation and subtitles wherever possible to give “the deaf community greater choice and access”.

In the UK, major streaming services with more than 500,000 users (also called Tier 1) will soon have to make sure that five per cent of their content is signed.

The full Access Code is still under consultation but, once it is in place, Tier 1 platforms will have four years to meet the quota. And, with HBO Max estimating six million users by the end of the year, the streaming service will most likely be included in that group.

Playing the waiting game

At the moment, HBO Max offers ASL only in the US; a BSL (British Sign Language) catalogue is yet to be released.

We asked HBO Max about its plans, and a representative told us it is working through accessibility offering and requirements with various UK regulators and bodies “to seek guidance on best practice and the best way to work with and support the deaf community”.

That certainly sounds promising. But, while the upcoming legislation is a great start, there is still a long way to go. Robinson says that the five per cent target should be seen as a starting point and that streaming platforms “should aim to make as much content as possible fully accessible”.

Robinson adds: “As everyone has different preferences, it is important that services offer a wide range of accessible content.”

It’s not yet clear when HBO Max’s BSL content will be released. But if it offers the same tailored approach as its US counterpart, then it could be a key player for streaming accessibility.

MORE:

“It’s not always about whether something is loud enough; it’s about whether it’s clear” – how home cinema remains out of reach for some people

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And these are the best TVs

A few weeks ago, Sony announced that it would phase out physical disc production for PlayStation games.

From the start of 2028, all games are set to be digital-only, available either as part of the library of content included across PlayStation’s various membership tiers, or to download and keep digitally via redeemable codes or the online PlayStation Store.

The announcement has not been well received. My dear colleague Lewis Empson reacted to the news at the time, bemoaning the fact that this move away from the good old-fashioned disc represented another nail in the coffin for physical media as a whole.

Not for the first time, it looks as though Lewis is absolutely right.

More nail than coffin at this point

The implications, as Lewis has already touched upon, are profound. The abandonment of physical discs probably means that forthcoming consoles will no longer house a disc slot. So anyone who currently uses their PlayStation to play Blu-rays, for example, would no longer be able to do so on newer consoles.

Lewis also touched on the death of the joy that the humble disc brings. As he wrote at the time: “You can forget lending a game to your friend, or selling it on when you have finished playing it. Likewise, those who prefer to buy games on the second-hand market to save money will be out of luck from 2028 onwards.”

And that, my fellow sufferers, is the crux of why I too am bemoaning the sad, unceremonious death of games in their physical form. It’s only PlayStation for now, but who knows what Microsoft has planned for Xbox? The signs aren’t positive, that’s all I will say.

As someone who has been gaming since the late ’90s, the death of the disc represents the end of an era. From slotting a copy of Age of Empires II into my parents’ creaking Dell desktop to having endless iterations of FIFA put my temperamental Xbox 360 into near-meltdown, those shiny circles have stored more than mere data. For me, they house tangible, precious memories.

This is the real tragedy which the demise of Sony’s physical production is helping to precipitate. I wrote a while back about the joys of tangible media in an audio and hi-fi context, getting all doey-eyed about the joyous ritual inherent in unpacking your favourite vinyl records or even giving a shiny CD a cheeky spin.

As I wrote at the time, so much of the appeal of owning a turntable or CD player “comes from their physical aspects, be that interacting with the product themselves or the ownership of a collection of CDs or records to play on them.

“As CDs hold strong and vinyl sales continue to soar in an age of digital streaming, those aspects of use have clearly become more important than ever with users for whom poking a smartphone to load up Spotify isn’t scratching a very particular itch.”

Replace ‘CDs’ with ‘physical games’ and ‘Spotify’ with ‘the PlayStation Store’ and the point is just the same.

What sort of collections will any of us have now? Even if you will still be able to download games individually and enjoy full ownership – in contrast to the subscription, Netflix-inspired model the games industry keeps so desperately trying to implement – it’s simply not the same as owning an actual, real-world collection.

You can’t line your office’s shelves with digital copies of all your favourite titles. You can’t enjoy the infinite pleasure of taking the thin layer of cellophane off of a copy of, say, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. You won’t be able to get deluxe physical copies anymore, which often come with real-world goodies such as maps, collectables and exclusive artwork. Maybe they’ll just flog those to us separately – for an inflated fee, of course.

You can’t even sit back and wallow in the soulless raft of digital copies saved to your console in the same way that you might admire the perfectly ordered racks adorning the wall of your musty man cave.

The thing is, I have spent time building up my games collection, in the same way that I’ve spent time building my small arsenal of CDs, DVDs and vinyl. Okay, I have only two vinyl records, one of which was a gift, but that’s part of the collector’s journey. It took time to accumulate all of my precious games, from formative PC classics such as Rome: Total War through to my roster of Xbox 360 releases and my PS4 and PS5 titles. All for nought.

Housed on its own carefully ordered shelving unit, that entire collection isn’t just a bunch of games shoved unceremoniously into a metaphorical pile. It’s a part – in a small, silly way – of my history. It’s my own personal gaming journey, and now it seems as though that journey is coming to an end.

The game’s afoot

The injustice doesn’t stop there. As if this all weren’t bad enough, the pleasure of tangible ownership isn’t the only real-world delight we gamers are now set to lose out on.

Can I be honest with you? I like second-hand stores.

No, they’re not the grooviest spots on God’s green Earth – most have a customer base with an average age somewhere in the 80s and many smell like damp cardboard mixed with Werther’s Originals – but they’re still great places.

If it’s a full-blown charity shop, you get the obvious benefit of helping out worthy causes. Even if they’re not charity-focused, you still have the lovely environmental bonus of reducing the need for further first-hand manufacturing, whether you’re selling or buying. Most importantly, they are often extremely cheap.

In a time when it seems that all the games industry wants to do is take your money, be it through skyrocketing base game prices, ludicrously exploitative microtransactions and even more ludicrously exploitative ‘loot packs’ – essentially a form of legalised gambling often aimed at children and teenagers – it’s nice to level the playing field with a bit of bargain-bin hunting.

Why, for example, would you pay at least £60 for a day-of release when you could wait a while and get the same game for less than half price?

Admittedly, there are certain games that you want to get hold of straight out of the gate – I can’t imagine many are going to wait more than an extra second for GTA VI – but the easiest way to save a monumental chunk of cash is simply to wait a few months and get a second-hand copy.

If you really want to find the best bargains, then pre-owned physical editions are always the way to go. PlayStation (and Xbox, as far as I know) will often offer big digital deals on titles that aren’t doing so well; but those tend to be seasonal and, more importantly, there’s generally a cap on by how much they will be reduced.

There’s no actual stock that needs shifting, so there is less incentive to drop to ridiculous depths, unless the game in question is unspeakably dreadful. (If you see Babylon’s Fall or Forespoken on a 65 per cent discount, just walk away.)

With proper material games, though, you can get some truly mammoth savings. Thanks to charity stores, second-hand retailers such as CEX, and online marketplaces such as Vinted or eBay, you can pick up some awesome bargains for mere pennies. I managed to find an old copy of Far Cry 4 for about £2 the other day, and a PS5 version of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for less than a tenner.

That’s the joy of the used market. Much like going to old vinyl stores, car boot sales or charity shops for unearthed vinyl gems, snooping around for a gaming bargain holds similar scope for unearthing a diamond deal. You have to put the work in and do some digging, but that’s a huge part of the fun. Who knows? You might dig out a Classic Edition of The Orange Box for 50p. Ah, heaven.

Or, of course, you could just borrow games from one of your mates, and lend them something of yours in return. I think one of my pals still has my copy of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey somewhere. He’s welcome to keep it, to be honest – I’m much more of a Black Flag and AC: II kind of a guy.

Lending doesn’t make as much money for the games industry as everyone buying their own distinct, non-transferable digital copy, though, does it? Makes you think…

Sony’s decision to cull all forms of physical release seems utterly at odds with the wants and needs of its current consumer base.

At a time when both established consumers and younger audiences are discovering, or indeed rediscovering, the joys of physical media and tangible content ownership, Sony/PlayStation has decided to turn its back on this clear desire in favour, one suspects, of tying people further into the models of consumption which suit its needs, rather than those of the end consumer.

In an age when the experience of streaming and purely digital consumption can feel impersonal and even soulless, buyers want something they can discover, interact with, enjoy, collect and own with pride.

Just like listening to music or watching movies, gaming is a pastime that goes far beyond the playing of the actual game. Maybe Sony needs to be reminded of that fact.

MORE:

Read our full Sony PlayStation 5 review

Check out our picks for the best 4K Blu-ray players

Which is the best 4K Blu-ray player, PS5 or Xbox Series X?

While we have zero trouble spruiking the benefits of the best TVs to enjoy movies and TV shows for a more cinematic experience only a projector will do.

Of course, the more you spend the more cinema-like experience you'll achieve, but if your budget is limited, the Xgimi Vibe One is a mighty-fine choice. It's the cheapest projector we've ever tested, and it's now cheaper still thanks to a 29% discount at Amazon — now AU$427.49.

Amazon has already slashed the price to AU$474.99, and at the time of publishing there's the option to apply an extra 10% saving at the checkout, which you absolutely should do.

Despite the low price, you get an awful lot of projector for your money. We did find we needed to adjust the sharpness and contrast levels from their out-the-box settings when we tested the dinky projector, but once that was done, we were wholly satisfied with the image it projected.

As our reviewer Robyn Quick said in their review, "we unearthed a more natural image that portrays the green trees around an army staging post with more balanced, yet still striking, colours", once those settings were tweaked.

The Vibe One also proved capable with darker content: "In the opening of Alien: Romulus, as a ship floats through the depths of space, the projector presents the dark abyss with an impressively deep black by budget projector standards."

What's perhaps most impressive about the Xgimi Vibe One is that it holds up well in bright conditions, making it a versatile option for daytime use too, not just movie nights curled up on the sofa.

As for specs, the Vibe One doesn't support 4K content, instead topping out at a native resolution of 1080p. It can project an image up to 150 inches in size, with a claimed 250 ISO lumens of brightness.

A single HDMI port means you can connect external source devices such as a Blu-ray player or games console, while Google TV provides native access to Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

Coming in at 1.4kg on the scales, you should have little trouble putting the Vibe One in a bag to take with you wherever you want to go. Do note though that we found that the projector only offered just under an hour of battery life in Standard brightness mode. If you plan to use the Vibe One outside, you'll likely want to consider an extension cable so you can watch a full movie uninterrupted.

You'll need to temper your expectations where sound is concerned, as the 3W speakers are reasonably loud but lack impact and detail. Fortunately, you can wirelessly connect to a Bluetooth speaker to handle sound duties.

The Xgimi Vibe One delivers a surprisingly detailed and cinematic image that outperforms expectations at this price. While its battery life is limited and the built-in audio falls short, it remains outstanding value for a projector — portable or not.

Are you after some personalised buying advice? Or is there a burning question you've always wanted to ask the What Hi-Fi? team? Well, now is your chance!

This Friday, 31st July, we're going to be hosting a live Q&A right here on whathifi.com.

Ketan Bharadia (Technical Editor), Kashfia Kabir (Hi-Fi & Audio Editor) and I (TV & AV Editor) will be on hand between 1pm and 3pm to answer any hi-fi, home cinema and TV questions you might have.

Whether it's which turntable you should buy, a question of whether an OLED or Mini LED TV is right for your room, or which speakers will perfectly complement your amp, we're poised and ready to help.

We can also offer opinions on new and upcoming formats, let you know whether a deal you've found is really as great as it seems, and answer questions about our reviewing process.

Aside from diagnosing faults with your kit (which the manufacturer is better placed to handle), if your question relates to hi-fi or AV (we're not great at relationship advice), we can almost certainly help.

The Q&A page will be live on Friday morning, so you won't have to wait until 1pm to get your questions in.

If you can't wait until then, though, you can ask them in the comments below or email them to whathifi@futurenet.com, and we'll do our best to answer as many as possible in Friday's 'Sound Advice' section.

So, whether you've got a buying dilemma, a technical question or you're simply curious about the world of hi-fi and home cinema, we'd love to hear from you. Join us on Friday – and feel free to get your questions in nice and early!

MORE:

Want immediate buying advice? Here are the best turntables, best headphones, best speakers, best TVs and best soundbars you can buy right now

And here's the lowdown on how we test products at What Hi-Fi?

TCL's latest flagship soundbar has two major selling points: 360-degree spatial sound and tuning in collaboration with longstanding hi-fi brand Bang & Olufsen (via John Archer on X).

Launched in China at the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin TCL Flagship New Product Launch conference, the Q95K has 11.1.4 channels of sound, with 1420W of peak power across 22 speaker units, and includes a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surround speakers.

The 'bar itself has seven horizontal channels, two overheads and a subwoofer, while the wireless surround speakers have rear surround, rear side surround and rear overhead channels to complete the spatial audio experience.

The three-way physical acoustic unit and independent sound chamber design help the Q95K cover a frequency range of 30Hz to 20kHz, with overall distortion kept under 1 per cent. Neodymium iron boron magnets paired with aluminium diaphragms help maintain detail and vocal clarity.

