Samsung has applied an unexpected twist to its eighth generation of folding phones.

Traditionally, the Korean smartphone titan has split its foldable lineup into two subsets: the Flip, which is a throwback to the flip phones of the early 2000s, and the Fold, which is a book-style foldable that goes from traditional smartphone to small tablet form factor in a matter of seconds.

However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 changes that, as the Fold now comes in two flavours: the Z Fold 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

If you're still reeling from that revelation, we need to hit you with another shocking announcement: the Z Fold 8 Ultra isn't the surprising new device of the duo. In fact, it's the standard Z Fold 8 that has caught us off guard – in a good way, of course.

We were lucky enough to attend an early hands-on session to check these new bendable smartphones out before their official announcement at Samsung Unpacked, and we've got plenty of early thoughts on this new duo of handsets.

Price

Samsung has shared UK pricing for both models in all storage configurations. Pricing is as follows:

These are premium handsets, and the pricing reflects that. The Z Fold 8 is actually £100 cheaper than the outgoing Galaxy Z Fold 7; however, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is £100 more.

The Z Fold 8 comes in four finishes – Graphite, Cream, Pistachio and Lavender – while the Z Fold 8 Ultra also comes in Graphite and Cream, as well as Violet Shadow and Green Shadow.

Design and build

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is very similar to last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 in stature. It retains the same 6.5-inch 21:9 outer display and 8-inch interior display, although it's somehow even thinner this year. That's a pretty impressive claim considering that the Z Fold 7 was just a hair thicker than the USB-C charging port when unfolded.

Samsung has also created an easier opening and closing mechanism through the inclusion of magnets, which makes the Z Fold 8 Ultra noticeably easier to unfold into its tablet form.

Both the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra also come with the brand's new Flex Titanium Technology display architecture. Underneath the flexible AMOLED display now sits a super-thin titanium alloy mesh and a flexible titanium plate, which work together to create a flatter and more uniform display when the phones are unfolded.

The crease in the middle of the phone is, as a result, less prominent, resulting in a more seamless interactive experience on those larger interior displays.

Moving on to the Z Fold 8, this is where things get interesting. It features an entirely new form factor, with a 7.6-inch 4:3 landscape interior display with a 10:16 aspect ratio outer screen. While the Z Fold 8 Ultra is more akin to a chocolate bar when folded, the Z Fold 8 feels more like a passport.

Its shorter and wider stature makes it strangely satisfying to hold, as its size is almost like one of the BlackBerry handsets from around 15 years ago. And in a world of smartphones that are becoming less wieldy, especially for one-handed operation, it's incredibly refreshing to use this outer display, as every edge and corner is within thumb's reach.

Best of all, Samsung has reportedly made this change with content consumption in mind. While the Z Fold 8 Ultra remains a flagship for power users, the standard Z Fold 8 is positioned as a device designed for watching, reading, and scrolling.

Features

Both handsets sport a multitude of features to make them ideal for consuming movies and music. The Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra both feature displays with 3000 nits peak brightness, with HDR10+ support and Samsung's Vision Booster feature on board. This can boost contrast to ensure greater visibility when using the handsets in direct sunlight.

Samsung has also implemented its effective anti reflectivity display coating, which is appreciated considering these phones sport large interior screens that can easily catch the light.

What wasn't disclosed during our early hands-on session is whether these phones support Samsung's excellent ProScaler feature. If this is on board, we presume it will be the improved version found on the five-star Galaxy S26 Ultra.

As for sound, it seems as though Samsung is sticking with Dolby Atmos, which can be accessed via the built-in speakers and either wired or wireless headphones.

Samsung has outfitted both foldables with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor and, depending on your storage configuration, that will be paired with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM. The Galaxy S26 Ultra uses the same processor and RAM combination, and it has no trouble handling the Android operating system with Samsung's One UI system running on top.

This includes Samsung's exhaustive list of Galaxy AI features. We'll spare you the full list, but the usual suite of picture editing, search functions and writing tools are all present.

Samsung's nifty Now Brief feature is also here, which can show you contextual information throughout your day, while Now Nudge will recognise important information on your screen (such as times, dates, and locations) and offer contextual replies based on information from other apps, such as your calendar.

Features-wise, the biggest way in which these phones differ is with their cameras. The Z Fold 8 sports two outer cameras – a 50MP main and a 50MP ultra wide – while the Z Fold 8 Ultra features an upgraded 50MP ultra wide camera (up from 12MP), a 200MP main camera, and 10MP telephoto lens.

There's also a difference in battery capacity. The Z Fold 8 gets a 4800mAh battery rated for up to 26 hours of video playback, whereas the Z Fold 8 Ultra moves up to a 5000mAh cell with an additional hour of video playback. Both support wired fast charging up to 45W.

Picture

Screen size differences aside, both handsets offered a similar picture experience during our brief hands-on testing. As per usual, our testing environment was less than ideal, as we weren't allowed to download or log in to any streaming apps, so we had to rely on movie trailers played on YouTube. Therefore, our early findings here won't be representative of our final review.

We watched the trailers for Dune: Part Three, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day during the hands-on session; clearly we're huge Zendaya fans.

Both devices presented sharp and crisp images, with punchy and bold colours and fairly smooth-looking motion. The biggest difference between the two, however, was the presence of the letterboxing bars.

As both phones use OLED displays, the bars remained perfectly black and easy to ignore, but the aspect ratio of the standard Z Fold 8 meant that the bars themselves were much smaller and, therefore, less noticeable.

We would have ideally swapped the colours to the natural preset, and also preferably streamed something in HDR10+ to see these phones at their maximum potential, but Samsung made us pinky promise not to swap settings or install any apps.

Sound

We'll keep this brief, we weren't able to do any meaningful sound testing during our hands on time.

We did, however, manage to quickly blast the speakers on the Z Fold 8 Ultra in the busy hands-on area, and found that they cut through the hustle and bustle surprisingly effectively.

We'll need to plug a pair of our reference headphones in to fully assess how these phones handle music, but looking generally at Samsung's portfolio, we know that its handsets tend to fall behind Apple and Sony's best offerings when it comes to music.

That could all change with the Z Fold 8 and 8 Ultra, but only time (and some thorough testing) will tell.

Early verdict

Samsung's surprising duo of new foldables have made a positive first impression. We've been a fan of having a bigger screen to watch movies on that conveniently fits into your pocket for quite a while now, so having an even more compact option that's made with content consumption in mind is music to our ears.

We'll need to test both phones before we apply a full verdict, so stay tuned for our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra reviews coming soon.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

As well as our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review

And check out our picks for the best smartphones

We’ve tested Denon’s entry-level, mid-range, and premium AVRs in recent years, but it’s been quite some time since we reviewed the brand’s most top-of-the-range home cinema amplifier.

Now, we finally have our hands on the AVC-A1H.

This flagship amplifier promises superior cinematic sound accompanied by a long list of home cinema features, but that all comes at a considerable price.

The thinking here is that if Denon can impress us with its mid-range amplifiers, then its flagship is sure to blow us away. And indeed it does just that…

Price

Officially priced at £6300 / AU$12,499, the AVC-A1H sits at the very top of Denon’s consumer AV amplifier range. It’s sold as the AVR-A1H in the US for $7200, with the ‘R’ in the name denoting the presence of an AM/FM, tuner, which is absent from the UK and Australian version. Otherwise, these amplifiers are functionally the same.

The AVC-A1H has been on sale for a little while now, which means that we are seeing some hefty price drops. It can be found for closer to £5000 in the UK, for example.

Generally speaking, the A1H sits between two notable five-star amplifiers. The Award-winning Marantz Cinema 30 launched at a lower price of £4000 / $4500 / AU$7900, though it can be found for £3500 in the UK (pricing in the US seems to have risen to $4800).

The JBL Synthesis SDR-38, meanwhile, launched at a more premium price of £7300 / $8550 / AU$16,999 – though that, too, is subject to considerable discounts at the time of writing.

Build

The AVC-A1H is one of the bulkiest home cinema amplifiers to cross our home cinema testing room’s threshold in recent memory.

Weighing in at a staggering 32kg, we recommend asking a friend to help you lift this behemoth out of the box and into position. It also has a large footprint to match, measuring 43 x 50 x 20cm (hwd), so you’ll need to make sure you have ample space in your TV unit or, more realistically, AV rack.

If you’ve seen a Denon AV amplifier before, chances are you won’t be taken aback by the AVC-A1H’s looks. This is essentially a scaled-up version of the other amplifiers found in Denon’s range; that’s to say it's a large metal cuboid that comes in either black or silver, with a rectangular screen stretching across the front edge flanked by asymmetrical source selection and volume wheels.

Much like the AVC-X6800H that sits below it, the A1H sports a door that opens downwards to reveal a selection of on-unit controls. However, we find that the backlit, metal-clad remote is the vastly preferable way to interact with the home cinema amplifier. Most Denon remotes we’ve seen on other models are all-plastic, so this is an appreciated change to reflect the A1H’s premium position.

The Denon AVC-A1H leans towards practicality rather than aesthetics, but as we’ll come to find out, the superb functionality is worth the sacrifice of form in this instance.

Features

Denon’s AV amplifiers are renowned for their extensive feature sets, so it should come as no surprise that this is one of the most thoroughly equipped amplifiers that we’ve seen.

With an impressive 15 channels of amplification, the A1H can support speaker configurations up to 9.4.6. Users with smaller speaker packages can also split those amplification channels across two additional zones, meaning you can comfortably power additional speakers in your home from just one amplifier.

Denon claims that the A1H delivers 150W of amplification per channel into 8 ohms, though that is with only two channels driven.

The sheer number of amplification channels is a considerable upgrade over the JBL Synthesis SDR-38, which sports just seven channels, although that amplifier touts a higher 180W output with two channels driven.

Denon has also outfitted the A1H with its most premium internal components. This includes the brand’s most powerful transformers, as well as 10 two-channel ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chips, a high-spec DSP processing engine, and gold-plated speaker terminals.

All of these components have been specially selected and tuned by Denon’s highly experienced engineers at its Shirakawa audio works, where it is also tuned by the company’s Sound Master for the ultimate seal of approval.

This amplifier sports three HDMI outputs (eARC, Zone 2 and Zone 3), and seven HDMI 2.1 inputs. All of these can handle video signals up to either 4K/120Hz or 8K/60Hz, and a plethora of gaming features such as VRR, ALLM and QFT which aid smoother and more responsive gameplay.

This AV amplifier also supports all major HDR formats, including HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The same is true for immersive sound formats, as the A1H can handle Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Auro 3D and Sony 360 Reality Audio, and it’s IMAX Enhanced certified.

Wireless connectivity is also very comprehensive, with Denon’s HEOS wireless streaming platform handling the likes of Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music and more. Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and TuneIn are also supported, as is Bluetooth 5.0. HEOS also allows for multi-room playback, meaning you can tie this amplifier into a system with other Denon and Marantz wireless speakers and network amplifiers.

Finally, the A1H, much like the rest of Denon’s AV amplifiers, supports Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 room correction. Simply plug the included microphone in and follow the simple on-screen instructions, and the amplifier can measure your space to determine speaker levels and distances. Dirac Live Room Correction and Dirac Live Bass Control are also supported, though the licenses to use these need to be purchased separately.

Sound

Denon has piled on the features, but how does the AVC-A1H sound? That is the most important factor at the end of the day, so we’re pleased to report that this AV amplifier sounds simply incredible.

We’ve hooked it up to the five-star KEF R Meta 5.1 Speaker System for our testing, plugged in our reference Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, and selected a handful of reference discs from our 4K Blu-ray library.

Starting with F1: The Movie, the Denon’s strengths are made immediately obvious during the opening 24 Hours of Daytona race. This amplifier 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.

That detail is essential, as it ensures that while this amplifier sounds hugely spacious, it also remains superbly focused and positionally accurate. Most importantly, the A1H knows exactly how to handle each of these competing effects, ensuring that they’re all presented in a way that sounds natural, while ensuring nothing gets lost in the wider mix.

That is also felt with the presentation of dialogue. The way voices are handled, with a reverence to low-level dynamics and tonal variation, is truly impressive. The Marantz Cinema 30 also sounds superb in this regard, but the Denon takes things to another level with natural, balanced and realistic voices that sound as though the actors on screen are instead standing before us to deliver their lines.

What bowls us over most during our testing, however, is how this amplifier handles bass. Two of our favourite bass stress test sequences – Blade Runner 2049’s flight to the LAPD sequence, and Dune: Part One’s worm attack scene – both shine through this amplifier.

The rhythmic drumming of the Dune soundtrack feels wonderfully textured and expertly timed, whereas the tricky effects in Blade Runner’s chapter two balance deep bass and tonal variation with finesse, resulting in a steady build of tension throughout.

This is also a testament to how the AVC-A1H handles dynamics. This amplifier is extremely talented when it comes to dynamic expression, meaning that rather than presenting instant jumps in volume, we feel the swell of larger volume shifts, which once again makes everything sound more natural and immersive.

The Denon doesn’t feel sluggish or lethargic, and when needed it can punch through with big, bombastic dynamic shifts, and it moves sounds around with an excellent sense of agility and pace. Switching back to F1, we find that the rumbling engines of the GT3 cars build and dynamically move around our listening position as they approach and execute an overtake on the racetrack.

This bold, rich, warm and powerful sound also extends to music. Carly Rae Jepsen’s On Wires features a balance of soft vocals with a powerful chorus that suddenly bursts to life, alongside a mix of acoustic and electronic elements; all of which are handled with extreme finesse from the Denon.

The sizzling electronic score of Tron: Legacy (composed by legendary DJ duo, Daft Punk) is presented with equal vigour. The thumping bass and sparkling snares of Derezzed sound electric through the Denon, ensuring the pulse-pounding nightclub action sequence is presented with an appropriate sense of drama and style.

The real question is: how does this amplifier compare to our reference Marantz AVR? Simply put, the Denon takes everything we love about the Cinema 30 and dials things up multiple notches. Considering the price difference, this is sort of what we’d expect, and it certainly doesn’t detract from the Marantz's talents.

In other words, if you have the space in your budget, the Denon is well worth the extra outlay, but no one who can’t stretch that far will be disappointed by the sumptuous performance of the Marantz.

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.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the JBL Synthesis SDR-38

Also consider the Marantz Cinema 30

Read our Arcam AVR31 review

Best AV receivers: the top home cinema amplifiers we've tested

This week, we learned that AI music had surpassed 50 per cent of all uploads to the streaming platform Deezer, which means that more of the music being added to the platform was made by AI than by human beings.

In June, according to the streaming service, an average of 90,000 AI-generated tracks were uploaded every single day.

Deezer has already made efforts to crack down on fraudulent streams via its AI detection tool, but with such a vast quantity of music arriving on the platform, the company has gone one step further, pledging to “take down generative-AI tracks used to generate fraudulent streams, as well as those that haven’t been streamed for 6 months or more”.

Streaming fraud, also known as artificial streaming or streaming manipulation, refers to using bots to falsely inflate the number of streams a song receives. The phenomenon itself is nothing new, but fraudsters’ methods have changed with the rise of AI.

In the early days of streaming, bots were often used to play tracks repeatedly, garnering royalties by racking up astronomical listening numbers. As platforms caught on to the tactic, they began disabling accounts that saw sudden, unexplained jumps in listeners.

Recently, however, streaming services have seen AI being used to mass produce music for release under multiple artist accounts, each of which can receive a smaller amount of streams, thereby avoiding fraud detection methods.

Even the most evangelical of AI enthusiasts will be able to imagine the impact this has on musicians. Streaming royalties are not an infinite resource, and as a growing percentage of revenue is allocated to AI-generated music, a smaller portion can be paid to real musicians who have already suffered the financial losses associated with the rise of streaming.

With this in mind, streaming services have started taking action.

Tidal, for instance, recently added an 'allow AI content' switch, which is accessible through the platform’s settings page. When switched off, Tidal automatically greys out and skips songs tagged as AI-generated.

If you are using Deezer, the company’s AI detection tool allows you to scan your playlists for AI-generated content. The tool can be used across other streaming services, too, but to see which specific albums are the culprits, you’ll need to transfer your playlists and library to the platform.

AI-generated songs are also automatically removed from Deezer's algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists. When stream manipulation is detected, the service excludes the involved streams from royalty payments.

Earlier this year, French streaming platform Qobuz also published an AI charter, pledging to remove AI-generated content upon detection.

Spotify claimed it had taken down 75 million AI tracks in 2025, but, notably, the platform doesn’t yet use automated detection to highlight AI music, opting instead for a voluntary tagging model that is reliant on creators' honesty. Apple Music employs a similar system.

According to Alexis Lanternier, CEO of Deezer: “We have reached a pivotal moment, but we have the technology to keep track of the development, and an ambition to do what’s right. If the industry can align and come together to create shared standards, we can build a healthy and sustainable music ecosystem, where great music wins.”

MORE

Tidal is the latest streaming service to clamp down on AI music – but there's a flaw

Spotify’s new AI assistant feature lets you talk to the app for “a more personal way to listen”

Best music streaming services 2026: free streams to hi-res audio

Watch Commonwealth Games 2026 live streams

Mollie O’Callaghan, Josh Kerr and Jessica Hull are headlining Glasgow 2026, the 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games, which has a slightly different feel to it owing to a dramatic reshuffle. It was originally supposed to have been staged in Victoria, but when the Australian state pulled out a complete cancellation looked inevitable until the Scottish government rode in to the rescue.

It will, however, be a pared-back affair, comprising only 10 disciplines rather than the 24 it incorporated four years ago.

Scotstoun Stadium and the Tollcross International Swimming Centre will form the twin centres of the Games, as the venues for the athletics and swimming respectively, highlights of which will include Great Britain's Olympic gold-winning relay teammates Matt Richards, James Guy, Tom Dean, Jack McMillan and Duncan Scott going head-to-head in the colours of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and reigning Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion Arshad Nadeem's showdown with former Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in the javelin.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Kyle Chalmers and Shericka Jackson are also bringing world-class pedigree to west-central Scotland.

Follow our guide below for where to watch Commonwealth Games 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN. We've also listed the Glasgow 2026 schedule and Commonwealth Games sports below.

How can I watch Commonwealth Games 2026 for free?

Lucky viewers fans in Australia and Canada can watch Commonwealth Games 2026 for free, courtesy of 7Plus and CBC Gem.

Limited free Commonwealth Games coverage is available from ThreeNow in New Zealand.

Free-to-air 5 is providing daily Commonwealth Games highlights in the UK, where S4C and BBC Alba have free Welsh-language and Gaelic-language coverage.

If you're from one of these countries but are currently abroad, you can simply use a VPN to tap into that free Glasgow 2026 coverage. More details below...

Watch Commonwealth Games 2026 live streams from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Commonwealth Games 2026 live streams while traveling abroad. The platform will detect that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch Glasgow 2026 from anywhere in the world.

We rate NordVPN as one of the best VPN for streaming sports. It offers a generous 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

How to watch Commonwealth Games 2026 in the US

BeIN Sports has secured a late deal to broadcast Commonwealth Games 2026 in the US.

A beIN Sports Connect streaming subscription costs $5.99 per month.

If you're currently spending time in the US from Australia or Canada, use a good VPN, as detailed above, to tap into your free Commonwealth Games coverage,

• Expert TV advice: best OLED TVs for sports fans
• View the latest TV deals on Amazon

Watch Commonwealth Games 2026 live streams in the UK

Commonwealth Games 2026 is being shown on TNT Sports in the UK, with live streaming available via HBO Max.

To access Glasgow 2026 coverage, you'll need the TNT Sports subscription, which starts at £30.99 per month.

Free-to-air S4C and BBC Alba are providing Welsh-language and Gaelic-language coverage, which is available to live stream via BBC iPlayer.

Free daily highlights are available from 5.

Outside the UK for the Commonwealth Games? Use NordVPN to tune in as if you were back at home.

Watch Commonwealth Games 2026 live streams in Australia

Commonwealth Games 2026 is free-to-air in Australia on Channel 7, with live streaming available via the 7Plus streaming service and app.

Again, you'll need to use a safe, reliable VPN to access 7Plus when traveling abroad.

Commonwealth Games 2026 schedule

🗓 Day 1 – Thursday, 23 July

Opening Ceremony at Glasgow's OVO Hydro

🗓 Day 2 – Friday, 24 July

🏅 Medal events:

Para powerlifting | Men’s lightweight

Para powerlifting | Women's lightweight

Artistic gymnastics | Men's team final

Para powerlifting | Women’s heavyweight

Para powerlifting | Men's heavyweight

Swimming | Women's 400m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's 200m individual medley final

Swimming | Women's S13 100m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's S13 100m freestyle final

Swimming | Women's 200m backstroke final

Swimming | Women's SM10 200m individual medley final

Swimming | Men's S10 100m butterfly final

Swimming | Women's 4 x 100m freestyle relay final

Swimming | Men's 4 x 100m freestyle relay final

🗓 Day 3 – Saturday, 25 July

🏅 Medal events:

Artistic gymnastics | Women's team final

Swimming | Men's 400m freestyle final

Swimming | Women's 200m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's 50m backstroke final

Swimming | Women's 50m butterfly final

Swimming | Women's S14 200m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's S14 200m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's 100m breaststroke final

Swimming | Mixed 4 x 100m freestyle relay final

🗓 Day 4 – Sunday, 26 July

🏅 Medal events:

Weightlifting | Men's 60kg final

Artistic gymnastics | Men's individual all-around final

Artistic gymnastics | Women's individual all-around final

Weightlifting | Men's 65kg final

Swimming | Women's S9 100m backstroke final

Swimming | Men's S9 100m backstroke final

Swimming | Women's 100m breaststroke final

Swimming | Men's 100m butterfly final

Swimming | Women's 100m backstroke final

Swimming | Men's 200m backstroke final

Swimming | Men's 50m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's 4 x 200m freestyle relay final

🗓 Day 5 – Monday, 27 July

🏅 Medal events:

Weightlifting | Men's 71kg final

Artistic gymnastics | Men's floor exercise final

Artistic gymnastics | Women's vault final

Artistic gymnastics | Men's pommel horse final

Artistic gymnastics | Women's uneven bars final

Artistic gymnastics | Men's rings final

Weightlifting | Women's 53kg final

Weightlifting | Women's 58kg final

Athletics | Women's Shot Put F55-57 Final

Athletics | Men's High Jump Final

Athletics | Women's T37/38 100m Final

Athletics | Men's Hammer Throw Final

Athletics | Women's 10,000m Final

Athletics | Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final

Athletics | Men's 1500m T20 Final

Athletics | Men's T37/38 100m Final

Athletics | Men's 110m Hurdles Final

Swimming | Women's 400m individual medley final

Swimming | Women's 100m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's SB9 100m breaststroke final

Swimming | Women's SB8 100m breaststroke final

Swimming | Women's 100m butterfly final

Swimming | Men's 50m breaststroke final

Swimming | Men's 200m butterfly final

Swimming | Women's 4 x 200m freestyle Relay final

Weightlifting | Men's 79kg final

🗓 Day 6 – Tuesday, 28 July

🏅 Medal events:

Weightlifting | Men's 88kg final

Artistic gymnastics | Men's vault final

Artistic gymnastics | Women's balance beam final

Artistic gymnastics | Men's parallel bars final

Artistic gymnastics | Women's floor exercise final

Artistic gymnastics | Men's horizontal bar final

Weightlifting | Women's 63kg final

Weightlifting | Women's 69kg final

Bowls | Men's singles final

Bowls | Women's pairs final

Bowls | Mixed pairs B2–3 final

Athletics | Women's Heptathlon Shot Put

Athletics | Women's High Jump Final

Athletics | Men's Long Jump T20 Final

Athletics | Women's Hammer Throw Final

Athletics | Men's 10,000m Final

Athletics | Women's Heptathlon 200m

Athletics | Men's 100m Final

Athletics | Women's 100m Final

Swimming | Men's S13 50m freestyle final

Swimming | Women's S13 50m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's 100m freestyle final

Swimming | Women's 200m individual medley final

Swimming | Men's 400m individual medley final

Swimming | Women's 50m backstroke final

Swimming | Men's 200m breaststroke final

Swimming | Women's 50m breaststroke final

Swimming | Mixed 4 x 100m medley relay final

🗓 Day 7 – Wednesday, 29 July

🏅 Medal events:

Weightlifting | Women's 77kg final

Weightlifting | Men's 94kg final

3x3 basketball | Men's bronze medal game

3x3 basketball | Women's bronze medal game

3x3 basketball | Men's wheelchair bronze medal game

3x3 basketball | Women's wheelchair bronze medal game

3x3 basketball | Men's wheelchair final

3x3 basketball | Women's wheelchair final

3x3 basketball | Men's final

3x3 basketball | Women's final

Weightlifting | Women's 86kg final

Athletics | Women's discus F42-44/61-64 final

Athletics | Men's long jump final

Athletics | Women's 1500m T53/54 final

Athletics | Women's shot put final

Athletics | Men's 100m T45-47 final

Athletics | Men's discus F42-44/61-64 final

Athletics | Women's Heptathlon 800m final

Athletics | Women's 3000m steeplechase final

Swimming | Men's 100m backstroke final

Swimming | Women's 200m breaststroke final

Swimming | Men's 200m freestyle final

Swimming | Women's 50m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's 50m butterfly final

Swimming | Women's S9 100m freestyle final

Swimming | Men's S7 50m freestyle final

Swimming | Women's 200m butterfly final

Swimming | Women's 4 x 100m medley relay final

Swimming | Men's 4 x 100m medley relay final

🗓 Day 8 – Thursday, 30 July

🏅 Medal events:

Weightlifting | Men's 110kg final

Weightlifting | Women's +86kg final

Track cycling | Women's Tandem B sprint finals (1)

Track cycling | Men's tandem B 1000m time trial final

Track cycling | Women's tandem B sprint finals (2)

Track cycling | Women's 4000m team pursuit final

Track cycling | Women's tandem B sprint finals (3 if required)

Track cycling | Women's C4-5 4000m individual pursuit final

Track cycling | Men's 4000m team pursuit final

Track cycling | Women's team sprint final

Track cycling | Men's team sprint final

Weightlifting | Men's +110kg final

Athletics | Men's shot put final

Athletics | Men's Decathlon high jump

Athletics | Women's triple jump final

Athletics | Women's 100m T45-47 final

Athletics | Women's 100m hurdles final

Athletics | Women's discus final

Athletics | Men's Decathlon 400m

Athletics | Women's 5000m final

Athletics | Men's 100m T11/12 final

🗓 Day 9 – Friday, 31 July

🏅 Medal events:

Judo | Women's -48kg

Judo | Men's -60kg

Judo | Women's -52kg

Judo | Men's -66kg

Judo | Women's -57kg

Track cycling | Women's 4000m individual pursuit final

Track cycling | Men's C1-3 1000m time trial final

Track cycling | Women's 10km scratch race final

Track cycling | Men's 4000m individual pursuit final

Track cycling | Women's sprint final (1)

Track cycling | Women's sprint final (2)

Track cycling | Men's Keirin final

Track cycling | Men's elimination race final

Track cycling | Women's sprint final (3 if required)

Athletics | Men's Decathlon javelin

Athletics | Men's 10,000m race walk final

Athletics | Women's pole vault final

Athletics | Women's long jump T37/38 final

Athletics | Men's javelin final

Athletics | Women's 800m final

Athletics | Men's Decathlon 1500m

Athletics | Women's 400m hurdles final

Athletics | Men's 400m hurdles final

Athletics | Men's 200m final

Athletics | Women's 200m final

🗓 Day 10 – Saturday, 1 August

🏅 Medal events:

Athletics | Men's shot put F55-57 final

Athletics | Men's triple jump final

Athletics | Men's 1500m T53/54 final

Athletics | Women's 10,000m race walk final

Athletics | Men's discus final

Athletics | Men's 400m final

Athletics | Women's 400m final

Athletics | Women's 200m T37/38 final

Boxing | Women's bantamweight 54kg final

Boxing | Women's featherweight 57kg final

Boxing | Women's welterweight 65kg final

Boxing | Men's bantamweight 55kg final

Boxing | Men's welterweight 65kg final

Boxing | Men's light-middleweight 70kg final

Boxing | Men's heavyweight 90kg final

Track cycling | Men's tandem B sprint final (1)

Track cycling | Women's tandem B 1000m time trial final

Track cycling | Men's tandem B sprint final (2)

Track cycling | Women's 25km point race final

Track cycling | Men's tandem B sprint final (3 if required)

Track cycling | Women's 1000m time trial final

Track cycling | Men's sprint final (1)

Track cycling | Men's sprint final (2)

Track cycling | Men's 10km scratch race final

Track cycling | Men's sprint final (3 if required)

Judo | Men's -73kg

Judo | Women's -63kg

Judo | Men's -81kg

Judo | Women's -70kg

Judo | Men's -90kg

Boxing | Women's flyweight 51kg final

Boxing | Women's lightweight 60kg final

Boxing | Women's light-middleweight 70kg final

Boxing | Women's middleweight 75kg final

Boxing | Men's lightweight 60kg final

Boxing | Men's light-heavyweight 80kg final

Boxing | Men's super-heavyweight +90kg final

Athletics | Men's pole vault final

Athletics | Women's long jump final

Athletics | Women's javelin final

Athletics | Men's 800m final

Athletics | Men's 5000m final

Athletics | Men's 4x100m relay final

Athletics | Women's 4x100m relay final

Athletics | Women's 400m T53/54 final

Athletics | Men's 1-mile final

Athletics | Mixed 4x400m relay final

Athletics | Women's 1-mile final

🗓 Day 11 – Sunday, 2 August

🏅 Medal events:

Netball | Bronze medal game

Track cycling | Men's 1000m time trial final

Bowls | Men's pairs final

Bowls | Women's singles final

Bowls | Men's pairs B6–8 final

Bowls | Women's pairs B6–8 final

Netball | Final

Judo | Women's -78kg

Judo | Men's -100kg

Judo | Women's +78kg

Judo | Men's +100kg

Track cycling | Women's elimination race final

Track cycling | Men's C1-3 3000m individual pursuit final

Track cycling | Women's Keirin final

Track cycling | Women's C4-5 1000m time trial final

Track cycling | Men's 40km point race final

Closing Ceremony

What are the Commonwealth Games 2026 sports?

3x3 basketball

Artistic gymnastics

Athletics

Bowls

Boxing

Judo

Netball

Para powerlifting

Swimming

Track cycling

Weightlifting

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals
• Where to watch F1 2026 for free

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It's Home Cinema Week here at What Hi-Fi?, and we're celebrating our love for all things TV, projector and surround sound related.

And there are few things we love more than new flagship OLED TVs, especially when there's a spicy saving involved. And that's just what LG has given us – the LG G6, which we recently awarded five stars, is now down to £2699 at Amazon.

