Marantz is adding a series of brand-new receivers to its home cinema collection with "a range of ground-breaking advancements in sound quality and feature sets".

That consists of the Cinema 50 Series 2, Cinema 60 Series 2, Cinema 60 DAB Series 2 and Cinema 70s Series 2. The brand claims these models “introduce meaningful advancements in sound quality, connectivity, gaming compatibility and installation flexibility”.

Inside each model is a 32-bit, eight-channel DAC which, according to Marantz, delivers dedicated simultaneous high-resolution conversion across every channel.

The flagship Cinema 50 Series 2 has nine channels of amplification, and 11.4 channels of processing.

It also offers a Dolby Atmos Channel Expander feature, which uses all available speakers when playing channel-based Atmos content. If you struggle to hear dialogue clearly, the Cinema 50’s Centre Bi-Amp Mode offers a solution – you can add a compatible centre speaker alongside the standard front left and right speakers.

Marantz says the Cinema 60 DAB Series 2 and the Cinema 60 Series 2 “bring many of the platform’s latest innovations [...] to a wider audience" and, for those short on space, the Cinema 70s Series 2 offers a slimline design.

All three offer seven channels of amplification, but the Cinema 60 models deliver 100W of power per channel, whereas the Cinema 70s is limited to 50W.

You can choose to include Dirac Live Room Correction, though it will cost extra with all models except the flagship. The company says that gives the receivers “tighter bass” and a “significantly larger sweet spot”.

Marantz's HEOS multi-room streaming platform is also on offer, as well as Bluetooth. A future firmware update is on the cards to add low-latency Bluetooth LE Audio to “dramatically reduce wireless listening delay with compatible headphones and mobile devices”, according to the company.

There’s good news for gamers too. All the new models support 1440p video passthrough as well as AMD FreeSync compatibility, which should result in tear-free visuals and smooth gameplay when paired with a PC or gaming console. HDMI 2.1 support is also available, although there’s no word on the number of ports. The older Cinema 50 model sports six HDMI inputs and three HDMI outputs, so we’re hopeful the fresh flagship receiver will follow in its footsteps.

The majority of the models will be available in August, while the Cinema 70 Series 2 comes out in September. It's worth noting that the Cinema 60 Series 2 is available only in the US and Australia for $2000 / AU$2500, but the Cinema 60 DAB Series 2 is only on the cards for UK buyers at £1250.

The cheapest of the bunch is the Cinema 70s Series 2, coming in at £950 / $1500 / AU$1800.

Finally, the flagship receiver launches at £1850 / $3000 / AU$3500, pitting it against the five-star Arcam AVR5 which holds the crown as the top mid-range model in our best AV receivers guide. It will be tough to beat its agile and rhythmic sound, but Marantz's strong history and promising specifications could spell trouble for the current champion.

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Earlier this month, we asked you which movie soundtracks you use to test your sound system at home.

Plenty of you sent us your number one picks, from old favourites to new releases that have quickly climbed to the top of your list. There were a range of different genres and styles, with some making an appearance more than others.

And it will soon become apparent that there is one composer that crops up again and again…

Sci-fi is a winner

There was one genre that got more recommendations than any other, and that’s science fiction. It’s hardly a surprise given the opportunity for otherworldly soundtracks that are written to transport you to another world.

Reader Andrew Rollins sent in a double recommendation, and outlined two staples of the genre. That includes Dune: Part One, depicting the origins of Paul Atreides as the world around him falls into political ruin. Hans Zimmer delivers a mesmerising score that adds a unique, powerful feeling to each scene.

Using a combination of synthesisers, oriental timbres and choral voices, Zimmer creates a textured listening experience that is a joy to behold with the right equipment. The bass is often low and rumbling, which requires competent handling of the low end without sounding blobby or out of control. But it also challenges your system’s Dolby Atmos presentation. When Atreides is challenged by the Bene Geserit with the Pain Box, for instance, his visions of fire and whispered voices should swirl around the listener in a vortex of sound.

Andrew also suggested the Interstellar score, which we have used many a time in our test room. Good ol’ Zimmer is the composer of this famous soundtrack as well, offering an ethereal and atmospheric score that will leave you with goosebumps by the end. Switch on the track Cornfield Chase and your system’s handling of dynamics will be properly challenged.

Some timeless classics are on the roster

Sometimes, you can’t beat the golden oldies. Quite literally, as Goldfinger was suggested by user AndyC405. He notes that the original “with Shirley Bassey is a great test for any bright system”, and we can’t help but agree.

This entry to the James Bond canon begins with a series of high-pitched brass notes that can easily sound too shrill and harsh on the ears. It calls for a system that can portray both the subtlety of the soft aspects of the score, as well as the power of the invigorating crescendo without sounding disorganised and overwhelming.

Another classic film soundtrack to get a shoutout was Gladiator, thanks to Instagram follower Jacob Edwards. It’s another great display of Hans Zimmer’s composing talents, and the collaboration with Lisa Gerrard (also known for her work on Whale Rider and The Insider) adds to the score’s complexities.

There are too many moments to choose from in this adventure epic, with the delicacy of Earth and Now We Are Free offering a brilliant challenge to any sound system’s soft side.

But The Battle is by far the most exciting to listen to, and calls for precision and punch from your audio equipment to capture the tension of the scene. As the Romans square up for a clash against the Germanic tribes and the horses charge into battle, the strings attack every note with ferocity and the brass instruments add to the sense of pressure. It’s a great track to behold, and makes for gripping listening even on its own.

A What Hi-Fi? Team addition

Go on then, we’ll stick our oar in. One of our most popular soundtracks in the test room recently is Sinners, a vampire horror that will have you quaking in your boots. The film revolves around young protagonist Sammie's connection to music, and the power it gives him to summon spirits.

This makes it a brilliant disc to test your sound system. One scene we always turn to is when Sammie first calls spirits from the past, present and future by singing I Lied To You at the newly opened juke joint.

The beautifully emotive vocals from Miles Caton as Sammie sound natural and full of subtle inflections on the right system, and the crowd's murmurings should wrap around the listener. As the spirits join the party and dance in harmony, your system's sense of precision is tested as the camera swoops around the space in one long shot.

Listen on your own system

Want all of these recommendations and more in one place? There’s good news, because we have made a Spotify playlist so they are only a few clicks away.

Feel free to save it to your collection, or you can transfer them to your streaming platform of choice. Thanks to everyone for contributing to this month’s Ask The Reader, and we appreciate all of your entries even if they were not featured this time around.

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Home Cinema Week is almost at an end, and what a time it has been. From our review of the five-star AWOL Vision Aetherion Max projector to a behind-the-scenes look at our AV testing facility, it’s been a treat to dig into all things home cinema-related.

Our monthly Now Showing hasn’t gone anywhere, though, as we have still been beavering away in our test room to review the latest AV products. Each month, we take a look at the best movies and TV shows we have been using to test, as well as new releases that we cannot wait to use.

This can range from a film that puts your sound system’s Dolby Atmos presentation through its paces or challenges a projector screen’s black depth. Let’s take a look at the team’s top picks!

Ponies (2026-)

Words by Joe Svetlik

Cold War thrillers tend to be more po-faced than a Kremlin spokesman, so Ponies is a welcome addition to the genre. Ponies stands for Persons Of No Interest – CIA-speak for the wives of two Moscow-based US spies who die in mysterious circumstances. The men, of course, are Persons Of Interest, but their better halves? Given that neither Russia nor the US used female operatives at the time (in the series, at least), this gives the Ponies scope to fly under the radar and investigate their husbands’ deaths.

If that all sounds a bit gritty, trust me, it isn’t. The pairing of Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones) and Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus) lends the show plenty of humour – the former uptight and controlling, the latter a bohemian with an exaggeratedly carefree sashay. And they’re ably supported by Adrian Lester (Hustle) and Artjom Gilz (Das Boot).

The production is dripping with period charm, even down to being filmed in the 3:2 aspect ratio to mimic the feel of a pre-widescreen broadcast – that means vertical black bars either side of the picture, but it’s worth it to add to the vintage aesthetic.

The Russian accents are thick, the tension even thicker. And any series in which a touring Elton John accidentally disrupts a KGB murder plot has to be worth a look.

House Of The Dragon (Season 3)

Words by Lewis Empson

Game Of Thrones has had its ups and downs. While I still resent the ending of the main show over eight years later, the franchise as a whole has been steadily rebuilding since.

House Of The Dragon, a prequel series set roughly 200 years before the main show, has been fundamental in the franchise’s revival, and its explosive third season is broadcasting weekly right now.

After a somewhat weak ending to season two, I was immediately sucked into the third series' action-packed, bloody and emotional first two episodes. And while the pace has since slowed, the show has also tapped into the political-thriller elements of the original to great effect.

As ever with Game Of Thrones, this series also looks and sounds fantastic. Establishing shots of stunning natural vistas and sprawling naval battles are both dazzling in 4K, and with many sequences in dingy and dark castle corridors and chambers, this also happens to be a fairly thorough TV stress test. Shadow detail will be put to the test, and having watched all of this season so far on an OLED TV, I’ve certainly reaped the contrast and black depth benefits.

Your TV’s motion and sound capabilities will also be put to the test by swooping dragons as they launch screeching fire-breathing attacks on warring factions.

I also have an expert tip for watching House Of The Dragon in its best picture and sound quality. My advice is to skip Sky and Now and instead use HBO Max. If your budget allows, the top subscription tier unlocks 4K Dolby Vision streaming and Dolby Atmos audio, which makes the viewing experience a whole lot better.

If you’re already a Sky or Now subscriber, chances are that you already have access to HBO Max and can upgrade your account to access these features.

F1 The Movie (2025)

Words by Robyn Quick

Fast cars, roaring engines and juicy drama: that’s what you expect from a film about Formula 1. Joseph Kosinski’s F1 The Movie delivers on all of this, and it has quickly become a go-to in our test room since the 4K Blu-ray was released in November last year.

It’s one of my current favourites for testing both sound and picture quality and, when using the right system, the film makes for tense viewing.

During fast-paced racing scenes when the vehicles zoom around the course, you should be able to feel the cars move around the soundfield with a good Dolby Atmos audio system. This also calls for an excellent sense of precision, as the crowd calls out and announcements boom from off-screen.

On top of that, the myriad of races in the film are a great way to challenge your system’s motion handling. They must move naturally without looking too juddery or too smooth, which can be a tough balance to strike for premium and budget systems alike.

Widow's Bay (2026-)

Words by Tom Parsons

I came to Widow’s Bay late, mostly because in the remorseless tidal wave of new content, it simply didn’t stand out. The other evening, though, I decided to give it a go, and it’s actually well up there as one of my favourite shows of the year.

The story, about a small, somewhat backwards island community that badly needs an influx of tourists but also might – or might not – be cursed, is brilliantly paced. Fairly gentle but consistently gripping, it's an easy watch that's somehow impossible to stop watching.

The comedy-horror combo is really hard to get right, but creator Katie Dippold and director Hiro Murai (he of Atlanta fame) have absolutely nailed it, with most of the humour coming from the Fargo-like characters, dialogue and setting, and the horror elements used sparingly and effectively.

Apple TV shows tend to have higher production values (and have higher bitrates) than those of rival streaming services, and while that’s not super-evident in the intentionally grainy, Twin Peaks-style aesthetic, it’s abundantly clear in the sound design, which is excellent.

This isn’t a show with loads of jump scares; it’s one where subtle sound effects (often footsteps) are used to create tension and creepiness, and if you’ve got a good Dolby Atmos system, they’re placed brilliantly effectively.

Even if you’re not a horror fan, Widow’s Bay is an absolute must-watch.

In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

Words by Tom Parsons

When the sad news of Sam Neill’s passing was announced, I could have chosen to watch in his memory Jurassic Park, Hunt For The Wilderpeople or Event Horizon, all of which I know and love. Instead, I decided to try In The Mouth Of Madness, which The Guardian boldly proclaimed to be the legendary actor’s best role.

Well, I’m not quite sure about that assessment, but he does play the role of an insurance investigator driven mad by a horror author’s writings with fabulous gusto.

The film is utterly bonkers, exactly as you'd expect from an early-'90s John Carpenter horror steeped in H.P. Lovecraft, but it's schlocky, gleeful fun. There are some great, gory, practical effects, too – one sequence weirdly reminded me of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, but The Thing is, less surprisingly, visible in there.

Not a movie to watch if you’re looking for fancy production values or a serious home cinema demonstration, but a lot of fun if weird horror from the last millennium is up your street.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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After more than five years of daily use, my AirPods Max recently stopped working.

I can't really complain. Between commuting, international travel and a house move, they'd spent years being stuffed into backpacks and suitcases before emerging to soundtrack thousands of hours of music and movies. They'd had a pretty hard life.

Rather than rushing to repair them, though, I saw an opportunity.

In the five years since I'd bought the AirPods Max, loads of exciting new headphones had launched. This felt like the perfect excuse to break away from Apple's ecosystem and find out whether anything could finally replace them.

Over the next couple of months, I spent time with headphones from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins. Their relative strengths varied, but all of them sounded very accomplished with music. In the case of Sony's superb WH-1000XM6, I'd even argue the overall musical performance is better than that of the AirPods Max.

But this period of headphone flirtation had a surprising effect: my movie-watching almost ground to a halt.

For years now, I've used my AirPods Max at least as much for movies as for music. In fact, they've quietly become an essential part of my home cinema setup.

Once the rest of my family had gone to bed and it was no longer neighbourly to keep my Dolby Atmos system rumbling away, I had a simple routine. Rather than switching on Night mode and flattening every explosion, gunshot and orchestral swell, I'd put on my AirPods Max, tap the pop-up on my Apple TV 4K and carry on watching exactly where I'd left off.

The combination of the AirPods Max and Apple TV 4K remains astonishingly good. Their Dolby Atmos implementation, delivered through Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, creates an experience that's surprisingly easy to forget is coming from a pair of headphones. It doesn't simply sound spacious; it sounds uncannily natural.

And that's the bit I hadn't appreciated until the AirPods Max disappeared from my life. Every alternative I tried excelled with music, but none recreated that movie experience.

The closest I came was pairing Sony's WH-1000XM6 with the Bravia 8 II TV. It produced an impressively open and fairly cinematic presentation, but because the connection relied on standard Bluetooth, what I was hearing was ultimately a cleverly processed stereo signal rather than the sort of binaural Dolby Atmos experience that Apple's solution provides.

The difference wasn't night and day, but it was enough that I found myself missing the AirPods Max every time I settled down to watch a film, and that had a surprisingly big impact on my viewing habits.

If the family was asleep, I simply wasn't getting the experience I wanted. I wasn't about to hobble my main home cinema system with Night mode, but neither were the alternative headphones convincing enough to tempt me away from it.

Whether it's children, a partner or simply considerate neighbours, I suspect lots of people end up watching films after the house has gone quiet, and losing that window meant the number of films I watched absolutely tanked over the following weeks. I missed loads.

The good news is that I'm now making up for lost time, because I've managed to get hold of another pair of AirPods Max.

The whole experience taught me something I wasn't expecting, though: I'd quietly built my entire late-night movie-watching routine around one Apple feature.

That's not to say Apple has the only solution. Sony, for example, offers the little-known WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter, which promises a similar binaural Dolby Atmos experience with compatible headphones. I'll be testing that very soon.

But until something else can recreate what the AirPods Max and Apple TV 4K achieve together, they'll remain my favourite headphones for movies – even if some rivals have at least matched them when it comes to music.

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When Sony officially unveiled its 2026 TV range, there was plenty of disappointment that it didn’t include a new OLED model – much of it from me.

These days, Sony tends to work on two-year lifecycles for its TVs, so I wasn’t expecting a successor to last year’s Bravia 8 II; but a replacement for 2024’s Bravia 8 seemed a fairly safe bet – as did a successor to the A90K, which is now an incredible four years old.

The omission prompted some (again, mostly me) to theorise that Sony had in fact turned its back on OLED entirely, and that the Bravia 8 II could be the brand’s last OLED model.

Last month, though, we reported on rumours that Sony was bracing to launch a brand-new OLED TV. And now, those rumours have been all but confirmed by the appearance of this new OLED set on several of Sony’s own websites.

The listings, first spotted by High Def News (thanks, The Walkman Blog), confirm that the new OLED is indeed the Bravia 6. And, if the name wasn’t a big enough hint, the TV’s tagline – “OLED essentials, now within reach” – also confirms that this is indeed an entry-level OLED TV.

Naturally, I’m disappointed that Sony isn’t launching a new flagship OLED at this stage, but if the Bravia 6 is indeed Sony’s most affordable OLED TV yet, as the tagline suggests, that’s rather exciting news in its own right.

Full tech specs are currently absent from the live pages (another suggestion that they have gone live earlier than planned), but there are some nuggets of information to be gleaned.

First, the TV is listed in sizes ranging from 48 inches to 83 inches. That’s a broader range than Sony typically offers for its OLED TVs, but it’s also highly suggestive of the Bravia 6 using LG Display’s new OLED SE panel, which is available in exactly those sizes and notably not in 42 inches.

While it’s not confirmed, we believe this is the panel that is already found in the LG B6, a set we will be reviewing very soon.

Another encouraging detail is that the Bravia 6 sports four HDMI 2.1 sockets. Gamers (myself included) have long lamented Sony’s models being limited to just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, with that limitation even being true of the new flagship Bravia 9 II, so this is very good news.

The listing also confirms that Dolby Vision is supported on the video side, and that Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are present on the audio side.

Unsurprisingly, like every other modern Bravia TV, the Bravia 6 also features the Google TV platform, which can be operated via voice control (though it’s not clear whether this is via a microphone built into the remote control or the TV itself).

We do know the TV includes ambient sensors, with the listing promising automatic picture adjustments based on room conditions.

None of the leaked listings includes pricing, so we don’t yet have any indication of where the Bravia 6 will sit in Sony’s range.

We don’t even know, in fact, whether the Bravia 6 will even come to the UK. Sony has a recent habit of releasing some models in certain regions but not others.

If it does launch the new model in the UK, there’s no guarantee that it will do so in all sizes: I note that Sony Hong Kong is listing the Bravia 6 in 48-, 55- and 65-inch sizes, while Sony Gabon is listing the 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch sizes.

We have approached Sony UK for comment. We don’t expect the company to confirm the Bravia 6 ahead of an official announcement, but with multiple regional Sony websites now listing the TV, that announcement surely can’t be far away.

Stay tuned for more on the Sony Bravia 6 as we get it.

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LG has launched its latest moveable screen display to deliver “a more flexible and enjoyable entertainment experience”.

That comes in the form of the rather clunkily named StanbyME 2 Max (does anyone else have Ben E. King stuck in their head now?), which expands on the first iteration five years after it came out.

The idea is to take the screen with you from room to room, as it features a detachable display that can be mounted on a wheeled stand. You can use it in either portrait or landscape mode, and you can use the screen-mirroring function with your phone.

The previous model was available in 27 inches; the new version bumps that up a little to 32 inches. This display supports up to 4K resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and Dolby Vision HDR.

There is also a built-in battery that offers up to 4.5 hours of use before needing to be plugged into the mains, so it should last for at least the runtime of Oppenheimer (and then the start of Barbie).

In terms of audio, there is Dolby Atmos support to provide “an enveloping soundscape with richer detail”. The system is also powered by LG’s Alpha 8 AI Processor Gen3, which uses AI to deliver a virtual 11.1.2-channel surround sound.

When not in use, it can display artwork from the LG Gallery+, which will possibly make it less of an eyesore.

We are still waiting on UK or Australian pricing, but it costs $1299 in the US (around £970 / AU$1870). That seems pretty steep for a 32-inch display, even if it can be wheeled around the house.

Whether it will be a practical portable addition to your home or just a bigger screen to doom scroll on remains to be seen, but we are certainly curious to find out.

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Streaming services have been a hot-button issue in the home cinema world for a few years now.

Once seen as a revolutionary new way to enjoy films instantly at affordable prices, all without the commitment of a costly TV contract package, the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ have all thoroughly worn away the goodwill they'd accrued in the past.

With constant monthly price increases, features being stripped away and locked behind higher subscription tiers, and content constantly bouncing between services, it's understandable why people are sick and tired of streaming.