TCL says that the subwoofer's bass should remain stable even at higher volumes thanks to the dual 7-inch opposed units with a long-stroke damping design. The opposed movement aims to minimise cabinet resonances that can affect the bass.

Audio crosstalk is also reduced with 12 independent power amplifier chips driving the different speaker units separately.

B&O has helped create the audio profile, collaborating in terms of both hardware and the algorithm. Sound can be adjusted using the built-in Beosonic Mood Mixer. The algorithm can also be optimised to reduce the soundbar's reliance on room acoustics or wall reflections to deliver 360-degree spatial sound.

Using the TCL app, you can activate adaptive sound calibration to personalise the audio to your room. 4K HDR video passthrough is supported, as are wi-fi and AirPlay 2 wireless technologies.

It also has a floating base to reduce desktop resonances and a grille to keep dust out. It can be placed on a cabinet or wall-mounted, and will adjust its audio accordingly.

It's not the only new soundbar TCL announced. It also unveiled the Q85K, with 7.1.2 channels and 1180W of peak power, and the Q75K with 7.1.2 channels and 580W.

They are all available in China, with the Q95K costing 7999 yuan (around £889 / $1200 / AU$1700), the Q85K 5999 yuan (around £666 / $886 / AU$1300) and the Q75K 4699 yuan (around £520 / $700 / AU$1000).

We've contacted TCL regarding wider availability and will update this if we hear back.

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While there still seems to be a modicum of choice when it comes to buying a new pair of entry-level stereo speakers, when it comes to budget hi-fi electronics, your options have shrunk considerably over the years.

This is especially the case when it comes to CD players. More and more people have moved to streaming as their source of music, with others opting to spin vinyl records instead of CDs. Not that we are complaining about any of these forms, of course.

Thankfully, Marantz is one brand that continues to fly the flag for that shiny silver disc. Over the years, it has produced some hugely respected budget CD players, so its latest machine, the CD 70, comes with plenty of attention and a huge dollop of expectation.

It replaces Marantz’s own CD6007, a six-time What Hi-Fi? Award winner, so it has some huge shoes to fill, to put it lightly. Can it keep Marantz’s enviable track record going at this level?

Price

The CD 70 is Marantz’s entry-level CD player now and costs £499 / $750 / AU$1000 (excl. VAT). Given the state of the market, there aren’t many rivals, but the model it’s succeeding is the CD6007, which is still available at the time of writing for £399 / $650 / AU$999, and you can find it regularly discounted too. It won’t be around forever, though.

The only other five-star CD player we’ve tested remotely anywhere near the Marantz is the Award-winning Arcam CD5, but at £699 / $699 / AUS$1495 it’s a significant step above (both in terms of price and performance), and we haven’t seen much in the way of discounts, and don’t really expect to.

Design & build

The CD 70 is the first entry-level Marantz CD player to feature the company’s newer design language.

Gone is the purposeful, industrial look of the CD6007; in its place is a more modern aesthetic with added elements of texture on the fascia, either side of the unit’s chunky mid-section of the front panel.

When the light catches the pattern (the closest thing we can equate it to is the dimples on a golf ball, but much shallower), it’s an attractive look, especially in the silver and gold finish of our review sample, although we still think there’s a certain charm to the way the older model looks.

Build quality feels solid enough for the money. And, although its dimensions are a fraction larger than the CD6007 you’d be hard-pressed to tell from a distance – you certainly don’t need to measure for a new hi-fi rack.

Beneath the CD 70’s lid are a number of new components which Marantz has introduced to improve sound quality. These include an updated power supply, which claims help to reduce noise, and an upgraded digital clock to reduce jitter (digital timing errors).

The big news, though, is that the CD 70 uses a new ES9020Q DAC chip to do all the number-crunching, which is an upgrade over the older ES9010K2M chip used in the CD6007.

You also get a remote control which looks pretty similar to the one that came with the CD6007, but its colour is slightly different, as is the labelling and positioning of some of the buttons. You’re not going to get lost navigating your way around, though.

Features

The back of the CD 70 shows an identical feature set to the outgoing model, with the same sockets in roughly the same positions. There’s an analogue output plus optical and coaxial digital outputs. There aren’t any digital inputs, but that’s hardly unexpected at this level.

Around the front of the unit, you’ve got a horizontal row of controls either side of the dot-matrix display, which, once again, appears virtually identical to the display used in its predecessor.

It can show CD text and track information, and you can also use it to navigate the player’s settings when you bring them up using the remote control. The player supports normal CDs, and can handle CD-R and CD-RW discs too, but not SACDs.

You’ll find skip controls, and one button combining play/pause on the right of the display, with input selection (CD/USB), stop and eject buttons on the left.

To the bottom left of the display is the USB-Type A input, which supports WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF and DSD files should you have them stored on an external hard drive. Resolution compatibility is up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM and DSD 5.6 (DSD128).

To the bottom right is a volume control for the built-in headphone amplifier section – scan a bit further right, and you’ll see the relevant 6.3mm headphone socket. The volume control is noticeably chunkier than that on the older model, which does make it easier to get to grips with.

The Marantz also gives you the option to adjust gain to increase compatibility with different pairs of headphones, which is handy.

Sound

Before we give you the complete picture of how the CD 70 sounds, you should be aware of a couple of things.

As was the case with CD6007, the display can be turned off on the CD 70. Marantz recommends you do this in the manual and claims it improves sound quality… and we have to concur.

The most noticeable effect we find during testing is that it reduces background noise ever so slightly, allowing for a clearer presentation.

You also get a choice of two digital filters to play with (Filter 1 and Filter 2). We found that using Filter 1 delivered the best sound quality – we felt the general rhythm and timing of the music sounded a little off when using the second filter.

We find that the improvement gained from turning off the display is the most immediate and obvious, though; the filter effect is a bit more subtle.

Even without those tweaks, the Marantz CD 70 is an impressive performer for the money. It sounds clear, and punchy, and produces a focused, precise sound.

It’s a slight change in character compared with the CD6007. We find the older model sounds a touch more relaxed, while the newcomer favours a slightly more upfront and forward approach. It’s not shouty or distracting by any means, but it is a noticeable shift in balance.

Play Lupe Fiasco’s Superstar and there’s plenty of sparkle up at the top end; there’s an impressive amount of detail extracted from the screams of the crowd before they fade out of shot, and it has no problem highlighting subtle details either, such as the camera flashes going off in the background. The different layers are picked out and placed on a quiet background where they are given room to shine.

Piano and percussion work harmoniously together as the CD player uncovers an impressive amount of texture.

Lupe’s vocals are solid and expressive and sit over the top of simple, yet taut and hefty bass notes. It’s a nicely controlled bottom end that displays the Marantz’s ability to deliver both quantity and quality.

Switch over to the London Regency Orchestra’s take on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and the wonderfully quiet background once again comes to the fore. The track's slow build-up, first with strings, then with woodwind, as the percussion rings in the background, is organised accurately with tightly defined borders throughout.

The track takes its time to stretch out dynamically, but the Marantz builds up nicely to deliver a fine crescendo of strings before fading away. The older CD6007 might paint the dynamic shifts with a bit more delicacy, but you can’t argue with the CD 70’s newfound sense of precision and power.

Verdict

The lack of any real competition at this level really leaves the Marantz CD 70 in a class of one.

Well, we can call it a class of two until the stock of the CD6007 runs out. But that time will come, and the CD 70 delivers a clear step up in terms of clarity, punch and solidity.

It might not be the most relaxed-sounding player Marantz has ever built, but it’s still a serious performer for the money, and if you’ve got a stack of CDs that need playing, you can be confident the CD 70 will be more than up to the task.

Review published: 28th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

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Best CD players: budget to premium options tested by expert reviewers

For someone who reviews hi-fi products, a major perk of the job is getting to listen to a variety of music on great speakers and systems.

For a sneak peek into some of the tracks we use for testing here at What Hi-Fi?, you can head over to our Now Playing column.

Recently, while listening to music during testing, I started thinking about other professions that require a playlist of test tracks. Having trained as a sound engineer, which meant spending a lot of time in studios, I can recall countless mornings when an engineer would put on a certain ‘familiarising’ tune to settle into a room before the musicians arrived.

Which got me thinking, what are the people who make today’s records listening to?

To find out, I spoke to sound engineers who have worked at some of the UK’s most prestigious recording facilities, such as Air Studios, Real World Studios and Strongroom Studios.

With clientele ranging from Max Richter to Harry Styles, what follows are professional engineers’ favourite test tracks, alongside their reasons for choosing them.

• Listen to the Sound Engineers’ Top Test Tracks playlist on Tidal
• Listen to the full playlist on Spotify
• Quiz! Can you name all the types of hi-fi and AV cables from the photos?

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In case you missed them, the over-ear Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X were some of the best mid-range wired headphones we tested last year. We liked them so much, in fact, that we bestowed upon them a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award for their troubles.

Now, Beyerdynamic is bringing its considerable wired expertise to a more affordable end of the market with its new on-ears, the DT 275 Pro.

Conceived as a compact monitoring pair aimed at engineers, mixers, creators and DJs, the new cans house a set of 40mm dynamic drivers, combining "neutral sound tuning and long-wearing comfort" with a "lightweight, travel-friendly design".

Weighing in at 200g, the new on-ear cans feature faux leather ear pads and a flexible headband for improved comfort, even during extended wear. All of the cushion components can be replaced, too, meaning you won't have to part ways with your headphones as soon as they start to show signs of wear and tear.

While they don't feature active noise cancelling, the DT 275 Pro have been designed to offer "outstanding passive noise isolation" for professionals working in noisy studio environments.

According to Martin Stahl, director of Beyerdynamic's 'Pro' division: “The most common and costly mistakes happen when critical audio decisions have to be made in loud environments. The DT 275 Pro were designed to give creators and audio professionals the confidence to make critical monitoring decisions wherever their work takes them.”

Each pair of DT 275 Pro on-ears comes with a 1.5m locking cable with a 3.5mm jack, a 6.35mm adapter, and a drawstring carrying bag.

The DT 275 Pro are available for £99 / $150 / € 119.

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Marantz has long been a dominant force in the affordable stereo amplifier market, so when it replaces the long-running, five-star PM6007, we can’t wait to have a listen.

After generations of budget 6000-series amplifiers differentiated only by small tweaks, the Marantz Model 70 marks a notable shift in styling and price, if not content.

Where PM6007 originally launched at £499 / $599 and has been available for around £349-£399 in the past couple of years, the new Model 70 has launched at £749 / AU$1600 (exc VAT) – moving it out of the 'budget' bracket. It's also worth noting that this new amplifier won't be available to buy in the US initially, with Marantz stating it is focusing on the "markets where consumer demand can be more effectively met."

Build & design

While the new Model 70 integrated is clearly based on the former Award-winning PM6007, just compare their back panel layout; it is obvious that the company’s engineers haven’t just been twiddling their collective thumbs for the last half a decade.

The big change is the appearance, of course. This now mirrors the aesthetics of the company’s more premium stereo products (such as the Model 40n), and we like it. To our eyes, it looks classier and more elegant than the more function-first approach of the previous budget model.

The symmetry of the front panel is appealing, as is the trademark Marantz ‘porthole’ display. We are pleased to report that the front panel dials for the volume, balance, tone controls and inputs all feel solid and precise in use, while that small display is crisp, though admittedly not particularly easy to read from a distance.

This stereo amplifier, and partnering CD 70 CD player (£499/ $750), are both available in black and silver finishes. The Model 70’s build feels broadly on a par with the outgoing PM6007, which cost £499 / $599 when launched in 2020, but is now available for notably less.

It is nicely finished, though, and reasonably solid, bar the flex we notice in the back panel when plugging in the speaker cables. Arcam’s similarly-priced A5+ (£749 / $1199) feels more substantial in terms of casework panel thickness and overall solidity.

The Model 70 is supplied with a system remote that also controls the partnering CD player. It looks like a tweaked version of the older amp’s handset, and works well on the whole, being nicely laid-out and easy to use.

There is a bit of give and take when it comes to features compared to the PM6007. The Model 70 gains an HDMI ARC input, Bluetooth (aptX HD) capability and a preamp output over its predecessor. However, it loses one of the two optical inputs, the second set of speaker outputs and the fixed line output.

In general, we have no complaints about the new amplifier’s connectivity. It has three line-level inputs, a moving magnet phono stage, as well as coaxial and optical digital ins.

The addition of HDMI and Bluetooth is a definite step in the right direction, making the amplifier more versatile than before. As with the older amp, there is a 6.3mm headphone output on the front panel.

Inside, you will find that the changes over the PM6007 continue with a different DAC chip (ESS Sabre’s ES9020Q rather than the ES9010K2M), electric rather than potentiometer-based volume control and higher-capacity power supply capacitors (15,000uF vs 12,000uF). Those smoothing capacitors have been moved closer to the power amplifier to reduce resistance. Together, all these changes aim to improve transparency, bass performance and sonic stability.

The use of Marantz’s discrete HDAM amplifier modules, in this case the SA3 version, continues, and power has risen slightly to 50 watts per channel, up from the PM6007’s 45 watts.

