Portland-based brand Campfire Audio has announced its latest wired earbuds, the Chimera, and like the hybrid creature of Greek mythology, they certainly have quite a lot going on.

Campfire's flagship in-ear monitors bring together four distinct driver technologies – dynamic, balanced armature, electrostatic and bone conduction – resulting in what the US brand describes as "a listening experience that is both vividly detailed and physically immersive".

Those four driver technologies equate to nine total drivers, with a 10mm glass dynamic driver handling the lower frequencies and a dual-diaphragm balanced armature taking care of the midrange.

Twin high-frequency balanced armatures seek to provide "clarity and articulation", while four electrostatic super-tweeters handle the highest highs with "air and precision". The Chimera even incorporates a bone-conduction driver, allowing for lower frequencies to land with "weight and impact".

Aiming to get the best out of this handsome array of drive units are an embedded pressure valve to regulate airflow behind the dynamic driver, as well as a final-stage tuning damper integrated into each nozzle.

The exterior shell of the Chimera is machined from magnesium and finished with a PVD coating. The faceplate features a carbon fibre-brass construction, wherein layers of brass are folded into carbon fibre and CNC-machined to form a patterned surface that is subtly distinct from unit to unit.

The new wired IEMs also include an ALO Audio Valence-6 cable, featuring four copper conductors alongside twin copper and silver-plated conductors, as well as three types of ear tips – traction silicone, standard silicone and marshmallow foam – in sizes small, medium and large.

According to Ken Ball, Campfire Audio's founder: “Chimera is the most advanced in-ear monitor we’ve developed so far. It reflects a new horizon in the performance of Campfire products and expands on what is possible from compact, portable audio systems. It brings together a range of technologies and engineering techniques to create an experience that truly deepens the listener’s connection to music.”

The Campfire Audio Chimera will be available around June 2026, at a suggested price of £6999 / $7500.

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Headphones brand Grado has announced its new 'Classic Series' of wired headphones, bringing together several of the company’s most recognisable headphone models under the same banner, all united by the addition of Grado's latest 'X2' driver.

Those cans set to get a 'Classic' upgrade include some of our favourite wired headphones from the past few years, including the Award-winning SR325x, the more budget SR80x and premium Grado GS3000x, all five stars. The updated Classic models will replace all of the established 'x' versions currently available.

At the centre of this new Classic Series is Grado’s X2 driver platform, developed to deliver what Grado describes as "improved consistency, control, and refinement" alongside "greater clarity, extension, and balance".

Each model is tuned in relation to its given housing, with Grado promising an "open, dynamic, and engaging presentation" across the line-up without spoiling the exciting, dynamic sound which has become the brand's signature.

The series' cable design has also been updated from developments taken from Grado's premium Signature line, and promises to be lighter, more flexible and more durable.

The new line-up also boasts refined headband designs across the range that promise enhanced comfort and long-term durability, while maintaining that industrial, rough-and-ready aesthetic that makes the Brooklyn-based brand stand out.

The new Classic series consists of updated versions of seven of the company's most recognisable models and will be available from late March. They are as follows:

- Grado Classic GS3000: priced at £1995 / $1995
- Grado Classic GS1000: priced at £1195 / $1195
- Grado Classic RS1: priced at £750 / $750
- Grado Classic Hemp: priced at £495/ $495
- Grado Classic SR325: priced at £350 / $350
- Grado Classic SR80: priced at £175 / $175
- Grado Classic SR60: priced at $125 / £125

Considering the pedigree of Grado's wired headphones, we're curious to find out if the new updates takes some of these five-star cans to greater heights. Here's hoping that X2 driver platform improves on greatness without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

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Read our review of the premium Grado GS3000x headphones

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The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 now come in a Nike special edition. The Powerbeats Pro 2 – Nike Special Edition come in the fitness brand's radioactive 'Volt' colourway, with the Nike swoosh on one earbud and the beats 'b' logo on the other.

They also come in a black, Volt-speckled charging case with Nike's "Just Do It" motto printed inside the lid.

In terms of sound quality and features, they're identical to the standard Powerbeats Pro 2.

For the uninitiated, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have the same Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode as the AirPods Pro 2, built-in heart rate monitoring that syncs with the Apple Fitness app and Nike Run Club, and up to 45 hours of battery life.

They're rated IPX4 water resistant, and have ear hooks to help them stay put during sports.

To celebrate the launch, Beats and Nike have produced a humorous ad featuring basketball legend and Beats ambassador LeBron James. It goes on a bit too long.

Beats is keen to stress this isn't just a new colour, but a "collision of two brands that define performance, culture, and sports." But it is a new colour.

We haven't reviewed the Powerbeats Pro 2, but the original Powerbeats Pro only scored three stars. Here's hoping the sequel fares better.

Nike has lent its name to headphones before (like 2009's Nike Aero Sport), but not for some time. It has also collaborated with Apple (Beats' owner) on a special edition Apple Watch.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 – Nike Special Edition go on sale on 20th March for the same £250 / $250 / AU$399 as the standard pair.

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Brooklyn-based audio brand Grado has added to its its high-end Signature series of open-backed wired headphones with its new Signature S550 cans. The latest premium model joins the three existing members of the line, including the Signature S950 and flagship Signature HP100 SE headphones.

Designed for listeners who desire “warmth, openness, and clarity without fatigue”, the new S550 prioritise a more relaxed presentation while “preserving the speed, detail, and immediacy” Grado has previously exhibited in its five-star SR325x and GS3000x cans.

Central to achieving this desired sonic profile are a set of 50mm S2 dynamic drivers, tuned especially for the cans’ all-wood enclosures.

Those enclosures includes housings crafted entirely from Brazilian walnut, the same wood as found in the premium Signature S950 over-ears. Each housing is made individually, with natural variations in grain ensuring that no two pairs are exactly alike.

Grado also promises that walnut’s natural density contributes to the S550’s fuller, more balanced presentation, all while helping maintain a more consistent acoustic performance over time.

Like the rest of the cans in the series, the S550 employ Grado’s Signature headband assembly whereby a flexible metal support is integrated within the leather headband in order for the fit to be adjusted more smoothly.

The Signature S550 come equipped with a silver detachable cable. Each housing is terminated with a 4-pin balanced mini XLR, while the source end of the cable is equipped with a 3.5mm mini plug; a 6.3mm adapter is included.

The Grado Signature S550 will be available later this month, priced at £995 / $995.

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Check out our Award-winning Grado SR325x review

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Sony has developed a habit of producing some of the best wireless earbuds you can buy.

It’s been particularly successful in the budget arena in the last year or two, but its premium flagship models have always consistently pushed the envelope for performance in this hugely competitive category.

This was the case nearly three years ago when Sony launched its flagship WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds. Fast forward to 2026, and we finally have a new model looking to pick up where that pair left off. Say hello to the WF-1000XM6.

The jump from Gen 5 to Gen 6 sees quite a few changes, and Sony claims improvements in sound, noise-cancelling and call quality.

So, how do they stack up? Are there still legs in the previous generation, or should you jump straight to the new model? We’ve spent hours comparing the two, so you don’t have to…

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: price

Pricing for the Sony WF-1000XM6 is £250 / $330 / AU$500. This actually makes them a little cheaper for UK buyers compared with the older WF-1000XM5 but more expensive if you live in the US or Australia.

The previous generation cost £259 / $299 / AU$419 at launch, but given their age, you can pick them up with a solid discount, which we think is only going to get better over time, thanks to the introduction of the new model.

I certainly wouldn’t be expecting any WF-1000XM6 deals in the first couple of months following their launch.

** Winner: Sony WF-1000XM5 **

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: design & comfort

The first thing you’ll notice before you get any of the buds out is that the charging cases look different. The WF-1000XM6 case is slightly taller and deeper than that of the XM5. The XM5 case remains slightly wider, but it’s just not as bulky. Both feel pretty robust if a little plasticky.

Flip open both tops, and you’ll see Sony has changed both the look and the feel of the earbuds in the jump from fifth to sixth generation.

While the WF-1000XM5 have a teardrop design, the WF-1000XM6 appear slightly more rectangular and boxy. They are 11 per cent slimmer than the previous model, which you can see when you hold both in profile, but they also appear slightly deeper and wider.

The redesign is for a few reasons. Firstly, Sony has included additional microphones in WF-1000XM6 to help with call quality and noise cancelling, so each bud now includes four mics as opposed to three per bud on the WF-1000XM5.

Secondly, the new earbud design accommodates Sony’s new ventilation structure (highlighted by rows of perforations under the bottom edge of each earbud), which aids the flow of air within each enclosure and also helps reduce any internal noise which can be triggered by things like chewing or walking.

Thirdly, the new design is supposed be more practical and fit your ear better to aid with comfort.

The 8.4mm driver Sony uses in the WF-1000XM5 returns for WF-1000XM6, but there have also been some design changes, which Sony claims improve performance. For example, the driver now boasts a new ‘soft edge’ which aids bass performance. It works with a lightweight, rigid dome for improved highs.

Also, the WF-1000XM6 earbuds don’t have the glossy finish of the XM5. Sony has gone for a more matte finish in both the black and platinum silver colourways.

The latter has a textured surface, which is down to the addition of “added metal flakes and glass beads”. The black pair are slightly smoother to the touch in comparison.

Sony has decided to stick with the same ear-tip material and size options it provided with the XM5 for the XM6. Now, we’re slightly disappointed that Sony hasn’t seen fit to add an extra-large set of ear-tips to the four sizes it already offers (extra small, small, medium and large), as some of our reviewers struggled to get the fit right out of the box with XM6, which was a similar issue we encountered with their predecessors.

** Winner: Draw **

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: features

Unsurprisingly, both pairs of Sony earbuds share a lot of the same features, but there have been one or two significant changes.

We’ve already mentioned the mic count has gone up from three per bud to four, but another significant change is that the new generation of Sony earbuds comes with a new generation of HD Noise Cancelling processor – QN3e.

Sony claims this is three times faster than the QN2e processor found in the WF-1000XM5 and also claims it helps deliver 25 per cent better noise cancelling than the previous generation earbuds.

Both pairs share Sony’s integrated processor V2, but the version in the WF-1000XM6 now boasts 32-bit processing power compared to 24-bit on the old model.

The XM6 also get Sony’s Adaptive NC Optimiser, which introduces a new algorithm for the earbuds which alters the ANC from the buds in real time so they can react to how they're worn and the noise from your surroundings. Previously, the XM5 just had Sony’s Auto NC Optimiser.

Sony’s DSEE Extreme sound engine makes a return and is there to help boost the audio from low-quality digital files.

Both pairs are hi-res audio certified, boast LDAC, SBC and AAC codec support (neither are compatible with aptX), offer Bluetooth Multipoint for two devices, spatial audio and both are IPX4 rated.

Also crossing over from XM5 is a ten-band graphic equaliser for those who want to customise their own sound from the Sonys, and a more user-friendly Find Your Equaliser function, which helps guide you to your favourite flavour.

** Winner: Draw **

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: battery life

If you were hoping for or expecting a small bump in battery life for the WF-1000XM6 over their predecessors, then you’ll be disappointed.

All that extra processing power required for the XM6 means Sony has been unable to improve on the eight hours of battery life you get in the WF-1000XM5, but that should be enough for most people most of the time.

You also get the same total battery life when you throw in the wireless recharging case, i.e. 24 hours.

** Winner: Draw **

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: ANC & call quality

Sony claims there are improvements in both of these areas following the launch of the XM6, and this proves to be the case during testing in real-life scenarios.

The noise-cancelling effect is a bit more intense when you make the jump to the WF-100XM6, but it never feels uncomfortable.

It feels natural, and the WF-1000XM6 do a great job of subduing sound across the spectrum. It’s even more notable in the mids and highs, where it feels like the new model seems able to extract a bit more mid- and high-frequency information. It feels like they’re throwing a slightly thicker blanket of ANC over your environment.

The difference in call quality between the two is closer, but we still found a small difference between the two and a slight improvement, with the WF-1000XM6 sounding a tiny bit clearer compared with the WF-1000XM5. Both pairs use AI learning and include a bone conductor sensor to help pick up your voice.

Speaking of which, your voice sounds expressive and detailed using either pair and both models do a great job of isolating your voice, picking it out from background noise and also subduing wind noise too.

** Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6 **

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: sound quality

We’ll cut straight to it. The WF-1000XM6 are a clear improvement over their predecessors – and you can tell straight out of the box.

While the XM5 still sound clear and detailed and they're still a punch-sounding and dynamic pair of earbuds, the new model makes them sound lean, lightweight and, dare we say, lacking tonal balance.

By contrast, the WF-1000XM6 offer detail and insight, but also ooze natural warmth. It's a character missing from their predecessors, and its injection gives the XM6 huge appeal, whatever your musical taste.

The result is a sound that is not only more expressive and dynamic but one that sounds more natural and believable, too.

They uncover impressive levels of detail, but they never sound over-analytical and allow the emotional feeling of a track or vocal to shine through.

The WF-1000XM6 are excellent across the frequency range, delivering crisp highs all the way down to tightly controlled and textured lows – the newer Sonys have a grasp of bass notes and deliver layers of texture which the old model can’t quite replicate.

In our Sony WF-1000xM6 review, we said, "the Sonys exhibit all the bass power and weight you could ask for, but it’s the way the notes are controlled and defined which really sets the Sonys apart from some of their rivals."

We summed it all up by saying, "Everything that you expect to be present in a pair of flagship wireless earbuds is there (with XM6): a fantastic sense of timing, an expressive midrange, weighty yet well-defined bass and crisp, nicely controlled highs. The Sonys cover all the bases and then some."

The XM5 are still good earbuds, but it's impressive how much more capable the latest model sounds.

** Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6 **

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: verdict

You always wonder when a five-star favourite is replaced by a new iteration whether it will be able to build on what’s come before.

But that’s exactly what Sony has managed to do with the jump from the WF-1000XM5 to the WF-1000XM6.

It is a little disappointing that the new model still hasn’t perfected the feel and fit of the ear-tips Sony uses, but you can’t argue with the all-round ability of the WF-1000XM6 and the step up that you can hear in both noise-cancelling and sound quality.

We’d still consider the WF-1000XM5 to be solid performers, especially given the discounts you can find online right now, but the WF-1000XM6 is a new and improved model, which you can't ignore if you want the best sound quality at this level.

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Read our full Sony WF-1000XM6 review

And our full Sony WF-1000XM5 review

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See our pick of the best wireless earbuds for all budgets

US audio brand Audeze has announced the launch of its flagship planar magnetic headphones, the open-back LCD-5s.

The new high-end cans pack the same 'SLAM' (Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator) acoustic technology as found in Audeze's LCD-S20 planar magnetic cans from last year, designed to offer "powerful, lifelike bass response and even more accurate midrange tuning".

According to Audeze, 'SLAM' works by better controlling the air pressure between the headphones' diaphragm and earcup, with the diaphragm moving in a more linear and controlled manner for greater precision at the lower end.

The new LCD-5s are bolstered by a host of Audeze's own acoustic technologies, including a specially designed diaphragm, magnet arrays and 'Fazor' phase management, coming together to deliver what the brand describes as "exceptional clarity, ultra-low distortion, and precise imaging".

The open headphones are certainly on the large size. They weight 475g, but the use combination of lightweight carbon fibre and magnesium in the chassis aims to keep things comfortable while exuding high quality. There are also updated earpads that aim to reduce pressure on your ears for long listening sessions.

The LCD-5s deploy a 4-pin XLR balanced cable as standard, while single-ended 6.3mm and 3.5mm adapters are also provided.

According to Sankar Thaigasaudram, Audeze's CEO: “With LCD-5s, we’ve refined every aspect of the listening experience—from driver performance to comfort and industrial design—to deliver the most lifelike and emotionally engaging planar magnetic headphone we’ve ever created".

The Audeze LCD-5s are available now, priced at $4500. That puts them in esteemed company, with the highly talented Yamaha YH-5000SE clocking in at around £4799 / $5000.

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Did you ever see the Sennheiser HD414 from the 1960s? Famed for their bright yellow foam earpads and funky, skeletal aesthetic, they were a colossal success for Sennheiser, shipping north of 10 million units following their launch in 1968.

It's those legendary icons which FiiO's new EH11 wireless headphones put us in mind of, with their lightweight frame and rounded on-ear design, kitted out with modern engineering and Bluetooth capabilities, harking back to a funkier retro past.

The EH11 feature a "semi-open" configuration, housing ventilation ports and damping filters to reduce the pressure and closed-in feel of more typical on-ear headphones, all while controlling airflow to minimise the excessive sound leakage associated with fully open models.

The EH11 deploy a set of 40mm long-throw dynamic drivers fitted with a high-damping composite diaphragm, designed to elicit "controlled, energetic low frequencies" alongside a "sharp, layered presentation". Thanks to their hybrid design, according to FiiO, vocals sound more natural, with a wider, more transparent overall soundstage.

As a modern pair of Bluetooth on-ears, the funky FiiOs support the hi-res LDAC codec, meaning they should be capable of allowing you to streaming audio up to 32-bit/96kHz at up to 990kbps when paired with a compatible source device.

A built-in microphone allows for hands-free easy calls on the go, while battery life clocks in at 30 hours of playback on a single charge. The EH11 are supported by the FiiO Control App, a base from which you can access a choice of sound profiles, a custom equaliser and low-latency gaming modes.

Replaceable ear pads in two colour sets are also included.

The FiiO EH11 are available now in a choice of transparent, off-white, cyan, burgundy or transparent black colourways, priced £33 / $30 / €33.

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Meze Audio, the brand responsible for such headphones as the 99 Classics and the high-end Empyrean II, is back with a brand new pair of wired over-ear cans. The new Meze Audio Strada vow to set "a new benchmark in closed-back headphones" with a sound that "blends tonal precision with immersive musical intimacy".

To do so, the new over-ears house a set of newly-designed 50mm dynamic drivers which aim to deliver a controlled, precise sound defined by a deep, well-defined bass signature alongside a "neutral, transparent midrange" and a smooth, detailed treble.

Those newly designed drivers are constructed using a carbon fibre-reinforced cellulose composite dome, with a surrounding torus made using a polymer coated with beryllium for enhanced stiffness, durability and transient response.

Further, a copper-zinc alloy stabiliser surrounds the driver membrane, absorbing micro-vibrations with the aim of significantly reducing unwanted distortion.

The replaceable earpads are mounted magnetically so that they can be swapped in and out more easily, while the cans' Macassar hardwood ebony ear cups are designed to be both visually striking and unique across each pair.

Comfort is at the forefront of the Stradas' design, with both the crafted frame and driver system crafted to be as lightweight as possible in a bid to reduce listener fatigue. The padded headband, meanwhile, features a cross pattern design to distribute pressure more evenly and reduce heat build-up during longer listening sessions.

The Strada come with a choice of two cables – one 1.8m Kevlar with a 3.5mm jack and one 1.8m Kevlar with a 4.4mm jack – as well as a 6.3mm jack adapter and a hard carry case and leather cable pouch.

The Meze Audio Strada over-ears are available now, priced at £799 / $799.

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Austrian Audio has introduced its latest pair of wired over-ears, The Arranger. Designed to bridge the gap between the brand's more affordable Hi-X series and its flagship Composer reference cans, the open-backed newbies are designed to bring "high-end engineering to the more accessible price point".

At the core of the new cans is a freshly developed 44mm dynamic driver which uses a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated diaphragm for greater rigidity and control, paired with a proprietary ring magnet system in pursuit of a fast transient response, low distortion and excellent bass extension.

That newly developed driver, in combination with The Arrangers' open-back design, delivers what Austrian Audio describes as a "natural, spacious presentation with clear spatial placement".

The new over-ears are fitted with suede leatherette ear pads which, in tandem with a lightweight metal frame, promise enduring all-day comfort. The cans also fold away for greater convenience when being stored or taken on your travels, while a reasonably modest weight of just 310 grams aims to reduce wearer fatigue during extended listening sessions.

The Arrangers' ear pads and headband are user-replaceable, so parts that wear out can be more easily exchanged if you're keen to extend their lifespan. The new headphones use a 4-pin symmetrical socket with a 3.5mm connector and an included 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter.

The Austrian Audio Arranger will be available from February 2026, priced at £899 / €999 / $1099.

We've been impressed with both Austrian Audio's more affordable Hi-X range (including the Hi-X20 and Hi-X15) and its high-end reference cans, so a pair of headphones that seek to bridge the gap between these different ends of the cost spectrum sounds like an enticing prospect.

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Campfire Audio has launched a new ‘Classic Green’ standard edition model of its Andromeda wired earbuds as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.

This new ‘standard’ version joins the Black and Gold Limited Editions that launched last year and is set to become Campfire’s flagship model.

Significantly, the new ‘Classic Green’ Andromeda 10 will be available at a lower price than the limited edition models, coming in at £1699 / $1799 instead of £2299 / $2499.

With such a disparity in price, you could be fooled into thinking Campfire has had to make significant sacrifices for the new model, but according to the manufacturer, it has maintained the “same internal architecture and acoustic performance”.

The only differences between the standard and limited editions are the housing and two-pin cables they are respectively supplied with.

The ‘Classic Green’ Andromeda 10 standard edition earbuds are housed in anodised aluminium, which Campfire Audio says is lighter than the stainless steel housing found on the limited edition models.

The standard version are also supplied with the brand’s ‘Time Link’ cable – a silver-plated, pure copper modular cable with 3.5mm, 4.4mm and USB-C DAC connections, while the limited edition’s custom cable features a 4.4mm headphone jack containing gold-plated conductors.

The Andromeda 10 features 10 custom-balanced armatures (four low, four mid, and two high), while a new ‘NEMC’ (non-enclosed midrange chamber) and the brand’s proprietary ‘TAEC’ (tuned acoustic expansion chamber) are on board.

According to Campfire Audio, “together, these elements deliver enhanced resolution, greater dynamic range, and a refined sense of space while maintaining the musical balance that made Andromeda a benchmark in the category”.

Stocks are running low on the Black and Gold Limited Editions, but the new Campfire Audio Andromeda 10 wired earbuds in ‘Classic Green’ will be available to buy later this month.

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Nuts! The world's smallest noise cancelling earbuds aren't much bigger than a peanut

Anker claims its latest pair of premium wireless earbuds, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro, are the first-ever “dual-form” earbuds that enable both open-ear listening and active noise cancellation in one design.

Launched at CES 2026, the AeroFit 2 Pro feature five selectable ear hook positions, with levels 1 and 2 typically being for open-ear listening and levels 4 and 5 for ANC. Level 3 is a neutral position that maintains either an open-ear or ANC form, depending on what has been selected.