Most importantly, it's inspiring a resurgence of popularity for physical media, and as a (perhaps slightly too keen) 4K Blu-ray enthusiast, I couldn't be happier.

The issue is that 4K Blu-rays aren't exactly cheap. New releases tend to cost between £20 and £30, and that's not taking into account the special edition steelbook versions, box sets, or limited releases.

I confess it's not a cheap hobby, but I have found a Prime Day deal that takes the edge off slightly.

Popular UK entertainment retailer HMV is running a deal in which you can buy three 4K Blu-rays for £50 currently, which is actually a bigger deal than it looks.

Yes, £50 isn't a snip when compared to the most basic Netflix package at £5.99/month, but think of all the sacrifices you're making with that. No 4K, no HDR, no Dolby Atmos, and no offline viewing; basically, serious ciniphiles need not apply.

The benefit here is that you can enjoy and keep your favourite movies in much higher quality. As someone who is constantly switching between streaming and watching films on 4K Blu-ray, trust me when I say the difference is noticeable; details are sharper, there's less banding, and audio feels fuller and richer in most cases.

I also value being able to keep copies of my favourite movies so that I can watch them at any time. Hunting down a film that used to be on one streaming service only to find it's moved to another, or even removed entirely, is always a frustrating task.

HMV's offer doesn't include all of the 4K Blu-rays on its site, but there are loads to choose from.

I've spotted a handful of favourites from our AV testing room, including Blade Runner 2049, The Batman, Interstellar, Dune: Part Two, and Oppenheimer, as well as more recent releases such as Sinners, Weapons, The Fantastic Four and Tron: Ares.

You'll find titles from the 007 franchise, the Star Wars series, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, too. And it seems like most, if not all, of these titles are individually priced between £20 and £25, so stacking up three gives you a saving of anywhere between £10 and £20.

This is a great deal for anyone looking to start a 4K Blu-ray collection, as you can hit the ground running with three titles straight away.

MORE:

Find the best Amazon Prime Day deals here

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

As well as the best Dolby Atmos scenes to test your home cinema setup

It must be tough when the spotlight of deals is snatched away from you during your own sales event.

Case in point, this Samsung HW-Q990F deal at B&Q, which takes the price from £1699, all the way down to just £695. That is an unbelievable discount, especially for an Award-winning, multitalented soundbar system such as this.

Now, we'll admit that B&Q isn't our usual go-to retailer for home cinema kit, but this discount shows that it's well worth looking way beyond Amazon's scope to secure the best deal.

For reference, the same soundbar package is currently sitting around the £750 mark on Amazon (there seems to be a few different listings at different prices), whereas Richer Sounds is asking £799 for it.

B&Q, it looks like you're good for more than just DIY and gardening...

Samsung's Award-winning HW-Q990F offers genuine surround sound without having to clutter your living room with cables.

The system is made up of a main soundbar unit that connects directly to your TV via HDMI eARC, as well as two wireless surround sound speakers that are designed to be placed adjacent to or behind your seating position, and a wireless subwoofer.

There are dedicated upward-firing drivers in both the soundbar and surround speakers for proper Dolby Atmos height effects, and the system as a whole features 15 drivers in total for an 11.1.4 setup.

While we loved the spacious, rich and detailed sound it provided during our thorough testing process, we found that the redesigned subwoofer was the star of the show. Samsung says it has a power output of 300W, and with bass this punchy and deep, we can believe that claim.

Not only does it sound great, but setup is a breeze, and it's feature-packed too. Practically every wireless streaming method is supported – from Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, to AirPlay 2 and Amazon Music – and you can pass signals in up to 4K/120Hz with Dolby Vision or HDR10+ via the HDMI 2.1 passthrough socket.

If you want surround sound without the hassle of hiding cables, then the Samsung HW-Q990F is a no-brainer.

Especially if you're thinking of buying it from B&Q for £695. We've never seen it drop this low before, and with most competing retailers selling it for considerably more money, we think B&Q's deal is probably the best we've ever seen on this soundbar.

If anything, this is a lesson for those on the hunt for a bargain; it pays to look further afield this Prime Day.

MORE:

Find the best Amazon Prime Day home cinema deals here

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F review

And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

There’s a conundrum that many movie fans face. You might be perfectly happy with your TV’s picture performance, but the audio is often another matter entirely. Punchy action scenes might be missing a sense of energy, and it may be difficult to make out dialogue during busy parts of a film.

Luckily, there is a way to fix this common problem. If you don’t have the budget or space for a multi-speaker package to upgrade your sound, then adding a soundbar to the mix is a great way to go.

• View all the Prime Day deals on Amazon

And, for those on the hunt for an even more room-filling experience, there is the option of getting a soundbar with Dolby Atmos support, which can provide a much-desired extra boost of surround sound.

With Amazon Prime Day deals swarming your search like ants to a melting Calippo, it can be hard to find a model that is genuinely right for you. That’s where we come in. We have tested hundreds of soundbars over the years, and have hand-selected four products that provide immersive sound and are at a discounted price right now.

Sonos Beam Gen 2

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 holds the crown as the top entry-level Dolby Atmos bar in our best soundbars guide.

The Beam Gen 2 measures just 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd) and weighs 2.8kg, making it easy to place in front of your TV without obscuring the picture. Under the hood, you will find four front-facing elliptical mid-woofers and a centre tweeter.

Most importantly, it offers a detailed, rich, and enveloping audio experience, which is particularly impressive considering its compact footprint.

Despite the bar’s lack of up-firing drivers, the soundfield is immersive and we get a good sense of height as well as scale. In fact, we note in our review: “Whether it’s a chirping bird, a car or a voice, there’s remarkable consistency across the complete soundfield, and seamless handover between drivers, which we have to say doesn’t always happen when a Dolby Atmos soundbar has upward drivers to contend with.”

It launched at £449, but this Prime Day deal has seen its price drop to £337 at Amazon. That’s a saving of £112, and is well worth considering if you are looking to add an Atmos soundbar to your system.

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

If you are looking for a step-up soundbar to add to your system, then the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is hard to beat. This Sony sounds exceptionally crisp and precise, and the Atmos-ness of its delivery is hugely impressive for a standalone bar.

We find there is a slightly clinical tone in its overall delivery, but its superb detail and punch mean it still achieves five-star success.

In terms of connectivity, gaming fans will be pleased to hear that the Bar 9 has a dedicated HDMI 2.1 input and support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM.

You can find it for £999 at Richer Sounds, chopping £400 off its launch price. At this price, it is also worth considering the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra. It’s a brilliant-sounding system, offering a rich overall sound with expressive vocals.

It features only a single HDMI eARC port, however, which is not as comprehensive as the Theatre Bar 9’s offerings. The Sonos model is currently available at its launch price of £999 at Smart Home Sounds, but we have our fingers crossed for a reduction before the end of Prime Day.

Hisense AX5125H

All-in-one soundbars work excellently for some people, but you might be craving that extra sense of immersion that can come with a soundbar package. And our top budget soundbar system recommendation is currently available for an absolute steal.

You can pick up the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H for just £199 at Currys, making it easily one of the best-sounding affordable soundbar systems we have heard.

The 5.1.2 system, which supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, offers a relatively compact design that is easy to accommodate in most homes. It is made up of two small wireless surround speakers, a wireless subwoofer and the main soundbar. Even though the surround speakers are surprisingly compact (each one measures just 14 x 9 x 11cm), they produce an impressively enveloping soundfield that massively improves upon our experience with the TV’s sound.

We noted in our review when watching Civil War: “Bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position, helicopters hover at ceiling height, and distant explosions rumble menacingly.”

Vocals are clear and sound relatively emotive too, although the subwoofer can get a little overzealous and cause them to become muffled in the busiest sections. Still, the Hisense system is a top performer in its class and is even more tempting at this discount.

Samsung HW-Q990F

Finally, we have the Samsung HW-Q990F, an Award-winning 11.1.4 soundbar package. Like the Hisense system, it is made up of a soundbar, a subwoofer, and two surround speakers.

It is a chunkier system in terms of its build, though. The surrounds, for instance, measure 25 x 25 x 25cm and the soundbar comes in at a more hefty 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd).

With support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, we were impressed by the soundbar’s ability to create that all-important dome of sound as well as ensuring the sound moves organically between the channels.

When it comes to its bass performance, we say in our review: “There is a much greater sense of tonal variation from this subwoofer [compared with the older Q990D model], which unearths a new layer to the bass. The Q990F’s bass feels more organic, balanced, and seamlessly integrated into the system as a result.”

That all makes it a focused, tonally varied overall sound that immerses us in whatever we listen to. You can find the system for £750 at Amazon, saving you around a whopping £949 off its original price.

We recently reviewed the Q990F’s successor – the Samsung HW-Q990H. This new system managed to build upon our favourite aspects of the older model, resulting in an even more detailed and nuanced performance. That meant the Q990H took the crown when we put them head to head – but the Q990F is without doubt still a brilliant performer in the category.

Plus, the Q990H's price has dropped only a small amount for Prime Day (the cheapest we have seen so far is £1299 at Amazon). That makes the older model all the more tempting.

MORE:

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Check out the best budget soundbars

And here are the best TVs right now

If you have been looking for a way to bring the big-screen experience to your home, countless projectors and large TVs claim to deliver just that. And, with Amazon Prime Day now in full swing, plenty of different brands are offering tempting discounts across a range of products.

But which models will get you the best large screen, all while saving you some of your hard-earned cash? We have found two products to fit that particular bill – that will deliver an immersive screen size and have similar price tags. Each offers something different, but both can bring the big-screen experience to your home.

A super-sized TCL TV

First up, the gigantic 98-inch TCL C7K is a king-sized 4K TV at a jaw-droppingly low price. The five-star set would usually cost a respectable £2399, but Prime Day has seen this crash to a remarkable £1999 at Currys. Don’t get us wrong, that is still a lot of money. But for the sheer size and quality of the TV, this is a bargain price.

You get 3000 nits of brightness controlled with 2000 dimming zones, plus TCL’s Halo Control features, which aim to reduce the effect of backlight blooming. This is aided by an anti-glare film that reduces reflections.

It received a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, thanks to its spectacular brightness and colour, as well as its excellent gaming specifications. The dimensions of the TV alone are enough to blow your socks off, as we say in our review: “We’ve seen a few 98-100-inch TVs now, but the raw cinematic impact of seeing our favourite test movies and TV shows writ so large across our field of view never seems to grow old.”

The brightness is intense, especially at this size, with small HDR highlights looking every bit as dazzling as on pricier TVs. TCL’s Halo Control also does a stellar job of suppressing any unwanted blooms of light emerging.

In terms of sound, the TV offers a 6.2.2-channel system designed by Bang & Olufsen. It is detailed and clear, and never becomes overstated, harsh or brittle. It does, however, lack the levels of bass and immersion that a decent, dedicated Dolby Atmos soundbar would provide.

It’s very well equipped for gamers, with VRR, ALLM, and a 144Hz refresh rate. You get a full complement of HDR format support, but only two HDMI 2.1 ports.

Of course, a 98-inch screen will take up a fair bit of room in your home. If you don't have the space to accommodate, the option below might be a better fit for you.

And a more compact projector from BenQ

TCL’s super-sized TV is certainly a large beast to behold, but it is simply not a realistic addition to many people's homes. It measures 218cm wide, which is quite a challenge if you are working with a compact space. There is the option to wall-hang, but of course you need to have a wall capable of supporting its 55kg weight.

If that won’t work for you, there’s another way to get the big-screen experience. The BenQ W2720i is a 4K projector that holds the crown as the best mid-range model in our best projectors guide. The price for the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning projector has dropped from £1999 to £1799 at Richer Sounds, saving you a reasonable £200.

It offers a more compact option than the TCL C7K, as it measures 14 x 42 x 31cm (hwd) and weighs just 6.5kg. You can push the screen size up to a claimed 300 inches, which knocks the 98-inch TV out of the park.

When we reviewed the projector, we were met with a clean, detailed picture that still looked natural. We say in our review: “So crisp, detailed, pristine and full of texture and density are the W2720i’s pictures that they really do look 4K, even if pushed to prodigious image sizes.”

The Award-winner's connections go further than those of most projectors, by including three HDMIs, one of which provides ARC support for passing sound out to a connected AVR or soundbar, and one of which supports 4K/120Hz.

There are some limitations to consider with a projector compared with a TV. Any projector that costs less than £10,000 will struggle to produce deep black levels, especially compared with a Mini LED such as the C7K. The W2720i is still a great performer in this area when compared with rival projectors, but the TCL TV does a better job at recreating proper black depth.

You will also have to deal with a weaker picture performance in any sort of ambient light compared with a TV screen.

But the BenQ’s smaller footprint and impressive specifications may well suit your home cinema set-up better. It depends on which big-screen experience works best for you, but these stellar bargains on both products are worth looking into.

MORE:

These are the best projectors out there

Check out the best TVs we have reviewed

And this is our full review of the 98-inch TCL C7K

TVs are getting bigger, and bigger… and bigger.

Hisense and TCL have been selling 116-inch and 115-inch TVs for quite some time now – and both of those look fairly modest compa red with Samsung’s behemoth 130-inch RGB Micro LED TV, which was unveiled at CES 2026.

The sensibly sized living rooms of many British homes are simply not built for a TV of that size – and many will find a proper surround sound package to be a squeeze as well. So does that mean you simply can’t fit a home cinema system into your house?

Of course it doesn’t!

We have tested plenty of smaller TVs and soundbars with modest footprints; and what they lack in size, they make up for in performance.

In fact, I have built a complete system, which includes a 42-inch OLED TV from LG, a superb scaled-down Hisense soundbar package (which even supports Dolby Atmos), and a five-star Amazon streamer that is no bigger than your average chocolate bar.

All of these products are Award-winners and, thanks to Amazon Prime Day, they are now all hugely discounted. At launch, this set-up would have cost you £1418; thanks to some pretty astonishing Prime Day discounts, it can now be yours for just £862.

This trio of petite home-cinema gadgets strikes the three core pillars of any good home cinema setup: picture, sound, and content.

And if you are happy to use LG’s webOS software platform and don’t mind a slight decrease in picture and sound performance, you could ditch the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max entirely, saving you a further £40.

The 42-inch LG C5, a compact OLED TV, is the definition of small yet mighty. Sporting a panel that delivers inky blacks and perfect contrast with ease, the C5 is a superb choice for movies – it’s and our pick for the best gaming TV, too.

We applauded its sharp, warm and rich picture, which we felt was hugely cinematic despite the comparatively small screen size from the 55- and 65-inch sets we usually test.

Furthermore, its gaming features are second to none. With a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz – ideal for PC gamers and more than enough for console gamers – and four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets. The smaller display also makes this a solid choice for dedicated gaming rooms, and it can even be used as an oversized desktop monitor.

The only area that the C5 stumbles in is sound. OLED TVs, in our experience, often disappoint when it comes to their built-in sound systems, and it’s no surprise that a TV this small doesn’t break the mould.

That’s where the Hisense AX5125H comes in. Tongue twister of a name aside, this soundbar system delivers proper surround sound at a price as modest as its footprint. The package includes a soundbar, subwoofer and two surround speakers, all of which pair wirelessly and with very little fuss out of the box.

We were surprised by its weight, scale, and spaciousness, which (much like the C5) far exceed its size. Dolby Atmos is supported with two dedicated upward-firing drivers on the main soundbar unit, and there’s even an HDMI 2.0 passthrough socket. (Maybe Sonos could learn a thing or two.)

The LG and Hisense make a great cinematic space-saving duo – and, in truth, you could leave it there. But by adding the heavily discounted, Award-winning Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, you get a pretty big streaming upgrade.

Amazon’s top-tier Fire TV Stick delivers 4K streams with oodles of detail and natural colours, and with an extremely comprehensive selection of apps, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to content.

If you’re looking longingly at our best TV deals and best soundbar deals pages, but think that you can’t get involved with the Prime Day sales due to a lack of space, then hopefully this petite (and massively discounted) home cinema setup has changed your mind.

MORE:

Check out the best Amazon Prime Day AV deals live

As well as the best Amazon Prime Day hi-fi deals

And find the best OLED TV deals here

If you’re looking to upgrade your lounge AV setup holistically during Prime Day, then we have two bits of advice.

First, don’t go for the new stuff, especially when shopping for an OLED TV or Dolby Atmos soundbar. Most of the new hardware has just arrived and is still full price, or at best has had a tiny amount shaved off its RRP.

Second, ignore Amazon, at least for now, as the best deal combination we've found for a new setup is actually at Richer Sounds.

The deal requires you to use a combination of discount codes to get the best result, but once done, it nabs you a 55-inch Samsung S95F QD-OLED TV with the firm’s Award-winning Q990F Dolby Atmos soundbar system for £1836.50 – pretty impressive considering the two products would have cost £4198 mere months ago.

All you have to do is add the 55-inch S95H and Q990F to your basket at Richer Sounds and apply the “599Q990F”, “SAMS10PERCENT” and ”RSTV200” discount codes at checkout.

As an added perk, you will even get a Samsung SP-LFF3C projector thrown in for free with the deal. We haven't reviewed that specific model, so we can't comment on performance, but free is free, right?

What about the brand new Samsung S99H and Q990H? Yes, they have also both been discounted. Richer Sounds is currently offering the 55-inch Samsung S99H for £2149 (or an even better £1899 if you apply for cashback with Samsung after purchase), which is a decent saving on its £2499 regular price.

We’ve also spotted the Q990H retailing for £1299 (save £100) on Amazon. But that still adds up to a combined cost of £3198 for the two together.

While the newer models do offer noticeable performance gains according to our testing, they still don’t quite justify an extra £1371.50 investment, in our mind.

Especially as the S95F and Q990F are still very competent performers and among the best you will find at their current, discounted price.

As we said in our Samsung S95F review: “Sound aside, the Samsung S95F is every bit the five-star stunner. Vibrant, punchy and more crisp than a lifetime’s supply of Walkers Max, it’s a thrilling TV to live with and use, yet it also continues Samsung’s trajectory in producing more balanced and cinematically authentic TVs.”

And on the topic of sound, here’s our verdict on the Q990F: “The Samsung HW-Q990F nails it with a crisp and engaging sound and a whole new level of bass performance.”

So, all in all, a match made in heaven – perfect for watching the World Cup, then.

MORE:

These are the best OLED TVs we’ve reviewed

We rank the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Check out our Prime Day 2026 home cinema deals live hub

"Why can't I hear the dialogue on my TV speakers?"

It's a question we're asked all of the time, and while we're seeing TV manufacturers attempt to fix the issue with built-in dialogue enhancement features, we think there's a clear answer to this problem.

An external sound device, namely a soundbar, is one of the most crucial – and easy – TV upgrades that you can make.

Not only will you get clearer dialogue, but many soundbars also offer deeper bass, improved dynamics, and, if you opt for one that supports it, Dolby Atmos.

With Amazon Prime Day officially less than 24 hours away, we expect to see plenty of discounts on several models featured in our best soundbars list.

However, if you're simply looking for a quick, easy, and reliable recommendation, then you've come to the right place.

I've selected three soundbars – an affordable option, a mid-range choice, and a premium soundbar package – all of which have been thoroughly tested to solve your sonic woes by our expert team of reviewers.

Just be warned, it's early days, so prices may drop further during the Prime Day sales as the week progresses, but these are the top savings I've spotted in the initial round of discounts.

So, if you're tired of muffled voices or you're sick of rewinding to catch a crucial missed line of dialogue, then look no further.

Affordable: Creative Stage Pro

This sub-£100 marvel of a soundbar is also the most versatile option on this list.

Designed to be used with smaller TVs or on a desk with a computer monitor, the Creative Stage Pro is a charming, super-affordable, and effective soundbar.

It ditches a fancy feature set and instead opts for a straightforward approach to improving sound, and we think that was a clever move from Creative.

That simplicity extends to the setup process; a single cable links the soundbar to the included subwoofer, and there are options to connect the soundbar to your TV via an HDMI ARC or optical connection.

We think it's especially talented when it comes to voices, as our full review notes that it outputs "crisp, detailed and emotive dialogue", which is the ideal solution to stave off muffled TV sound.

We reviewed it at £130, but Overclockers UK has it down to just £95.