That's quite the step down from the £3000 price we tested at! You can save even more if you're willing to claim cashback – purchase before 18th August and you can claim 10% (£269) cashback from LG. Full Ts&Cs are available here.

After a re-review of the LG following a major software update, we found the G6 to be an OLED of serious ability, as a viewing of Civil War next to its predecessor, the G5, showed.

"The flames in a burning night-time forest continue to offer an enthralling amount of extra detail as well as higher peaks, but, more crucially, characters’ skin tones look nicely realistic, retaining reds far better, to the point that the G5’s picture makes them look slightly jaundiced by comparison," our LG G6 review reads.

"Moving to a daytime scene in a military camp, "balanced" quickly becomes the word that best describes the G6. As a helicopter swoops into the camp over a forest, it's clear LG has backed away from its previous focus on aggressively pushing its TVs' peak brightness at all costs."

This picture quality comes courtesy of a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel, which uses a ‘four-stack’ panel structure to help the OLED TV achieve higher peak and operating brightness levels while retaining colour volume and accuracy.

It's aided by a new Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor and its Hyper Radiant Colour Technology system, which enables higher peak brightness levels than the already dazzling LG G5.

Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG are all on board, though do note that HDR10+ is missing.

Otherwise, the broader feature set is pretty much flawless. WebOS 26 supports pretty much every app you can think of, including Now, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and more niche streaming options.

LG has long been one of our go-to brands for gaming, and the G6 is no different. All four HDMI 2.1 inputs offer up to 4K/165Hz gameplay with VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision Gaming HDR all supported.

LG OLEDs have struggled with audio in the past, but the G6 is a step in the right direction. It won't beat a dedicated sound system, but the G6 offers a noticeably fuller, more robust sound than its predecessors.

If you're looking for a new, feature-packed OLED, then the LG G6 is a compelling option. It offers a nuanced, accurate and ultimately immersive experience complete with flawless gaming specifications, now with £301 off at Amazon.

MORE:

Here's our pick of the best TVs for every budget

Want a cheaper LG OLED? Check out our LG C6 review

For last year's model, head over to our LG G5 review

Music is awesome. Movies are also awesome. So by the laws of mathematics, music videos should be doubly awesome. At least that’s the prevailing theory at What Hi-Fi?.

Which is why, during our latest Home Cinema Week special event, we’ve taken the time to create this list, detailing our favourite examples of the art form.

From golden oldies that have been given a new lease of life via a remaster, to new classics from cutting-edge artists in their prime, as well as sounding and looking great, every entry on this list also offers a great way to test at least one part of your home cinema setup.

As always, the list currently only includes the What Hi-Fi? team’s personal favourites. We have a separate list detailing our picks of the best music videos of all time. If you think we’ve missed any, make sure to get involved in the conversation using the comments section below or our social media channels and forums.

We’re always interested to hear from you, our ever-discerning readers!

Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer (4K remaster)

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Peter Gabriel is one of the biggest names in music, with a decades-spanning career that started with prog rock legends Genesis, before blossoming into one of the most experimental solo acts to grace the latter quarter of the 20th Century. And while he’s still pumping out tunes to this day, there’s no denying that Sledgehammer from his 1986 album So, is still one of his most recognisable.

That’s as true of its music video as it is of the song itself. Made using claymation and stop motion techniques, the video required Gabriel to lie under a glass table for 16 hours, as they shot parts frame-by-frame. 40 years on, it’s also had an amazing remaster on Apple Music, bringing it up to 4K.

The mix of updated visuals acts as a wonderful accompaniment to the stellar track, which has aged like fine wine. Expertly blending a smorgasbord of genres, including pop rock, dance-rock, funk rock, and blue-eyed soul, Sledgehammer’s music video makes for a compelling listen and watch. We would challenge any hi-fi fan to hear one note of the track’s syncopated bassline and not immediately recognise it. Our only minor qualm is its subject matter (it’s about his crown jewels).

Watch Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer in 4K on Apple Music

Alanis Morrisette – Ironic (4K remaster)

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Ah, Alanis Morrisette. If you grew up during the late 90s and early 2000s, there’s a strong chance that at least one of her multitude of self-aware tracks featured in your formative years.

Which is why her classic hit, Ironic, isn’t just one of my favourite tracks; thanks to a 4K remaster, it’s also one of his favourite music videos. Sure, the video is basic, showing Morrisette driving a 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V in the snow, singing to various versions of herself.

But the upgrades are welcome, adding more vibrancy to the colours, a welcome dose of extra detail thanks to the higher resolution.

However, most importantly, the track remains a masterpiece with Morresette's vocals, which flip from booming, life-affirming bellows to subdued, vulnerable pleas over its four-minute run time, are a delight – one that will give any speaker a run for its money when it comes to dynamics.

Ah-ha – Take on Me (4K remaster)

Words by Dan Furn

We could hardly write a list of visually complex, system-testing music videos without Take On Me. Luckily, A-ha have seen fit to spoil us with a 4K remaster so you can really push your setup and enjoy the many, many hand-drawn sketches in glorious Ultra HD.

If somehow you haven’t seen this early music video masterpiece, the premise is simple – a young woman reading a comic book in a café is invited into the comic by its rather suave hero, where the two get chased by thugs in a black-and-white, pencil-sketch world.

This was, in fact, the second music video for the song, and catapulted the track to the top of several worldwide charts and created a pop culture phenomenon. It’s a music video that still resonates today – it’s clocked up well over two billion views on YouTube, has been referenced by everyone from Paramore to Family Guy and even saw a recent resurgence during the FIFA World Cup after being adopted by Norwegian fans.

The pencil-sketch scenes are ideal for testing fine detail, contrast and, of course, motion, as the 3,000 rotoscoped frames should be displayed without judder or blur – the chase scene in particular is an excellent stress test, and, to be honest, just a delight to watch.

Pink Floyd – Money (from Pink Floyd At Pompeii MCMXLII, 4K Blu-ray)

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Pink Floyd is one of the most iconic bands in the world, especially if you’re a hi-fi or prog rock fan. And if you’re after an audio/visual tour de force to push your home cinema setup, we’d strongly suggest checking out the Pink Floyd At Pompeii MCMXLII 4K Blu-ray.

Yes, we may technically be pushing the definition of what counts as a music video, but the remaster is an amazing achievement. The entire set, which saw the band play to an empty amphitheatre, has been expertly remastered to offer 4K visuals and Dolby Atmos. And honestly, they've done such a good job that, if you have the hardware to do it justice, the upgrades really do make you feel like you’re there, at the gig, watching it all live.

You can see cuts of the set, like the one above, online, but the Blu-ray is what you need if you want to get the ultimate experience. If you’re short on time, the performance of Echoes Part 1 and 2 are a particular highlight that theWhat Hi-Fi? team, myself included, keep returning to.

Featuring a magnetic performance from the band against a stunning backdrop, you really want a big screen TV, or even a projector, to do it justice. The Atmos mix of the live performance then brings it to life, offering a unique dome of sound capturing screaming guitar and making it feel like the band’s psychedelic tour de force is marching straight through your living room.

Buy Pink Floyd At Pompeii MCMXLII at Amazon

Steven Wilson - Drive Home (4K remaster)

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Steve Wilson is a huge name in hi-fi circles. First, as the frontman of prog rock legends Porcupine Tree, second as a regular attendee and speaker at hi-fi shows across the globe, where he’s championed new technologies and the need for “good sound” for decades.

He’s also made a number of pretty awesome music videos over the years. But for What Hi-Fi?’s purposes, the 4K remaster of Drive Home is a particular favourite. The remaster was released in 2023 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Wilson’s third solo album, The Raven that Refused to Sing. The video is a work of art, with characters designed by Hajo Mueller and then animated by Jess Cope into a dark, evocative video that beautifully complements the track – especially with the new colouring by colourist Mozart Gabriel for the remaster, which helps evoke a true sense of melancholy and sadness.

The song itself is also incredible. Written after an intense period Wilson spent remixing classic prog bands’ work, it intentionally channels the spirit of King Crimson, Yes, Gentle Giant, and Jethro Tull. It’s a detached, haunting piece mixing flute, string and acoustic guitar parts with Wison’s vocals that slowly builds, only adding electric instruments much over halfway through its eight-minute, 20-second playtime.

My only bit of advice, outside of listening to it as soon as you can, is to jump over to Wilson’s website and invest in the Headphone Dust edition for the ultimate experience. The investment nabs you the Hi-res Atmos and 5.1 cuts of the song alongside an MKV file of the 4K video. Make no mistake, the stereo cut on the above video is good, but the Atmos and 5.1 versions are mind-blowing if you have the hardware to do them justice.

Buy the Headphone Dust edition of The Raven that Refused to Sing at Steve Wilson's website

Gunship – Dark All Day

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Our editor (me) is a big fan of two things: classic horror movies and synthwave. So, when a band creates a music video that combines both elements, well, you can imagine how excited they get.

Enter Gunship’s Dark All Day. The song merges the band’s iconic sound, which uses old synths to create a mesmerising, retro vibe, with a saxophone part from Tim Cappello and vocals from pop sensation Indiana.

Not sure who Cappello is? You’ll almost certainly recognise him either as the main saxophonist from Tina Turner's backing band during the 80s or the muscly front man wailing on his sax during the boardwalk scene of cult classic vampire film The Lost Boys. And the theme of vampires neatly brings us on to the video itself.

Available in 4K on YouTube, it starts with an animated segment, showing iconic vampire hunters from the 80s and 90s cinema battling a horde of the undead before flipping to a visually stunning live section halfway through. The second half, showing Indiana, Capello and the band playing in a pitch-black room with visceral, red blood pouring from the ceiling like rain – a clear homage to an iconic scene from a certain Wesley Snipes 90s vampire movie.

The result is a roller coaster ride that will test everything from your sound system’s rhythmic precision to your projector or TV’s motion handling and dark detail.

Avenged Sevenfold – Nobody

Words by Harry McKerrell

Look, I completely understand that this type of music isn’t to everyone’s taste. Heavy metal, progressive metal, metalcore, whatever you want to call it – it’s something of a niche within this world of Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter. In fairness, I actually quite like Sabrina Carpenter.

Even if this kind of thing isn’t your bag at all, please give Nobody a try. In abstraction, the track might take a few goes to get into, relying more on epic, pulsating soundscapes over catchy, refined melodies, but once it clicks, this is the sort of music that gets deep into your bones. Add the video into the mix, and it’s practically a spiritual experience.

I refer to bones quite deliberately. The accompanying video to Nobody is a miraculous masterpiece, wherein a man’s skeletal ‘soul’ leaves his body and begins wandering through the chaotic cosmos in search of matter, meaning and, you would hope, a bit of epidermis to cover his naked frame.

The result is mind-blowing, with Chris Hopewell’s spectacular stop-motion visuals giving the protagonist’s movements a charmingly comical clunkiness when set against awe-inspiring vistas of the shimmering cosmos. Just wait until you get to the 3:15 mark, where siren-like guitars accompany one endless tracking shot of skeletons fighting on some strange, semi-apocalyptic battleground. Goosebumps.

Avenged Sevenfold have gone all existential during the course of their last few albums, and it doesn’t get more Camus than this. I think the point of the whole thing is that we’re all already dead, like those monks who live with decomposing corpses to remind them of their own mortality. Cheery.

Pomme – Un Million

Words by Robyn Quick

You might not have heard of French artist Pomme, but she is one to watch.

Un million from the album Consolation is one of my favourite tracks from her, and not just because of the magical vocals and mesmerising instrumentals. The accompanying music video continues the minimalist approach of the song, as it is filmed in black and white, all on one spinning stage.

This setup could have resulted in an uninspiring final look, but there is beauty in the small details that make for a hypnotic watch and a great test for your TV or projector screen.

Pomme is dressed as a clown, complete with a ruffled neck collar and frilly sleeves. The intricate textures of the ruffles and a single tear running down her face call for a good level of detail without looking over-etched. As others join her on the spinning stage, this also challenges your system’s motion handling. There’s a delicate balance to strike between movement looking too smooth and juddery, and the swirling stage makes for a great test.

A bright sphere is the centrepiece of the video, which creates a gradual fade from white to black. With the right system, this gradient should look seamless, but there is the risk of banding where you can see the steps obviously between shades.

Talking Heads – Life During Wartime (from Stop Making Sense 4K remaster)

Words by Ioan Hazell

Few bands manage to pack all-out eccentricity into as digestible and catchy a package as Talking Heads. There is so much to talk about in this performance, from David Byrne’s wiry, maniacal dance moves to the contagious excitement of the band, who must have been aware of being at the height of their powers.

This performance of Life During Wartime from their 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense, was blessedly remastered in 4K and for Dolby Atmos by 4AD back in 2023. At the time, I went to watch the re-release in an IMAX cinema and was astonished by the public response. Some people danced in the aisles; others wept in their seats. Nobody sat still.

While the purpose of resolution is always, to some extent, to revitalise the past, never before had I seen such a vivid example of its power. Coming away from the screening, my legs ached as if I had been at the real concert. My cheeks ached from an irrepressible grin.

With some of the downright coolest backing vocals, strangest gyrations, and grooviest basslines out there, this performance has to be seen to be believed. “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco” – yeah, right!

Buy Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense on 4K Blu-ray at HMV

MORE:
These are the best songs for testing hi-fi

We rank the best surround sound systems

Our picks of the best projectors

Samsung has unveiled three new foldable phones at its annual Galaxy Unpacked event, two of which are its brightest Galaxy smartphones ever.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is a new addition to the Z Fold family, and is joined by the Z Fold8, both of which have a peak brightness of 3000 nits. That comfortably outdoes the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 2600 nits.

The Z Fold8 Ultra really follows the Z Fold7, with the same size 8-inch internal screen. The Z Fold8, however, has a smaller 7.6-inch screen, and is shorter and wider when folded. The Z Fold8’s 5.5-inch cover screen has a 10:16 aspect ratio, while the internal screen is the more traditional 4:3.

Samsung says the Z Fold8 Ultra’s internal screen is the equivalent of having two 6.5-inch screens side by side, making it ideal for multitasking.

Both it and the Z Fold8's screens have an anti-reflective coating, making them easier to see in bright sunlight.

The Z Fold8 Ultra measures 4.1mm thick when unfolded, making it the thinnest Galaxy Fold ever. It has a new hinge with new magnets, making it easier to open and more durable over time.

It also has a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra wide (up from 12 megapixels on the Fold7) and a 10-megapixel telephoto. Also onboard are the same ProVisual Engine with advanced AP processing for Nightography video as the Galaxy S26, and the same Horizontal Lock features. That keeps your video recording steady even if your hand is anything but. A new mode lets you present your videos in cinematic presets (like romance or thriller) with no editing required.

Both it and the Z Fold8 are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy as the Galaxy S26. The Ultra has a 5000mAh battery for 27 hours of video playback, and charging up to 67 per cent capacity in 30 minutes, while the Fold8’s 4800mAh unit offers 26 hours of video and juices up to 63 per cent in 30 minutes.

At 201g, the Z Fold8 is the lightest Galaxy Z Fold that Samsung has ever made.

Samsung also announced the Galaxy Z Flip8 clamshell phone, which flips open like the classic Motorola Razr from the early noughties. It follows the four-star Z Flip 7, and is the slimmest and lightest Z Flip phone yet.

All three phones are available to pre-order now, and will ship next month. The Z Flip8 starts at £1100, the Z Fold8 £1699 and the Z Fold8 Ultra £1899 (all 256GB storage). They all come in 512GB variants too, with the two Z Folds also available with 1TB of storage.

MORE:

Check out the best smartphones for movies and music

Read our Apple iPhone 17 review

How does the Samsung Galaxy Flip 7 review compare?

They seem simple, but there are actually a lot of pitfalls that are all too easy to fall into when buying and setting up a TV.

But based on my personal and professional experience helping numerous friends and readers, most of us are getting better at the buying part. It's the second, "setting it up" part that many people are still outright terrible at.

Yes, based on my time as every person and their dog’s home cinema personal shopper, I’ve been inundated with every question you can think of when helping people find the right TV for their specific needs and budget.

Does it have everything I need to watch the football?

Do I need to get a soundbar too?

Will it work with my Sony Betamax LV-1901?

I’ve heard all of the above and more while giving curated advice on which TV to buy over the years.

But what always throws me is that after spending hours asking questions, researching the set to make sure, when they actually buy one, they nearly always go silent.

And that would be fine if I could put my feet up, pour myself a nice whisky and toast a job well done, safe in the knowledge they’ve set it up right and are making the most of their new purchase.

Except, based on my experience visiting friends and family I’ve helped, and some of the messages I’ve received from readers, most aren’t.

And recently, there’s one big mistake I’ve seen in living rooms, which is especially damaging during the summer months – placing the set right next to a window.

Why is that a problem, you ask? The answer is simple and an issue we’ve flagged many times before: light pollution.

Our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, has been a vocal enemy of the phenomenon for quite some time. But for those who have missed our past warnings, it is a problem, as if you place your TV in an incredibly bright area, you will impede its picture quality, regardless of how good the set is.

If it doesn’t go bright enough or doesn't come with an antireflective layer, look forward to watching your own reflection. If you can still make out what’s happening, contrast will still be impacted. Truthfully, lots of ambient light will stop your TV from delivering its best, regardless of the picture settings you use.

So why, oh why, do so many of us put TVs directly next to windows? Yes, it sometimes makes sense with the room’s feng shui, but I’ve had people who’ve spent multiple thousands on a top-end OLED make the mistake.

Many then send me, less than diplomatic, messages asking why I've recommended a terrible TV. They then get even more irritated when I point out it's how they've positioning causing most of the problems they're flagging.

If you’re going to spend that much money on a decent TV, surely it’s then worth investing a little time in creating a space that will let it shine?

Blackout blinds are a godsend, or if that’s too much, honestly, even moving your TV a few feet away can make a difference.

So please, for my and the team’s sanity, heed this warning and make sure to give your TV a good home, one that will give it the space it needs to live up to its full potential.

MORE:

Check out all of our Home Cinema Week coverage

These are the best TVs we’ve reviewed

Our picks of the best OLED TVs

We rank the best soundbars for movie fans

It can be hard to sustain a love for film at the height of summer.

As the balmy prospects of barbecues, pub gardens and beach trips beckon, many home cinema set-ups lie forgotten, gathering dust in darkened rooms while their owners go off galavanting until the weather cools off again.

But we don’t believe that a love for the great outdoors has to come at odds with a passion for watching movies – least of all after compiling this list of products for Home Cinema Week that we think will give you the closest thing to a true home cinema experience, no matter where you’ve set up camp.

Of course, we aren’t suggesting any of these solutions as a total replacement for your dedicated system; but if the house is getting too hot to handle, these al fresco-friendly pairings might sate your cinephile desires without costing your daily dose of sunshine.

Best mobile set-up

Apple iPhone 17 + AirPods Max 2

We are well aware that the iPhone 17’s 6.3-inch screen can hardly be considered a premium viewing experience, but try fitting a flat screen TV into the passenger seat of a Toyota Aygo and you’ll get a taste for our thinking here.

The iPhone 17 features ProMotion, Apple’s variable refresh-rate panel technology, which automatically adjusts the refresh rate from 1 to 120Hz, depending on what you are viewing. This means that you can save battery life while rendering slower content but still keep up with the very speediest of action movies.

What's more, with a peak brightness of 3000 nits, you can be confident that you won’t have to worry about visibility, even in broad daylight.

This iPhone 17’s display also features HDR support in Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG formats, which should mean that all streaming services are able to look their best.

Fantastic though these visual features are, no home cinema set-up is complete without great sound. And for that we recommend the AirPods Max 2, which will be able to make the most of both Dolby Atmos and Apple Spatial Audio – both supported by the iPhone 17.

We awarded the AirPods Max 2 a five-star review, saying that these headphones “crossed the line from wireless audio into wireless hi-fi”.

So what’s behind our glowing praise? Well, for starters, they sound “detailed, dynamic and spacious” with an “appealing balance and cohesive organisation”, all necessary features for keeping up with busy action-packed moments and dense soundtracks.

Additionally, you’ll be able to block out intrusive sounds with Apple’s effective noise-cancelling, while their dynamic head tracking does a great job of keeping sounds positioned relative to the screen, for a stable and convincing soundstage.

We acknowledge in our review that movies wouldn’t be the top priority for many users, but, in this case, we feel confident that the AirPods Max 2’s “terrifically cinematic” spatial qualities will be just the ticket.

Best tablet set-up

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra + Buds 4 Pro

Still car-friendly, but with whopping proportions for a tablet, the Samsung Galaxy S11 Ultra is our top pick for home-away-from-home cinema. That is in no small part due to its 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, which makes movies look “considerably bigger” than on the iPad Pro.

The S11 Ultra’s peak brightness of 1600 nits matches the iPad Pro, and should allow HDR scenes to come through with popping colours and satisfyingly deep blacks. The tablet’s anti-reflective screen also lends a helping hand in terms of clarity when viewing dimmer scenes outdoors.

Worried that your suitcase is starting to get too full? Well, don’t fret, because the S11 Ultra is only 5.1mm thick and is very unlikely to take your luggage over any weight limits, at a measly 692g.

In our upcoming review (spoiler alert!), we say that the tablet’s battery life should get you “well into a second day” of viewing, provided an eye is kept on screen brightness. So, unless you are planning on watching the entirety of the James Bond canon, this tablet has your back.

In this case, we think your best bet for audio is the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 4. These earbuds thrive in pairing with up-to-date Samsung devices that support the brand’s hi-res SSC UHQ codec.

With their grippy, responsive bass, and a detailed midrange, we enjoyed the sound of these earbuds when listening to compatible Samsung devices.

Controls for the earbuds are also integrated within your Samsung device’s native operating system, meaning that many of their features, from noise-cancelling adjustment to immediate pairing, can be accessed without having to fire up an app.

As well as ANC, the Buds 4 Pro feature head tracking, which works only when paired with a Samsung device. So, using them alongside the S11 Ultra will keep your movies’ soundstages stable.

These are a strong contender with battery life too, with 30 hours of charge (including a fully charged case) when ANC is turned off, and 26 hours with it switched on.

Finally, the Buds 4 Pro’s IP57 rating means that dust ingress and immersion in water up to a metre for around 30 minutes won’t cause any permanent damage. So if flash floods strike, you’ll be sacrificing your tent before your audio quality.

Best portable projector set-up

Anker Nebula Mars 3 + JBL charge 6

For those unwilling to sacrifice a big-picture experience, we have to recommend the Anker Nebula Mars 3 portable projector. You’ll need something to project your movies on to, however, unless you’ve parked your boat beside the white cliffs of Dover.

The Nebula Mars 3 packs a 1080p-resolution, LED-lit DLP projection system with a peak brightness of 400 ANSI Lumens into its portable body. Thanks to that brightness, the maximum image size for Mars 3 is claimed to be 150 inches – although pushing the size that far will inevitably sacrifice brightness.

We recommend striking a balance with an image size between 70 and 90 inches.

In our review, we were “really struck by how sharp and detailed everything look[ed]”, with little evidence of visible pixel structure even as we pushed the image beyond 100 inches. We were also impressed by the projector’s saturation and darkness while streaming HDR sources.

The Mars Air 3 has a battery life of 2.5 hours, which should be enough for most movies, but it can also be powered by mains if you are on a campsite with hook-up. If you are using the projector’s built-in speakers without mains, the run time will decrease.

Helpfully, this portable projector contains a Google TV operating system with an official Netflix app, which recognises the projector as HDR capable.

External sources include a single HDMI port, a USB port and integrated Bluetooth, wi-fi and Chromecast.

We are relieved about the Bluetooth functionality, because while the in-built speakers are actually fairly impressive, for a more cinematic experience, we suggest pairing this projector with the JBL Charge 6.

The Charge 6 is even more outdoors friendly than its four-years-running What Hi-Fi? Award winning predecessor, the Charge 5. In our review, we say the speaker has a “durable design that you feel confident will survive all sorts of adventures and inclement weather”. Perfect for rainy camping holidays.

And this isn’t just an impression: the Charge 6 boasts an IP68 waterproof and dustproof rating.

For connecting to other speakers, the Charge 6 supports Auracast, and wired connections are also made possible via USB-C, allowing lossless streaming for outdoorsy audiophiles.

Sonically, the JBL Charge 6 packs a punch in the low end, while maintaining a clear and solid midrange – ideal for picking out dialogue above bassy ominous soundtracks.

When it comes to battery life, this portable speaker has you covered, with 24 hours of charge, which can be extended to 28 hours by enabling the Playtime Boost setting. Notably, the Charge 6 can also be used as a portable charger for smartphones.

MORE

Check out our best portable projectors 2026: mini projectors to max out your picture

And our best Bluetooth speakers 2026: tried and tested for every budget

Stay up to date with the best over-ear headphones 2026: wired and wireless pairs tested by our in-house experts

If you've been eyeing a pair of Monitor Audio's statement Hyphn floorstanding speakers, your choice of potential finishes just got a lot more extensive.

That's because Monitor has announced that the Hyphn are now available in over 200 custom colourways. Customers can select from a variety of Matte, Gloss and Metallic finishes across a range of over 200 colours, with each custom-finished Hyphn cabinet painted and assembled by hand in the UK.

For those unfamiliar with the Hyphn, the heavyweight floorstanders were built to commemorate Monitor's 50th birthday. Each speaker boasts a total of 11 drive units in total, including a micro pleated diaphragm tweeter surrounded by six midrange units and four bass drivers.

The cabinets, which you can daub in practically any colour you like, are formed using mineral and acrylic stone and then precision milled, resulting in what Monitor Audio describes as a totally rigid structure "that provides the perfect platform from which the drive units can operate".

The three original Hyphn finishes – Matte Heritage Green, Matte Black, and Pure Satin White – remain available. The Hyphn will set you back £70,000 / €82,500 / $92,500 per pair for the standard paint editions, while adding a custom finish will bump that up to £80,250 / €92,500 / €102,500 per pair.

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The annual What Hi-Fi? Home Cinema Week is here!

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Best speakers 2026: budget to premium models tested by our expert reviewers

A new pair of Bose over-ear headphones could be arriving very shortly.

That's according to French outlet Dealabs, which reports that Bose has leaked a second-generation iteration of its QuietComfort Headphones, slated for release in just a few weeks.

Bose's QuietComfort Headphones line isn't to be confused with the more premium QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. The QC Headphones are to the QC Ultra Headphones what the more affordable QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) are to the range-topping QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra (2nd Gen) – a lower price tag in return for slightly fewer features and not quite top-of-the-line performance.

That said, the new over-ears promise a full-blooded refresh over their three-year-old predecessors, with Dealabs' leak suggesting a new design, revamped controls and better sound quality could all be coming to the second-generation model in a bid to see Bose make a play for the competitive mid-range market.

Quite a few premium features could be about to trickle down from the premium QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), including Bose 'TrueSpatial' spatial audio, lossless playback via USB-C, and a host of new listening flavours, including 'Cinema Mode' for making video content more, well, cinematic.

Many existing features and functionalities are set for significant improvements. Bose's 'ActiveSense' technology works to take the edge off unwanted noise peaks when listening in 'Aware' mode, while improved call quality comes courtesy of more effective ambient noise reduction.

The headphones' on-cup controls have been revamped, with Dealabs teasing more intuitive button placement on the earcups themselves.

Wholesale improvements haven't been made to every aspect of the incoming QuietComfort Headphones, however. Battery life will likely remain the same as the soon-to-be outgoing model, with the second-gen over-ears again set to max out at a reported 24 hours of listening with ANC switched on.

That revamped design is set to feature more on-ear padding alongside a more oval earpad shape and a wider headband, all designed to improve wearer comfort over time.

A veritable Delux colour wheel of new finishes could also be set to arrive, including Black, White Smoke, Rosewood Mauve, Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint, and Hazelnut Taupe.

What about prospective price? Figures are slated as £300 / $359 / €350, which represents a £50 / €50 drop for UK and European buyers respectively.

We never tested the original QuietComfort Headphones when they launched around three years ago, but we have reviewed both the QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) and QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) in recent times.

Bose isn't quite dominating the premium wireless headphones space when facing competition from Sony, Apple and Sennheiser, but the upcoming QC Headphones' slightly more affordable asking price and bolstered feature set might help Bose claw back ground lost to its estimable competitors.

Dealabs claims that Bose's latest cans will arrive on August 13th. We've contacted Bose for comment, and will keep you updated with developments as they arise.

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Bose QuietComfort Headphones vs QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: what are the differences?

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We had hardly finished writing about a whopping £50 reduction on the JBL Xtreme 5, when we noticed that its predecessor, the Xtreme 4, had just returned to its all-time lowest price of £179 at Richer Sounds.

Both speakers won five-stars at review, and are solid contenders for anyone looking to harness the heatwave, or simply beat the post World Cup blues with some outdoor listening.

With a £100 discount available for members of Richer Sounds’ VIP Club (worry not, sign-up is free), this is the perfect opportunity for anyone looking to step into the world of JBL’s outdoor speakers without breaking the bank.

Best JBL Xtreme 4 deal

The Xtreme 4 boasts a clear, detailed and weighty sound, all packed into a robust speaker that will handle the elements as well as your music.

The speaker has the cylindrical shape of other models in the Xtreme range and a tough, wrap-around grille made from a combination of recycled plastic and fabric. Earning its ‘Xtreme’ nomenclature, the speaker is both waterproof and dustproof.

The JBL has a power of 100W when mains powered, which falls to 80W when using the built-in battery. We felt that the gains in power and scale were hearable when plugging the speaker in, but the sonic character of the speaker stayed consistent even when unplugged.

Across our music library we found the Xtreme 4 sounded “wonderfully clear and consistent” with low frequencies that were “poised and punchy” without lacking weight, and “crisp” highs.

Listening to Brazil by Declan McKenna, we said: “The JBL entertains us from the off. It captures the playful electric guitar and percussion, and delivers the song with plenty of energy. When the bassline kicks in it sounds weighty and goes deep, but there’s detail and texture and you can hear the difference in weight between each note.”

In terms of features, Bluetooth 5.3 and Auracast are both available. For Bluetooth 6, you’ll need to upgrade to the more expensive Xtreme 5, but this speaker will still pair with other compatible JBL units via Auracast.

With 24 hours of battery life, plus the option to stretch that to 30 hours thanks to the speaker’s Playtime Boost feature, running out of charge shouldn’t be too much of a worry with this speaker.

AI sound boost is also available, which helps the speaker maintain sound quality at loud volumes and prevent distortion. When we pushed the JBL hard during testing, we found that it remained “composed and controlled” even when we cranked it past 11.

If you are looking for a great JBL wireless speaker, but don’t want to fork out on the Xtreme 5, this speaker could be yours for just £179 as a Richer Sounds VIP Club member.