A stereo amplifier at this price has to be flexible enough to work in a wide range of systems. It should be forgiving and balanced enough to make the most of budget sources and speakers, while having the sonic stretch to shine with more capable components. The Model 70 certainly meets that challenge well.

We use a range of sources from the Marantz CD 70 and Cyrus CDi CD players right through to our Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer. Record playing duties are carried out with a Technics SL-1000R turntable fitted with a Nagaoka MP-200 moving magnet cartridge. As for speakers, we use our reference ATC SCM50 along with the KEF LS50 Meta and Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2.

Sound

Our first port of call is a comparison of the Model 70 with its predecessor. The PM6007 remains a fine performer for the money, delivering a smooth and fluid presentation that still holds our attention well. However, the new model is clearly better despite sharing a similarly refined tonal balance.

As we listen to Hans Zimmer's The Battle from the Gladiator OST unfurl, it is the Model 70 that sounds clearer and more composed. As the piece builds, the amplifier remains impressively stable, tracking low-level instrumental strands with ease while allowing the listener to sit back and enjoy the whole, if they desire.

In comparison, the PM6007 sounds a little soft and muddled. It manages to reveal the energy and feel but isn’t as tidy in the way the music is presented. Low notes lack impact and definition, while dynamic shifts are more muted.

The Model 70 rams home its advantage when we play the Back On The Block album by Quincy Jones. Here it comes across as the more insightful and revealing performer, beautifully highlighting the wonderful vocal talents of Chaka Khan and Siedah Garrett on The Places You Find Love. We hear more in the way of vocal and instrumental textures, and greater finesse across the board.

The Model 70 retains its predecessor’s forgiving nature thanks to its innate refinement and smoothness, but adds more authority when delivering hard-hitting basslines and challenging dynamic contrasts.

You can add the moving magnet phono stage and digital inputs as additional plus points. With records, the Model 70 retains a good degree of clarity. It delivers Mary J Blige’s No More Drama set with verve and detail, while tonality is nicely judged. It helps that the phono stage’s noise levels are relatively low, too.

The digital inputs are equally capable. The Model 70 is compatible with PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz and shifts between file resolutions seamlessly. There are two filter options – Slow Roll-off and Fast Roll-off – and while the sonic difference between the two is subtle, we consistently prefer the Slow option as we work our way through a variety of tracks. It just sounds more fluid and natural to our ears. As always, try it for yourself, as much depends on taste and system matching.

The positives continue with the new amplifier’s Bluetooth performance. While this input doesn’t rival any of the physical connections for outright quality, it still produces musically enjoyable results when we feed in music from Tidal and Qobuz using our iPhone 14 Pro Max.

So, it should be clear by now that the Model 70 is a talented performer. Its superiority over the PM6007 is obvious; however, it also costs a lot more than its predecessor. That move up in price puts it into a different performance ballpark and up against some remarkably capable opposition, most notably the Award-winning Arcam A5+.

Comparison to the Arcam proves a stiffer test, one that shows that the Marantz doesn’t hold all the cards. Up against the A5+, we find that the Model 70 falls just a step behind in most areas, regardless of input. With the Quincy Jones album, it isn’t quite as rhythmic with the title track, diluting the music’s sense of momentum a little.

Dynamic nuances aren’t communicated so convincingly, leaving the emotional impact of great vocalists like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles slightly diluted. Outright clarity and insight, particularly the interplay between instruments, isn’t as easily followed either.

However, the Marantz is the more neutral of the two, sounding less rich through the midrange and bass, while its lows are just a touch firmer. Absolute detail levels are broadly on a par, and we can still enjoy the Marantz’s lovely top-to-bottom consistency.

Verdict

The Marantz Model 70 amplifier has plenty of appeal. It is well-specified, decently made and works with a wide range of music. Had it been priced closer to the PM6007, we would undoubtedly be proclaiming it a class leader.

However, the move up in price level puts it up against tougher competition and, in that context, it earns a more cautious recommendation.

Review published: 27th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 5

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We are currently entering our third heatwave of the year, and like us, we are sure you’re doing what you can to get through it. If that involves taking your evening movie viewing outside once the temperature is slightly cooler, then we have just the deal for you.

The Xgimi Mogo 4 received four stars in our review, and has now dropped to just £379 at Amazon. That’s a discount of £130, or 26 per cent – a hot deal for the hot weather.

Xgimi Mogo 4 deal: save £130

The Xgimi Mogo 4 is a dinky little thing, about the size of a water bottle. The projector folds out from the stand, and packs the Google TV platform. That means you get Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, ITVX and Disney+, but not Channel 4 On Demand or BBC iPlayer, which are sizeable omissions.

You can access those missing apps using Google Cast, but that’s considerably less convenient than native app support.

Bluetooth and wi-fi come as standard, while HDR support is limited to HDR10. There are a host of different picture presets to choose from, as well as the ability to tweak your own.

It can’t match a dedicated home cinema projector – and we wouldn’t expect it to – but the picture quality is still impressive. Tree branches are crisp against the background, and black levels impressively deep. Vibrancy can be a bit heavy-handed at times, but that’s to compensate for outdoor viewing conditions – though it is something to note if you will use it indoors as well.

Still, for £379 at Amazon, the Xgimi Mogo 4 is a great buy, and one of the better ways to survive a heatwave.

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We are more than half-way through the year, so it seems like a good time to take a step back, survey the sonic landscape at our backs and take stock of what we’ve heard during 2026.

More specifically, which headphones we have had the privilege and often pleasure of hearing throughout the year. As somebody who works on the audio side of the great hi-fi/AV divide, I spend a lot of my time listening to headphones and earbuds, thanks in part to the fact that so many brands are desperately trying to make this massive market their own.

Whether it has been for reviews, comparisons or my own personal interest, these have been the headphones that have impressed – and occasionally frustrated – me over the past seven months.

A hero’s return: the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless

At last, the Momentum Wireless have returned. The fifth iteration of Sennheiser’s heralded Momentum over-ear line has been a long time coming, so when they arrived earlier this year, expectations were high.

Happily, Sennheiser has managed to deliver the goods. The Momentum 5 Wireless are excellent premium over-ears, acting as a timely reminder to the likes of Sony, Bose and Apple that Sennheiser is still here, and, crucially, still up for the fight.

They are a little different to their competitors, especially in the sound department, prioritising a rich, smooth and refined presentation that can take a little while to warm up to. Once you click with them, though, you’ll find this to be a deeply rewarding pair of over-ears, especially if you like the sort of expressive, detailed midrange the premium Sennheisers so effortlessly exhibit. Oh, that midrange…

The earcups could feel a little more luxurious, the noise-cancelling isn’t Bose-beating, and having them fold away completely would be nice, but this is a five-star return for a brand that was just slightly in danger of being forgotten by the mainstream market.

Rivals, take heed: Sennheiser is back, and it means business.

The sonic standounts: Sennheiser HDB 630

Technically, technically, we reviewed the Sennheiser HDB 630 last year; but the supremely gifted premium headphones only landed on my desk in 2026, so I think I’m still on relatively firm ground when I say that they are, unequivocally, the best wireless headphones I’ve heard this year.

Scratch that: they might be some of the best wireless cans I have ever heard, full stop. They might not look particularly special, but the sound they produce certainly is.

£400 / $500 / AU$1000 isn’t pocket change, I grant you, but our entire test team is rarely so effusive when it comes to heaping praise upon a product. From top to bottom, we are huge admirers of the HDB 630 – and if you hear them for yourselves, you’ll understand exactly why.

They are fun, dynamically adept and musically expressive – all ingredients that make listening to any set of over-ears a joy – but it’s the amount of textural detail and sonic precision the HDB 630 exhibit that really leaves us feeling bowled over. These are headphones that make the masterful Sony WH-1000XM6 sound almost vague and a bit slipshod by comparison, and that’s really saying something.

Part of that signature comes from Sennheiser’s clever BTD 700 USB-C dongle that you plug into your device’s USB-C port to give it aptX Adaptive powers. This means that any source device, including your iPhone, gains hi-res streaming up to 24bit/96kHz, even if it wouldn’t natively support it. Really clever stuff.

Add in 60 hours of battery life, very solid noise cancelling and a luxurious fit, and the HDB 630 are 2026’s headphones to beat.

The tricky second album: Apple AirPods Max 2

I didn’t end up testing the Apple AirPods Max 2, but I did spend a good deal of time listening to them when making comparisons with the likes of the Sony 1000X The Collexion (below) and similar premium contenders.

And you know what? They’re pretty good. The AirPods Max 2 give you that familiar Apple signature which blends smoothness and refinement with a crisp, sparkling treble that lovers of the original Max will recognise, all boosted by better punch, dynamics and precision than their predecessors.

They are also incredibly easy to use if you have an iPhone, thanks to their native integration within the iOS ecosystem, and they still have that look and feel of a premium product that you would be proud to own. We can see why the Max continue to enjoy such a stellar cultural cachet – they just look the business.

They’re not perfect, admittedly. The Max 2 are better than the originals, but they have fallen behind more recent rivals for dynamic punch, rhythmic precision and overall insight. Plus, we just cannot abide that ridiculous carry case, and rather wish that the battery life had been boosted a bit beyond 20 hours. The Sony WH-1000XM6 give you 30 hours, after all.

The thing is, the AirPods Max 2 feel like six of one and half a dozen of the other. They are certainly some of the best headphones, in objective terms, ever made by Apple, a brand that has only relatively recently started to trouble the class leaders when it comes to pure sonic performance.

On the other hand, the Max 2 had a chance to close the gap on their rivals. Instead, it feels as though that chasm has widened a little. For their failure to properly keep up with the pack, some might see this as a missed opportunity for Apple.

The in-ear kings: Sony WF-1000XM6

I have such a complicated relationship with the Sony WF-1000XM5 and, now that there’s a sequel, it is carried over to the Sony WF-1000XM6.

On the one hand, I really like them. I love how detailed, refined and musical Sony’s flagship buds are. I admire that Sony continues to push the sonic boundaries for its flag-bearing buds, and that it seems to improve their capabilities with every passing generation, both in terms of sonic performance and accompanying features.

The WF-1000XM6 are, in so many ways, the apex of what Sony can do from a form such as this, with a sound so textured and rich it practically glitters inside your ears.

My problem remains that fit. I couldn’t get the WF-1000XM5 to stay inside my ear holes, and I can’t get the WF-1000XM6 to do so either. Sony revamped the design of its sixth-gen buds, offering up a new charging case and dropping the teardrop design of the older model in favour of a more rectangular, boxy configuration; but it kept on with its memory-foam eartips.

It might be a personal thing, but I just cannot get them to stay put, especially if I’m walking, gymming or, heaven forbid, going for a run.

Fit issues aside, the XM6 really are something special. Of all the buds I have heard in my time at What Hi-Fi?, they rank somewhere towards the top, outshining the likes of the Technics EAH-AZ100, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

If you can get them to fit, breathtaking sound will be your reward.

The missed opportunity: Sony 1000X The Collexion

Ah, what could have been.

Sony billed its super-premium wireless over-ears as being “the best-sounding headphones it had ever made” when it lifted the lid on the 1000X The Collexion (£550 / $650 / AU$900) earlier this year. While there's an extent to which we agree with that statement, there’s also a lot we find hard to endorse fully.

These are some of Sony’s clearest and most spacious-sounding cans – we’ll give The Collexion that. I spent weeks with the premium headphones clamped over my ears, and their clarity, textural refinement and cinematic soundscape impressed me every single time I booted them up for a listen.

For that clean, open ‘hi-fi’ sound, these really are among Sony’s finest, and that’s before even mentioning their admirable noise cancelling and excellent voice calls.

Across all parameters, though, are these Sony’s best-ever wireless headphones? I’m not so sure.

When you can get the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6 for less money (£400 / $450 / AU$699), and get a good deal more punch, dynamism and rhythmic spark thrown into the bargain, not to mention a similar battery life and better noise cancelling, it becomes hard to see exactly how to justify buying the more costly Collexion cans.

For the What Hi-Fi? team, The Collexion are a great concept, but we can’t quite square the execution with the elevated price tag. Like England at every major international tournament, we are left wondering what could have been.

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These are the best headphones we have tested in 2026

As celebrating milestone anniversaries typically involves reflecting on the early years, it’s only natural that, as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations this year, we have backpedalled to the ’70s with the dedication of a Led Zeppelin documentary.

We have looked back at the first issue of What Hi-Fi?, picked the 50 best hi-fi and AV products since 1976, and asked hi-fi brands for their perspectives on the biggest shifts in music and hi-fi during our 50-year lifetime. But as nice, warm and fuzzy as it is basking in nostalgia, it’s arguably more exciting to peer into the unknown and take an educated guess at what could lie ahead.

It’s difficult to imagine the music and hi-fi landscapes going through as many changes in the next 50 years as they have done in the past 50, where tactile, analogue and vinyl-led listening has largely transitioned into phone-controlled, digital and networked streaming.

But with those industries currently standing at The Crossroads of Innovation, with AI and spatial audio seeming to be the most brightly lit paths, you’d be brave to bet against that. So, what will hi-fi and music playback look like in 2076? We asked a handful of the most forward-thinking figures in hi-fi to rub their crystal balls…

Highly intelligent systems

Today, with varying degrees of success, spatial audio is challenging the stereo format. Music production and playback are no longer strictly ‘channel’-based, whereby sounds are allocated to and played through specific speakers.