Mid-range: Sony HT-S2000

Sony's entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar is my choice at the more affordable end of the market.

This compact, fuss-free soundbar sports an easy plug-and-play setup, and it produces a sound that is guaranteed to be leagues ahead of your TV's built-in speakers. Not only that, but the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.2 ensures that streaming music to the unit is a breeze.

Generally speaking, the HT-S2000 ticks a lot of boxes, especially for the money. It serves up punchy dynamics, impressive directionality, and superb clarity, which results in an impressively cinematic sound despite the soundbar's modest footprint.

When it comes to voices, we stated that the HT-S2000 delivers "crisp and clear dialogue" and praised its ability to dig up an impressive amount of sonic subtleties. This means that voices not only sound clearer, but also more textured, tonally varied, and realistic.

We reviewed it at £349, but it can be found for just £299 at Amazon right now; that's a tidy £50 saving on a five-star soundbar.

Premium: Samsung HW-Q990F

This Award-winning soundbar package has been discounted so deeply that we think it makes a compelling mid-range option for those scouting out a new 'bar to sit below their TV.

This package includes a soundbar, two surround speakers, and a subwoofer, making it a full surround sound package. The trick here is that all components connect wirelessly, making it a neater solution compared to a traditional wired surround sound package.

The system produces a hugely spacious and detailed sound, with the included subwoofer being a particular highlight. It produces a rich, powerful, and tonally varied bass that blows many competitors out of the water.

On top of this, the HW-Q990F is no slouch when it comes to dialogue. We found it presents "natural and detailed voices" in our review, and if you want even more clarity, then Samsung's Active Voice Amplifier Pro feature is on board to grant your wishes.

We reviewed it at a hefty £1699, but it can currently be found on Amazon for just £749 (a staggering £950 saving).

MORE:

Find the best soundbar deals here

As well as our picks for the best budget soundbars

As well as the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

The sun may be out in full force here in the UK, but that hasn't stopped us from burying ourselves in our dark test room to see how the latest TV and AV kit performs.

We have been testing out a range of products, from Dolby Atmos soundbar systems to QLED TVs. And all of those models need to be tested by the best test discs out there. There are steadfast classics that we turn to time and time again. If you regularly read our reviews, for instance, you will have spotted Blade Runner 2049, Civil War and Dune: Part Two making frequent appearances.

But we have to keep our eyes peeled for new movies and TV shows that will keep home cinema products on their toes. There are some on this list that have only just hit the cinemas and cannot wait to get into the test room, and others that we already regularly use.

Without further ado, let's get into it.

One Battle After Another (2025)

Words by Daniel Furn

After sweeping several award ceremonies over the winter, including this year’s Oscars, you probably don’t need to be told how good One Battle After Another is.

As long as you can stomach the 2-hour 42-minute runtime, Leonardo DiCaprio’s long-awaited collaboration with auteur director Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t disappoint, following a washed up revolutionary who scrambles to find his daughter who scrambles to find his kidnapped daughter.

DiCaprio plays against type as the wide-eyed, stoned and super-paranoid Bob, and his lengthy phone calls to his former revolutionaries are the film’s comedic highlight, but the real standouts here are Sean Penn and relative newcomer Chase Infiniti as Bob’s military nemesis and spirited daughter, respectively.

I had the pleasure of watching the film in KEF’s Ultimate Experience Room and their 9.14.4 audio configuration, but whatever setup you have at home, the film will shine.

Anderson’s first foray into action means there are several scenes to test your sound system, including an opening raid on an immigration detention centre that sees gunshots and flares fired in all directions and bombings that will give the low end a workout. But the real benefit is to the score – Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood brings in skittery jazz and driving synths that ratchet up the tension more than any bullets, particularly during a lengthy climactic chase scene.

Legends (2026)

Words by Joe Svetlik

Legends refers to the secret identities assumed by undercover agents during an operation. But these are no ordinary agents – these are customs officers (i.e. airport bag checkers), who, incredibly, were enlisted by the Thatcher government in the war against heroin with minimal training. It’s quite a story, and it’s based on real events.

The biggest name is Steve Coogan, but the main character is played by Tom Burke, looking like a grizzled Charlie Brooker. He plays Guy, a bored customs officer who goes deep undercover with London heroin importers. But it’s really an ensemble piece, with Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen and Jasmine Blackborrow all putting in fine performances as the rest of the customs crew. Special mention goes to Charlotte Ritchie as Burke’s wife Sophie, encouraging him to finish the job while also struggling seeing him trying to reconcile his legend with his life as a family man.

Liverpool and London look their grimy best in the dying days of the Thatcher government – the gritty industrial wastelands are reminiscent of Newcastle in Get Carter (one of the main villains is also named Carter, possibly in reference to Mike Hodges’ landmark British thriller). And the soundtrack is A1 – The Stone Roses, Depeche Mode, The Cure, N-Trance, Happy Mondays… It gives a nostalgic wrapper to a show that demonstrates that the old days, like today, were something of a mixed bag.

Backrooms (2026)

Words by Alastair Stevenson

A horror about an empty, well-lit office doesn’t sound like nightmare fuel. But, Kane Parsons’ Backrooms somehow manages to make it exactly that and one of the most interesting horror movies I’ve watched this year, as a result.

That’s a particularly impressive accomplishment given the strength of 2026’s lineup, which also includes Hokum – a film I’ve already heaped praise on for its stellar use of audio. Based on internet folklore and Parsons’ previous YouTube series, the film sees furniture salesman, Clark, accidentally discover an endless network of interconnected rooms (most of which look like yellow offices) in the basement of his store.

Rather than jump scares or overt gore, the film gives a subtle nod to the classic psychological horrors of old, showing Clark slowly descend into madness as he delves deeper into the labyrinth.

I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but I can say the film then takes the terror level up to 11, offering viewers a gradual stream of reveals that hint at, but never fully explain what it is he’s stumbled upon.

Add to this solid use of audio and compelling found-footage segments, and the film manages to create a chilling, slow-burning experience that keeps you guessing and glued to the screen for its entire runtime – so much so that I’ve found myself watching the old YouTube videos, which expand on the film’s lore in my spare time.

It's still only available to watch in cinemas, but we can't wait to get it into the test room once it is released on streaming and 4K Blu-ray.

Limitless With Chris Hemsworth (2022 - 2025)

Words by Harry McKerrell

Everyone knows that proper documentaries make great test room fodder. Anything fronted by the mighty Sir David Attenborough tends to set the standard in terms of the quality of the cameras and equipment used, with nature’s diverse array of weird and wonderful beings helping to give our testers a pretty firm idea of what any given screen can do.

Limitless with Chris Hemsworth isn’t a nature documentary per se, but it’s made in partnership with National Geographic and produced by Darren Aronofsky, so the budget is colossal and the production values are exquisite. Hemsworth is no Attenborough when it comes to pointing out the intricacies of the natural world, but he does have a much nicer torso.

That’s also not the point of the series. Big Chris’ job isn’t to explain nature, but to throw himself into it, all in a bid to fight the ravages of ageing with some surprisingly in-depth scientific backing. Fasting, exercising, brain training; he does the lot.

Theoretically, this could all have been performed in a drab science lab, but instead, Thor treks from exquisite location to exquisite location – the icy Arctic Fjords, the Australian Outback, the Swiss Alps – to take part in a series of challenges that will boost his longevity and, more importantly, look really cool on camera.

And most importantly of all, give him plenty of reasons to take his shirt off.

1917 (2019)

Words by Robyn Quick

I'm not usually the biggest fan of war movies, but the excellent sound and picture quality displayed in Sam Mendes' 1917 makes it an essential test disc.

Starring George McKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, the film follows two young British privates who are tasked to deliver a message across no-mans-land to prevent another battalion meeting a grisly death. Suffice to say, 1917 is certainly not a cheery watch.

It was filmed in a single-shot style (although it actually uses cleverly hidden cuts throughout). That creates a plethora of motion-heavy scenes, challenging your TV or projector to make movement look realistic without judder or excessive smoothness.

With the most iconic sequence of the film, you can also challenge your Dolby Atmos system. As McKay's Private Schofield sprints across the top of a trench while soldiers charge across his path, the layers of sound wrap around the listener to bring the battlefield to your living room. Shell explosions, gunfire and raining debris are heard from all directions as Schofield powers on, and your system should place them around the soundfield with startling accuracy.

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You know how fancy restaurants have this tendency to deconstruct classic recipes? Well, Sony’s done the same thing to the soundbar, but unlike that deconstructed lasagne, which you rather wish was just a perfectly delicious, fully constructed lasagne, the Bravia Theatre Trio is an almost flawlessly tasty treat.

Sony’s thinking behind the Theatre Trio is that as TVs get ever bigger, soundbars will struggle to create audio on a scale to match the visuals. The obvious solution is to switch to having speakers on either side of the screen, which is what the company’s done previously with the HT-A9 and Bravia Theatre Quad, but that creates its own issue: a lack of central focus, which is particularly important for dialogue.

The solution to the solution, then, is to break the soundbar down into three parts: a centre, a front left and a front right.

In a way, this is the antithesis of the soundbar, which was created, of course, to reduce all of the speakers needed for satisfying home cinema into one, slender unit. What’s next: the return of full home cinema in a box systems?

Let’s not get bogged down in the circular nature of home theatre fashion right now, though. Let’s just enjoy the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio for what it is: one of the finest lifestyle Dolby Atmos systems you can currently buy.

Price

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio has launched at £1999 / $2000 / AU$2999, making it a very premium proposition indeed.

It’s a highly unusual proposition in today’s market, too, which makes direct comparison rather tricky. Someone considering the Bravia Theatre Trio might also have on their shortlist solo soundbars such as the KEF XIO, Sonos Arc Ultra and Bravia Theatre Bar 9; full soundbar systems such as the Samsung HW-Q990H; and bar-less set-ups such as the Bravia Theatre Quad.

It’s a good job, then, that we have all of these on hand for comparison with the Trio.

Almost inevitably, the Trio system can be expanded through the addition of wireless surround speakers and up to two wireless subwoofers. The new Rear 8, Rear 9, Sub 7, Sub 8 and Sub 9 are all compatible with the Bravia Theatre Trio, and if you buy everything together, the prices of the surrounds and sub(s) are halved.

Several legacy accessories – the SA-SW5 and SA-SW3 subwoofers, and the SA-RS5 and SA-RS3S surrounds – are also compatible with the Trio, should you already own any of those.

We’ve tested the Trio with the Rear 9 surrounds and Sub 8, as well as solo, and you can read our thoughts on the value of expanding the system in the sound quality section.

Design

The Bravia Theatre Trio is a slightly odd thing to behold, especially if you're coming from a soundbar.

The left and right speakers will look familiar to anyone who remembers Sony's HT-A9 system. They share a similar cylindrical shape and fairly substantial dimensions, though the Trio's versions are considerably more stylish, with a black fabric (rather than grey plastic) finish that helps them look modern and discreet despite their size.

They're attractive speakers, too. A metallic ring around the top of each cabinet adds a touch of class, while perforations in the top reveal the up-firing drivers responsible for the system's height effects. Build quality feels reassuringly solid throughout, too.

The centre speaker is a little more divisive.

Essentially a very narrow soundbar that sits beneath the TV, the centre isn’t unattractive exactly, but there is something slightly awkward about its proportions, particularly when it’s positioned beneath the sort of super-sized TV that the Trio is primarily designed to partner.

Thankfully, its low-profile design means it won't obstruct the screen, and Sony includes spacer feet in the box should you need it to straddle your TV’s pedestal stand.

Sony has also done an excellent job of making the Trio as installation-friendly as possible.

The rear of each speaker is flat, allowing for neat wall-mounting, and the left and right speakers require little more than suitably positioned screws. A dedicated wall bracket for the centre speaker is included in the box, too, alongside an HDMI cable and usefully long power leads.

Sony has gone out of its way to ensure that the system isn't overly fussy about speaker placement. It's still worth positioning the speakers as symmetrically as possible, but if real-world constraints mean one speaker ends up slightly higher or further away than another, the calibration system is designed to compensate.

There are compromises to the minimalist approach, though.

Like many modern soundbars, the Trio has no traditional display. Each speaker instead features a small status light that indicates power and connection information. Anyone wanting more detailed feedback will generally need to open the Bravia Connect app, which isn’t always ideal, despite the quality of the app itself.

This is a non-issue for owners of compatible Bravia TVs, at least, as the Trio’s settings and status information appear directly within the television's interface.

Sony also supplies a small but useful remote control that provides quick access to the essentials, including volume, bass level, sound modes, voice enhancement and input selection.

Features

While the Bravia Theatre Trio's three-piece design is its most obvious distinguishing feature, the real cleverness lies in how Sony attempts to make those three speakers sound cohesive, like a soundbar, yet also much bigger, like a more traditional home cinema set-up.

Officially, the Trio is a 3.0.2-channel system comprising dedicated left, centre and right speakers. The centre houses two front-firing woofers and a tweeter, while the left and right speakers each feature a front-firing woofer and tweeter, plus an up-firing driver. Together, Sony claims the three speakers deliver a total power output of 405W.

The system supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. It’s IMAX Enhanced certified, too, but only once compatible rear speakers and a subwoofer have been added.

Key to the way the Trio handles these 3D audio formats is Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. Using the physical speakers as a foundation, 360SSM then creates up to 24 'phantom' speakers around the room. These virtual speakers are designed to bolster the real ones and create a larger, more immersive soundstage than would otherwise be possible.

One area in which Sony has clearly put particular effort is set-up and calibration.

Installation is handled via the excellent Bravia Connect app, which guides you through the entire process with clear, well-illustrated instructions. Despite the sophistication of the system, getting everything connected, positioned and configured is refreshingly straightforward.

As part of the set-up process, you're asked to specify the locations of the speakers relative to one another, either approximately or by entering precise measurements. You can also specify their height, allowing the system to compensate for the sort of less-than-perfect real-world placement that often comes with living-room-friendly home cinema set-ups.

The calibration itself is unusually thorough, too. As well as using microphones built into the speakers, the Trio comes supplied with a dedicated USB-C calibration microphone that you plug into your phone before measurements are taken from the listening position. The result should be a level of consistency and accuracy that's difficult to achieve with systems that rely solely on onboard microphones or a smartphone.

Despite that thoroughness, the process is remarkably quick and painless, and, once complete, Sony's Sound Field Optimisation technology adapts the system’s performance to both your room and speaker placement.

There are plenty of further adjustments available within the app should you wish to experiment. You can choose between Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping processing, Dolby Speaker Virtualiser and DTS Neural:X, adjust the height of the soundfield, create a temporary listening position and access the usual assortment of voice enhancement, bass and night mode settings.

Happily, Sony's default settings are generally spot on, and most users will never feel the need to delve into the Trio’s advanced sound settings.

Connectivity is solid, too. The centre speaker houses an HDMI eARC connection for your TV, plus a dedicated HDMI input with support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM passthrough.

Wireless support includes Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect, while Sony's DSEE Ultimate processing can be used to upscale compressed music files.

Owners of compatible Bravia TVs get a few extra perks, including Voice Zoom 3 dialogue enhancement and, as mentioned, the ability to control many of the Trio's functions directly through the television's interface.

Sound quality

The whole point of splitting a soundbar into three separate speakers is to create a larger and more spacious soundstage, and that's exactly what Sony has achieved.

Compared with even the best conventional soundbars, the Trio sounds huge. Effects stretch much further to the left and right, dialogue remains firmly anchored to the screen, and there's a greater sense of sound being projected out into the room rather than simply originating from beneath the TV.

Blade Runner 2049 demonstrates these strengths particularly well. The sounds of the city as K walks towards his apartment spread far beyond the physical locations of the speakers, filling our large listening room with impressive width and scale. More importantly, the system doesn't just sound wider than a soundbar; it sounds taller, too.

In fact, the Trio's Dolby Atmos performance is one of its most impressive achievements. The sounds of passing vehicles, overhead announcements and environmental effects frequently extend above the listening position, creating a genuinely convincing sense of height. Given the size of our test room and the almost three-metre distance between the seating position and speakers, that's no small feat.

The system proves equally adept with the chaotic battle sequences of Civil War and the aerial action of Top Gun: Maverick, maintaining an impressively large and immersive soundfield without losing track of the finer details.

Perhaps even more impressive than the scale, though, is the cohesion. Despite the fact that you're listening to three physically separate speakers, the Trio rarely sounds like three separate speakers. Instead, it creates a single, unified wall of sound that stretches right across the front of the room.

That sense of integration is particularly important because it allows the system to retain one of the key advantages of a traditional soundbar: you never find yourself consciously thinking about which speaker is producing which effect.

Much of the credit for this appears to belong to Sony's Movie Theatre Acoustics processing. Switch it off, and the soundstage immediately shrinks, while the illusion of a single coherent soundfield begins to weaken. Leave it enabled, however, and the Trio sounds significantly larger, more immersive and more convincing.

There is a small trade-off. The processing can occasionally exaggerate echo that's already present within a soundtrack. The interviewer's voice during K's baseline test in Blade Runner 2049 is one example, while Nandez's dialogue during the early autopsy sequence gains a touch more resonance than is strictly correct.

These moments are relatively rare, though, and the benefits broadly outweigh the drawbacks. Some people might prefer the cleaner delivery when Movie Theatre Acoustics is disabled, but most will want to leave it enabled (as it is by default) for the additional scale, weight and cohesion it brings.

In some respects, the Trio highlights the limitations of conventional soundbars.

Using the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra as a reference point, Sony's system delivers substantially greater scale, bass weight and Atmos immersion. This isn't really a criticism of the Sonos, which remains one of the most capable soundbars at its price, but it does neatly demonstrate what can be achieved when you physically separate the front channels: the Trio simply fills the room more effectively.

One small issue to note regarding movie sound is that the centre speaker can buzz slightly when pushed by super-deep bass, such as that at the start of the second chapter of Blade Runner 2049. It's not something that crops up often enough to become a significant issue, but it is one of the few occasions on which the centre speaker draws attention to itself.

For music, meanwhile, the Trio offers something that most soundbars simply cannot: genuine stereo reproduction.

Switch Sound Field processing off and the centre speaker drops out, leaving dedicated left and right channels handled by dedicated left and right speakers. Give those speakers a small amount of toe-in, and the resulting stereo image is impressively focused, while still benefiting from proper separation.

My Curse by Killswitch Engage is delivered with excellent punch, dynamics and drive, while Rosalía's Divinize demonstrates the system's ability to produce serious low-frequency heft. The dense instrumentation of Karnivool's Salva remains composed and controlled, and Alone On A Hill by Silversun Pickups is rendered with convincing scale and strong stereo focus.

Sony's hi-fi heritage shines through here. The Trio sounds weighty, energetic and engaging in a way that most soundbars simply don't.

That doesn't mean it's a replacement for a properly sorted pair of powered hi-fi speakers, of course, but it comes closer than most lifestyle home cinema products.

One similarly priced alternative to the Trio that we’ve not yet mentioned is the excellent KEF XIO.

With both movies and music, the KEF sounds cleaner, crisper and more detailed than the Sony, with excellent organisation and precision. The Trio counters with greater weight, larger scale and the sort of genuine stereo separation that only physically separated speakers can provide.

Neither approach is inherently better than the other, and preferences will inevitably vary, but the comparison reinforces the fact that Sony has created something genuinely distinct rather than simply another premium soundbar.

And, while the Bravia Theatre Trio is a complete and highly capable package on its own, adding Sony's optional speakers and subwoofer takes things to another level.

Testing with the Rear 9 surrounds and Sub 8 dramatically increases immersion, creating a seamless bubble of sound that extends around the entire listening position. Atmos effects become even more precisely placed, and the busy cityscape of Blade Runner 2049 becomes extraordinarily convincing.

Just as importantly, the minor shortcomings of the standalone system largely disappear. The slight buzz from the centre speaker vanishes once deep bass duties are handed over to the subwoofer, while the occasional over-emphasis of echo through Movie Theatre Acoustics is also cured.

There remains a very slight amount of distortion from the Sub 8 itself during the deepest bass moments, and we'd be fascinated to hear whether the larger Sub 9 can eliminate this final remaining niggle. That's a discussion for another review, though.