The ANC utilises an adaptive algorithm that runs 380,000 checks per second and fine-tunes 180 times a minute to ensure “immediate, reliable noise cancellation”.

These earbuds are equipped with 1.18cm composite drivers, and feature spatial audio with dynamic head-tracking.

An IP55 rating means they offer limited protection against dust and water, while the battery lasts up to 7 hours on a single charge, or up to 34 hours in total with the charging case.

These button-controlled earbuds also feature Bluetooth 6.1 with multipoint connection for seamless switching between two connected devices.

The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro come in a choice of four finishes: matte black, gloss white, gloss blue or matte purple. These wireless earbuds will be available to purchase online from the 6th January and are priced at £180 / $180.

It’s worth noting that other brands, such as Apple’s AirPods 4 with ANC, also combine an ‘open’ earbuds design with active noise-cancelling, although the design differs from Soundcore’s model.

Anker has also added a new Bluetooth portable speaker to its Soundcore audio range, the Boom Go 3i.

This palm-sized portable speaker offers 15W of power and up to 22 hours of battery life. That’s certainly beefier than the similarly tiny JBL Go 4 speaker, which offers 4.2W and 7 hours for £40 / $50, but received five stars for its cohesive, engaging sound.

The Boom Go 3i is also IP68 rated, meaning it's fully protected against dust and can withstand rain and a brief dunk in water.

Suitable for outdoor use, the Boom Go 3i also features a little strap, so it can be attached to a coat or bag.

This portable speaker is set for launch in the first quarter of 2026. It will be available in four finishes (with final colours to be confirmed) and will cost £60 / $80.

MORE:

Check out our list of the best wireless earbuds

And our list of the best Bluetooth speakers

CES 2026 Live: we’ve got the inside scoop on new OLED TVs, Dolby Atmos treats and more

Another year has been and gone with startling speed, and countless AV products have passed through our test room. That means we have had to put them through their paces with a whole host of different test discs, from action-packed blockbusters to slower indie releases.

We've been documenting the discs that have been used the most each month through our 'Now Showing' column, but which ones stuck out the most to our team of experts as the best ones of the year?

Below you will find the most popular discs in our test room in 2025. Some have featured in previous columns and return in blazing glory, while others have been discovered later on and will be brought out again and again in 2026.

Civil War

While in some ways I’m a little bored with writing about Alex Garland’s Civil War, not to do so in an end of year wrap-up would be sacrilege, given how much we’ve used it for testing in 2025.

This relatively little-known move from last year is highly unusual in its presentation. While the subject matter and events are exceptionally gritty, concerning as they do a bloody modern-day civil war in the US, the picture is beautifully crisp, bright and vibrant.

It looks fabulous from a good TV or projector, then, but it’s also packed with challenging scenes, from the super high-contrast forest fire to the nighttime attack on Washington DC and the daylight mustering of the Western Forces.

This is a movie that tests every aspect of your display device’s performance – and it’s great for audio, too, with that Washington DC scene in particular exercising your sound system’s ability to fill your room with the sounds of battle, place effects accurately within the soundstage, and ensure voices are intelligible throughout.

On top of all of that, the movie itself is superb, never becoming boring even on the hundredth watch. No wonder it’s become such a firm fixture in our testing process.

Words by Tom Parsons

Buy Civil War on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon

Stream Civil War on Apple TV

28 Years Later

2025 was a great year for horror fans, such as myself. For starters, we had Weapons, one of the creepiest movies I’ve seen in quite some time, complete with a haunted house, evil old lady and possessed kids; it’s a dark, thrilling ride from start to finish. Then we had the thoughtful, emotive remake of Frankenstein from Guillermo del Toro, which is a visual feast from start to finish. But the one that sticks in my mind most is 28 Years Later.

Why? Well, for starters, it's a proper sequel to 28 Days Later, one of the most iconic zombie movies of its time that helped launch the career of lead man Cillian Murphy and put Danny Boyle on the map, both for his decision to shoot purely digitally and for his excellent cinematography. So it’s automatically got a place saved for it in my memory palace.

But second, and more importantly, it’s a fantastic film full of heart-stopping action sequences, tense stand-offs with the infected and an emotional narrative that had me all but in tears during one sequence with Ralph Fiennes towards the end of the film. Its use of surround sound is also one of the best I’ve seen this year, with you hearing and feeling the infected lurking in the shadows as much as you see them. The end result is a horror that has you constantly feeling on edge. There’s one scene, in particular, where a father and his son race across a river, fleeing from an infected hot on their heels that still sticks in my mind.

And that’s why it’s the highlight of 2025 for me and one of the few films from this year I continue to revisit, even when I’m not testing home cinema hardware. If you haven’t already, I’d strongly recommend giving it a watch.

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Buy 28 Years Later on 4K Blu-ray at HMV

Stream 28 Years Later on Apple TV

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Even though it was only released at the tail end of the year, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has quickly proved itself to be a worthy entry to the What Hi-Fi? disc rotation.

We have used both of the previous entries, Knives Out and Glass Onion, for picture and sound testing before so it's great to see the tradition continuing.

Like all good mysteries, the film kicks things off with a mysterious death. The murder in question is that of Josh Brolin's cantankerous priest, Monsignor Wickes, who is mysteriously slain in an empty church storage room during a service. All the signs point to young priest Jud, played by Josh O'Connor, but there is more to the story than meets the eye and Wickes' congregation know more than they are letting on.

Where the first Knives Out is set in the peak of autumn and the second takes place in dazzling sun, this film takes us to the depths of winter. Director Rian Johnson gives each frame an air of wintry gloom and suspense that lends the film a gothic overall feel.

It properly challenges a system's picture performance with its abundance of dark detail during the scenes shot in the church's beautiful interior. Much like Conclave, another great test disc, the use of religious garb also gives a system a run for its money with the textured red ceremonial robes set against the cold white church stone.

Stream Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix

A Complete Unknown

The music biopic genre might be a tad oversaturated these days, but A Complete Unknown at least skips the lifetime overview for a focused look at the enigmatic Bob Dylan’s rise and controversial move to electric. While it could’ve perhaps gone further, it certainly doesn’t try to sugarcoat Bob’s early years, showing him strain relationships with long-term friends, lovers and fans alike as he makes a career move that in many ways will define him and the era.

It’s bolstered by a trio of Oscar-nominated performances by Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro, all of whom do their own singing. And it’s during some of these musical performances that the film really comes alive – and provides a perfect opportunity to show off your sound system. The recreations of the famous Newport Folk Festival are, of course, ideal demo scenes, showing impressive directionality as the camera moves through the crowds, allowing you to hear the claps, cheers and eventually, boos from every angle.

Musical films can sometimes be forgotten but are excellent choices for sound testing, and A Complete Unknown was one of the best of the year.

Words by Daniel Furn

Buy A Complete Unknown on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon

Stream A Complete Unknown on Apple TV

Thunderbolts*

Being a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) isn't as easy as it used to be. More often than not, I go to the cinema with a knot in my stomach, unsure of whether I'm about to be treated to a top-notch superhero flick in line with early entries in the franchise, or have to endure a dud akin to the likes of Thor: Love and Thunder or Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.

Thankfully, Thunderbolts* is a case in which the former applies, which wasn't really what I was expecting. Marvel has taken a group of B-list anti-heroes from some of its middling offerings, such as Ant-Man and The Wasp and Falcon and The Winter Soldier (it's just occurred to me that those titles sound very similar), and mashed them together to make a team of morally dubious bounty hunters.

With that in mind, my expectations were fairly reserved. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by this film in nearly every aspect. Seriously, it's fun, exciting, action-packed and even unexpectedly emotional. This film has enough heart to give the Guardians of the Galaxy a run for their money at times, and it's the most engaged I've been in the MCU in what feels like years.

It also happens to look and sound fantastic, which is why I've relied on it for a lot of audio testing this year. The soundtrack provided by Son Lux (who also scored Everything, Everywhere, All at Once) is superb, with unique percussion segments and triumphant crescendos providing unique dynamic shifts.

It's also one of the only recent Marvel movies that doesn't look totally artificial. The comic book brand (which is owned by Disney) made a big deal of shooting on location and hiring the cinematographer of the visually striking A24 flick The Green Knight, Andrew Droz Palermo, to make this film look good, and I can see why.

If you need to have your faith in Marvel restored, or you just want an action-packed blockbuster that delivers on being fun and emotional while also looking and sounding great, then you should certainly give Thunderbolts* a try.

Words by Lewis Empson

Buy Thunderbolts* on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon

Stream Thunderbolts* on Disney Plus

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best streaming services for movies and TV

As well as the best 4K Blu-ray players

And the best OLED TVs

Japanese audio brand Final has unveiled its latest pair of wireless earbuds, the ZE300. Thanks to their budget price tag, noise-cancelling capabilities and a newly tuned acoustic structure, could these be the buds to challenge the mighty Sony WF-C510, and even the Sony WF-C710N, for affordable wireless supremacy?

That newly tuned acoustic structure aims to deliver a "soft, detailed and natural sound" without harshness, with Final promising its new buds "capture vocal nuance, instrumental texture and environmental detail" without causing listener fatigue.

The buds sport "airflow ports" to release pressure inside the ear, and feature a noise-suppressing mic for clear voice calls.

Unlike their potential Sony WF-C510 rivals, Final's affordable buds offer noise-cancelling powered by the brand's proprietary algorithm, with listeners offered a choice of full ANC alongside a transparent 'Ambient Mode' for when you want to be aware of your surroundings.

Battery life clocks in at 21.5 hours in total, with 5.5 hours offered from the earbuds on a single charge and a further 16.5 hours granted by the charging case.

Billed as the smallest earbuds Final has ever made and weighing in at just 4g per bud, the ZE300 aim to provide a secure, unobtrusive fit that's built for everyday comfort.

The standard AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs are supported, which is standard at this level of the market. An IPX4 water resistance rating, meanwhile, means the ZE300 should be able to handle sweaty workouts or splashes of rain and water without too much fuss.

The Final ZE300 will be available from 12th December in three "powder-coated" finishes – grey, greige or black – for £40 / $50 / €45, the same sort of price as the five-star WF-C510 (currently £38 / $50), which is one of the best cheap wireless earbuds we've tested.

We found a lot to like with the flagship Final ZE8000 MK2, so here's hoping Final can translate much of that pedigree to a far more affordable side of the market.

MORE:

Sennheiser HDB 630 vs Sony WH-1000XM6: which wireless headphones should you buy?

Take a look at the best wireless earbuds: quality in-ears for every budget

And check out the best budget wireless earbuds: top affordable pairs tested by our experts

FiiO's latest portable CD player is a real step on from its predecessor. Because the DM15 R2R not only has way more features, it has a cool transparent look too, so you can see the compact disc spinning as it plays.

But those features are the real selling point. It plays CDs, naturally, but it can also act as a DAC and headphone amplifier for your smartphone or laptop-based listening, while Bluetooth streaming is on the menu. It can even rip CDs.

It has more headphone amplification power than the older DM13 model, too. Single-ended outputs now deliver 310mW + 310mW, while its balanced outputs rise to 1150mW + 1150mW. That gives it more capacity to drive more demanding headphones.

Inside is FiiO's custom R2R DAC, which is a fully differential, four-channel 24-bit resistor-array converter built from 192 precision thin-film resistors (48 per channel).

The hi-res DAC supports hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD256, while the Bluetooth transmitter (powered by a Qualcomm QCC3095 chip) supports aptX, aptX HD and SBC as well as aptX Adaptive. It can beam audio wirelessly from both CD and USB inputs.

Three bass modes and eight EQ presets give you 24 sound profiles, including a 'Retro' one for what FiiO calls "a rich, classic analog flavour". While listening to a disc, you can rip tracks in WAV format to PC or Mac.

The battery lasts seven hours, or you can plug it into the mains using USB-C. There is also a USB-C input and a combined optical/coaxial digital input.

The mechanical controls and traditional volume knob continue the throwback feel, and the FiiO DM15 R2R comes in four finishes: Silver, Red, Black and White (the latter two will be released in late December). Price? It's yours for £250 / $249 (around AU$500).

MORE:

Best CD players: budget to premium options tested by experts

Read our Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 review

I spent a week with FiiO’s retro cassette deck and Discman to test their modern-day merits

Getting onto our list of the best headphones, is, in many ways, the ultimate accolade. Our mammoth rundown includes cans of all types and from all backgrounds – wired and wireless, open and closed-back, earbuds and over-ears – making gaining entry a serious achievement.

The two new entries to the list are very different headphone types with poles-apart price tags. They have each bowled us over with the respective performances they produce.

The five-star Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X are our top pick for the best headphones for home use, thanks to a combination of excellent comfort for long hours of listening, and solid sound quality. This wired model has an open-backed design, so they are unsuited to being taken out in public due to leaking sound everywhere.

Their inclusion to our guide is mainly, however, because they sound truly outstanding for their £189 / $199 / AU$399 price tag.

Acting as the successors to the excellent DT 900 Pro X, the new open-backed cans are a sonic delight, elevating almost all key performance metrics while retaining the plush comfort and usability we have long admired from Beyerdynamic's wired over-ears.

If you're seeking a pair of wired headphones for home use with your hi-fi and you don't mind a little sonic leakage, the DT 990 Pro X are now our number one pick. Beyerdynamic bills them as a 'studio' set, but for our money, they are just as happy delighting you with your favourite disco classics as they are digging deep into the details of a tricky DJ mix.

What if you want to go wireless but don't fancy sacrificing on sound? Well, then it's imperative, yes imperative, that you seek out the Focal Bathys Mg as a matter of priority.

They are, inevitably, a lot more expensive than the Beyerdynamics (and most other headphones) at £999 / $1299 / AU$2300. That's why we've dubbed them the best high-end wireless headphones in our guide; but boy are they talented.

This really is exclusive territory in which the Bathys Mg are operating, occupied by established big-money performers such as the ageing Mark Levinson No.5909 (£749 / $799) or the T+A Solitaire T (tested at £1200 / $1600 / AU$2160).

We didn't before have a place in this list for cans that expensive, but we have decided to include the Focals, because we believe they genuinely push the boundaries of wireless performance. And, while wires remain king, the Bathys Mg is one of the best indications we've heard that wireless could, one day, close the gap. If you're willing to pay, of course.

Beyerdynamic handles sound like a Pro

We make absolutely no assumptions about our readers' current financial situation, but let's start with the headphones that are probably in a more… realistic price bracket for the average buyer.

There are, of course, better headphones out there at higher prices, but you could pick up a pair of DT 990 Pro X for £189 / $199 / AU$399 and rarely feel as though you weren't getting enough sound for your pounds.

Thanks to their signature Stellar.45 drivers employing Beyerdynamic's layered Polyether Ether Ketone (‘PEEK’)’ thermoplastic polymer diaphragm alongside a Neodymium motor system, the DT 990 Pro X have the audio chops to put most price-comparable cans in the shade.

These are some of the most detailed and clear-sounding headphones we have heard at this level. They offer exceptional detail resolution paired with far more clarity and openness than the outgoing DT 900 Pro X.

No matter the source devices or material they are tasked with tackling, Beyerdynamic's mid-range cans have the talent to bring out your music's best thanks to their even-handed balance and informative yet entertaining approach.

Entertaining is the word. The DT 990 Pro X handle dynamics superbly as they tease out low-level variations with ease. That's paired with a rich, full midrange which gives instruments and voices real bite, all anchored by a bass response that feels well-judged, agile and appropriately taut.

It's not as though they're tough to live with, either. We do love those earpads, while the headband's weight distribution and the cans' balanced weight distribution make for an easy experience. The wired over-ears come with a detachable 2m cable with a locking mini-XLR connector, with a 3.5mm jack is fitted as standard and an included 6.3mm adapter.

Blending comfort and sonic class in one stellar package as they do, it's going to take something special to dethrone the DT 990 Pro X any time soon. They come, as you'll have gathered, highly recommended.

The Bathys Mg push wireless boundaries

We were so impressed with the Focal Bathys Mg that we decided to create a whole new entry slot for them as our ‘best high-end wireless headphones’. When wireless sounds this good, you're more than happy to move things around to make sure it is properly recognised.

There are aspects of the noise-cancelling Bathys Mg that you might not get along with. This is quite a bulky pair of cans, weighing in at 350g, and their bold, almost brassy design can draw attention when you're out in public. There are no touch controls, and there's not even any wear detection, either. In this day and age? Unbelievable.

The Focal cans make their way onto our list because of how they sound, of course. Even when you account for their monster price, this is a beautifully balanced and neutral pair of over-ears, delivering music with a pleasingly straight bat and avoiding the pitfalls of artificially boosted bass.

For home listening, you can go from wired to wireless, either using the 3.5mm jack or by using Focal’s own built-in DAC, which supports sample rates all the way up to 24-bit/192kHz.

However you listen, detail levels are superb, as is the clarity and spaciousness on display, offering up a layered performance that feels elegant, nimble and beautifully arranged. The Bathys Mg offer outstanding balance and refinement, yet they have the soul and verve to make music sound entertaining and cinematic rather than overly clinical or analytical.

As we say in our review: “We would implore you to take the time to listen to the Focal Bathys Mg. The original Bathys showed Focal could make the jump from wired to wireless successfully, and the changes made for this version push the envelope even further.”

If you're lucky enough to have the cash to splash, you could do a lot worse than spending it on the boundary-pushing Focal Bathys Mg. A special pair of headphones.

MORE:

Rewind: Five-star hi-fi headphones, a CD playing turntable, Dolby Atmos musings and more

Also consider the Dali IO-8

Best wireless headphones reviewed and rated by our in-house expert

We’ve hit the final week of September, and to celebrate we’ve penned a fresh entry into our regular Rewind hi-fi and home cinema news digest.

In it, our team of experts contended with everything from a Philips launch event in Amsterdam to a fresh batch of AV hardware in need of the What Hi-Fi? review treatment.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Apple TV+ is smashing it right now

Testing home cinema hardware means nearly all of the What Hi-Fi? team frequently watch a lot of TV shows and films.

Our stringent comparative testing process requires us to always have a wealth of current 4K Blu-rays to hand, with scenes appropriate for testing things like dark detail, peak brightness, colour volume, audio quality and more.

We also have to see how devices with streaming smarts handle the most-used services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Apple TV+ and more.

And in doing so, over the past few months we’ve found ourselves using one service in particular more and more frequently, so much so that our senior staff writer, Lewis Empson, felt the need to pen an article celebrating it.

Read the full story: I'm a home cinema expert and if you care about 4K HDR or Dolby Atmos, one streaming service is a clear winner

Philips launched a new CD playing turntable

We know you, our wonderful readers, love physical media. Which is why we were excited to be there in person to see Philips launch a new turntable with a built-in CD player at an event in Eindhoven last week.

Yes, you read that right, the new Philips Fidelio FT1 is a belt-drive, two speed, Bluetooth turntable with a CD player built into its chassis, making it a rare piece of affordable hardware that will cover the needs of most physical media fans.

We didn’t get a chance to listen to the Fidelio FT1, but from what we’ve seen it could be a great entry-level option, or ideal choice for those on a strict budget, with Philips indicating it will retail for around €299 (roughly £260 / $350).

Read the full story: Philips' versatile new Bluetooth turntable features a built-in CD player

Our editor explained, again, why small TVs are cut from a different cloth

One of the most common mistakes we see TV buyers make is assuming that every set in a series performs the same, regardless of its size.

And being fair, there’s a good reason for that. Many sites and companies present them as being identical. Most reviewers even present their assessments as being for an entire family of TVs, like the LG C5, or Samsung S90F, rather than refer to the specific size they tested.

This is a problem, as there are always differences between certain sizes, especially if you’re comparing a 65-inch set to a 48-inch, or 42-inch model.

We know this as we review the different sizes in each family whenever we can – hence why you’ll find reviews of the 55-inch LG C5, 48-inch LG C5 on the site right now, with one of the 42-inch LG C5 soon to follow.

Eager to make sure buyers don’t fall victim to this easy pitfall while picking their next TV, last week our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, penned a fresh feature explaining why this is the case.

Read the full story: Small OLED TVs do not perform as well as big ones – and it's not just about brightness

Beyerdynamic's latest open-backs are great

German audio powerhouse Beyerdynamic is one of the first brands that comes to mind if you ask any hi-fi fan about open-back, wired headphones.

Which is why our team of headphone experts were excited to get its latest DT 990 Pro X pair into our listening rooms for review.

The headphones are a follow up to the brand’s five-star DT 900 Pro X, which launched in 2021. At first glance they look very similar to their predecessors, having a near identical design and using the same Stellar.45 drive units as most recent Beyerdynamic headphones.

But the tuning and general refinements it has made work to great effect, with the 990 Pro X delivering a clean, revealing sound that’s packed with detail regardless of what test track we threw at it – even when using a basic laptop streaming from Tidal as our source.

Read our full Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X review

We took a moment to appreciate what filmmakers are doing with Dolby Atmos

We talk a lot about Dolby Atmos hardware at What Hi-Fi?. That’s especially true this year where we’ve seen a wealth of top-end Dolby Atmos soundbars and systems launched. These include the incredible, five-star KEF XIO – the first every Dolby Atmos soundbar from the hi-fi heavyweight – and Samsung Q990F. The latter being a five-star follow-up to last year’s Award-winning Samsung Q990D.

But, we don’t always make much noise about improvements to the content using the tech. Which is why last week we took the time to pen a fresh feature celebrating the increasingly innovative ways filmmakers are using Dolby Atmos to deliver truly breath-taking films that utterly immerse you with their clever audio wizardry.

Read the full story: Dolby Atmos is getting better – and awesome new home cinema kit is only partly to thank

MORE:

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars we’ve tested

We rate the best record players for music fans

Our picks of the best OLED TVs

As someone who has to wear glasses every waking moment in order to have the foggiest idea what’s going on, it can be quite the task to find a pair of headphones or wireless earbuds that don't interfere with my specs or my listening experience.

Even though my preferred type is usually over-ear headphones, it’s always a little uncomfortable to balance the arm of the glasses under the cups without them digging in.

That’s why one of Beyerdynamic’s latest headphone offerings at this year’s IFA in Berlin especially caught my eye.

Enter the Amiron Zero, the German brand’s open true wireless clip-on earbuds, which it claims provide “serious sound and outstanding wearing comfort".

With a petite C-shaped design, they wrap around the side of the ear to deliver “impressive sound quality". Each earbud only weighs six grams in an attempt to limit the amount of strain on the ear canal, so they hopefully you'll barely even remember you're wearing them after a time.

They will also set you back £129 (around $176 / AU$265), which isn't a ridiculous outlay for a pair of wireless buds. The sports-oriented, in-ear Sony LinkBuds Fit, for instance, clock in at around the same price of around £149 / $179, although cost a bit more in Australia (AU$348).