MORE

Fancying an alternative? Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Feeling loyal to JBL? Take a look at the JBL Charge 6

Check out our best Bluetooth speakers 2026: tried and tested for every budget

Most movies would be lucky to have just one scene that’s considered an all-time classic, so the fact that Michael Mann’s Heat has two is just plain greedy – but only one of them is likely to earn you noise complaints from the neighbours.

Released in 1995, Heat united two Hollywood heavyweights for the first time. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino had both starred in The Godfather Part II in the mid-’70s but never actually shared the screen, so while Heat’s unrehearsed diner scene where the two face-off is certainly iconic, it won’t test your home cinema system like the film’s other most memorable moment.

Almost two hours into the film, De Niro’s Neil McCauley leads a small team of bank robbers on a heist that could net them a cool $12m if they manage to pull it off. And it seems to be going as planned until it comes to the getaway, when all hell breaks loose on the streets of downtown LA.

What’s most immediately striking is just how loud Heat’s heist sequence is. Even when you know it’s coming, the explosion of noise when Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) opens fire on the police outside the bank is almost enough to make you jump clear out of your seat.

McCauley’s crew are armed with assault rifles, and in the film-makers’ quest for realism they chose to load them with full-load blanks, which means they use the same amount of gunpowder as real shells.

If you’ve got the volume cranked up, each volley of gunfire is a complete assault on the senses, and you should really be able to hear the difference between the weapons as the three thieves battle against Pacino’s detective Vincent Hanna, and what appears to be the entire LAPD.

Bullets pierce cop car bodywork as if it’s made of paper, while windscreens burst like balloons full of broken glass, with everything echoing off the surrounding office blocks and creating a wall of noise that puts most war films to shame.

Heat isn’t just a great test for the best soundbars or surround sound systems either, there’s plenty here for your eyes to feast on too.

Available to stream in 4K HDR, Heat is famous for its steely blue colour palette and is packed with scenes that juxtapose almost pitch darkness with the bright lights of LA’s seedier side.

You’ll need a TV that’s capable of drawing the detail out of dark scenes to really see what’s going on when Hanna and his team stake out the scene of an attempted break-in in the dead of night, or when McCauley pays a visit to the home of a suspected snitch.

The final shadowy showdown between the two alpha males takes place around the runways at Los Angeles International Airport, where dazzlingly bright lights periodically illuminate the Tarmac for approaching planes, making it a brilliant test for your TV’s contrast.

As with McCauley and his crew’s scores, time is very much of the essence here. Heat is only available to stream on Prime Video for the next two days before it disappears into thin air, so catch it while you still can.

Stream Heat on Amazon Prime Video

For even better quality, buy the Heat 4K Blu-ray from Amazon

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Check out the best scenes to test your Dolby Atmos sound system

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Here are the best TVs right now

We are in Home Cinema Week, so it seemed appropriate to celebrate the occasion by marrying our festivities with the superb summer of sport we are enjoying in these balmy (perhaps that should be barmy) days of July.

So we took a look at some top sports (and okay, yes, one game) that have featured heavily in movies we have enjoyed over the years. This, as you will see, is an eclectic list, but each entry, we believe, stands up to be counted as a sporting scene, or subject to be revisited.

And please, do feel free to add your own suggestions for your fellow readers’ enjoyment.

Golf: Goldfinger

You all knew it was coming, so we’ll get this one ticked off first. The original James Bond, Sean Connery, made his third outing as 007 in this tale of a megalomaniac industrialist who wants to rob the US’s gold depository at Fort Knox.

Goldfinger was the film where the Bond franchise really got into its stride, with the introduction of the cool gadgets from Q department, and the humour that became one of the series’ trademarks.

And, of course, it has one of the canon’s great henchmen, in the steel-brimmed hat-throwing Odd Job, whom we first meet toting a golf bag for his boss in the money match that Bond and Goldfinger enter into.

(There’s then a lovely example of how times change in what would, in 1964, have been almost unimaginable ways, when Goldfinger apologises to Bond that he is still having to teach Odd Job the niceties of the game as his caddy: “Golf is not yet the national game of Korea, hey?” Well, it pretty much is now…)

The five-minute scene showing their match is a lovely duel of wits between the industrialist and the spy, with verbal feint and counter-feint interspersed with the thud of gold bars hitting the green, the thwack of the ball – and some spectacular cheating all round.

It sets up the relationship between the characters beautifully, and is a lovely example of how they don’t make ’em like they used to – this is a scene given time to breathe by the director. Wouldn’t be allowed now…

Buy the Goldfinger 4K Blu-ray from Amazon

Buy or rent Goldfinger on Apple TV

Baseball: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

The Naked Gun took its cue, of course, from the brilliant TV series Police Squad!, which took its cue from Airplane!. There are worse places to seek inspiration.

This type of silly slapstick is commonplace now, of course, but it’s great to look back at the original and find that it can still make you laugh.

Of course you’ve seen it all before, and of course it’s hit and miss, but that’s almost the point. It’s a relentless barrage of verbal and sight gags that simply refuses to pause for breath; and, once the momentum has built up, it proves utterly irresistible.

This scene finds our hero, Frank Drebin (the incomparable Leslie Nielsen), having to take on the role of home-plate umpire in a baseball match in an attempt to foil an assassin’s plot. It is, naturally, utter carnage, extremely silly, and still able to elicit real belly laughs.

From the first strike, when Drebin seems to forget that he is not there only to find the assassin but has to call the game as well, it isn’t long before he is making it all about him, moonwalking down the third-base line, and frisking the players as he goes.

It’s a real joy. “Steee-riiike” indeed.

Buy The Naked Gun 4K Blu-ray from Amazon

Watch The Naked Gun on Amazon Prime Video

Tennis: Strangers on a Train

From the utterly ridiculous to the sublime. This is Hitchcock in peak mid-season form (with apologies to PG Wodehouse, but to continue the sports theme), and one of the master’s movies that film and media schools regularly study.

From the set-up, where professional tennis player Guy (Farley Granger) falls into conversation with charming psychopath Bruno (Robert Walker) on a train, it’s a study in psychology, guilt and ambition. For Bruno proposes that, since it seems they each have someone inconvenient in their lives who would be far better off out of the way, they should swap murders. “Criss-cross”, as Bruno says. That way, there is no motive for the police to follow, and each of them can have a cast-iron alibi.

Guy doesn’t really take things too seriously. But then Bruno carries out his part of the bargain. And he expects Guy to follow suit.

There is an earlier scene at a tennis match, where the crowd’s heads are turning to the left and right in time with the thwack of ball on racket. With one exception, where a man in a fedora is staring across the court. It is truly unsettling, and sets the psychologically dissonant tone of the movie beautifully.

The main tennis scene, though, is near the denouement. Guy is playing a tennis match, while Bruno is desperately trying to retrieve the cigarette lighter from a drain that he intends to plant to mark Guy as a murderer. Guy, then, needs to finish his match as quickly as possible to prevent the unthinkable. Hitchcock’s brilliance as a suspense film-maker is all here: cuts from one protagonist to the other, desperately reaching fingers for the lighter just out of reach. It’s all stress and anxiety – with the music to enhance all those emotions.

Truly a masterful scene from the master of suspense.

Rent or buy Strangers On A Train on Apple TV

Cricket: Fire in Babylon

This astonishing documentary isn’t really about cricket at all. I mean, it is, of course, but it’s about so much more than simply the game. It is without doubt a worthwhile watch even for those who know nothing about the game – it’s certainly a clear example of where sport and politics definitely mixed.

At face value, this is the story of the great West Indies team that dominated world cricket for about two decades from the mid-1970s.

But just a few minutes in, it becomes clear that this, really, is more of a story about societal change and civil rights, both in the West Indies and the UK; the story of former slave colonies breaking out from under the yoke of empire and finally being able to control their own destinies as free men.

And what men.

When you hear the likes of Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd, Andy Roberts and the incomparable Michael Holding (and many more) explaining just how important the team was to West Indian and black people all around the world, you can see that the cricket wasn’t the main issue here. And they knew it.

From the pummelling the team took against Australia in 1975, via then England captain Tony Greig’s infamous “I intend to make them grovel”, to world domination for years, these men shouldered the responsibility for the pride of more than a nation – for West Indians everywhere.

And, because it’s the West Indies we’re talking about here, the soundtrack is also a wonderful collection of calypso, ska and reggae tracks – indeed, Bunny Wailer is also a prominent interviewee.

It’s a bit tricky to get hold of at the moment, although it is available to stream with a bit of a search – and you can buy the DVD or Blu-ray, of course.

I urge you to make the effort. This is a fascinating, sobering, yet uplifting documentary that highlights hugely significant societal change; and, much as I love cricket, it’s that that makes it so important.

Buy the Fire In Babylon Blu-ray on Amazon

Football: Marvellous

This Bafta-winning drama, based on the true story of Stoke City's beloved kit-man, Neil "Nello" Baldwin, again takes the sport as the hook, but is actually about so much more. Neil, superbly played by Toby Jones, is a man with learning disabilities – not that he acknowledges that himself. He simply refuses to let life get him down.

The film is both sentimental and remarkably profound at the same time. Fairly early on in the film, for example, Neil says: “I always wanted to be happy. So I decided to be.” Easier said than done for most of us; but for Neil, it’s his way of life.

Neil, a Stoke City fan, has the almost unbelievable knack of making friends, or at the very least acquaintance, with some of the great and good, from all spheres of society: to which end he finds himself on the umpire’s boat at the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race; archbishops and senior politicians all fall under his spell; and, most importantly for Neil, so did Lou Macari, Manchester United legend, and (soon into the movie) newly appointed manager of Stoke City FC.

Macari ends up employing Neil as the kit man for the squad, seemingly on a whim; but it soon becomes clear to the manager that Neil offers his squad far more than simply clean kit.

The joy of this movie is its simplicity, and the almost unbelievable situations in which Neil finds himself. And yet, as the various cameo appearances in the film confirm, all of this really happened.

Lou Macari, Gary Lineker, former top-level referee Uriah Rennie, and circus ringmaster Norman Barrett (sorry, I hadn’t mentioned that Neil was also “Nello”, a circus clown) all make appearances, as does Neil himself, to reassure Toby Jones that it all happened just as he is depicting it.

It’s a charming, moving, funny film that is all the more affecting because it’s true. A real delight.

Buy the Marvellous Blu-ray from Amazon

Stream Marvellous on Amazon Prime Video

Fencing: The Princess Bride

I admit some bias here. The Princess Bride is one of my top five favourite movies, and it’s our family film. It merits its place in a list of movies with great sporting scenes and connections because of the epic fencing duel between country-boy Westley, played by Carey Elwes, and Mandy Patinkin’s swordsman Inigo Montoya.

The movie plot is a film within a film, with a sick little boy (Fred Savage from The Wonder Years) being read a story by his grandfather (Peter Falk). And then, a couple of quick interjections apart, we get on with the fairy tale. There are wonderful cameo performances from the likes of Billy Crystal, Peter Cook and Mel Smith, and it’s a great tale that will (genuinely) delight young and old.

One of the standout scenes, though, is the duel between two of the heroes of the story. It’s a beautifully choreographed set piece that brings to mind Robin Hood from 1938, starring Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone. Athletic, good-humoured and genuinely impressive, this is a hugely entertaining tussle, with dialogue to match – “I know something you don’t know.”

And it’s one of the most memorable scenes in a movie full of memorable scenes. Inconceivable though that may sound.

Buy The Princess Bride Blu-ray from Amazon

Rent or buy The Princess Bride from Apple TV

Poker: Casino Royale

We top and tail our list with Bond, without apology. It might not be a sport, but Texas Hold ’em is a hugely televised game that, therefore, merits its place on this list.

This scene is classic Bond (see Goldfinger above) with Bond meeting his protagonist in public. This time, rather than the golf course, it’s the casino where our two stags butt heads. And this time it’s nearer the end of the movie than the beginning.

Anyone who knows anything about poker will know that the hands being dished out to these guys are completely insane – many millions to one against, etc – but that’s hardly the point. There is much shuffling of chips, many bold stare-downs, a slew of sardonic smiles and plenty of tension-filled pauses. Just what you want, then, in your Bond movie.

In many ways, it is similar to the Goldfinger golf match: the scene is granted time to play out in a way that has been increasingly rare in this era of jump cuts and incessant action – and it feels all the better for it.

Mads Mikkelsen gives us a glimpse of the Hannibal Lecter to come in his portrayal of Le Chiffre, and Daniel Craig, in his first outing as 007, proves all the doubters over his casting well and truly wrong.

This is classic Bond. Just don’t expect your own hands of hold ’em with your mates ever to come out like that.

Buy the Casino Royale 4K Blu-ray from Amazon

Rent or buy Casino Royale from Apple TV

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Check out all of our Home Cinema Week coverage

Here are the best TVs and best soundbars you can buy right now

Q Acoustics makes a long-awaited return to our home cinema testing room with its new 3050c 5.1 speaker package.

Built around components from the recently introduced entry-level 3000c series, this surround sound system inherits crucial driver technology and design cues from Q Acoustics’ higher-end ranges.

The brand has built an impressive reputation over the years for delivering massive, room-filling sound in both the hi-fi and home cinema senses, so expectations are high for this new surround sound package.

We’re also eager to see how trickle-down speaker technology performs in practice; top-tier engineering doesn’t always mesh seamlessly with mid-range components, after all. So, how does the 3050c 5.1 package perform?

Price

Q Acoustics doesn’t officially sell the system it's provided us with as a complete set, though it has given us a combined price of £1,896 / $3,506 for this package. It does sell an identically named pack on its website and through other retailers, though this comes with a different subwoofer, so we expect the performance to be different.

The package we’ve been supplied comprises the 3050c floorstanders (£749 / $1349 per pair), the 3010c bookshelf surrounds (£249 / $479 per pair), the 3090c centre channel speaker (£229 / $399), and the Q SUB100 active subwoofer (£699 / $1199). The widely available pre-bundled package swaps the Q SUB100 for the 3060S subwoofer, and costs £1626 here in the UK.

Competition at this price sits squarely with the Award-winning Bowers & Wilkins 606/607 S3 speaker system, which is currently available at various retailers for around £1950, down from its original price of £2496.

The B&W package has proven to be an issue for Q Acoustics before, as it edged out the 5040 5.1 package at our 2023 Awards – who doesn’t love a rematch?

Build & design

The 3050c 5.1 package is a good-looking and well-built collection of speakers. They sport smooth corners and metallic embellishments, resulting in a modern, high-quality look that should blend nicely into many living rooms or home cinema environments.

Our system is in the Satin White finish, though you can also buy the speakers in Satin Black, Claro Walnut, or Pin Oak finishes. All colourways come with a unique champagne-gold baffle surround surrounding the drivers, which gives them an elevated look. The speakers also include magnetic grilles in the box.

The 3050c are a pair of mid-sized floorstanders, measuring 102 x 32 x 32cm (hwd, including spikes and stabilisers), and the 3010c are a very compact set of surrounds at 25 x 16 x 25cm (hwd).

Though it's the 3090c that surprises us most; at just 16 x 43 x 22cm (hwd), it’s one of the smallest centre channel speakers to cross the threshold of our home cinema room in recent memory. The Q SUB100 also keeps things relatively compact at 35 x 35 x 38cm (hwd).

The 3000c family sports a multitude of design features aimed at improving sound. All components feature rear ports, and Q Acoustics has implemented its P2P (Point to Point) bracing system throughout the range for enhanced rigidity, aimed at “improving the focus of the stereo image and giving the soundstage more accuracy than ever before”, according to Q Acoustics.

Specific to the 3050c floorstanders is the inclusion of HPE (Helmholtz Pressure Equaliser) tubes, which are fitted inside the speakers to nullify internal cabinet pressure and improve frequency response, all in the pursuit of eliminating unwanted standing waves and colouration.

Features

Core to the 3000c series is Q Acoustics’ C3 Continuous Curved Cone driver design, which first debuted in the 5000 series speakers; namely the Award-winning 5040 floorstanders.

Found here in the mid/bass drivers, the proprietary speaker design reportedly touts the “bass performance advantages of a traditional straight conic cone with the midrange and high-end control of a flared cone”.

Similarly, the tweeter design for this range also takes inspiration from the more expensive 5000 series speakers. The high-frequency drivers within the 3000c series are hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated from the baffle, which Q Acoustics says will prevent “internal pressure modulations from within the cabinet and from the adjacent mid/bass driver”.

The floorstanding 3050c sandwiches a 22mm tweeter between dual 14cm mid/bass drivers in a vertical arrangement. The 3010c surrounds and 3090c centre channel share the same tweeter, paired with a single 10cm driver in each surround speaker and a symmetrical, dual-driver layout flanking the tweeter in the centre speaker.

Moving onto the subwoofer, the Q SUB100 (and for that matter, the whole of the Q Sub range) is touted to be more powerful than the Q12 subwoofer included with the 5040 5.1 package. It sports a 25cm driver, a claimed peak amplification power of 500W, and a clever source detection system that can distinguish the input type (whether that’s a stereo amplifier or a multi-channel home cinema receiver) and level to adapt bass performance.

Sound

Good looks and an extensive feature-set only tell a small portion of the story; it’s the sound performance that we care most about.

We have the 3050c 5.1 package hooked up to the Award-winning Marantz Cinema 30 for our testing. While this amplifier is undeniably overkill for a speaker package of this price, its revealing sound and plentiful power should help us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of this system.

We also have the Bowers & Wilkins 606/607 S3 speaker package on hand as a reference, and we’ve raided our library of reference 4K discs to assess performance.

Starting with F1: The Movie, the 3050c 5.1 is off to a flying start. The energy and pace of this speaker system are immediately evident, resulting in an exciting, almost nerve-wracking sound during the tense 24 hours of Daytona race at the beginning of the film. As cars overtake daringly and spin out in a spectacular display of carnage, the Q Acoustics’ agility is a clear asset.

The 3050c 5.1 also does an excellent job of putting us in the middle of the action. The cohesion between the front and surround channels is excellent, ensuring there are no noticeable gaps. As such, the surround speakers are also integrated well, meaning we’re not made aware of them in a distracting way.

The sense of space and height is also a highlight of this system. The voices of David Croft and Martin Brundle as they commentate over races have a genuine sense of height, and the wide, enveloping soundfield puts us squarely in the centre of the action.

Moving onto Dune: Part One, we watch the sequence in which the Atreides family survey the spice desert from the air. The voices are clear and crisp, making dialogue easy to understand, and the thunderous drums that command the soundtrack flex the Q SUB100's muscles with a strong leading edge to each strike, and a touch of tonal variety that sprinkles in some texture and life to the rhythmic beats.

Switching our testing disc to Marvel’s Thunderbolts, we use the sequence in which the anti-heroes escape a facility in the desert with the mysterious Bob. The speaker system’s positive attributes are perfectly suited to this sequence; its agile and exciting nature makes the fight sequences feel wonderfully intense, and the talented subwoofer brings a hefty dose of bass to a big explosion and a flurry of gunshots.

However, this scene also affirms a shortcoming of the package, specifically the centre channel. While the majority of the system works in harmony to create a cohesive and cinematic sound, the centre channel feels like it's the only component at odds with that.

Voices sound too narrow and boxed in, making us acutely aware of where they’re coming from. While this does aid vocal clarity, it also means that voices don’t feel particularly well integrated into the greater mix. They also sound tonally quite flat, which makes the snide jabs thrown from one team member to another feel as though they’re lacking in character.

This package has a clear tendency to sound lean. The agility and crispness that are, in a vacuum, two positive attributes can also result in the 3050c system sounding a bit too forward and, at times, slightly insistent. It’s lacking a touch of warmth and naturalness that the Bowers & Wilkins 606/607 S3 5.1 system brings to the table.

This is felt most when it comes to music. Switching to Pure Direct for some stereo content, we find that Maggie Rogers’ Dog Years, Bon Iver’s There’s A Rhythm and Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Boys all come across as slightly shouty, despite all being fairly soft-sounding tracks.

That said, we can’t dispute the 3050c’s detail and timing, as both are excellent when we listen to music through them.

Verdict

Q Acoustics has launched another eye-catching and exciting-sounding home cinema package that is sure to appeal to those who want a 5.1 system that is bursting with energy. While we feel that it can sound a bit too lean at times, and we wish that the centre channel paired better with the rest of the system, we still think that there is plenty to like here.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 4
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package

Also consider the Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2

Read our Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Home Cinema Pack review

Best surround sound systems: home cinema speakers and soundbars put to the test

It's Home Cinema Week here at What Hi-Fi?, and it seems as if Epson is joining in the celebratory spirit.

The Epson EH-TW7000, one of the Japanese brand's entry-level 4K projectors, was already affordable at launch – and has just hit a new low of £799 at Amazon.

That's an incredible price for any 4K projector, but particularly impressive for one with the picture quality of the five-star Epson EH-TW7000.

Let's get this out of the way first – to achieve this price Epson has not included a smart platform or built-in speakers, meaning almost all we have to judge is the picture performance.

However, the picture quality alone was enough to blow us away.

"We play Venom on 4K Blu-ray and this projector explodes into life from the start, with some excellent HDR handling and dark detail in the opening shuttle crash scene," our Epson EH-TW7000 review reads. "The light levels run from the dark forest shadows to the extreme brightness of the floodlights. Despite this range, the tone of the scene is expertly controlled."

Detail is brilliant for this price point, capturing subtle textures and skin details, while colours are controlled yet dynamic.

Set-up is simple by projector standards, and there's plenty of lens flexibility to boot.

While there's no smart platform, there are two HDMI ports, so you can easily add one of the best Blu-ray players or streaming sticks. There are also two USB 2.0 sockets, as well as the option to send out audio via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm cable.

If you thought a 4K projector was out of your price range, you might want to think again. The Epson EH-TW7000 is an affordable 4K projector done right, stripping out features so all of your hard-earned cash goes towards picture quality – all for £799 at Amazon.

MORE:

These are the best AV receivers you can buy right now

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here are the best projectors

CD sales have increased by 16 per cent in the US during the first half of 2026, outpacing vinyl, which grew by just 2.4 per cent in the same period.

Figures released as part of a biannual report by the data company Luminate showed that CDs sold 16.3 million units in the country between January and the end of June. Notably, however, vinyl remains the more popular physical medium in terms of overall sales, with 21.8 million units sold.

Luminate attributes part of the surge in CD sales to the release of ARIRANG, an album by K-pop group BTS, which sold 516,000 physical copies in its first week. 208,000 of the album’s physical sales were on vinyl.

According to Luminate, the album’s first week vinyl sales are the largest by a contemporary group since the data company started tracking sales electronically in 1991.

But remove BTS and the wider K-pop catalogue from the picture and CD sales still outpaced vinyl, with a growth of 6.7 per cent. So, what else could have provoked the surge?

Not long ago, we wrote about the effect that Gen Z are having on the physical sales market. Luminate’s report sheds further light on the matter, revealing that young people’s motivations aren’t limited to listening, with approximately half of Gen Z and millennials who bought a CD not owning a CD player.

According to Luminate: “This behavior underscores that for younger generations, the act of buying physical music is as much about aesthetic ownership and direct financial support for the artist as it is listening to the music on the product itself.”

Among Gen X, on the other hand, 55 per cent of buyers cited nostalgia as a direct influence on their CD purchases.

But sentimental value and affordable merchandise aren’t the only drivers here – listening habits are also changing. In the first half of 2026, 60 per cent of Gen Z listeners reported listening to music from the 1990s or earlier, in a jump of 42 per cent since 2021.

While physical sales continue to grow, it’s worth noting that they do so alongside streaming, rather than as a replacement. So far this year, US audio streams have grown by 11.8 per cent, while global on demand audio streams have risen by 9.8 percent.

So, streaming continues to dominate the landscape, but it seems that physical formats like CD are increasingly being chosen for their collectibility and improved financial connection to artists; motivations that any music lover should find hard to sniff at.

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Best CD players 2026: budget to premium options tested by expert reviewers

What is home cinema?

It sounds like a simple question, but it’s one that I think is worth considering during our Home Cinema Week, and I suspect you'd get wildly different answers depending on who you asked.

For some, it's impossible without an AV receiver, a projector and at least seven speakers. For others, it's a big TV and a Dolby Atmos soundbar. I'd even argue that, in the right circumstances, it can be a pair of headphones connected to a streaming box.

Perhaps that's controversial, but I genuinely think home cinema is pretty much anything you want it to be.

Now, before anyone thinks I'm trying to rewrite the rules, let me be clear: if your goal is the very best home cinema performance possible, the traditional route is still the right one. A quality AV receiver paired with a carefully matched speaker package and, if your room allows, a projector, remains the pinnacle of what's possible.

I'm fortunate enough to experience setups like that regularly. We evaluate AV receivers, Atmos speaker packages and projectors in a dedicated home cinema test room, and when everything comes together, there's simply nothing else quite like it. I've also owned a traditional 7.1.4-channel system myself, so I know exactly what that experience is capable of delivering.

But here's the thing: somewhere along the way, I think we've started to confuse the best home cinema with the only home cinema.

My own current setup is proof that those aren't the same thing.

When I moved house, I swapped my traditional separates system for Sony's HT-A9 wireless speaker system and a subwoofer. Is it as accomplished as the 7.1.4-channel system I had before? No. But it suits my living room far better, it took minutes rather than days to install, and it still produces a wonderfully immersive Dolby Atmos performance that regularly reminds me why I love this hobby.

And when everyone else has gone to bed, my favourite way to watch a film is with AirPods Max connected to an Apple TV 4K. Is that better than listening through a room full of speakers? Of course not. But it's very immersive in its own right, and it lets me enjoy late-night movies without disturbing the rest of the house.

That's still home cinema to me.

In fact, I'd argue that if you've deliberately chosen a setup because it helps you become more immersed in the films, TV shows or games you love, you're already part of the home cinema community.

Whether that's a flagship projector and a 7.1.4-channel speaker package, a premium Atmos soundbar, a wireless surround system or even a tablet paired with headphones capable of reproducing Dolby Atmos through spatial audio technologies, the goal is the same: to bring the magic of the cinema into your home.

The equipment is simply the means of getting there.

None of this is meant to diminish traditional home cinema. Quite the opposite. If you have the space, budget and enthusiasm to build an AVR-powered surround system, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so.

But I don't think owning that sort of system should be the entry requirement for calling yourself a home cinema enthusiast.

After all, very few of us started there.

Most enthusiasts build their systems over time, upgrading piece by piece as budgets, homes and family life allow. Others discover that a high-quality soundbar or wireless speaker system gives them the balance of performance and practicality they're looking for. Neither approach is more legitimate than the other – they're simply different stages of the same journey.

One day, I still hope to convert my garage into a dedicated home cinema room featuring an AV receiver, a projector and at least 12 speakers.

Until then, I'll continue enjoying films through my wireless Atmos system. I'll continue watching late-night movies through my AirPods Max, too, and I'll continue recommending traditional separates systems to anyone who wants the very best performance money can buy.

Because I don't think those things are contradictory.

The best home cinema I've experienced has been in dedicated cinema rooms filled with high-end equipment. The home cinema I use most is in my living room. And some of my favourite movie nights have happened when wearing a pair of headphones.

They're all different. One is objectively capable of higher performance than the others. But all of them remind me why I fell in love with home cinema in the first place.

To my mind, that's what really matters.

MORE:

Check out all of our Home Cinema Week coverage

Here are the best projectors, best AV receivers and best surround sound systems

And here are the best TVs and best soundbars

McIntosh never does things by halves, but even by its standards, the MX124 is quite an AV receiver. Its 13.4-channel arrangement means it can connect to four subwoofers at once. This thing is not meant for your spare room.

Rather it's aimed at "today's most advanced home cinema systems", whether that's a pro-level viewing room setup or whole home entertainment system.

Support for 8K video comes as standard, and it's compatible with room correction software to optimise the sound to your environment.

Inside is updated processing architecture, promising advanced audio and video processing.

Its 13 audio channels support speaker configurations up to 7.4.6 or 9.4.4. And its four subwoofer outputs is twice as many as its predecessor, to support more sophisticated system layouts and more precise bass management.

McIntosh is positioning the MX124 as a way to extend the lifespan of your home cinema setup. That's thanks to its support for immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro, Sony 360 Reality Audio and MPEG-H Audio, as well as its versatility in outputs and next-gen processing architecture.

With nine 32-bit digital-to-analogue converters, it promises "exceptional detail, dynamic range, and sonic accuracy", and it has bass and treble controls for tweaking the sound to your liking.

Room optimisation smarts comes courtesy of not only Dirac Live, but Dirac Live Bass Control and Audyssey MultEQ XT32. So it should sound its best in pretty much any room, with optimised bass performance, imaging, tonal balance, speaker integration and overall clarity, and all while preserving McIntosh's signature musicality.

On the video front, you get seven HDMI inputs and three HDMI outputs, one of which has eARC. They all support 4K/120Hz (and 8K/60Hz) as well as Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG and IMAX Enhanced. Gamers will enjoy the addition of ALLM and VRR.

Streaming? You got it. As well as Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth, it supports Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and Roon Ready, with support for high-resolution streaming up to 32-bit/192kHz.

You also get four digital audio inputs, one balanced and eight unbalanced analogue stereo inputs, component and composite video inputs, dual analogue stereo outputs for two additional listening zones, and support for Bluetooth headphones.

And if you're looking to install it professionally with custom integration, you'll welcome the web-based configuration, pre-configuration and file upload capabilities, back-up and restore support, RS232 and IP control, and certification for Control4 Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP) integration.

The McIntosh MX124 is out now, and costs £16,900 (around $23,000 / AU$32,000).

MORE:

The best AV receivers around

AV receiver vs AV separates: which are better?

The best surround sound systems you can buy

A soundbar is a must-buy for any home cinema enthusiast who doesn't have the budget and/or space for a full speaker package – but, with a wealth of options, how do you know which one is right for you? You could start by looking at the size.

While size may not be everything, it does have a big impact on how the bar performs and how it fits into your home entertainment set-up. Let me explain.

Like a glove

First of all, and most obviously, you need a soundbar that fits your space. You might be tempted to get the biggest, most powerful model you can afford, but if it doesn’t fit in the area allotted, it's not going to be much good.

But there's a lot more to it than just making sure it physically fits into your TV cabinet. There are also the aesthetics to consider. Remember, you'll have to look at it every time you settle down to watch something, so you want a soundbar that’s of a piece with its surroundings.

I was so keen to try out the Sonos Arc Ultra for a feature a while ago that I eschewed the tape measure altogether. As you can see from the photo at the top of this article, it made my ageing LG TV look like it had wings.

For the neatest look, go for a soundbar that’s roughly the same width as your TV, or slightly shorter. We’ve made some pairing recommendations below to get you started.

A soundbar that’s too big for your TV won’t simply look awkward; it will skew the sound, too. Soundbars are designed to project sound from just below the screen, and if yours extends way beyond the dimensions of your TV, it could throw the staging off.