Judged as an initial package, the Bravia Theatre Trio is a hugely impressive performer that successfully combines the scale and spaciousness of a separate-speaker home cinema system with much of the convenience and cohesion that make soundbars so appealing.

Verdict

Sony's Bravia Theatre Trio could easily have ended up feeling like an awkward compromise: neither as neat as a soundbar nor as capable as a traditional speaker system. Instead, it succeeds in taking many of the strengths of both approaches while avoiding most of their weaknesses.

It's not quite perfect – the centre speaker isn’t quite as capable as the larger speakers flanking it, there's no display, and some rivals can sound a touch cleaner and more detailed – but those shortcomings are minor in the context of what the Trio achieves overall.

Ultimately, Sony's deconstructed soundbar concept proves brilliantly effective. If you're looking for a premium lifestyle Dolby Atmos system and have the budget to stretch this far, the Bravia Theatre Trio is one of the most compelling options in years.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Design 4
• Features 4

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Best Dolby Atmos soundbars: our reviewers' five recommendations

I’ve reviewed a whole range of soundbars in my time at What Hi-Fi?, ranging from five-star wonders to less-than-satisfactory models.

But it is not every day that a product like the Focal Mu-so Hekla enters the test room. This all-in-one sound system comes in at a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625), placing it firmly in the high-end soundbar category.

The system supports Dolby Atmos (but there is no DTS:X), plus you get the full complement of streaming-service support, including Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify.

While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. Both brands hold a strong pedigree, so we had high hopes when we got the system into our test room.

And (spoiler alert) we were not disappointed. My colleagues and I spent days testing the Mu-so Hekla, so here are three things that impressed us the most about the model, and one thing that gave us some trouble.

Immersive, detailed sound with music and movies

First off, the Hekla sounds amazing with whatever we throw at it, whether that is a tense action thriller or a delicate piece of classical music. During testing we felt like we were immersed in everything we listened to, thanks to the system’s enveloping soundstage that wrapped around the listening position.

This experience was heightened by the system’s excellent precision, as you can hear effects placed around the soundfield with startling accuracy. When watching Dune: Part Two, we found in our review: “The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.”

Turning to music, this same show-stopping performance continued. Vocals sounded natural and expressive, and each frequency remained well-balanced.

We tested the Hekla against one of its closest competitors – the Award-winning KEF XIO. This five-star model launched at £1999 / $2500 / AU$3600, and holds the crown as the top premium soundbar in our best soundbars guide.

While the XIO is still an excellent performer, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.

Clean, agile bass

Another sonic standout is Hekla’s bass. The low frequencies are meaty yet agile, lending its performance an extra sense of impact.

We felt the tight punch of initial bass in the soles of our feet during Dune: Part Two as our central character slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm.

Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand was forceful but not overwhelming, as you still hear Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. It never stood out from the rest of the sound despite its low-end heft, and remained balanced even during busy action scenes.

We said in our review that it “reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system”, making it a class-leader in the soundbar category.

Stylish design

Aside from its audio performance, the Mu-so Hekla has a stylish design that feels worthy of its premium price tag. It is made from anodised aluminium with sandblasted finishes, which gives the system a sturdy and smooth feel.

Under the hood, it is equally impressive. There are 15 drivers in total, including seven on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top.

The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.

There is also a tactile dial on the top of the bar that also acts as a touch screen, and adds to its sleek appearance. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power.

No display and bulky design

As much as we like this stylish touch dial, it makes navigation a little difficult when it is being used as a soundbar. As the display is on the top of the bar, it is not as intuitive as other designs we have seen such as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max where the change in volume or output is clear.

In our test room, the light from the dial also reflected off the screen from certain angles. This won't be a problem if you're using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV, though.

The bar is also pretty hefty, weighing 15.5kg and measuring one metre long and almost 30cm deep. That means it’s less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.

This design makes sense from an engineering perspective, as Focal says it had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion it wanted. Still, it is certainly worth considering how it will fit into your space.

Despite this design quirk, the Focal Mu-so Hekla is an incredibly strong sonic performer that more than justifies its high price tag.

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The Focal Mu-so Hekla is not your average soundbar. It claims to be an “immersive all-in-one system” that “combines Dolby Atmos technology, outstanding sound performance, and ease of use to transform your everyday listening”.

Its name alone shows off its strong pedigree. While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. This isn’t the first time the two brands have worked together on a product: that was the high-end Diva Utopia active wireless stereo speaker system (£29,999 / $39,999 / AU$59,999) which came out back in 2024.

The Naim link is also apparent with the inclusion of the Mu-so branding, which audio fans may recognise as the company’s well-regarded line of wireless speakers that launched in 2014. The range boasts such products as the five-star and What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Naim Mu-so 2 (2019) and Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen models, which wowed us with their punchy, detailed and dynamic sound.

And where does Hekla come from? It’s the name of one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. If that evokes an explosive and powerful performance, then you would be correct.

Price

The Focal Mu-so Hekla has its sights set on the high-end market, and is only sold in authorised Focal Powered By Naim retailers. This exclusive nature is also reflected in its price tag, which is a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625).

That’s higher than the all-in-one music systems we have encountered from Ruark Audio and Cambridge Audio, as well as premium Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the KEF XIO (£1999 / $2500 / AU$3600) which snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award last year. We praised this KEF soundbar for its agile bass and detailed overall sound.

Design

The Mu-so Hekla is quite a bulky beast. It is one metre long and almost 30cm deep. On top of that, it weighs 15.5kg. This makes it less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.

On the top of the bar, you will find a stylish white illuminated dial that is the same as that featured on Naim’s Mu-so products. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power. It makes for a sleek design that rotates smoothly and adds to the premium feel.

As much as we like it, this design creates some issues when the Hekla is used as a soundbar. In our test room, it only just fits under our TV screen and the light from the dial is reflected off the screen from certain angles. This is not a problem when using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV.

Given the system’s bulkiness it’s fair to ask, why not make it more soundbar-y in shape? The Hekla’s shape is dictated by the engineering team’s insistence on prioritising acoustics. It simply had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box in order to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion they wanted.

“When we created this product, yes, we wanted a home cinema experience; but above all, we wanted to keep our hi-fi signature, specifically for music,” a Focal representative told our Hi-Fi and Audio Editor Kashfia Kabir at the product’s launch showcase last year.

The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.

Although it is large, the Hekla has a premium-feeling design that matches its price tag.

Features

There are 15 drivers in total, with each powered by its own Class D amplifier. That includes seven drivers on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top of the unit.

All together, it outputs a claimed 660 watts of power (60W each to the front three drivers, 40W each to the remaining 12 drivers). The electronics (streaming and amplification) are all designed by Naim. Steve Sells, the engineer behind the original Mu-so and the flagship Naim Statement amplifier, was also involved in the development of this Mu-so Hekla.

In terms of physical connectivity, you will find an HDMI port with eARC support. There is also an optical input, a wired Ethernet port (alongside wi-fi capability), and a pair of RCA outputs to add a subwoofer.

You can connect your TV, CD player, Blu-ray or games console; but unlike other do-it-all modern systems, there is no built-in phono stage.

As you would expect, you get the full complement of streaming-service support and high-resolution file compatibility. Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify – and their Connect versions – are present, as are AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth (standard AAC and SBC codecs only) for easy streaming from your devices. UPnP streaming is also on board, meaning you can play stored files from connected hard drives.

Hekla supports hi-res audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128 files, and it can also connect with other compatible Focal/Naim streaming products that use the same Focal & Naim app and streaming platform to create a multi-room system.

In terms of sound modes, there are a range of options to choose from: Dolby Music, Dolby Movie, Sphere Music and Sphere Movie. There is also a Night Mode, which reduces dynamics and bass so you do not disturb others in the house.

You can switch between these modes via the app, which lets you easily fine-tune the bar’s settings and change the output. You can also go into the EQ settings, and calibrate the soundbar to your space with Focal’s ADAPT (Adaptative Acoustic Personal Tuning) technology. Get your tape measure handy for that one, as you will be asked to calculate a range of different measurements.

With ADAPT on, the scale of the sound is wider, which adds an extra bit of immersion to our listening experience.

Sound

As soon as we boot up the Focal Mu-so Hekla with movies, we are greeted with a spacious yet precise sound that elevates every scene.

We kick off with Sinners in Dolby Atmos as our protagonist Sammie summons spirits from the past, present, and future to a small barn in Mississippi. When Sammie sings his heartfelt tune, accompanied by just his guitar, his slightly tentative vocals sound emotive and grow stronger as he gains confidence with a sense of authenticity.

As the spirits join in and more instruments are added to the mix, the Hekla does a brilliant job of expanding the soundfield to create a sense of spaciousness without losing its composure. Each instrument and voice is still placed exactly around the space, which adds a sense of precision that is rare for an all-in-one system. There is not a trace of harshness either, as we are instead treated to a solid and full-bodied approach that adds an extra weightiness.

The Hekla maintains this composed yet impactful performance with its bass. With Dune: Part Two in Atmos, we watch as Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides rides his first sandworm. When he slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm, the initial click is tight and clean with a precision that can be felt in the soles of our feet. The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.

Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand is forceful but not overwhelming, as you can hear Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. The bass also packs an authoritative low-end punch that reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system, adding to the scene’s impact.

The gradual build from Atreides quietly skulking across the sand to the exhilarating flurry of sound as the worm emerges is expertly handled by the Hekla, and shows off its superb dynamics.

When switching between the sound modes, each offers a slightly different experience. Dolby Movie offers the most precise sound, but this results in a slightly less three-dimensional feel. Sphere Mode, on the other hand, offers a more spacious sound with a more muscular bass but sacrifices a degree of precision. Both sound great, but it is down to personal preference.

The same can be said for the modes when we switch between Dolby Music and Sphere Music when playing some tunes.

The Hekla continues its show-stopping performance with music, and deals excellently with whatever we throw at it. Listening to 500 Miles by Peter, Paul and Mary via Qobuz Connect, the system shows off its softer side. As the vocals get louder near the end of the piece then grow quieter to almost a whisper, it handles this change in dynamics with subtlety to compound the emotive finale.

It can go punchy and loud, too. With Liar’s Tale by Kneecap, the initial visceral electric zing is portrayed with enthusiasm and clarity. When the bass comes in full throttle, it is delivered with authority and immediately gets our toes tapping.

With Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles, the sound of bouncing ping pong balls cascades all around our listening position with incredible levels of detail and spaciousness.

We put the Hekla up against the less pricey KEF XIO. While the cheaper XIO is still great for the money, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.

Verdict

As far as all-in-one systems go, the Focal Mu-so Hekla offers the best of both worlds. It delivers all the drama you could want from a soundbar when watching movies, with controlled bass and authoritative overall sound that elevates each scene.

But you can also feed it a delicate piece of music and be treated to a finessed performance that makes you feel the emotion of each note.

It might come at a high price but, if you have the funds, its performance more than justifies the cost.

Review published: 15th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Design 5

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Best hi-fi systems: CD, vinyl and streaming music players for the home

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

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

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

Since its release in 2024, the Arc Ultra has been relatively unchallenged. But the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S has stepped into the ring with its eye on the prize.

Boasting both a subwoofer and a soundbar as opposed to the Arc Ultra’s all-in-one design, they are two different beasts. But who will come out on top when it comes to audio performance? We have put both soundbars head-to-head in our test room, so we can tell you from experience which model is most worth your money.

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: price

So how much will each soundbar set you back? The Sonos Arc Ultra launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799 but, since its release, you can get it cheaper. In the UK, the Sonos model has dropped to £799 at most retailers, although we have seen it fluctuate.

The Sony system launched at £799 / $1100 (around AU$1320), and has remained at that price since its release. This combo has not been out as long as the Arc Ultra, so there is still an opportunity for the price to drop as time goes on.

There is the option to buy the Bravia 7 without the subwoofer but, for reasons that will become clear, we recommend spending the extra cash.

Right now, though, it is a tie between the two bars when it comes to cost.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: design

The two soundbars offer opposing designs that cater to different sides of the market.

The Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S consists of a soundbar and subwoofer, so there is one extra bit of kit to consider compared to Sonos’ single all-in-one bar.

Offering a versatile design, the accompanying subwoofer is easy to place in our test room and connects to the soundbar quickly. You can use it in two different positions, either with the grille facing the listener or the side of the room.

The Arc Ultra is longer than the Bar 7 soundbar, coming in at 8 x 118 x 11cm (hwd) versus Sony’s 6 x 95 x 13cm (hwd). The Sonos model is also heavier, weighing 5.9kg compared to 4.6kg.

With the Sony bar, you will find a small remote control that puts functionality over style. From here, you can control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode. There’s no such addition with the Sonos, however.

You can find the Sonos bar in either a black or white finish, whereas the Sony system is only available in black. Neither of the bars has a display, and the Sony has no buttons on the top of the bar. The Arc Ultra features touch-sensitive buttons, though these are situated on a ledge at the back. A display with both models would make navigating the settings without relying on the accompanying apps feel more straightforward.

Both designs offer their own benefits. The Sonos offers a slightly simpler set-up with its all-in-one build, but the Sony’s soundbar is more compact and offers versatility with the subwoofer’s placement.

That all depends on what you need from your soundbar, so it’s a draw this time round.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: features

In terms of physical connectivity, both bars have an HDMI that supports eARC, but the Sony model has an extra HDMI port.

Dolby Atmos is available with both systems, but the Bravia 7 also offers DTS:X, which provides more options for surround sound.

The Sony bar offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find nine drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels. That differs from the Sonos, which is packing a 9.1.4-channel configuration. This is made up of seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a 'Sound Motion' woofer.

They both use their company's respective apps. The Bravia Connect and Sonos apps let you fine-tune the settings of the bars. With the Sony’s app, you can also pair the subwoofer (and the surrounds if you have them) from the app, where they recognise the product almost immediately, which makes for an easy set-up.

Both apps are easy to use, but Sony’s user interface is more intuitive and this results in a smoother overall experience.

From both apps, you can calibrate the soundbar to your space (the Arc Ultra employs Sonos Trueplay). Once we have calibrated the bars to our space, we are offered a wider soundstage with both systems. It’s worth noting that the subwoofer is not included in this process with the Sony system, so it must be adjusted by ear using the bass settings with the app or the remote.

There is also the option to expand your set-up with both systems. With the Sony soundbar and subwoofer, you can also add in the Sony Theatre Rear 8 speakers, costing £449 / $500 / AU$599 on their own.

Sonos’ offerings here are more comprehensive, as you can connect other products from the brand, such as the Sonos Sub 4 or the Era 300 speakers. These can be arranged in a multi-room set-up or in one room.

For its more comprehensive HDMI support and better app experience, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 takes it.

**Winner: Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: sound

Sony and Sonos take different approaches when it comes to audio performance here. But both are five-star systems that provide a massive upgrade from the majority of TV speakers.

When we start up the Bravia Theatre Bar 7, we are greeted with a punchy, cohesive sound that is immediately likeable. It offers an immersive experience, which is put to the test with Top Gun: Maverick as Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet, and the soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen.

The Arc Ultra also impresses, matching the Sony’s sense of scale and punch. Effects sound like they're coming from all around you, and are placed with precision, while certain sounds (like rain) stretch far beyond the confines of the TV to which the soundbar is connected.

Bass performance is strong with both soundbars, but the Sony’s added subwoofer gives it the edge in terms of agility and precision. We also find that the bass is well-integrated with the main soundbar and performs with the same precision as the rest of the system. That’s not to dismiss the Sonos performance with lower frequencies, as the bass it delivers is "tight, tuneful and expressive in a way that is rare in the soundbar world".

We listen to the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 without the subwoofer, and it still delivers clear vocals and convincing height effects. But the sound is thinner and lacks the sense of scale and authority that we get when the subwoofer is added.

Both soundbars produce clear vocals, but the Sonos model produces richer voices that lend a more emotive and warm feel to the sound.

When playing music, this warm approach carries foward with the Sonos to make it a more emotive performer than the Sony. The soft vocals of Aurora’s Churchyard start with the appropriate low-level dynamics and build to the punchy chorus as the bass kicks in. As with the Sony’s performance with movies, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S delivers a more precise and energetic bass than the Arc Ultra.

Both soundbars are excellent sonic performers, but the Sonos bar inches past the Sony system for its warmer overall sound.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: verdict

If you are looking to upgrade your TV’s audio and get a more immersive audio experience, then either of these soundbars will deliver. Where the Sonos Arc Ultra offers a warm, spacious sound, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S counters with a more agile and well-integrated bass.

One of their designs might suit you more, but the Sonos Arc Ultra just takes the crown for its richer sonic performance.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

MORE:

These are the best soundbars on the market

Here's our full review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Sony has added Direct Connect support to more of its TVs, including multiple Award-winning OLED sets.

The Japanese AV brand originally launched its Direct Connect feature with its duo of new True RGB TVs, the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II.

The feature lets users connect a pair of the brand's latest Rear 9 or Rear 8 surround speakers and a compatible subwoofer directly to their TV. Compatible subwoofer models include the Sub 7, Sub 8 or Sub 9

The feature uses the TV's speakers as the centre, left and right channels, with the connected speakers providing surround sound and low-end support.

While it launched as an exclusive feature for the 2026 range, Sony has updated a selection of TVs from 2023, 2024 and 2025 to support the wireless surround sound feature. The list of included models is as follows:

• A95L (2023)
• Bravia 9 (2024)
• Bravia 8 II (2025)
• Bravia 8 (2024)
• Bravia 7 (2024)
• Bravia 5 (2025)

We're especially pleased to see the A95L featured here, as while we praised its built-in sound system in our review, we also reported: "we rather wish Sony gave you the option to add a subwoofer directly to the A95L, as that would make it even more formidable".

Job done, thanks to this update. Unfortunately, the Award-winning A80L misses the cut, as do other premium Sony sets from 2023, including the X95L and X90L.

While it may sound similar to LG's new Dolby Atmos Sound Suite range, Sony's system works slightly differently. Direct Connect does not use Dolby Atmos Flex Connect, and a maximum of two speakers and one subwoofer can be connected. LG's system allows for multiple sets of speakers to be paired directly with the TV.

Furthermore, Sony intends for users to place the speakers behind or adjacent to the listening position to create a surround sound effect, rather than using them as dedicated front left and right channels.

The update is rolling out now in Europe and the US, and it brings Sony's My Cinema interface, which collects the picture and sound features into a new-looking user interface, to the models mentioned above.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best Sony soundbars

As well as the best OLED TVs

And read our full LG Sound Suite System review here

Can you believe that there was a time when Samsung didn’t feature a single OLED TV in its range? That all changed in 2022, when it put its spin on OLED by adding a layer of Quantum Dots and launched the excellent S95B QD-OLED TV.

Five years later, the brand is now reaping the benefits of the self-emissive panel technology. It now makes some of the finest OLED TVs around – take the five-star S95F and S90F duo from last year – and its 2026 lineup features more OLED TVs than ever before.

Of course, Samsung was never going to celebrate half a decade of OLED success without taking things up a notch, which is why it has introduced a new, rather unusual flagship model that takes inspiration from one of the brand's other most successful models.

That new flagship OLED is the S99H, a premium QD-OLED TV that oozes style and sophistication, thanks at least in part to its aesthetic similarities to the wildly successful, design-led The Frame LCD range.

Here, though, those smart good looks have been blended with the core abilities of the excellent S95F – with a generous helping of performance upgrades for good measure.

The result? A showstopping OLED TV that blends style and substance, and one that we think could dethrone the current reigning champion of our best OLED TV list: the Sony Bravia 8 II.

Price

We have the 55-inch Samsung S99H before us today, and it’s officially priced at £2499, though in true Samsung fashion, that launch pricing hasn’t stuck around for long. We’re already seeing a £100 decrease across all sizes, which puts the 65-inch version at £3199, the 77-inch model at £4199, and the 83-inch size at £5999.

Now, we need to clear something up regarding model numbers for different regions.

In the US and Australia, Samsung is calling this model the S95H. Despite the different name, it is an identical TV. In these regions, you’ll find the 55-inch S95H for $2500 / AU$3999, the 65-inch S95H for $3400 / AU$5299, the 77-inch S95H for $4500 / AU$7999, and the 83-inch S95H for $6500 / AU$9995.