This is far from the first time we have seen this type of design on the market, of course.

One of the most notable models to stand out in recent testing are the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which we gave a four-star rating for their entertaining sound performance and comfortable, forward-looking fit.

You wear them slightly differently to the Amiron Zero, as you hook the earbud in the bottom of your concha (the bowl-like section of your outer ear), then wrap the band around the back of your ear and allow the battery cylinder to help clamp the earbud in place. Still, the specs-friendly design is very much present.

Huawei also gave the 'clip-on' configuration a go with its FreeClip buds from early 2024, and while they left a lot to be desired on the sound front, we were impressed by how well implemented their innovative design proved to be.

Even though these aforementioned earbuds offer a much-needed alternative for the glasses wearers among us, there is often a fair amount of compromise made with such designs.

Clip on earbuds don’t usually deliver as good sound quality as ones that fit more securely into your ear. That’s because the lack of a seal means they don’t tend to sound as punchy or dynamic, especially when they are suppose to allow the user to be more aware of their surroundings. More traditional designs tend to offer you more bass weight, too, thanks to the presence of a proper in-ear seal.

That said, we've tested 'open' buds which have impressed us in our test rooms. The Sony LinkBuds Open and Apple's AirPods 4 impressed with their decent sound balance, and both earned respective four-star reviews, even if price-comparable in-ear alternatives still tend to offer a bit more in the sound department.

We haven't heard the Amiron Zero in action yet, so we're not certain whether this will be the case for these latest buds, but I'm excited to see what the future holds for these type of designs as someone who struggles with traditional earbuds.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Open certainly demonstrated that open, clip-on designs could blend performance and comfort, so I'm hoping Beyerdynamic picks up the mantle at a more affordable price point.

It's a tough balance to strike between a secure yet unobstructive fit and good sound quality, so I'm curious how the category will develop. If the Amiron Zero can really nail their sonic performance while making good on their promise of better usability and comfort for glasses wearers and non-glasses wearers alike, I could be certainly tempted to try a pair for myself.

MORE:

Read our review of the five-star Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X over-ears

And our full review of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Check out the best wireless earbuds you can buy

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 were a long time coming – three years, in fact – but they were worth the wait.

Our AirPods Pro 3 review praised their advances in sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC), tweaked design and upgraded roster of features.

But the world of wireless earbuds is a tough place to be. Bose's flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) stand tall as some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds we've heard, and they too offer plenty for the discerning music listener thanks to their detailed, entertaining sound and excellent fit.

So how do these two pairs square up against each other? And which should you buy? Let's find out.

Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): price

Both of these are flagship pairs, so neither comes cheap.

The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) cost £299 / $299 / AU$450. That's a lot of coin, but the same price as their predecessors cost when they launched two years prior, so it's not too unreasonable. We have seen some discounts of around £30 too, though only occasionally.

The AirPods Pro 3 are cheaper, with a launch price of £219 / $249 / AU$429. That's actually £30 cheaper than their predecessors, and still £10 cheaper than when Apple cut the price and switched from a Lightning port to USB-C in 2023. Reason to celebrate if you're in the UK, then.

We have also recently seen a discount on the AirPods Pro 3, dropping £30 to £199. Even more reason to celebrate.

** Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3 **

Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): build & comfort

Bose's earbuds tend to be some of the most comfortable around, and that's certainly the case with the brand's cannily designed QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).

Their unconventional design fits perfectly in the ear, aided by the stability bands and flatter eartip designs that offer a nice, secure experience. They stay put whether you're crunching out a 5K or head banging to Motörhead, an impressive feat considering these aren't specifically conceived as workout buds. The Bose buds fit everyone on our review team comfortably and with no issue.

Their touch controls are responsive and intuitive, and you can customise them to your liking. You do only get three sizes of ear tips though, which seems a bit stingy – the AirPods Pro 3 come with five, including a new XXS size – but the second-gen QC Ultra Earbuds' stability bands keep them from tumbling out of your ears.

The Bose are much more colourful than the AirPods, coming in four finishes, including the rather fetching Deep Plum. As you'll know with Apple, any AirPods that aren't the over-ear Max only come in one colour: pristine, iconic white.

The Pro 3 are every inch a pair of AirPods, but Apple says their fit has been optimised using more than 10,000 3D ear scans, boasting a slightly smaller size than their predecessors and a design shaped to match the geometry of the ear.

Apple claims these are the "most stable and best fitting AirPods ever", but our testing was not without issues. Only certain members of our reviews team achieved a snug, secure fit – and that was those who couldn't get the same from the AirPods Pro 2. Those who did get on well with the Pro 2 found that the Pro 3's new shape protruded a little too far out.

We did, however, find more leeway with the ear tips. We got on just fine with both M and L sizes, with no noticeable variation in sound quality or ANC from either. The AirPods Pro 3's touch controls are a breeze to use, and we particularly like the touch-capacitative control on the stems that let us change volume on the fly.

Fit is such a personal thing that we would recommend you try any pair of wireless earbuds for yourself before buying. But for the more universal fit (despite being heavier), the Bose take this round.

** Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) **

Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): features

The Bose buds give you six hours of use, or 24 hours total when using the charging case. That's less from the buds than the AirPods Pro 3, which last for eight hours, but the same total battery life, so the AirPods edge this one.

The Bose support aptX Adaptive for streaming in 24-bit hi-res lossless with low latency via compatible sources, along with the standard AAC and SBC codecs, while the AirPods lack aptX or any kind of hi-res support. As was the case with the AirPods Pro 2, Apple is sticking with the AAC codec and considers the buds' intrinsic qualities to be sufficient to negate the need for any particularly fancy codecs.

Both support spatial audio with dynamic head tracking – Bose Immersive Audio and Apple Spatial Audio respectively – though we're less keen on Bose's take on this format than Apple's. Apple also includes a more personalised spatial audio feature for iPhone users.

The Bose buds support Bluetooth Multipoint connectivity for easier switching between two connected devices. Apple has its own take on this tech, but it only works with iOS devices – but it is very seamless in use.

The new AirPods now support Live Translation, which can translate live speech in real time. They lower the volume of the speaker and boost the audio translation so you can focus on what's being said without distraction, and can provide on-screen transcripts directly to your iPhone. Increíble!

This feature has also come to the AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2, but note that you'll need to pair them with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iOS device running iOS 26 to get it to work.

Apple has added health and fitness skills to the AirPods Pro 3. Heart rate tracking is now possible thanks to a small photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that measures light absorption in blood flow within your ear.

Using your iPhone, you can set the AirPods Pro 3 to track 50 different types of workout, and there's a new Workout Buddy to give you personalised insights while you're huffing and puffing. There are also hearing tests and hearing health-related features in the AirPods Pro 3 that are useful.

The AirPods Pro 3 are more weather-resistant than the Bose, offering an IP57 rating to the QC Earbuds' IPX4. That means they're more dust- and water-resistant – ideal for exercising in the great outdoors.

Overall, the AirPods have more features and the better battery life, not to mention the superior spatial audio feature. But the Bose buds work just as well with Android devices as iOS, and support the higher-quality aptX Adaptive codec.

The AirPods edge this one, but if you use an Android device you'll be better served by the feature set of the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).

**Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3**

Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): noise cancelling

ANC is the feather in Bose's cap. The firm invented the tech, and it continues to excel in its implementation for both its in-ear and over-ear headphones.

Bose's latest flagship earbuds offer smoother changes in levels of noise cancellation to deal with sudden spikes like sirens or car horns than their predecessors. They're quick to adapt to whatever we throw at them during our review, proving effective at softening harsher sounds while also dispatching lower-level rumbles.

You can choose from three levels of ANC: Quiet, Aware and Immersion (which involves Bose's spatial audio tech), plus you can add your own custom presets with the amount of noise cancelling dialled in to your liking.

In their Quiet mode, the buds suck all of the sound away, cocooning you in an eerie vacuum of silence. It might be a bit unnatural for some people, but if it's pure silence you crave, there's none better out there at this level.

"Noises across the sonic spectrum, be they clacking keyboards, chattering colleagues or cars beeping their horns on the street, simply dissolve into near-insignificance, with harsher and more intrusive sounds shut out even more effectively than before," we wrote in our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review.

So Apple has its work cut out, but it's coming out swinging, claiming that the AirPods Pro 3 offer the “world's best active noise cancellation of any in-ear wireless headphones". Fighting talk.

Apple claims that the Pro 3's ANC is up to twice as effective as the Pro 2's, and four times as effective as the original AirPods Pro. This is thanks to ultra-low noise mics and advanced computational audio, plus new foam-infused ear tips for greater passive noise isolation (i.e. better blocking of your ear canal).

In our review, we found the ANC a step up from the AirPods Pro 2's, and that was true across the frequency range, and it deals with sudden loud 'spikes' of noise just as well too. The Adaptive and Transparency modes blend the outside world and your music in a natural, non-mechanical manner, too.

The effect was also pleasingly consistent with that of their predecessors. "As we found with the Pro 2, we really like the natural, airy way that the Pro 3 employs its noise-cancelling. We are a little more aware of the more powerful ANC effect being employed in the Pro 3, but it never feels overbearing."

It's certainly a more natural effect than the Bose, but not quite as effective. Bose Ultra 2 are simply able to cut out even more noise across the frequencies compared with the AirPods Pro 3, which are good enough for daily use.

If it's complete silence you crave, however, you can't top the Bose. But if you find the 'vacuum' effect a bit much, the Pro 3's airier feel will suit you better.

**Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)**

Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): sound

Sound quality makes or breaks a pair of earbuds, so we were a little surprised that the latest Bose buds don't have a new driver. Rather, Bose fine-tuned the audio to improve the bass response and smooth out higher frequencies, something that sounded like it might not be enough to keep up with more 'ambitious' rivals.

However, it worked out well, offering a noticeable boost in sound quality over the first-gen models.

The 2nd Gen Ultra Earbuds reach "impressive new depths while retaining the requisite tautness and agility of their lower-end reproduction," we wrote in our review.

"Mournful strings plunge deeper than before, but across all frequencies there's satisfying body and texture to notes that goes beyond what the original QC Ultra Earbuds could muster.

"It’s a clearer performance, too, and improved levels of crispness help to delineate where each note starts and finishes with a sharper, keener focus."

The newer buds sound richer and whatever we throw at them, we're impressed with how composed, full-bodied and punchy the second-gen buds sound.

Given that the original QC Ultra Earbuds were five-star performers, it seems a little tweaking was all that was needed.

For the AirPods Pro 3, Apple is sticking with the same H2 chip as their predecessors, but has looked at other ways of tweaking the sound quality.

Apple is touting a new multiport acoustic architecture that controls the airflow that carries sound into the ear. Along with next-gen Adaptive EQ, we are promised deeper bass and a widening of the soundstage so you can hear every instrument in a track. Apple also claims to bring "vivid vocal clarity to higher frequencies".

In our AirPods Pro 3 review, we found them to be "clearer and more detailed... more spacious-sounding and more dynamic" than their predecessors. They're well-judged tonally, and their neutral sonic balance works well across a range of genres, as our eclectic listening proved:

"There is bite and attack to the crunchy, brash highs of Fontaines D.C.’s Starburster, while the basslines in Forgot About Dre are taut, agile and tuneful, and punch with quite a good deal of depth and power in Billie Eilish’s Blue," we noted.

In comparison, we rank the AirPods Pro 3 above the Bose in terms of sound quality. They're more balanced across the frequencies, more rhythmically cohesive, and even more precise and detailed. Voices especially sound far more detailed, natural and focussed than with the Bose.

The Bose are punchy and entertaining, with a rich and full-bodied bass, but the AirPods are clearer, more precise and more agile. You'll certainly get a lot of entertainment value from the Bose, but the AirPods take this round.

** Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3 **

Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): verdict

Two five-star pairs of earbuds, but which is best? It really depends on your priorities.

The Bose have the better fit for most people, and the more effective noise cancellation (though note that not everyone likes the extreme feeling of having the sound sucked out of their ears). The AirPods are cheaper, have a longer battery life and have the more natural-feeling ANC. Though of course, if you have an Android device, a lot of the AirPods features won't work and you would be better off with the Bose.

Neither pair is light-years ahead of their predecessor, but Apple has made the bigger step up in the most important area: sound quality.

**Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3**

MORE:

Read our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review

And our Apple AirPods Pro 3 review

AirPods Pro 3 vs Sony WF-1000XM5: which are better?

Stellar sound and a great price make for a winning combination. Affordable wired headphones don't come much more entertaining than the Grado SR80x, an Award-winning pair of over-ears that we've continually praised for their entertaining, punchy sound and class-leading insight at this level.

The SR80x were always great value at their £130 test price, but a £30 drop to just £99 at Peter Tyson and Richer Sounds is a hugely tempting deal.

Best Grado wired headphones deal

You can't really miss with the Grado SR80x, especially at this deal price that brings these open-back wired headphones under £100. The outstanding SR80x are well worth a place on your shortlist if your main priorities are sound, sound and sound.

Sure, the aesthetics won't be for everyone. You might not like their industrial look, or their on-ear design, or the fact that, as an open pair of cans, they leak sound like a sieve. That's all perfectly understandable, but if you're looking for a pair of headphones to enjoy at home rather than on your commute, then these Grados are worth considering.

With these wired Grados, it's all about sound. If entertainment and musicality are what you seek, we can't think of another open-back rival that can better the SR80x at this price.

As we said in our review: "Everything we like about their (SR80) predecessors – their nimble-footedness, expressive, rolling dynamics, and insight across well-defined frequencies – has been inherited, and the punch and panache that have made the Prestige models such born entertainers are very much also part of the SR80x’s sonic signature".

You've even got a choice of retailers for this £30 off deal. Check them out at Peter Tyson or Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Check out the best headphones money can buy

Pick up a bargain with the best headphones deals

6 test tracks we've been playing in the What Hi-Fi? listening rooms this month

Attention, Apple fans! We know you want the latest AirPods out at the moment, and we know that you don't want to pay full whack to get them. It's a good job we're out there hunting for deals all year round, then, isn't it?

The AirPods 4 with ANC are Apple's latest wireless earbuds, and they have just dropped from £179 to just £149 at the EE Store, a fall of £30. It's a limited-time deal, though, so warm up those hamstrings and prepare to sprint towards a discount that won't be around for ever.

Best AirPods 4 with ANC deal

The Apple AirPods 4 with ANC are the newest ‘standard’ AirPods on the market, and while they may not be quite as sonically capable as the five-star AirPods Pro 2, the fourth-gen buds are clever, comfy and built for iOS users.

Despite their open design, in which the buds avoid digging deep into your ear canal, the AirPods 4 offer surprisingly effective noise cancelling. We didn't think an open design would work that well with ANC, but the results are outstanding when tackling low-level noises.

The fourth-gen Pods are equipped with personalised spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, as well as clear voice call capabilities and hands-free gesture controls. Battery life, meanwhile, clocks in at a solid 30 hours with the charging case, which should keep most users satisfied at this price.

Sonically, the AirPods 4 with ANC have a similar balance to the flagship Pro 2, serving up pleasing levels of clarity and detail while excelling with mid-range vocal passages. They are not quite as dynamic as the Pro 2, but we’re still impressed by the snappy, engaging performance the fourth-gen buds provide.

Grab a pair at EE if you're interested, Apple fans.

MORE:

The best AirPods deals 2025: big savings on all Apple headphones

These are the best wireless earbuds you can buy

JLab Go Pop+ review: cheap, but how cheerful?

Whether you are a casual music lover or a hardcore audiophile, most of us are guilty of buying a new pair of headphones or wireless earbuds when we know there are old ones gathering dust in a drawer.

But there is a way of putting them to use after they have stopped being an item we reach for every day, as we discovered talking to JLab.

Why does it matter?

Recycle Your Electricals reports that if we all recycled our small unwanted electricals instead of binning them, we could save 7.98 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Electronics can be filled with hazardous chemicals such as lead, mercury and cadmium. So, when we simply throw them out, they are ending up in landfills and potentially leaking into our water supply and ecosystem.

In an effort to make recycling more accessible, headphone brand JLab has introduced a scheme where customers can take earbuds, headphones or speakers of any brand and "properly dispose of them".

Once you send the product to JLab, you will also get a code to save 50 per cent on the company's website.

Founder of the Circular Design Institute, Elaine Butler, told us that electronic companies, "need to design their products to be easy to repair and upgrade".

She added that this is achieved by, “making goods easy-to-disassemble, which would have the knock-off benefit of also making it easier to fully recycle all components of their products at the end of their working life".

We spoke to CEO of JLab, Win Cramer, to learn more about the company's programme.

Humble beginnings

Cramer tells us that when the scheme was put in place around ten years ago, the company was still relatively unknown.

“As electronics were becoming more and more part of our day to day lives, we could see stuff being thrown away within our own offices,” he says.

“We were like, holy cow, this could be a problem. How can we help the environment in any way we can?”

For JLab, it offered a dual incentive as it gave customers a place to put their unwanted technology as well as giving them a reason to come to the company in the first place.

In the early days of the scheme, the idea was that customers could give in their headphones and they would be sold again, but the brand found that people don't like used headphones.

“It’s kind of like how people don’t like used shoes,” says Cramer. “We would get so much waste out of the headphones that we were repairing and that would then go in the trash.”

Making something new

Now JLab works with three or four different recycling organisations who take in the goods to their returns warehouses.

If a product is truly broken, the disassembly process begins: “We send plastics to our plastic recyclers, and PCB boards to our PCB recyclers."

Magnets are sent back into the supply chain, because those can be reused relatively quickly.

JLab also buys some of these recycled materials to go back into the company's supply chain. Cramer says that 20 to 40 per cent of their products are made from recycled plastics.

In terms of the right to repair laws we mentioned earlier, Cramer says there are upcoming plans to be announced at CES 2026 that will clarify how the company will meet the European targets.

“Products will be designed to, in theory, last longer if the individual is willing to put the effort in to repair it," he tells us.

Customers will be able to repair the drivers, cases and headphones themselves to make the product last longer. Batteries will also be replaceable, a key feature considering it is often the first component to die.

Cramer adds with a slight smile: “What I like is everyone has some skin in the game, we are all part of the world.”

It's certainly promising to see more electronics companies taking steps to make our products last longer, as well as making it easier to dispose of them properly.

But how does this play out in practice? We want to know how you dispose of your electronics when they have reached the end of their lives. Drop a comment below!

MORE:

Check out the best wireless headphones we recommend

And here are the best over-ear headphones

Looking for the best headphone deals? We've got you covered

UPDATE: This article originally stated that 2.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions would be saved if we all recycled our small unwanted electricals instead of binning them.

Recycle Your Electricals contacted us after publication to say that the most recent number is now 7.98 million tonnes and we have updated the article to reflect that.

Sony's highly anticipated WH-1000XM6 wireless headphones were finally unveiled last week, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Sony has knocked it out of the park yet again, delivering yet another candidate for our best noise-cancelling headphones list.

While the sound quality is, of course, paramount to the success of these new noise-cancelling cans, what's appealed most to me is the new form factor.

I'm someone who never leaves the house (or, more recently, the country) without my trusty Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones; yes, the ones from 2020. Even though they are now half a decade old, and two generations behind, I have never felt the need even to consider upgrading to their successors, the WH-1000XM5.

Why? Simply put, the XM5's design is a functional downgrade from the XM4 for me. For some reason, Sony opted to ditch the neat and sturdy folding design on the XM4 for a sleeker set of cans where you can only rotate the earcups to sit flat.

In turn, this resulted in a larger case that was more of a hindrance than a help. Don't get me wrong, the XM4 case isn't perfect, as you technically only fold in one of the earcups, but it was still a better design than the XM5.

More importantly, they can be folded into a super-compact ball when required, which I find handy when I don't want to lug the case around and would rather just stick them in my coat pocket.

So, how have the WH-1000XM6 won me over? Sony has seen sense and returned to a folding design with a new durable metal hinge that makes the cans both "refined" and "resilient", according to Sony.

The folding method to get the XM6 into its stylish case is almost identical to the XM4, and the magnetic clasp is a nice touch indeed. However, when needed, the headphones can be folded into a ball-like form – perfect for when I need to quickly stuff them in my pocket or throw them into a tightly packed rucksack.

This makes the latest iteration of Sony's legendary noise-cancelling headphones an extremely tempting proposition, as I now don't have to pick between performance and convenience.

That folding design, plus the upgraded noise cancelling, makes me think that the XM6 Bluetooth headphones could be a perfect addition to my carefully considered travel tech roster; an elite club of AV devices that I take with me for every flight or train journey.

There is the slight issue of price, though. The XM4 are currently an absolute bargain, dropping to just below £200 in recent sales, which is half the price of the comparatively pricey XM6 headphones.

For that reason alone, I'm going to try to squeeze as much life as possible out of my XM4s, but when the day comes that I have to retire my trusty travel companion, I know that the XM6 are likely my best bet.

MORE:

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM6 review

As well as our Sony WH-1000XM4 review

And check out our picks for the best wireless headphones

Beyerdynamic's DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition cans are set to become official members of the German brand's wired headphones family. Released originally in 2024 as part of Beyerdynamic's 100-year anniversary celebrations, the DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition were, as the name implies, only available in restricted numbers when they arrived early last year.

The wired over-ears are set to shed their 'Limited Edition' suffix and become a fully fledged member of the Beyerdynamic team "due to high demand" from the wired market.

Not much else is set to change aside from the name. The DT 770 Pro X will continue to employ the same dynamic Stellar.45 driver system as found in the established DT 700 Pro X, aiming to deliver "high-resolution sound reproduction" for home and studio use.

As before, the DT 770 Pro X come equipped with velour earpads alongside a 3m Mini-XLR to 3.5mm jack cable and a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter, but the 'Limited Edition' logo on the side of the cans won't be staying.

According to Beyerdynamic CEO Andreas Rapp: “We were blown away by the reception to the DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition. It was clear from the start that this headphone had staying power. By officially adding it to our product lineup, we’re meeting the needs of a new generation of studio professionals who demand both pristine quality and modern functionality.”

The pricing hasn't changed either: the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X will cost a fairly reasonable £169 / $200 for a pair.

MORE:

These are the best wired headphones you can buy

Want wireless? Read our Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review

13 best Massive Attack tracks to test your hi-fi and headphones

Imagine a typical rural vista. Rolling hills, the occasional shrub or hedgerow breaking up the undulating array of ploughed and furrowed fields, a healthy handful of docile white sheep dotting the landscape as the sun shimmers amidst a cloudless blue sky. Now imagine that you’re viewing that appealing bucolic idyll through a large window, a window that’s so spotlessly clean and transparent that you barely notice it’s there at all. All you can see are the hills, the fields, the sheep and the sky.