Now, through audio-processing techniques, sounds can be ‘placed’ anywhere in an all-encompassing ‘3D’ soundfield, replicating how the human ear hears everyday sounds.

At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) is brewing up a storm in the music industry by giving anyone the means to use AI music creation software to create full, unique songs with little effort, guidance and, in the traditional sense of music-making, talent.

Such machine-driven algorithms are also driving how we discover and play songs on streaming services, as well as playing an increasing part in how audio systems can adapt playback to their environments and listeners’ EQ preferences.

Both disruptive technologies feel very much in their infancy and will undoubtedly play a significant part in the future, as WiiM’s CEO, Dr Lifeng Zhao, discusses.

“Over the next 50 years, hi-fi will evolve from a collection of fixed components into an intelligent, adaptive acoustic system,” says Zhao. “Speakers will understand the room, the listener's position and even individual hearing characteristics, continuously optimising sound while preserving the artist's intent.

“The most exciting future is not technology that colours the music, but technology that disappears – removing the room, set-up complexity and compatibility barriers between the listener and the performance.”

Touraj Moghaddam, Vertere Acoustics’ CEO, agrees that everyday music playback will be defined by computational intelligence, even envisioning a future audio landscape that wouldn’t look out of place in a new Black Mirror episode.

“I doubt we will ‘put something on’ any more,” he says. “Music will be woven into the environment itself – ambient systems reading mood, activity, even biometrics, and shaping the sonic atmosphere accordingly. Home, car, glasses – even some unnoticeable ‘earwear’ – will simply handle it.”

While AI already curates playlists based on your listening history and voice prompts, Moghaddam believes streamed music will in future be generated in real time to suit specific moments, such as times of day.

“Choosing an album to play while cooking may feel as quaint to future listeners as tuning an analogue radio dial feels to us now,” says Moghaddam. “And I suspect streaming as we currently know it – scrolling through apps and pressing play – will disappear.

“In hindsight, it will likely look like a clunky transitional phase, much as the CD era now appears: functional, slightly soulless and ultimately superseded.”

Interestingly, however, despite envisioning a future shaped by AI and streaming, he believes that human artistry and album concepts will survive – just not as we know it today. “If anything, it will make it more precious,” he says.

“A body of work that builds and develops speaks to something different in us than a shuffled queue. An ‘album’ in 2075 might be an hour-long spatial composition you move through, or a piece that adapts slightly depending on who’s listening and when. But the underlying instinct – an artist making a considered statement – should remain, because artists will always want to make one.”

Moghaddam also predicts a dominance and progression of immersive audio beyond what Dolby Atmos and binaural audio technologies currently offer; an experience that is more personalised to the room and listener, possibly also expanding to other senses.

“Something closer to bone-conduction blended with room-filling soundfields, perhaps with haptic elements,” he foresees.

“An orchestra wouldn’t simply play for you; you’d sit inside it, instruments arranged around and behind you, or even move yourself around for a different perspective. Habitats could even have these built into their architecture.”

Sound quality secondary?

A futuristic picture? Yes, but far from an unrealistic one. Machine intelligence, spatial audio, haptic interaction… but where does that leave sound quality?

Matt Bartlett, managing director of Chord Electronics, recognises the history of the hi-fi cycle “moving from the best-quality listening to simpler systems, but at the detriment of sound reproduction, and then back again once consumers realise what they are missing,” and he doesn’t see that changing in the next 50 years.

“Clearly audio – especially wireless transmission systems – has the capability to improve dramatically,” he says. “Luckily, a large proportion of listeners still strive for different listening set-ups and look for the next best thing, and engineering will have to lead this and provide new solutions and a constant evolution of existing audio components to meet this need.

“Ultimately, the goal of any audio engineering team is to produce a product that can reproduce the original sonic performance in the most accurate way possible. So with advances in technologies, I hope that in 50 years we have the designs to do this perfectly so that the listener cannot tell the difference between the live performance or a recording, and playback.”

Like Bartlett, Paul Neville, senior director of Harman Luxury Audio’s Global Engineering team, also believes higher-quality sound, driven by environmentally sustainable product designs and energy-efficient technologies, will play a major part in the future of hi-fi as melomaniacs and audiophiles look for “time off from the ‘connected’ digital world”.

He envisions more pointed focus “on quality, both in terms of product design and user experience, which is really closing the loop and taking us back to where hi-fi began to try and replicate that live music experience.” A desire to “buy less but buy higher quality”.

A shrinking niche

Hi-fi components haven’t dominated the music-listening hardware market in decades; not since it shifted towards personal listening devices, which has, of course, culminated in the phones and headphones of today.

Karl-Heinz Fink, owner of Fink Audio-Consulting and Epos Loudspeakers, believes mainstream hi-fi is heading in only one direction. “Hi-fi will simply be a commodity, bought in much the same way people buy a toaster today,” he says. “And, much like a toaster, it will increasingly be bought online. The traditional dealer, where customers came to listen and compare before buying, will play a smaller and smaller role.

“Many traditional companies will disappear, and Chinese vendors will come to dominate the market – in the same way Japanese companies did in the 1980s. It is not only the lower cost of Chinese products, but also the technology they have, for example in streaming.

“Their domestic market is so large that they have the volumes needed to bring prices down and to justify developing new technology.”

But while Fink also predicts that an increasingly casual attitude to hi-fi will have a knock-on effect for a shrinking high-end market, he doesn’t predict the extinction of the passionate audiophile anytime soon.

“There will always be a group of enthusiasts who listen to high-end equipment and spend a lot of money on their systems,” he says. “As before, these will mostly be older people with the necessary means, which was already the case when I started almost 50 years ago.

“There will still be fans of turntables, of course, but much like mechanical watches today: we like the way they work, but nobody buys them to get the most accurate time.”

Neville and Moghaddam agree that vinyl will persist. Neville, due to an overwhelming amount of choice in a ruling digital world and a consequential wish to focus on more mindful activities, while Moghaddam doesn’t see it as being as entwined into popular culture or as socially relevant as it is today, but instead as a specialist hobby alongside “the ambient, AI-generated, fully immersive listening” that will dominate everyday life.

“I expect vinyl will sit where letterpress printing sits today: a small, devoted niche with a genuine community and its own folklore – some of it accurate, some exaggerated,” he says.

“There will still be people who insist on vinyl, much like some today insist on shooting film – partly for real technical reasons, and partly because the ritual has simply become part of how the music feels to them.”

He believes that the supply chain will survive to power this niche market, although he makes a point that it could still exist without active cutting and pressing industries due to the permanence of records themselves.

“As PVC doesn’t decompose in any meaningful timeframe, the hundreds of millions of records already out there would still be perfectly playable in 2076 and well beyond. Digital formats depend entirely on platforms, codecs, and infrastructure staying alive and compatible – vinyl just sits on a shelf, indifferent to whether anyone is maintaining it.”

Adapting to a smarter world

The consensus seems to be that an increasing need for ‘disconnected’ experiences in a dictatorial digital age could well keep the tactile hi-fi system as we know it today alive, albeit perhaps in a more niche context.

Even more likely is that the smart digital world will get only smarter, and that the audio industry will have to do what it does now – try to keep up.

Digital hi-fi will have to adapt and find new ways to pander to demands for convenience, while striving for sound quality that gets even closer to the live experience, and becoming intelligent enough to create tailored room- and listener-specific experiences. Spatial audio may even seize the 22nd century.

It’s a tall order, but an exciting prospect.

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Somehow, it’s July – and half of 2026 has already gone.

It has been time well spent, however, as the What Hi-Fi? team has spent the time testing some rather brilliant products.

From OLED TVs that give our current favourites a run for their money to long-awaited headphones that live up to the hype, we have seen various updates to many of our Best Buy guides.

So we have rounded up a few of our favourite products of the year into a handy guide. We test and review all products ourselves here at What Hi-Fi?, and all of the products below have been awarded a full five stars.

Don’t forget to check back in November for our annual Awards night, where there will be a full-on battle royale between the new releases and previous favourites to see who gets a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award.

For now, though, take a look at what has impressed us in the first half of 2026.

13. Yamaha C-5000/M-5000

Our temptation pick, the Yamaha C-5000/M-5000 pre-power amplifiers, is certainly pricey but hard to beat when it comes to the blend of build, finish and performance.

Yamaha may not be the first brand that comes to mind when we think of high-end amplification, but this C-5000/M-5000 pairing is as polished and well engineered as they come. If you’re lucky enough to have a listen, we’re sure you’ll agree.

12. Vertere Phono-1 LX

Moving on to the more affordable, but definitely still premium, the Vertere Phono-1 LX phono stage sets new standards for the price, delivering a class-leading combination of insight, dynamic punch and finesse.

It may look the same as its predecessor, the Phono-1 MkII L, but the Phono-1 LX takes a notable step forward in performance. Provided you have a talented record player and a system capable of great transparency, this Vertere phono stage is an easy recommendation.

11. Samsung HW-Q990H

We had high expectations for the Samsung HW-Q990H – its predecessor, the similarly named Q990F, won Product of the Year in the soundbar category at our most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony.

Luckily, the Q990H lives up to the hype, with subtle under-the-hood refinements that result in a touch more detail and nuance, and place spatial sound effects with even greater precision. Samsung has done it again, continuing to improve on its soundbar package year after year.

10. KEF Coda W

KEF’s wireless active speaker systems have been five-star successes recently, and the Coda W continues that trend. Unlike the brand’s previous models, the LSX II LT and LS50 Wireless II, built-in streaming capability has been replaced by Bluetooth and a moving-magnet (MM) phono stage is now included, but the high standards in sound quality have been maintained – and indeed, surpassed.

While the phono-stage performance could be better, listening via other inputs is a joy, with a clear, detailed presentation and deep, controlled bass. The build quality is rather elegant too!

9. Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2

Valerion is still very much in its infancy by AV standards, having started on Kickstarter only in 2024. That hasn’t stopped the Valerion VisionMaster 2 from becoming a (literal) shining star of the mid-range lifestyle-projector scene, and one of our favourite products of the year so far.

It’s the eye-catching and heavy-duty design that will certainly grab your attention first, but luckily the picture and sound quality is just as impressive. The VisionMaster Pro 2 punches above its weight with features too, with a particular highlight including support for all four HDR formats – including both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, a rarity for a projector.

8. Sony PS-LX3BT

After six long years, we finally have a new affordable Bluetooth turntable recommendation to knock the Sony PS-LX310BT off its perch. It is, however, another Sony offering – the Sony PS-LX3BT is the Japanese tech giant’s long-awaited return to Bluetooth turntable production, and it was certainly worth the wait.

It’s hard to think of a turntable that does so much so well yet costs so relatively little. This plug-and-play automatic turntable boasts Bluetooth powers, impressive ease of use and a sound that is accomplished and enjoyable, making it a perfect pick for beginners, budget turntable buyers or anyone after a great-value Bluetooth record player.

7. LG C6

We recently gave LG’s flagship, the G6, five stars in our re-review, but it’s the step-down OLED that has impressed us most. We don’t usually get too excited about processor upgrades, but the Alpha 11 Gen 3 has blessed the LG C6 with extra brightness and richness, improved upscaling and better shading subtlety than its predecessor, the C5.

Add in a step up in audio performance, LG’s usual awesome gaming credentials and an app-packed, optimised smart platform, and you have the mid-range OLED to beat in 2026.

6. Dali Sonik 5

The Dali Sonik 5 get to have it both ways – they are small enough to fit into most living rooms, but deliver a big sound that transcends their dimensions. Provided you take the time to set them up carefully, you will be rewarded with detailed sound and an expressive dynamic performance.

At £899/ $1800/ AU$1749, they are a pleasing balance between convenience, cost and quality, and a worthy follow-up to the multi-Award-winning Dali Oberon 5.

5. Sony Bravia Trio

Is the Sony Bravia Trio a soundbar or a speaker system? Sony’s deconstructed soundbar concept could have ended up as an awkward compromise between the two. Instead, it takes the strength of both approaches while avoiding their weaknesses.

A 3.0.2-channel system comprising dedicated left, centre and right speakers, the Bravia Trio may seem like a backwards step for soundbars by adding more speakers, but results in one of the finest lifestyle Dolby Atmos systems you can currently buy. Huge scale, impressive cohesion and excellent usability are all combined in one ingenious three-piece package.

4. JBL Xtreme 5

The JBL Xtreme line is beefier and bulkier than ever before, with the Xtreme 5 adding drop-proof to its list of indestructible credentials that include an IP68 waterproof and dust-proof rating. There’s also new colourful, customisable edge-lighting for those who really want to get the party going.

But it’s the elevated sound quality that intrigues us most, with a newfound sense of clarity and greater sonic presence than previous models. Combine that with the solid build quality, and it all spells bad news for any contenders to the Bluetooth speaker throne.

3. Samsung S99H

Samsung’s flagship TVs have been the most aesthetically appealing for some time now, but the Samsung S99H switches things up with a bold new design that takes inspiration from its design-led The Frame range.