That's not the end of the story, though. To confuse things even more, Samsung is selling a model under the S95H name here in the UK, too, but it’s a different TV. From what we gather, it is the same TV as the S99H, but without the metal frame-style design. In fact, it looks identical to last year’s S95F.

So, to reiterate, the S99H we're testing here is known as the S95H in the US and Australia, but that is not the same as the UK's S95H TV. Yes, we have given some constructive feedback to Samsung on all of this.

Got all that? Then let's consider the S99H's competition, which primarily comes in the form of Sony’s awesome, Award-winning Bravia 8 II, the 55-inch version of which, after around a year on sale, now costs around £1799 / $2600 / AU$3995. That makes it significantly cheaper than the S99H in the UK, but there's rough pricing parity between the two TVs in the US and Australia.

There’s also the 55-inch LG G6 to consider, which appears to be widely discounted to £1840 here in the UK, but is so far sticking to its $2500 / AU$3995 launch price in the US and Australia, respectively.

Design

We’re confident in saying that this is one of the most unusual-looking TVs to enter our AV testing room.

Samsung clearly took inspiration from its hugely popular The Frame TV when it came to designing the S99H, and while this television’s looks won’t be to everyone’s taste, we’re just pleased to see a TV company that’s willing to push the boat out when it comes to design.

The S99H features a two-layer design, with an OLED screen section mounted onto a slightly larger metal backplate, with a roughly 2cm gap between. Samsung calls this its “FloatLayer” design.

It’s hard to describe, but the effect it gives is essentially a floating OLED panel surrounded by a premium metal frame. Much like LG’s G-series, this TV is designed to be wall-mounted, and while we can’t do that in our testing room, we have seen it wall-mounted at various hands-on events leading up to launch.

In short, the S99H looks like a work of art when it's fixed to a wall, as the floating design becomes really quite striking and effective. Despite the two-layer design, the overall depth is just 2.8cm, which also helps to sell the futuristic look that Samsung is going for.

Unfortunately, the TV doesn’t look quite as suave when it’s set up in its tabletop configuration. Samsung includes two quite cheap-feeling plastic feet with the TV that feel somewhat at odds with the rest of the premium design, and the metal bezel and floating design look less convincing when it's not attached to a wall.

Samsung also includes two remotes in the box: a “traditional” button-heavy number, and a sleeker “smart” remote. The latter includes both a USB-C socket and a small solar panel on the back for easy recharging, though it’s frustratingly not backlit. Then again, neither are the remotes included with the aforementioned Sony or LG TVs, so we can’t knock Samsung too much here.

Features

Samsung’s penchant for cramming (almost) every imaginable feature into its TVs is, once again, evident with the S99H.

We’ll start with the QD-OLED display, which Samsung has managed to squeeze even more brightness out of since we last saw it on the S95F. It can now reportedly reach a whopping 2700 nits in the Movie picture mode, and as you’ll come to find out in the picture section of this review, there are plenty of instances in which we find ourselves being taken aback by how bright this TV can get.

Samsung has also improved its Glare Free coating this year, making it more effective at combating reflections and glare from ambient light. The matte display also makes artwork from Samsung’s Art Mode feature look more realistic for those who want a TV that blends into its surroundings.

In usual Samsung fashion, HDR support comes in the form of HDR10+ (including the Adaptive and Gaming versions), HDR10 and HLG, but not Dolby Vision.

Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision 2, HDR10+ Advanced, is also supported by the S99H. Unfortunately, no content is available in the new format yet, and we don't have a date for its arrival. Amazon is said to be working on adding it to Prime Video in the not too distant future, though.

Hardcore PC gamers will be pleased to learn that the S99H can handle signals right up to 4K/165Hz, as well as the console-friendly 4K/120Hz format, across all four of its HDMI 2.1 sockets. VRR, ALLM and HDR10+ Gaming are also all supported.

All of the connections are built into a side-facing nook in the rear of the TV, which is a departure from the One Connect box that has come with Samsung’s previous flagship OLED TVs.

One Connect does live on, though, and in a quite remarkable way: Samsung is offering an optional Wireless One Connect accessory, which is set to launch in July for £299 / $350 (AU price TBC).

This features four HDMI sockets, and because it connects to the S99H wirelessly, it takes the total HDMI 2.1 socket count to a staggering eight. That’s enough to support all three of the current-generation consoles, a gaming PC, a 4K Blu-ray player, a soundbar or AVR, and a streaming device, and you’d still have one spare.

The S99H also supports Dolby Atmos, both via HDMI eARC and through its built-in 4.2.2-channel 70W sound system.

Samsung offers two simplistic sound modes, Standard and Amplify, but there is also a range of Samsung-specific sound processing features based on its Vision AI platform, including Object Tracking Sound Plus, Active Voice Amplifier Pro, Adaptive Sound Pro, and AI Sound Controller Pro; all of which are fairly self-explanatory.

Q Symphony also returns. This allows you to use the TV’s speakers in unison with those of a connected Samsung soundbar, but it should be approached with caution – we generally find that a good soundbar performs best when the less capable speakers of a TV don't get involved.

AI also steps in to help with picture processing, as Samsung has implemented its 4K AI Upscaling Pro, AI Motion Enhancer Pro and Auto HDR Remastering Pro features, alongside a Real Depth Enhancer contrast enhancement system and Colour Booster Pro.

On the subject of AI, Samsung has applied its “AI for All” mantra in swathes here, as the S99H is positively dripping in artificial intelligence, right down to the AI button on the remote.

A click of this button brings up Samsung’s Vision AI interface, which can recognise on-screen content and provide extra contextual information. This includes related content, cast information and prompts to find out more detailed information about the show or movie.

Scrolling from this page brings us to a more generalised AI interface, from which Samsung allows you to pick your preferred system. Here you can ask for recipes, generate AI wallpapers, or ask general questions. The sky is, hypothetically, the limit.

This is all made possible by the same NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor found in last year’s S95F, as well as Samsung’s Tizen OS platform. The operating system has had a fairly comprehensive refresh for 2026, with a new content bar at the top that splits your apps into categories including entertainment, gaming and art, and the operation feels generally slicker.

App coverage is mostly excellent, with a wide range of international and domestic streaming applications. Currently, the only missing app is BBC iPlayer; we’ve reached out to Samsung, which says that it expects to add iPlayer support soon.

Samsung TV Plus, which features hundreds of free over-the-internet streaming channels, is also included, and gamers are well looked after thanks to the presence of apps for services such as Xbox, Amazon Luna, and Nvidia GeForce Now.

Picture quality

It’s clear that Samsung has been working to tweak and adjust its picture processing over the years in the pursuit of achieving that final pinch of picture quality excellence, and the S99H is evidence that its work has paid off. This is Samsung’s most mature TV yet, and it’s all the better for that.

We opt for Filmmaker Mode as our preferred picture preset, albeit with a couple of tweaks to get the best performance possible: we switch Colour Temperature from its Warm 2 default to Warm 1, and turn the judder and blur reduction settings up to 1.

The resulting picture is extraordinary, and it makes any content we throw at it – from Blade Runner 2049, Civil War, Pan and Drive, to No Time To Die and The Batman – shine. We have the S99F set up next to the Award-winning Sony Bravia 8 II, and despite the tough competition, the Samsung delivers an unflinching visual feast.

Starting with the opening scene of Blade Runner 2049, we find that the S99H serves up oodles of contrast, which results in a deeply three-dimensional picture with superb highlights.

The overhead shot of the solar farm instantly draws us in, thanks to the superb detail levels mixed with the excellent sense of depth. We also approve of how the S99H handles the gloomy, bluish-grey sky, as well as the skin tones of Officer K and Sapper Morton.

In fact, the S99H makes the Sony Bravia 8 II look a bit green in our head-to-head comparison, and skin tones start to look a bit pasty, too. Sony TVs have traditionally leaned towards the cooler side when it comes to colour reproduction, even in Filmmaker Mode, but it’s interesting to see these TVs take a different approach, particularly as they use the same panel technology.

This is most evident in the scene from Pan in which the floating pirate ship enters a cavern; the Samsung runs rings around the Sony when it comes to maintaining low-light colour volume. Skin tones are noticeably warmer and more vibrant on the Samsung in this instance. That being said, the Sony is evidently better at maintaining shadow detail.

In fact, some shadow detail is lost entirely on the S99H, especially during dark sequences in moodier flicks such as Drive and The Batman. In both films, we find facial features and clothing textures occasionally succumb to darkness, while the Sony has no trouble keeping them visible.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Samsung takes the crown when it comes to delivering dazzlingly bright highlights; in fact, we’re adding the S99H to the list of TVs that we’ve had to shield our eyes from physically.

Reverting to the exceptionally bright (and critically dismal) Pan, we find the mix of punchy, concentrated highlights and rich colours stealing our attention away from the Sony entirely.

However, the more conventional-looking Civil War is the perfect test disc to highlight exactly what this TV does well. Everything from the night-time forest fire sequence to a helicopter gliding over a lake and the Charlottesville military camp looks fantastic.

There’s a real sense of nuance here that previous Samsung TVs haven’t always been able to capture. Foliage, for example, is wonderfully textured and detailed without looking over-etched, and while the colours do seem a smidge over-saturated compared with those from the Bravia 8 II, it's not to an extent that looks instinctively wrong.

The sequence that shows the journalists driving through a forest fire seals the deal here. The mix of detail, depth and contrast served up by the S99H is remarkable – the striking, bright flames contrast wonderfully with the dark background, and there is a real sense of intensity and warmth derived from how Samsung's OLED handles highlights.

We fire up the standard Blu-ray of Logan to assess the S99H’s upscaling capabilities, and it's a similar story here, too. Detail levels are superb, and if we weren’t so eagle-eyed, the S99H could almost have fooled us into thinking we were watching a 4K disc.

Colours are also nicely balanced, and motion remains solid, too. This TV excels regardless of what you throw at it.

Sound

It’s not just the picture performance that Samsung has improved. Sound has also been upgraded, which is a good sign after the S95F’s middling delivery.

We stick with Civil War, which highlights everything from dialogue to explosions, and even Dolby Atmos height effects. The rhythmic swooping of helicopter blades is delivered with a strong leading edge, underpinned by a pleasingly controlled dose of bass.

Moving on to the scene in which Lee and Jessie have a heart-to-heart conversation in a wooded area, we approve of how the S99H captures the subtle characteristics of their voices well, and overall, the dialogue is crisp and well-defined. The atmospheric effects, including birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind, sound pleasingly spacious, too.

There is plenty of height and width to the sound, which is also evident in Blade Runner 2049. The sequence in which Officer K returns to his home from the police precinct is another example of how the S99H captures atmospheric sounds to great effect.

The booming audio adverts are placed with impressive precision and plenty of height, while the S99H somehow manages to beam the sound of the bustling street in a way that creates a fairly convincing sense of immersion.

While we’re on the subject of Blade Runner, we put the S99H through our usual chapter two stress test and find that Samsung has changed its approach. Where many of the brand's previous models have been quite bassy but a little prone to distortion, the S99H digs less deep but proves to be almost entirely distortion-free.

Sony takes a similar approach with the Bravia 8 II (and many other of its TVs), and we ultimately find it to be a sensible compromise. We would of course like more bass weight, but if that has to be sacrificed somewhat to reduce distracting distortion, then so be it.

It’s not all good news on the sonic front, though: like the S95F, the S99H simply doesn't go very loud. Even close to its maximum volume levels, this is an easy TV to talk over. The Amplify setting helps to negate this somewhat, but it does result in some dynamic compression.

The Sony Bravia 8 II also does a better job of organising the sound during scenes with lots of competing effects. The ending battle of Civil War is a perfect example, as the Sony balances dialogue, explosions, and vehicle sounds with care to create a more impactful and immersive soundscape.

With all that said, the S99H is still a big improvement over the S95F where sound is concerned, and it's ultimately a very usable (and even enjoyable) built-in sound system.

Verdict

There’s no other way of putting it; Samsung has knocked it out of the park with the S99H.

With a refined approach to picture tuning, a feature set that (with one key caveat) many TVs can only dream of, and a greatly improved sound system compared with last year’s model, the company’s latest flagship OLED TV takes the title from the S95F as the best TV the company has made to date.

The bold new design might not suit all tastes, and die-hard Dolby Vision fans may be disappointed, but we’re struggling to find reasons not to recommend the Samsung S99H to anyone considering splashing some serious cash on a flagship OLED TV.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Bravia 8 II

Also consider the LG G6

Read our Philips OLED910 review

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

There’s a war going on for your living room. The premium TV technology of choice of the last few years – OLED – is under attack from a new, stunningly bright and vibrant foe – RGB Mini LED.

Every major brand has either launched its first RGB Mini LED TVs or is about to. Hisense launched its first RGB Mini LED models last year, in fact, but those were gigantic, 100+ inch sets, so a long way from a serious proposition for most people.

Hisense is also the first brand to submit to us a proper, mainstream RGB Mini LED TV to review, though – the UR9.

RGB Mini LED TVs are pitched at different levels by different brands, but Hisense is absolutely pitching the UR9 as a rival to flagship OLEDs. The price confirms as much.

So, what better way to benchmark it than against our current favourite flagship OLED, the Sony Bravia 8 II.

That, then, is what we’ve done. Over several days, we’ve tested the Hisense UR9 and Sony Bravia 8 II side by side, feeding all of our favourite discs and streams into both simultaneously, and judging them on picture quality, sound quality, features, usability, design and price.

This might not be a full RGB Mini LED vs OLED battle – the Hisense UR9 doesn’t represent all RGB Mini LED TVs, after all – but it is the opening skirmish in the broader TV tech war. And it's an eye-opening one at that.

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: price

The Hisense UR9’s pricing is interesting to say the least. In the UK, the 65-inch model we tested is priced at £2999, which places it in the same price category as brand-new flagship OLEDs.

In Australia, meanwhile, the UR9’s price of AU$3999 makes it slightly more affordable by local standards.

In the US, though, the pre-launch price of $3500 had dropped vastly to just $2000 by the time the TV actually hit stores.

Things are much more straightforward with the Sony Bravia 8 II, the 65-inch version of which launched at £2999 / $4000 / AU$5295, but can now be bought for £2299 / $2798 / AU$4995.

The inconsistent international pricing of the Hisense UR9 makes it a little tricky to judge this round, but seeing as we’re a primarily UK publication, and that we reviewed a UK sample, we’re going to prioritise the UK pricing and call this it in favour of the Bravia 8 II.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: design

The Sony Bravia 8 II and Hisense UR9 are both smart-looking TVs, but they take rather different approaches to design.

Sony has essentially carried over the styling of the A95L, resulting in a TV that looks purposeful, premium and monolithic. While it lacks the ultra-thin glamour of some rival OLEDs, the Bravia 8 II still feels like a flagship product, with its clean lines and understated aesthetic giving it a suitably high-end appearance.

The feet can be installed in either a low-profile position that leaves the bottom edge of the screen sitting just millimetres above your furniture, or a raised position that creates space for a soundbar. The downside is that those feet can only be positioned at the furthest extremes of the chassis, meaning you'll need furniture that's at least as wide as the TV itself.

The Hisense UR9 is a more practical proposition. At 4.5cm thick, it's chunkier than the Sony and doesn't have quite the same premium flair, but it is solidly built and neatly finished, with slim bezels and a restrained dark metallic finish.

Hisense has also made a couple of sensible usability-focused decisions. The centrally mounted pedestal stand occupies a footprint of only around 42cm, making the TV much easier to place on narrower furniture, and it too offers two height positions so that a soundbar can be accommodated beneath the screen.

The UR9's integrated Devialet sound system is more visually obvious than Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ setup, with perforations running down the sides of the chassis and across the top edge to house the side- and up-firing speakers. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does contribute to the TV's more functional, engineering-led appearance.

Ultimately, neither of these TVs is likely to be bought primarily for its styling, but the Bravia 8 II's cleaner, more premium design gives it the edge. The UR9 is practical and perfectly attractive in its own right, but it lacks the sense of sophistication that Sony's flagship delivers.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: features

The biggest difference between these two TVs is, of course, their panel technologies.

The Sony Bravia 8 II uses Samsung Display's latest QD-OLED panel, paired with Sony's XR processor and a custom heatsink. Because OLED technology is self-emissive, every pixel can be controlled independently, with no need for local dimming zones.

Sony doesn't publish specific brightness figures for its TVs, but the Bravia 8 II is estimated to hit around 1900 nits in small highlights, making it one of the brightest OLED TVs currently available.

The Hisense UR9, meanwhile, uses an RGB Mini LED backlight with 980 local dimming zones. Rather than relying on a conventional white backlight shining through colour filters, it uses separate red, green and blue Mini LEDs to generate colour directly. Hisense claims a peak brightness of up to 3500 nits for the 65-inch model we tested.

On paper, then, these TVs take radically different approaches to creating their images. We're not going to award points for one technology over the other here, though, because what ultimately matters is how those technologies perform in practice. We'll get to that in the picture quality section.

There are other differences in the feature sets of the two TVs worth highlighting, though.

Hardcore gamers are generally better served by the Hisense. All three of its HDMI sockets are full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, with support for 4K/170Hz, 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM. It also features a DisplayPort connection, which remains extremely rare on TVs and could prove useful for committed PC gamers.

The Sony supports 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, too, but still offers only two HDMI 2.1 sockets, one of which doubles as the eARC connection. That limitation remains one of our biggest frustrations with Sony's flagship TVs.

That said, we'd probably take the Sony's two HDMI 2.1 sockets and two additional standard HDMI inputs over the Hisense's three HDMI sockets and DisplayPort arrangement. The latter will be useful to a niche audience, but many buyers are more likely to benefit from having an extra ‘standard’ HDMI connection available.

HDR support favours the Hisense, though. The UR9 supports every major HDR format currently in use, including HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The Bravia 8 II supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, but, as is customary for Sony TVs, HDR10+ is absent.

The Bravia 8 II fights back with Google TV, which remains one of the stronger smart TV platforms available and features excellent app support. The UR9's VIDAA operating system is fast and responsive, but there are some notable omissions.

Most significantly, while the Apple TV app is present, it lacks access to the Apple TV Store and users' purchased libraries. That's a genuine disappointment, as Apple's movie store remains the best pay-as-you-go film streaming service available, particularly for 4K HDR movies.

Sony also offers IMAX Enhanced certification, its Studio Calibrated Modes for services such as Netflix and Prime Video, and Sony Pictures Core integration.

Ultimately, neither TV completely dominates on features, but the Hisense's broader HDR support, extra HDMI 2.1 socket and more advanced gaming specification give it the edge overall.

WINNER: Hisense UR9

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: picture quality

This is, of course, the section that really matters.

The Hisense UR9 makes an immediately strong impression. Once switched into either Filmmaker Mode or IMAX Cinema, it produces a rich, vibrant and remarkably composed image that rarely behaves like a traditional backlit TV.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the UR9 is how well controlled its RGB Mini LED backlight is. Throughout our testing, blooming is kept impressively in check, black levels are consistently strong and the TV almost entirely avoids the brightness pumping, flickering and shifting backlight behaviour that often gives Mini LED technology away.

Extra-bright HDR content is a particular strength. Movies such as Pan look spectacular on the UR9, with dazzling highlights and bold colours that comfortably outgun the Bravia 8 II for outright brightness. Sunlight bursting through clouds and glinting off fantasy scenery is delivered with real punch and intensity.

The UR9 is also a very accomplished motion performer, and it combines its brightness with rich colours, excellent shadow detail and a pleasingly cinematic warmth that stops the image from ever becoming gaudy or overblown.

In isolation, it's one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested.

Direct comparison with the Bravia 8 II reveals why OLED remains the reference technology, though – at least for now.

Despite its impressive brightness and excellent local dimming, the Hisense simply can't match the Sony's pixel-level contrast control. Counterintuitively, some of the brightest highlights against the darkest backgrounds actually appear more impactful on the Bravia 8 II than on the much brighter Hisense, because the OLED can render them without any concern about blooming.

More significantly, the Sony produces a more solid and perceptually three-dimensional image. Objects and characters stand out from their surroundings with greater depth and dynamism, while subtle gradations within shadows, clouds and highlights appear more convincing and refined.