In our experience, Austrian Audio headphones tend to get closer to this ideal than most – precise, informative and resplendently clear in their presentation. Austrian Audio tends to produce cans that refuse to get in the way of your music, instead dropping back and simply allowing it to be as it is. No fuss, not much flavouring, just the musical facts.

While the relatively young brand has produced headphones that fly north of the £2000 / $2500 / AU$3500 mark – see the Austrian Audio The Composer – we’re very much in the sensibly priced realm with these Hi-X20 over-ears. They may not have a monster price tag, but from what we’ve heard, that sparkling Austrian Audio DNA flows just as strongly through their bespoke drive units.

Price

The Austrian Audio Hi-X20 will currently set you back £120 / $150 / AU$250, making them a reasonably affordable set of wired over-ear headphones. If you’re looking for cans from the same stable at a lower price, the hugely talented Austrian Audio Hi-X15 Award-winners could be yours for roughly £89 / $119.

The Hi-X20 do have a major price-comparable hurdle to overcome, and it comes in the form of the Award-winning Røde NTH-100 which, at the time of writing, will cost you roughly £109 / $150 / AU$189.

Build & comfort

With a few exceptions, if you’ve seen one pair of Austrian Audio headphones, you’ve seen them all. The Hi-X20 are very much of the same breed as their wired stablemates, sporting a simple, functional yet robust design that doesn’t offend the eyes, hands or heart.

What’s pleasing about the Hi-X20 is just how undemanding they are to wear and live with. Like the five-star Hi-X15, they’re lightweight and good-looking in a modest kind of way, with a rugged, plucky design which hints at a product that will go the distance.

The headband’s adjustable slider is easy to expand and contract without us needing to yank at the mechanism to get it to cooperate, whereas the cans’ effortless folding action has enough resistance to feel sufficiently well-made. Not all wired headphones at this level fold away, with even fewer collapsing down with such reliable eagerness as our test pair – for wired listeners who like to wander, it’s a big green tick in the Hi-X20’s box.

We don’t have much trouble with them while they’re clamped onto our head, either. The cans’ soft foam earpads are resistant to overheating as minutes of listening turn to hours, and the nicely judged clamping force grants enough pressure and weight around your dome to keep everything locked securely in place.

The Austrian Audio over-ears are equipped with a long 3m cable that ends in a 3.5mm connector, while a 6.3mm adapter is also included. This means you can plug the cans into portable music players, laptops and DACs as well as serious hi-fi kit at home. For when you’re on the move, you also get a lightweight carry pouch in which to store your headphones if you’re worried about scuffs and scratches.

Thankfully, such fear of cosmetic damage may be little more than a phantom menace. After a good few weeks of daily usage, including frequent journeys stuffed into a cramped work backpack, we’ve yet to notice a blemish upon the surface of our still-pristine sample pair.

Admittedly, we don’t dig our nails into the headphones’ exterior with the force of a lion sinking its claws into a gazelle’s rear end, but scratching a hand across the earcups, headband and connecting hinges has us struggling to leave any lasting mark or indentation.

With the exception of the high-end The Composer cans, the Hi-X20 use the same set of 44mm dynamic Hi-X drivers as found in the rest of the brand’s lineup of ‘professional’ headphones. Those drivers incorporate a copper-clad, lightweight aluminium voice coil and an advanced ring magnet system in pursuit of “high-precision sound” that melds “perfectly balanced” mid and high frequencies with a powerful, controlled bass response.

Sound

If you’re something of a wired headphones aficionado, it will probably take you the lesser part of five minutes of listening time to realise that what you have here is a typical pair of Austrian Audio cans.

In fact, you could have blindfolded us and clamped a set over our heads and, within mere moments, we’d probably have nailed our guess at the mystery pair’s provenance.

Detail. Clarity. Organisation. These are the words that spring to mind as we soon realise that the Hi-X20 are not the sonic outliers within the Austrian Audio family. Soundgarden’s Burden In My Hand pops up on Tidal as we move from track to track across sources ranging from a work Microsoft Surface laptop to our Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 portable player, and it’s here that we’re arrested by just how much information the lightweight cans unearth.

It’s not just that they pick out and fill in the core details with which we’re familiar; these are headphones that uncover subtleties that, if you’ve spent your life listening via low-rate wireless earbuds, you might not have even realised were there in the first place.

Through the Hi-X20, Burden In My Hand becomes a richly layered, strikingly poised rendition. To borrow from dear old Will Shakespeare, the music’s now a stage, and all the instruments have their entrance and exits: first Chris Cornell’s searing vocals, then richly reverberating guitar strings, then a few crisp hi-hats and bass plucks that, rather than meshing into the bottom of an amorphous sonic block, are distinct and separate without seeming entirely sonically detached.

Space exists around each instrument, allowing us to track the rise and fall of a note’s given lifespan thanks to the penetrating insight the crystal clear over-ears provide.

Pull out a heavy metal track and the Austrian Audios have the grip and weight to bring out the power of the guitars or the punch of the drums.

A natural sense of rhythm doesn’t fall by the wayside, either – the Hi-X20 reveal the sunny, funky flow of George Benson’s Give Me The Night before turning their hand to the thudding march beneath Alice In Chains’ Man In The Box.

Whatever you throw at them, these are exceptionally precise and revealing headphones for the money, putting you in the picture across tracks ranging from metronomic electronic house to contemporary art pop.

Note, however, that revealing really does mean revealing. The Hi-X20 are as candid as a tough-but-kindly therapist, and if there’s a flaw to be exposed, then expose it they shall. That forensic attention to detail works wonders for bringing out the bite of a guitar pull or the shimmer of a reverberating hi-hat, but if you’re listening to a poor-quality recording or using a mediocre source, the Hi-X20 won’t shy away from revealing it, warts and all.

They’re also slightly light in the bass, and while we’d call this lower-end leanness a mere character trait rather than anything approaching a fatal flaw, it may not satisfy the most committed of bassheads.

Their Røde NTH-100 rivals sit on the other side of that particular fence, going slightly the other way in providing a fuller, more ample lower-end signature and a generally more easygoing, undemanding appeal. The Røde are also more forgiving of poor-quality sources and recordings, making them an attractive alternative if you’re not planning on feeding your cans anything but the finest sonic cuts.

Verdict

For the price paid, the Austrian Audio Hi-X20 are deeply impressive. While the Røde NTH-100 are more forgiving and perhaps better suited to more general use, purists who crave an honest, detail-rich pair of wired headphones will adore the pristine, slightly analytical nature of the Hi-X20.

If you want to hear your music’s minutiae, from the good to the bad and everything in between, they’re exceptional performers for the money.

Review published: 17th April 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Comfort 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Røde NTH-100

Also consider the Grado SR80x

Read our Austrian Audio Hi-X15 review

Best over-ear headphones: wired and wireless pairs tested by our in-house experts

In case you missed it, there was some huge wireless earbuds news from Sony this week.

After multiple rumours and leaks, the tech giant finally took the covers off its brand new budget wireless earbuds, the WF-C710N.

These new buds are the biggest headphones launch of the year so far in my book, not least because they are set to replace a current five-star favourite of ours, the WF-C700N.

Not only are they five stars, they’re also our reigning Product of the Year in the wireless earbuds category following the 2024 What Hi-Fi? Awards.

Sony sent our review sample in the post, and I was the first to pounce. In the past 24 hours, I’ve been taking the new arrival for a spin and have already made a handful of observations about the new mode, which I think might be of interest to anyone who’s been eagerly awaiting their arrival. So, without further ado…

The earbud design is different

Sony didn’t mention it in the press briefing we had before launch but the shape of the new buds is slightly different. From what I can tell from comparing the two in the flesh, the new model is a little more bulbous.

For me, this means they fill up the concha part of my ear a bit more than the WF-C700N, which still feel very small and dainty in comparison.

And so is the case…

Bulkier earbuds have translated into a slightly bulkier case too. The new case is squatter and taller than the case for the WF-C700N. The plastics used for both the case and earbuds feel smooth and solid to the touch and a step-up from Sony’s cheaper WF-C510 model.

First impressions of the touch controls are generally positive

The introduction of the touch controls has seen the shift from a convex physical button built into the outer part of the earbud to a concave touch-sensitive surface. So far I’m getting on okay with it.

The fact that the surface curves inward seems to help guide my finger into place a bit better and it feels a bit more precise than a flat surface. The new wear detection feature also seems to work well.

I’m a fan of the new finish

It’s not often you come across a finish that makes you a bit giddy, but Sony’s new Glass Blue colour is cool. Very cool. There was a fad back in the early noughties for transparent audio kit, and more recently I’ve seen transparent wireless earbuds from Beats and Nothing – but nothing that shows so much colour, and I think Sony has pulled it off.

What tech enthusiast wouldn’t be a fan of peering into the inner workings of their new wireless earbuds? Even the silicone eartips are colour-coded to match this new finish.

My only question is how the clear plastic fares over time, and will it show up scratches and bangs more than the other finishes available? The material on the WF-C700N might stand up to being bumped around in your pocket or bag better. It's something I'll keep an eye on.

Our review sample has a strange sonic quirk

I still need to listen to them more before I can make a call on their sound quality and active noise cancelling, but I have already stumbled across a little quirk, at least on this first sample from Sony. In the left earbud, I’m getting a sound which can only be described as a tiny, springy “boing”.

It tends to happen almost in time with my footsteps while walking or when I tap the earbud and sometimes when I move my jaw. It’s most noticeable when there’s no sound coming out of the buds, but it also intrudes when listening to podcasts. It happens with ANC on and in transparency mode, and is quietened to barely audible with both of these off.

It’s like the bud is generating the cable noise you get from a pair of wired headphones but, of course, there aren’t any cables rustling around here.

I’ve seen comments on some forums about a similar sound being heard when using other Sony earbuds in the past, so I’ve reached out to Sony, and we are getting a second pair in for review.

I’ll be spending more time with the earbuds in the coming days in the build-up to our review going online, so if you’d like to know anything else about my experience with the WF-C710N, let me know in the comments below.

MORE:

They’re official! Sony finally takes the wraps off its WF-C710N budget wireless earbuds

Sony WF-C710N: price, specs, features and everything you need to know about the new mid-range earbuds

Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C700N: what's the difference between these two pairs of wireless earbuds?

See our pick of the best wireless earbuds for every budget

Fiio has unveiled its new flagship in-ear monitors, the FX17, and they're not exactly short on drive units.

The new IEMs offer three types of driver, packing a single dynamic, four balanced armature and eight electrostatic units alongside a five-way crossover, combining to deliver what Fiio promises is a broad, wide soundstage and a detailed, natural sound.

Those electrostatic drivers tease "exceptional high-frequency extension" for handling the strains of upper-range reproduction, complemented by a quadrumvirate of two-part balanced drivers which aim for denser mids and more transparency than would be possible with electrostatic units alone. The single dynamic driver, meanwhile, offers a lightweight yet rigid design with reduced resonance and distortion for cleaner, clearer audio reproduction.

The FX17 strive for a minimalist aesthetic thanks to their curved exterior, with the IEM's ear shell cavity constructed using high-density, hand-polished titanium.

Included with the new in-ears are three swappable plugs. There are 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced options, as well as a USB-C connector with a built-in digital decoding chip and DSP which is capable of supporting hi-res audio files up to 32bit/384kHz PMC.

The FX17’s cable incorporates a gold, silver, and copper construction, all of which have undergone refinement in a bid to remove impurities, reduce transmission loss and further improve the FX17.

The Fiio FX17 are priced at £1399 / $1499 and will be available from April 14th.

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Amazon Big Spring Sale live: our TV and headphone experts’ real-time buying advice

These are the best in-ear headphones you can buy

This Quincy Jones-produced disco tune has become my go-to test track – and taught me a valuable lesson about hi-fi, too

Sennheiser is no stranger to the world of over-ear wired headphones, with the near-80-year-old company ensconcing music fans’ ears with cans both budget and high-end, closed-back and open-back.

The new Sennheiser HD 505 are another addition to its line of open-back headphones, aiming to offer a step-up listening experience for music fans that have graduated beyond the budget models.

Price

The HD 505 sit at the top of the HD 500 line, which has traditionally been Sennheiser’s most affordable ‘audiophile’ wired headphones range and already sports a few cheaper open-back models. Think of the HD 500 as a stepping stone to the more famed HD 600 range used by studio professionals and head-fi fans.

The HD 505 cost £230 / $250 / AU$450, and around this price you have a strong handful of five-star rivals, such as the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 and the Award-winning Grado SR325x.

Build & comfort

The HD 505 design doesn’t stray too far from the recognisable Sennheiser format of a sturdy, minimal build and large, ovular earcups with a metal mesh grille. We note that the HD 505 follows a similar silhouette to the HD 620S (the newest member of the step-up HD 600 family) rather than its cheaper siblings in the HD 500 range, with the headband and the hinge where it meets the earcups looking slimmer and more elegant.

While the main finish of these headphones is black, the HD 505 have copper accents around the hinge and the edge of the earcups that add a splash of colour. Thankfully this copper accent isn’t shiny or garish at all; it’s a muted metallic finish that adds interest to these headphones.

The headband has a good amount of synthetic leather cushioning, while the earcup cushions are a soft velour. We were worried that the plastic housings around the earcup felt a little too light and ‘plasticky’, but this contributes to the headphones’ lightweight design – something that makes a huge difference when listening for long hours at a time. The HD 505 weigh 237g; Sennheiser’s rivals (even the more comfortable ones) typically clock in above 300g at this level.

Thanks to the overall lighter weight, we found the HD 505 to be very comfortable to wear during our testing, with the headband offering good support and cushioning. Our ears never got overly warm either, thanks to the roomy earcups.

There is ample headband adjustment, but how comfortably the headphones fit depends on each individual’s head shape – some on our review team found the headband and cups pressing down on certain contact areas of the head when first slipping them on, while others found a super-comfortable fit straight away. However, both camps reported that overall the headphones were pretty relaxed in wearing and didn’t feel any undue clamping pressure over long listening periods. Watching a full season of Slow Horses on Apple TV+ proved no trouble at all with the HD 505 on at all times.

If we had one complaint it’s that the velour earpads are a little too soft, meaning they give way a bit too easily. In comparison, the earpads on the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 offer a firmer and greater degree of cushioning, meaning there’s more padding before your ears start to feel the structure of the earcups, the latter of which can happen with the HD 505. The Hi-X65 feel a touch more robust and have slightly better weight distribution too, but they are a weightier and more functional pair than the Sennheisers. The Beyerdynamics feel noticeably heavier to wear as well.

The HD 505 overall feel durable and reliable, and Sennheiser makes spare parts and replacement ear pads to ensure the HD 505 last for as long as possible. The headphones come with a 1.8m cable – long enough for easy use with laptops and hi-fi equipment – ending in a 3.5mm connector with a 6.3mm screw-on adapter so it can be used with a wide variety of audio devices.

There is no in-line mic or controls with this cable, but you can purchase one separately, as well as longer cable lengths or even balanced options, for those who want it.

Sound

Being an open-back design, be prepared for the HD 505 to leak sound when listening at anything beyond whisper-quiet volumes – the main drawback of these very airy, spacious-sounding headphones. That means these cans are mainly suited to at-home listening, where you won’t disturb your colleagues with your questionable music or you won’t feel conscious about cranking up the volume.

The 120-ohm transducers inside the earcups have been optimised for delivering a “clear, analytic sound”, covering a frequency range spanning 12Hz to 38.5kHz. Sennheiser’s engineers have fine-tuned the drivers to ensure a “smooth lower treble response”, crucially without any of that treble-related fatigue that might otherwise lead to a taxing listen.

The drivers are also angled forward in the earcups to aid the headphones’ expansive soundstage, aiming to mimic the experience of listening to nearfield speakers in front of you.

We find that we can listen to the HD 505 comfortably loud without the music ever sounding hard or harsh. The top end is wonderfully smooth, with no undue sibilance or brightness – overall this is as easy-going a listen as you could hope for. Without the ‘boxed-in’ quality you get with conventional closed-back designs, songs have ample room to breathe and the scale of sound is pleasingly big.

The HD 505’s sound is balanced by a very clear and detailed midrange, while the lower frequencies are well controlled and have a good deal of agility and snap. You’ll get punchier, meatier bass performance from the likes of Grado SR325x and the Austrian Audio, but the Sennheisers remain an enjoyable listen with a wide range of genres. There’s decent wallop and a taut edge to the drum kicks in Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain, while they are dynamically adept at communicating the ebb and flow of music as well.

Voices in particular are delicately and subtly delivered, with Lorde’s vocals on Royals coming through with utmost focus and clarity, with an impressive amount of refinement at this level. The HD 505’s talent with voices is great for watching TV and films, too. Instruments flourish in a soundstage that is pleasingly airy and spacious, although a bit more texture and grit wouldn’t go amiss when playing Kendrick Lamar’s Humble and a frantic Shostakovich composition.

The Sennheisers have a decent handle on timing and agility, keeping pace with Lamar’s ferocious momentum. While we love the more upfront, rhythmic intensity of a pair of Grados, we can imagine the Sennheiser’s more laidback nature having plenty of appeal for some people.

We play music, podcasts and YouTube videos through our MacBook Pro, swapping between Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt and Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M DACs, and the Sennheiser headphones are accommodating with most sources and equipment we use them with. Unlike the Austrian Audio cans, the HD 505 aren’t particularly fussy with partnering kit or recording quality, so they can be plugged into any existing set-up, no matter how budget or basic your system is.

Verdict

Sennheiser has once again done what it does best: deliver a well-made, comfortable pair of headphones that convincingly show off the benefits of an open-back design. There is strong competition from rivals with different sonic flavours in this price range, but the HD 505’s lightweight design, coupled with their crowd-pleasing smoothness, ample detail levels and unfussy nature, will have plenty of fans.

First reviewed: March 2025

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Comfort 4

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Brooklyn-based audio manufacturer Grado has announced the release of its latest pair of open-back headphones, the Signature S950. Following on from the release of the new flagship Grado Signature HP100 SE last year, the S950 are the second set of cans released in the nascent Signature line.

The Signature S950's earcup housings are made using Brazilian walnut which not only makes for a more lightweight construction (just 395g) but offers what Grado describes as a "relaxed musical presentation". Grado has used wood extensively across a number of its most recognisable headphones, including the GS1000X Statement, the five-star Grado RS1x and the RS2E Reference cans, so the incorporation of Brazilian walnut for the S950's ear cups is a return to familiar territory.

The Signature S950 use an incarnation of Grado's 52mm S driver originally designed for the Signature HP100 SE cans. When developing this new 52mm iteration, Grado strove to create a driver unit that would deliver "exceptional high-frequency detail, a smooth midrange, and powerful bass", all while keeping distortion levels at a minimum for a pinpoint accurate sound.

Each new driver deploys a paper composite cone paired with a high-flux magnetic circuit, as well as a copper-plated aluminium voice coil. When combined, Grado claims that the magnetic circuit and voice coil enhance the new headphones' dynamic reproduction while providing a "refined sense of space, soundstage, detail and imaging".

The Signature S950's updated headband includes 50 per cent more padding than earlier Grado models for extra comfort and features a stainless-steel band and adjustable height rods for customising your fit accordingly.

The new cans are equipped with a six-foot cable ending in a 6.3mm connector, while they connect to the headphones using 4-pin balanced mini XLR plugs. Grado is offering varying lengths of detachable cable options in the future, with 4-pin balanced XLR and 4.4mm balanced terminations available, granting users greater choice depending on their personal preference and the source being used.

The Grado Signature S950 will be available in March, priced at £2495 / $2195.

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Closed-back vs open-back headphones: which is right for you?

If you’ve perused What Hi-Fi?’s home cinema section, you’ll know we’re fairly big fans of Dolby Atmos – when it's done right.

To catch the uninitiated up, this is a form of surround sound that includes additional height channels to create a more three-dimensional sonic presentation. Dolby itself describes Atmos as offering a “dome of sound” experience, and that’s a pretty accurate summary of what it's like when it’s delivered properly.

What do you mean by "properly", you ask? Jump over to our best Dolby Atmos movie scenes to test your home cinema surround sound system guide and you’ll get a detailed breakdown of the best uses of the technology.

The short version is that Atmos is at its best when the director uses the 360 sphere available to them to do things such as replicate the sound of jet planes screaming overhead during a dogfight, or the terrifying footsteps of a monster creeping in the dark above its intended victim.

Trust me, once you experience it, you’ll be rushing to our best surround-sound systems and best Dolby Atmos soundbars guides to get a speaker set-up capable of replicating the experience in your home.

And while we mainly talk about Atmos for films at What Hi-Fi?, myself and the AV team can also confirm it’s great for sports, which is why we were delighted to hear Comcast will be broadcasting the Super Bowl with the tech for the first time this year.

This means that when Super Bowl LIX kicks off and the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans at 11.30pm GMT / 6.30pm ET / 3.30pm PT / 10.30am AEDT on Monday, Xfinity TV customers will be able to hear it in Atmos.

Cards on the table, I’m not a huge NFL fan. So much so that my only connection to it is the fact that our staff writer Lewis Empson (a Swifty), is excited one of his favourite pop stars will be there. But others, including our Deputy Editor, Andy Madden, are cautiously excited. Why cautiously? Because, like movies, Atmos sports can be very hit-and-miss in their Atmos implementation.

There are three big reasons for this.

The first stems from the fact that, like films, having an Atmos signal doesn’t guarantee the audio will be good.

Done badly, Atmos can even distract rather than aid the experience. This has been the case in certain sports, including F1. The sport’s fundamentally quite flat, soncially speaking, with all the action happening on a level track. The streams we've seen with Atmos also didn’t include much in the way of crowd noise from the stadium, so even though it was an Atmos signal, the experience didn’t feel much more immersive than standard surround sound.

The best experiences are when the added height channels are used to make you feel as though you’re in the stadium, or on the pitch hearing what the players on screen are saying. The best examples of this tend to come from Premier League matches on Sky Sports, TNT and Amazon Prime Video, where the added sound of the crowd cheering, or jeering, adds to the immersion and helps the match take on a character you simply don’t get with regular sound.

This brings me to our second complication – the venue. Recording live events is an art, which is why bands pay such attention to where they play and how live records are made. The acoustics of an arena are all different, and capturing sound in them needs to be tailored for the best results. This remains true with sports.

The recording and broadcast need to be optimised for the stadium and, even when it is, some venues have better acoustics than others – which is why Atmos performance varies massively, even when watching the Premier League on the same streaming platform, on a match-to-match basis.

Then, third and finally, there’s your home speaker set-up. Having reviewed more Atmos soundbars and packages than I care to remember, trust me when I say they’re not all created equal.