But it’s the performance upgrades that wowed us the most. With a refined approach to picture tuning, a feature set that many TVs can only dream of, and a greatly improved sound system compared with last year’s model, Samsung’s latest flagship is the brand’s best TV to date, and the OLED to beat in 2026.

2. Sony WF-1000XM6

Sony has innovated and improved its flagship wireless earbuds time after time, but the Sony WF-1000XM6 was released to the most competitive market yet.

But that didn’t stop Sony from producing a pair of buds with out of this world sound and an all-round performance good enough to worry every major rival at the money. You’ll want to make sure you get along with the ear-tips, but the XM6 offer a new, wonderfully natural sound, noise-cancelling that is up there with the very best and brilliant call quality. Underestimate Sony at your peril!

1. Focal Mu-so Hekla

An “immersive all-in-one system”, the premium Focal Mu-so Hekla straddles the worlds of hi-fi and home cinema in a way that is very fitting for What Hi-Fi?.

So it’s lucky that Focal and Naim’s soundbar is good; not just good, in fact, but fittingly explosive. It handles whatever we throw at it with ease, offering an immersive and authoritative experience when watching movies, but also a finessed performance when fed a delicate piece of music.

If you can afford the high asking price, the Hekla more than justifies the cost.

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Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

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Our guide to the best speakers we have tested and recommend across all budgets and types

It had been a while since a flagship Denon AVR had graced our test rooms, but recently we righted that wrong. And the AVC-A1H was worth the wait.

Because while it’s undoubtedly expensive, its stacked feature set and phenomenally cinematic sound make it worth every penny. And now that it has fallen to £4999 at Sevenoaks (a discount of £1300), it’s more compelling than ever.

Denon AVC-A1H deal

The Denon AVC-A1H earned five stars from us. And that’s despite its significant heft; this thing weighs a whopping 32kg, and will take up most of your AV rack.

It might not tear up the rulebook when it comes to aesthetics, but its utilitarian design certainly gets the job done. And the metal, backlit remote is a welcome change from the plastic models we have become accustomed to.

It is one of the most extensively equipped AVRs we have had the pleasure of testing. Its 15 channels of amplification can support speaker configurations up to 9.4.6, plus you can split the amplification channels across two additional zones, and power other speakers in your home from just one amp.

It houses Denon’s most premium components, including the brand’s most powerful transformers, 10 two-channel ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chips, a high-spec DSP processing engine, and gold-plated speaker terminals.

You get multiple wired connections to play with, and compatibility with plenty of AV formats (including all four HDR formats and numerous immersive audio formats) plus the main music streaming services.

And the sound? “Simply incredible” was our verdict.

Watching F1: The Movie, we noted that it “makes light work of creating a hugely spacious and totally immersive sound, with every aspect of the scene bursting with three-dimensional energy.

“Everything from the clattering of gravel hitting the tarmac and the screech of tyres as cars spin out, to the crackling of fireworks and a swooping helicopter sounds superbly crisp.”

Even quiet dialogue comes across sounding natural, while the bass is superb. This AV receiver is the real deal, and for £4999 at Sevenoaks, it’s now more tempting than ever.

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You might want to dust off that old CRT TV, or at least you might if a) you still own one, and b) it can connect to Netflix. The streaming giant has released the first series of Stranger Things in a picture quality akin to VHS.

The sci-fi series is set in the 1980s, with plenty of nostalgic touch points such as Ghostbusters costumes, walkie talkies and Dungeons And Dragons. So making the first series look like a VHS from the period is very on brand.

As the show’s creators point out, this is how it would have looked had it been released when it's set.

“If Stranger Things existed in Hawkins, sitting on a shelf at Family Video, it would look just like this – complete with pan-and-scan,” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement. “And hey, if enough of you nerds watch it, maybe we’ll do the rest of the seasons.”

Pan and scan is a technique used to squash a widescreen picture into the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio seen on CRT TVs of the period. It involves cropping the left and right edges and panning across the image if something of note occurs within the cropped parts of the frame.

For any younger viewers, it’s a chance to see what we had to put up with in the olden days.

The VHS-style treatment will of course involve black bars either side of your widescreen TV, and the picture will look softer and blurrier than a modern image – expect this effect to be highlighted by the sharper image quality possible on modern TVs. But it’s all in the name of authenticity.

The series was re-released in this format to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary. And as the Duffer Brothers say, if it proves popular, its subsequent seasons might get the same treatment.

To watch, head to the series landing page or search Netflix for “Stranger Things VHS”.

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The summer holidays are here and whether you’re schlepping it back to the office or staying home to have some quality time with the newly freed sprogs, we have a special treat for you: a fresh entry to our weekly hi-fi and home cinema news digest.

Sure, most attention was rightly on our special Home Cinema Week event, but between the sea of special features, a few key reviews and announcements also went live over the past seven days. Here’s what you need to know.

Denon’s flagship AVR is pretty awesome

There’s no getting around the fact £4999 is a lot of money right now. But if you have the cash and want a premium AVR to power your swish new home cinema, or upgrade the one you have, then we have a new recommendation: the five-star Denon AVC-A1H.

Expensive? Yes, but the flagship unit has rapidly become a favourite among the What Hi-Fi? home cinema team, with its rich, bold and powerful sound and wonderfully dynamic, fun presentation delighting every reviewer who listened to it. Hence our five-star rating and verdict:

“Denon’s flagship amplifier justifies its large price tag, and even larger chassis. With a rich, powerful and natural sound, it takes every film and song we throw at it and makes them shine without breaking a sweat. Equipped with an exhaustive feature set and an intuitive set-up, this enthusiast-level amplifier is actually a stellar choice for all levels of home cinema fans – providing they have a generous budget.”

Read our full Denon AVC-A1H review

K-Pop to the rescue

While certain team members are unashamed K-pop fans (staff writer Robyn Quick in particular), it’s not a genre you see talked about on What Hi-Fi? very often. But that all changed last week when reports broke suggesting K-pop powerhouse BTS helped cause a huge surge in CD sales, with the release of their new album ARIRANG. Specifically, data company Luminate showed that CDs sold 16.3 million units in the US between January and the end of June thanks to its launch – meaning for the first time in recent memory CD sales grew faster than vinyl during the period!

Read the full story: Growth in CD sales has overtaken vinyl in the US – the reasons for this might surprise you

We found out why Marantz’s new Model 70 stereo amp won’t launch in the US

Marantz launching its entry-level CD 70 CD player and Model 70 stereo amplifier was big news a couple of weeks ago.

But while we found lots to like about the two units, which are in our review rooms right now, there was one odd omission that gave us pause. Specifically, the Model 70 didn’t have US pricing – which gave us, and a number of readers, pause.

Last week our ever-inquisitive deputy editor, Andy Madden, took the time to ask Marantz if the Model 70 would be coming to the US market. Sadly it’s not good news, with a spokesperson telling us:

“Following careful evaluation, we determined that anticipated market demand in the region would not support the minimum production volumes required for a local launch. As a result, we have made the decision to focus availability for the initial launch in markets where consumer demand can be more effectively met.”

Read the full story: Here's why the Marantz Model 70 stereo amplifier isn’t going to be available in the US

McIntosh unleashed the MX124

Looking for a powerhouse AVR that can support 8K resolution, support four subwoofers and pretty much every HDR and audio format under the sun? Got £16,900 (around $23,000 / AU$32,000) to spare? Then we’ve got good news! McIntosh just launched its new MX124 AV receiver that delivers on all of those fronts.

Featuring nine 32-bit digital-to-analogue converters and new upgraded circuitry, this beast of an AVR is available now and claims to be a perfect fit for "today's most advanced home cinema systems".

We haven’t reviewed, or even seen, the unit in the flesh yet, so we can’t comment on performance. But considering the firm’s pedigree in the premium space, it’s certainly caught our attention! We’ll do our best to get one in for review ASAP.

Read the full story: The McIntosh MX124 AV receiver wants to be the beating heart of your monster home cinema setup

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Earlier this month, we asked you which movie soundtracks you use to test your sound system at home.

Plenty of you sent us your number one picks, from old favourites to new releases that have quickly climbed to the top of your list. There were a range of different genres and styles, with some making an appearance more than others.

And it will soon become apparent that there is one composer that crops up again and again…

Sci-fi is a winner

There was one genre that got more recommendations than any other, and that’s science fiction. It’s hardly a surprise given the opportunity for otherworldly soundtracks that are written to transport you to another world.

Reader Andrew Rollins sent in a double recommendation, and outlined two staples of the genre. That includes Dune: Part One, depicting the origins of Paul Atreides as the world around him falls into political ruin. Hans Zimmer delivers a mesmerising score that adds a unique, powerful feeling to each scene.

Using a combination of synthesisers, oriental timbres and choral voices, Zimmer creates a textured listening experience that is a joy to behold with the right equipment. The bass is often low and rumbling, which requires competent handling of the low end without sounding blobby or out of control. But it also challenges your system’s Dolby Atmos presentation. When Atreides is challenged by the Bene Geserit with the Pain Box, for instance, his visions of fire and whispered voices should swirl around the listener in a vortex of sound.

Andrew also suggested the Interstellar score, which we have used many a time in our test room. Good ol’ Zimmer is the composer of this famous soundtrack as well, offering an ethereal and atmospheric score that will leave you with goosebumps by the end. Switch on the track Cornfield Chase and your system’s handling of dynamics will be properly challenged.

Some timeless classics are on the roster

Sometimes, you can’t beat the golden oldies. Quite literally, as Goldfinger was suggested by user AndyC405. He notes that the original “with Shirley Bassey is a great test for any bright system”, and we can’t help but agree.

This entry to the James Bond canon begins with a series of high-pitched brass notes that can easily sound too shrill and harsh on the ears. It calls for a system that can portray both the subtlety of the soft aspects of the score, as well as the power of the invigorating crescendo without sounding disorganised and overwhelming.

Another classic film soundtrack to get a shoutout was Gladiator, thanks to Instagram follower Jacob Edwards. It’s another great display of Hans Zimmer’s composing talents, and the collaboration with Lisa Gerrard (also known for her work on Whale Rider and The Insider) adds to the score’s complexities.

There are too many moments to choose from in this adventure epic, with the delicacy of Earth and Now We Are Free offering a brilliant challenge to any sound system’s soft side.

But The Battle is by far the most exciting to listen to, and calls for precision and punch from your audio equipment to capture the tension of the scene. As the Romans square up for a clash against the Germanic tribes and the horses charge into battle, the strings attack every note with ferocity and the brass instruments add to the sense of pressure. It’s a great track to behold, and makes for gripping listening even on its own.

A What Hi-Fi? Team addition

Go on then, we’ll stick our oar in. One of our most popular soundtracks in the test room recently is Sinners, a vampire horror that will have you quaking in your boots. The film revolves around young protagonist Sammie's connection to music, and the power it gives him to summon spirits.

This makes it a brilliant disc to test your sound system. One scene we always turn to is when Sammie first calls spirits from the past, present and future by singing I Lied To You at the newly opened juke joint.

The beautifully emotive vocals from Miles Caton as Sammie sound natural and full of subtle inflections on the right system, and the crowd's murmurings should wrap around the listener. As the spirits join the party and dance in harmony, your system's sense of precision is tested as the camera swoops around the space in one long shot.

Listen on your own system

Want all of these recommendations and more in one place? There’s good news, because we have made a Spotify playlist so they are only a few clicks away.

Feel free to save it to your collection, or you can transfer them to your streaming platform of choice. Thanks to everyone for contributing to this month’s Ask The Reader, and we appreciate all of your entries even if they were not featured this time around.

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Anyone can put together an expensive surround sound system. Buy five great speakers, add a capable subwoofer and a suitably muscular AV amplifier, and you're well on your way.

Building a genuinely cohesive home cinema system, though, is much harder.

The best packages don't constantly remind you which speaker is producing which effect or draw attention to individual sonic fireworks. Instead, they disappear entirely, transporting you into the world of the movie with such convincing scale and cohesion that you stop thinking about the equipment and simply enjoy what you're watching.

On paper, KEF's R Meta 5.1 speaker system certainly has all the ingredients required to achieve that lofty goal. The question is whether, together, they amount to something even greater than the sum of their already rather impressive parts.

Price

Those ‘ingredients’ are a pair of R7 Meta floorstanders on front left and right duties, two (five-star) R3 Meta standmounters as surrounds, an R6 centre speaker, and the unusually compact KC92 subwoofer.

At the time of writing, these speakers aren’t available as a pre-packaged system, though that may soon change. In the meantime, the cost of building the system with the separate speakers is £10,499 / $13,200 / AU$19,400.

That’s a hefty chunk of change, no doubt, and you can take things further by adding R8 Meta Dolby Atmos ‘toppers’, should you so wish, at £1500 / $1800 / AU$2800 per pair.

Design

This is an unapologetically substantial package. Even before you've wrestled the hefty R7 Meta floorstanders into position, it's clear that this isn't a surround system designed to disappear into your living room.

The R3 Meta are generously proportioned by standmounter standards, too, while the R6 Meta is a particularly large centre speaker – one clearly designed to prioritise acoustic performance over blending discreetly beneath your TV.