We've observed this extra solidity from OLED many times before, but the side-by-side comparison between these two TVs demonstrates it particularly clearly. Next to the Bravia 8 II, the UR9 simply looks a little flatter and less immersive.

The Sony also has the advantage when it comes to viewing angles. While the Hisense holds up better than many LCD-based rivals, the sweet spot in which it performs at its very best is still relatively narrow. Thanks to its OLED panel, the Bravia 8 II performs consistently from almost any angle.

And while blooming is rare on the UR9, it isn't entirely absent. Difficult scenes such as the bomb-test sequence in Oppenheimer or the opening starfield of Alien: Romulus reveal imperfections that even this highly accomplished RGB Mini LED set cannot completely escape.

The Bravia 8 II, meanwhile, is simply sensational. Its combination of dazzling brightness by OLED standards, vibrant colours, exceptional shadow detail and razor-sharp definition creates an image of astonishing depth and realism.

What impresses most isn't any single strength, but how naturally all of its strengths come together. The Bravia 8 II consistently delivers a picture that feels balanced, authentic and effortlessly cinematic, whether you're watching a pristine 4K Dolby Vision disc or a much more humble SDR stream.

The Hisense UR9 proves that RGB Mini LED can get surprisingly close to flagship OLED performance, and many viewers will adore its combination of brightness, richness and stability. But when viewed side by side, the Bravia 8 II remains the more complete and convincing picture performer.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: sound quality

Both the Sony Bravia 8 II and Hisense UR9 are unusually sonically accomplished by modern TV standards.

That's important, because while we always recommend pairing a premium TV with a dedicated sound system, for many buyers that’s either impractical or unpalatable.

The Hisense UR9 certainly doesn't disappoint. Its Devialet-tuned 4.1.2-channel sound system delivers a presentation that is impressively spacious and full-bodied, with particularly convincing width and height effects.

Dolby Atmos soundtracks benefit from a strong sense of scale, while bass is deeper and more substantial than most flatscreen TVs can manage. The overall character is smooth, rich and easy to listen to over extended viewing sessions.

The UR9's audio system isn't flawless, though. Dynamics can feel a little restrained during big action sequences, and dialogue doesn't always have the clarity and expressiveness we'd ideally like.

We also found ourselves preferring the Standard sound mode over the more expansive Theatre setting. While Theatre mode undoubtedly sounds bigger, it can introduce a slightly diffuse and faintly echoey quality to voices that makes dialogue seem less natural than it should.

The Sony Bravia 8 II takes a very different approach. Rather than relying on conventional speaker placement, its Acoustic Surface Audio+ system uses actuators to vibrate the screen itself, effectively turning the display into a speaker.

The result is one of the most cohesive and convincing audio performances we've heard from a TV.

Dialogue and effects are tied directly to the action on screen in a way that traditional TV speaker systems struggle to replicate, creating a stronger sense that sound is genuinely coming from the people and objects you're watching.

Like the Hisense, the Sony also sounds surprisingly spacious, with effects extending well beyond the edges of the screen. Detail levels are excellent, too, and the Bravia 8 II combines subtle dynamic nuance with enough punch to make action scenes engaging and exciting.

Bass depth isn't as generous as it is from the Hisense, but it's impressively controlled, and the overall tonal balance is exceptionally well judged.

Ultimately, these are two of the best-sounding TVs you can currently buy. The Hisense delivers scale, warmth and impressive Atmos effects, but the Sony's superior detail, greater dynamic expression and uniquely direct delivery give it the edge.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: verdict

The Hisense UR9 is a hugely important TV.

Not only is it the first mainstream RGB Mini LED TV we've fully reviewed, it's also the first serious attempt to take on flagship OLEDs with a fundamentally different display technology.

And the good news for RGB Mini LED fans is that, in some ways at least, it succeeds.

The UR9 is bright, vibrant and impressively refined. More importantly, it avoids many of the traditional pitfalls of backlit TVs, with excellent black levels, impressively restrained blooming and a consistency that often feels surprisingly OLED-like.

In several respects, it's one of the best backlit TVs we've ever tested.

But while the UR9 proves that RGB Mini LED is a genuinely exciting technology with enormous potential, it also demonstrates just how high the bar currently is at the top end of the OLED market.

Ultimately, picture quality remains the most important factor in any TV buying decision, and it's here that the Sony Bravia 8 II retains a clear advantage. The Hisense has the stronger gaming specification, broader HDR support and spectacular brightness, but the Sony's superior contrast control, greater three-dimensionality and more natural, cinematic image make it the more accomplished performer overall.

This isn't a verdict on RGB Mini LED versus OLED as technologies, and it certainly isn't the last battle in what is shaping up to be one of the most interesting periods in TV tech for years.

Instead, it’s the verdict on the very best OLED TV currently available versus the first mainstream RGB Mini LED model. And while the Hisense UR9 proves that RGB Mini LED is ready to compete with the very best, the Sony Bravia 8 II remains the TV to beat.

OVERALL WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

If you search online for a soundbar, you will be flooded with oodles of options. From budget bars to premium models with Dolby Atmos for immersive surround sound, there is a soundbar out there for everyone.

When done right, they will upgrade the sound from your TV’s built-in speakers to deliver a more enveloping audio experience without the need for multiple extra speakers and reams of wires.

But we were not always this spoilt for choice. The only alternative to making do with your TV’s audio was investing in a multi-speaker sound system that took up a lot more space and cost a lot more money.

It was Yamaha that changed all that with the YSP-1, a "digital sound projector" that acts as the forefather of the soundbar category we know today.

The Yamaha YSP-1 came out more than 20 years ago, and the What Hi-Fi? team reviewed it back in April 2005.

This revolutionary product crammed 40 small driver units – each backed by an individual amplifier – and two bass drivers in to one long speaker bar.

These drivers were paired with a clever processing system that beamed sound around your room, bouncing off the walls to create a convincing surround sound experience.

We loved the idea of Yamaha’s YSP-1 from the moment we heard it, and the bar received a four-star verdict for delivering a “sizeable dose of energy and drive”.

Some issues held it back from five-star greatness. For one, properly configuring the soundbar to your space wasn't easy. As we noted: “Set aside an evening and work through the expert menu, adjusting beam angles, focal lengths and levels, and the sound will be significantly better.”

That set-up process is a far cry from soundbars now, with the majority of brands offering a much easier calibration process where the system can gauge the dimensions of your room using built-in microphones or even a dedicated set-up app.

Despite its fussiness we were still ultimately enthusiastic: “The Yamaha isn’t perfect, but the concept is spot on. It’s an alternative to a sub/sat system, and it could be a signpost to the future of surround”.

And call us fortune tellers, because the YSP-1 was indeed a catalyst for more brands to produce their own takes on the all-in-one soundbar.

Yamaha also continued to build upon its inaugural product in the category. Take the Yamaha True X Surround 90A (pictured, above), which includes a main soundbar, subwoofer and two surround speakers.

We were impressed by its well-controlled subwoofer and powerful audio from the soundbar, even if the speakers felt a little disconnected from the rest of the system.

While the soundbar category has evolved, not least with premium options offering serious surround sound powered by Dolby Atmos, the YSP concept remains surprisingly unchanged. Yamaha, and the YSP-1, we salute you.

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High End Vienna concluded on Sunday, with the event offering a whole bunch of exciting upcoming releases that we cannot wait to get into our test rooms.

From Bowers & Wilkins' new flagship 800 Series Diamond speakers to Audio-Technica’s high-end flagship cartridge, there is a range of hi-fi products coming soon.

We have gathered some of the most exciting announcements from High End below, as well as the biggest news from the world of hi-fi and home cinema you might have missed in the past week. Let’s get into it!

WiiM launches its first-ever Dolby Atmos soundbar

WiiM, a company best known for its music streamers and streaming amplifiers, has announced its first venture into the soundbar category at High End Vienna 2026. It is, rather predictably, called the WiiM Bar and boasts a 3.0.2-channel configuration. That is powered by an eight-driver array, including front mid-woofers, front tweeters, and full-range height drivers. The bar offers Dolby Atmos capability.

At the front of the ’bar, you will find a stylish glass-covered 2.1-inch round touch display. You can choose to show off album art, or use it to access playback controls, input, or EQ settings.

The WiiM Bar has got some tough competition, with its price tag (£449 / $479) putting it directly against the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

Read the full story: WiiM launches its first ever Dolby Atmos soundbar – and its sights are set on Sonos

Yamaha launches its new wireless speaker system to challenge KEF

Yamaha hadn’t launched a wireless speaker in a decade; the NX-70A has changed all that.

It uses some of the same technology and materials as Yamaha’s renowned grand piano soundboards, though sadly it doesn’t use anything from its motorbikes. The Yamaha NX-70A aims to make high-quality sound more accessible, whether it’s playing back one of the best music streaming services or a movie soundtrack straight from your TV.

The Yamaha model is out in July for £2587 (around $3500 / AU$4799), so it will be a rival for the KEF LS50 Wireless II. We can’t wait to compare the two in our test room soon.

Read the full story: The Yamaha NX-70A wireless speaker system arrives to take on the KEF LS50 Wireless II

We reviewed Esoteric’s high-end streaming preamplifier

Last week, our testers finished reviewing the Esoteric N-05XE, which costs a whopping £13,000 / $13,000 / AU$17,000. This beautifully made unit combines network streaming, digital-to-analogue conversion and a preamplifier in one neat, albeit chunky box.

And, while its price tag is pretty jaw-dropping, we can confirm that it is a hugely capable product that compromises very little compared with more purist options. We conclude in our review: “If you are looking for a top-class sound and don’t want the clutter of conventional high-end separates, this Esoteric is a great place to start.”

Read the full Esoteric N-05XE review

We saw an unfortunate trend continue from TVs to cars

What Hi-Fi?’s deputy editor Andy Madden has been out and about testing an in-car sound system: the Bose Surround Sound System for the electric Porsche Macan. While his full comparison against the step-up Burmester option is still in the works, Andy spotted an ‘Eco’ mode setting that had been seen only with TVs before.

Having such a mode in this car does make sense. EV ownership centres around power consumption, efficiency and squeezing the most mileage possible from the car’s battery.

Unfortunately, the mode apes the pattern of performance we see in the majority of TVs. It results in a “shrinking of scale, diminished dynamics and a more laid-back and less expressive sound.”

Read the full story: I used an Eco setting on a car audio system for the first time — and my worst fears were confirmed

A selection of World Cup tracks to test your sound system

To celebrate the football event of the year, which kicks off on 11 June, we have hand-picked some of the best World Cup songs to listen to on a decent system. There are some absolute bangers to choose from, including releases from Giorgio Moroder and Pavarotti.

A highlight is New Order’s only UK number one single, World in Motion. The 1990 track is still a banger nearly 40 years on. Those euphoric strings – so ’90s! – will test your system’s midrange, while that drum machine beat is a workout for the low end.

Read the full story: The best World Cup songs to test your system

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We have seen several feature-packed all-in-one hi-fi systems enter the market from traditional manufacturers in recent times. Cambridge Audio, KEF, Sonus Faber, Naim and Ruark Audio, to name but a few, all offer one-box solutions which include source(s), input and speakers built-in. And now we can add Danish speaker manufacturer Dali to that list.

At High End Vienna 2026, it launched Vega, a hi-fi system with a twist, and one that the company has actually been working on for four years. Obviously, we couldn’t resist dropping by the Dali stand for a closer look to see the system in action.

Price

The Dali Vega costs £2599 / $4500 / AU$4499 and launches in October. This makes it more expensive than the Ruark Audio R410 (£1299 / $1699 / AU$2599) or Cambridge Audio Evo One (£1299 / $1499 / AU$2499.

However, it does sit below the £2999 / $3600 / €3300 asking price of the Focal Mu-so Hekla, which will be one of its key rivals.

Design and build

Dali claims Vega has been designed to be “the most versatile and user-friendly audio source in the home”. And it definitely delivers the kind of flexibility and thoughtfulness we haven’t seen in this arena before.

Besides placing Vega horizontally on a tabletop, you can also wall-mount it. Not only that, but you can flip it through ninety degrees so it hangs upright.

It’s a clever idea and offers users an extra solution when room space might be tight, and attaching it to a wall is an option.

Although it does offer HDMI connectivity, Dali is at pains to say this is a wireless sound system and not a soundbar – there’s no Dolby Atmos or upfiring drivers.

What it does have is a 400W digital amp running 8 channels of audio. Under the woven fabric speaker grilles are two 25mm soft dome tweeters and two 4.5in wood-fibre/paper mid/bass cones on the front, and you'll find the same driver configuration on the rear.

At either end of the unit is an anodised aluminium passive radiator, which matches the finish of the speaker. They’re black on the dark oak finish and silver on the light oak silver finish.

You can’t miss the large circular control on the top of Vega. Dail has spent a lot of time trying to make it tactile and nice to use, and when we try it out, it seems smooth to operate.

It uses a military-grade ball-bearing, while the housing of the wheel is metal with a glass top. Tap the glass, and it brings up Vega’s menus, which are located on a small OLED screen positioned next to it.

The writing on the screen switches to match the unit's portrait or landscape orientation, which is a neat touch. Dali explained that this functionality would have been difficult to achieve with a more traditional dot-matrix LCD display.

It does seem a little small, especially when trying to read the speaker’s settings from a distance, but once the speaker is set up, you’ll mainly be interacting with the BluOS app on your smartphone or tablet.

To the left of the control dial is a row of buttons which includes power, mute and input switching. You also get five customisable preset buttons, which you could assign to a radio station or streaming service – you can even map one to a particular input.

Features

As we’ve mentioned, Vega is powered by BluOS, which we've found to be a stable and well-featured streaming platform. Everything else for Vega has been designed in-house by Dali.

This includes a patent-pending Adaptive Stereo Enhancement (ASE) DSP processing that monitors the incoming stereo signal in real-time and adapts it to fill your room in a spacious and immersive manner.

Out of the box, Vega is set up for use on a shelf or tabletop and has three settings to choose from depending on its placement: free space, medium, and close.

Each one of these affects the sound output from the rear of the speaker, which is at its maximum when in free space mode.

You also have not one but two wall mounting options (it comes with a bracket in the box). It can be positioned horizontally or vertically and uses an internal accelerometer to work out its orientation, and it will automatically switch the output of the speakers to match.

So, when it’s mounted vertically, instead of still having left and right channels firing out of the front and rear, the whole left side of Vega becomes the left channel, and the right side becomes the right channel. Very clever.

To accommodate wall mounting, all connections are underneath the system as opposed to on the rear – Vega offers HDMI ARC, an RCA analogue input, an optical digital connection and a USB input for an external drive. There’s also a subwoofer output, should you want to up the bass at a later date.

In addition to the BluOS streaming smarts, Vega’s wireless connectivity also includes Bluetooth aptX HD, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and AirPlay 2.

Sound

During our demo with Vega, we were shown the effect of having the ASE processing on and off, and although it was tricky to hear too much, thanks to the noise coming from other areas of the exhibition space, you could still hear the sound shrink and become smaller scale when it was turned off.

Turned back on, you could hear the sound open up again and become larger and fuller.

We’ll obviously need to get it into our test rooms for a full sound quality evaluation, but we heard a few seconds of Ray Charles and Natalie Cole’s version of Fever and the double bass and finger clicks seemed to be nicely defined and have decent snap to them.

Vega seems to serve up an open and dynamic sound, although it was difficult to really evaluate the detail and definition that managed to cut through the noise on the stand.

We switched up the pace with the Stereo MC’s Step It Up, and the Dali seemed to have a skip in its step with seemingly decent punch and power. We couldn’t really hear anything stick out of the frequency range, but it was competing with a lot of environmental noise.

Initial verdict

Obviously, we won’t know how the Dali Vega truly fares until we’ve had a chance to put it through its paces in our test rooms, but it’s an eye-catching offering from the brand in the category of all-in-one hi-fi systems.

Not only does it boast interesting tech developed in-house, Dali’s managed to package its wireless sound system with an attractive amount of versatility.

Some might see the wall-mounting as a bit of a gimmick, but we think the extra flexibility has legs and is a novel approach where space in many living rooms is at a premium. If Vega manages to execute it successfully, Dali could be onto something, and we can’t wait to find out.

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It's one thing to make a film sound good in the cinema, but it is a whole other task to take that experience to your home.

Much of that process relies on sound editors and engineers, who have their work cut out adapting the sound to home cinema products.

During the launch of Sony’s latest soundbar system, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, we heard Academy Award-nominated sound editor Andrew De Cristofaro speak about the different ways sound must be engineered.

He has worked on films such as The Housemaid, Green Book and Venom: The Last Dance, and collaborated with Sony during the development of the new Bravia Dolby Atmos sound system.

De Cristofaro says: “Sound is doing way more than you think. You can close your eyes and still follow the story but if you mute it, the experience falls apart.” He adds that instead of purely making a film sound good, his job is about making “sound tell the story”.

We watch a scene from Venom: The Last Dance to demonstrate, in which Eddie and Venom come face to face with the monstrous Xenophage. First, we listen with the raw audio that comes to the sound department after filming. As you would expect, it feels far less exciting than the final cut. Footsteps sound more like shuffling, the cracking flame of a lit car has no impact, and the reveal of the Xenophage is as casual as someone getting on the bus.

Venom’s voice is not audible either, as Tom Hardy (who plays both Eddie and the aforementioned alien symbiote) records his lines offset right before he shoots. The crew then pitch the vocals down and feed them back to him so that he can interact with the character live.

Next, De Cristofaro demonstrates how sound effects start to make the scene feel more dramatic. Layer upon layer of crackling, humming and spitting is added to create the sound of the fire. The footsteps of Hardy’s character as he walks the street become precise, which creates more of a three-dimensional sound, and vocals are brought to the fore.

The stomps of the Xenophage are also given a low squelching sound that immediately makes you feel the weight and monstrous nature of the character. The final touch comes with some dramatic bass stabs, and the end result is a tense and atmospheric scene.

But how do you adapt that sound to home cinema kit? De Cristofaro admits that it is a different kettle of fish compared to the cinema audio. The impact can disappear, vocals get lost and the sense of space collapses.

De Cristofaro says that “you have to rebuild a three-dimensional soundfield” adding that “sound isn’t tied to the speakers necessarily; it is mapped into a 360 space”.

He uses the Bravia Trio as an example of this, as the sound engineers at Sony are employing the brand’s proprietary 360 Spatial Tone Mapping which “analyses your room and reconstructs that environment so you maintain the scale”. As its name suggests, the Trio system comprises three speakers: a tiny central channel soundbar and two left and right channels.

We are yet to hear the Trio soundbar system in our test room to confirm whether this is the case, but we have heard other soundbars such as the KEF XIO and the Samsung HW-Q990F come very close to the desired full dome of sound.

De Cristofaro adds: “When everything is working right, when the dialogue is clear, when the space feels real, when the dynamics land the way they should, you don’t hear the system. You feel the film.”

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Chinese brand Haier is launching its latest range of affordable TVs, all boasting 4K resolution.

The new release is being led by the flagship S90 series, which the brand claims will combine “dynamic visuals, immersive audio with ultra-reactive gaming experience”.

This “immersive audio” comes in the form of Dolby Atmos support, delivering “three-dimensional and cinematic audio quality”. The two 10W speakers are employing technology from British hi-fi brand KEF as well.

The S90 uses QLED panel technology with AI picture optimisation, with Haier saying this results in “rich tones and smooth colour transitions”.

In terms of physical connectivity, you will find four HDMI ports, with one supporting eARC. We assume that means the TV can handle 4K/120Hz signals, given its 240Hz DLG feature, but when we asked a Haier representative for confirmation, they couldn’t provide a clear answer.

Haier is also launching the entry-level K85 and the mid-range S80 models. These step-down TVs do not have Dolby Atmos, but they do offer Dolby Audio for “clearer voices and more balanced sound”. The S80 features a QLED panel, like the S90, while the K85 uses a 4K LED backlight.

All of the TVs come with Freely built-in. That gives you access to streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX in the UK. Fire TV acts as the smart platform for all the models, offering access to Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Each range offers slightly different sizing options. The S90 goes from 55- to 85-inches, with the latter being the biggest screen size across all the models. The K85 is available in 43- to 65-inch sizes, and the S80 from 43- to 75-inches.