Made to measure

There are other, more practical considerations, too. You need to make sure the soundbar doesn’t obstruct the bottom of the screen while you’re watching – otherwise you could miss elements such as a key plot development, visual gag or match-saving tackle.

Most premium TVs let you adjust their height to accommodate a soundbar. But it’s still vital you measure the bar’s height first to make sure it fits.

Your TV cabinet might have a shelf on which your soundbar fits perfectly, but there are other factors to consider.

Lots of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars have upwards-firing drivers to add height channels to the mix – that way, a helicopter on-screen will sound as if it is passing overhead. But if your soundbar is on a shelf, those height channels will be shooting straight into the underside of the surface above. Imagine turning your hi-fi speaker against the wall, and you get the idea.

Wall-mounting avoids a lot of these pitfalls, but that brings hazards of its own – the most important being weight. A big soundbar such as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max tips the scales at 18.5kg, so you want to make sure your wall is up to the task of supporting it. No one needs their movie watching interrupted by the soundbar thundering to the floor, ripping off half the wall in the process.

The best soundbars for big and small TVs

So now you know what to look out for, which models of soundbar should you consider? We have collected some of the best below to match to your TV size.

The best soundbars for small TVs

When it comes to choosing a soundbar, you might restrict your choice to the big hitters (Samsung, Sonos, Sony), but that would be a mistake. Lesser-known brands can deliver too – just take the Creative Stage Pro.

At 55cm wide, it’s small enough to fit under a 32-inch TV, though you will have to find space for the separate subwoofer. Despite its small size, it delivers a surprisingly cinematic performance, with impressive detail and solid low-level dynamics.

Stepping up a gear is the Sony HT-SF150, which is ideally suited to a 43-inch TV. It is also very affordable, yet feels much more premium, and has Bluetooth for wireless playback from your phone or tablet. Sony’s S-Force Front Surround technology is on board, too – this applies processing to make the sound more enveloping, adding more weight and separation to the mix.

But probably the best of the small soundbars is the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which we have no hesitation in recommending – it has won a What Hi-Fi? Award for five years running. It offers Dolby Atmos but without the upwards-firing drivers. It still puts in a convincing performance, though: rich, three-dimensional and full of detail. It will even serve bigger TVs well, such is its power.

The best soundbars for bigger TVs

At 114cm wide, the Sonos Arc is more than twice the width of the Beam, making it ideal for TVs around 55 inches in size (such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and TCL C7K and LG C6).

It has 11 drivers (two of which are upwards-firing) to create one of the most convincing Atmos performances you can get from a single-chassis soundbar. Placement is superb, and there’s great weight and dynamism to the sound.

The Focal Mu-so Hekla is another great option at this size, though it doesn’t come cheap. Though when you consider that it’s basically a home hi-fi system as well as a soundbar, it looks like considerably better value.

Because of its unusual skillset, it is an odd shape, and so harder to accommodate than a more traditional bar. But one listen and you’ll know that it’s worth it.

The best soundbars for massive TVs

If your TV is more like an advertising screen than a television, then you have some great options for soundbars.

The Samsung HW-Q990F managed to outdo even its Product of the Year predecessor. This soundbar package comes with a subwoofer and two surround speakers, making it a bit more intrusive than a simple ’bar alone. But a big TV demands a big room, so hopefully you’ll have space for these extra components.

And it’s worth making space if you can. The subwoofer unearths new levels of bass, but manages to sound wholly integrated into the overall sound at the same time.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is Sonos’s flagship soundbar, and another Award winner. Its sound is clean, precise, spacious and three-dimensional, with enough scale to do even huge TVs justice.

The KEF XIO also won a What Hi-Fi? Award last year – a stunning feat for KEF’s first-ever soundbar. It blesses larger TVs with impressive musicality, tight bass and a full-bodied midrange.

Finally, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max is a hulking beast of a ’bar. It stands 127cm wide and weighs a whopping 18.5kg. Good luck getting it in place, but once you have, the results are glorious.

MORE:

The best soundbars you can buy

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars around

Strapped? The best budget soundbars

The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is arguably the best budget radio on the market at the moment, mainly thanks to its lively, engaging sound and, perhaps more importantly, adorable looks.

Right now, the Revival Petite 2 is just £88 at Peter Tyson, a generous 10 per cent discount that sees the Roberts take a rare dip below the £90 mark. Considering it started its life at around £100, you're getting a very tasty £12 discount on a What Hi-Fi? Award winner.

The great thing about the Roberts Revival Petite 2 is that you can plonk it everywhere. On the windowsill, at the corner of your desk, on a bedside table, on a bookshelf, in the garden – no matter how small your space, the Petite 2 radio will fit right in, and sound pretty great while doing so.

Battery life is a considerable 20 hours, and you can charge your radio up via USB-C. The Roberts also comes with a 3.5mm headphone socket so you can listen at night in peace. You can save 20 presets in total (10 x DAB/DAB+, 10 x FM), while Bluetooth pairs swiftly and with no fuss to our smartphone and laptop.

Sonically, the Petite 2 belies its compact dimensions. In our review, we said: "It’s a lively, rhythmically engaging sound that has a surprising amount of weight and punch to it, given the unit's size. The way it handles voices is a highlight, sounding clean, solid and detailed."

We're not expecting big scale or lashings of deep bass from such a petite unit, but there is ample solidity and richness to the detail, along with confident dynamics and toe-tapping rhythm to keep our attention hooked.

The Roberts radio is a well-designed, great-sounding radio that's lovely to use and listen to. For £89 at Peter Tyson, it comes highly recommended.

MORE:

Thinking of buying a soundbar? Here’s a better alternative

Or check out our Ruark Audio R1S review

For all our top picks, head to our best DAB radios guide

Streaming can feel like fantastic value, with huge libraries of movies and TV shows available for a relatively low monthly fee.

But when you add up the cost of a full year of access, especially to multiple services, the picture starts to look rather different.

How different? We've crunched the numbers, and the results might surprise you.

Paying the price

Streaming isn't that expensive in the grand scheme of things – the top, all-singing, all-dancing tiers of Netflix and Disney+, for example, cost £18.99 and £14.99 a month, respectively.

Many people (though clearly not all) probably don't even notice that coming out of their bank account each month. But while these prices might seem relatively low, they soon add up.

Here's what you'll pay over a year for the top subscription (we hate ads and love 4K / Dolby Atmos) of each streaming service:

Watching the costs add up

The annual cost of TV streaming services

Price

Netflix

227.88

Disney+

179.88

Amazon Prime Video

119.88

Apple TV

119.88

Mubi

227.88

Shudder

59.88

Crunchyroll

83.88

Paramount+

131.88

075150225300

£

Price Data

Product	Value
Netflix	227.88
Disney+	179.88
Amazon Prime Video	119.88
Apple TV	119.88
Mubi	227.88
Shudder	59.88
Crunchyroll	83.88
Paramount+	131.88

For the equivalent of an annual Netflix subscription, you could buy 11 4K Blu-rays at £20 a pop (more if they're on a deal, as they often are). That's nearly one a month.

There are other factors to consider. Most of us have more than one streaming service because of their different content libraries, which makes the habit even more expensive. And with life having a tendency to get in the way, some months we won't watch very much at all.

Suddenly, it doesn't seem such great value.

Admittedly, you do get unlimited viewing of the streamer's entire catalogue, but you never own any of it – if you cancel your subscription, all of your favourite films and TV shows are gone, just like that.

Also remember that some services (Prime Video, we're looking at you) charge extra for certain films and shows not included in the subscription price. So you could end up paying more on top.

Let's have a look at what this looks like over five years and a decade.

And these are at today's prices. Price rises are a given – Netflix has increased its prices in the UK four times since 2021. Take more than one service, and you're looking at a hefty bill.

Someone with Netflix and Disney+, for example, will pay over £400 a year, over £2000 in five years and a whopping £4000 in a decade.

Consider that a 4K Blu-ray costs around £20-25, gives you better picture and sound quality and is yours to keep forever, and streaming starts to look like very poor value indeed.

And that's before you consider how streaming changes your relationship with the content itself.

Faced with an endless carousel of content, all of which feels free (even though it isn't), you inevitably adopt the infinite scroll mentality – even if you like the look of something, you keep searching in case there's something better.

It all becomes disposable, with low-budget fare such as Is It Cake? sitting alongside critically acclaimed films such as Emilia Pérez. When everything is flattened, nothing stands out. This is the landscape we find ourselves in.

There's no curation; that's the problem. Whereas a Blu-ray is a considered purchase – something you'll watch more than once, in the best possible quality, and may even work your way through its extensive list of special features. Now that's value for money.

A word on our methodology

We've made certain assumptions here. As mentioned, we've based our prices on the best possible picture and sound quality for each service (though not the family plans, which would push prices up even further), as we assume that's what our readers desire. Most streaming services have cheaper tiers if you're willing to suffer worse quality and adverts.

Some services can also be bundled together to save money, such as Netflix and Disney+ with Sky. Though that means paying for Sky as well.

Some (such as Disney+ and Shudder) also offer annual plans, which are cheaper than paying month by month. But then you're locked in for a set period, instead of having the flexibility to cancel your membership at any time.

Prime Video is cheaper for Prime members, though that comes with its own cost. And Mubi's Go plan (which we've used in our calculations) includes a cinema ticket each week, so you can remember what it's like to watch a film properly.

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Now Showing: challenge your home cinema system with these top-notch discs

Home Cinema Week is in full swing, and so far it has been a joy to delve into topics from 4K projectors to dissecting the definition of home cinema itself.

But we shouldn’t forget the story of how we got to the point of being able to have home cinema systems in our houses. That’s right, we are going way back to the early days of cinema.

I have found the perfect place to venture down this nerdy rabbit hole. Hidden in a residential corner of Kennington in London, there is a rather grand red-brick building with a story to tell.

The building used to be part of Lambeth Workhouse, with notable residents such as a young Charlie Chaplin throughout the late 1800s. It had a life as a hospital, but now it has taken its latest form as the Cinema Museum.

Founded in 1984, the museum is run by volunteers. It acts as a treasure trove to remember and celebrate the history of cinema. There are artefacts and memorabilia everywhere you look, from 100-year-old film cameras to cardboard cut-outs of Lara Croft.

On the top floor is a small cinema featuring plush velvet seats and disused signage, which is still used for screenings throughout the year.

The museum is open on selected dates every month, so I bagged myself a ticket to a tour led by our guide Andy. He tells me that much of the collection was rescued from rubbish bins back in the 1970s in Scotland, when many picture palaces were being demolished at an alarming rate.

Despite it being in the peak of one of the recent UK heatwaves, with everyone glugging from water bottles every few seconds, the volunteers conducted their tour with unrelenting enthusiasm and curiosity.

Really, there is too much to talk about – and I don’t want to spoil all the amazing finds for those of you who want to attend. So, just to whet your appetite, here are my three favourite spots at the museum.

The Latham Loop

One thing that is immediately made clear is that the early days of cinema were not for the faint of heart. It was an incredibly dangerous career, with experiments with new technology leading to numerous deaths and injuries.

Perhaps the most well-known cause of these incidents was the material used for the projector film itself. Early filmmakers tried out a whole bunch of materials, Andy says, from paper to celluloid.

The latter was more durable and flexible than paper, but it was also highly flammable, and the heat from the lamp light source only fanned the flames (so to speak).

That meant that there were countless fatalities during many screenings in the early days of cinema, including the audience members and staff. One of the most infamous examples of this comes from the Paris Bazar fire in 1897, which killed more than 100 people.

On top of that flammability, the celluloid would frequently be pulled and jolted through the projector, which led to rips that left the film unusable. That meant that films could never be very long, as longer lengths risked more of the film being damaged. A small yet essential innovation then made filmmaking a little easier. Enter the Latham Loop, which is – you guessed it – a small loop in the film strip that reduces the tension and pulling of the celluloid.

It’s still used today, and the film cameras scattered around the museum each feature that all-important loop. Keep your eye out for it the next time you have the chance to see a film projector in real life…

The birth of cinema sound

We take audio for granted now, but in the early days of cinema, it was an almost impossible dream.

The Cinema Museum houses a variety of ways that sound was delivered with picture, including vinyl, which had the sound recorded separately and was used until the early 1930s. Andy tells us that this caused its own problems, as the distributors would sometimes send the wrong record with the film. On top of that, the disc would have to be perfectly synced up with the projector, which would certainly be quite a skill to master.

Also on display is a 10-inch record used in the Hepworth Vivaphone. The ultimately unsuccessful audio attempt was made up of a gramophone record that the actors lip-synched along to, meaning you had to make sure the record matched the image.

This was all quite a challenge for cinema managers, and there was a fair bit of pushback as it was expensive and complex to integrate these methods into the cinema itself.

Compared with modern sound systems, where we can adjust voice-sync with the touch of a button, we certainly have it easy.

Frankenstein’s lab

There aren’t a huge amount of movie props around the museum – the focus is more on the behind-the-scenes of the cinema; but this bizarre-looking item sits between both categories.

The strange octopus-like item in the image above is actually a mercury arc rectifier, and its job on early film sets was to convert an AC to a DC current.

When it was being used, it would have a little bit of liquid mercury at the bottom, which would have produced a bright blue light. Sadly, I didn't get to see this in action as it is long out of commission, but it would have looked like something from another planet.

The director of the 1931 Frankenstein movie iteration, James Whale, clearly thought the same, as he spotted it behind the camera during filming and asked for it to be added to the set of the crazed scientist’s laboratory.

The scary-looking piece of kit would not have made a huge impact on screen as it was filmed in black and white, but it still played a key part in movie history. Thank you for your service, strange mechanical Kraken.

If you are looking to delve into the history of cinema with knowledgeable guides and early movie-making kit, the Cinema Museum makes for a fascinating visit. And who knows? It might give you a newfound appreciation for your fast-working AV setup.

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These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And check out the best TVs

I love the idea of a soundbar. Who wouldn’t want the quality of a proper home cinema sound system in a form that fits unobtrusively below the television? Just one box and none of the wiring spaghetti. That was the highly appealing promise offered by the first soundbar What Hi-Fi? reviewed, the Yamaha YSP-1.

That was back in 2005, and I distinctly remember the What Hi-Fi? team’s excitement about this new concept; and, with certain provisos, how much we liked that product.

The YSP-1’s design was hugely ambitious for the time. It featured 42 drive units and clever processing technology that could focus beams of sound to produce a proper multi-channel effect, all from a single, one-box product.

Over the years, I have grown increasingly disappointed with the direction of soundbar design. The cleverness of the YSP concept hasn’t been used as a foundation to progress the category.

Single-unit soundbars largely seem to have given up trying to deliver proper surround sound – the kind that wraps around you – choosing instead to focus on Dolby Atmos to deliver a sense of height. The days of a single soundbar enveloping the listener in a (mostly) convincing soundfield are long gone.

If you do want more of a surround soundfield, manufacturers now offer soundbar systems with separate speakers that sit behind you, and usually a subwoofer, too. Such systems, good as they can be, seem well removed from the original, minimalist soundbar idea.

So, if you are looking for a simple way to improve your TV’s sound, I would like to suggest an alternative. Given that single soundbars often no longer even try to emulate true surround sound, maybe forgo the idea altogether and try stereo.

Stay with me on this.

The stereo system could be a pair of powered speakers or even a traditional two-channel amplifier driving a pair of passives. As long as you can get a signal in, whether through HDMI, optical, coaxial or analogue, and can position the speakers on either side of the screen, it will work.

Not convinced? Think of it this way. Soundbars tend to be pretty thin and long in proportion. It is impossible to use anything other than tiny drive units in such an enclosure.

It isn’t unusual to have a driver count in double figures, so internal volume is at a premium, leading to restriction in the kind of amplification and power supplies that can be fitted

While clever use of DSP and a lot of engineering know-how get a surprisingly capable sound out of such limited ingredients, the two-channel route I have suggested allows much more scope for the designer.

The drive units are larger, and there is more space for amplification, power supplies and drive units to breathe. The result, in my experience, is better sound almost across the board.

Sure, the result is limited to stereo, and you’ll have to live with that. There isn’t necessarily a separate subwoofer to augment the lows, either – but even relatively humble solutions such as Fyne’s Cubitt 5 can produce a sound of such insight, resolution and subtlety that similarly priced soundbars are invariably left floundering.

Height information, too, is off the menu. But, for me, the extra expression in voices and greater dynamic finesse more than compensate. Soundtracks sound more thrilling, and dynamics have more delicacy and punch.

Bass may not be as prominent, unless you add a subwoofer to your stereo pair of speakers, but it is invariably more tuneful and better integrated.

Then there is the added bonus of stereo music sounding better, too. Even the best soundbars on the market tend to struggle to convince with music, but a good, dedicated stereo system won’t.

So, if you want to improve the sound from your TV, I suggest leaving the herd and going full retro with a dedicated two-channel set-up rather than a dedicated soundbar. Take the jump; I suspect you’ll be happy you did.

MORE:

Convinced? Here are the best active speakers you can currently buy

Not so sure? Here are the best soundbars

Watch The Hundred 2026 live streams

A quirky 100-ball format with five-ball overs that began in 2021 is back for its most anticipated edition yet, as The Hundred 2026 brings a host of exciting updates. Following an influx of more than £500 million into the competition in 2025, everyone from IPL franchise owners to England football star Jude Bellingham has bought into the tournament.

Southern Brave host Welsh Fire at The Rose Bowl in Southampton today. The day's action begins with the women's match at 3pm BST, followed by the men's clash at 6:30pm BST. Joe Root, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, and Jofra Archer are among the star names in the men's game, while Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Laura Wolvaardt, and Jemimah Rodrigues feature in the women's contest.

Follow our guide below for where to watch The Hundred 2026 live streams online and on TV wherever you are.

Can I watch The Hundred 2026 for free?

Cricket fans in the UK are in luck!

As many as 16 games of The Hundred 2026, including the MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds opener and the final (men and women both), will be shown completely FREE on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Elsewhere, unfortunately, The Hundred 2026 isn't free-to-air anywhere in the world, at least not directly.

We have, however, found a sneaky little trick cricket fans Down Under can use to watch a few matches completely FREE. The trick? Kayo Sports, which comes with a 7-day free trial for new Australian users.

You'll need a VPN to prevent you from getting geoblocked if you're abroad right now. We recommend NordVPN.

How to watch any The Hundred 2026 live streams using a VPN

You won't be able to watch your regular The Hundred 2026 live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch any The Hundred 2026 live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate NordVPN as one of the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a generous 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

How to watch The Hundred 2026 live streams in the US

In the US, dedicated cricket streaming service Willow TV is the place to watch The Hundred 2026.

If you don't have it as part of your cable package, you can watch Willow's coverage through your choice of Sling TV's Desi Binge Plus or Dakshin Flex plans – starting from $10 per month.

Not in the US right now? Use NordVPN to watch your regular cricket stream.

• Expert TV advice: best OLED TVs for sports fans
• View the latest TV deals on Amazon

How to watch The Hundred 2026 live streams in the UK

Sky Sports holds the rights to The Hundred 2026 in the UK, with live coverage of every single game available on Sky Sports Cricket.

Prices start at £20 per month at present. However, fans can also tune in using a NOW Sports 24-hour pass, which costs £14.99.

But a total of 16 The Hundred 2026 matches are free-to-air in the UK, on BBC Two for cable TV loyalists and on BBC iPlayer for cord-cutters.

BBC iPlayer is FREE, but you will need to create an account, have a valid U.K. postcode (e.g. SE1 7PB) and a TV license.

Outside the UK right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred coverage of the cricket.

How to watch The Hundred 2026 live streams in India

In India, The Hundred 2026 is available to watch on the Sony Sports Network, with live streaming available on the SonyLiv app and website.

SonyLIV plans in India start at ₹299 ($3.14) for a monthly subscription, with annual mobile-only plans at ₹599 ($6.28) and premium annual packs at ₹999 ($10.48 USD) or ₹1499 ($15.72 USD).

If you're currently out of India but want to watch a The Hundred 2026 live stream, you'll need to get yourself a VPN, as per the instructions above.

How to watch The Hundred 2026 live streams in Australia

In Australia, The Hundred 2026 games are available to watch on Fox Cricket via Foxtel, with live streaming available via Kayo Sports.

Kayo Sports starts at AU$30 per month after a 7-day free trial. Or you can get your first month for AU$1.

Outside Australia right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred The Hundred 2026 coverage.

The Hundred 2026: FAQs

Preview

The Northern Superchargers have become Sunrisers Leeds, the Oval Invincibles are now known as MI London, and the Manchester Originals have become the Manchester Super Giants. While Southern Brave have retained their original name, they'll now don a blue-and-red kit to align with their new owners, Delhi Capitals.

Other changes include an increase in the number of overseas players allowed in the playing XI from three to four, as well as the introduction of a combined men's and women's trophy to be awarded to the franchise that performs best across both competitions.

The tournament also saw its first-ever player auction earlier this year, with Sussex all-rounder James Coles going for £390k and England stars Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lauren Bell earning £140k each. The biggest payday went to England men's captain Harry Brook – fresh off T20I and ODI series victories over India – who was signed pre-auction by Sunrisers Leeds for £460k.

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals
• Where to watch F1 in 2026 for free

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

When you have a home cinema speaker package that is centred around some five-star stereo standmounts, it makes sense to make as much use of them as possible.

That is why, for this premium cinema set-up, we have married the KEF Q Concerto Meta speaker package with Arcam’s AVR5 AV amplifier.

The system

• Projector: Epson EH-LS9000 (£2999 / $3999 / AU$7299)
• Blu-ray player: Panasonic DP-UB820 (£349 / $550 / AU$849)
• Streaming box: Apple TV 4K (£199 / $150 / AU$299)
• AV amplifier: Arcam AVR5 (£1499 / $1999 / AU$3995)
• Speaker system: KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 (£2549 / $4050 / AU$5650)
• Total system price: £7595 / $10,748 / AU$18,092

The AV receiver

Arcam puts sound performance as the main selling point of all its amplifiers, not merely bunging as many features into the box as possible to appeal to its buyer. More features means the potential for more issues with sound, and that is not an acceptable compromise for the brand.

That single-minded insistence on sonic ability is also why the Arcam will power only seven channels of amplification. It will process up to 12 channels of Dolby Atmos, but you’ll need to add external amplification to drive those extra channels, should you want to do so.

What it will do here, though, is provide a brilliant 5.1 experience – and should you want to take advantage of those Dolby Atmos capabilities (which we would urge you to consider) you can invest in a pair of KEF’s Q8 Meta Atmos toppers. Then you would be using the Arcam amp to drive a 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos system, without the need for extra external amplification.

Importantly, you would also have an impressively musical two-channel option as well, removing the need for a separate stereo set-up. If space is at a premium, this is a neat solution that should suit most people really well.

A glimpse at the images at the top of this page reveals that this is a substantial set-up, though. And more than seven grand is quite the outlay, of course. But consider that this is a system that can cover both stereo and home cinema – and perform both with aplomb – and things don’t seem quite so eye-watering.

It is, however, a set-up that requires a dedicated space. This is serious home cinema, after all, so a permanently plumbed-in projector and screen, and a room that can be made dark, should be your first aim.

Assuming you have the appropriate space to accommodate it though, this set-up is simply stunning value for money.

The nimble, surefooted Arcam can handle movie scores and sound effects with impressive ability. This really is an impeccable musical performance, and it’s one that can go really very loud without seeming to feel the strain.

The speaker package

An impeccable musical performance can apply equally as well to the KEF speaker package, of course – no great surprise with the five-star stereo abilities of the Q Concerto Meta standmounts that perform the front left and right channel duties.

It’s not all about that pairing, though. The KEF Kube subwoofer holds its own, with a powerful and dynamic low-end kick, and the Q1 Meta surrounds, despite being smaller than their front-channel siblings, certainly don’t let up on a movie as far as sonic scale goes.

No, this package puts in a truly impressive surround-sound display, putting us squarely in the centre of any movie action, while also revealing the subtle abilities of its centre channel by making dialogue pin-sharp and clear.

The projector

While the sound is a massive part of any home cinema experience, it would all be for naught, of course, without a brilliant 4K picture to do it justice.

Which is where the projector comes in. A Best Buy in the What Hi-Fi? 2025 Awards, the Epson EH-LS9000 is, for us, the top performer in its category.

It may not have a native 4K resolution, rather getting to its 4K image via pixel-shifting, but that technology, far from being the red flag it might once have been, has proved time and time again to be capable of producing brilliantly sharp and detailed picture quality. And so it proves here.

The Vivid preset (perhaps surprisingly – certainly unusually) is the setting that, for us, makes the most of the LS9000’s specification and processing. It produces a picture with quite exceptional vibrancy and three-dimensionality without making things look forced or veering drastically away from cinematic intent.

As we say in our review: “Playing Thunderbolts on 4K Blu-ray… we’re instantly struck by the sharpness and detail of the image. There’s an awesome solidity and depth to the picture, which is particularly impressive at the 100-inch scale of our screen, and you almost feel as if you could reach into the image and poke the little figures in the distance.

“Colours are both vivid and natural, and the shading is excellent: the sky over the desert fills the top third of the image and blends beautifully from very light blue on one side to a deeper, more vibrant blue on the other.”

The Blu-ray player

Talking of blue, we would urge you to invest in physical media for a home cinema of this quality. There are fewer and fewer 4K Blu-ray players available to buy these days, with the prevalence of video streaming, but there is no doubt, in our eyes, that the format is the best way to get a top-notch 4K image.

The Panasonic DP-UB820 is our current Award winner, and has been claiming What Hi-Fi? Awards since 2019.

And, as we say in our review verdict, “If you’ve bought into the 4K Blu-ray format and have a suitable home cinema set-up, you need a dedicated player that can deliver on multiple fronts. The Panasonic DP-UB820 is just that, supporting all major HDR formats, delivering a hugely immersive and impactful picture, backed up by a strong audio performance.”

The streamer

While a Blu-ray disc is perfect for those full-on movie nights, we are not obsessive or unrealistic enough to say that everything we watch should be via that somewhat restrictive medium.

Video streaming has come on leaps and bounds over the past decade and more – and the quality of the 4K images on offer is now extremely impressive. The very best option, though, for a home cinema such as this is undoubtedly Apple’s brilliant TV 4K.

Suffice to say that its predecessor romped away with Awards aplenty, and this superb little box is better than it in every department. For us, this is a no-brainer.

In case you missed the news last week, Marantz officially announced the successors to its entry-level CD6007 CD player and PM6007 stereo amplifier.

The CD 70 and Model 70 go on sale on the 15th August for £499 | €600 | $750 | AU$1100 (exc VAT) and £749 | €850 | AU$1600 (exc VAT) respectively.

At the time of the announcement, there was no US pricing for the Model 70, and Marantz confirmed to What Hi-Fi? that this was because the stereo amplifier wouldn’t be available there at launch.

We asked Marantz to comment further, and it has replied with a full explanation for the decision:

“MODEL 70 will not be available in North America at this time. 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.

"We are confident that we already have other products in our current portfolio that can meet our customer needs for stereo components in North America, including the acclaimed STEREO 70s Stereo Receiver and the compact MODEL M1 Streaming Amplifier. We remain committed to bringing innovative products to North America and will continue to introduce new models that align well with the needs of the region.”

While it might come as a surprise to hear the amplifier isn’t launching in the US, this isn’t the first time a manufacturer has targeted specific markets with specific products and product ranges, nor will it be the last.

Different international markets might have different demands and requirements for products, so it makes sense not to launch something that might muddy the waters. Having said that, undoubtedly there will be some prospective buyers who might be looking forward to experiencing the new integrated amp and disappointed that it won't be making the journey.

The statement does use the words “initial launch”, though, so who knows if Marantz might change its plans further down the line.

We have both the CD 70 and Model 70 in for testing at the moment and will be reporting back with the official What Hi-Fi? verdict soon.

MORE:

End of an era as Marantz waves goodbye to two hi-fi classics and unveils new entry-level Model 70 integrated amplifier and CD 70 compact disc player

Read our full Marantz PM6007 review

Our pick of the best stereo amplifiers you can buy

Hisense has clearly decided that it’s time to capitalise on its huge success in the lifestyle projector world by launching a shiny, new no-holds-barred flagship model.

Boasting 6000 lumens of brightness, a triple laser lighting system, liquid cooling, a built-in Devialet sound system, an all-glass lens and support for every HDR format in town, the XR10 certainly makes all the right flagship noises.

But can Hisense marshal all these expensive pieces into a class-leading performance?

Price

With Hisense usually found successfully plying its trade in the mid-range lifestyle projector arena, the £5999 / $6000 / AU$9995 price of the XR10 really is a major step up for the brand.

In fact, it will doubtless be a step too far for many home cinema-loving households, and even raises the question of whether a projector that seems from the outside at least to have been designed more as a ‘lifestyle’ model than a serious home theatre machine really makes sense at such a price.

As we’re about to explain, though, we think the XR10 makes all kinds of sense, even at its very high price.

Design

The XR10’s design is nuts in all the best ways. For starters, it ships in a beautifully designed, built-to-measure real leather carry case complete with wheels and an extendable handle that looks like Hisense thinks you’re going to love the projector so much you’ll want to take it on holiday with you.

The projector’s spectacular bodywork, meanwhile, is actually transparent in some places, so that you can marvel at some of the cool things going on under the projector’s hood.

A huge lens aperture sits within a bold bronze-coloured metallic square on one side of the projector’s front, while the left side houses two vertical stripes, one recessed, one not, housing sensors that the projector can use to help it deliver a more effective automatic set-up system.

The projector’s left, right and top edges are finished in the same bronzy colour as the area around the lens housing, while the projector’s shape resembles a larger (and much heavier) version of the sort of roughly cubic designs we’ve started to see dominating the living room projector market in recent times.

The top plate sports a beautifully designed round dial-style volume adjustment, as well as a large ambient light sensor the projector can use to optimise its picture performance to different room conditions.

That volume control, along with the grilles built into the XR10’s left and right edges, reflects the fact that the XR10 carries a built-in sound system deemed powerful enough to enable the projector to be used as a standalone wireless speaker if you so desire.

The various finishes to different sides and even within the front edge of the XR10 ought, by all rights, to make its design look a bit of a mess. Actually, though, it all comes together remarkably well in a vaguely cyberpunk kind of way.

Features

The XR10 is mostly specced to kill.

Its 6000 claimed lumens of laser-delivered peak brightness is huge by serious projector standards, for starters. That’s easily enough to punch through quite a bit of ambient light if that’s what you want it to do; drive a particularly big screen (Hisense claims 300 inches); and/or potentially handle HDR sources better than most projectors can.