Despite the varying sizes, there's an aesthetically pleasing sense of consistency across the range. The speakers all share the same understated, clean-lined design language, with KEF's distinctive Uni-Q driver array taking pride of place on each model.

Rather than feeling like a collection of separate products assembled into a surround package, the R Meta speakers immediately look like members of the same family, giving the impression of a system that has been designed as a whole rather than assembled from individual parts.

The KC92 subwoofer, though, initially looks like the odd one out. It's a surprisingly compact cube sitting alongside such substantial floorstanders, and its neatly integrated side-firing drivers make it appear smaller than a high-end subwoofer has any right to.

That compactness is entirely deliberate, however. The force-cancelling driver arrangement allows KEF to keep the cabinet remarkably small while apparently reducing unwanted vibrations, and those wanting even greater low-frequency output can simply add more KC92s. KEF will even sell you a bracket that lets you stack them into a rather awesome-looking tower of bass.

Our review package arrived in a high-gloss black finish that looks suitably Darth Vader-like but quickly attracts fingerprints. The speakers are also available in white and walnut, but the KC92 doesn’t get the walnut finish. Slightly disappointingly, the gorgeous indigo gloss in which you can buy the R3 Meta standmounters isn’t available for the rest of the system.

Whichever finish you choose, though, build quality throughout is excellent. From the reassuring solidity of the cabinets to the immaculate fit and finish, every component feels worthy of a package costing comfortably north of £10,000.

Features

Much of the technology underpinning the R Meta series has trickled down from KEF's flagship Reference range, but perhaps the cleverest aspect of KEF's R Meta package is that, despite the differing sizes and roles of the individual speakers, the R7 Meta floorstanders, R3 Meta surrounds and R6 Meta centre all share exactly the same drive units.

Each speaker features KEF's 12th-generation Uni-Q array, combining a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter and 125mm midrange driver into a single point-source unit, alongside identical 165mm hybrid aluminium bass drivers. The only real difference is how many bass drivers each speaker employs – two in the centre and each of the floorstanders, and one in each of the standmounters.

The Uni-Q array has long been one of KEF's defining technologies. By placing the tweeter at the acoustic centre of the midrange driver, the company aims to create more even sound dispersion and improve the integration between frequencies.

It's also impossible to ignore the distinctive Tangerine waveguide sitting proudly in front of the tweeter. While it gives KEF’s speakers their instantly recognisable appearance, it's there for more than cosmetic reasons, helping to control the tweeter's dispersion for a more consistent high-frequency response across a wider listening area.

Backing up the Uni-Q array is KEF's Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). Mounted behind the tweeter, this maze-like absorber is designed to eliminate almost all of the unwanted sound radiating from the rear of the driver before it has a chance to colour the performance, helping to produce cleaner, more natural treble.

The KC92 subwoofer, meanwhile, takes a similarly clever approach to solving a different problem.

Rather than relying on a large cabinet to produce serious low-frequency output, it packs two opposing 9-inch drivers into a remarkably compact enclosure, with each driven by its own 500W Class D amplifier. The force-cancelling arrangement is designed to reduce unwanted cabinet vibrations while allowing the subwoofer to remain unusually discreet.

Practicality has clearly been a consideration, too. All three main speakers feature twin sets of binding posts for those wanting to bi-wire or bi-amp, but KEF has dispensed with the fiddly metal bridging plates traditionally used to connect terminals for single-wire use. Instead, a pair of rotary links simply twists to join the terminals inside the speakers. Neat.

The R7 Meta and R3 Meta also feature rear-firing bass reflex ports, with KEF supplying foam bungs should you need to position them close to a rear wall. It’s still worth avoiding the bungs and giving the speakers a bit of breathing space away from walls if you can, but they’re otherwise very forgiving over placement, not least thanks to the Uni-Q driver array’s dispersion characteristics.

Sound

We already know what accomplished musical performers the R3 Meta standmounters are, but how do the fronts of this system, the R7 Meta floorstanders, handle hi-fi duties? With effortless sophistication, that’s how.

Fed track after track, they sound clean, composed and wonderfully controlled, with an expansive soundstage and an ability to unpick complex recordings without ever becoming analytical. Tori Amos' Cornflake Girl for example, is reproduced with impressive subtlety, her voice locked firmly between the speakers while the piano, percussion and bass each occupy their own clearly defined space.

It is possible for that polished presentation to become almost too civilised, though. During our initial listening with our Marantz Cinema 30, Tool's The Pot lacks a little of the visceral snap and attack we'd hoped for, while John Williams' Jurassic Park theme feels fractionally more restrained than it should.

However, swapping to the Denon AVC-A1H transforms matters, bringing greater drive and energy without sacrificing the refinement that makes these speakers so easy to listen to. Prospective buyers would do well to partner them with an amplifier that shares their considerable talents without doubling down on their composure.

Once we turn our attention to movies, it quickly becomes apparent that this isn't merely an excellent collection of speakers; it's a genuinely cohesive surround package. As effects move around the room, you're rarely conscious of which individual speaker is producing them. Instead, sounds travel with remarkable continuity, each cabinet handing seamlessly to the next until the speakers themselves almost disappear from the experience.

That cohesion is accompanied by an immense sense of scale. The opening race sequence in F1: The Movie fills our listening room with the deafening roar of engines and screeching tyres, yet never descends into chaos. The R6 Meta centre anchors dialogue securely amid the mayhem, while the front soundstage stretches confidently beyond the physical positions of the speakers.

Ambient effects spread throughout the room with such conviction that, despite this being a conventional 5.1 package, we rarely find ourselves wishing for dedicated height channels. It can't produce truly discrete overhead effects in the manner of a Dolby Atmos system, of course, but it creates such an enveloping, three-dimensional soundfield that the absence of ceiling or up-firing speakers rarely feels like a compromise.

That ability to immerse without drawing attention to itself proves equally captivating in Blade Runner 2049. The haunting ambience of the abandoned Las Vegas sequences extends effortlessly into every corner of the room, while the thunderous score is delivered with breathtaking scale and authority.

Despite the sheer size of the presentation, however, subtle details are never drowned out. The package remains wonderfully composed, allowing tiny atmospheric cues to coexist naturally alongside seismic low-frequency effects.

The KC92 deserves special praise. If your priority is sheer low frequency extension, there are physically larger subwoofers that will dig deeper, but what the compact KEF lacks in outright depth, it more than compensates for with speed, precision and tonal sophistication.

Bass notes start and stop with remarkable precision, textures remain easy to discern and, perhaps most importantly, the KC92 never sounds like a separate component. Whether underpinning the rumble of an F1 car, the immense organ notes of Interstellar or the ominous low-frequency pulses of Blade Runner 2049, it simply feels like an extension of the main speakers.

Compared with our reference PMC Twenty5.23 speaker package, the KEFs make for a fascinating contrast.

The PMCs remain the more energetic and revealing performers, extracting the finest details from recordings and delivering dynamic shifts with greater urgency and attack, but the KEFs counter with a presentation that's more effortless, more spacious and ultimately more cohesive. They don't simply place effects accurately around the room; they create an enormous, unified soundstage that encourages you to forget about the individual speakers altogether and become absorbed in the performance.

And that's ultimately this package's greatest achievement. Plenty of surround systems impress by throwing effects around the room or bombarding you with bass, but the KEFs never feel as though they're trying to show off.

Instead, they rather dissolve into the background, leaving only the sonic world of the movie you’re watching. That’s why we find ourselves still watching films long after our official testing is complete.

Verdict

The R Meta 5.1 package is beautifully engineered, immaculately built and packed with clever technology, but it's the effortless cohesion with which those individual elements come together that makes it so special.

Whether it's the seamless handover of effects between speakers, the KC92's astonishingly well-integrated bass or the vast, enveloping soundstage, every aspect of the system works towards a single goal: drawing you deeper into whatever you’re watching.

It's not entirely perfect. The R7 Meta floorstanders reward careful amplifier matching if you don't want them to sound a little too easy-going, and there are larger subwoofers capable of plumbing even greater depths. Neither ‘flaw’ significantly detracts from the overall experience, though.

Instead, the KEFs deliver one of the most immersive, refined and convincing surround performances we've heard at this level. This is a package that consistently prioritises the film over the fireworks, and that's precisely why it succeeds so brilliantly.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Design 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Fyne Audio F8SP AV

Also consider the PMC Twenty5.23 5.1

Read our KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System review

Best surround sound systems: home cinema speakers and soundbars put to the test

Home cinema is taking a new form in this day and age.

The idea that a home cinema system must be a fixed projector connected to an AV receiver with cables trailing to a surround sound package is now an outdated concept, with opportunities for many more people to dip their toes into the world of home cinema for the first time.

We've had projectors of all shapes and sizes enter our test room, and these form factors are only getting more ambitious. This paradigm shift really kicked off towards the start of this decade, when ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors started gaining popularity.

USTs pack in the big-screen experience, a sound system, and (in most cases) built-in streaming, for an all-in-one cinema experience that doesn't need to take up much more space than a TV.

From that, we've seen the explosion of coffee table projectors, such as the Hisense M2 Pro or BenQ TK705i, which take the same concept and translate it into a portable cube, meaning you can deploy a full home cinema at a moment's notice, and put it away again.

These come in high-end packages, like the Xgimi Horizon 20 Max (£2599 / $2699 / AU$4950), as well as surprisingly affordable models such as the Wanbo Vali 1 (£270 / $279 / AU$499).

Performance obviously differs depending on how much you're willing to spend, but the concept remains the same; coffee table or 'lifestyle' projectors offer picture, sound and content in a compact form that can be tucked away in a cupboard when not in use.

A further extreme is the boom of portable projectors. Xgimi's MoGo series makes things even more flexible by offering a built-in battery, and while the Optoma Photon Go wasn't perfect, we thought its battery-powered UST design was both clever and cool.

Even surround sound speaker packages are following the trend. While we'll always stick by a full surround sound package, we can't deny the impracticalities of setting one up and living with it.

If you're not a dab hand at cable management, then your living room can quickly turn into a spaghetti junction of speaker wires. Floorstanding speakers also take up space, and even the most space-saving of bookshelf units need stands.

That's why we're seeing the rise of the wireless surround sound system. Sony ran with the concept a few years ago with the HT-A9 system, and followed it up with the Bravia Theatre Quad in 2024. We've also seen the likes of the Valerion Thunderbeat, Loewe WE Boost and Hisense Saturn all make appearances since.

LG and TCL have even launched speakers with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect that can be configured to create a full surround sound system, which even takes the hassle out of positioning speakers.

These wireless systems essentially offer a proper surround sound experience – there are speakers technically surrounding the seating position – with a heaping of convenience that makes them more approachable.

Purists may disagree with me here, and I won't argue that a dedicated 4K projector, surround sound speaker package, AVR and 4K Blu-ray player won't offer up a better home cinema experience.

However, not everyone has the time, space, budget or technical know-how for a full system, and let's not forget that watching movies isn't a competitive sport.

Personally, I'm here for these accessible home cinema products. Convenience and affordability are two great ways to tempt new people into the world of home cinema, and once they've had a taste, chances are they'll begin working up to the full package.

And if they don't, then that's fine too. Home cinema for everyone is the ideal outcome here, whether that's a sound-treated, dedicated theatre room made by specialists, or beaming the latest superhero flick onto your wall from a projector sitting on your coffee table.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best projectors

As well as the best portable projectors

The best Dolby Atmos movies of the decade (so far)

Home Cinema Week is almost at an end, and what a time it has been. From our review of the five-star AWOL Vision Aetherion Max projector to a behind-the-scenes look at our AV testing facility, it’s been a treat to dig into all things home cinema-related.

Our monthly Now Showing hasn’t gone anywhere, though, as we have still been beavering away in our test room to review the latest AV products. Each month, we take a look at the best movies and TV shows we have been using to test, as well as new releases that we cannot wait to use.

This can range from a film that puts your sound system’s Dolby Atmos presentation through its paces or challenges a projector screen’s black depth. Let’s take a look at the team’s top picks!

Ponies (2026-)

Words by Joe Svetlik

Cold War thrillers tend to be more po-faced than a Kremlin spokesman, so Ponies is a welcome addition to the genre. Ponies stands for Persons Of No Interest – CIA-speak for the wives of two Moscow-based US spies who die in mysterious circumstances. The men, of course, are Persons Of Interest, but their better halves? Given that neither Russia nor the US used female operatives at the time (in the series, at least), this gives the Ponies scope to fly under the radar and investigate their husbands’ deaths.

If that all sounds a bit gritty, trust me, it isn’t. The pairing of Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones) and Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus) lends the show plenty of humour – the former uptight and controlling, the latter a bohemian with an exaggeratedly carefree sashay. And they’re ably supported by Adrian Lester (Hustle) and Artjom Gilz (Das Boot).

The production is dripping with period charm, even down to being filmed in the 3:2 aspect ratio to mimic the feel of a pre-widescreen broadcast – that means vertical black bars either side of the picture, but it’s worth it to add to the vintage aesthetic.

The Russian accents are thick, the tension even thicker. And any series in which a touring Elton John accidentally disrupts a KGB murder plot has to be worth a look.