Dolby Atmos soundbars in particular are a minefield. I’ve reviewed plenty that have the eARC connection required to recognise an Atmos signal and up-firing drivers designed to replicate the dome of sound experience by reflecting audio off the ceiling, and many offer very little by way of a sense of height.

That’s why myself and the What Hi-Fi? team spend so much time testing Dolby Atmos soundbars to ensure they deliver Atmos properly, rather than just recognising the signal.

To get a truly great Atmos experience with the Super Bowl, all of these factors will have to be dealt with. Which is why, while I’m excited to see more sports fixtures stream with the audio, I’ll wait until I actually hear it before singing its praises.

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Beats will unveil its next-generation Powerbeats Pro 2 wireless earbuds on 11th February, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The fitness-focused earbuds – which are expected to retail for $250 in the US (official pricing for UK and AU are TBC) – could represent a significant upgrade over their 2019 predecessor.

One of the most exciting features will likely be new heart rate monitoring capabilities, if MacRumors’ iOS 18 code findings are anything to go by. If true, this will be a first for Beats' audio lineup, with the site reporting that the built-in sensors on the Powerbeats Pro 2 will interface directly with gym equipment such as treadmills, with workout data seamlessly integrating into Apple iPhone's Health app ecosystem. Gym rats rejoice.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 will also apparently inherit the H2 chip from the AirPods Pro 2, suggesting substantial improvements to active noise cancellation and overall audio performance, which will be welcome news to all. This marks a considerable advancement from the original model's H1 chip architecture, as noted by Bloomberg's report.

Leaked imagery has also revealed a refreshed aesthetic, with a more streamlined profile and slimmer ear hooks, compared to the original design. The new range is expected to land in several colours according to leaked images from X Leaker Arsène Lupin, including an Electric Orange finish, alongside more subdued options in Jet Black, Hyper Purple, and Quick Sand.

While maintaining the sports-focused durability of their predecessor, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are also expected to offer enhanced battery performance and cross-platform compatibility with Android devices, including support for Find My Device functionality, as revealed in MacRumors' iOS 18 code findings. The charging case will also reportedly feature USB-C connectivity, which should come as no surprise given parent brand Apple's recent shift away from Lightning ports.

That’s all the information available for the Powerbeats Pro 2 as things stand, but we could see more info leaked ahead of next week’s expected launch, so stay tuned.

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Someone once said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness (and no, it wasn’t Oscar Wilde; the derivation is uncertain). And in this regard we’d note that Richter’s most successful model, the ‘Wizard’, may be the only Australian loudspeaker design that has ever been outrightly copied.

The ‘knock-offs’ were marketed under the name ‘Lizard’, though the only thing that the real Wizard and the copy Lizard had in common was their general appearance (the drivers and crossover were completely different) and their one-letter-changed model name. But it was ‘imitated’ because Richter’s Wizard design was not only the best-selling Australian speaker on the market, but also the best-selling loudspeaker in its price category.

When we reviewed the latest iteration of the Wizard earlier this year (the Wizard Series 6Plus, so yes, a design still going strong), we suggested that there were so many significant changes over the previous Series 6 version that Richter could have called it a ‘Series 7’ model.

Well here we go again. The same could be said of these new speakers from the Sydney-based company, which update the company’s classic Merlin bookshelf design from Series 6 to ‘S6plus’ status.

Design & drivers

As anyone acquainted with the Merlin model will see from the images accompanying this review, the Merlin S6plus are two-way bookshelf designs that look so similar to the previous Merlin S6 that it would be very easy to confuse the two. (Luckily, Richter has now discontinued the older model.) But the new version actually has both a different tweeter and a different mid/bass driver.

The obvious visual difference between the two tweeters is that the new Merlin S6plus’s 25mm neodymium-powered soft dome unit has a shiny edge trim around its mounting plate. The more significant difference, however, is that the new one has, says Gosnell, “improved sensitivity, a lower resonance frequency and double the power-handling ability, resulting in a new level of clarity and engagement”.

It is, in fact, precisely the same tweeter found in the company’s larger, pricier Wizard S6plus. And I guess it isn’t even a ‘new’ tweeter because it was actually originally developed for the Wizard Series 6 ‘Special Edition’ introduced in 2023.

Just as the Merlin S6plus share a tweeter with the latest Wizard, they also share a mid/bass driver. Indeed, it is almost exactly the same as the Wizard’s, though of course the Wizard packs two of them into each cabinet. Multi-purposing the same driver makes a lot of sense because the more drivers you order from a manufacturer, the lower the cost of each one, and it’s buying drivers in bulk this way that helps Richter keep the retail prices of its speakers so low.

You’ll notice that I wrote ‘almost exactly the same’; the Wizard driver has an eight-ohm voice coil while the new Merlin’s has a four-ohm one. Naturally, this is down to the two voice coils in the Wizard being paralleled, resulting in the crossover network seeing an impedance of four ohms.

As for the mid/bass driver’s construction, its cone uses a unique pulp ­– a mix of paper, hemp (non-smokable), kapok, wool and engineered chemical fibre that is made extremely stiff in order to minimise cone breakup and roll-off resonances. Gosnell says the driver in the Merlin S6plus has a newly redesigned magnetic circuit to help further linearise the driver’s frequency response, particularly across the 1kHz region. There has supposedly also been a 10% reduction in nonlinear distortion compared to the driver used in the previous model. This, says Rodgers, “delivers a smoother, cleaner performance where it matters”.

One thing I’ve often failed to mention when reviewing Richter loudspeakers is that the company has started paying a lot more attention to ‘fit ‘n’ finish’ than it ever did in the past, an example of which is that new silver trim around the tweeter mount. The mid/bass driver also benefits from being fitted with far superior ‘dress rings’ than before, so they don’t merely hide the hardware that keeps the driver firmly fixed to the baffle, but also make it look better than ever if you prefer to listen to music without the speaker grilles in place.

The provision of the dress ring meant that I could not establish whether the 16.5cm diameter Richter claims for the S6plus’s driver is the measurement for the overall chassis or the distance between the mounting holes. What I can tell you is that the Thiele/Small diameter (the measurement used by speaker designers to determine cabinet alignments) is 13cm, giving an effective cone area (fs) of 133cm².

The speaker grille attaches to the baffle magnetically and features absolutely huge rectangular cut-outs to ensure minimum diffraction for those who like listening with them in place. It’s worth noting here that Richter supplies its grilles for free; some manufacturers charge extra for them!

The Merlin S6plus’s bass-reflex port is located on the rear of the cabinet, above the single pair of gold-plated multi-way speaker terminals. The port is a 10cm-long, 5cm-diameter, shiny, black plastic extrusion that is flared only at its exit. If you typically prefer the sound of bass from a sealed enclosure, Richter supplies two foam bungs (each 7.5cm long and 5.2cm in diameter) which can be used to block the ports and convert the naturally vented enclosure to a sealed one (more about this later on...).

Although the Merlin S6plus cabinet is listed as being 22cm wide in Richter’s specifications, this doesn’t tell the whole story because the sides slope from being that width at the front to being just 21cm at the rear. This helps to control internal resonances that can be present in cabinets that do have parallel sides.

Richter’s specs are also a little misleading where cabinet depth is concerned, because while they correctly state it as ‘289mm including grilles’, they fail to mention that you will need to allow a further 2.5cm of space at the back to accommodate the long-ish terminals.

Listening sessions

First up on the audition running sheet for the Merlin S6plus was an oldie from Steely Dan, 1980’s ‘Gaucho’, and I knew I was in for a treat right from the moment the first notes of Babylon Sisters burst forth from them. There was a liveliness and presence to the delivery that I find is the hallmark of all great-sounding loudspeakers. When I hear this, I know straight away that the speakers are doing exactly what they are supposed to do.

The precision of the drums on the intro might have you wondering whether Steely Dan’s infamous $150,000 drum machine is keeping the beat, but actually it’s none other than Bernard Lee ‘Pretty’ Purdie, who was not only more precise than a drum machine but also the inventor of the famous Purdie Shuffle (triplets against a half-time backbeat) which are present further on in this track. You won’t hear Purdie again on this album, though, as there’s a different drummer on every track! In fact, more than 61 musicians contributed to it, including Michael Brecker (the sax on Glamour Profession) and Mark Knopfler (the solo on Time Out of Mind).

The balance of sound the S6plus delivers on Babylon Sisters is perfect across all fourteen instruments and seven vocalists, including Fagan himself. The Merlins reproduced even the tiniest details fantastically well, which really says something considering there are hundreds of tiny musical details on this track alone. It’s not for nothing that ‘Gaucho’ was nominated for the ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Performance’ Grammy Awards in 1982, and took home the Grammy gong for ‘Best Engineered Recording’.

Hey Nineteen, which follows, allowed me to hear the Merlins’ deep-bass capability, thanks to the brilliant bass lines from Walter Becker, which are recorded front and forward since they really drive the track. Sure, there isn’t the low-frequency level, nor the depth, you get from a pair of Wizards, but the Merlins come close — very close! Indeed, I was impressed by how much bass Gosnell has been able to extract from a relatively small driver in a small cabinet.

I also used this track to see which alignment I preferred – sealed or bass reflex – and I have to say that for me and my listening room, the former won out. The sealed alignment allowed me to push the cabinets right back against the rear wall to maximise bass output, and while this trick usually has adverse effects on stage depth and imaging, I remained perfectly happy with both.

Skipping past the title track (for which Becker and Fagen were successfully sued by Keith Jarrett, on account of it being pinched from his Long As You Know You’re Living Yours), I listened to Time Out of Mind to hear not only Knofler’s guitar but also Hugh McCracken’s.

Although I was very pleased with the high-frequency sound I had heard so far throughout my auditioning, I decided to listen to the string sound of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra playing with Elton John on his album ‘Live in Australia’, not least as it features several songs from his second, self-titled album (my favourite Elton album), although sadly not First Episode at Hienton. The Merlin S6plus rose to the challenge, with smooth, lush string sound and excellent tonalities, not least with the fabulous flute solo, which sounded exactly as a flute should.

Of course, I then had to play my favourite Elton album, not least to catch up with First Episode, which was good because I could then hear how well the Richters handled the Moog lines from Diana Lewis on this track and also on The Cage. The tweeters handled the Moog’s super-highs brilliantly well, including the panned effects. Elton also used a real orchestra on this album, and the clarity and texture of the strings were once again fabulous through the Merlin S6plus.

To audition female vocals, it was back to Oz again with Missy Higgins’ debut album, ‘Sound of White’. The Richters delivered her voice with almost disconcerting realism, not least because her vocals were recorded so cleanly. In fact, all the instruments were beautifully captured, and equally beautifully delivered by the Merlins, whether it was Martin Tillman’s cello, John Patitucci’s double bass or Higgins’ own piano (though it’s actually sometimes Jamie Muhoberac playing the piano).

Verdict

The design brief for the previous Merlin S6 was that the speakers should deliver sound quality that was ‘engaging, musical and inspiring’, and in my review of them some years ago I concluded that Dr Gosnell had achieved these aims.

I’m not sure what his design brief was for this ‘plus’ version, but I do think that they are even more engaging, more musical and more inspiring than their predecessors, such that they’re by far and away some of the best-sounding speakers I’ve heard in their price bracket.

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Laboratory Test Report

Readers interested in a full technical appraisal of the performance of the Richter Merlin S6plus loudspeakers should continue on and read the LABORATORY REPORTs. Readers should note that the results mentioned in the report, tabulated in performance charts and/or displayed using graphs and/or photographs should be construed as applying only to the specific sample tested. Steve Holding, Newport Test Laboratories

The in-room frequency response measured by Newport Test Labs for the Richter Merlin S6plus is shown in Graph 1 above. The response was measured using pink noise as the test stimulus, and the representative trace shown is the average of nine measurements taken in a grid fashion, with the grid’s central part being on the tweeter axis and its upper limit being 30kHz.

You can see that the frequency response is very flat, particularly across the midrange region, where from 170Hz up to 4kHz it is contained within a 2.5dB envelope, meaning it is essentially 170Hz–4kHz ±1.25dB. From a musical perspective, that range is from a little below ‘middle C’ to a bit beyond the highest ‘C’ on a piano keyboard.

But even if we extend our frequency compass even further, the Merlin S6plus’s response remains superbly flat, extending from 80Hz to 30kHz ±3dB. While Newport Test Labs performs this test in a room, it does not use any boundary reinforcement, hence the low-frequency limit. If you moved the speakers closer to a rear wall, the low-frequency response would extend lower, which is obviously what Richter itself did to obtain its low-frequency specification of 44Hz.

The lift in the response between 4kHz and 15kHz is only slight, in the order of 2.5dB, which I don’t think would result in any ‘brightness’ per se but would instead ensure clarity. This is, of course, an on-axis response, so you could easily reduce the high-frequency level by listening slightly off-axis.

Graph 2 above shows the on-axis high-frequency response of the Merlin S6plus, this time measured using a gating technique that delivers extreme frequency precision and replicates the response that would be obtained if the speaker were measured in an anechoic chamber. It also extends the upper measuring limit to 40kHz.

The increased precision again shows the linearity of the response across the midrange region (though this is necessarily limited to 500Hz, due to the measurement technique), and you can see here that the broad high-frequency rise revealed in Graph 1 is actually the sum of three small increases in the tweeter’s output at 4.5kHz, 5.5kHz and 7kHz, plus a significant rise at 10kHz.

You can see too that the tweeter’s response extends out to 35kHz before rolling off sharply. The two traces show the performance with (red) and without (black) the grille in place, revealing that the grille is almost completely acoustically transparent. The only real anomaly occurs at 7.5kHz, but a 3dB dip at that frequency would not be audible anyway.

The Merlin S6plus’s low-frequency performance, as measured by Newport Test Labs, is shown in Graph 3 above. It was obtained using a near-field technique that also replicates the response that would be given in an anechoic chamber, so once again there is no boundary reinforcement. Also, you should ignore the trace above 200Hz, as the near-field technique is not accurate above this frequency for a driver with a diameter of that used in the Merlins. (The ‘glitch’ at 100Hz is due to the test equipment switching from one measurement range to another, and should also be ignored.)

The blue trace on Graph 3 shows the bass driver’s roll-off when the bung is fitted to the bass-reflex port, effectively sealing the enclosure. You can see that it rolls off very smoothly below 100Hz at an almost-perfect 12dB per octave: ‘textbook’, in other words. When the port is open, the driver’s low-frequency output rolls off much faster, at 24dB per octave (black trace), but naturally the output of the port (red trace) compensates for this, as the graph shows.

You can also see that the port’s output has been engineered to peak rather lower in frequency than usual, occurring at around 40Hz rather than up at 50Hz where we would typically expect. This has undoubtedly been engineered to improve bass extension.

Newport Test Labs’ measurement of impedance and phase is shown in Graph 4 for both the ported (red trace) and sealed (blue trace) alignments.

The trace glitches at 100Hz, 1kHz and 10kHz are caused by the test equipment switching ranges, as noted earlier, but the one at around 260Hz is likely a cabinet resonance – but it is so tiny it would not affect sound quality.

The traces show that the Merlins’ impedance stays below eight ohms from 90Hz up to 500Hz, a region where there’s significant musical energy, so we would prefer to treat this design as having a nominal impedance of four ohms, rather than the specified six ohms. Although the minimum impedance within the audio band is exactly 4.6 ohms as claimed in the specifications (at 170Hz), the impedance drops lower at frequencies below 20Hz. This drop, however, is of no concern – we mention it only because it’s visible on the graph.

Graph 5 is a composite of several response measurements made by Newport Test Labs. The pink trace shows the pink noise response above 900Hz, which is closer to what the human ear would hear than the gated anechoic response shown by the mauve trace. This graph extends the measurement of the port’s output (red trace) and shows some high-frequency bleedthrough around 1–1.5kHz, but as it’s more than 15dB down, again it should not be audible (and will not be there at all if you block the port).

Newport Test Labs reported the measured sensitivity of the Merlin S6plus as being 85dBSPL at one metre for a 2.83Veq input, which is significantly lower than Richter’s specification of 88.5dBSPL albeit fairly close to the figure we would expect from a small-ish driver in a relatively small cabinet, so Richter obviously used a different measurement technique. (The average of all consumer hi-fi speakers is around 87dBSPL.) The below-average sensitivity means you should err on the more powerful side when selecting an amplifier, although any well-designed amp rated at 60 watts per channel into eight ohms (or more) would ensure realistic listening levels in a typically sized room.

Overall, the Richter Merlin S6plus are excellent designs that exhibited superior performance in Newport Test Labs’ tests, particularly in terms of midrange linearity and high-frequency extension.

• See all our Australian reviews from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines

Sonos has launched a Pro version of its five-star Era 100 wireless speaker, with custom install features that may well also appeal to everyday Sonos buyers.

The speaker uses power over ethernet (PoE), where both electric power and data are passed along a single cable.

A detachable hook also offers increased stability for horizontal or ceiling mounting. For extra flexibility, Era 100 Pro Surface Mount (sold separately) boasts 30-degree pan and tilt ranges and 360-degree rotation. An indexed ball joint allows for easy repeatable articulation and stays locked in place. This enables fast deployment when mounting multiple speakers, while also ensuring the speakers won’t sag over time. Plus, it can attach to most surfaces.

Otherwise, Sonos says the Era 100 Pro is essentially identical to the ‘standard’ Era 100 that we know and rate very highly. The Era 100 came out back in December last year and we loved its sleek design and its crisp and detailed sound quality, as well as its deep bass.

One thing, though. If you want to get your hands on this upgraded speaker, you will need to get in touch with an installer – at this stage, at least, Sonos isn’t selling the Era 100 Pro directly to consumers.

Era 100 Pro is now available for pre-order and will ship starting 28 January 2025.

MORE:

Here are all of the best wireless speakers you can buy right now

And here is our Sonos Era 100 review

Which Sonos speaker should you buy? Here's our verdict on every model

• We rate the best wireless headphones money can buy

Prime Day 2024 is in its second day, and with it you, our lovely readers are still sending us lots of questions about one specific deal.

Specifically the massive 33 per cent saving still running on the 8K Samsung QN900D, which, as per the below deal, lets you grab the cutting edge set for £4500.

Pretty much every message focusses on the same question: is 8K worth it? So in the spirit of efficiency I've penned this feature. The short answer is no, it’s not worth investing in an 8K TV yet.

The reason for that’s simple: there's next to no content mastered in 8K, so you’ll spend nearly all your time relying on upscaling. So why did the QN900D get five stars you ask? That’s because, if you insist on 8K it’s the best TV that resolution we’ve ever tested, offering the most accurate upscaling we’ve ever seen – during all our checks motion handling looked suitably realistic, albeit not best in class, and the set managed to never look overly artificial despite the heavy processing going on.

The reason I’m warning most readers off the deal, is that you're still paying a hefty premium just to get 8K and there are a wealth of other fantastic TV deals doing the rounds that will give most people as good, if not a better home cinema experience. 

Here are a few personal highlights and recommendations to help illustrate my point.

If you are dead set on spending lots of money and getting a cutting edge TV, then you should look at the LG G4. Is it the cheapest OLED we’ve seen? No, but if you want a cutting edge OLED with brightness boosting Micro Lens Array tech it is a fantastic option. Having reviewed the G4, myself and the wider What Hi-Fi? team can confirm it offers a wonderfully immersive home cinema experience, with enhanced motion handling, wonderfully accurate colours and one of the highest max brightness levels we’ve seen on an OLED. 

This let it offer immense contrast levels and, coupled with its stellar gaming features and easy five star recommendation, even at its launch price. With deals already out from the likes of Sevenoaks and Richersounds, including the ones below, I’d argue this is a much better bargain, and outside of 8K, a better option for most people. The only downside is that the deals we’re seeing to tend to come and go fairly fast, so you need to be quick if you want to take advantage of them.

If the LG G4 is a little too much, we’ve also seen huge savings on the step-down LG C4, which outside of its lack of MLA and slightly older processor shares many of the same features as the G4, and also earned five stars from our testers.

LG’s offering sporadic, but sizable discounts on its own store at the moment, with the giant 77-inch version plummeting to as low as £2000 – which is huge when you consider it carried a massive £3800 RRP at launch. Though that deal went particularly fast there are still great savings to be found on some of the smaller sizes, including the one below. 

For those that want the best value deal and don’t care about getting a “new” 2024 set, there’s also cracking savings to be had on the Sony A80L – which one won a product of the year accolade at last year’s What Hi-Fi? Awards. 

To this day the A80L remains a staple benchmark of quality we use while running our comparative testing checks reviewing new TVs. This is because it still offers top-of-the-line picture quality and one of the most authentic “as the director” intended viewing experiences you’ll find, especially on a set this price. Hence why we’re recommending it to most people as a TV to consider this Prime Day.

MORE:

These are the best Prime Day TV deals we’ve seen

Our picks of the best 8K TVs

Check out our picks of the best OLED TV deals

Bargain hunting for a new pair of wireless headphones or earbuds this Prime Day? 

Then you’ll be happy to hear that, though the yearly sales bonanza may have only just started, it has already brought hefty discounts on four What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sony sets that I and our wider team of audio experts recommend, even at full price.

So if you’re on the hunt for a new set of great value headphones or earbuds, don’t wait, as these sets tend to fly off the shelves.

• Browse all of today's best Amazon deals

1. Huge savings on the Sony WH-CH520

Why we recommend it: 

First up are the Sony WH-CH520 which currently retail on Amazon for a modest £35. These are the entry-level over-ear wireless headphones in Sony’s current line-up. Though they don’t feature active noise cancellation (ANC), which will be a problem for people who want to block out the hustle and bustle of the morning commute, they are otherwise very hard to fault. 

Even at full price, the WH-CH520 were the best-sounding headphones we’ve tested for the money, delivering a balanced and engaging sound during all our checks. At this price, they’re even better value, so if you’re on a strict budget and want the best audio possible, don’t wait – this is the deal to get.

2. A top saving on the step-up Sony WH-CH720N

Why we recommend it:

If you’re dead set on needing ANC then you’ll be pleased to hear that Sony’s step-up WH-CH720N over-ear, wireless headphones have also been given a healthy Prime Day discount. Though they’re twice the price of the CH520, the CH720N brings a wealth of sonic upgrades as well as the added bonus of ANC. These include a slightly more premium build, a different driver setup and the addition of Sony DSEE sound upscaling. 

Based on our experience reviewing them, the latter is particularly important as it helps the CH720N deliver better sound, even when playing low-quality, heavily compressed files. This plus their surprisingly effective ANC, for the money, make them a fantastic option and the best cheap wireless headphones we recommend to most people, especially at this price.