If you want to get your hands on the 65-inch S90, it will set you back £580. That is certainly aiming at the affordable end of the market, so Haier has TCL firmly in its sights. The S90 is up against the likes of the TCL Q6C, which launched at £649 for the 65-inch model. When we had the TCL set in our test room earlier this year, we praised its excellent picture quality and gaming performance which meant we awarded it a five-star rating.

We are yet to see how the flagship Haier model compares, but its affordable price tag and comprehensive smart platform could spell trouble for the current market leaders.

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I have tested a fair amount of soundbars in my time, from budget bars to premium multi-speaker systems. Most of those models fit fairly neatly into the soundbar category, serving as a way to upgrade your TV’s speakers without having to fill your living room with a load of extra kit.

But the most recent product to enter our test room has not sat perfectly in that mould. Enter the Focal Mu-so Hekla, dubbed on the brand’s website an “immersive home cinema system [that] combines Dolby Atmos technology, outstanding sound performance, and ease of use.” This is a joint release coming from Naim as well as Focal, as the brands merged in 2011.

The Hekla is coming for the premium end of the market, with a serious price tag of £3000 / $3600.

Now, I’m hesitant to call it a soundbar for a few reasons.

The Focal Mu-so Hekla takes its name from Naim’s well-regarded line of wireless speakers. That includes such products as the five-star and What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Naim Mu-so, Mu-so 2 (2019) and Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen models. And the name reveals its close ties to hi-fi as well as home cinema.

Then there is its design. The Hekla makes much more sense as a hi-fi system than a soundbar when it comes to where you can actually place it. Measuring 30cm deep and 100cm wide, the Mu-so Hekla does not offer the same pick-up-and-play build, especially compared with premium soundbars such as the KEF XIO. Its size also means it can be difficult to place in front of the TV unless you have dedicated furniture to house it.

On top of the system is a light-up dial (see above) which acts as a touch screen to control volume, power and input. That placement is not ideal for being below your TV, as you can’t easily see what is being displayed. Also, the light from the display can reflect off your TV screen at certain angles, which makes viewing a little distracting.

All of that means it would look more at home on a side table, much like a hi-fi system rather than a soundbar.

Its performance also stops us from calling it purely a hi-fi or soundbar system. Our full review is in the works but, spoiler alert, it sounds excellent with both music and movies. With both, we are met with an immersive, detailed and full-bodied sound that elevates whatever we throw at it.

There have been soundbars that have performed well with music and movies, but the Mu-so Hekla’s ability to handle both brilliantly certainly threatens to set new standards for the category. And that ability to do it all has made me question whether the soundbar label is becoming outdated.

Ultimately, it’s not clear which category the Hekla fits into. We had been debating what to call it within the What Hi-Fi? team even before it entered our test room. But its show-stopping performance could move the goalposts for what we should call a soundbar – and I’m excited to see that the label will keep evolving.

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Sony has just unveiled its new flagship home theatre system, and it’s a bit of an odd one.

Neither a soundbar nor a four-speaker surround system in the vein of the Bravia Theatre Quad, the Bravia Theatre Trio is, as the name suggests, a system comprising three speakers: a centre, a left, and a right.

The centre looks like a particularly stumpy soundbar and is designed to sit in front of or below your TV, while the other two speakers are tall, spherical towers intended to go to the left and right of your TV.

The Trio’s raison d’être is the growing popularity of super-sized TVs. Sony has itself just announced the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II TVs, both of which are available in sizes larger than 85 inches.

Sony says that most soundbars can’t create a wide enough soundstage to match the scale of the imagery, and that while a system such as the Bravia Theatre Quad can supply the width, the lack of a dedicated centre speaker can compromise focus and dialogue solidity.

Now that the company is (thankfully) doing away with Acoustic Centre Sync, in which the TV serves as the centre speaker, another solution was required – hence the Bravia Theatre Trio.

As you would expect of a modern home cinema system, the Bravia Theatre Trio supports Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X), with the left and right speakers each featuring an up-firing driver for genuine height effects.

A new version of Sony’s Spatial Sound Mapping is also on hand to create an aural bubble featuring phantom speakers for an authentic 3D audio experience.

On top of that, Sony Electronics says it has worked with its colleagues at Sony Pictures on the tuning of the Bravia Theatre Trio, with the intention of delivering a sound that’s as true to the cinema experience as possible.

And, in order to ensure consistency in living rooms of all shapes and sizes, Sony has even developed a bespoke USB-C microphone that you plug into your phone for use during the calibration process.

In other words, this feels like a real belt-and-braces approach to home cinema and, when I heard the Bravia Theatre Trio in Tokyo in March, it absolutely knocked my socks off.

There is, though, a massive caveat that explains why I was so impressed.

You see, the Bravia Theatre Trio’s three speakers can be enhanced through the addition of surround speakers and up to two subwoofers, and that’s how I heard it.

In fact, I heard it with a pair of Rear 8 speakers as surrounds and two of the awesomely monolithic new Sub 9 subwoofers on bass duties.

Seeing how the Bravia Theatre Trio is £2000, a pair of Surround 8s is £449, and a single Sub 9 is £900, that means what I listened to was a £4249 home theatre system, so you’d flipping well hope it sounded good.

Honestly, though, even within that pricey context, the expanded Theatre Trio system really rocked me.

Sony started by playing the spice harvester scene from Dune, and the first thing that struck me was the bass. The quantity and depth of it was close to breathtaking, but it was also brilliantly integrated with the rest of the tonal range.

Dialogue clarity was deeply impressive, too, especially during the heavy action and compared with the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 system that was used as a comparison.

There’s a fair amount of sparkly treble in the Dune soundtrack, and the Trio system delivered this without drifting into brightness or sibilance in a way that’s rare for a ‘lifestyle’ product. Detail levels across all frequencies were sky high, too.

Sony then played me the opening of Top Gun: Maverick, which brilliantly illustrated the dynamic range of the system. The shifts from quiet, subtle dialogue to bombastic, thumping effects – the launch of the hypersonic jet, for example – were handled with the sort of energy and flexibility I would usually associate with a traditional AVR and speaker package.

The weight provided by those subs was striking, too, underpinning the whole presentation with deep, tight and tuneful bass that integrated seamlessly with the midrange delivery of the main speakers.

Despite the very different form factors of the centre and left/right speakers, I found the sound to be seamless across the front of the soundfield, and the connection between the fronts and the surrounds was perfectly natural, too – though that’s less surprising given the hardware similarities between the Trio’s left and right speakers and the Surround 8s.

In short, the Dolby Atmos presentation was exemplary, with the 24 phantom speakers of the extended package assisting in passing effects around the room in a brilliantly natural, immersive way.

I hope you can understand, though, that while the system I heard sounded utterly brilliant, I can’t even begin to deliver a verdict on the Bravia Theatre Trio.

A couple of clips is never enough for firm conclusions to be drawn, and I heard the Trio with accessories that, combined, cost more than the core system itself.

My instinct is that the Bravia Theatre Trio will be very good on its own, but I worry slightly that it could sound a little feeble without at least one sub thrown into the mix.

We’ll be testing that theory just as soon as we can get the core system – and its accessories – into our dedicated test rooms for a comprehensive review.

MORE:

Read our Sony Bravia 9 II hands-on and Sony Bravia 7 II hands-on

Here are all of the best soundbars and best surround systems you can buy right now

After months of teasers and snippets of information, Sony’s first line of RGB Mini LED TVs is finally here.

The Sony Bravia 9 II and the step-down Sony Bravia 7 II use ‘True RGB’ technology, which the company claims can offer “up to four times the colour volume of OLED” – and outdo the brightness of Mini LED.

Sony follows a host of other brands that have thrown their hat into the RGB Mini LED ring, with Hisense, Samsung and TCL all delivering their own take on the technology.

Some brands use two-diode LEDs for their RGB models. These employ green and blue diodes that shine light through a phosphor layer to generate colours.

But Sony is using independently controlled red, green and blue diodes, which the brand claims will deliver a more accurate image.

The TVs are also powered by Sony’s proprietary RGB Backlight Master Drive Pro, which the company says, “drives each LED with high precision, improving brightness, reducing blooming, and producing purer colour than conventional Mini LED displays”.

The Sony Bravia 9 II is the brand’s flagship ‘True RGB’ model.

It claims to reach the same peak brightness levels as the BVM-HX3110 mastering monitor, which goes up to 4000 nits. No official figure has been given for either new TV model, but if it goes as high as the monitor, we could be in for a very bright picture.

The flagship model is also powered by "RGB Triluminos Max and Luminance Booster Pro", which Sony claims delivers "smoother gradation, and accurate hues at higher brightness levels".

You can see the pricing of both the Bravia 7 II and Bravia 9 II below.

The TVs should launch in late spring with pre-orders available now. And we should have US and Australian pricing soon.

Both TVs offer Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, which gives a comprehensive set of surround sound options.

While Sony says both models offer a three-dimensional audio experience, the Bravia 9 II has the edge with the inclusion of up-firing beam tweeters. The company says this delivers more cinematic surround sound with "powerful depth and true immersion".

You will find Dolby Vision support with both models but, like all Sony TVs, there is no HDR10+ on the cards.

They both also employ X-Wide Angle Pro technology, which Sony says means “colours stay consistent even at wide viewing angles”.

Only available with the Bravia 9 II is the Immersive Black Screen Pro feature, which aims to reduce screen reflections.

Both TVs have a central ‘mirage stand’ which uses a layer of clever transparent material to conceal wires under the base of your screen. This isn't available with the biggest screen sizes, however.

RGB LED TVs have already been dubbed as a possible “OLED killer” by many because of the higher colour volume and brightness claims.

We’ll have to wait until we get both models into our test room to see if the proof is in the pudding – but you can read our first impressions in our Bravia 7 II and Bravia 9 II hands-on reviews.

MORE:

All you need to know about RGB Mini LED

These are the best TVs

The best Sony TVs on the market

Soundbars, particularly those designed to deliver immersive 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, live and die by calibration.

Their effectiveness depends heavily on being able to bounce sound around your room in a way that properly matches your seating position, while also taking into account the shape of the space, the placement of furniture and the amount of soft furnishing that might absorb or diffuse sound.

Without effective calibration, even an excellent soundbar can sound surprisingly underwhelming.

In the early days of soundbars, most notably with Yamaha’s pioneering YSP range, calibration was handled using a dedicated wired microphone included in the box. You would plug the microphone into the soundbar, position it where you normally sit, activate the test tones and let the system do the rest.

Manufacturers eventually concluded that this process was too cumbersome for mainstream buyers, though, so more advanced and convenient systems were developed.

The best-known of those is probably Sonos Trueplay, which uses the microphones built into your iPhone. Generally, you first take a measurement while sitting in your listening position, before walking around the room slowly wafting your phone through the air in a manner vaguely akin to vacuuming your walls.

It feels faintly ridiculous going through the process, but Trueplay is genuinely effective.

The problem is that its accuracy depends heavily on the quality and consistency of your phone’s microphones. That’s why Trueplay is still limited to iOS devices. Android owners either have to borrow an iPhone from a friend to calibrate their system properly or simply live with an uncalibrated soundbar.

Sony’s own Sound Field Optimisation system has historically been far more open, supporting both iOS and Android devices, but has it always produced entirely consistent results? The company’s latest solution rather suggests otherwise.

Said solution is simple: a bespoke USB-C microphone designed specifically for calibrating its new Bravia Theatre Trio home theatre system.

The microphone plugs directly into your smartphone during setup, allowing the Bravia Connect app to handle all of the clever room-analysis processing while ensuring that the recordings themselves are captured using consistent, purpose-built hardware rather than the wildly variable microphones built into phones.

In other words, Sony has effectively separated the software processing from the recording hardware.

That strikes me as a genuinely smart solution to a longstanding problem.

Yes, it means keeping track of an extra accessory, but that feels like a very small price to pay for more reliable and consistent calibration results – particularly for a premium Dolby Atmos system that is designed to create convincing spatial audio effects.

Accurate calibration alone doesn’t guarantee great sound, of course, but it does provide the foundation on which great spatial audio depends.

And, based on my brief hands-on experience with the Bravia Theatre Trio, Sony’s approach appears to work remarkably well. It’s one of the smartest soundbar innovations I have seen in quite some time – and one that rivals such as Sonos should probably be paying close attention to.

MORE:

Here are my initial thoughts on the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio

These are all of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

Sony has unveiled a new Bravia Theatre Trio Dolby Atmos system, promising that the premium unit will let movie fans hear films the way their directors “meant [them] to be experienced”.

The new system was unveiled today, alongside Sony’s latest Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II TVs. It targets the upper end of the market currently dominated by the five-star Samsung HW-Q990H soundbar system, which we reviewed recently.

As its name suggests, the Trio system comprises three speakers: a tiny central channel soundbar and two left and right channels.

Unlike most other wireless Dolby Atmos systems however, including the Q990H, the satellites are not rear-channel speakers. Instead, they are front-facing and aim to deliver a wider, clearer and generally more accurate soundstage. This, then, is more like a soundbar chopped into three parts than a traditional wireless system.

Sony is marketing the package as a top choice for people looking for an “authentic” home cinema experience.

It claims to have achieved this by designing the Trio “in close collaboration” with Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE).

“When we design sound for film, every choice is about guiding what the audience feels in a moment,” said Andrew DeCristofaro, sound designer at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“The Bravia Theatre Trio brings that same intention into the home, letting people hear the detail, movement and balance the way we meant it to be experienced.”

The unit comes with a USB-C microphone, which Sony claims will let the Trio offer significantly more accurate room-calibration than most rivals.

Most soundbar calibration solutions, including Sonos Trueplay, use a connected smartphone’s mics. This, though, based on our experience, can produce varying results, which are heavily informed by the phone you’re using.

Under the hood, the system’s 3.0.2 Atmos configuration combines a total of nine speaker units. There are two cone woofers and a soft-dome tweeter in the central bar. Backing them up, each satellite has an upfiring Atmos height channel, soft-dome tweeter and bass-reflex unit.

Each part offers 135W of muscle, adding up to a 405W total power output for the combined package.

Despite the driver count, Sony claims that thanks to the inclusion of its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping (360SSM) tech, the Trio can generate a “24 phantom speaker” (we’re guessing that means virtual) surround sound experience.

The unit supports Dolby Atmos, DTS: X, and IMAX Enhanced formats and comes with Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity baked in. Chromecast is not supported, but there's good news for Apple fans as AirPlay 2 is available.

For people looking to grow the system over time, Sony has confirmed the Trio is upgradable and can be expanded to include rear speakers and up to two wireless subwoofers. However, doing so will of course add to its already unashamedly premium price.

The base Sony Bravia Theatre Trio package will set you back £2000 (roughly $2700). Adding the Rear 9 satellites will then add £700 (roughly $950) to the bill.

There is a range of compatible subwoofer options: the Sub 7, Sub 8, Sub 9, SA-SW3, and SA-SW5. The top-end Sub 9 costs £900 (roughly $1215). The cheaper Sub 7 retails for £249 (roughly $335), and the Sub 8 comes in at £650 (around $875).

That makes it noticeably more expensive than the five-star Samsung Q990H, which cost £1599 ($2000) at launch. It also puts the Trio in direct competition with the Award-winning KEF XIO, which is the premium option we currently recommend in our best Dolby Atmos Soundbars guide.

We haven’t reviewed the Trio yet. But our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, has had an opening listen with it at Sony’s launch event in Japan. He walked away impressed, succinctly describing the experience as “awesome”.

We hope to get a review unit of the Trio in for testing soon, so watch this space. If you have any questions about the unit, drop them in the comments section below, and we’ll get you an answer as soon as possible.

MORE:

These are the best surround sound systems we have reviewed

We rank the best soundbars

Our picks of the best TVs

Frequent Adventures in AV readers will know that I spend a considerable amount of time scoping out the latest home cinema products in various locations around the globe.

My latest outing took me all the way to Mississauga, Canada (around 28km southwest of Toronto), where I was welcomed by Paradigm, Martin Logan and Anthem to check out their manufacturing plant, learn about their product ranges, and speak to various key members of their team, including the owner, Scott Bagby.

While I was exposed to a veritable feast of hi-fi and home cinema goodness (keep your eyes peeled for more Paradigm-related articles coming soon), I’m starting with an area which I’m fairly new to.

Custom-install home cinema speakers are, by their nature, hard for us to test. Drilling holes in our ceiling and slicing chunks out of the walls in our AV testing room isn't sustainable, which is why we stick with speaker packages composed of floorstanding and standmounting speakers.

Paradigm’s bread and butter, though, is custom install. The company also makes a wide variety of ‘traditional’ speakers, including the striking Persona range and recently upgraded Premier V2 series (expect a hands-on review of these speakers soon), but a big focus during my time in Canada was on the speakers that custom installers fit into walls and ceilings.

Speaking of, I was joined by a selection of custom installers from around the UK. This included members of the Pulse Cinemas team and dealers from its network, all of whom were very knowledgeable on the subject and provided me with some valuable insight.

Eager to brush up on my knowledge, I used this visit to Paradigm’s headquarters to take a crash course in custom installation setups, and I have walked away convinced that I need to cut some holes in my walls and ceilings.

Paradigm talked me through its Ci Elite V2, Ci Pro V2, and Ci Home V2 speaker ranges, which include everything from powerful speakers that are essentially floorstanders that fit into your walls, to in-ceiling speakers the size of dinner plates made to be deployed throughout your house for a whole-home multiroom music system.

Those height speakers are, of course, also perfect for delivering Dolby Atmos height effects, and the clean, minimal look of having in-wall speakers flanking a TV – Paradigm has this arrangement set up in its office – is rather appealing.

Not everyone wants bulky floorstanding speakers taking up space in their living room, which is totally understandable.

Stepping into Paradigm's custom home theatre room is what really sold me, though. The in-wall and ceiling speakers, and even discreet subwoofers, were concealed behind acoustically transparent material, and the room was finished with plush recliners and acoustic panelling to absorb unwanted sound.

Powering this room was a stack of Anthem AV amplifiers, and a Kaleidescape system handled the movies. I watched clips from The Greatest Showman, Midway and Yesterday, and thoroughly enjoyed the big, enveloping and cinematic sound.

The encompassing low frequencies from the in-wall subwoofers placed within the walls around the room were particularly interesting. The bass produced from this system was spread evenly around the room, making for a more immersive and balanced experience.

While this is a much higher-specified room, of course, than anything in my house (especially my living room), it has inspired me to dig deeper into the world of custom home cinema and hi-fi installations.

I won't be cutting holes in my ceiling quite yet – I certainly don’t think my landlord would appreciate that – but it has given me some ideas for our home cinema testing room…

MORE:

Absolute Cinema: this dream penthouse custom install system is all about the Joy of home theatre (and hi-fi)

Check out our picks for the best surround sound systems

As well as the best AV receivers

High-end German AV brand Loewe is applying its premium touch to some pint-sized 4K TVs, launching two new models designed to offer a top-notch picture, without taking up too much space.

The We. SEE LCD dc (the dc stands for dual channel) comes in two sizes: 32- and 43-inches. As the name suggests, both sizes feature direct-lit LCD displays with full-array local dimming and 4K resolutions.

Loewe tells us that the 32-inch model features 260 dimming zones. Alongside it, the 43-inch version has 390 zones.

Small, 32-inch, 4K TVs are very rare. Loewe claims the atypically high-resolution panel will let the set deliver picture quality traditionally reserved for larger sets.

The We. SEE LCD is slated to deliver "deep blacks, vivid colours and finely tuned brightness control" according to Loewe. HDR support is also comprehensive, with HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision IQ listed as included formats.

Below the dinky displays, you'll find an integrated 60W soundbar, which also supports Dolby Atmos.

The We. SEE LCD is also compatible with Loewe's Klang wireless subwoofers for those seeking extra bass, or you can bypass the built-in speakers entirely by connecting an external audio device via HDMI eARC.

The TVs are also surprisingly well-equipped for gamers, with two HDMI 2.1 sockets (alongside two HDMI 2.0 ports), which both support VRR and ALLM. The 43-inch model specifically includes 4K/120Hz support. Sadly, the 32-inch model appears to be capped at 60Hz.

Streaming is handled by Loewe's os9 platform, which is underpinned by the VIDAA app store (as seen on Hisense TVs too). App support includes Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and more.