House Of The Dragon (Season 3)

Words by Lewis Empson

Game Of Thrones has had its ups and downs. While I still resent the ending of the main show over eight years later, the franchise as a whole has been steadily rebuilding since.

House Of The Dragon, a prequel series set roughly 200 years before the main show, has been fundamental in the franchise’s revival, and its explosive third season is broadcasting weekly right now.

After a somewhat weak ending to season two, I was immediately sucked into the third series' action-packed, bloody and emotional first two episodes. And while the pace has since slowed, the show has also tapped into the political-thriller elements of the original to great effect.

As ever with Game Of Thrones, this series also looks and sounds fantastic. Establishing shots of stunning natural vistas and sprawling naval battles are both dazzling in 4K, and with many sequences in dingy and dark castle corridors and chambers, this also happens to be a fairly thorough TV stress test. Shadow detail will be put to the test, and having watched all of this season so far on an OLED TV, I’ve certainly reaped the contrast and black depth benefits.

Your TV’s motion and sound capabilities will also be put to the test by swooping dragons as they launch screeching fire-breathing attacks on warring factions.

I also have an expert tip for watching House Of The Dragon in its best picture and sound quality. My advice is to skip Sky and Now and instead use HBO Max. If your budget allows, the top subscription tier unlocks 4K Dolby Vision streaming and Dolby Atmos audio, which makes the viewing experience a whole lot better.

If you’re already a Sky or Now subscriber, chances are that you already have access to HBO Max and can upgrade your account to access these features.

F1 The Movie (2025)

Words by Robyn Quick

Fast cars, roaring engines and juicy drama: that’s what you expect from a film about Formula 1. Joseph Kosinski’s F1 The Movie delivers on all of this, and it has quickly become a go-to in our test room since the 4K Blu-ray was released in November last year.

It’s one of my current favourites for testing both sound and picture quality and, when using the right system, the film makes for tense viewing.

During fast-paced racing scenes when the vehicles zoom around the course, you should be able to feel the cars move around the soundfield with a good Dolby Atmos audio system. This also calls for an excellent sense of precision, as the crowd calls out and announcements boom from off-screen.

On top of that, the myriad of races in the film are a great way to challenge your system’s motion handling. They must move naturally without looking too juddery or too smooth, which can be a tough balance to strike for premium and budget systems alike.

Widow's Bay (2026-)

Words by Tom Parsons

I came to Widow’s Bay late, mostly because in the remorseless tidal wave of new content, it simply didn’t stand out. The other evening, though, I decided to give it a go, and it’s actually well up there as one of my favourite shows of the year.

The story, about a small, somewhat backwards island community that badly needs an influx of tourists but also might – or might not – be cursed, is brilliantly paced. Fairly gentle but consistently gripping, it's an easy watch that's somehow impossible to stop watching.

The comedy-horror combo is really hard to get right, but creator Katie Dippold and director Hiro Murai (he of Atlanta fame) have absolutely nailed it, with most of the humour coming from the Fargo-like characters, dialogue and setting, and the horror elements used sparingly and effectively.

Apple TV shows tend to have higher production values (and have higher bitrates) than those of rival streaming services, and while that’s not super-evident in the intentionally grainy, Twin Peaks-style aesthetic, it’s abundantly clear in the sound design, which is excellent.

This isn’t a show with loads of jump scares; it’s one where subtle sound effects (often footsteps) are used to create tension and creepiness, and if you’ve got a good Dolby Atmos system, they’re placed brilliantly effectively.

Even if you’re not a horror fan, Widow’s Bay is an absolute must-watch.

In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

Words by Tom Parsons

When the sad news of Sam Neill’s passing was announced, I could have chosen to watch in his memory Jurassic Park, Hunt For The Wilderpeople or Event Horizon, all of which I know and love. Instead, I decided to try In The Mouth Of Madness, which The Guardian boldly proclaimed to be the legendary actor’s best role.

Well, I’m not quite sure about that assessment, but he does play the role of an insurance investigator driven mad by a horror author’s writings with fabulous gusto.

The film is utterly bonkers, exactly as you'd expect from an early-'90s John Carpenter horror steeped in H.P. Lovecraft, but it's schlocky, gleeful fun. There are some great, gory, practical effects, too – one sequence weirdly reminded me of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, but The Thing is, less surprisingly, visible in there.

Not a movie to watch if you’re looking for fancy production values or a serious home cinema demonstration, but a lot of fun if weird horror from the last millennium is up your street.

MORE:

These are the best scenes to test your Dolby Atmos sound system

Check out the best TVs

This divisive Christopher Nolan movie has the perfect test score to get you in the mood

With decades of experience under our collective belts, the What Hi-Fi? reviews team has an exhaustive list of movie scenes on tap for testing all things AV, from simple soundbars to AV receivers, to full-blown Dolby Atmos surround sound systems.

Rows of Blu-ray discs (including the 4K variety) adorn our test rooms and are on standby for when we want to push a subwoofer to breaking point or stretch the processing skills of an AVR.

But what about the people behind the actual products that we test? As we did in 2025, we’ve once again reached out to major players in home cinema to find out which movies and scenes they use to benchmark their products. You’ll find them listed below.

What do you think of their choices? What are your favourite clips for showcasing your home cinema kit? Let us know in the comments below!

Jordi Brinkman – Product Marketing Manager, Consumer Audio, Harman EMEA

Ready Player One – The Impossible Race

This scene has all the classic elements for a great demonstration. It features cars, bikes, trains and giant gorillas – what more could you want? Visually it’s fast and detailed, and the soundtrack matches the images, being big and bold with a massive amount of immersive sound too. But listen carefully, and behind those huge dynamics you can hear the crystal clarity of the token coins bouncing into the distance.

A Star Is Born – Shallow

This film has an outstanding soundtrack. But the standout demo track is the Shallow scene. You can feel the tension between the artists as the song builds, and the vocals and musicians on this track are just tremendous. The entire soundtrack – either Dolby Atmos or DTS HD – has been mixed so well that you really feel that you are part of the performance, and this is totally engaging.

Hans Zimmer and Friends, Diamond in the Desert – Gladiator

This disc is a real favourite of ours and works brilliantly to demonstrate our soundbars or our high-end multichannel systems. The Gladiator track just shimmers with a wide and sweeping performance of this movie soundtrack classic.

The audio mix is both striking, accurate and at times breath-taking, and places you directly in the middle of the performance – immersing you completely. It’s a compelling argument that all soundtracks like this should only be listened to with a home cinema system.

Harry Jones, Sound Experience Engineer, Sonos

Sinners (2025) – 00:55:50

What an incredible film this is; the performances, the music, the cinematography. I’m a huge fan of how this movie sounds, and we are proud to have worked with one of the re-recording mixers, Brandon Proctor, on previous tuning sessions for our products.

A standout moment for me, and many others, has to be the music scene in the juke joint. It’s also been coined ‘THAT’ scene from Sinners - understandably. The scene offers many styles of music, starting with blues and ending with a huge score from Ludwig Göransson, via West Coast hip-hop.

Along with the music, there’s some really interesting perspective panning, especially with the instruments, as the camera weaves through the dancers and onto the stage. There’s a lot of movement of the ‘full range’ elements, so for me it’s a great test of how a system gels together, and the overall integration of the fronts and the surrounds.

Joker (2019) – 00:40:05

Another film with incredible dialogue timbre throughout is Joker from 2019. The social worker scene is a stand-out in terms of tonality, and I use this scene often to understand how a centre channel is sounding.

It is a great test to be able to tell whether it’s too boomy, or indeed too bright. The dialogue is mixed with this rich and chesty quality, and there’s plenty of warm 400/500Hz present. The clip itself is fairly sparse in terms of anything else going on, but I find it to be the yardstick on centre channel performance.

28 Years Later (2025) – 00:35:15

I love the very abstract imagery in this scene, but for me it’s all about the thundering low end throughout. I’m a big fan of using big low end in cinematic presentations, so if this feels slightly on the edge of ‘too much’, it’s probably about right.

John Bagby - Managing Director of PML Sound (Paradigm, Anthem, MartinLogan and GoldenEar)

Project Hail Mary – 1:44:10, Time Go Fishing

This sequence is an absolute torture test for your subwoofer and amplifier. It layers two extremes at the exact same time.

On the low end, you have the heavy, continuous, room-shaking rumble of the spaceship’s engines humming between 20Hz and 60Hz. This demands massive, sustained power. Meanwhile, the mix sprinkles tiny, high-frequency details right on top, like clinking chains and high-pitched spacesuit beeps.

On a lesser system, the heavy bass will swallow these delicate details, leaving you with a muddy, vibrating mess. A great system keeps them perfectly separated. You’ll feel the deep, physical engine rumble in your chest while still hearing those crisp, metallic clinks cut through with absolute clarity.

Venom – 50:30:00, Eddie’s Apartment Fight

This scene is a killer test for texture and midrange control. It flips instantly from Eddie arguing with himself to an absolute mess of close-quarters chaos.

The star of the show here is that deep, layering Venom voice. On the right system, it has this rumbling, dual-tone texture that feels like it’s vibrating inside your own skull and sends chills down your spine. At the same time, you have these wet, gooey, ripping sounds whenever the symbiote shoots out a tentacle.

On a weaker set-up, the voice loses its menacing weight and gets completely buried under the generic thuds of furniture shattering and bodies crashing into drywall. A good system keeps that creepy alien voice front and centre, sounding thick and terrifying while the apartment gets torn apart around it.

Midway – 1:34:55, Attack on the Carriers

If you want to push your surround sound or Dolby Atmos set-up to its absolute limit, play this scene. It is pure, chaotic adrenaline. Fighter planes scream overhead, anti-aircraft guns thump, and debris flies in every direction. The sound design is incredibly fast, panning audio aggressively in a full 360-degree circle around your room.

This is a test of spatial precision and amplifier recovery speed. You want to hear a plane zoom seamlessly from front-left, over your head, and out the back-right without any gaps in the sound.

Because the explosions are so rapid-fire, your system has to recover instantly to deliver the next hit. If your gear is too slow, the chaos turns into a muddy blur; if it’s fast, it feels terrifyingly real.

Eric Kingdon, Technical Marketing Consultant, Sony

James Bond No Time to Die – Chapter 4, 20.00, Car Ambush

In this scene, the dialogue/music should remain clear despite the chaos! Gunfire travels precisely around the soundstage. Car engine and sound ‘impacts’ deliver controlled, but powerful low-frequency bass. The church bells, with great height, separation and detail, create a strong vertical position in the soundfield.

Ready Player One – Chapter 2 , 12.00, Car Race

The scene delivers a wide soundstage, with objects rapidly moving around the listener. It’s also a great test of dynamics and imaging, with a strong sense of height and lateral movement. It delivers a good immersive experience, with excellent smaller details such as when the coins ‘float’ into the car!

Sinners – Chapter 7, 55.45, Music Awakening

The guitar playing has detail plus presence, while the vocals remain focused and natural. Musically, it’s a fine test. Actually, it’s a good test for virtual speaker processing too. As the camera rotates, the soundstage opens up, enveloping the listener. You get the excellent room ambience, with the crowd reactions and musical ‘layers’ demonstrating a feeling of atmosphere, space and immersion. It’s quite immersive in both a musical and visual sense.

Olivier Semenoux, EU head of GTM & Product Management, TCL

6 Underground

For checking Atmos detailed sound, we use movies on Netflix and we typically use 6 Underground as this is one of the best scenes for testing a Dolby Atmos system, which will “detail” and “separate” sound objects clearly into the space.

In the opening Florence car chase scene, cars whip from front to rear, helicopters pass overhead and tyre screeches, ricochets and debris all move convincingly around and above you. It's a proper stress test for how clearly a system can separate and place individual sound objects in space, rather than just throwing noise at you.

Roma

This is the opposite kind of test, and in some ways the harder one. It's subtle rather than spectacular. In the scene just before the fire starts around half way into the movie, we can hear creaking doors, a dog barking from different distances, insects, church bells, all placed with real precision before the flames slowly wrap around you.

Atmos systems that sound impressive with action scenes don't always handle ambience this well, so it's a good way to hear how honest a system is.

Costa Rica (YouTube, Jacob & Katie Schwarz)

This is one of the clips we go back to most for judging genuine 4K HDR performance. It has everything we look for from bright highlights in the sun and the reflections off the water at the beach, deep blacks that still hold detail rather than crushing and fine texture in things like the skin of the snake.

The colours are rich without tipping into oversaturation and there's a real range of detail from the bright clouds right down into the dark shadows. It's a genuinely demanding real-world test that shows the best quality for a display.

MORE:

The annual What Hi-Fi? Home Cinema Week is here!

The best Dolby Atmos movies of the decade (so far) to test your home cinema

I traded my home cinema setup for a VR headset for an evening – here's everything you need to know

Thinking of buying a soundbar? Here’s a better alternative

It's been Home Cinema Week here at What Hi-Fi?, and we've been celebrating all things TV, projector and surround sound related.

Luckily, there's also been some great savings on home cinema kit we recommend – including several products we only reviewed this week.

Not that hi-fi has been left out, as we've seen some super speaker savings also to break things up.