Brightness alone can actually be anything but a friend to projector picture quality, though, so it’s impressive to see Hisense backing this brightness up with a healthy claimed native contrast performance of 6000:1. This jumps, too, to a very impressive claimed 60,000:1 courtesy of the projector’s premium lens iris system. As ever, though, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Hisense has gone the extra mile, too, to avoid the sort of rowdy cooling-fan noise you might normally expect to hear from a 6000-lumen projector by integrating liquid (water) cooling into the XR10’s chassis. This is the first time, we believe, that such cooling has been used in an albeit premium living room projector.

Another big justification for the XR10’s price is its use of an all-glass, 16-element lens system that Hisense claims will deliver better light transmission and temperature stability than a plastic system could, resulting in more brightness/contrast and more consistent 4K sharpness.

The colour coverage claimed for the XR10’s laser lighting/DLP optical system is huge too: up to 110 per cent of the massive BT2020 colour space. That’s well beyond the DCI-P3 colour system used for most HDR mastering.

Talking of HDR, the XR10 is one of a very rare breed in the projector world that’s capable of playing all four of the AV world’s main HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. It’s even received IMAX Enhanced certification, meaning it has been deemed capable of doing justice to the special IMAX mastering system (which focuses on creating a noiseless look to the image). Basically, the XR10 will take in the best version of any content you feed it.

For all their advantages, setting up premium projectors can often be a pain. Hisense couldn’t have worked harder to simplify the physical aspect of set-up, though. The XR10 carries an industry-first four-8MP-camera and dual Time-of-flight (TOF) intelligent sensing set-up that it can use to correct image size, keystone and focus without you having to lift a finger. Plus, that ambient sensor we mentioned earlier can tie its readings into the calculations of a ‘Smart AI’ auto-adjustment system so that images can auto-adjust to compensate for changing room conditions.

As well as all its sensors and AI brainpower, the XR10 carries an exceptionally wide-ranging 0.84-2.0x optical zoom and bags of vertical and horizontal image shifting. It’s therefore able to (auto) adapt itself to a seriously wide range of different room sizes and layouts – and is also capable of delivering a 100-inch image from a throw distance of just 1.86m.

As we’ve come to expect from today’s lifestyle projectors, the XR10 carries a built-in smart system so that you can stream video without the need for any external sources. Rather than the Google TV system found in most projectors, though, the XR10 turns to Hisense’s own VIDAA system. This is good news, as it’s straightforward and stable to use, and it carries all of the streaming services the vast majority of households will need, including the BBC iPlayer app that’s almost always absent from Google TV systems.

The XR10 is, of course, a 4K projector. It doesn’t have a full 3840x2160 count of digital mirror devices (DMDs) that would be needed for a ‘true’ 4K experience, though. Instead, it features Texas Instruments’ XPR technology to create a 4K image from a lower DMD count using pixel-shifting. The Consumer Technology Association in the US deems the resulting images to be true 4K, though, and as we’ll see, it’s hard to disagree with that stance based on the XR10’s real-life 4K performance.

The XR10’s connections impressively comprise three HDMI ports (one 2.0, two 2.1), three USBs, an optical digital audio output, a headphone jack, an Ethernet port, and the now-expected wi-fi and Bluetooth wireless options. Apple AirPlay 2 is included in the projector’s wireless content sharing options, too.

There is one connection disappointment, though, as we couldn’t manage to get even the two HDMI 2.1 ports to handle 4K content at 120Hz from our Xbox Series X. 120Hz is possible at 1440p resolutions with the HDMI ports set to Enhance Mode Pro, but there’s no VRR support in this set-up, and nor can the projector sustain HDR gaming at any refresh rate above 60Hz.

One last premium aspect of the XR10 is its audio. Not only does it carry a 2.1 speaker system that includes a dedicated bass driver and supports DTS: Virtual X playback, but this speaker system has been tuned by acclaimed audio brand Devialet, picking up on a relationship Hisense previously forged for the speaker systems of its high-end TVs.

Picture

We’ve consistently referred to the XR10 so far as a ‘lifestyle’ or 'living room' projector, based chiefly on its appearance and convenient set-up features. It’s worth reflecting before we get into its performance, though, on the fact that Hisense describes the XR10 as being “built for cinephiles who want the big-screen theatre experience without sacrificing design, flexibility or fidelity”.

In other words, Hisense is backing the XR10 to be good enough to satisfy proper home cinema enthusiasts as well as the more casual projection market. And we’re happy to report that it’s absolutely right.

Particularly spectacular and key to its success is its ability to deliver both extreme levels of brightness and some of the deepest, most convincing blacks the HDR projection world has to offer.

Using any of the XR10’s relatively aggressive picture presets, bright HDR images are absolutely radiant, punching through even high levels of ambient light if you’re watching the projector in a regular daytime living room environment. In a dark room, meanwhile, this brightness can be used to deliver HDR with levels of intensity that we’ve only witnessed a handful of times before – mostly on ultra-high-end laser theatre projectors costing way more than the XR10.

Dark room viewing makes it obvious just how good the XR10 is with dark scenes and, even more impressively, scenes that contain a mix of light and dark elements. Provided you’re careful with the settings you use (more on this later), the XR10 can not only deliver dark imagery with much less greyness around than most, if not all, very bright, HDR-friendly projectors, but it also manages to retain all the faint shadow details you want to see if dark scenes are to feel consistent in depth with bright scenes. There’s little if any ‘black crush’ to worry about here.

Even better, the XR10 doesn’t just retain detail in the darkest image areas; it also retains excellent colour tones and saturations in such light-limited areas, avoiding the widespread tendency in both the projector and TV worlds for dark images to become desaturated.

The XR10’s colour performance is more obviously spectacular, of course, with very bright HDR images. Rather than the brightest highlights of HDR pictures starting to look thin or washed out, the XR10’s colour volume just keeps expanding as it’s fed more light.

Colour volumes push into places, in fact, that we haven’t seen before, beyond, perhaps, a couple of Xgimi models. Crucially, though, the XR10 does a substantially better job than those admittedly more affordable Xgimi rivals of making even the most vibrant colours across almost all of its picture presets look balanced and surprisingly natural. Or, at least, extremely believable.

To put it another way, while the XR10 is proud to show off what it can do, it only does so on a foundation of immersive consistency and a constant connection to the source material.

Despite the extreme vibrancy, brightness and contrast of which the XR10 is capable, as you’d hope of such an expensive and ambitious projector, it also cares about the little things in AV life. Its 4K pictures look fanatically detailed and densely textured, for instance – and this is down as much to the almost infinite subtlety of its colour rendition as it is to raw sharpness. The sharpness feels natural rather than forced or processed even in the projector’s most aggressive settings, and motion is handled without smearing or resolution loss.

If you find judder a touch obvious with 24p content, especially during bright scenes, the projector’s Film motion processing option does a pretty smart job of reducing judder without the results devolving into the dreaded soap opera effect.

While many will find it hard to resist the fantastic dynamism and richness of the XR10’s relatively aggressive image presets, film fans who want to see images that look as their creators wanted them to look can rest assured that their needs are catered for brilliantly, too, by the projector’s Filmmaker Mode preset.

This removes a big chunk of the brightness that is one of the XR10’s strengths. But the resulting images look natural, beautifully balanced, full of subtlety and still just excellently watchable despite Filmmaker Mode turning off many of its picture enhancement technologies.

If there’s an issue with the default Filmmaker Mode, it’s that black levels look a bit grey without any of the projector’s contrast enhancement tools in play. Simply setting the projector’s manual iris setting to its ‘One’ level, though, immediately improves black levels, at the expense of a just slightly cooler look to the image.

Aside from some DLP rainbow striping with very extreme contrast content, this set-up suggestion leads us to arguably the XR10’s one major image flaw. Namely, you need to be prepared to tinker with a few of the projector’s settings to get the best from it. It’s not quite the simple 'unbox, switch on and instantly relax deal' you might have been hoping for.

For instance, while the Dolby Vision Bright preset the XR10 defaults to with Dolby Vision content delivers great contrast for such a bright projector, it pushes some colours too strongly. Greens are over-dominant and skin tones look too ripe. The core colour temperature can also fluctuate within a shot if there are significant light level variations to cope with, and you can sometimes see the projector’s dynamic iris system doing its work too obviously.

Setting the manual iris setting to level 1 helps balance colours and eliminates the fluctuating colour tone, but suddenly sees green tones taking on a strangely brownish hue. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to this one that simply involves switching to the Dolby Vision Dark preset. This instantly fixes colour balance/consistency issues, delivers natural blacks and skin tones and, if you set the iris feature to ‘0’, leaves the image looking totally stable.

The XR10’s complex iris options include a few presets alongside the multi-step Manual mode. Cinema 1 delivers a nicely judged combination of brightness and contrast, but leaves you having to hit the colour calibration tools to try and stop skin tones and red colours looking too pink, and can also cause some noticeable fluctuations in brightness from the dynamic iris. Cinema 2 delivers some of the best black levels we’ve seen from any projector, but at the expense of huge amounts of the brightness that’s so enjoyable a part of the XR10’s usual picture make-up. Only in a fully blacked-out room is this setting even worth considering, and even then, maybe only the most die-hard accuracy enthusiasts will find the dimness tolerable.

In the end, even where the XR10 offers pre-programmed attempts to provide helpful out-of-the-box feature presets, we ultimately end up reverting to manual intervention via the all-important manual iris setting. A setting which, for better or worse, is kept outside of the picture settings encompassed by the projector’s defined picture presets, so that whatever lens setting you choose applies across every preset for every source until you go back in and change it again.

There are other bits of tinkering we’d recommend too, including turning the sharpness setting to zero but leaving a separate Super Resolution feature active, and braving the projector’s more in-depth colour and white-balance controls, too, if you dare.

The bottom line, though, is that for the most part, making the effort to spend just a few minutes fine-tuning images when you first get the XR10 rewards you with what can be absolutely spectacular but also thoughtful and subtle results. Results capable of adapting, moreover, to pretty much any room shape or ambient light condition.

It’s important to add, too, that the projector responds excellently without manual intervention to the extra picture information provided by the HDR10+ format, making us wish more projectors would adopt this alternative/rival to the Dolby Vision system.

Maybe even more importantly, the XR10’s out-of-the-box dynamic tone mapping system with basic HDR10 content is outstanding. The way it maps the available image data of core HDR10 sources to the projector’s capabilities so that they look dynamic and punchy without succumbing to clipping, unevenness, black crush or colour imbalances is superb, and actually requires less manual intervention than you’d usually expect with most HDR projectors.

The XR10’s automated hardware image correction features work brilliantly, too. So while some of its presets could be better, it’s also actually more helpful than most rivals in other areas of usability and set-up.

One last strength of the XR10 to mention is how incredibly quietly it runs for such a monumentally bright projector. The liquid cooling system Hisense has taken considerable trouble to integrate into the projector proves well worth the effort.

Sound

The XR10’s speakers are capable of pumping out levels of volume and dynamic range that shame many premium TVs. Even at just 50 per cent of its maximum volume, it’s loud enough to satisfy even a quite large room.

Trebles reach high peaks without sounding brittle or warbly, even at high volumes, while at the other end, bass reaches remarkably deep without falling prey to dropouts or crackles, or causing the projector’s metal bodywork to start buzzing. This helps low frequencies avoid sounding overly dominant or distracting, despite how present and deep they are. Similarly, the XR10’s ability to produce high levels of detail in a film or TV mix doesn’t leave busy soundtracks sounding too forensic or ambient effects too bright.

Voices are clean and well-rounded too. The only issue is that they sound a bit trapped inside the projector’s bodywork compared with the rest of the sound mix, which means they also sound rather dislocated from the onscreen action on the other side of the room, and sometimes rather decontextualised from the rest of the soundstage.

Verdict

While it might be the XR10’s startling, beautifully built design that first catches your eye, Hisense’s new showcase projector ultimately justifies its premium price tag with its combination of a startlingly powerful sound system and the best picture quality we’ve seen from any lifestyle or, more accurately, lifestyle/home theatre crossover projector before.

As statements of intent go, it’s hard to see how the XR10 could have served Hisense much better.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

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Best projectors: the best options tested by our home cinema experts

The World Cup is over, and that's left a lot of us with a gaping hole in our summer schedule. What are you supposed to do without wall-to-wall football to keep you entertained into the wee hours of the morning?

Well, you could go out and touch some grass, as the kids say, and there's never been a better time to do so. The footie's over, the weather's great, and JBL's five-star Xtreme 5 Bluetooth speaker has dropped to its lowest-ever price, making it the ideal companion for those out-of-the-house adventures.

We've previously seen the Xtreme 5 fall to £300, but now that it's currently £279 at Amazon – a saving of £51 – that figure has been well and truly beaten. Result!

Best JBL Xtreme 5 deal

It hasn't been around for long, but Xtreme 5 has gained a reputation as a robust, rugged speaker with a clear, detailed and musical sound, all housed in a super-durable build and backed by more features than you can shake a stick at.

An increase in power from its predecessor – the Xtreme 5 offers a claimed 130W when mains-powered, 90W when running off the built-in battery – is immediately obvious, bringing a greater sense of scale and size compared with the Xtreme 4.

In short, the high volume levels will easily go loud enough to power a summer party. Or annoy the neighbours, depending on your mood.

Bass weight is impressive without overpowering the rest of the track, and JBL's speaker is so clear it makes the Xtreme 4 sound slightly hazy and cluttered in comparison.

As we wrote in our review: "Play Run by Stephen Fretwell, and there’s more separation around the individual elements, so you can hear what each one brings to the music.

"You can inspect around the edges of that crisply defined percussion and piano, but the whole presentation remains cohesive, and the track remains confidently knitted together with the lead vocal at the centre. It’s still a hugely musical listen and captures the slow, gentle rhythmic flow and rise and fall of the track."

The Xtreme 5 is a tad chunkier than its predecessor, but it comes with a carry strap that easily attaches to the floating loops. There are also light strips on the front that are perfect for parties, as is the built-in bottle opener.

When it comes to features, there's Bluetooth 6 and Auracast, the latter of which allows you to connect multiple compatible JBL speakers together. There's also lossless audio up to 24-bit/48kHz through a wired connection and Playtime Boost, which extends the battery life from 24 hours to 28 hours, though with a rather drastic impact on sound quality.

If you want one of the most powerful and best-sounding Bluetooth speakers around, then the JBL Xtreme 5 is the speaker for you. It'll handle any outdoor gathering you throw at it, and a £51 saving at Amazon will almost certainly help you beat those post-World Cup blues.

MORE:

Seeking an alternative? Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Want something cheaper? Check out the JBL Charge 6

Discover our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for every budget

Roberts has expanded its Revival range with the new Revival Uno Solar radio.

Priced at £199.99, Roberts says the portable radio has been designed for listeners who “appreciate timeless design” and “the simple pleasure of slowing down with great sound”.

The Revival Uno Solar supports DAB, DAB+ and FM radio. Up to 40 presets (20 DAB / 20 FM) allow you to store your favourite radio stations for fast access to entertainment, while Bluetooth support and a 3.5mm auxiliary input let you stream from your devices.

Additional features include two independent alarms with snooze, an adjustable sleep timer to minimise battery wastage should you nod off while listening, a 3.5mm headphone output for solo sessions and a 3.5mm stereo line-out connection.

Embodying the company’s love for the outdoors, which recently became more apparent than ever with the release of the SolarDAB 99, the Revival Uno Solar uses a built-in solar panel to supplement its rechargeable batteries, which can also be charged via mains. Roberts says the solar panel “offsets power consumption in naturally lit environments” and “doesn’t rely on direct sunlight”.

With a full charge providing up to 20 hours of portable playback and dainty dimensions of just 16.3 x 21.1 x 8cm (hwd), the Revival Uno Solar should have no trouble fitting into the packed car boot for your next camping trip.

Unlike the more rugged looking Solar DAB 99, the Revival Uno Solar embraces the classic design style associated with Roberts and is available in two finishes: duck egg and midnight blue.

The Revival Uno Solar is available now for £199.99.

MORE

Take advantage of the summer heatwave with Roberts’ new solar-powered radio

Roberts Reva review

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

Apple Music just got more expensive. The music streaming service is now £11.99 / $11.99 / AU$14.99 for the Individual plan – that's £1 / $1 / AU$2 a month pricier than before.

It's not the only streaming service hiking its prices lately. Tidal recently announced its prices will go up next month, while Spotify raised its prices at the start of this year.

Here are the new prices for Apple Music.

However, even with the price rise, Apple Music remains cheaper than Spotify and Tidal in most plans and most territories. The student plan remains unchanged in the UK at £5.99 a month.

This is Apple Music's first price rise in four years. Apple recently raised the price of some of its devices – including the Apple TV 4K and HomePod 2 – citing the global RAM shortage.

Annual price rises are swiftly becoming the new norm for streaming services. Spotify has raised its UK prices three times since 2023.

MORE:

The best music streaming services around

Apple Music vs Spotify – which is better?

Spotify says it saved the music industry – but who will save us from the streaming model?

The high street has been struggling in recent years, and it's easy to see why.

The convenience of online shopping is compelling, as is the ability to read reviews (both ours and from other buyers) and to do your research in the next browser tab along. For bigger purchases like a TV, you can also see the dimensions and measure exactly where it'll go. Plus, you can compare prices across hundreds of retailers from the comfort of your sofa.

But there are still plenty of reasons to buy a TV from your local shop. You'll be supporting a local, possibly independent business. The staff can give you expert advice. And, of course, you can see the set for yourself in the flesh.

A TV is a big purchase. You wouldn't buy a car that you hadn't seen for yourself.

So please, go forth and buy your next TV from a shop. Just don't make these five classic mistakes when buying in-store.

Mistake 1 – assuming the picture will look the same at home

You might be bowled over by the stunningly bright picture in the shop, but wait. In-store, TVs are put into a special demo mode to make them look as eye-catching as possible under the glare of the shop's bright lights.

This mode amps up the brightness and colour volume, but doesn't fare well with fast motion like sport or gaming. Which is why most in-shop TVs only show nature footage to showcase their bright colours.

To get a more realistic idea of how it will look in your lounge, you can ask the shop to put it into a different mode for you – try Filmmaker mode for cinematic fare. Sadly, you can't ask them to dim the lights.

And if they won't change the mode? Make sure you read our review of that particular model for a thorough analysis of how it performs.

Mistake 2 – not measuring up

We get it – you're in the shop, the TV looks so alluring and you can picture it right at home in your lounge. So what if you haven't measured the space first? It'll fit. Of course it will.

Maybe. But then maybe not. And if it doesn't, you've got two choices: navigate the shop's returns policy, or live with a TV that's just too big for its space. Of those two, we would opt for the former. Having to look at a TV that doesn't fit every day would just remind us of our rash decision-making.

Instead, look up the dimensions and measure the space before you head to the shop. And make sure it's the correct size model too – there's a big difference between the 42-inch LG C6 and the 48-inch one.

Trust me, as someone who once assumed the Sonos Arc Ultra would fit on my TV cabinet, I know the importance of measuring first.

Mistake 3 – trusting it will sound OK

Understandably, most TVs are on mute in the shop. It's the only way; otherwise, you'd be met by a cacophony of demo soundtracks as soon as you walked through the door.

Which poses a problem – how do you know what it sounds like? An obliging member of staff might turn the volume up for you, but given all the other sounds in the shop, that will only show how loud it can go.

We have the same issue at trade shows. While companies are keen to talk up their TVs' sound quality on a stand at a trade show, it's impossible to tell how they actually sound. The only real way to find out is to get it into a lounge or testing room, pull the curtains and settle in for some serious viewing. Which you can't really do in a shop.

The salesperson might tell you it sounds great, but don't assume that's true. Again, check our review, and leave yourself some budget for one of the best soundbars to accompany your new TV. Because even a relatively affordable soundbar will outdo most TVs' sonic abilities.

Mistake 4 – taking it home yourself

For most people, buying a new TV is a once-in-a-decade experience, if that. So we don't blame you for wanting to get your new purchase home as soon as possible. But we would urge a note of caution – are you sure you've got room in the boot of your car? Unless you're driving a transit van, you're going to struggle to get a 65-inch TV in there.

Even if you are driving a transit van, do you have the means to secure your new TV and stop it sliding around every time you turn a corner? And as for speed bumps...

It's far better to get the shop to deliver it instead. Yes, it might take a few days, so you'll be stuck with your old TV a little longer (or with nothing, if your old set is kaput). But once you leave the shop with it, a new TV is your responsibility. Any screen cracks from it being bounced around in the back of your Kia Rio are on you.

Mistake 5 – making an on-the-spot decision

This is probably the biggest error of all. Yes, the salesperson might have a compelling pitch, and yes, they might offer you a small discount if you agree to buy there and then. But without reading up on the product to see what it offers and how it compares to what else is available, you could end up buying the wrong TV for you. That's an expensive mistake.

Instead, do your research beforehand, read our reviews, measure up and compare prices. Then, when you do go to the shop to see it for yourself, you'll be armed with plenty of knowledge so you're not swayed by the sales patter. This gives you a much better chance of buying the TV that's genuinely right for you.

A new TV is a big decision, and the right one should serve you well for many years to come. Happy viewing!

MORE:

The best TVs around

Which TVs have the best sound (as well as great pictures)?

How to choose the right TV: a complete guide

I don’t know about you, but I’m rather excited to see The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s cinematic take on Homer’s peerless epic poem.

Ignoring all of the tedious internet chatter and naysaying from self-appointed experts who really should take the time, in the very spirit of their beloved wandering Greek hero, to go outside and touch some grass, early signs point to the blockbuster to end all blockbusters. Reviews seem positive, to say the least.

Nolan at the helm? Check. A star-studded cast working at the top of their respective games? Check. One of western literature’s greatest stories providing the riveting source material? You betcha’.

“But they’re not using the original overlapping bronze armour, and those helmets should be made of boar hide. And why does Odysseus have an American accent?”

Go dump yourself in the River Styx.

I’ll be booking my tickets to The Odyssey as soon as I can, and while my optimism might end up crashing down like the walls of once-glittering Troy itself, I’m relatively confident that you should be doing the same.

Forget Avengers: Doomsday, the cinematic event of the year is here!

The second-best composer named Ludwig

I’m excited for all of those aforementioned reasons of director, production and cast, but I’m also keen to see The Odyssey on the big screen because it once again brings together two of cinema’s most potent trump cards: Christopher Nolan and his composer du jour, Ludwig Göransson.

Nolan has recruited the services of the ever-enthralling Hans Zimmer for many of his greatest barnstormers, including the Dark Knight saga and Interstellar, with Göransson latterly becoming a sort of Zimmer 2.0 as he begins to forge his own reputation as one of the world’s premier composers.

This is the man who did the music for Disney Plus’s The Mandalorian and, under Nolan’s charge, Oppenheimer. Projects don’t get much bigger than that.

The Oppenheimer score is, while we’re on the subject, truly worthy of the movie which it accompanies – we use Can You Hear The Music regularly as a track for testing home cinema and hi-fi – but it is Göransson’s work on the lesser-know (certainly less-understood) blockbuster Tenet that has me setting sail on my Trireme and making for the multiplex to discover what the Swedish composer can do for The Odyssey.

If you’ve seen Tenet, you’ll know exactly the sort of challenges which must have faced Mr. Göransson as he prepared to give it his best. About as confusing as trying to solve a Rubik’s cube inside a hall of mirrors, it stands alone as one of the most mind-bending and elliptical of all of Nolan’s creations.

When you consider this is the man who gave the world Memento and Inception, that’s some feat.

A soundtrack built to last

Thankfully, the accompanying score is a triumph, and one I use often whenever I’m digging deep into the capabilities of a new pair of headphones or a box-fresh (but properly run-in, of course) amplifier. In fact, it’s become something of an obsession even when I’m outside the test rooms – a sort of musical comfort blanket that I don’t seem to be able to take off.

POSTERITY is the track that has lodged the deepest roots in my psyche – so much so that I’ll often simply whack it on without thinking whenever I have a spare moment of silence which needs filling, lest the voices are given room to make themselves heard.

At nearly 13 minutes long, it is by far the longest track across the Tenet score, yet what’s remarkable about POSTERITY is that not a second feels wasted across what is a sprawling, Herculean runtime.

That obviously means you’ll need to set aside quite a bit of time if you’re using it for testing; but the reward is worth the considerable effort. POSTERITY, in the same vein as Hans Zimmer’s Supermarine (written for another Nolan movie, Dunkirk), is all about the progression, about the slow but inexorable build-up as it rises and swells from glowing embers to a roaring, engulfing blaze.

Not once is that repetitiveness ever dull. POSTERITY has such a potent sense of momentum that it enraptures from its first note, hooking you in by virtue of its unrelenting intensity and strange, hypnotic instrumentation. I have previously described some of the sound produced as being like a zither being whacked with a bit of old drainpipe, and in truth, I’m yet to come up with a better description.

Drainpipe and zither it is.

There’s a lot, then, for your system to capture. Not only that inexorable build as the composition becomes denser and more intense, but the very particular tone and feel of the piece conjured by its oddball instrumentation and unique soundscape. It’s also a treat if you want to see how your system conveys both small-scale and big-picture dynamics, from the chuntering analogue synthesisers to the intermittent stabs of drums and pianos.

Or it might just be one piano, singular.

You don’t have to stop at POSTERITY, either. FREEPORT recruits those strange zither-like synths to great effect, again trading on continuous instrumental loops punctuated by intermittent percussive whacks and electronic pulses to keep your system’s dynamic reproduction honest.

Or, if you want something quieter and more delicate, the sparseness of THE PROTAGONIST is well worth seeking out, offering up woozy synth rumbles accompanied by a rich, mysterious guitar.

RAINY NIGHT IN TALLINN makes for a similarly keen showcase of how well a system or set-up can really put a piece of music together. It bounds constantly between a mesh of styles and tones in a manner that is as bamboozling as Tenet’s very subject matter.

RAINY NIGHT accompanies the movie’s intense ‘opera siege’ opening scene, so if you want the full audio visual experience, seek it out to see how sound and screen work together in harmony.

As an aside, it’s well worth watching Tenet for its peculiar use of music and non-diegetic sound. For instance, the accompanying soundtrack will often be too loud or overbearing as a way of expressing – or perhaps masking – the mood and intentions of the characters on-screen. Check out this scene in particular and you’ll get the idea.

Music maketh movie(s)

Music is just as important to a great movie as anything on the screen itself – Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton aside, sound and sight go hand in hand when delivering the true masterpieces of modern cinema.

Where would Star Wars have been without John Williams? How diminished would the Lord of the Rings trilogy become without Howard Shore? Where is Sergio Leone without Ennio Morricone?

While the prospect of Christopher Nolan directing an adaptation of Homer's Odyssey is sufficient to have most right-headed people champing at the bit to get to book a screening, the addition of Ludwig Göransson providing the music should be more than enough to have you hammering on the doors of your local Cineworld as if they were the gates of Ilium itself.

Around this time last year, my local cinema closed – seemingly for good. Defying all odds, its doors are once again open, meaning I’ll be able to experience for myself the sights and sounds of Nolan’s epic adaptation in all of the 12-channel, Dolby Atmos-powered glory. It’s not quite the Waterloo IMAX, but it’s the next best thing.

The Odyssey has all the makings of a milestone cinematic event. Now that it’s finally in cinemas, I can’t wait to see – and hear it – for myself.

MORE:

Read last month’s edition: cool yourself off with the 6 finest test tracks and albums to soundtrack the start of summer

Yes, there is an ultimate prog rock album for testing hi-fi – at least according to What Hi-Fi? readers

Check out our ultimate test tracks collection

New Marantz hi-fi; Sonos launching the beta version of its new app; something about a football tournament – there was a lot to deal with last week.

Which is why we have taken the time to write a fresh entry of our regular Rewind column, detailing all the top stories any discerning home cinema or hi-fi enthusiast should be aware of.

Without further ado…

Marantz launches some new hi-fi

If you’re a Marantz hi-fi fan, then we have good and bad news. The bad news is that last week the firm retired two classic products: the Award-winning PM6007 stereo amplifier and CD6007 CD player.

The good news is that it has replaced them with the new entry-level Model 70 integrated amplifier and CD 70 compact disc player.

The two feature a wealth of upgrades, designed to help them offer “much improved” audio over their predecessors. Highlights include everything from new optimised circuit layouts to improved “vibration-resistant” chassis. And if that wasn’t enough to get you excited, we have even better news: we have both products in our listening rooms right now and hope to publish our definitive reviews shortly. Watch this space.

Read the full story: End of an era as Marantz waves goodbye to two hi-fi classics and unveils new entry-level Model 70 integrated amplifier and CD 70 compact disc player

Sonos releases the beta version of its new app

Two years ago, Sonos released a “redesigned” app, which was so hated by customers that the firm’s then CEO stepped down. So last week, when the multi-room audio specialist launched the beta version of another new version of its app, it caught our attention.

Will it be enough to win back customer trust? It’s too early to tell; but the firm has worked hard to learn from its mistakes, promising the new version has been designed based on learnings gathered after its engineers spent “hundreds of hours” watching and learning from its users’ habits.

Read the full story: The new Sonos app hits its public beta phase – but will it be enough to win back fans?

We had a chat with Tiny Vinyl about its new turntable

Tiny Vinyl is an interesting company that created a new four-inch record format last year. Now, 12 months on, it has also launched a new Tiny Vinyl Player, bespoke-designed for said format. Eager to find out more, our intrepid contributor, Joe Svetlik, had a chat with co-founders Jesse Mann and Neil Kohler to discuss the firm’s journey to launch and future plans.

Read the full story: How Tiny Vinyl made the world’s smallest turntable

MORE:

These are the best turntables we have reviewed

We rank the best hi-fi systems

Our picks of the best stereo amps

Welcome to Home Cinema Week 2026 – our annual celebration of all things (you guessed it) home cinema. That covers everything from projectors to AVRs, and all sorts of products and topics in between.

This celebration is extra special for us, as it is What Hi-Fi?'s 50th birthday this year. Home cinema has played a massive part in our journey, as we have been reviewing a range of categories since they emerged many moons ago. We have seen trends come and go, but our quest to find the best kit on the market has never changed.

We have got a whole host of exciting content coming throughout the week to mark the occasion. That includes a look back at the first types of television technology to hit the shelves, reviews of premium AV kit, and a behind-the-scenes peek at our testing facility.

On top of that, we take a tour of London's only cinema museum, discuss the best ways to store your Blu-rays, and decide whether 8K TVs have well and truly died.

Keep an eye on our Instagram, TikTok and YouTube pages as well, where we are posting extra content to celebrate.

We will keep this page updated with all published articles throughout the week, so you can stay on top of the latest content. We have certainly enjoyed getting even more stuck into the wild and wonderful world of home cinema than usual, and hope you will too.

Day 1

Day one of Home Cinema Week gave us a five-star projector review, a home cinema setup made from Award-winning products, and an ode to the music from a particularly popular director's films.