Loewe has also included its dual-channel technology, which takes advantage of the company's SL832 chassis and twin triple-tuner, to let users watch a show while recording another in the background.

You can also expect Loewe's usual combination of premium materials and craftsmanship. The We. SEE sports an aluminium chassis and a solid metal base for a high-quality and robust build throughout.

There are also various options to mount this TV, including tabletop, floor-standing and wall-mounted orientations. Loewe sells a range of stands to accommodate each setup option.

As these new models bear all of the expected markings of a Loewe TV, it should come as no surprise that they carry an equally Loewe-like price tag. At £1145 for the 32-inch model and £1335 for the 43-inch version, the prices put the range in the same ballpark as a 55-inch LG C6 OLED TV.

That price can be a tough pill to swallow for what is essentially a small backlit TV. Nevertheless, the We. SEE LCD dc is available now for any premium buyer who is short on space.

MORE:

Here are our picks for the best 43-inch TVs

Read our Loewe Stellar hands-on review

Here are our picks for the best OLED TVs

American brand Roku has launched its first range of projectors in the UK: the Sharp H272 and the Aurzen D1R.

As their names suggest, the models are launching with two respective hardware partners to “combine advanced projection technology with Roku’s intuitive operating system”.

Richard Halton, Country Manager at Roku UK, claims the projectors are, “bringing the seamless streaming experience Roku users know and love to an exciting new form factor – making big-screen entertainment more accessible than ever”.

The 1080p projectors include Roku’s full app library, including Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max. The two have also been designed to work when projecting the image onto a screen or wall (we highly recommend the former for the best picture quality).

The Sharp model claims to go up to 120 inches, while the Aurzen entry is a little smaller with a maximum screen size of 100 inches.

The Aurzen D1R is the brighter of the two, offering 280 ANSI lumens, compared to the Sharp H272’s 200 ANSI lumens. These are both on the lower end of the scale, so they will likely perform best in a dark room.

The D1R also has the on-paper edge when it comes to sound, offering two speakers driven by 5W of amplification, which beats the Sharp’s 3W offering. Both come with Dolby Audio, but, unsurprisingly for a budget model, there is no Dolby Atmos on the cards.

There are a few smart features included with both models, which should make setting them up a little easier. These include auto-keystone and auto-focus.

Bluetooth and HDMI connectivity are available, so you could pair wireless speakers, a soundbar, or a subwoofer for “an enhanced home theatre experience.”

You can also access Apple AirPlay support for streaming music, videos, photos, podcasts, and games from Apple devices.

Their designs look fairly similar, with both sporting a white rectangular body with rounded edges.

We don’t have pricing yet, but both will launch in June. With their brightness specifications and streaming offerings, Roku seem to have its sights set on the likes of the Xgimi Vibe One (£219 / $269 / AU$599) projector.

When we reviewed the Vibe One in our test room, we praised its compact design and natural-looking image, which ultimately earned it a solid four-star rating. We'll wait to see the projectors in our test room before giving a verdict, but they could be a strong entry in the budget projector market.

MORE:

Here are the best portable projectors

Check out the best projectors right now

These are the best scenes to test your Dolby Atmos system

If you are looking for a soundbar to upgrade your home cinema's sound system, you may be surprised at the amount of variety when it comes to their design. From single all-in-one bars to entire soundbar packages with separate surrounds and subwoofers, there is a lot to consider.

But do you actually need to have a separate subwoofer to get the best home cinema performance with a soundbar? The short answer is: it depends. Before we get into that, though, let's take a look at what a subwoofer is actually for.

Sound has a huge range of frequencies, with the human hearing range typically going from 20Hz to 20KHz. Soundbars usually perform most convincingly from the midrange upwards, despite manufacturers' best efforts to extend the low-frequency reach. This is all down to physics; the smaller size of the drive units and the soundbar itself brings limitations in terms of how deep the bass can actually go.

And that is where subwoofers come in. They offer a larger driver in a bigger box with a dedicated amplifier, which results in more bass.

But is it worth investing in the extra bit of kit for your home cinema system? There’s the obvious increase in bass. But the knock-on effect is a greater scale of sound, stronger dynamics, and an increase in the sense of overall solidity, which adds to the immersive feel when watching movies.

Of course, that is dependent on whether the soundbar and subwoofer work well together, because if things don’t gel, there is the risk that the bass frequencies will overwhelm the rest of the sound. The bass does not need to be booming and room-shaking to make a punch, either.

One soundbar and subwoofer combo that delivers cohesive overall sound is the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S, which offers Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. We say in our review that the subwoofer gives each scene "an injection of energy with the added bass, but the lower frequencies never stand out as overzealous. Instead, the bass is well-integrated with the main soundbar and performs with the same precision as the rest of the system."

Like the Sony model, many soundbars come with a wireless subwoofer, which gives you added flexibility compared to one with cables snaking around your living room.

In theory, it seems like a no-brainer on whether you should invest in a soundbar with a subwoofer. But not all products are created equal. A soundbar paired with a badly integrated subwoofer can result in a worse overall sound when compared to an all-in-one bar. A buzzing, distorted subwoofer will detract from the immersive experience and create a worse overall sound compared to the soundbar on its own.

On top of that, you might not have the space for an extra bit of kit and would be better suited to an all-in-one soundbar such as the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, which still offers a tight yet punchy bass performance.

A subwoofer can take your home cinema system to the next level, but if you are thinking of adding one to your setup, make sure you choose wisely.

MORE:

These are the best subwoofers right now

Here are the best soundbars we have tested

Check out our review of the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S

It's been a busy start to the month for myself and my fellow TV & AV testers.

We've published reviews of the Hisense UR9 RGB Mini LED TV, the BenQ TK705i projector, and the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S soundbar system, and we've also been hands-on with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and Denon AVR-X2900H AV receiver.

But what movies and TV shows did we use during testing? And what content has really wowed our team of home cinema experts over the last month? Simply scroll down to find out.

And if you want more of this sort of thing, here are the 42 best Dolby Atmos movie scenes to test your home cinema surround sound system.

War Machine (2026)

Watch the trailer above, and you'll know exactly what you're going to get from War Machine.

That's right; this is a bunch of ooh rah marines, led by Jack Reacher's Alan Ritchson, doing bombastic battle with a massive robot. It's ridiculous, and the seriousness with which the filmmakers and actors have taken the whole thing only heightens that ridiculousness. I love it.

You could say that once you've watched the trailer, there's really no point in watching the full movie, and you wouldn't be denying yourself a great story by taking that approach. You would, though, be denying yourself some brilliantly breathless action with great special effects and a rollicking Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

This is an old-school sci-fi action adventure, and it demands to be played if you have a cherished home cinema system. Bring on the inevitable sequel!

Words by Tom Parsons

Watch War Machine on Netflix

Apex (2026)

If you’ve ever wanted to see Elton John take on the role of the Predator, Apex is for you.

Charlize Theron plays Sasha, a grieving kayaker and rock climber who goes exploring the fictional Wandarra National Park in Australia. Despite being warned repeatedly that she shouldn’t go it alone, she does just that, only to find herself being hunted by Ben (Taron Egerton), a psychopathic stranger with a penchant for The Chemical Brothers.

If you’ve seen Rocketman, it’s hard to see the character of Ben as anything but a creepy Elton John, which in some ways makes him even more terrifying. Egerton is intense, to say the least, which despite the lush, outdoors setting, lends the film a claustrophobic feel that fits the two-hander, cat-and-mouse nature of the plot.

Visually, it’s a treat, helped in no small part by Theron’s commanding performance and ability to do a lot of her own stunts. It’s full of sweeping vistas of stunning cliffs, treacherous gorges and perfect-for-falling-into rivers that will sort the sufficiently detailed TVs from the rest. Even the CGI is integrated pretty seamlessly.

It’s nothing deep, but it’s a very effective thriller with some excellent performances (Theron in particular). Given its visual flair, it’s a shame not to see it in cinemas, but dim the lights, fire up your big-screen TV, and enjoy.

Warning: you’ll never hear Go by The Chemical Brothers the same way again…

Words by Joe Svetlik

Watch Apex on Netflix

The Day of the Jackal (2024)

I’ll be the first to admit that I very rarely have my finger on the pulse of popular television, hence why I’m only now getting around to watching Sky’s highly acclaimed espionage action thriller The Day Of The Jackal.

I’d heard very good things about it when it premiered back in 2024, but it sat on the watchlist until this week; I needed something to watch after blitzing through the hilarious second season of Amandaland on BBC iPlayer, and who doesn’t like a breakneck tonal shift?

The Day Of The Jackal is a tense, high-octane thriller with twists, turns, and some fairly brutal violence. When bullets start flying, and tyres screech in pulse-pounding car chases, it becomes evident that this TV show is at its best when watched with a capable Dolby Atmos soundbar or speaker system.

The cat-and-mouse game played by the titular Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) and MI6’s Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch) spans a wide variety of countries, including Germany, Hungary, Spain, France and Estonia, and these locales are often framed with eye-catching establishing shots.

Paired with a handful of action sequences set under the cover of night, this series is best enjoyed on an OLED TV, or at least a set that excels with contrast. Be sure that your TV’s motion settings are also in order, as you’ll want to avoid judder when chase sequences break out, and especially during the sporadic action-packed shootouts.

If you’re a fan of Bond, or are just a thrillseeker looking for a show that also looks and sounds great on your home theatre set-up, then The Day Of The Jackal, available on Sky and Now (I recommend springing for the 4K upgrade if possible), is definitely worth a watch.

Words by Lewis Empson

Watch The Day Of The Jackal on Sky

Daredevil: Born Again (2025)

The original Daredevil series on Netflix quickly cemented itself as top-tier superhero television – and top-tier television in general – by combining thematic ponderings on vigilantism, violence and religion with brutal, well-choreographed, and often one-take fight sequences. So it was a crying shame when it was cancelled after season three as a victim of the streaming wars.

After a rocky road that included fan campaigns, surprise MCU cameos and a first season that was heavily restructured and reshot, we’re now two seasons deep into the Born Again revival on Disney+. And while it doesn’t quite reach the highs of the original series, it’s still easily one of the best Marvel projects in recent years, playing with a bigger budget, more MCU integration and a storyline that has more than a few things in common with the US political landscape right now.

For anyone sick of the multiverse, this gritty, street-level look at superheroism remains highly refreshing, bolstered by standout performances from Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, with the latter arguably providing Marvel’s most layered villain.

When Daredevil first premiered on Netflix in 2015, it was one of the first pieces of superhero media widely available in 4K HDR, and it was great for testing dark detail and motion handling thanks to the many dingy hallway fight scenes.

Daredevil: Born Again has a slightly different visual look, but the same still applies here, with a higher-budget, more cinematic production that is great for testing contrast and black levels. A really good lawyer such as Matt Murdock deserves to be seen on a really good TV.

Words by Daniel Furn

Watch Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen (2026)

Haley Z Boston’s latest horror series for Netflix, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, was a surprise hit for me earlier this month. Despite positive press, I went into the series blind, while mounting my usual hunt for anything with similar vibes to Mike Flanagan’s Haunting Of Hill House (which is one of my benchmarks for serial horror shows).

And, after years of disappointment, while I wouldn’t say it reaches the same heights as Flanagan's classic, it comes pretty darned close, offering a tour de force performance both technically and narratively.

The story focuses on soon-to-be bride Rachel (ably played by Camila Morrone) as she travels to a remote mansion in the woods in the run-up to her nuptials. Not to give any spoilers away, the film uses pretty much every tool in the haunted-house toolbox.

Dark, bloody lore that gets more disturbing with every door she opens? Check. Creepy secluded setting? Yep. Weirdo family that clearly isn't quite right, feeding her neurosis with their gaslighting? Present.

Every shot oozes oppressive, creepy terror, with the intentionally dim house and surrounding forest hiding creepy details you can’t un-see. But, like Hokum, which I also saw in the cinema this month, it’s the audio that really steals the show. The series aims to build a sense of dread through constant teasing and subtle, psychological ploys rather than outright jump scares or overt gore – and it’s all the better for it.

It’s a creepy whisper just out of shot, the sound of something menacing behind you, or emanating from the on-screen shadows, that constantly keeps you on edge, doing the heavy lifting. The result is a spine-tingling experience that will delight horror fans.

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Watch Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen on Netflix

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Here are the best TVs, best projectors and best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

It has been only a month since Denon announced the arrival of its new AVR-S980H AV receiver, but the Japanese audio giant has clearly earmarked 2026 as a big year for home cinema. It has just taken the wraps off a further two new models!

Designed and tuned at Denon’s Shirakawa Audio Works in Japan, the new AVRs seem to have sound quality high on the agenda, promising as they do “improved imaging, clearer high‑frequency detail and more confident low‑frequency energy across every channel”.

Key to the audio improvements are the inclusion of a new 32-bit, eight-channel DAC, plus upgraded components and mechanical improvements across both models, many of which are designed to reduce the effects of noise and vibrations.

The Denon AVR-X2900H (£899/€1000/$1349) is a 7.2-channel AVR with 95W per channel, while the step-up AVC-X3900H (£1299/€1499/$1849) is a 9.4-channel AVR with 11.4 channels of processing and 105W per channel.

Both AV receivers feature a refreshed front-panel design and include Denon HEOS multiroom audio and support for Bluetooth (including LE Audio), Apple AirPlay 2 and online streaming services including TuneIn Internet Radio, Spotify and Qobuz.

Movie fans can take advantage of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks through both amps, with the AVC-X3900H adding IMAX Enhanced, Auro 3D, and 360 Reality Audio to its specification sheet.

• Hands on: Denon AVR-X2900H review

HDMI connectivity is, as you would expect, high on the agenda. The AVR-X2900H features six inputs and two outputs, while its pricier sibling gets an extra output. Both amps offer 1440p passthrough and AMD FreeSync.

They will also be compatible with Denon’s Home 200, 400 and 600 wireless speakers via a future firmware update, should you want to use those models as surrounds in a speaker package.

Another promised future update will allow the amps to support Dolby Atmos music via AirPlay 2.

To help get the AVRs set up for your room layout, they each support Audyssey (you get a calibration mic in the box). Should you want to delve deeper into their settings, there is also optional Dirac Live Room Correction support, plus Bass Control and Active Room Treatment (ART) if you opt for the more premium model.

With Denon, Arcam and Yamaha all announcing new AVRs in recent months, 2026 looks set to be a strong year for home cinema enthusiasts. We can’t wait to get all of these new offerings into our test rooms for review.

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Denon is gunning for Sony’s Award-winning AVR with its latest release

Yamaha’s two new Dolby Atmos AV receivers borrow one feature from their high-end siblings

Arcam’s Radia AV line of home cinema amps promises serious movie magic

Our pick of the best AV receivers we have tested

With any luck, everyone knows by now that even the best-sounding TVs sound pretty rubbish by home cinema standards.

But we don't all have the space, budget or patience for a full system comprising an AV receiver, speaker package and the cables required to wire everything up.

In truth, even the super-popular soundbar systems that typically combine a bar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds (the Samsung HW-Q990H, for example) are “too many boxes” for many people.

So, what’s the solution for those who’ve forked out for a gorgeous, premium TV and want equally gorgeous sound without all of the boxes and/or cables?

The premium solo soundbar, that’s what. In fact, that’s exactly the problem that the soundbar was originally designed to solve.

These days, a premium soundbar is a very sophisticated bit of kit that typically combines svelte styling with effective Dolby Atmos processing for movies and games, plus music streaming, simple operation, and the option to add additional speakers further down the line.

Here, we’re pitching four such soundbars against one another.

The benchmark is the Sonos Arc Ultra – the successor to the multi-Award-winning Arc and now an Award-winner in its own right.

This is a soundbar that really nails the confluence of simplicity and sound quality, and, being a Sonos product, the Arc Ultra also functions as a multi-room speaker for music.

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 have met before, albeit in slightly different circumstances, with the Sony priced much higher.

These days, you can usually get it for the same price as the Sonos, making the head-to-head far hotter, especially as the Bar 9 has features that the Arc Ultra does not, such as DTS:X support and HDMI passthrough.

This isn’t a head-to-head test, though: two newer soundbars are looking to disrupt the Sonos vs Sony scuffle.

The first of those is the very fancy LG Sound Suite H7. As the name suggests, this is a component in LG’s new Sound Suite family of speakers, but it’s also a Sonos Arc Ultra-rivalling soundbar in its own right.

Finally, but most unusually, we have the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which, as you may have spotted, isn’t really a solo soundbar.

However, we’ve decided to include it here as the ability to connect the surround speakers to the main bar means it can function as a solo bar – albeit one that also comes with a subwoofer.

Which of these premium soundbars deserves the spot beneath your lovely TV? Let Dolby Atmos battle commence!

Picking a winner

Each of these premium soundbars proves that you don’t need a stack of separates and a room full of speakers to get genuinely enjoyable cinematic sound from your TV.

Of course, they all tackle that challenge in slightly different ways.

The JBL leans into flexibility and sheer spectacle, the LG focuses on design and cutting-edge tech, the Sony majors on immersion and detail, and the Sonos aims to blend simplicity, sophistication and sonic excellence into one sleek package.

4. LG Sound Suite H7

All four are good products in their own right, but there is a clear hierarchy here, and in fourth place is the LG Sound Suite H7.

The H7 is certainly an interesting proposition. Its styling is refreshingly different from the norm, and those who own a compatible LG TV will appreciate the way it integrates visually and functionally with the screen. It’s also packed with features, including Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which will be a real boon if you decide to expand your system in the future.

There’s no denying, either, that the H7 sounds impressive out of the blocks. It goes loud, delivers plenty of bass weight and throws effects around the room enthusiastically enough to create a decent sense of scale.

Ultimately, though, it lacks the refinement and subtlety of the best soundbars here. Dynamics are a little blunt, detail levels aren’t especially high, and there’s a hardness to its delivery that can become fatiguing over longer listening sessions. Dolby Atmos effects are present, but they don’t knit together cohesively enough to fully convince.

It’s a decent soundbar, then, but against this level of competition, decent simply isn’t enough.

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 review

3. JBL Bar 1000MK2

Third place goes to the JBL Bar 1000MK2 – and this one is perhaps the trickiest to judge.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a solo soundbar at all, thanks to the inclusion of a wireless subwoofer and detachable surround speakers. But because those surrounds can be physically attached to the main unit, we felt it deserved a place in this test – and we’re glad we included it.

There’s no question that the JBL delivers the biggest and most overtly cinematic presentation here. With the surrounds deployed, it creates an impressively expansive soundfield, and the dedicated subwoofer gives action scenes a level of low-end heft that the true solo bars simply can’t match.

It’s a hugely entertaining listen, too, with a bold, energetic character that makes blockbuster movies enormous fun.

The problem is that it’s not the most nuanced or controlled performer on test. Bass can occasionally become overbearing, subtle details are sometimes overshadowed by sheer bombast, and musicality isn’t really its strong suit. In stereo music playback, particularly, the Sonos and Sony sound noticeably more balanced, cohesive and sophisticated.

If your priority is maximum home cinema impact with minimum hassle, the JBL remains a very appealing option. But as an all-round premium soundbar package, it falls short of the class leaders.

Read the full JBL Bar 1000MK2 review

2. Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Which brings us to the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9.

When this soundbar first launched, its pricing made it difficult to recommend wholeheartedly, but now that it can regularly be found for around the same money as the Sonos Arc Ultra, it becomes a much stronger proposition.

And it really is an excellent soundbar. Sony has managed to produce an impressively spacious and immersive presentation from a single bar, with Dolby Atmos effects projected with remarkable precision. Its sense of verticality is particularly convincing, and it fills a room with sound more effectively than almost any rival.

It’s detailed and dynamic, too, with crisp dialogue, excellent placement of effects and plenty of punch when movie soundtracks demand it. The inclusion of HDMI passthrough and DTS:X support also gives it a useful edge in the features department.

Ultimately, though, while the Sony is deeply impressive, it doesn’t quite achieve the same all-round balance and naturalness as the Sonos. There are moments where its presentation becomes just a touch forward or forceful, and while it sounds spectacular with movies, it’s not quite as consistently musical or cohesive across all content types.

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

1. Sonos Arc Ultra