3. Looking for earbuds? Check out this Sony WF-C500 deal

Why we recommend it:

If you prefer earbuds to over-ear headphones and are on a very strict budge that doesn’t stretch to the C700N, then the Sony WF-C500 are the buds to get this Prime Day. Despite costing less than a round of drinks, the WF-C500 offers wonderfully accomplished audio that’s a cut above any rival at this price, based on our testing. Like their over-ear CH520 sibling, they don’t have ANC. But, during all our checks our testers were impressed with their comfortable fit and ability to deliver spirited, well-balanced audio, regardless of what genre we threw at them. If you want wireless earbuds and don’t want to break the bank this Prime Day, we wholeheartedly recommend considering the WF-C500 as a result.

4. Amazon just dropped the deal of the year with its latest Sony WF-C700N saving

Why we recommend it:

Amazon has started things strong this Prime Day, dropping the price of the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sony WF-700N to the lowest we’ve ever seen. If that wasn’t enough to tempt you, even without the price drop the C700N are the cheap wireless earbuds we recommend to most people. To this day, the buds are the best you’ll find for less than £100 /$100 offering buyers a wonderfully comfortable fit, reliable ANC performance and sensational sound quality. Unless you spend significantly more, you won’t find a better set of wireless earbuds, period.

MORE:

These are the best Prime Day 2024 wireless earbud deals we recommend

Our picks of the best Sony WH-1000XM5 deals

We rate the best Sony earbuds we've tried and tested

I have had the pleasure this week of being involved in the testing of the Marantz Cinema 30, and it has made my current home system seem a little underwhelming. You will have to wait until our Home Cinema Week at the start of July to read our exclusive Marantz Cinema 30 review, but it has reminded me just how good a ‘proper’ Dolby Atmos system can be – and how enjoyable it is, if you’re the right sort of person, to own an AV receiver.

Regular readers of this column might remember that at the start of last year my family and I moved from London-ish to Cambridgeshire, and that the living room of our 'new' house is lounge first, home cinema second. We moved into the 'old' house right after it was built, and before the carpets were laid I was able to get in there and run speaker cables across the living room floor, up the walls and through the ceiling. That meant I was able to set up an 11.1.4 system, ceiling speakers and all, without the usual cable spaghetti – and that very much helped with the spousal approval.

With this house, things are a bit different. It was built in the 80s and it was well decorated and looked after by the previous owners, so I don’t really need to mess around with the living room. What’s more, there’s a large garage and we don’t feel the need to store our car in it. I have been given permission, therefore, to turn said garage into a more serious home cinema – so long as I don’t also do the same to the lounge.

That was an easy deal to make, as I’m sure you can imagine; but there’s just one problem – I have neither the time or skills to tackle the garage-to-cinema conversion myself, nor the money to pay someone else to do it for me. That means that, roughly 18 months since we moved into the new house, the amount of progress made on the garage cinema project is precisely none.

Before you break out the tiny violins, you should know that the new living room system is still much more substantial than that of most homes. We’re currently using a lovely 65-inch Panasonic OLED TV and, after stints with the Sonos Arc and then a pair of HomePod 2s, have settled on the Sony HT-A9 system for sound.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, the Sony HT-A9 system consists of four wireless speakers that you can place pretty casually around the room, but that will create a very impressive bubble of Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X and 360 Reality Audio) sound. Somewhat surprisingly, it was deemed by my long-suffering wife to be far more aesthetically agreeable than a soundbar, despite the increased number of boxes, and it offers an even more impressive Atmos experience, particularly when bolstered by an optional subwoofer.

That said, testing the Marantz Cinema 30 has reminded me that the better-than-a-soundbar Sony HT-A9 can’t really hold a candle to an AVR + speakers setup. Of course, that shouldn’t really come as a surprise: we’re talking about a huge box with multiple, high-quality amplifiers feeding hi-fi quality speakers via high-end speaker cables; versus a system designed to replicate all of those things as best it can with fewer speakers and no cables, at a fraction of the cost. Still, the sheer fidelity, detail, dynamics and drive of what I’ve been listening to this week has made me very sad for the AV receiver and speaker package that have sat neglected for 18 months in my one-day-to-be-glorious-but-currently-full-of-crap garage.

It’s not just the sound of the Marantz AVR and our reference speakers that has made me feel this way, either, but the joy I feel when operating an AV receiver. I fully appreciate that for most people an AVR is entirely incomprehensible and that solutions such as the HT-A9 and its soundbar rivals are designed to offer an undaunting alternative; but once you have learned the intricacies of AVR operation it becomes genuinely enjoyable. For what it’s worth, the Marantz Cinema 30 actually makes all of this stuff much more approachable than any AVR I’ve previously experienced, too – but more on that in the full review.

Ultimately, what I’m trying to say is that as good as modern soundbars and wireless speakers are – and they are very good – they are also inevitably compromised by their quest for convenience. There’s nothing at all wrong with that and I implore you to go down that route if you are currently making do with your TV’s own speakers (believe me, even the good examples are awful in an ultimate sense), but if you have the opportunity to go with an AVR and speaker package setup, you should grab it with both hands and never let go.

Meanwhile, for me, there is only one solution: to pull my finger out and get started on converting my garage to a home cinema. More on that in the (hopefully) near future.

MORE:

Check out our reviews of the Sonos Arc, HomePod 2 and Sony HT-A9

These are the best AV receivers you can buy right now

Recently I spent hours and hours curating a list of, in my opinion, the best Dolby Atmos Music tracks – the spatial audio songs I've heard and most admired in the three (and counting) years they have been available on streaming services.

The immersive audio technology's application in music has been welcomed much more tepidly than in the movie environment it was initially created for, but one thing's for sure: it won't be departing the industry anytime soon. Even if Spotify doesn't support spatial audio streams like The Other services do, tech giants Apple, Sonos and Bose are backing it in both their soft and hard wares, mostly recently in the just-announced Sonos Ace headphones. The biggest music labels are onboard, of course, alongside more than a few prestigious producers and engineers.

To gauge how far spatial Dolby Atmos music has come, how much it deserves to be part of our lives, and how ready we would be for a potential transition from stereo in the future, I spent a week listening exclusively to spatial audio songs across streaming services and headphones. Here's what I learned.

Spatial mixes are wildly hit-and-miss

While my best Dolby Atmos Music tracks curation recommends 12 and casts aspersions on five, somewhat ironically the ‘hit and miss’ ratio is heavily weighted the other way in my experience of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of tracks I’ve heard. I understand why some people dig it and others would rather listen to a leaf-blower for three minutes – not least as impressions will be based on the wildly varying quality and effectiveness of the mix’s execution, on a per artist or album case basis, or perhaps even a whole genre’s. 

No spatial Dolby Atmos track you’ll come across on a streaming service is an algorithm-led ‘upmixed’ stereo version (a song’s various sonic elements have to be individually separated and reassembled in a relevant way), but it’s hard to argue that some mixes are better than others, whether that’s due to the quality of engineering or the song naturally lending itself to being spatialised, or both.

Search needs work

If I had a dollar for every time I had to Google whether a particular song or album was available in spatial audio/Dolby Atmos because the streaming service search wouldn’t play ball, I’d be half way to a Glastonbury ticket. All three services supporting spatial streaming certainly seem to be making an effort to lure their subscribers to try spatial music with focused curated playlists and the well-labelled like on the interfaces. But God help anyone who has the audacity to try and find a specific track or album in spatial using the search bar. 

If you’re lucky, the spatial version might pop up straight away, not least if you’ve written ‘Atmos’ or ‘spatial’ after the song name and/or artist. But just as likely is you draining two per cent of your phone’s battery endlessly scrolling the irrelevant results every time, only for you to doubt its presence and, yep, resort to Google to find that it is there. Somewhere. Lurking deep within the library like a bookish wallflower. Case in point: Drive by R.E.M. Stupifyingly hard to find via the search bar. Go on, share my pain.

Snubbing the ‘loudness war’ is good… but a bit annoying

As my colleague recently found during a visit to a Dolby Atmos mixing studio, Dolby imposes a -18db threshold on Atmos mixing to allow for greater headroom (and thus dynamics), so pushing the volume just compresses the track more. It’s why Atmos mixes sound quieter than their stereo equivalents – and, as I’ve sometimes found, not loud enough. That’s an issue in itself for people who like to listen loudly, though the impracticality is having to keep adjusting the volume when you switch between spatial and stereo tracks. After all, my week’s strict spatial-only diet is hardly a real-world scenario.

You can activate a kind of flat volume mode in the services' settings (it's called 'Normalize volume' in Tidal and 'Sound Check' in Apple Music, for example), but I wouldn't recommend such signal snipping.

Head-tracking is better for movies

Watch a movie in spatial audio with ‘dynamic head-tracking’ turned on on your compatible device (an iPhone, say) and you’d be forgiven for thinking the complementary technologies are the best thing to happen to portable entertainment since the GameBoy. Head-tracking essentially adapts the mix according to your head position, keeping the central soundfield through your headphones locked to the device you’re playing it on – move your head to the left, for example, and centrally placed dialogue will fall naturally into your headphones’ right earcup, remaining aligned with the screen in your lap. In my experience, the effect feels pretty natural and moderately enhances the cinematic experience.

For music, it just feels weird to me – more disorientating than reoritentating. And not worth the battery drain. Our reviews team recently picked up on what may be behind my ‘not quite right’ feeling when testing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: “We can still hear delay and phase issues as the processing tries to track your head movements,” they noted in our review.

It’s a headphones thing – but isn’t ideally

Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos music is and will likely always be, for as long as it lives, a headphones experience for the majority. Something to try or swear by because it’s there and accessible. Just as most Dolby Atmos movie experiences will be through a Dolby Atmos soundbar. Relatively few will have the money, opportunity or even the awareness of the possibility to hear Dolby Atmos music through a multi-speaker set-up, through which spatial audio (obviously not with head-tracking) really can take flight.

It’s how you can hear the well-mixed tracks (like those examples in my ‘best of’ list) as the engineer heard them in the studio – as the innovative audio technology was designed first and foremost to be heard. With sonic elements placed physically around (including behind) you, and with any luck in a soundfield that’s not only bigger and more spacious than that of headphones but also more precise and transparent. Believe me when I say that, relatively speaking, the headphones experience (even through top-notch gear) feels as watered down as an all-inclusive resort’s spirit inventory, even if it is a good ‘in’ to the technology and far, far more attainable.

MORE:

PMC's 21-speaker Dolby Atmos system is the ultimate argument for spatial audio

Apple’s Spatial Audio is a music revolution, but try it without the headphones

12 of the best Dolby Atmos tracks on Tidal, Amazon and Apple Music (and 5 to avoid)

Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max: how the spatial audio headphones compare?

Apple has just unveiled the new iPad Pro which, in a first for an Apple tablet, has an OLED display. Not just any OLED display, either, but a 'Tandem OLED' display that features two OLED panels sandwiched together for extra brightness. The company is claiming 1000 nits fullscreen brightness and 1600 nits peak brightness. Combined with the perfect blacks of OLED, that should make it an awesomely dynamic display.

Apple has a habit of producing superb screens, and there's every reason to believe this one will be its best yet. I just can't help thinking, as I have with many previous iPads, how cool it would be if the new Pro had an HDMI input into which I could connect a PS5 or Xbox Series X.

Yes, I can see that incredulous look on your face, and I'm not even going to pretend this isn't a niche wish. To most, the idea of partnering a portable screen with a decidedly not-portable console is pure madness, but I'm not looking at this as an on-the-go solution, but as a once-I-get-there solution.

I travel a lot for work, and there have been plenty of occasions when I've wished I could take advantage of the time to myself by whiling away a few hours on whichever epic game I don't have time for in everyday life (I've still not finished Baldur's Gate 3, if you're wondering). Sure, I could plug my console into the hotel TV, but I'm a graphics snob, and have you seen the state of hotel TVs these days?

The existing iPad Pro is already like having a flagship TV in your bag, and the addition of OLED should only elevate that further. It should offer something very similar to the Panasonic OLED TV experience I have at home, but obviously on a much smaller scale. The OLED tech should make it super-responsive, too, as should the 120Hz refresh rate. It is, in theory, the ultimate portable gaming monitor, but without an HDMI socket, there's no opportunity to take proper advantage.

Sure, the iPad now has so-called 'console-grade' games such as Resident Evil Village, and Assassin's Creed Mirage is on the way, but that's a drop in the ocean of the PS5 and Xbox Series X game libraries.

So why not stream games via the Xbox or PlayStation cloud gaming services? Did I not mention that I'm a graphics snob? Cloud gaming is much lower resolution than native console gaming. It's laggy and often juddery, too, even with a great connection, and have you seen the state of hotel wi-fi these days?

I want a premium gaming experience wherever I am, and I'm prepared to cart a full-fat console across the country to get it. I draw the line at carting along an OLED TV, too, so it's a massive shame (at least to this nerd) that Apple has never produced – and probably never will produce – an iPad with an HDMI input.

MORE:

Here's everything you need to know about the new iPad Pro

These are the best tablets you can buy right now

And these are the best OLED TVs

The rumour mill has been churning out Sonos wireless headphones reports for the best part of four years, with the most recent leaks suggesting that the multi-room mogul's first pair of headphones would finally break cover in the coming weeks. Today, that imminence seems all the more likely due to an apparent website blunder letting slip the model's name and aesthetic.

German Sonos parts dealer Schuurman reportedly listed the 'Sonos Ace' headphones alongside the images you see above and below. The listing has been removed, but not before Reddit user r/Sonos could publish the leak, spotted by The Verge. The user also found a mention of the unconfirmed headphones being available to pre-order on the Sonos website.

So what do we know about the upcoming Sonos headphones? If the leak is legit, as it certainly appears to be, we have a name – Ace; a design – sleek, black, ovular and, dare we say, a little AirPods Max-like; and the accessories coming in the box – storage cases for the headphones and cables, plus USB-C-to-USB-C and 3.5mm-to-USB-C cables. Another (now disappeared) Schuurman listing for 'replacement ear cushions' seems to all but confirm design nods to sustainability, too.

Nothing about this 'reveal' strikes us as disappointing in the least, with their svelte, minimalist form and polished matte finish certainly looking the part from the images. The inclusions of a 3.5mm cable and sturdy-looking case are good news too (eh, Apple?). And hey, we even like the name; it's pretty... cool.

There are plenty of remaining beans for Sonos to spill when it is ready (unless, of course, yet another leak beats them to it), but thanks to scrupulous Sonos headphone leaks in recent months we have an idea of what else to expect. Chief among our expectations is a lofty price tag – one not far from that attached to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and AirPods Max, around the $400-500 mark.

Among their headline features will likely be active noise cancellation and a unique Swap feature, as seen on the Roam, that will allow owners to easily 'hand off' the music playing through them to a Sonos speaker. Will next-gen Bluetooth codec support or wi-fi playback be part of the parcel? Considering Sonos's CEO confirmed only weeks ago that it was on schedule to launch a brand-new product type before the end of June, we shouldn't have to wait long to find out.

MORE:

See all of the Sonos wireless headphones leaks so far

4 ways the imminent Sonos wireless headphones could conquer Sony and Bose

The best wireless headphones you can buy – Sony, AirPods and more

It is easy to dismiss a new brand like Rekkord Audio. Vinyl’s ongoing revival has encouraged many newcomers to get into the record-playing game and to be fair, the majority have done a poor job. In our experience, most of those products serve better as fashion accessories rather than pieces of hi-fi. We think Rekkord Audio is different.

For starters, while Rekkord is a new brand, it is owned by the team behind Pro-Ject, which bodes well given that it knows a thing or two about building turntables. Rekkord is based in Germany and much of its technology, the automation mechanism used in the F110, for example, can be traced back to earlier Dual turntable designs. Given how respected those were, the signs are good.

Rekkord’s launch range is sensible for a company trying to break into the mass market and offers something a little different from the established competition. It essentially builds six basic models that start a rung below the F110 we have on test here and go up to a £1800 / $1899 premium deck that is equipped with an Ortofon Quintet Red moving coil cartridge. The two cheaper decks (which includes the £399 / $449 / AU$849 F110) are available with a built-in phono stage for around a 10 per cent premium. As you move up the range the finish choices grow from just black to a variety of wood veneer and paint options. More ambitious cartridges are also on the menu.

Design & build

The Rekkord F110 turntable is a great introduction to the range. It is a basic, no-nonsense design that is built nicely and works well. The big news here, and the thing that differentiates this deck from capable rivals like the Rega Planar 1, Audio Technica AT-LP5x and Pro-Ject Essential, is that it is fully automatic. 

What exactly does that mean? It means that the F110 will cue the pre-fitted Audio-Technica AT3600L moving magnet to the start of the record and lift it up once the side has been played, returning the arm to its original position and stopping the motor. This is pretty much the ultimate in fuss-free record replay, and it is easy to override the mechanism if, say, you want to skip from track to track, or start and stop in a different place. Note though that the Dual-derived automatic operation mechanism is mechanical and can be a little clunky at times, but be a little patient and it all works well enough.

Set-up is about as easy as it gets. The drive belt is already attached, as is the cartridge. The user only has to fit the aluminium platter (a well-finished but surprisingly insubstantial affair), put the antistatic felt mat on and plumb the deck into their system. The Audio-Technica cartridge comes fitted and aligned from the factory and the arm has a fixed tracking weight and non-adjustable bias. Things like these make the F110 a breeze to get working but also limit any future cartridge upgrades. While we suspect most users would be happy with the AT3600L cartridge provided, this is something to keep in mind.

Compatibility

If you want to hear the best from this Rekkord, place it on a level, low-resonance support. If you have bouncy suspended wooden floors then consider a wall shelf of some type as it will avoid issues with footfalls. There is an element of suspension in the design, with a decoupled sub-chassis isolating the mechanical bits from external vibrations, but placing the deck with care is still worthwhile.

Typical partners for a deck of this type would be a Marantz PM6007 amplifier and maybe a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 12.1s or Elac’s Debut B5.2 speakers. The F110 sits comfortably with such company and delivers pleasing results. 

Sound

We have tried a number of fully automatic turntables over the years and this Rekkord is one of the few that satisfies musically. Starting with Orff’s Carmina Burana, we are impressed by the deck’s tidy presentation. It sounds precise and controlled, refusing to be overawed by the music’s complexity. 

A cartridge tends to dictate the tonal character of a record player to a large extent and we are pleased to report that the Audio Technica AT3600L proves to be a balanced performer. It sounds clean and crisp by price standards and digs up a reasonable amount of detail. Once it has bedded in, there is little to complain about in the way of harshness or unwanted edge.

Over time it becomes clear that this package plays it safe when delivering dynamic extremes. It doesn’t get too ambitious and consequently sounds a little restrained compared to cheaper, manual alternatives such as the Rega Planar 1 or Audio Technica LP5x. But, let’s not put too much weight on such comparisons. Those interested in the Rekkord obviously prioritise it being automatic and the chances are that those people would probably never consider a manual design.

The important thing for us is that the F110 retains enough of the drama and energy of the recording to be an enjoyable listen. We keep listening, going from Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis to Mary J Blige’s No More Drama and Four Tet’s There Is Love In You, and the Rekkord copes well. Lows are taut and grippy, and there is enough in the way of agility and drive to entertain. 

The deck’s balanced nature means no genre of music is treated any better than another and its ability to deliver the sound in a composed yet still interesting way holds our attention better than any of the fully automatic alternatives we have heard.

Verdict

If you are after a fuss-free record player, give this Rekkord serious thought. It is simple to use while delivering a level of performance that sits out of reach of other automatic options we’ve tried. Add solid build and neat finish into the equation and the F110 turntable becomes an easy-to-recommend option.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Rega Planar 1

Also consider the Audio Technica AT-LP5x

Read our Pro-Ject Essential III review

Best record players: the best turntables reviewed for every budget

If you believe hooking up speakers to your TV will enhance a movie experience, help immerse you in sports or let you better enjoy concerts via the screen, you're probably right. The speakers built into flatscreen TVs are more often than not small and lack sonic substance, offering a poor audio experience compared to decent external speakers.

Whether you already have, or indeed plan to buy, a wireless speaker, a pair of speakers, or a soundbar, it's possible to connect them to your TV for an enhanced audio experience. And there is likely more than one way to do so.

This guide lays out all the options for connecting a wide range of speakers to your TV depending on their connection ports and features, so you can find the ideal setup for your perfect TV sound system.

What speakers work with a TV?

First things first, you'll need to assess if your speakers can work with your TV through wired or wireless means. In most cases, you will be able to plug them in directly via some sort of cable, though some can be connected wirelessly. 

Since most modern TVs offer Bluetooth, you should be able to simply connect any Bluetooth speaker wirelessly by pairing the two together in the TV settings much as you would any other device. That said, for the best audio performance – and optimal syncing – it's usually still best to go the wired route.

You might be connecting a soundbar, a pair of stereo speakers, a surround system, or even an amplifier that then distributes the sound to speakers connected to it. In all of these scenarios, there are several methods in which to achieve this courtesy of the many connections found on equipment these days.

Feeling lost at sea with a lot of ports to pick from? Let's go through them and find which option is best for you...

Connect via HDMI cable

One of the most straightforward ways to connect a soundbar and some speaker setups to your TV is via HDMI, and it's the method we'd recommend if your TV and soundbar/speaker have HDMI ARC ports. Do you have an AV receiver as the middleman between your TV and speaker package? HDMI is the way to go here too.

This connection is fully digital and can carry not only stereo soundtracks but also surround sound, right up to the latest and greatest Dolby Atmos or DTS:X formats.

If your TV is less than 13 years old, it will likely have an HDMI ARC or, better yet, an eARC HDMI port. Your soundbar likely will too, though this is only more recently becoming a popular port for wireless speakers/speaker systems – and only on mid-to-high-end models like the KEF LSX II and Sonus Faber Omnia. Don't expect it to feature on your everyday Bluetooth speakers; use optical instead (see the section below).

Anyway, if it does have an ARC-enabled HDMI connection, simply connect it to the TV's ARC via an HDMI cable, and voila – the TV sound will be passed to your speaker.

HDMI ARC should work automatically, but if it doesn’t and you're finding that your TV is still outputting sound through its built-in speakers, grab the TV remote and tweak a few of your TV settings, including turning off your TV’s built-in speakers and enabling your telly to send audio out to an external speaker or amp. Naturally, you'll need your soundbar/speaker powered on, too!

Both the ARC and eARC allow for a TV to output audio, but the latter can pass-through high-quality Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS:X audio soundtracks in their truest, full-fat quality – ARC will, on the other hand, simply strip out the signal's core 5.1 data stream.

Connect via optical cable

Another very straightforward solution to output audio from your TV is to use its optical out, which features on most TVs and audio devices made in the past decade. This uses the medium of light to transmit data through a cable’s optical fibres (which can be made from plastic, glass or silica) and can transmit uncompressed stereo as well as compressed Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound. (Unlike HDMI ARC, there's no support for lossless audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks found on most Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays.)