As ever, these are all products that we have tried and tested ourselves, and the devices below have all earned at least four stars to warrant our recommendation.

We'll go into more detail below, but for now enjoy some savings:

We only reviewed the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max earlier this week, but it's already jumped to the top of the list of our favourite UST projectors. With outstanding picture quality, good built-in audio and an impressive feature set, it's actually quite a bargain at this price.

The Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) has been a long-time favourite here at What Hi-Fi?, thanks to its expansive sound, weighty bass and competent Alexa integration. It's a handsome devil too, with a high-quality build and finish.

We've long been fans of JBL's bulky but quite unbreakable Xtreme line, and the fifth generation is the best yet. The JBL Xtreme 5 offers an impressive sense of scale, excellent clarity, and punchy, expressive delivery as well as the usual solid build quality.

After a re-review of the LG G6 with the correct software, we were very impressed by its punchy picture quality, flawless gaming specifications and excellent app support. You can also claim an extra 10% (£256) cashback from LG after purchase if you wish – full Ts&Cs here.

Denon's flagship home cinema amplifier has a large price tag and an even larger chassis, but justifies it with rich, powerful and natural sound no matter what film we throw at it. Add in an exhaustive feature set and an intuitive set-up, and the Denon AVC-A1H amplifier is a stellar choice for home cinema fans with the budget.

The recently reviewed Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 package excites and thrills with its agile, energetic sound and impressive bass. We wish the centre channel paired well with the rest of the system, but there is plenty to like about this nicely-designed 5.1 package.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

There was once a time when legendary Japanese AV manufacturer Denon would update its home cinema amplifier range every year. Those days are now long behind us, which is why we’ve waited almost four years for the AVR-X2900H.

In that time, the shoes that this highly anticipated mid-range AV amp has to fill have only grown larger and larger. Most notably, Sony swanned onto the scene with the serial Award-winning TA-AN1000, which knocked Denon off the top spot.

There has also been a fair amount of stagnation in the AVR market lately, which makes every new release all the more important.

So, saying that the AVR-X2900H has landed in our testing room in a particularly high-pressure environment is quite the understatement. With it replacing the AVR-X2800H – a staple of our AV testing room and best AV receivers list alike – the X2900H has to impress. So does it?

Price

The X2900H is officially priced at £899 / $1349 / AU$1799, making it more expensive than its predecessor in the UK and US, but more affordable in Australia. The X2800H launched at £869 / $1200 / AU$2399, for reference.

It’s worth noting here that the version of this AVR sold in the USA is slightly different to the one we’re testing. It adds some key custom installation features including front left and right speaker pre-outs, a 12V trigger and an RS-232C port.

Furthermore, the UK version of the X2900H is the only model to feature a DAB tuner, with all other regions dropping this radio standard.

That said, this AV receiver still sits within the mid-range sector of the market, and specifically in Denon’s lineup it sits between the X1800H and the X3900H, the latter of which is expected to launch soon.

At this level, Denon is facing a rematch with the AV amplifier that ejected its previous amplifiers from our Awards list. Yes, the TA-AN1000 trudges on for yet another year as the sole AV amplifier in Sony’s lineup, but with a couple of years now under its belt, it can be found for £899 here in the UK. Discounts are also frequent, and we’ve seen it drop to as low as £699.

Design

Denon hasn’t been particularly daring with its AVR design in recent years. Much like the Targaryans in Game Of Thrones, or the Weasleys in Harry Potter, some strong genetic characteristics immediately identify this black box as a Denon amplifier.

The X2900H is another angular, brushed metal box sporting a rectangular display flanked by volume and source selection knobs, and a neatly organised row of buttons below it. Denon has made some appreciated updates here by angling the buttons upwards, making them easier to press if your AVR sits on a low shelf in your TV cabinet.

Subtle upgrades aside, this AVR remains functional-looking rather than particularly eye-catching, which is no great shame to us. That said, Denon’s sister company, Marantz, wins the AVR beauty contest – just look at the (admittedly much more expensive) Cinema 30 and tell us you disagree.

Speaking of which, the Denon has taken some inspiration from the Marantz when it comes to the remote. This simple-to-use handset now sports a side-mounted button that activates a backlight, making it much easier to use in a dark home cinema room.

Features

Much like its predecessor, the AVR-X2900H offers seven channels of amplification, supporting up to a 5.1.2 or 7.1 surround sound system.

Denon claims that this amp can output 95W per channel into 8 ohms, or 125W into 6 ohms, although that’s with only two of the seven available channels driven. It hasn’t given an exact figure regarding what the power output is with all channels driven, but Denon reportedly guarantees at least 70 per cent of that power with five channels driven.

It’s worth noting that Denon has its fellow Japanese competitor beaten when it comes to power output (albeit not by much), as the Sony TA-AN1000 offers 120W into 6 ohms with two channels driven.

Internally, Denon has implemented an upgraded 32-bit eight-channel DAC architecture for “improved imaging, clearer high-frequency detail and more confident low-frequency energy across every channel”.

The X2900H has also inherited a set of redesigned power capacitors from the company’s higher-end models, while Denon claims that the addition of silicon steel plates aids more powerful low-end frequencies. It also reports that unwanted vibrations have been reduced thanks to a new transformer plate.

Audyssey MultEQ XT makes a return for straightforward room correction, including automated speaker level and distance settings. Denon has also added support for the basic version of Dirac Live Room Correction this year, although it’s an optional extra that requires additional equipment to set up.

Accessing the MultEQ XT calibration system is a breeze thanks to the intuitive high-definition on-screen interface. Being able to confidently adjust settings without having to peer at the modest onboard display makes things much easier, and this will be a godsend to home cinema novices who might be setting up an AVR for the first time.

In terms of connectivity, the AVR-X2900H sports six HDMI inputs, three of which support signals up to 8K resolution, and Denon has added 1440p video pass-through and AMD FreeSync this year for better PC gaming support. There are also dual HDMI outputs, one of which is HDMI eARC, while the other supports Zone 2 functionality.

Gaming is capped at 4K/120Hz, however, which will be frustrating for PC gamers with more capable rigs, and possibly those with modern OLED TVs that can reach 165Hz. Denon makes up for this by including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S both support, and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Quick Frame Transport (QFT) are both on board to reduce latency.

There’s also support for both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, alongside HDR10 and HLG, meaning the X2900H should pass video through to your TV or projector nicely regardless of the make or model.

Wired connectivity extends beyond your TV or projector too, as there is a moving magnet phono input included for hooking up a turntable; ideal for those who are looking for an all-in-one AV and hi-fi amplifier.

Wireless connectivity is also solid, with streaming supported over wi-fi, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth. Denon’s HEOS platform is also on board, which grants access to countless music streaming apps, including Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music HD, TuneIn and Deezer.

HEOS also supports multi-room playback, meaning you can tie this AVR into a wider Denon speaker set-up if you have the brand’s wireless speakers dotted around your house. Interestingly, Denon also plans to release a software update that will allow users to use said wireless speakers as wireless surround channels for extra functionality.

Sound

Actually, Denon has two sets of oversized shoes to fill. The Denon AVR-X2800H has just ended an impressive run as both a previous What Hi-Fi? Award-winner, and as a longstanding entry on our best AV receivers list, while the Sony TA-AN1000’s reputation speaks for itself.

We’ve hooked the Denon AVR-X2900H up to our reference PMC speaker package, trying it in both a 5.1.2 and a 7.1 configuration, and we’ve raided our 4K reference library

The Denon DNA is immediately apparent when we fire up Civil War. The military base sequence in Charlottesville is a perfect exhibition of the X2900H’s strengths; this amplifier can provide a broad, bold and weighty cinematic audio experience with ease.

The general bustle of the military camp is presented with a broad, spacious sound, while the grumbling engines of trucks and the meaty rhythmic chopping of helicopter blades are realised with an appreciated sense of heft.

Sonic subtleties aren’t sacrificed entirely for brawn here, though. There is still plenty of detail to be gleaned from the X2900H, such as rippling water and the faint chirping of birds during the conversation between Lee and Jessie.

Its warmth and richness leave the Sony feeling slightly thin in comparison, and that’s paired with a sense of space and openness that ensures the Denon presents a cinematic sound that truly envelopes us.

This becomes more apparent when we switch to Marvel’s Thunderbolts, as the surround sound effect feels more cohesive compared with the Award-winning Sony.

Sound travels more fluidly between the front and surround channels; a particularly striking example of this is when a smoke grenade deploys, and the sound of smoke filling the room flows to reach all channels in our surround sound system.

The Denon also proves to be a dab hand at music. That rich, warm and smooth nature that we’ve already pointed out is well-suited to stereo content in Pure Direct.

Kacey Musgraves’ Butterflies features a superbly textured guitar melody and sweet-sounding vocals, while Bad Bunny’s NUEVAYoL takes advantage of the amplifier’s excellent sense of space to balance the rhythmic drumming, brass elements, electronic instrumentation, and range of vocal effects. In many ways, the Denon does more to draw us into the music than its Sony competitor.

However, it’s not all perfect. The Denon can lean into what we’d call over-indulgence at times. The immediacy and agility of the Sony result in a much more exciting presentation during tense moments such as the Thunderbolts sequence mentioned above. Its snappier, crisper and more direct sound also makes everything – especially dialogue – sound more natural.

Those warm, smooth and rich characteristics of the Denon that we’ve praised are sometimes taken a touch too far, resulting in somewhat dull-sounding vocals, and sudden dynamic shifts (think gunshots or explosions) don’t hit quite as hard as we’d like them to.

This takes us neatly onto the bass performance. Denon has clearly tried to one-up its competitor by raising the bass performance on the X2900H, and we certainly can’t deny that there is more low-end this time around.

Playing the famously challenging Blade Runner 2049 chapter two sequence, the X2900H digs deep and throws out swathes of bold bass. In many ways, Denon should be commended for how it's squeezed this much low-end power out of such a modest amplifier, but it also seems to have missed the point in doing so.

While there is more bass than we know what to do with, and it’s also polite enough to avoid distortion, it unfortunately also lacks definition, tonal variation, and dynamic expression. The rumbling drums in the soundtrack's Flight To The LAPD don’t build here in the way we expect, and it all feels one-note and ill-defined.

This ultimately impacts the steady building of tension in this sequence, and while the Sony doesn’t offer quite the same level of deep bass, its more deliberate handling of lower frequencies makes it the clear winner in this instance.

Verdict

The Denon AVR-X2900H is a feature-packed and, broadly speaking, very good-sounding home cinema amplifier.

It fills in a few sonic shortcomings of its Sony competitor, though in doing so it also makes some of its own flaws more apparent. While we approve of its warm, encompassing sound, it is also lacking some agility, and Denon’s approach to bass has missed the mark.

Nevertheless, this is a genuinely likeable and user-friendly amplifier, so is well worth serious consideration.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Design 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony TA-AN1000

Also consider the Denon AVR-X2800H

Read our Denon AVC-X3800H review

Best AV receivers: the top home cinema amplifiers we've tested

It's Home Cinema Week here at What Hi-Fi?, and to celebrate we've had a bevvy of themed reviews on speaker packages, AV receivers and more.

One of the most notable of those, however, might be the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max projector, now reduced to £3199 at Amazon.

It may not be cheap by UST standards, but considering the specifications involved and the overall performance, it really is a bit of a bargain.

And given how overall impressive it is, from its design to its features to the all-important picture and sound quality, it's sneaked right to the top of our list of UST favourites.

If you had any doubts about the abilities of the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max, here's a snippet from our recent review.

"The Aetherion Max’s picture quality isn’t just a big improvement over the already more than decent LTV-3500 that marks our only previous interaction with an AWOL Vision projector; it’s actually arguably the best picture quality we’ve ever seen from any UST projector. Or, at least, a UST projector selling for anything like as little as the Aetherion Max does," our AWOL Vision Aetherion Max review reads.

The projector is fantastically bright and contrast-rich even in ambient light, but it's in dark rooms that the Aetherion Max really shows how outstanding it is. Colours look even more vibrant, but crucially remain natural, balanced and full of subtle nuances and blends.

Its HDR Standard mode also somehow manages to deliver some of the deepest, most convincing blacks we’ve seen from any 3000-nit or brighter projector, all of which adds up to an endlessly watchable and immersive experience.

The Aetherion Max’s front-mounted speakers, too, are far better than you get built into most projectors, getting loud enough to create a cinematic presence even in large rooms but still retaining detail at high volumes. More bass than most projectors achieve is also on offer, though this does result in some straining under pressure.

Not to be outdone, the feature set is just as impressive. Its DLP optics are illuminated by a triple laser lighting system, for starters, with a claimed 3300 lumens of brightness and an image size of up to 200 inches.

Gamers are extremely well supported, with three HDMI ports that support VRR and reach 240Hz with Full HD (but not 4K) sources.

There's also support for all four current HDR standards, including the premium HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats, a rarity in the projector world.

Given just how much is packed into the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max and how well it performs, its £3499 launch price was a bit of a miracle. And now our favourite UST is even cheaper, with a £300 discount at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our review of the Leica Cine 1

Also consider the BenQ W4100i

Read our Hisense PX3-Pro review