You can find all of our Home Cinema Week 2026 day one articles below:

• Hisense XR10 review
• Excited for The Odyssey? This divisive Christopher Nolan movie has the perfect test score to get you in the mood
• Buying a TV from a bricks-and-mortar shop is a great idea – just avoid these 5 mistakes
• Arcam and KEF star in this home cinema system that also stuns in stereo
• 5.1 vs 7.2 surround sound: which is better?

Day 2

We had a bumper crop of home cinema content on day two, including a review of a new Q Acoustics speaker package, a behind the scenes look at London's hidden cinema museum, and a piece questioning what actually counts as home cinema.

• Thinking of buying a soundbar? Here’s a better alternative
• I took a tour of London’s only cinema museum – and these are my three favourite finds
• Here's how much your streaming habit actually costs each year
• Does it matter what size soundbar you buy?
• The McIntosh MX124 AV receiver wants to be the beating heart of your monster home cinema setup
• 14 of the best musical movies to test your 5.1, 7.2 or Dolby Atmos surround sound system
• What is home cinema? Perhaps this is controversial, but I think it’s anything you want it to be
• Looking for a 4K projector on a budget? This quality five-star Epson is highly recommended by our home cinema experts
• Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 with Q SUB100 review

MORE:

These are the best AV receivers you can buy right now

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here are the best projectors

The biggest sporting event on the planet has arrived as the World Cup final hits our screens.

In 2026, it's Spain taking on Argentina as Lionel Messi looks to help his country win successive titles after lifting the trophy in 2022.

Stay up to date with all the action right here, with live updates and free streams as we bring you coverage of the World Cup final.

World Cup Final: The Essentials

• Date: 19 July 2026
• Kick-Off: 8pm BST / 3pm ET / 5am AEST
• Free Streams: BBC iPlayer / ITVX (UK) | SBS On Demand (AUS)
• US Stream: FOX / Telemundo
• Unlock your free streams with Norton VPN (100% risk free)

Ready for the World Cup final?

Welcome to New Jersey!

Thanks for joining us on the big day: the World Cup 2026 final!

MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a suburb of New York City, will be where the action kicks off at 8pm BST. Spain and Argentina, the two best teams of the tournament with France dropping off the radar in their last two games, will face each other in what promises to be a match for the ages.

Who will ultimately triumph? Stay with us here from now until the match concludes and we'll bring you all the action.

Messi v Yamal

The Argentinian captain and - possibly still the greatest of all time - Messi and the Spanish teenage superstar Yamal are both front and centre for their countries today.

Bizarrely there's also a photo of Messi holding Yamal as a baby for a charity photoshoot that has been doing the rounds. Now, there paths cross all these years later for a final showdown.

Yamal has not really delivered yet this tournament - only one goal and no assists to his name - whereas Messi is chasing the Golden Boat with his current 8 goals to Mbappe's 10.

So, who will come out on top?

How to watch the match wherever you are

Not figured out how you're going to watch the game yet?

Based in the UK? You have a choice of BBC iPlayer for which you'll need a TV licence or ITVX. If you're based down under, then you're best bet is SBS On Demand and for our American viewers head ton FOX / Telemundo.

Not based in any of these countries? No worries, you can still watch it on these services but first ensure you unlock your free streams with Norton VPN (100% risk free).

The race for the Golden Boot

So, Messi needs to score two goals to equalise Mbappe and get another goal or assist to go ahead of him.

If he gets two goals but no assists then they'll be tied and it'll go down to fewest minutes played...so there's a lot riding on Messi for this final World Cup game.

Never rule out Messi though.

2 hours until kickoff!

We're inching closer to the Spain v Argentina kickoff.

If it's even a shadow of the already iconic France v Argentina World Cup final from 2022 - three goals each and then penalties - we're in for a treat.

It could equally be a testy match as both sides don't want to concede...but that's not Spain's style to be fair.

Stick with us as we bring more news as we get it.

Euros winner v World Cup winner

So, Spain who are the most recent winner of the last Euros will play the most recent winner of the most recent World Cup...who will win?

The smart money would be on Argentina who want to make this two consecutive World Cups and make it a big sendoff for potentially Messi's last one.

But never rule out the consistent Spanish...

Another 10 goal game?

For those who were watching the Bronze final yesterday - a rather stupidly renamed match that no one wanted to play - it turned out to be an incredible game.

France v England could have been a nonstarter of a game but with England dominating the first half 4-0 and then France nearly catching up 4-3 in the second half before a Saka penalty, another French goal and then a Bellingham last minute masterclass, it was anything but!

No one could have been predicted a 10 goal game, and while we may not see that goal tally today fingers crossed for that same thrilling play.

England went out with a bang last night but will both of tonight's teams?

Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul in training

Yesterday saw Argentina take to their final training session before today's final in Morristown, New Jersey.

Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul lead the Argentina team and look to take them to their next World Cup victory today.

One hour until kick off!

Not too much longer until the game kicks off, don't go anywhere!

We'll walk through both team's Starting XI and everything else you need to know before both teams start very soon...

Closing time for the World Cup

It's nearly curtains up for another four years at the World Cup and it's been an incredible tournament.

Many were sceptical about more countries and more games but we've seen some fascinating matches such as Cape Verde's underdog attempt to go all the way, the rise of a new American team who are actually good and some last minute nail-biters.

We've also seen some shocking VAR/ref decisions and the most blatant corruption from Infantino regarding Balogun's red card. So, it probably balances out.

But all that doesn't matter as it's all come down to this final game...

Starting XI's announced

Well, here are the teams...

Argentina Starting XI

(4-4-2): Dibu Martínez; Montiel, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico; De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Mac Allister, Nico González; Messi, Julián Álvarez.

Spain Starting XI

(4-2-3-1): Unai Simón; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabián Ruiz; Alex Baena, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal; Oyarzabal.

Spain's World Cup stats

Considering how dominant Spain have been this tournament you'd be forgiven for thinking they'd have racked up a few World Cups already.

They've only been in the final and won once. The same amount as England.

To put that in perspective they won in 2010 against the Netherlands and that's all they've got in their back pocket. They've won the Euros four times, most recently against England, but a second World Cup win would put them on equal pegging with both France and Uruguay.

Will we see a European World Cup winner today?

Argentina's World Cup stats

Argentina are looking for a fourth World Cup win which would put them on the same number as Germany and Italy, both of whom have been on the decline in recent years.

Messi has seen them lose a World Cup final in 2014 against Germany and then win against France in 2022. Won one, lost one...will he be able to win a final World Cup for his country?

If not you sense that he'll be back aged 43 in 2030 for some unfinished business..

Seats still empty due to a glitch

Apparently due to a FIFA glitch, there are big queues outside the stadium as tickets are struggling to be scanned.

This means a lot of seats remaining unfilled at the moment which is pushing back the ceremony and potentially even the game.

It wouldn't be FIFA without some last minute scandal/muck up. You'll just have to stick with me a bit longer...

The 'entertainment' starts

They love to really milk the Star-Spangled Banner and Jennifer Hudson does just that. A fantastic singer but a very dragged out rendition.

It's a thankless job and you always get stick for singing it so fair play to her for singing it.

And now we sit through a very forgettable FIFA anthem from Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and Laura Pausini - three people who have clearly never been in a room together. It feels like if you asked AI to write a FIFA anthem and select three singers at random.

And now Tom Cruise...being Tom Cruise

Did anyone expect Tom Cruise to make an appearance?

Wheeled out at the end of Paris 2024 to to lead the handover for LA 2028, and now released into the stadium to perform an AI-written generic speech summarising the World Cup.

You can certainly say that the hosts have certainly put their own American spin on the World Cup. For better or worse.

The teams walk on to the pitch

Enter Spain and Argentina!

They walk past the World Cup trophy to get on the pitch and show a lot of self restraint, most barely looking at the prize that they'll be desperately competing for over the next 90 minutes (maybe longer).

If you haven't already, make sure you unlock your free streams with Norton VPN (100% risk free).

Argentina bring the volume

It's unclear who actually has the most fans in the stadium but if volume is any indication it's definitely Argentina.

The European champions play the World Cup champions for the first time ever, so it promises to be a thrilling ride.

We're nearly ready for kick off!

Kick off!

Argentina kicks off proceedings.

Vamos!

Spain on the front foot

Spain are dominating proceedings, as expected, looking dangerous but kept at bay by Argentina.

Argentina now counter.

Yamal has two shots within five minutes

Spain, led by Yamal, have two tasty shots on target within the first five minutes!

But as they've already done, Argentina responded with a dangerous counter which the goalie just about stopped.

Things look set for a great game.

Spain pressing

The Spanish are looking very comfortable inside the Argentina box...could we see an early goal?

Painful memories for England

Both teams playing have brought a lot of sorrow to England fans and players.

Argentina most recently knocking out the Three Lions earlier this week in the semifinals and Spain defeating them in the Euros 2024 finals.

Having said that, England will most likely be cheering on their European neighbours and least recent tormentors. But a lot of people love Messi.

Ball possession 50/50

Ball possession has been fairly equal so far which is good for Argentina who want to disrupt Spain's usually stellar control of the game.

Nearly hydration break. Let's hear those boos.

Hydration break over

Okay, let's see some goals...

Who will score first?

In 6 of the last 7 World Cup finals, the team who has scored first has won the final...another useless stat for ya.

Regardless going one nil up is a massive psychological advantage, unless you're England and then we'll just play defensive until we concede.

Argentina defence too strong

Spain are searching for a chink in the Argentinian defence but can't get through.

This may well be a goalless first half and some stern halftime pep talks on both sides.

First yellow of the game

Argentina's Martinez picks up a yellow for a poor tackle which does ultimately slow down Spain who were progressing dangerously up the pitch.

Cucurella shoots and Matrinez down

Cucurella takes a shot on target but it's stopped by the goalie.

Martinez is down and being replaced which is not great for Argentina.

We're approaching halftime and the halftime show, god help us all.

4 minutes added time

It looks unlikely we'll see a goal in the 4 minutes added time but let's see...

Goalless at halftime

It's been a tiny bit underwhelming but still some shots on target and some drama...just no goals.

Let's see if we get some Messi magic or Spanish skills in the second half...

...but first this halftime show. Let's see if the unlikely combo of BTS, Madonna and Coldplay will work and if it's worth pushing halftime up to 25 minutes.

Madonna walks on to the pitch

Madonna...and the Muppets?!

Not a duo you'd put together, singing Seven Nation Army with some Norway rowing chants (cos why not?) which was preceded by a lacklustre original song from Madonna.

And now BTS who do actually seem to get a reaction from the audience. They're really cramming a lot into a short amount of time.

Ted Lasso introduces Justin Bieber

And now, Jason Sudeikis makes a cameo as American 'soccer' coach Ted Lasso...I'm surprised it took them until the final to find a way to get America's best known and most popular football offering involved.

He intros JB who gives a bit of a downer of a song before making way to Shakira.

It's a tonal whiplash. They've obviously gone for quantity over quality.

Well, that was a halftime show

Did it justify a 25 minute extended halftime? No, but it certainly was something.

Unfair for the players having to wait around while Madonna and JB strut around the stage but there we go.

We go again!

Second half starts with a decent shot from Spain.

Start as you mean to go on.

A bit scrappy

Argentina v Spain has really turned into that.

A yellow card for Spain's Rodri as both teams square up to each other.

Spain free kick opportunity

Spain have an opportunity...and they squander it.

Maybe the final is adding nerves, maybe Argentina have proved a worthy opponent or maybe both teams have just not found their rhythm yet.

30 minutes left and extra time is rearing its head...

Spain have a shot and now a corner

Some calls for a free kick but after a deflected shot off the goalie, Spain settle for a corner...

Second hydration break

An Argentine down and a hydration break. Two bits of bad news, if you're from Argentina.

Spain are looking dominant but that's not seen any goals.

Pedri takes a shot...and misses

Maybe a little shove on the back doesn't help Pedri, but he doesn't see it go in the goal...

...but Spain aren't finished as they dominate the penalty area.

Martinez makes a good save

Spain have a shot on target...straight into the trusty gloves of Matrinez.

Argentina look a bit desperate.

Messi strolls casually around the pitch...as he will do

A quick one before full time?

Spain and Argentina are no strangers to scoring, when it counts, before full time.

Argentina broke English hearts when they did so earlier this week and against Egypt, and Spain's path to the knockout was based on stoppage time goals.

I'm calling it though: extra time stalemate.

Foul or dive?

It looks like Messi ran into a Spanish player but you could also argue it's a Spain foul.

It's a free kick, will they make it count?

Argentina down to 10 men!

Already on a yellow card, Fernandez takes a second yellow after he sends a Spanish player flying...and it's a red!

Argentina will be playing extra time with 10 men...they are on the back foot if they weren't enough already.

Another foul on Spain

Luckily Argentina avoid going down to 9 men after another dodgy tackle after a player already on a yellow makes a reckless tackle...but they've given away a free kick.

Will they seize it?

Extra time it is!

Yamal has a decent free kick that's heading in but Martinez stops it!

Extra time it is. Vamos!

30 minutes to make history

Argentina down to 10 men, it's Spain's to lose surely but 30 minutes is enough time to provide magic for either side.

If you're tuning in now and want to watch it from wherever you are, unlock your free streams with Norton VPN (100% risk free).

Martinez shows why he gets paid the big bucks

Another Spanish shot on target, a lovely header, but Martinez bats it away.

16 attempts on goal from Spain and 11 on target...and 0 attempts on goal from Argentina with 0 on target.

But if Argentina can hold on for 30 minutes they have the better track record with penalties.

Still anyone's game.

A free kick given...but the goal is not

Spain were given a free kick...but they'd already scored a goal which means it would be disallowed if this stands.

This is a big moment as the ref consults VAR.

Things are getting scrappy

Argentina coach Scaloni picks up a yellow for protesting too much from the sidelines at a controversial challenge.

The 'dark arts' are coming out now as Argentina look for any way to keep going for the next 15 minutes.

Every minute Spain don't score is an Argentine advantage.

Halftime on extra time

Final 15 minutes coming up after halftime of extra time.

The disallowed goal

Spain score!!!

Spain score!

First minute, this side of extra time halftime, sees a lovely Spanish goal from Ferran Torres.

This could be it.

Torres potentially scores the goal to win the World Cup

A goal...but offside

Torres look like he's got another goal...but the flag goes up.

Maybe a second goal is on its way for Spain but this was not it.

Williams stumbles an easy goal

Williams had a near open goal and he tried to be a bit too clever, kicking it off the pitch.

The ball goes back up the Spanish end and Messi boots it in the face of Merino. This looks painful but Argentina now have the ball, it's not over yet...

Two great opportunities for Argentina

If there was ever a chance to equalise in the dying minutes of the game, Argentina just had two.

With just 10 men and definitely the weaker team, they didn't manage to take the advantage.

3 minutes left.

Spain win!!!

They do it, Espana are victorious!

The better team won

You can't say that Spain didn't deserve to win, look at the stats and look at the last 120 minutes of football played.

Argentina were holding on and being physical - even to the point of Paredes throwing punches at the final whistle - but the talent shone through.

Maybe not the most interesting game, definitely not the Argentina v France final we saw four years ago, but it was certainly tense.

Well done Spain.

19-year-old Yamal celebrates his first World Cup win

The scrap led by Argentina's Paredes

Trump and Infantino enter...to massive boos

The awards ceremony takes place and as the two mob bosses, aka FIFA President Infantino and US President Trump, enter they are greeted with overwhelming boos.

Golden Glove goes to Unai Simon, the Spanish goalie who only conceded one goal all tournament and young player goes to the other Spanish 19-year-old who isn't Yamal: Cubarsi.

Messi can't hold back the tears

The cameras zoom in to see the tears from Argentina's Messi as Spain go up to collect their medals.

Two World Cup finals lost and one won. Not bad stats for anyone but he obviously craved the double and is thinking ahead to if he can even make 2030.

Spain raise the trophy!

What next?

Spain are now defending champions of the Euros and the World Cup...so what next?

Euros 2028 will be in the UK and Ireland and then the World Cup will be in Spain, Portugal and Morocco...favourable conditions for this team. With such a young lively squad and a proven manager it's really theirs to lose for the next tournaments, but we're still years away.

Congratulations Spain, enjoy the win.

Red and yellow: the colours of victory!

Argentine emotions run high

That's all folks!

It was barely a captivating World Cup final but it was a World Cup final. In their defence, Spain were the favourites and dominated the game and eventually found the goal after extra time halftime.

Argentina couldn't hold on to their World Cup title, Messi was denied a second World Cup, but Spain managed to secure their second ever. Well done.

Thanks for sticking with me for the last 7 hours, I've been Dan and until next time.

Watch World Cup final live streams

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between European champions Spain and defending world champions Argentina is being billed as a clash between the master and the apprentice, as 39-year-old Lionel Messi faces Spain's teenage prodigy, Lamine Yamal, for the very first time.

De la Fuente's men have been at their offensive and defensive best throughout the tournament, having maintained a clean sheet in six of seven their matches – a new World Cup record – and have conceded just one goal throughout the competition.

Argentina, on the other hand, have repeatedly shown they can never be counted out. They came from 2-0 down to score three goals in 13 minutes against Egypt, while in the semi-final against England they equalised in the 85th minute before Martínez scored the winner in extra time.

So, will Argentina become just the third nation after Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962) to win back-to-back World Cups, or can Spain lift the trophy for only the second time after their triumph in 2010?

Follow our guide below for where to watch Spain vs Argentina live streams from anywhere with a VPN.

How to watch World Cup final for free

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is free-to-air in multiple countries:

• UK: BBC iPlayer / ITVX (English commentary)
• Australia: SBS On Demand (English commentary)
• Brazil: CazéTV's YouTube (no account required)
• Belgium: RTBF / VRT
• Canada: CTV (TV provider details required)
• France: M6
• Germany: ZDF
• Ireland: RTE Player (English commentary)
• Italy: Rai
• Netherlands: NOS
• New Zealand: TVNZ+
• Spain: RTVE
• Switzerland: SRF Play / RTS Play / RSI Play
• Turkey: TRT

If you're from one of these countries but are currently abroad and want to watch Spain vs Argentina live, you can simply use a VPN. More details below...

Watch World Cup 2026 final live stream from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Spain vs Argentina live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch any World Cup 2026 live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate Norton VPN as one of the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a best-in-class 60-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Watch World Cup 2026 final live stream in the US

Spain vs Argentina in the US will be shown on FOX (English commentary) and Telemundo (Spanish commentary).

If you've cut the cord, you can get these channels through a Live TV streaming option, such as Fubo or Sling.

Fox is also available via Fox One while Telemundo can be accessed on Peacock.

To access your usual streaming service from outside the US, you'll need to download a good VPN, as detailed above.

• Expert TV advice: I found all the ways to watch the World Cup in 4k

Watch World Cup 2026 final live stream in the UK

Spain vs Argentina is free to watch in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, as well as ITVX.

All you need is a valid TV license and an account to stream the match from anywhere, completely FREE.

Outside the UK? Use Norton VPN to watch as if you were back at home.

Watch World Cup 2026 final live stream in Australia

Spain vs Argentina will be broadcast for free in Australia, thanks to SBS.

Cord-cutters can catch all the action via the SBS On Demand streaming service and app.

Again, you'll need to use a safe, reliable VPN to access SBS On Demand when traveling abroad.

Watch World Cup 2026 final live stream in Canada

Football fans in Canada can watch Spain vs Argentina free on CTV.

Remember, CTV will require TV provider login details for you to watch the game for free.

The match will also be available to watch on TSN, as well as its online streaming platform TSN+, which costs CA$8 per month or CA$80 per year.

Traveling outside Canada? Use Norton VPN to watch as if you were back at home.

World Cup Final: Need to know

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals
• Where to find the best Formula E live stream

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Home cinema, when it’s done right, is a truly magical experience.

Watching a movie you love, on a giant screen, in the comfort of your own home, wearing your Ninja Turtles pyjamas with a cat on your lap and whisky in hand (the last three may just be me). To quote the Goo Goo Dolls, it’s “the closest to heaven that I'll ever be”.

It’s this magic that makes me and the wider What Hi-Fi? home cinema team be part of that lucky minority that truly loves what they do. Specifically, testing the latest and greatest hardware so we can, in a small way, help others enjoy that magic.

But the trouble is, getting there is more complex than most people think, as the magic is heavily dependent on what hardware you’re using – especially if you’re going for a setup our technical editor, Ketan Bharadia, would deign to call “a proper home cinema”, with a multi-speaker surround sound system, long-throw projector, decent AVR and source.

Why? Because, despite the common assumption (even among some of our forum users) that home cinema sound is somehow different to hi-fi sound, and you can get a good setup just by bolting together five-star parts, the truth is, matching is still incredibly important.

And my experience helping test the KEF R Meta speaker package and Denon AVC-A1H (reviews incoming) this week proves that point.

Listening to the speaker package, we started with our reference Marantz Cinema 30 AVR and, not giving any spoilers away, as you'd expect, combining two accomplished pieces of hardware delivered excellent results. The system sounded expansive, cohesive and wonderfully controlled, creating a fabulously immersive home cinema experience.

Watching a difficult test scene from our Dune: Part One 4K Blu-ray, the setup was masterfully in control of every part of the frequency range. Subtle dynamics underneath the scene's pounding drums were suitably present, and the unit delivered a real sense of direction as a flight of ornithopters swooped from right to left and then behind the viewer.

But as we continued, and particularly when we switched to our F1 test disc and spent some time listening to stereo music, our senior staff writer, Lewis Empson, pulled a face – the same one he always does when something's not quite right. One by one, we all did the same until, in near unison, we asked, "Does anyone else think this sounds just a touch too smooth?"

Yes, the sound was refined and effortlessly composed (and remember, at this level we're nitpicking about very small but important differences in performance), but the combination perhaps leaned a fraction too far towards smoothness. It wasn't lacking quality – far from it – but there were moments when we wanted just a little more bite and urgency.

Which is no surprise as our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, who is taking the lead reviewing the speaker package, openly described it as “smooth and refined”.

That's not a dig; in fact, in some setups, it's a strength. But it's a problem here because if you jump to our Marantz Cinema 30 review, you’ll find the same words, “smooth, refined and always in control”, at the top of the page.

The two have a very similar sonic character, and while that creates a beautifully cohesive presentation, it also nudges the overall balance a little further towards refinement than we'd ideally like.

It's less that the pairing doesn't work – it clearly does – and more that combining two components with such similar personalities slightly softens the sense of attack.

Enter the Denon AVC-A1H. During testing, the Denon proved to have a more dynamic, more assertive character that complemented the KEF package differently, adding a little extra energy and attack without upsetting its natural balance.

From the moment Led Zeppelin's iconic Whole Lotta Love started, the F1 scene felt more electric, with the Denon adding more bite to guitarist Jimmy Page’s groove.

Then, the moment John Bonham’s iconic drum line lands, it hits with the gut-churning impact you’d expect from a drummer critics openly praised for his "hard-hitting" playstyle. That’s all before we start describing the added heft and impact of the race.

To be clear, this isn't a dig at the Marantz. In fact, the Marantz/KEF combination is an excellent one in many respects, producing a spacious, balanced and hugely accomplished sound.

We simply found that, in this particular system, the Cinema 30's refinement combined with the wonderfully smooth presentation of the KEF R7 Meta front speakers tipped the balance just a little too far towards relaxation. Swap in a more assertive AVR, or pair the Marantz with more overtly energetic speakers, and that balance shifts again.

Lewis summed the idea up nicely, describing it as being like cooking. “Even if you like salty food, if you add several salty ingredients, it’s not going to taste good.”

So, please remember, when setting up a home cinema, don’t just think of the individual parts; think about how they’ll work together as a system and complement one another.

Even if you’re watching at home alone (outside of the aforementioned cat), when it comes to hardware, home cinema is a team game.

MORE:

These are the best projectors we’ve tested

We rank the best surround sound systems

Our picks of the best AV receivers

It has been quite a week for TV reviews here at What Hi-Fi?, with the arrival of Sony's new RGB Mini LED TVs causing much excitement in our test room.

This excitement has extended to the deals section, as both TVs are seeing generous discounts despite only just being reviewed.

They're not the only discounts available, however – there are five-star soundbar systems and JBL speakers on offer, while the LG G6 has also just been re-reviewed and is seeing a tasty saving.

These are all products that have been reviewed and rated by our expert testing team. They have to get at least four stars to earn our recommendation, so we only share deals on the best.

We'll go into more detail about why we like these products below, but for now, feel free to have a peruse:

The Sony Bravia 9 II is Sony's latest flagship, and one of the first TVs to use the new RGB Mini LED display technology. It's a breathtaking TV with colours that surpass every other TV we've ever tested, and is also exceptionally bright. Its sophisticated dimming system is also one of the best we've seen, but it can't quite beat the pixel-level control of OLED.

At better than half price, the Samsung S90F is exceptional value right now. The OLED TV is currently our top pick out of the best 50-inch TVs, thanks to its punchy picture, flawless gaming specifications and practical stand design.

The Sony Bravia 7 II is the Japanese company's step-down RGB Mini LED offering, with vibrant, natural colours and excellent depth and solidity for a backlit TV. Use the code SONY10PERCENT to get £200 off one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested.

The Samsung HW-Q990H is the Korean brand's follow-up to an Awards winner, and the Dolby Atmos soundbar system doesn't disappoint. With a soundbar, two rear speakers and a very good subwoofer included, the Q990H is excellent at delivering an immersive, spacious sound with excellent height effects.

The JBL Authentics 300 may have retro looks, but it's a versatile speaker with seamless usability and a forthright, confident sound. Now at a new lowest price.

Now that we've tested the LG G6 with the correct, updated software, LG's latest flagship has now been awarded the full five stars. With punchy picture quality, flawless gaming specifications and excellent app support, this is a TV of serious ability.

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

With age comes wisdom, so it perhaps isn't surprising that many of the oldest hi-fi brands around today are still at the top of their game.

We've delved into the archives to shine a light on some of the industry's longest-running manufacturers that continue to serve music fans worldwide to this day. These are true veterans of hi-fi – all over 70 years old – who we think deserve to be called out.

Some companies have changed hands or been resurrected from the dead, others have been comparatively untouched. But whatever their journey, all are still making great hi-fi products – and that's something worth celebrating.

Thorens (1883)

One of the oldest electronics companies in history, the legendary turntable purveyor actually started out manufacturing music boxes, clock movements and, at the turn of the 19th century, Edison-style phonographs – several decades before the era of the record player would catapult the brand to world-renowned fame.

Founded by Hermann Thorens in Sainte-Croix Vaud, Switzerland, Thorens produced its first turntable in the late 1920s and went on to become one of the most revered manufacturers of record players in the '50s and '60s.

Many notable models – the TD 124, TD 150 and TD 160, to name just a few – helped build that reputation. The Thorens TD 160HD we tested in 2008 even made our list of the very best turntables of our lifetime.

The brand filed for bankruptcy in 2000, before being revived by Swiss businessman Heinz Rohrer and later, in 2018, by former Elac Electroacoustic managing director, Gunter Kürten. Today, Thorens has a number of decks in circulation, including the TD 1600 and TD 1601, which are based on the classic TD 160 design.

• Best record players: best turntables for every budget

Ortofon (1918)

Cartridge manufacturer Ortofon – a portmanteau of the Greek words “orto”, meaning correct, and “fon”, meaning sound – began life as a very different beast.

In Denmark after the First World War, two engineers, Axel Petersen and Arnold Poulsen, began their experiments to synchronise sound and picture on film, which they achieved with their 'Petersen and Poulsen System' in the early 1920s.

The duo later transferred their technological know-how to help create a new cutter head for the gramophone industry – a cutter head that record manufacturing companies around the world soon adopted.

That was followed by a mono pickup (or cartridge) and pickup arm so that records cut with the superior head could be reproduced with decent enough audio quality.

Various models of mono cartridges came to the market and, in 1959, the first stereo cartridge arrived. The rest, so it goes, is history. Over 100 years since its story began, Ortofon is now among the most renowned and celebrated turntable cartridge manufacturers.

• Best cartridges: budget and premium options for your turntable

Celestion (1924)

Celestion is a big name in the guitar world thanks to its decades spent manufacturing guitar speakers, but the hi-fi industry also owes a great deal to the British brand.

Soon after it was founded in 1924 by Cyril French (who was later joined by two of his brothers), Celestion manufactured one of the world's earliest cone loudspeakers, based on the design of Eric Mackintosh.

The company became one of the pioneering speaker driver manufacturers in the decades following. It made drivers for the legendary B&W P1 and Spendor BC1 speakers in the '60s, for example, and, amid multiple acquisitions and name changes, the brand continued to make award-winning designs, such as the ribbon tweeter.

• 22 debut speakers from iconic hi-fi brands

Bang & Olufsen (1925)

When engineers Camillo Bang (the tech guy) and Svend Olufsen (the business man) made the transition from experimenting with making radios in their parents' houses to an actual electronics business in the mid 1920s, success came quickly.

The company's first commercially available product was in 1927 with the B&O Eliminator, which enabled a radio to be powered by the mains, as opposed to the huge batteries which were the norm at the time.

The 1930s saw the company outgrow the family home and move into a purpose-built factory in Struer (where B&O still operates), at which point the brand we know and love today began to show its stylish face.

In 1939 it launched the Beolit radio, kickstarting both a successful line of radios and the famous 'Beo' prefix that's still very much in use today. The company later expanded into TVs with the 17-inch Beovision Capri TV, as well as record players and speakers.

• An inside look at Bang & Olufsen as the company turns 90

Tannoy (1926)

To borrow an excerpt from our Tannoy: after 90 years, what does the future hold? piece, "Tannoy wasn’t always Tannoy. It was the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company in 1926, when broadcasting was in its infancy and the first talking film had yet to be shown.

"Radio sets needed huge batteries, which in turn needed huge chargers. Enter one Guy R Fountain, who came up with a new type of electrical rectifier, with the aim of making home-friendly chargers.

"This did rather well, and Fountain founded a company named after the two metals used in the rectifier: Tantalum and lead alloy. The Tannoy trademark first appeared in 1928 and quickly became associated with inescapable public address systems. They even made it into the British House of Commons."

Having provided PAs to the British Ministry of Defence and RAF airfields during WWII, and inventing the Dual Concentric speaker in the years following, Tannoy finally entered the place most of it subsequent efforts would reside: the home. And it has had a fair bit of success...

Roberts Radio (1932)

While many audio companies started life as a manufacturer of radios before expanding into other areas of hardware, Roberts has stuck at that trade for almost 90 years.

You could say that Leslie Bidmead's decision to sell his motorbike, to enable him and co-founder Harry Roberts to pay for the company's first factory, has paid-off. And then some.

Roberts Radio has become as synonymous with British heritage as Harrods and a cup of tea (it even has three Royal warrants to its name), and has successfully kept up with the fast-moving audio industry over the years.