Most soundbars, speakers and speaker systems feature an optical port, so if HDMI isn't an option, this is likely your next-best one. This way, you can have your TV set to always output via optical, so as you switch between HDMI input devices like a gaming console or Blu-ray player, the connected speaker will always be used as default.

This can be a good option if you have something like a PS5 connected to that HDMI eARC port, where full intelligent connectivity is available – like your TV turning on when your PS5 starts up – which can sometimes have issues if connected via a soundbar, for example. Optical cable connectivity helps give you the best of everything.

• Coaxial vs optical vs HDMI: which is the best audio connection to use?

Connect via RCA cable

If your TV and/or, more likely, your choice of speaker does not have an HDMI connection, they may well have RCA connectors. It's an older but likely more familiar connection type, so is often found on older equipment – modern TVs and audio gear often prefer optical connectors.

RCAs are identified as red and white connectors that send left and right audio channels independently of one another. While this won't get you surround sound, which is what you'll want if you have a Dolby Atmos soundbar or multiple speakers, it will transmit stereo sound to a pair of stereo speakers or a system just fine.

Connect via 3.5mm cable

Many TVs have a 3.5mm output designed primarily to accommodate wired headphones. But it can also connect to any speaker system with a 3.5mm (aux) input. You'll just need a 3.5mm audio cable long enough to run between them.

You can, by the way, get 3.5mm-to-RCA cables, so if your speaker has RCA but your TV doesn't, but there is a 3.5mm port – or vice versa – this could be a viable option.

Don't expect the best sonic results, as this is one of the cruder methods for connecting TVs and speakers on this page, but if you want to use an older speaker to give your television a bit more audio punch, this is undoubtedly a simple solution.

Set your TV output

Whichever method of connectivity you connect your speaker of choice with, you'll need to be sure that your TV knows about it. By default, the TV will output audio via its built-in speakers, so if you connect your speakers and that default doesn't change automatically, you'll need to change it manually.

Head to your TV's settings menu and in the section labelled 'audio' or 'sound', you will find an 'output'. Select the desired connection method – optical or Bluetooth, say – or the specific speaker/speaker system if its name is recognised.

Again, if you're using Bluetooth, you'll need to pair the TV with the Bluetooth speaker together just as you would a phone or tablet. Again, you'll find this in your TV's sound/audio settings.

MORE:

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And the best stereo speakers

How to combine stereo and surround sound in one AV system

Sonos has had something of a mixed 2023. For all the excitement at the beginning of the year, with the launch of the five-star Era 100 and Award-winning Era 300, it had a troubling mid-year, laying off seven per cent of its employees in June and even more following in November.

In a quarterly earnings call that same month, the company confirmed a 5.5 per cent year-on-year decrease in revenue, something that CEO Patrick Spence put down to a “challenging year” in the industry.

Rather than scale back and tread carefully, though, Sonos looks to be doubling down, with leaks, teases and even official comments that suggest it has big plans for 2024. 

With an eye on growth, that means a slew of new products rumoured to be coming from the company in the next 12 months – including a move into several new, and perhaps surprising, territories. So what can we expect?

Sonos headphones are coming

For many years, Sonos maintained its position as a brand for the home only – a stance that has clearly mellowed somewhat with the launch of products like the Sonos Roam. Now, it looks like its move to an all-encompassing audio brand is almost complete, with the planned launch of its first pair of headphones – something it has apparently been working on since 2019.

In the November earnings call, CEO Patrick Spence confirmed Sonos’ entry into a “new multi-billion dollar category”, starting in the second half of the year. Not long after, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirmed details of a premium pair of over-ear headphones in the making for 2024, as early as March/April, costing upwards of $400 (around £350/AU$650).

Unsurprisingly, it’s thought the headphones will work seamlessly within the Sonos ecosystem, with the suggestion that you will be able to switch between your home’s Sonos speaker system and your Sonos headphones when you leave the house, or vice versa when you return. If anyone can make this experience a smooth and intuitive one, it’s Sonos.

Sonos Voice Control, as featured on its speakers, will be on board here, while a newly designed app will be available for controlling portable Sonos kit away from your home wi-fi. Just like its speakers, the headphones will reportedly be available in a choice of black and white – though we’re hoping for some more colourful finishes over time.

Gurman also mentioned that Sonos is exploring the possibility of an in-ear model, to rival Apple’s AirPods. Having acquired RHA Audio a couple of years ago, it could easily lean into its experience in the earbuds market for inspiration, though details on that remain very much TBC.

• Read our Sonos headphones rumour round-up for all the latest leaks

A move into TV?

One of the more surprising rumours for 2024 is that Sonos is readying its own streaming box to rival the likes of Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast.

Having focused on audio for upwards of 20 years, it's not something we expected – but then Sonos has always considered itself to be a software company at its heart, not an audio one. Considering how accessible it's made the music side of streaming, it's not inconceivable to think it could bring something more to the experience on the video side too.

Gurman says the device, codenamed 'Pinewood', will be able to stream video and be controlled by voice, while also acting as a central hub for other Sonos devices. Sonos is supposedly working closely with streaming services like Netflix to build apps on to the platform, and will even be working on its own too, apparently.

Other leaked details suggest it will be a box-like design rather than a stick one, will be based on an Android operating system and will, of course, play back Dolby Atmos to make the most of compatible Sonos speakers.

Better voice control

Sonos introduced its own voice control on its speakers in 2022, not as a competitor for Alexa – which remains on its speakers alongside it – but for locally processed music control and requests. 

It has some shortfalls though, like its lack of Spotify integration, so a bit of a glow-up wouldn't go amiss. Thankfully, it looks like it's coming in 2024.

An advanced version of the feature is expected to be released in the latter half of the year, dubbed Voice 2.0. What exactly the improvements will be remain to be seen, but considering the timing, we'd hasten a guess that TV control may be a part of it — if the set-top box rumour turns out to be true.

We still expect it will stick to complementing Alexa rather than replacing it, but improved support for music control feels like a must. Particularly when the one that's missing is the most popular streaming service in the world.

Upgrades galore

Sonos isn’t ignoring its current portfolio, though. We should see a number of updates and upgrades to current kit this year, if the leaks are to be believed. 

This includes a second-generation Roam with rumoured new touch controls and a new flagship soundbar, with better sound and improved bass compared with the current Sonos Arc.

Considering the Arc is already a five-star product, we’re looking forward to seeing how such an upgrade performs – but we know it won’t come cheap. Expected towards the end of the year, it could cost as much as $1200 (£945/AU$1765), which is a considerable bump up from the $900/£700/AU$1500 Arc.

• Sonos Arc (Gen 2): 5 things we want from the next Dolby Atmos soundbar

However, it looks like a new version of the Sonos Sub family could be the first of the new products to show its face. Sonos released a bass-filled teaser on its Instagram page, featuring what looks to be the same rounded cut-out shape as you'll see on the Sub Mini. 

In fact, the teaser uses a lot of the same footage as the teaser for the Sub Mini did last year, so what gives?

It would seem a little early to be upgrading the Mini after just a year, but there is a sale on the three-year-old regular Sub (Gen 3) right now. Does that mean there's a new redesigned Sub in the works? 

One was certainly earmarked in the leaks, codenamed 'Lotus', with another higher-end sub also rumoured for the end of the year. Timelines can change, of course, so it remains to be seen what this all means.

Of course, there's always the chance, considering the caption, that Sonos has just hastily reused some old footage to keep the chatter around the leaks going. And it seems to be working. New product or not, the comments on the post would suggest a lot of excitement for what's to come for Sonos in 2024, and we have to say we're inclined to agree.

MORE:

Which Sonos speaker should you buy?

Sonos: everything you need to know about the multi-room king

Shop today's best Sonos deals

What to expect from Apple in 2024 – iPhone 16, AirPods 4, new iPads and more

2023 is all but over, but what a year it’s been for hi-fi and home cinema fans. Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen everything from cutting-edge new TV screen technologies, like the award-winning Micro Lens Array (MLA), to revivals of classic amps, like the Naim Nait 50, arrive.

In fact, the sheer volume of great new products to arrive and pass through dedicated testing rooms made judging the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2023 one of the toughest to date.

Here to help send 2023 out with a bang, our team of expert reviewers has created this list detailing their personal product highlights for the year.

Sony A95L 

Musical Fidelity A1

TCL C845K

Sony WF-C700N

Eversolo DMP-A6

Cambridge Audio MXN10

PMC Prodigy 1

Sony TA-AN1000

MORE:

13 products we want to see in 2024: new AirPods, PS5 Pro, Sonos headphones and more

I've heard over 150 products this year, and these are my 5 hi-fi highlights

If 2023 has seen the release of a slew of portable headphone amp and DAC combos, iFi has certainly been leading the charge. The FiiO KA13 and the Earfun UA100 have both been unveiled this year, but the five-star iFi Go Link, recently-released iFi hip-dac 3 and now the new iDSD Diablo 2 have demonstrated just how busy iFi has been over the past year.

Following on from the release of the first iDSD DAC/headphone amp in 2021, the new iDSD Diablo 2 promises to be one of iFi's most high-performing models, built for purists who crave "pure, unadulterated sonic performance". If that describes you, it may be time to make a deal with The Devil...

The Diablo 2 has been redesigned from the inside out, incorporating two Burr-Brown DAC chips combined with the brand's custom architecture. As such, the chips are installed with an "interleaved" configuration, doubling the available DAC channels for left and right audio and producing less unwanted noise. 

How about supported formats? The iDSD Diablo 2 offers support for all levels of DSD up to DSD512 and PCM files up to 32-bit/768kHz, as well as decoding and upsampling of MQA files up to 384kHz. The Diablo 2 adds aptX Lossless Bluetooth which means it should be capable of streaming CD quality losslessly (16-bit/44.1kHz). 

It's certainly a clever unit with plenty packed into it. You're treated to a choice of three gain settings and IEMatch which tailors the amp's power and performance to match the sensitivity of the headphones being used, as well as iFi's unique circuit design which has been conceived to achieve greater sonic purity and reduced noise.

For hooking up physically, you can connect your source devices via the DAC's USB-C port, while the unit also features coaxial/optical and 4.4mm balanced inputs. In terms of outputs, the devilish DAC sports a 4.4mm balanced headphone port, a 6.3mm headphone port and a 4.4mm balanced line-level output. 

The new model's battery lasts between 6-12 hours of playtime, although this depends on factors such as the volume at which you play your music and the power/sensitivity of the headphones being used.

As well as the unit itself, the iDSD Diablo 2 comes equipped with a host of accessories, including a low-noise AC/DC adapter, a USB-C charging cable, a USB-C OTG cable, an extended USB-C cable and a Lightning to USB-C cable, not to mention a host of adapters, a desktop stand and even a travel case to protect the Diablo 2 on the go.  

Wrapped in its distinctive red finish, the new iFi iDSD Diablo 2 is available to buy now for a price of £1299 / $1299 (further prices pending). Considering how much clever tech the Diablo 2 packs in, though, you certainly seem to be getting your money's worth, and it will be interesting to see how a more premium model fares in a market well-stocked with many budget alternatives.

MORE:

Read our review of the five-star iFi Go Link and the iFi hip-dac 2 

I used a DAC for the first time and it was a game-changer 

Best DACs: USB, desktop and portable digital-to-analogue converters

Rejoice, dark acolytes of the night, Halloween is almost here!

The most wonderfully spooky time of the year is a chance to see what whether your hi-fi system is a cowardly custard that hides behind the sofa every time a track gets tricky, or if its a Bruce Campbell-esque hero ready to tackle even the most frightening of challenges thrown its way.

We've picked out some great tracks from a wide variety of artists that will test your set-up’s dynamic, rhythmic, and organisational skills while being right at home playing during your own Halloween party this year. We hope you've got your decorations up...

Listen to the full Tidal playlist here

The Ramones – Pet Sematary

Yes, the Ramones did write and perform Pet Sematary to go over the closing credits to the 1989 horror movie of the same name, in part due to the fact that Stephen King was a huge fan of the iconic New York punk rockers. It’s all a bit incongruous, really, but if you’d made a film, you’d want The Ramones to perform over the closing credits, wouldn’t you? It lightens the mood following the movie's rather blood-chilling ending, if nothing else...

Spooky it might all sound (King’s novel is no laugh riot), Pet Semetary is actually The Ramones at their most accessible, with the track’s strength drawn from catchy chorus and light-hearted, but never fully ironic, feel.

Pop it on during your spooky shin dig and watch your guests sign along to the immortal refrain of “I don’t wanna be buried in a pet semetary”. Happy Halloween!

Words by Harry McKerrell

Michael Jackson – Thriller

Is there a better test track for Halloween than Thriller? I think not. Besides being arguably the best music video in history, the sky-high production values brought to the song by Quincy Jones make it a seriously good test for hi-fi systems on so many levels.

The song starts by building a spooky sense of atmosphere, with creaking doors, haunting footsteps, and howling werewolves all appearing in your stereo image.

Resist the urge to jump behind your sofa and you’ll hear an assortment of percussion kicking in followed by the track’s trademark funky, synthesised bassline. If your system is good at timing and locking onto rhythms, you should instantly find yourself tapping along like a deranged zombie.

There are funky fine details and interesting elements throughout this track, including a guitar, organ, and even a complete horn section. While Jackson’s vocal is certainly dynamic and enthusiastic, it’s the haunting tone of Vincent Price and his creepy words that will give your system nightmares if it can’t sound natural and refined.

Words by Andy Madden

Listen to Thriller on Tidal

Marlon Williams – Strange Things

A beautiful, haunting melody with gorgeous vocals from New Zealand country folk artist Marlon Williams that will be stuck in your head and heart for ages.

It's a lush recording with a spacious soundfield full of clear details, while the lyrics could be taken out of an Edgar Allan Poe gothic horror story. From the deep drum hits to the precise finger pluckings of the guitar strings – all should sound, with the right system components, incredibly tactile, natural and texture-laden.

At turns sorrowful and bittersweet with a tinge of creeping dread throughout, this is one for the romantic goths out there.

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Listen to Strange Things on Tidal

Kate Bush – Hammer Horror

In true Kate Bush fashion, Hammer Horror is equal parts theatrical and cinematic in its sound, arrangement, and dynamics. It wasn’t Kate’s most successful single, however each section varies greatly from the last in terms of mood and texture, providing an interesting emotional ride.

The song tells the story of an actor haunted by guilt as he replaces a friend in a leading role after a tragic accident on-set, and the title of the track is a nod to Hammer Films, a historic studio specialising in horror movies.

Opening with a drum roll and an orchestral build-up, the resulting crash calms into a reflective chord sequence and Kate’s soul-stirring vocal through the verse. The bass and rhythmic elements enter during the pre-chorus section, with an abrasive drum synth underlining the section in place of a snare.

The chorus sees the whole band come into the fold with strings, electric guitar and full drum kit propelling the music as Kate sings with added energy and growl. With the right set-up, this should all shine through before settling back gently into a beautiful post-chorus and verse combination.

Words by Ainsley Walker

Halloween Theme 2018 – John Carpenter

Halloween’s original 1978 theme track is one of the most identifiable horror scores. 2018 saw the eleventh instalment of the series, and with the film came a reworked soundtrack, including a new revised original theme track.

Opening with the now-iconic crystalline piano riff alongside a new thumping kick drum, it’s clear that this theme has been given a fresh modern feel. The kick is loose-sounding, somewhat like a heart pounding in pure fear.

The contemporary refresh becomes even more apparent as thickly-layered synth chords come in, soaring and providing a sense of dread. In the original, these chords were far more subdued, now there are layers of sizzling resonant synths and deep sub-bass to boot – a good test of how well your system can separate all those elements clearly and precisely. As the track goes on, church organ-esque synth chords enter, which in this horror-movie setting adds an unmistakable unnerving presence.

Words by Ainsley Walker

Warren Zevon – Werewolves Of London

Warren Zevon’s Werewolves Of London was the artist’s only US Top 40 hit and doesn’t sound much like a Halloween song to start, opening with a jaunty piano riff, bassline, and backbeat. This, however, changes as Warren lets out his inner canine and quite literally howls his way through the choruses.

Telling the story of werewolves stalking around Soho, Mayfair and Kent, causing problems for little old ladies, and ordering beef chow mein, Werewolves Of London features a few instruments that stick around throughout.

There isn’t much in the way of compositional variation aside from a nicely harmonised guitar solo in the middle of the track which pokes through satisfyingly. Despite this, each instrument is present in the mix and works together to create solid momentum to push the track on.

Words by Ainsley Walker

Ghost – Spillways

Whether you’re into the spookier side of life or not, Ghost’s Spillways stands up as the absolute gold standard of how to take operatic, theatrical pop and dress it in the macabre wrappings of ghoulish hard rock-cum-heavy metal. It’s the same talent that made Nirvana so acclaimed and accessible during their height – a definitive style, yes, but always tethered to a keen ear for a catchy chorus.

On an album packed to the rafters with arena-worthy loveliness, Spillways shines like a black star as Impera’s (potential) high water mark. Mapped out with the precision and ambition of a Queen six-minuter, it’s an exquisite rollercoaster which bounces from crisp, enticing verses through to a pre-chorus that explodes into the pomp and circumstance refrain.

One of the densest and most devious tracks to unleash upon your system, not a second is wasted across Spillways' three-minute runtime. Expect a frighteningly good time.

Words by Harry McKerrell

Muse – You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween

Muse have evolved from being Radiohead imitators to apocalyptic indie-rockers with out-there ideas about big-tech, thermodynamics and governmental surveillance. You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween feels like a happy middle ground between competing inclinations towards studio rock versus theatrical conspiratorial theorising.

The sixth track from 2022’s Will Of The People is an overwrought, electro-gothic delight characterised by screeching, psychedelic-esque strings, fuzzy guitar crunches, and hyperbolic lyrics. Aside from bopping your head to that zippy, electronic beat, you’ll want to sense the claustrophobia of the song’s sadly relatable subject matter of toxic relationships.

Yes, it feels like an obvious choice, but this is no trick. Muse’s campy, overwrought electro-rock pantomime of a record is a tongue-in-cheek treat.

Words by Harry McKerrell

The Nightmare Before Christmas – This is Halloween

Is it a Christmas or Halloween film? Why, both, of course. The film's first song is a Halloween staple – a joyous celebration of the macabre holiday, its traditions, its many monsters and its hallowed Pumpkin King.

Your speaker or headphones should be able to fully convey the different tones and characterful voices of the town's oddball citizens, while packing plenty of punch and drive to keep the high-energy tune's momentum going from anthemic chants to goosebump-inducing anticipation.

With its offbeat tune and changing time signatures, coupled with delicate-to-crescendo orchestral flourishes, this is a delightfully spooky track that's more intricate than you'd think at first listen.

Words by Kashfia Kabir

Bauhaus – Bela Lugosi’s Dead

Opening with wonderfully textural drum sounds, augmented by a delay effect manipulated in real-time, Bela Lugosi’s Dead represents one of the first examples of Gothic Rock.

The title of the song references actor Bela Lugosi, who played the titular character in the classic 1930s horror movie Dracula, and the lyrics mention bats flying out of the bell tower and brides filing past his tomb, giving a very direct nod to the (quite literally) timeless character.

The nine-plus minute journey showcases the band’s open influences of reggae and dub, with floating guitar licks smothered with tape echo and open-string chords featuring heavily.

It takes almost three minutes before the vocals come in, which have the quality of a speaker being projected through a PA system in an empty warehouse, with wide reverberation and ambience trailing each word. As with that cross-stick drum part, it’s a track that’s very texturally pleasing altogether and is a good test for your system’s dynamic capabilities and the width of the soundstage.

Words by Ainsley Walker

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These are the 7 scarily good tunes we've been using for testing this month

Goldmund has followed up the launch of its Tethys loudspeakers earlier this year with another passive design that is, you might like to hear, more affordable.

Sitting beneath the £62,500 Tethys and many of the Swiss brand’s famed high-end active models, the £26,500 Melos Passive (indeed, our use of ‘affordable’ should’ve been taken with a pinch of salt) look at first glance rather… ordinary. For Goldmund speakers, anyway. Look closer, however, and you’ll see that these compact, monolithic cuboid boxes are really rather smart – opulent, even – with their ribbed side panels, sleek, iconic grey aluminium finish with black grilles, and rear-panel gold brand plate. In fact, the Melos Passive don’t look too dissimilar from the Tethys’ upper module! 

Each speaker weighs 20kg, despite being only 25cm wide and 35cm tall and deep, so any prospective owners might be pleased to know that (optional) dedicated stands for the Melos Passive will follow shortly.

Considering the Melos Passive bookshelf speakers draw inspiration from the company’s Tethys and flagship (active) Gaia speakers, we bet they sound pretty smart too. That’s certainly implied by the name ‘Melos’, which means ‘melody’ in ancient Greek. Goldmund says the name “captures the essence of this speaker's capability – to deliver musical harmony and tune with unparalleled precision”.

To that end, Goldmund has fitted the Melos Passive with “high-end drivers” comprising a soft-dome tweeter and seven-inch mid/bass driver. Front-vent bass loading promises to boost low frequencies for “exceptional bass extension”, while advanced crossover technology ensures “seamless frequency integration and optimum dispersion”.

MORE:

Goldmund’s Tethys speakers are inspired by its flagship Gaia – inside and out

Read our recent Goldmund Mimesis 37S NextGen/Telos 300 review

Don't ignore high-end hi-fi; we all own it in the end

Something struck me the other day, as I sat at my desk navigating my laptop mouse awkwardly around several pairs of over-ear headphones that I can’t bring myself to stow away, despite only one being able to plug into my DAC and sit on my head at any given time: all but one pair (a wireless pair) were open-backs.

Just briefly for the uninitiated, the headphones to which I am colloquially referring are those with ‘open-back’ designs. That is, over-ears that a) don’t have enclosures behind their drivers, and b) do have perforated or otherwise unsealed earcups that leak (some) sound both in and out. Essentially, sound from those ‘free’ drivers is fired both towards and away from your ears – as opposed to just towards them as is the case in your more commonplace ‘closed-back’ design, where sound is predominantly enclosed between your ears and the earcups. Consequently, open-backs are wired and intended for home use… unless you're the illogical albeit brilliant Grado GW100x.

When I think about it, it’s no coincidence that open-backs make up 100 per cent of my home headphones stash; I have heard, tested and lived with more pairs of both types than I would care to hazard a guess at over the years, and downright prefer them to their closed-back companions. And at any budget too, from entry-level Koss and Grado pairs to high-end Grados, Focals and Beyerdynamics. While closed-backs certainly have their advantages – which I will go into shortly and which is ultimately why the majority of headphone manufacturers produce more models of that type – open-backs are my personal preference. And if you haven’t put a pair into action before, they could – you never know – be yours too. Here’s why.

Less fatiguing, more comfortable

I’m someone who listens to music casually for a good portion of the daily 9 to 5, and ‘properly’ for typically one or two albums at a time. As I’m sure many of you will agree, listening to music through headphones can be tiring – it’s a direct, intimate assault on your ears no matter the volume you are listening at – just as watching something on a screen two inches from your face would be even with the brightness turned down. But, in my experience, open-back designs aren’t nearly as fatiguing; this makes sense when you consider they allow air pressure to flow outwards as well as into (and building up around) your ears. Physically, they are less direct. While I often need a break after an hour or so with closed-backs, I can comfortably go several hours straight with open designs.

Speaking of comfort, open-back headphones tend to chalk up a point here too. It isn’t a hard and fast rule, but they do generally tend to be lighter than closed-back models, due to the absence of a driver enclosure. And less weight equals less pressure on the crown of your head.

Again, the greater airflow in open-back designs means they are typically more breathable and less likely to be an oven for your ears over longer listening sessions – though admittedly a headphones’ earpad material and clamp force are going to play a big part here too. If headphones have leather earpads, for example, warm lugs are inevitable.

Clearer, more expressive sound

The best open-backs are typically clearer and more dynamically expressive than the best closed-backs; physics can explain why. Where, with open-back designs, most of the driver’s rearward sound is allowed to escape out of the enclosure, with closed-backs it is trapped inside and can detrimentally affect sound quality in three ways. First, the sound bouncing around can excite resonances in the enclosure, causing unwanted noise (or distortion); second, it can find its way back to the drive unit diaphragm and add to its output; and third, that trapped air can cause inertia against the driver and restrict the movement of its diaphragm during big excursions, negatively affecting dynamics.

That inherent spaciousness or ‘airiness’ tends to deliver a wider sonic canvas with better instrument separation that sounds less ‘in your head’ too – more comparable to that you get from loudspeakers.

Closed-backs reply with generally greater punch and solidity, especially in the lower (and lower-mid) frequencies – that sealed air resonating does them one favour at least! I’m not necessarily someone who enjoys ample bass – probably due to my fondness for indie, folk and ambient electronic music. To some degree, that's probably also why I generally prefer standmount speakers to floorstanders – though I’d be lying if I said I haven’t craved greater low-end punch from open-backs before.

But they aren’t for everyone

This flag-flying for open-back headphones should be caveated by the fact that they may be great for me but they won’t be for everyone. I have the luxury of quiet when listening – no commutes, no kids, barely any disruption at all save for the lawn-mower visit every Tuesday. My music-listening world is very open-back friendly. While it isn’t the case for me, I have heard some people say that they actually like being able to hear a little bit of their surroundings, so they don’t feel completely off their home’s audio grid. 

But if you value alone time with your music library and your listening environment is in any way noisy, I’m afraid open-backs will not work for you. Remember, they bleed sound in as much as they bleed sound out. Closed-backs inherently offer an isolated and more intimate experience.

If your preferred music genre is hip-hop or EDM, for example, you may well side with a punchier, more muscular, bass-heavy sound. And if you’re after only one pair of headphones to cover home and on-the-go listening (I for one couldn’t live without a pair of wireless noise-cancelling over-ears that are naturally closed-back), again you will require the practicality of closed-backs.

If you, like me, can accommodate open-back headphones in your music-listening world and prioritise clarity and transparency above all other sonic traits, I promise you will be utterly won over.

MORE: 

How to choose the right pair of headphones

Closed-back vs open-back headphones: which one is best for you?

Best headphones 2023 – for every price and preference

Rega’s Fono MM has been our go-to recommendation for the best phono preamp for more years than we care to remember. It is about as minimalist as such things get at this level, being a moving magnet-only design with just the basic input and output connections.

The company clearly doesn’t want to spoil a winning recipe, so the revisions for this new Mk5 version amount to a change of casework to match some of the brand’s newer products and… well that’s it. The internals have remained unchanged from the last generation, but given that it was a clear class leader maybe that is not such a bad thing.

Build & design

Unlike some rivals, the Fono MM Mk5 is not compatible with moving-coil cartridges, though Rega does make a dedicated MC version for that job. A gain of just over 41dB is more than enough for any price-compatible moving-magnet cartridge. And provided the Fono is placed with a bit of care, hum and other noise levels are respectably low.

This Rega is a small box, about the size of a paperback, so it is easy to tuck away out of sight. The new design is as understated as we’ve come to expect from the British brand and the quality of build and finish is perfectly fine for the money. Connectivity is as simple as they come with stereo RCAs as the input and output. Just connect the wall wart power supply and off you go.

Sound

We try Rega’s Planar 3/Elys record player with the Fono MM Mk5, as well as our reference Technics SL-1000R/Vertere Sabre combination to gauge how well the phono stage does. The short answer is very well.

Once it has had a few hours to settle, this little phono stage turns in a strong performance. It has a fast, punchy sound that works a treat with the likes of Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run set. There is plenty of drive to the title track with the Rega conveying the hard-charging energy of the track well. Things are rock solid rhythmically and there is enough in the way of low-end power to satisfy. Those lows are taut and tuneful without being overbearing.

Detail resolution is good too. This isn’t the most pristine of productions but the Fono MM can uncover a good amount of detail and organise it into a cohesive and musical whole. Springsteen’s distinctive, textured vocals come through with all the power and passion they deserve and the result is as musically involving as we have heard from a phono stage at this level.

We switch to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and this little Rega continues to impress. It makes a decent fist of conveying the scale and authority of the music and is full of enthusiasm when it comes to thumping out the music’s dramatic dynamic shifts.

In a budget system context, there is little to complain about here, as the presentation is decently balanced when it comes to tonality, and the soundstage, while not the most expansive or spacious, is perfectly acceptable.

Sure, this isn’t the most refined performer we’ve heard, and its treble could be a bit sweeter, but the Fono MM does such a good job delivering the musical message that it feels overly harsh to complain too much. At the price, this performance is hard to better.

Verdict

Rega may not have pushed the boat out with this latest upgrade, but it really didn’t need to. The new casework is smart enough, though the secret to the Fono MM’s success really comes down to its performance. Judged by sound quality, the Rega Fono MM Mk5 phono stage remains the one to beat at this level.

Review published: 2023. Review updated: November 2024.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 4
• Features 3

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Best phono preamps: budget to high-end phono stages

Clearaudio is turning 45 this year, for which we proffer our hearty congratulations. 

The German family-owned company has become a byword for analogue precision in vinyl reproduction, reaching for the musical firmament with products such as the Statement turntable, its linear-tracking tonearms, and the spectacular bling of the ‘Goldfinger’ moving-coil cartridge, but also trickling hard-won expertise down into turntables affordable to new vinyl fans and indeed those who have, like the company, made it through the years of the format’s decline to enjoy today’s glorious resurgence of all things groovy. 

Among various anniversary activities, Clearaudio has been re-examining its heritage to produce the Reference Jubilee turntable, as pictured above. Clearaudio says it “marries the best of past, present and future to usher in a new era of analogue precision”.

The new Jubilee took as its starting point the company’s first-ever turntable, the 1993 Reference, and notably retains that deck’s unusual V-shaped chassis, but then loads up on the company’s latest and greatest technologies.

“The original shape is kept, but everything else is new and up to date,” Robert Suchy tells us of this turntable. 

And showing how Clearaudio can do things rather differently, the Reference Jubilee includes (whisper it quietly) a digital-to-analogue converter, which is an odd thing to find on a turntable, and we bet you can’t guess what it’s doing. 

We’ll come back to that later. 

But Clearaudio’s team clearly enjoyed revisiting the brand’s first turntable design?, we asked?

“Yes, this was wonderful,” confirms Robert Suchy, “wonderful to show what is possible today by adding new materials and components, combining them with the original design to create a new one.”

In the beginning

Robert Suchy is one of three siblings – Patrick, Veronica and Robert Suchy, pictured above – who have run Clearaudio for nearly two decades now, since their father and company founder Peter Suchy “withdrew from active day-to-day business” back in 2005. 

That was 28 years after the company’s founding in 1978, which Clearaudio’s history notes as “the year our first moving-coil cartridge was developed and patented”.

But in fact, Suchy the elder’s first products were loudspeakers, called the Delta and the Sigma. In this, Clearaudio’s story appears superficially to resemble the many speaker companies that began as ‘garage businesses’, usually by a musician/engineer – and yes, Peter Suchy had been in a rock band back in Prague. 

But from the start there was evidence of a difference here, and of Clearaudio’s future direction. 

There was, for example, an early involvement with Dr. Ernst Weinz in the development of the Weinz ‘Paroc’ (parabolic oval cone) diamond stylus, the first to use a boron cantilever. The early Clearaudio released a ‘Trygon’ parabolic stylus, the first of a series. Such precision engineering showed something beyond other speaker manufacturers who were reading up on their Gilbert Briggs and banging some cabinets together. 

But then Robert Suchy was no house-and-garage engineer. He was born in South Bohemia, in what is now the Czech Republic, a little over an hour south of Prague, where he went to study nuclear engineering. Following 1968’s Prague Spring he came to the west and found work in Germany on ship-based nuclear reactors, and then for Siemens-KWU on fuel rods for pressurised water reactors. (Presumably successful: there are currently seven Siemens-KWU reactors operational across Europe and Argentina.)  

After handling delicate systems like nuclear fuel rods, a little stylus design must have seemed a relaxing occupation, and one serving pleasing musical ends. And even with speaker design Peter Suchy wasn’t just banging boxes together; he was involved in the intricacies of designing an ultra-low-distortion tweeter. 

Robert Suchy describes his father’s switch from loudspeakers as a realisation of the importance of the source-first philosophy which had swept through hi-fi in the 1970s – notably driven, of course, by turntable manufacturers.

“In the 1970s, good hi-fi was an important part of a great many households, and a hobby for many,” he says. “It had been quite a challenge to produce good speakers. But pretty quickly we realised that the source is the most important part of the system, the ‘First Player’, if you like. That‘s why Clearaudio switched quite quickly to its first patented moving-coil cartridge design.”

From carts to tables

Judging from the patent listings, by 1980 Clearaudio was on a roll. There was one patent for a ‘quartet magnet circuit’ for moving-coil pickups; one for a dynamic pick-up system; and another for a pick-up assembly “with induction coils joined to a needle carrier and fixed in permanent magnet yolk”.

“My original patented symmetrical MC design was about balance – electrical, magnetic, and mechanical,” Peter Suchy told Jonathan Valin in 2018 when he was being inducted in The Absolute Sound’s High-end Audio Hall of Fame. “The cartridge is unique in many regards including its use of independent coils for each channel – not both stereo channels on a single armature. My original design used four magnets, not a single magnet with pole pieces. Unlike the typical suspension tie wire, I designed a fulcrum-balanced suspension.”

The world’s first fully symmetrical moving-coil system impressed the hi-fi world in 1980, and from there the list of landmarks extended onward – the world’s smallest high-end phono pre-amp in 1984, a patented ‘Optimal Connection System’ for audio cables in 1985, and the crucial acquisition of patents and licences from Souther in the US for its linear tracking tonearm.

Among all this, one key event was the relocation in 1983 to Erlingen, where Clearaudio still resides, now located in the Meilwald nature reserve, “pioneering ecological sustainability”, its website notes. 

It is also usefully able to benefit from proximity to the Frauenhofer and Max Planck Institutes (both in Erlangen), and Friedrich-Alexander University too. We asked Robert Suchy how the company makes use of these resources. 

“Since Erlangen has a great University, the foundation in research for these Institutes is very good,” he tells us, “and that means we benefit from engaged students who may start working for us during their study. The chances that some stay with us are very good, something which gives our company a regular nice young push of energy.”

The strong technical foundation in Erlangen allowed Clearaudio to make ongoing investments in its own production capabilities, as the company increased its independence from the vagaries of third-party supply. It began producing even precision components in-house, and the company boasts that “when standard measurements are insufficient to meet our needs, our in-house engineers develop our own measuring devices”.

Clearaudio sees this as a key philosophy: it can ensure consistency through quality control, careful documentation, and results tracing.

A new Reference

By the time Clearaudio had all the elements in place for its first turntable, Robert Suchy had already joined his father’s firm as a precision mechanics apprentice. The Reference was launched in 1993, with its unusual resonance-optimised shape, and clearly displayed Clearaudio’s dedicated to materials.

It was made from acrylic and featured brass metal parts (later stainless steel), distinctly placed feet, heavy arm pillars and resonance control weights.

But enough of the nostalgia – the 1993 Reference turntable has now been reborn in the new Reference Jubilee (pictured above and below), a limited edition of 250 pieces. As Suchy says, the original shape is kept but everything else is new and up to date: it references the past albeit showcases the company’s present skills.

So Clearaudio’s patented (2006) ceramic magnetic bearing is here in a special variation for the main platter, while the lower drive platter has an inverted bearing. But it’s a new air-core (non-magnetic) DC motor and motor control system in the Reference Jubilee which has the company buzzing, one staffer calling it ‘the beginning of a new generation of motors and motor electronics’.

“The new control board design certainly makes it unique,” Suchy tells us. “There is a D-to-A converter built in, which creates a reference voltage, and we are combining this with the analogue control section; we check both speed circuits, so we get a much more accurate speed stability and fewer corrections of the motor in general. 

“With this design we can control any ongoing imperfections that might arise just through wear and tear, as well as temperature drifts, which do not create issues with our design. 

“Also the motors are that strong – enormous torque – that the tables behave like direct drive. It’s certainly one of a kind.”

To expand on that description, the 12-bit DAC isn’t doing any converting; it’s being used to generate a reference voltage for the drive motor’s (purely analogue) control unit. This works in tandem with the company’s optical speed control system, where every three seconds a sensor reads a strobe to establish the sub-platter’s rotational speed, feeding that back for the control unit to correct any deviation. At initial start-up it should self-regulate to perfection within 30 seconds.

Also unusual is the way the motor housing is elaborately decoupled from the chassis by “an elaborate network of rubber ‘tightropes’”, as they’re described in one place, elsewhere as “18 rubber bands”, ‘O-rings’ and, best of all in German, as ein Zusammenspiel von Gummibändern.

What’s the structure of this ‘Innovative Motor Suspension’?, we asked Suchy. Is it a series of circular bands surrounding the motor, or some interwoven Gordian knot suspending it? Is it all good to survive Australia’s tropical conditions? 

“It is a rubber O-ring construction,” he says, “and since we have a long history with belt-drive systems, we are using rubber that has a higher silicone value, so they will last very long. But if something were to happen, it’s also easy to swap out.”

The Reference Jubilee can be purchased without tonearm or cartridge (£17,500, A$30,499), with a Clearaudio pivoted arm (seemingly the default system in the US, at $30,000), or with a tangential arm (A$44,999 in Australia, including cartridge). 

We presumed that Suchy would pick the tangential arm by preference, and we were right.  

“Tangential tonearms are by nature theoretically the better solution,” he confirms. “I would always prefer it in my playback system. But historically they haven’t been ‘in vogue’, and we have concentrated on higher-end tangential tonearms, where we have created trouble-free designs. But of course then these are not for everybody‘s budget, which is sad.”

The acrylic plinth of the original Reference has gone, replaced by one of Clearaudio’s secret weapons: Delignit Panzerholz. This is made by bonding beech hardwood veneers with phenolic resin and then ‘densifying’ the panel. Turntable aficionados will note the phenolic resin as much used by another turntable company, Rega, whose Roy Gandy cannot complete a turntable without a few ladles of phenolic resin in there somewhere. 

By ‘densifying’ the hardwood and resin, they mean compressing it down to just half its original thickness under massive pressure. 

The result is so dense that it’s bulletproof, and the official specs sheet of Panzerholz even goes so far as to assure us that 35mm thickness is enough to protect against a DM51 hand grenade with an amplified explosive charge at 5cm distance. (You can build a whole house out of Panzerholz panels should you be particularly worried about your neighbours.) 

In turntable terms, it’s the density and rigidity of the material which does the job: Penzerholz beats aluminium for acoustic damping and much else. And for good measure, the Reference Jubilee laminates the Panzerholz to aluminium. So why, we asked, are the two combined? 

“There are some secrets which we have discovered during our long history in designing analogue products,” says Suchy, “and some of these are related to the right material combinations, as well as shaping. The Reference Jubilee is such a creation!”

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Other creations

Such a creation indeed. Clearaudio has a good many of them, most famous of which is perhaps that Statement turntable above, currently available from £136,500 / AU$226,999), described by no lesser authority than Australian Hi-Fi's Greg Borrowman as “without any shadow of a doubt the finest turntable in the world” (though we aren’t sure when he said that).

Unless you’re considering playback using a Neumann cutting lathe, he might also have called it the heaviest turntable in the world, given that the Statement weighs in at 350kg – without a tonearm.

The original Statement turntable arrived in 2004, a year after the iconic  ‘Goldfinger’ moving-coil cartridge (above). It’s aptly named, housed in a 14-karat gold body, doubling up the number of magnets from the patented four to eight, for an even more homogenous flux field. 

As Suchy mentions in the rest of our interview (see below), that gives Clearaudio a virtuous circle: a better turntable enables better cartridge development, and vice versa. 

And with the big ‘50’ coming up for the company in 2028, we can safely assume that some junior technician in an Erlangen laboratory is currently fiddling with something that will eventually find its way to market as another patented Clearaudio wonder yet to come.

Bonus material

To put this article together we threw Robert Suchy a fair wealth of questions both general and technical, and many of his more specific answers are included in our main article. Here is some of the more general conversation. (Interview by Jez Ford.)

AUDIO ESOTERICA: Congratulations on Clearaudio’s 45 years! With you as one of three next-generation siblings in the business, Clearaudio is the very definition of a family firm – is that something that can be maintained in today’s corporate world? Do you have grandchildren in training already?

ROBERT SUCHY: Thank you very much! Yes, 45 years can be considered something special in this day and age, I would say. Since we, the three children, Veronika, Patrick and Robert, took complete operational responsibility more than 15 years ago, we’ve maintained the company’s heritage quite well, we think, and have established our products and quality in the high-end industry.

As for ‘The Next Generation’ – which will be the company’s third – they are still in school and will need more training! So while we can not say the future is secured, we are certainly working on it. For sure, they live – and they are listening to vinyl!

AE: How important to the company are reference products like the Statement and the Goldfinger?

RS: For us these products are like the Maybach Series for Mercedes. We can show what we are capable of in terms of technical solutions and build quality or design concepts. And as with Formula 1, there are always some ideas which can be trickled down into other product series. So our other product ranges benefit from these statement products as well.

AE: Have better cartridges driven you to develop better arms and turntables, or the other way around?

RS: Yes, both! When you’re always looking for where and how improvements can be made, you need better and better equipment in order to reach new levels. I would call it a process of natural evolution, since humans always want to improve our nature…

AE: One of my favourite Clearaudio ideas was the ‘Absolute Phono’ concept in 2014, which put a tiny preamplifier in the headshell itself. It seems such a great idea, why isn’t it more common? 

RS: Well, technically it is a challenge, and that is giving it a higher price tag, which limits the product in terms of marketing and sales. Sometimes products are too early in the market or too late… I think here we might have been too early!

AE: Migrant waves, pandemic, the Ukraine effect – how has the company been affected by recent times?

RS: During difficult times, you need to concentrate on your core business, and to realise that in such times you need to be creative, maybe reorganise something in your organisation. This is positive, as you should never stand still.

I think we have been blessed in this regard, actually, as we see challenges as a positive; they make us stronger as a company and as a family.

AE: I couldn’t find much information on your music division – can you tell us a little about that? It’s always good to see a hi-fi company with a music division!

RS: This was originally a result of the digital CD coming onto the market in 1985. So we started around 1989 to print and press vinyl with our own label ‘clearaudio Music’, when the majors were already pushing records out of the stores. The idea was to keep them available for fans of analogue music. 

AE: Well that seems to have worked well, with so many vinyl fans new and old. You must have watched the revival of vinyl in the last 15 years with delight?

RS: This is a very nice outcome for us, of course, especially as this would seem to indicate that quality will always survive. We want to keep it that way. As for the music production, we still retain this and today we are into reissues and own productions. Not on a big scale, but it’s part of our love for the music and the pleasure it brings. 

• See all What Hi-Fi? reviews of Clearaudio products

• See all our Australian product review from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines

In its 50th-anniversary year, Linn has lifted the lid on a new flagship speaker which it says produces the lowest-ever levels of audible distortion of any Linn speaker past and present. Say hello to the Linn 360 (and look, not a quirky 'k' in the product name in sight!)

“It is without a doubt the finest loudspeaker we have ever made,” says Linn CEO Gilad Tiefenbrun, “streets ahead of our previous benchmark.” 

This, the Scottish company says, has been achieved by developing new “everything”, from a new cabinet to new drive units.

The latter sees a 19mm Beryllium dome tweeter married with a woven carbon fibre midrange cone, both of which Linn says have been manipulated so that the distortion they inherently produce is pushed above what is audible by the human ear. Bass frequencies are delivered by both upper and lower aluminium-magnesium alloy bass drive units, with the pair of lower bass drivers able to produce greater range as well as more than double the excursion than Linn’s previous maximum.

Linn says that bass reproduction has been further improved thanks to its built-from-the-ground-up Power DAC technology, which combines digital-to-analogue conversion and amplification in one stage, consequently extending the digital path and reducing loss.

In addition to implementing Linn’s digital wizard Exakt system and Space Optimisation room correction technology too, the 360 speakers also introduce the company’s latest amplifier technology, Adaptive Bias Control, which works in real-time to eliminate distortion from the amps to ensure optimum performance.

The curvaceousness of the front baffle alongside the flushed placement of the drive units and a concentric arc, waveguide-incorporating surround trim have been chosen for optimum dispersion in every direction – perhaps hence the speakers' name.

The shapely cabinet, which is built up from “scrupulously folded” 3D laminates and accommodates a front baffle that reaches right around either side of the speaker, can be finished in one of five colours – Clyde Built (matte grey), Single Malt (amber) or Linn Heritage (gloss black) from The Glasgow Collection, or Piano Black or Alpine White from The Classic Collection.

Two versions of the 360 are available, too. The first is the Exakt Integrated variant (£87,500), which as you might guess houses all the crossover, DAC and amplification circuitry within the speaker, and is designed for use with a Linn DSM network player. The second, meanwhile, is the Passive with Aktiv Bass (£55,000), designed for use with a non-Linn amplifier or an all-external Linn Exakt system using Exaktbox.

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