The company launched the first portable DAB radio just before the millennium, a smart streaming radio in 2007, and the award-winning 'Stream' range in 2014.

• Best DAB radios: portable, Bluetooth, in-car

Wharfedale (1932)

Wharfedale has launched enough pairs of anniversary speakers in recent years to remind us that the British brand is fast approaching its centurion.

The company's first speaker was built in the cellar of the llkley home of founder Gilbert Briggs, who designed Wharfedale speakers over two decades and wrote over 20 books on high-fidelity audio.

The Bronze speaker started life purely as a drive unit (enthusiasts assembled their own cabinets) before being housed in a wooden cabinet a year later as an option for those who wanted an ‘extension’ speaker.

Wharfedale's invention of the first two-way loudspeaker in the 1940s, and the use of ceramic magnets in its speakers, have been among Wharfedale's most notable achievements. The brand went on to be defined by the monumental success of its Diamond speaker range, launched in the '80s and still enjoying success to this day.

Leak (1934)

International Audio Group (IAG), the parent company of Wharfedale, Quad and Audiolab, has recently resurrected Leak after a 40-year hiatus.

Founded by Harold Joseph Leak in 1934, Leak was a British hi-fi trailblazer during the mid-20th century.

Its Point One valve amplifier range from 1945 arrived as the first amp to deliver 0.1 per cent total harmonic distortion; its innovative Sandwich speakers heralded true-piston cone action by sandwiching polystyrene foam between outer skins of stiff aluminium foil; and its 1957 Trough-Line is still considered one of the greatest FM tuners ever made.

Electronics and speaker production ceased under the Leak name in the late '70s as then-owner Rank pulled the plug on the brand after years of struggling to compete with Japanese manufacturers – but the brand returned in 2020 with a classic pair of hi-fi separates.

Quad (1936)

Wharfedale has enjoyed a rather special, 70-odd-year relationship with one other audio brand: Quad.

In the '50s, the two brands embarked on a US and UK tour to allow audiences to experience live versus recorded music first hand, and their current position under International Audio Group (IAG) allows them to continue joint amplifier and speaker demonstrations at industry shows to this day.

Quad (which stands for Quality Unit Amplifier Domestic) has had an illustrious history of its own, of course, perhaps no more so than with its 1957 Electrostatic Loudspeaker (ESL), the very first full range electrostatic loudspeaker.

As we've noted in What Hi-Fi? reviews of the many versions that have blessed this world, such as the Quad ESL-2812, few audio designs have attracted such fanatical loyalty from their owners or such fascination from those who covet them.

Today, Quad still has two ESL models in its catalogue, alongside amplifiers and music systems which have helped the brand remain a formidable force.

Pioneer (1938)

While these days Pioneer perhaps has stronger sway in the home cinema market, the Japanese giant has plenty of two-channel pedigree.

We're talking about a brand that began in 1938 when its founder, Nozomu Matsumoto, released the A-8 dynamic speaker after years of research, and which went on to make a name for itself in car audio.

Pioneer manufactured the world's first separate stereo system, component car stereo and in-car CD player, and was a major player in the LaserVision phenomena in the '80s. What's more, Pioneer plasma TVs remain legendary.

SME (1946) 

While SME (originally The Scale Model Equipment Company) is known today for its exceptional high-end turntables, including the SME Synergy, winner of the coveted What Hi-Fi? 2019 Temptations Award, it was in operation for over a decade before it entered the record player market.

SME was formed in 1946 to manufacture scale models and parts for the model engineering trade, before turning its head to precision engineering for aircraft instruments and business machines.

It wasn't until 1959, when the company's founder, Alastair Robertson-Aikman, needed a pick-up arm for his own use, that an experimental model was built. Upon its positive reception from friends and industry folk, the company started commercially producing tonearms – a business it has only recently stopped in order to focus on its core turntable business. Its first turntable, the Model 30, came in 1991.

In 2018, SME also acquired the rights to the iconic Garrard turntable brand – another revered hi-fi veteran – from IGB Gradiente S.A, a Brazilian firm that took over the brand in the late '70s.

Sony (1946)

Everything and everyone has to start somewhere to get anywhere, and for consumer electronic conglomerate Sony that was with a small company called Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation.

It built Japan's first tape recorder, the Type-G, and in 1958 changed its name to Sony – a combination of the Latin word 'sonus', meaning sound, and 'sonny', which was seen as a desirable word to describe a young gentleman. Yes, really.

The Sony branding had already been used three years prior on its TR-55 transistor radio, the first of many transistor radios and the first Sony product to be sold overseas (in Canada).

Sony's history is, of course, full of landmarks in radio, audio and TV: its first TV, the TV8-301 8-inch portable transistor, launched Sony's TV business in 1960; the first-generation Walkman went on sale in 1979; and it was one of the leading developers of the Compact Disc and the Blu-ray Disc.

It's pretty remarkable that Sony continues to have such a presence, and success, in almost every corner of the audio market to this day, arguably now most notably by dominating the headphone and wireless earbud market.

Klipsch (1946)

It all started with one man (Paul W. Klipsch) and one idea (horn-loaded speakers). In a tiny tin shed in Hope, Arkansas in 1946, Klipsch designed, hand-built and patented the now-legendary Klipschorn, the only speaker in the world that has been in continuous production for over 70 years – and yes, they're still made in Arkansas, albeit no longer in a shed, and largely unchanged from the original design.

The first commercial production run of 12 units was built by the Baldwin Piano & Organ Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, with another built by hand in a local cabinet shop, before the first actual Klipsch factory (now the company's museum) got up and running in 1948.

Other early Klipsch horn-loaded speakers, such as the Heresy and Cornwall from the late '50s, also continue in modified form in the company's line-up today.

JBL (1946)

You may have noticed by now that 1946 was a noteworthy year in hi-fi history. JBL was yet another now-notable name to come onto the scene in 1946, named after its founder James Bullough Lansing, an audio engineer and speaker designer who, by that time, had already enjoyed success with his Altec Lansing electronics company.

JBL's first products, the D101 15-inch loudspeaker and D175 high-frequency driver, were unsurprisingly, then, mimics of Altec Lansing designs. Soon came the 375 high-frequency compression driver – the first 4-inch diaphragm driver – and recognition from Leo Fender, who chose to implement one of JBL's drivers into its guitar amplifiers.

Lansing tragically died, and in 1969 JBL was sold by vice president Bill Thomas to the Jervis Corporation (now Harman International, owned by Samsung), pushing JBL into the world of pro and consumer audio.

The JBL L-100 speakers were launched at CES Chicago back in 1970 and were a huge hit for the company, not only JBL's all-time, best-selling loudspeakers, but the best-selling system of that decade from any brand. Fortunately for the brand (and fans of it), JBL was able to honour that legacy with the JBL L100 Classic.

McIntosh (1949)

Founded in 1949 in Maryland, USA, McIntosh has been making its iconic products in Binghamton, New York since 1951. Known for consumer and professional electronics, the company's distinctive front-panel teal illumination has meant McIntosh amps are always easy to pick out of a line-up.

Famously used to power Woodstock and the Grateful Dead's 'Wall of Sound', the company also branched out into speakers and turntables, bringing its trademark styling to a new audience.

The signature power meters even made their way into in-car audio in the 1990s, supercharging the next couple of decades alongside a resurgent high-end audio and home cinema market.

The McIntosh Group, including the McIntosh brand, Sonus Faber and Sumiko, was acquired by Bose in 2024, having previously been owned by an American private equity group.

New products continue to appear, with the DS200 streaming DAC showcasing how McIntosh has moved with the times while maintaining their distinctive style and overall brand identity. Long may that continue.

MORE:

The What Hi-Fi? Hall of the Fame

How to buy second-hand and vintage hi-fi speakers

How to build the perfect hi-fi system

When was the last time you sat down and really listened to a piece of music? And I mean really listened – no phone, no interruptions, not even any getting up to use the toilet. A proper, dedicated, bum-on-seat listening session with your eyes closed, just you and the music.

As someone with two young children and a phone, the answer for me is: far too long ago. So when I heard that Pitchblack Playback was celebrating its 10th anniversary, I thought it high time I went along.

For the uninitiated, Pitchblack Playback is a listening session held in total darkness. They select an album, and you sit there with the lights off and listen to it in its entirety with no distractions – no phones, no talking and definitely no singing along. They even hand out eye masks for a total blackout experience (they have to keep the fire exit signs illuminated for safety reasons).

As someone who enjoys sitting down, good music and not talking, it sounded like my perfect evening. So I headed to The Castle Cinema in Homerton to hear Thom Yorke’s debut solo album The Eraser, which has just turned 20 years old. And I can honestly say I’ll never hear it the same way again.

Driven to a lack of distraction

The inspiration behind Pitchblack Playback came from playwright Samuel Beckett via UK record label Ninja Tune. The event’s founder, Ben Gomori, attended a preview of Amon Tobin’s album ISAM at the Soho Hotel, complete with tour visuals on the screen. “I was really struck by this environment of sitting and listening to an album without any distractions – and not even any talking – on a great sound system,” he tells me before the Thom Yorke session. “And I wanted to take that idea and bring it to the general public.”

ISAM came out in 2011, long before hi-fi listening bars really became a thing. Lockdown was also just a glint in Boris Johnson’s eye, so sitting in the dark with a load of strangers might have seemed a strange proposition. But in other ways, the time was ripe: these were the days when albums were constantly being leaked via dodgy download sites, usually in the form of highly compressed MP3s, so Gomori thought “why not give people a chance to hear it properly rather than a poor quality copy?”

His initial idea was to include visuals, like the ISAM preview he attended. But a chat with a friend set him off in a new direction.

“He asked if I was going to do visuals, or whether I was going to do it in the dark to enhance the music,” Gomori explains. “He’d just seen a production of a Samuel Beckett play called Not I at the Royal Court, which is completely dark apart from a spotlight on a character’s mouth as they deliver a monologue. It was just a flippant comment, but it changed everything.”

Originally the nights focused on new releases (think MGMT, Explosions In The Sky, Christine And The Queens), but it was only once they started doing classic albums from the likes of David Bowie and Miles Davis that word really spread. Some labels were hesitant to commit without an audience already established, but these classic cuts came with loyal followings.

The events are typically held in cinemas, as they have the “holy trifecta”: a great sound system, comfortable seating and a dark environment. But they have also been held in planetariums in Bristol and Glasgow, as well as listening rooms, arts centres and various audio-centred spaces all over the world.

Unless an album is available in Dolby Atmos or 5.1, the stereo version is upmixed to surround sound to make the most of the venue’s sound system (if it has such a system, that is – Pitchblack plays stereo in venues that are set up for it, like Listener in Paris and Shhh in Mexico City). Listening in stereo through a surround system would be "pretty underwhelming”, Gomori says, though he does admit that very rarely an album does sound worse upmixed, and so they stick with stereo instead (“Though it’s only happened, like, once”).

Venues are meticulously researched before qualifying, and seating plans checked beforehand – you don’t want seating in a big, long rectangle with people really far away from the front, as that would worsen their listening experience.

Gomori won’t play anything in less than 16-bit, and will always strive for a 24-bit recording if there’s one available. “I always want the highest resolution possible – even though not many people would notice – as I want to give you the best chance of hearing every detail, every nuance, and the best possible sense of space,” he says.

Though how people choose to enjoy it is up to them. “We’ve had a few people fall asleep,” Gomori says. “It’s usually dads. I’ve had to prod them awake at the end. Whereas some people lie down in front of the subwoofer to really absorb the bass.”

Whichever end of the spectrum you fall on, Gomori argues that carving time out for music is more important than ever, especially given how addicted we’re all becoming to our phones. And in a post-pandemic world, where you need no longer leave the house to meet most of your essential needs, the value of shared experience can’t be overstated.

“It’s about taking time out of your week and just sitting down with a piece of art and engaging with it with no distraction,” he says. “We need experiences like this in our lives.”

Given that you’re sitting in the dark, wearing an eye mask, and not talking to anyone, I’m dubious just how ‘shared’ an experience it will be. But Gomori is insistent that people do form bonds here.

“I call it shared introspection,” he says. “Maybe none of your friends like a certain artist, but you can come here and meet other superfans. I’ve seen complete strangers making plans together afterwards, which is really nice to see.”

I’m about to see for myself, as we head into screen one, where the lights will soon go out.

Back in black

Gigs just aren’t for me. I love the music, it’s the people that turn me off. Crowds unnerve me, and while I can appreciate the atmosphere a good gig creates, I would take a listening room any day of the week. The beer’s much cheaper, for one. And given the choice between hearing a mastered studio session that’s the best of dozens of takes, or a live performance whose quality depends on so many variables (how the band feel on the day, the venue’s acoustics, even the behaviour of the people in the crowd around you) I know which I would pick.

The Eraser is a great album to hear at Pitchblack Playback for three reasons. First, I’ve had it since release in 2006, so I’ll know if I can hear a difference versus listening to it at home. Second, Thom Yorke once told an interviewer that the album is designed “to be listened to in an isolated space”, which this very definitely is. And third, it’s just a great album.

It’s a completely different listen through The Castle Cinema’s sound system. Thom Yorke’s trademark wailing and bleeps and bloops are a lot more immersive through the spatial arrangement, of course, but it all just hits with so much more scale and impact, from the opening piano chords of the title track to the warm digital glow of the closing song Cymbal Rush.

Not that I find myself immersed straight away. Wearing an eye mask in a dark room is a strange sensation, akin to sensory deprivation. But you soon get used to it – after my initial paranoia has subsided, and I’ve stopped worrying that everyone else there is making faces at me, I sink further into The Castle’s generous seating for some serious listening.

At least, I try to. I had assumed that cut off from any visual stimuli, I would concentrate solely on the music, but my mind keeps wandering between topics as scattered and glitchy as Yorke’s beat structure. And then I remember that this is what real listening feels like – the music is subconsciously influencing my thoughts, while I drift in and out of what’s playing. It’s how I used to listen to music, back in the pre-smartphone days when I would carve out big chunks of the day to spend doing nothing but. It’s like meditation, but a lot less boring, with cracking beats instead of mystic woo-woo.

I’m certainly getting the introspection part of shared introspection. But is it really a shared experience?

Towards the end of the album, curiosity gets the better of me and I peek out from behind my eye mask. It’s like seeing the passengers on a long-haul overnight flight – masks on, every one of them, bodies firmly in the recline position. I swear I can hear someone snoring, but I can’t pick them out – for all I know, they could all be asleep.

The album comes to its lo-fi conclusion, and after a few seconds of silence the house lights come up just enough to bring us back into the room. Masks off, everyone seems a little dazed, even giddy. We start shuffling out, the first lucky leavers receiving a free poster that Yorke’s label XL have donated (there aren’t enough to go around, sadly).

I don’t see any strangers forming lifelong bonds, but there is a feeling among us, something unspoken, as we emerge, blinking, into the sunny summer evening: that we have heard something familiar but in a completely different way, that we’ve really listened, not only to the music but a lot else besides.

MORE:

I don’t have the budget for a turntable – is a hi-fi listening bar a worthy alternative?

Five of the best hi-fi listening bars we would love to visit

I listened to David Bowie in a 360-degree show, and now I've seen what spatial audio can do

We’ve all been recipients of disapproving head shakes after asking the DJ for a particular tune… haven’t we?

Well, gone are the days of disc-jockey rejections, because Spotify has introduced an AI feature that allows paid users to control the app with their voice (and text) in order to create playlists, learn about songs, and even explore their own listening history.

The “Talk to Spotify” feature is available within the Home and Now Playing views on the mobile app. To use the feature, users have to press the mic button in the search field, and can then talk or type commands.

If you’re a fan of streaming music, you’ll be aware that there has been much recent discourse about cutting down on AI in the world of streaming services.

Just last month, Tidal joined Deezer and Qobuz in a clampdown on AI generated music, and even Spotify has recently culled a batch of AI generated songs, despite the company’s boss defending AI music in the not too distant past.

But when it comes to in-app functions, it seems that Spotify is embracing the technology with open arms.

The new feature joins an existing batch of AI functions within the Spotify app, which include an AI DJ that picks music based on your listening habits, an AI playlist builder that can create custom playlists in response to prompts, and Daylist, a playlist that updates to suit the mood throughout the day.

The Talk to Spotify function is now being rolled out to Spotify Premium users aged 18 and above in the US, Ireland and Sweden across iOS and Android devices in English.

According to Spotify: “Like any beta, it’s a work in progress: responses won’t always be perfect, and your feedback directly shapes what comes next.”

So, when it comes to the UK, we will be giving the new feature a try and thinking up our action points. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

MORE

How much of your playlist is AI-generated? Find out with Deezer’s new AI music detector

Tidal is the latest streaming service to clamp down on AI music – but there's a flaw

Hi-res music streaming services compared: is Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Amazon or Apple Music better?

The latest projector to enter our test room is not quite like anything we have seen before. It’s the “world’s first mobile theatre system”, sporting four Dolby Atmos satellite speakers that are housed in the projector’s body.

It can also deliver a 4K picture, with a claimed brightness of up to 3500 ISO lumens. You can push the screen size as big as 300 inches, and it is built around a DLP optical system illuminated by a triple-laser lighting system.

That is all wrapped up in a package weighing a rather hefty 33kg with a set of wheels on the bottom.

That all means that, in theory, you should be able to take everything you need for a movie night in an all-in-one system. It doesn’t come cheap, and will set you back £4499 / $4999 / AU$8999.

Does it deliver on its promises? After we reviewed the product in our test room, it became clear that there are two aspects in which the X1 Pro excels, and two that hold it back from greatness. Let’s dig into it.

Nifty speaker design

The 7.1.4-channel speaker system is arguably the most exciting element of the projector. Each of the four satellite speakers can be placed around the space. They offer a compact yet practical build, with the fronts measuring 8 cm across and the rears coming in at 6 cm wide.

They also include little stands on the bottom with a rubber foot that folds out, making for a sturdy base. On top of that, you can charge them when they are inside the projector, or you can use their individual USB ports to give them some juice.

There’s also a subwoofer inside the projector’s body, which features two drive units, each measuring 13cm in diameter.

It’s a first to see such an elaborate speaker set-up for a portable projector in our test room, and is a draw if you are looking for an entire home cinema system in a box.

Rich, punchy picture

As well as the clever sound and speaker design, the X1 Pro delivers a punchy image performance that makes for pleasant viewing.

When watching Thunderbolts, we note in our review: “The villain’s brightly coloured costume stands out against the background, which makes for an engaging experience.”

Edges of characters and items are crisp and clean, and there is little noise in textures, contributing to an overall picture that feels sharp without tipping into being over-etched. It could do with an extra level of detail considering the price point, but it is still clear enough to see strands of hair and creases in clothes.

When we move to a brighter environment than our dark test room, a fair bit of detail and punch is lost, of course. But this set-up would be watchable with a bright movie when watching outside with the sun still up.

But image looks unsubtle

While it delivers an engaging image, the X1 Pro is not the most subtle of projectors. Its colours look a little over-emphasised, and they verge on unnatural. This becomes clear when watching Civil War as an army chopper lands on lush grass, where the foliage appears a tad too vivid to look realistic.

There is also an issue with the projector’s black depth. During Sinners as Michael B Jordan’s Stack has a terse conversation in a low-lit barn, we found that it “delivers the dark background with a fair bit of banding that verges on grey at points”.

Shadow detail leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to darker skin tones, and it is hard to make out the subtle differences in textures in these areas.

Disappointing sound performance

Unfortunately, while we like the compact speaker design, the sound performance itself rather lets the package down.

The sound is certainly more room-filling than the majority of portable projectors that come with built-in speakers, but we expect a more immersive performance from the 7.1.4-channel system.

With its Dolby Atmos presentation, the system lacks the immersive height and width effects to immerse us truly in the film. And there’s not a huge sense of precision around the space, with obvious gaps in the soundfield.

The bass performance is also underwhelming. Instead of packing a meaty weight, it lands with a rather flat softness. In our review when watching Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, we say: “Punches should sound deep and impactful, but they lack the powerful drive necessary to convey the right level of force.”

The X1 Pro’s portable, innovative design and punchy picture are not to be dismissed. But the high price tag and lacklustre audio mean that it seems more sensible to invest in a separate projector and sound system to get the best performance from both.

MORE:

Here’s our full review of the Nebula X1 Pro

Check out the best projectors

These are the best portable projectors

Remarkably, the new era of F1 is yet to experience a wet session – but that may well change at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps today. Pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli is sharing the front row of the grid with Max Verstappen, while George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton round out the front five.

Belgian Grand Prix 2026 free stream

Austria: Servus TV (FREE)
Luxembourg: RTL Play (FREE)
Belgium: RTBF Auvio (FREE)
Blocked? Watch your Belgian GP stream with a VPN

Belgian Grand Prix 2026 Schedule

(All times BST)

Sunday, 19th July
2pm – Belgian Grand Prix

Belgian Grand Prix 2026 Preview

Despite going third-fastest in Qualifying, Lando Norris is set to start from the 13th slot on the grid, having been hit with a 10-place penalty for for exceeding the permitted number of engine parts.

A chaotic couple of days have seen Antonelli top two of the three Practice sessions, Verstappen topping the timesheets in the other, and Hamilton, Verstappen and Pierre Gasly all suffer heavy crashes.

Cue a potential shower. Spa's sprawling layout means that when the rain hits, it only tends to cover a small section of the track, leaving drivers with a tyre dilemma that's been at the heart of many a chaotic Belgian Grand Prix over the years.

When Mercedes won each of the first six races of the season, few would have imagined that everything could unravel so quickly. In the space of three races, Antonelli's lead has withered away, from 66 to just 25 points. Russell may be his closest challenger, but Hamilton is only seven points behind him.

Reliability issues have now ruined two of Antonelli's races and one of Russell's, and the problem has reared its head at an especially inopportune time for Mercedes. That's because Ferrari appears to have now addressed the pace issues that plagued them early doors. Sure enough, Russell complained about straight-line issues yesterday.

Hamilton has five podiums and a victory, while Charles Leclerc is coming off his first win of the season at Silverstone, to go along with two other podium finishes. Unless the Silver Arrows are able to sort the car out quickly, they're going to continue losing momentum to the Scuderia.

Incidentally, Leclerc and Hamilton scored 21 points to Russell and Antonelli's 10 points at Spa a year ago. Leclerc made the podium, while Antonelli finished out of the points altogether.

Below we'll show you how to watch Belgian Grand Prix live streams from anywhere in the world.

Watch Belgian Grand Prix 2026 live from anywhere

Most F1 live streams are location-sensitive, which means you won't be able to access your preferred coverage when travelling abroad. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a straightforward but powerful app that lets you alter your virtual location and thus unblock any Belgian GP stream – including the free coverage in Austria, Luxembourg and Belgium.

NordVPN is our pick of the best VPN services. It's affordable, fast, stable and easy to use. Try it risk-free for 30 days and see for yourself.

How to use a VPN for any Belgian GP live stream

1. Sign up to the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For the F1, you may wish to choose Austria for Servus TV.

3. Head over to Servus TV on your browser or device and enjoy the free Belgian Grand Prix live stream.

How to watch Belgian Grand Prix 2026 in 4K Ultra HD in the UK

In the UK, you can watch the Belgian Grand Prix, along with every F1 race, in 4K via Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream packs. You'll need to subscribe to an Ultra HD package and have a 4K TV.

Head over to the Sky Sports F1 Ultra HD channel to watch every race, qualifying and practice in 4K and HDR.

Need Sky? Browse today's best Sky TV deals.

F1 season pass

F1 TV Pro includes live HD coverage of every F1 practice, qualifier and race. No ad breaks.

F1 TV Pro is available in over 188 countries – but not the UK (you can use the basic 'Access' version for live timings but you can't watch any races live). F1 TV Premium is available in the US.

F1 TV Pro is available via the F1 TV website, iOS/Android apps, Roku TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Google TV and other mobile devices.

Latest F1 TV Pro prices:

• F1 TV Pro in India – $3.99/month (cheapest)
• F1 TV Pro in South Africa – $4.99/month
• F1 TV Pro in Brazil – $5.99/month
• F1 TV Pro in Netherlands – €11.90/month
• F1 TV Pro in USA – $10.99/month
• F1 TV Pro in Mexico – $129/month

Watch Belgian Grand Prix 2026 live streams in the USA

In the USA, Apple TV is showing the Belgian Grand Prix – and practice sessions are free-to-air all season.

A subscription costs $12.99 per month after a 7-day FREE trial, though better deals are available to Apple customers.

Buying an eligible Apple device, including select iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac models, gets you free Apple TV access for three months.

Apple One, which bundles Apple TV with Apple Music, Apple Arcade and 50GB of iCloud Storage, starts at $19.95 per month after a 1-month free trial.

Alternatively, for a limited time the Apple Music Student Subscription includes Apple TV, and costs $6 per month.

Watch Belgian Grand Prix 2026 live streams in Australia

Fox Sports has the rights to show every live F1 race in Australia. That means Foxtel and Kayo Sports subscribers get a front-row seat to the Belgian GP too.

Kayo offers new customers a FREE 7-day trial to test the waters, after which it starts at AU$29.99 a month for the base Standard tier. For up to 4K video quality and simultaneous streaming on up to two devices, you'll need the Kayo Premium plan for AU$45.99 a month.

Subscribers can also stream the action via Foxtel Now by adding the Sports package ($30 a month).

10Play shows free highlights of every 2026 F1 race.

Belgian Grand Prix 2026: Start Times Around The World

• Feast your eyes on the best TVs
• Splash the cash on our cheap TV deals
• Our pick of the best streaming services

VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example:a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad.Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.

Ever felt that you’d like a direct link to the mind of a What Hi-Fi? writer? Well now you can get just that, by joining us on Substack!

Okay, so perhaps we’re not talking about a ‘direct link’ to our minds, but my inimitable colleague Kashfia Kabir and I have launched What Hi-Fi?’s Substack as a way for us to discuss the things that are on our minds, give you more of an idea of our thoughts on specific products and topics, and deliver insights into our processes.

So far, we have written about the unlikely new hero of OLED tech, what it’s really like covering a hi-fi trade show, why we review as a team, and why, of all the amazing products we get to test, a dinky DAC is the one Kash is most excited about.

To be clear, these are articles that you won’t find anywhere else – even on whathifi.com.

But what is Substack? Great question.

Substack is essentially a very cool blogging platform where writers such as us can deliver articles directly to their readers. Subscribe to us on Substack, and you can receive our weekly articles as emails in your inbox.

It’s free to sign up, and we send our articles on a Saturday morning, giving you a lovely extra dose of What Hi-Fi? to enjoy over a weekend cup of tea and some buttery toast.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, head over to the What Hi-Fi? Substack, or simply whack your email address into the box below. Easy-peasy.

And if you have a burning question about how we work, or a topic you’d love to get our thoughts on in a future Substack article, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

Sennheiser has been enjoying a good few months.

The HDB 630 made its debut in late 2025 to acclaim from our reviews team, who dubbed them some of the best wireless headphones they had heard at this premium level. A few months later, the Momentum 5 Wireless landed and, at their slightly lower price, matched their bigger brothers in earning the full five-star haul.

Great news for Sennheiser, then. But, with both premium wireless headphones accumulating significant plaudits, which do you go for? To make the decision easier, we have broken down each pair’s strengths and limitations across a range of parameters so that you can be sure you’re getting the Sennheisers that suit your needs.

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless vs Sennheiser HDB 630: price

These are both premium wireless headphones, so you’re not going to be able to pick up a pair for the same price as your morning coffee order. Well, unless you happen to frequent a very boujee coffee shop.

At £330 / $400 / AU4749, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless are the cheaper of the two, with a price that undercuts that of many of the established cans at this level.

At £400 / $500 / AU$1000, the HDB 630 are slap bang in the middle of what we’d call classic premium territory – not overpriced, but certainly par for the course in the world of flagship wireless over-ears.

Still, they are undeniably more expensive than their younger siblings, so it’s the Momentum 5 Wireless winning this one.

**Winner: Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless**

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless vs Sennheiser HDB 630: design and comfort

Sennheiser tends to have a pretty distinct design language, one that’s very much on display with both of these premium pairs.

The large oval earcups of the Momentum 5 Wireless and HDB 630 will be familiar to anyone who has seen a pair of recent wireless Sennheiser over-ears. Little touches, though, such as the attractive fabric exterior, do make the Momentum 5 actually seem a little more premium than the rather plain HDB 630.

The Momentum 5 Wireless are also a little smaller and lighter than their bigger brothers, weighing in at 290g compared with the 311g of the HDB 630. Much of that weight is housed in the HDB 630s’ earcups, which are chunkier and sport a deeper profile than those of the fifth-gen Momentums.

Comfort isn’t a problem on either pair, though. The Momentum 5 Wireless do cause some mild on-ear heating past the hour mark (many premium headphones of this type do), but we rarely experience that dull aching that you might suffer from with rivals sporting heavier weight or higher clamping pressure.

They are secure and stable, too. Even when we’re walking pretty briskly with the Momentum 5 Wireless clamped over our head, there’s little on-ear rocking or instability thanks to the headphones’ well-judged clamping force.

In fairness to the larger HDB 630, they are hardly a chore to wear either. Yes, they’re heavier overall, but the more costly cans do have slightly plusher ear padding, as well as a nicely cushioned headband, making for a comfortable, amply sealed listen.

Both pairs use touch controls rather than a predominantly button-based system, and we struggle to find any complaints with how they are implemented. We like that every touch action is acknowledged with a sound, that controls can be switched off via the app, and that our commands are responded to promptly whenever we tap or swipe on the right earcup.

It’s a tricky one. The Momentum 5 Wireless are lighter and more appealing to look at, but the HDB 630 do win back marks thanks to their slightly more luxurious earpads and headband. A tie seems like a fair result.

**Winner: Draw**

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless vs Sennheiser HDB 630: features

Let’s start with the basics.

Sennheiser has gone big on battery life both both its premium players, with the Momentum 5 Wireless squeezing out 57 hours when active noise cancelling (ANC) is switched on and the HDB 630 just pipping them to the post with 60 hours under the same conditions.

On both, Multipoint Bluetooth is available for connecting to two devices simultaneously.

If you want spatial audio with the Momentum 5 Wireless, Dolby Atmos is on the menu when listening to supported Atmos content, with head tracking to be added via an upcoming firmware update. Be aware, conversely, that the HDB 630 don’t support spatial audio.

Dolby Atmos can be toggled on and off via the Sennheiser SmartPlus app, a platform which we find ourselves really admiring the more we use it. It’s clean and orderly, and we like the levels of customisation on offer, such as the eight-band custom equaliser and a slider for dialling up and down the strength of the ANC.

For the Momentum 5 Wireless, Bluetooth codec support is impressive, with support for the routine SBC and AAC codecs alongside higher-quality aptX HD, aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive flavours. The cans currently use Bluetooth 5.4, but an incoming firmware update later in 2026 will push this to 6.0 and include LE Audio.

With the HDB 630, codec support comes down to the inclusion of the headphones’ included Bluetooth dongle. The HDB 630 bundle in a BTD 700 USB-C dongle that you simply plug into your smartphone device’s USB-C port to give it up to aptX Adaptive superpowers, even if the source device natively doesn't support a higher-resolution codec.

That means you can stream in aptX Adaptive quality from the usually-AAC-only iPhone, for example. You can check the quality of the signal path in the Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app’s settings, and you’ll want to ensure the ‘Audio mode priority’ is set to ‘Hi-Res 24bit/96kHz’.

You don't get Dolby Atmos with the HDB 630, but there is a ‘Crossfeed’ feature to blend left and right channels for what Sennheiser calls a “more natural sound” with certain recordings. A bass-boost button, which does exactly what you think it does, is available for both.

A close one again, with solid showings across the board. But we feel that the dongle, plus a slightly better battery life, tip things over into the HDB 630s’ favour.

**Winner: Sennheiser HDB 630**

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless vs Sennheiser HDB 630: ANC and call quality

Noise cancelling is acceptable on both the Sennheiser HDB 630 and the Momentum 5 Wireless. It won’t be troubling the likes of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) or the Sony WH-1000XM6 class leaders, but each outshines the rather weaker efforts of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3.

In fact, there isn’t a huge amount to choose between the two Sennheisers. Each pair is capable of dealing with the basic humming of an air-conditioning unit during a hot day in May, all but blocking out that droning sound so that it doesn’t intrude upon our listening in any meaningful way.

Traffic noises prove a little trickier, but again, there isn’t a huge difference between the two. We feel that the HDB 630 offer a little more passive isolation due to their larger, plusher earpads, but standing next to a busy road sees both pairs dampening, not eliminating, the swooshing of cars as they pass by.

Low-frequency rumbles are perceptibly reduced, but again, they don’t disappear entirely, while high-end sound such as tweeting birds will often pass through.

Call quality is excellent no matter your choice. We take the Momentum 5 Wireless out for a chat on a blustery day, and our headphones effectively reduce intrusive wind and traffic noise while making human speech sound clear and natural.

The HDB 630 do a similarly fine job, and once again, voices come across as articulate and human rather than mechanical or robotic. Isolation is decent, too, so no need to worry about having to shout to be heard over surrounding noises.

**Winner: Draw**

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless vs Sennheiser HDB 630: sound quality

If you like rich, smooth-sounding headphones that dig out plenty of detail and strike a fine balance precision and authority, the Momentum 5 Wireless could well be for you.

As we wrote in our review, the fifth-gen Sennheiser over-ears are “rich, smooth yet strikingly precise and detailed headphones, with an audio signature that makes listening a refreshingly undemanding experience. Sugar’s If I Can’t Change Your Mind can sound overly urgent or shrill... but the Momentum 5 Wireless have the poise and maturity to bring order to... chaos.”

If you’re after headphones that shine a sweet spotlight on your music’s midrange, the Momentum 5 Wireless demand an audition. The bass is full and a little on the rich side, but that poised midrange is a real highlight, offering a naturalness and insight that gives even more premium alternatives a run for their money.

Their qualities are further amplified when we use a wired connection, especially if you’re listening via USB-C for handling files up to 24-bit/96kHz. A wired connection lends further fullness and depth to instruments, while that outstanding midrange sounds sweeter and even more starkly defined.

In truth, the Momentum 5 Wireless never fatigue nor frustrate, instead letting music unfold naturally and precisely no matter the genre.

As you would perhaps hope, the step-up HDB 630 do take things up a notch. They’re a chunk more costly, but you’ll be rewarded handsomely by the sonic dividends that extra outlay grants.

In fact, these might well be the best-sounding premium headphones currently available – and that’s even before that clever Bluetooth dongle is in play.

Here, precision and analysis go hand in hand with drive and vigour, making for the most informative and entertaining sound we’ve heard from wireless headphones at this price, with or without the use of the dongle for higher-quality streams.

The HDB 630 are hugely natural and dare we say sophisticated-sounding wireless headphones, with a poise and precision that demands to be heard. As we wrote at the time, these Sennheiser premium cans are “wonderfully smooth and natural sounding headphones, full of shape and dynamism across the frequency range”.

Instrumental textures are replete with both depth and shape, and the HDB 630 are remarkably insightful at teasing out the emotional heart of our testing catalogue. Songs are conveyed with conviction and gusto, and the Sennheisers seamlessly switch emotional gears as they tackle our tunes with gusto and grace.

Yes, the Momentum 5 Wireless are detailed and well organised, but the HDB 630 really take things up a notch in practically all sonic departments. That becomes only truer when the dongle is called into action. And you’ll notice tangible gains in clarity and solidity when upgrading from, say, a standard AAC stream to full-fat aptX Adaptive.

However you listen, the HDB 630 are genuine benchmark-setters. The Momentum 5 Wireless are great, but the HDB 630 are ‘Great’ with a capital ‘G’.

** Winner: Sennheiser HDB 630 **

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless vs Sennheiser HDB 630: verdict

If you can’t stretch to the HDB 630, the Momentum 5 Wireless are the logical step-down choice. They still provide excellent sound quality and bring plenty of high-performance features to enjoy, all while saving you £80 / $100 in the process.

That’s not an inconsiderable amount of money, so we completely understand why money-savvy buyers would – indeed should – pick the Momentum 5 Wireless over their bigger brothers if costs are a factor.

If you’re happy to spend more, however, go for the Sennheiser HDB 630. They are essentially in a sonic class of one at the moment, outshining not only the Momentum 5 but practically anything else we can think of at their level.

If sound is your top priority, there’s no real excuse for not checking them out.

** Overall winner: Sennheiser HDB 630 **

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Skullcandy has released new premium wireless headphones, the Crusher 1080 ANC.

But rather than go it alone, the firm has enlisted the help of a powerful ally in a bid to get its latest cans competing with the best in the business.

That ally, in case you hadn't guessed already, is Bose.

The Crusher 1080 ANCs' extensive feature set is powered by 'Sound by Bose' technology, meaning the new headphones boast 'QuietControl' noise cancelling and 'TrueSpatial' sound design.

These let them deliver Bose's Immersive Audio, and 'SpeechClarity' features for, as you might have guessed, clearer voice calls.

You even get Bose-tuned EQ modes to more accurately tailor the sound to your specific preferences.

That's a lot of Bose-made tech, but what about how the Crusher 1080 ANC actually sound?

As you might have gathered from the name, the new over-ears promise "bass you can feel", complemented by "a rich, balanced sound" with plenty of "immersive detail", all aided by Bose's 'WaveForm' audio engine for improved signal processing.

The Crusher 1080 ANC boast a very impressive 60 hours of battery life with noise cancelling switched off, dropping to around 50 hours when ANC is in play, while a 'Rapid Charge' facility will grant four hours of battery life from a 10-minute boost.

Elsewhere, a decidedly premium feature set includes Google Fast Pairing, Multipoint Connectivity and Auracast audio sharing technology, as well as a low-latency audio mode for gaming and movies.

Outside of the Bose tech, the headphones also feature Skullcandy's patented 'Crusher Bass' technology, which allows you to use the Skullcandy app or a dedicated 'Crusher wheel' to dial up your lower-end reproduction and "create a physical bass sensation that adds impact and immersion to music, movies, and games".

The Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC are available now, priced at £220 / $280 / AU$400, in a choice of Brown, Pink, Grey or Black finishes.

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You can’t have a conversation about the best TVs without mentioning Sony. In fact, if you’re reading these words, it’s likely because you want to know all about Sony’s new 2026 TV range. If so, hello – you’re in the right place.

This year, Sony’s lineup isn't built around brighter OLED panels or another incremental Mini LED upgrade. Instead, Sony is introducing its first True RGB televisions – a new type of Mini LED TV that replaces traditional white backlighting with individually controlled red, green and blue LEDs.

The company believes that this allows it to reproduce colours more accurately, while also delivering dramatically higher brightness than today's OLED TVs can achieve.

The exciting new display tech headlines the new Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II, but they're far from the only new TVs in Sony's range. More affordable Bravia 3 II and Bravia 2 II models also join the lineup (with some country-specific caveats), while several existing OLED and LED models continue alongside them.

The Sony tech headlines for 2026

Before we dive into the 2026 Sony TV models proper, here are the headlines across the range:

Embracing the RGB Mini LED revolution

For years, OLED has been regarded as the pinnacle of TV picture quality, but 2026 is shaping up to be the year RGB Mini LED goes mainstream.

Sony joins rivals including Samsung, Hisense, LG, Philips, and TCL in adopting the tech, though the company refers to its implementation as True RGB.

Instead of using conventional white or blue Mini LEDs behind a coloured panel, Sony's new system uses independently controlled red, green and blue LEDs.

The result, in theory at least, is a TV capable of producing richer colours at much higher brightness levels, while also improving colour accuracy and reducing some of the compromises traditionally associated with LCD panels.

Sony is chasing studio monitor picture quality

Sony has long claimed its TVs are designed to reproduce films and TV shows as their creators intended, and that philosophy remains central to its latest 2026 TV range.

The Bravia 9 II, for example, has been developed with Sony's professional BVM-HX3110 mastering monitor firmly in mind, with the company claiming its new True RGB technology delivers colours and brightness that more closely match the displays used by filmmakers during production.

During our early hands-on testing, our TV and AV Editor Tom Parsons found the Bravia 9 II tracked the mastering monitor remarkably closely in many scenes, particularly when it came to colour accuracy and HDR highlights. It’s worth noting that he also stated that OLED still retained certain advantages in perceived depth and overall image solidity.

Super-sized screens

Sony has also expanded its range of truly enormous TVs, with the flagship Bravia 9 II now stretching all the way up to a massive 115 inches, while the Bravia 7 II introduces a new 98-inch option.

Even the more affordable Bravia 3 II gains a 100-inch version for the first time, giving buyers who want a cinema-sized screen more options than ever before without necessarily stepping up to Sony's flagship models.

Sony has finally added four HDMI 2.1 sockets – but only on one TV

After years of criticism, Sony has finally introduced a TV with four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports. The rather bonkers catch? It's the Bravia 3 II, rather than one of the premium True RGB models.

That's right; both the flagship Bravia 9 II and step-down Bravia 7 II continue to offer just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, one of which doubles as the eARC connection for a soundbar or AV receiver.

Frankly, this seems an odd decision. Buyers investing in premium home cinema systems might not all be gamers, but certainly a sizeable chunk of them are. And even if they aren’t, it seems odd to have a superior connectivity feature on a model lower in the lineup. Right?

Welcome additions

While True RGB understandably grabs most of the attention, Sony has refreshed much of the wider user experience, too.

Across the new range, you'll find a redesigned remote control with automatic backlighting, USB-C charging and a construction that uses 80 per cent recycled plastic.

Sony has also introduced a new My Cinema interface that makes picture and sound settings easier to personalise, while Direct Connect allows compatible Sony rear speakers and subwoofers to connect wirelessly to supported TVs without the need for a soundbar.

Elsewhere, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Sony Pictures Core, Google TV and Wi-Fi 6 all remain key parts of the experience across much of the lineup.

Sony 2026 TV range breakdown

So, we've covered the key highlights, but what about the individual models themselves?

Fear not, for it's all broken down below – leading with the newest models, before covering all of Sony's existing TVs that are sticking around for 2026.

Sony Bravia 9 II

The Bravia 9 II replaces the original Bravia 9 as Sony's flagship TV, and also marks the company's first commercial RGB Mini LED (or 'True RGB') TV.

Available in 65-, 75-, 85- and colossal 115-inch sizes, it's designed to bring professional mastering-monitor levels of brightness and colour accuracy into the home.

Unlike conventional Mini LED TVs, which use blue or white LEDs behind an LCD layer, the Bravia 9 II uses independently controlled red, green and blue LEDs.

Sony claims that this setup delivers twice the colour volume of the original Bravia 9 and four times that of the Bravia 8 II OLED.

Elsewhere, gamers may be less enthusiastic. Despite being Sony's flagship TV for 2026, the Bravia 9 II still includes only two HDMI 2.1 sockets supporting 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM. It's an increasingly frustrating limitation when many rivals (including Sony’s own Bravia 3 II) now offer four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports.

Audio is another focus area, with Sony's 2.2.2-channel Acoustic Multi-Audio+ system including upward-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

That all sounds very exciting indeed, but we have now reviewed the Bravia 9 II, and while it's exceptionally accomplished for a backlit TV, it struggles somewhat to justify itself against the very best OLEDs, most notably Sony's own Bravia 8 II.

Read our Sony Bravia 9 II review

Sony Bravia 9 II specs:

• Sizes: 65, 75, 85 and 115 inches
• Display type: True RGB Mini LED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: 2.2.2-channel (80W Acoustic Multi-Audio+)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 9 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 9 II 65-inch: £3499 / $3600 / AU$5999
• Sony Bravia 9 II 75-inch: £4299 / $4600 / AU$7499
• Sony Bravia 9 II 85-inch: £5499 / $6500 / AU$9999
• Sony Bravia 9 II 115-inch: £22,999 / $31,000 / AU$44,999

Sony Bravia 7 II

The Bravia 9 II may grab most of the headlines, but the Bravia 7 II could end up being the more important TV for most people.

Like its flagship sibling, it adopts Sony's new True RGB backlighting technology, bringing the same fundamental advantages of wider colour reproduction and higher brightness to a considerably lower price point. It also comes in a much broader range of sizes, stretching from 50 inches all the way up to a huge 98-inch version.

Naturally, there are compromises.

Sony positions the Bravia 7 II below the Bravia 9 II by reducing the number of local dimming zones, lowering peak brightness and fitting a simpler 2.2-channel Acoustic Multi-Audio speaker system that omits the flagship's upward-firing Atmos drivers.

The gaming front is also unchanged. Like the 9 II, the Bravia 7 II still relies on Sony's Pentonic 1000 platform, meaning buyers again have just two HDMI 2.1 ports despite support for features such as 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM.

On paper, the Bravia 7 II looks like a very tempting performance-per-pound proposition, but like the Bravia 9 II, we feel most buyers will be better served by a similarly priced OLED.

Read our Sony Bravia 7 II review

Sony Bravia 7 II specs:

• Sizes: 50, 55, 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches
• Display type: True RGB Mini LED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: 2.2-channel (40W Acoustic Multi-Audio)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 7 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 7 II 50-inch: £1899 / $1600 / AU$2299
• Sony Bravia 7 II 55-inch: £1999 / $2100 / AU$2499
• Sony Bravia 7 II 65-inch: £2299 / $2600 / AU$3299
• Sony Bravia 7 II 75-inch: £2999 / $3100 / AU$4499
• Sony Bravia 7 II 85-inch: £3999 / $4000 / AU$5999
• Sony Bravia 7 II 98-inch: £6999 / $9000 / AU$12999

Sony Bravia 3 II

Not everyone needs a flagship TV, and Sony clearly hasn't forgotten that.

The Bravia 3 II sits much further down the company's 2026 range, swapping the cutting-edge True RGB backlight found in the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II for a more conventional LED panel.

That naturally means it won't deliver the same dazzling brightness, colour volume or local dimming performance as its premium siblings, but it still benefits from many of Sony's broader software and smart TV improvements.

Google TV remains at the heart of the experience, providing access to all of the major streaming services alongside built-in Google Cast support, voice control and Sony's familiar smart TV interface.

One particularly notable addition for 2026 is the availability of a huge 100-inch version – the first time Sony has offered the Bravia 3 range in such a large screen size. That could make it an appealing option for buyers wanting an enormous display without paying flagship prices.

As mentioned a few times already (you’ve probably guessed by now that there are a few gamers in the What Hi-Fi? office), the Bravia 3 II actually outdoes its more expensive siblings in one important area – it offers four HDMI 2.1 ports. For users with multiple current-generation consoles, gaming PCs and soundbars, that could prove more than a little useful.

Of course, you shouldn't interpret that as meaning the Bravia 3 II is somehow a better gaming TV than the flagship models overall. Picture quality remains the priority higher up the range, and the lack of Mini LED or True RGB technology means HDR performance won't be in the same league.

But if connectivity is high on your wishlist, it's an unusual advantage that shouldn't be overlooked.

Rather bizarrely, though, the Bravia 3 II is not currently scheduled for launch in the UK.

Sony Bravia 3 II specs:

• Sizes: 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100 inches
• Display type: Direct LED LCD
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: 2.0-channel (X-Balanced Speaker)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x4)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 3 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 3 II 43-inch: £n/a / $600 / AU$1299
• Sony Bravia 3 II 50-inch: £n/a / $700 / AU$1399
• Sony Bravia 3 II 55-inch: £n/a / $800 / AU$1499
• Sony Bravia 3 II 65-inch: £n/a / $900 / AU$1899
• Sony Bravia 3 II 75-inch: £n/a / $1200 / AU$2399
• Sony Bravia 3 II 85-inch: £n/a / $1600 / AU$3499
• Sony Bravia 3 II 100-inch: £n/a / $3100 / AU$5499

Sony Bravia 2 II

The Bravia 2 II completes Sony's 2026 range as its most affordable new television.

Like the Bravia 3 II, it uses a conventional LED backlight rather than Mini LED, making it the entry point into Sony's latest lineup. Buyers still get Google TV, built-in Google Cast, access to all the major streaming platforms and Sony's familiar smart TV experience, but the focus here is very much on value rather than cutting-edge picture technology.

Available in a wide range of sizes from compact 43-inch models up to larger living room-friendly options, the Bravia 2 II is aimed at people who simply want a dependable Sony TV without paying for premium display hardware they'll rarely use. It's likely to prove particularly attractive for bedrooms, guest rooms and more budget-conscious buyers who still appreciate Sony's picture processing and straightforward interface.

While it will naturally lack the spectacular brightness and colour performance of the True RGB models, Sony hasn't stripped away the essentials. Google TV, voice control and support for today's most popular streaming services remain intact, making it an accessible entry point into the Bravia family.

Sony Bravia 2 II specs:

• Sizes: 43, 50, 55, 65 and 75 inches
• Display type: Direct LED LCD
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: X1 Processor
• Sound: 2.0-channel
• HDMI 2.1: No (HDMI 2.0b x3)
• Gaming features: ALLM

Sony Bravia 2 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 2 II 43-inch: £629 / $400 / AU$1099
• Sony Bravia 2 II 50-inch: £749 / $500 / AU$1199
• Sony Bravia 2 II 55-inch: £899 / $600 / AU$1299
• Sony Bravia 2 II 65-inch: £1199 / $700 / AU$1699
• Sony Bravia 2 II 75-inch: £1399 / $900 / AU$2199

Older Sony TVs continuing in the lineup

Sony's 2026 range isn't made up entirely of new models. Alongside the latest Bravia launches, Sony is continuing to sell several existing OLED and Mini LED models.

Sony Bravia 8 II

While the Bravia 9 II is Sony's flagship LCD TV, the Bravia 8 II sits at the top of the company's OLED range. Despite its name, it isn't a replacement for the Bravia 8. Instead, it succeeds the A95L, with the Bravia 8 continuing lower down the lineup.

It uses Sony's latest QD-OLED panel, paired with the XR Processor and Acoustic Surface Audio+ sound system. Like the Bravia 9 II, gaming support includes 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, though there are still only two HDMI 2.1 sockets.

If you're deciding between Sony's two flagship TV technologies, the choice is fairly straightforward. The Bravia 9 II prioritises brightness and very large screen sizes, while the Bravia 8 II focuses on OLED's pixel-level contrast, and perfect blacks.

Read our Sony Bravia 8 II review

Sony Bravia 8 II specs:

• Sizes: 55 and 65 inches
• Display type: QD-OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 8 II prices:

• Sony Bravia 8 II 55-inch: £1799 / $3300 / AU$3999
• Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch: £2299 / $2600 / AU$3299

Sony Bravia 8

The Bravia 8 remains one of Sony's core OLED TVs and continues in the lineup alongside the newer Bravia 8 II. Originally launched as the successor to the award-winning A80L, it combines a 4K WOLED panel with Sony's XR Processor and Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology.

Like the Bravia 8 II, it supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM, though only two HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.1.

Available in 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch sizes, it continues to offer a premium OLED option for buyers who don't need Sony's flagship QD-OLED model.

Read our Sony Bravia 8 review

Sony Bravia 8 specs:

• Sizes: 55, 65 and 77 inches
• Display type: OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 8 prices:

• Sony Bravia 8 55-inch: £1399 / $1600 / AU$2499
• Sony Bravia 8 65-inch: £1799 / $2000 / AU$2999
• Sony Bravia 8 77-inch: £2699 / $3000 / AU$4499

Sony Bravia 8A

The Bravia 8A is a variant of the Bravia 8, rather than an all-new TV. Sony says that it delivers identical picture and sound performance, with the only differences being a non-backlit remote control and fewer Sony Pictures Core streaming credits.

Available in the same three sizes as the Bravia 8, the Bravia 8A gives buyers another option if pricing differs between the two models. If it's noticeably cheaper, it could prove the better buy, given that Sony says performance is otherwise unchanged.

Sony Bravia 8A specs:

• Sizes: 55, 65 and 77 inches
• Display type: OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 8A prices:

• Sony Bravia 8A 55-inch: £1199 / $N/A / AU$N/A
• Sony Bravia 8A 65-inch: £1499 / $N/A / AU$N/A
• Sony Bravia 8A 77-inch: £2399 / $N/A / AU$N/A

Sony Bravia 5

The Bravia 5 continues as Sony's most affordable Mini LED TV, offering a step up from conventional LED sets without the price of the company's flagship models.

Combining Mini LED backlighting with Sony's XR Processor, it brings many of the company's premium picture-processing features to a wider audience.

Available in sizes from 55 inches up to a huge 98 inches, the Bravia 5 also supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM. As with many Sony TVs, only two HDMI inputs support the full HDMI 2.1 specification.

If you're looking for a Sony Mini LED TV without stretching to one of the company's flagship models, the Bravia 5 remains a compelling option.

Read our Sony Bravia 5 review

Sony Bravia 5 specs:

• Sizes: 55, 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches
• Display type: Mini LED LCD
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Multi-Audio (40W)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 5 prices:

• Sony Bravia 5 55-inch: £1099 / $1400 / AU$1699
• Sony Bravia 5 65-inch: £1299 / $1500 / AU$1999
• Sony Bravia 5 75-inch: £1599 / $2000 / AU$2499
• Sony Bravia 5 85-inch: £1999 / $2400 / AU$2999
• Sony Bravia 5 98-inch: £4499 / $5000 / AU$5999

Sony A90K

The A90K remains Sony's premium small-screen OLED, offering buyers a high-end option in 42-inch and 48-inch sizes. Powered by the Cognitive Processor XR, it combines a 4K OLED panel with Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ sound system and Google TV.

Gaming features include 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, with two HDMI 2.1 inputs available. While Sony's newer OLEDs deliver improvements in brightness and overall performance, the A90K remains a premium OLED choice for anyone who wants a more compact TV.

Sony Bravia A90K specs:

• Sizes: 42 and 48 inches
• Display type: OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: Cognitive Processor XR
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia A90K prices:

• Sony A90K 42-inch: £1399 / $1300 / AU$n/a
• Sony A90K 48-inch: £1499 / $1400 / AU$n/a

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We Are Rewind has announced its latest collaboration, which sees the cassette revival champion join forces with Pink Floyd to release a limited edition Dark Side of the Moon box set.

Alongside a Dark Side of the Moon-themed WE-001 cassette player, the set includes an exclusive limited-edition, high-quality cassette of the album’s 50th anniversary remaster.

Retro though this all sounds, cassette sales were up by 53 per cent year-on-year in the UK in 2025, as the physical sales charts saw Gen Z re-engaging with physical media.

But this cassette player is no trip down memory lane, with an aluminium casing and metal buttons for forward and rewind controls, as well as an overall modern aesthetic. Mind you, for those hoping to embrace the old-fashioned look, We Are Rewind also sells a belt clip for £24 / $32.

With Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity for wireless listening, a 3.5mm headphone output, line-in recording capability and a built-in rechargeable battery with up to 12 hours of playback, We Are Rewind says this release builds on the success of its WE-001 cassette player.

Notably, with this model, the company claims it has upgraded the cassette player’s frequency response, quoting the current range as 30-14,500 Hz ± 3 dB.

According to Romain Boudruche, founder and CEO of We Are Rewind: "To call The Dark Side of the Moon a classic album is an understatement [...] We're happy that We Are Rewind can play a part in helping preserve the physical album experience."

The limited edition The Dark Side of the Moon WE-001 box set is now available for £159 / $199.

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Last year, we gave Monitor Audio’s Bronze 50 7G standmounter speakers a five-star review, singing their praises for clear sound and punchy presentation. Consequently, when the floorstanding speakers from the same range, the Bronze 300 7G, arrived at our testing facility, we found ourselves waiting with bated breath to see if they could carry the Bronze 50’s flame.

Priced at £1000 / $1400 / AUS$2199, these floorstanders situate themselves at the top end of an increasingly competitive price bracket. Rivals include the Award-winning Fyne Audio F501E, which deliver punchy bass and cohesive presentation, and the recently five-star-rated Dali Sonik 5 that impressed us with expressive dynamics from a compact size.

Through experience, we know that a competitive market can sometimes lead to exciting progress in audio. “Iron sharpens iron,” as the famous proverb goes. But the real question is, will these Monitor Audio Bronze 300 7G speakers manage to rise to the challenge?

Build & design

The Bronze 300 7G are large speakers, standing at 100.5 x 26.9 x 39.2cm. But thanks to their tasteful design, they look sleek and sit comfortably in our listening room, avoiding the dominant appearance of similarly sized rivals, such as the Fyne F501E.

The MDF cabinets are wrapped in a satin vinyl finish that is available in three colours: black, white and walnut. Our black test pair have a pleasingly well-constructed feel, and their real wood front ply panels contribute to an overall sense of solidity and understated style.

Care is taken with the internal bracing, which is strategically placed between the drivers and the back of the enclosures to improve structural rigidity.

The speakers also feature Monitor Audio’s proprietary rear-firing HiVe II ports, positioned at the top and bottom of each cabinet, which are lined with grooves to reduce port turbulence, preventing chuffing sounds.

Spikes can be screwed into the speakers’ robust metal feet, and height can be adjusted by spinning the circular rubber pads that the spikes screw into. Assembling these parts is simple, and we find that they hold firm throughout testing.

The Bronze 300 7G floorstanders are a two-and-a-half-way design, and see the lower driver solely dedicated to handling bass in order to augment the low frequency output of the midrange driver above it.

The bass and midrange drivers are both 15cm in diameter, while the higher frequencies are looked after by one of the company’s trademark 25mm gold dome tweeters. All of the driver diaphragms are made from the company’s C-CAM (ceramic-coated aluminium magnesium) material, which it claims is lightweight and rigid.

The drivers are linked through a bi-wired crossover, and the resultant sensitivity is 88dB/w/m, with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms – fairly typical figures for a pair of floorstanders of this type.

The minimum impedance of 4.4 ohms suggests these speakers will work best with a beefier amplifier, which is typical for floorstanders of this type.

Compatibility

When it comes to positioning, these floorstanding speakers are more or less par for the course.

Monitor Audio recommends placing the Bronze 300 7G in an isosceles triangle arrangement, with a gap of 20-36cm from the rear wall, which is closer to the wall than many of their rivals suggest.

But, in our 3 x 4 x 7m (hwd) test room, given a solid rear wall, we find these floorstanders sound better positioned approximately 80cm away from the wall, and angled in towards the listening position. This placement achieves our preferred tonal balance, gives an expansive stereo image and avoids a dominant, ponderous low end.

When it comes to partnering electronics, we find the Bronze 300 7G work better with the smoother, more relaxed Arcam A15+ stereo amplifier than they do with the somewhat more front-footed Naim Nait XS 3 integrated. In the case of the latter, the speakers edge towards a slightly relentless presentation.

Sound

Monitor Audio suggests giving the Bronze 300 7G a minimum of 50 hours to settle, and, indeed, we find that their sound improves drastically after a few days of playing, shifting from a somewhat clinical and lean sound to a more pleasantly balanced, texturally detailed presentation.

Listening to The Bill Evans Trio’s rendition of My Foolish Heart, cymbals sit atop the mix for a sparkling, well-proportioned shine, while the brushed snare swells from beat to beat with satisfying texture.

Separation is the Bronze 300 7G's forte, and across our music library, the speakers reveal individual instrumental parts with striking clarity. Listening to the Minnesota Orchestra’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s I. Non allegro, instrumental tones arrive defined and crystal clear. Even in dense orchestral arrangements, we have little trouble picking out individual parts.

These are a responsive pair of speakers, too, and they don’t miss a beat when it comes to transients. Throughout Leonard Cohen’s Steer Your Way, the plucked acoustic guitar is presented with a crispness that leaves us feeling as though we are sitting right in front of the guitarist’s fingers.

Although their low frequency performance is leaner than certain rivals, we enjoy the speakers’ agile bass handling, which allows their natural midrange to shine. Vocal lines take centre stage, and Cohen’s lyrics arrive with all the depth and melancholic passion we expect from the godfather of gloom, without blurring or exaggeration.

In the treble frequencies, these speakers bring recordings to life with a vivaciousness that keeps us on our toes, without becoming shrill or domineering. If poorly partnered, they can veer towards a fatiguing sound, but careful system matching will avoid this, highlighting their many strengths.

One of those strengths is the Bronze 300 7G’s stereo imaging, which we find to be layered and stable. While listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s Song For Kathy, we are confronted by a striking sense of focus, as if Paul Simon were sitting between the two speakers in our test room.

As we move around the room, we are pleased to find that the image remains distinct, within the expected constraints of a conventional driver array, which suggests that these speakers have well-controlled dispersion characteristics and good integration between the drivers.

Tonally, these Bronze 300 7G are balanced, with nothing unpleasantly standing out, but we feel they are somewhat lacking in natural warmth. During Song For Kathy, we would have preferred some more richness in the lower notes of the delicate acoustic guitar.

Across the genres we play during testing – from Rachmaninoff to D’Angelo’s Spanish Joint – we are in no doubt as to the Bronze 300 7G's many strengths. They routinely turn in a capable performance that brims with insight.

However, we don’t think these speakers are necessarily the most entertaining listen available at this price, with rivals such as the Dali Sonik 5 delivering music with greater enthusiasm and rhythmic drive.

Verdict

The Monitor Audio Bronze 300 7G pair an aesthetically classy, well-constructed design with a sound that is balanced and impressively detailed, to provide an enjoyable listening experience that shines during dense arrangements. But the standards of the class are so high that even an accomplished pair of floorstanders such as this doesn’t quite make the top grade.

Review published: 16th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

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