The company has launched its own answer to the issue – a five-piece Dolby Atmos system in a box that connects to your projector via a single dongle. And, while this wireless solution is primarily designed to hook up to a projector, it can also be used with your TV.

So, can the Thunderbeat live up to its name and deliver a room-filling, emotion-inducing audio performance?

Price

The Valerion Thunderbeat 4.1.2 is available for £639 / $799 / AU$1799, placing it around the mid-range in the sound system category. For that price, you get four satellite speakers (two fronts and two rears) and a subwoofer.

There is also the option to add a wireless central speaker, taking the whole package up to £899 / $1098 / AU$1949. For reasons that will become clear soon, we recommend sticking to the cheaper option and leaving out the central speaker.

At this price, the system is up against soundbar-based Atmos systems such as the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 (£499 / $798 / AU$1199) and last year’s Samsung HW-Q990F (which you can consistently find for around £749 / $873 / AU$1395).

Design

As mentioned, the system is all connected via a compact dongle that fits into the palm of your hand. You can plug it into your TV or projector via HDMI eARC, making for an easy-to-connect system that doesn’t require a confusing jumble of wires to snake around your home. All you need to worry about is the power supply for each speaker.

The design of the speakers doesn’t feel particularly premium, instead taking a more basic approach. The black plastic boxes don’t feel as well-made as those of the Sony Theatre System 6, nor do they sport the more interesting angular build of the Samsung Q990F.

Inside each surround speaker is one 10cm full-range front-firing driver, an upfiring 50mm full-range driver, and a 38mm tweeter. Each speaker measures a reasonably large 23 x 14 x 13cm (hwd), and weighs 2kg.

The speakers can be wall-mounted or placed on floor stands, and we opt for the latter. The front speakers are best positioned either side of the TV, and we find that putting them as close to our TV screen as possible achieves the best combination of focus and openness.

The surrounds sit behind or to the sides of the listener, and angling them slightly towards us in our test room delivers the best performance.

Also included in the package is the subwoofer, which is relatively small and narrow. That means it can be placed fairly discreetly next to a wall if you are short on space. There is a single 16.5cm woofer inside, and it’s powered by 120W of amplification. As a package, Valerion claims the system delivers a total power output of 840W.

Features

The speakers are designed to automatically pair with the dongle, but we needed to manually pair one of the speakers to get the system working smoothly. Doing this is a fairly simple matter of temporarily connecting the speaker to the dongle via the USB cable.

Each piece of kit has a light to indicate if the system is fully connected. If you don’t want said lights to bother you while you’re watching movies, there is the option to dim them via the remote.

The system doesn’t feature wi-fi streaming, but you can connect to it via Bluetooth, which of course allows you to send any music you fancy from your phone and hear it through the Valerion speakers.

There is no companion app to control the system, so you must rely on the physical remote control, but this features a useful built-in screen on top to show your current selections. From here, you can control power and volume, EQ modes, and input.

There's no automatic, mic-based calibration, and manual adjustments are limited. You can adjust the system's bass and treble, and the volume of the surrounds in comparison with the fronts, but you can't adjust each speaker individually, and there’s no test tone for accurate manual calibration.

When most rivals offer generally pretty precise, automatic calibration, the lack of it here feels like an oversight.

In terms of surround sound support, the Valerion offers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Sound

Once we start listening to the Valerion Thunderbeat 4.1.2 system, we are met with a pleasant movie experience. There is a selection of sound modes to choose from, but after a good amount of testing, we opt for Movie mode, which delivers the best balance between openness and precision.

The sound is big and meaty. In Blade Runner 2049, as Officer K drives through the dystopian cityscape, the Valerion delivers the weight of the epic soundtrack, and there’s good tonal balance and integration.

But there’s not the big punch at the start of each note that we hear with rival systems, and the intricate details in the score are missing. The broad strokes are there, but the subtleties are not.

Later in the film when Ryan Gosling’s protagonist is interrogated, there is enough distinctive character to differentiate Officer K and the interviewer, but we have heard these voices delivered with greater subtlety by rival systems.

Other systems in the category such as the Bravia System 6 and the Q990F use their speakers to create a seamless, enveloping dome of sound around the listener. The Valerion system, on the other hand, feels more like four speakers that produce a much more localised performance.

When watching Top Gun: Maverick, as the titular pilot’s jet zooms from one side of the screen to the other, the sound fails to pan seamlessly. Surround effects aren't passed smoothly from one speaker to the next, and it does not deliver the immersive experience we are hoping for.

The speakers do render height effects fairly well when the plane heads to higher ground, but each channel produces something more akin to a pillar of sound than a section of a dome that fully encompasses the listener, which is what the best in this class can achieve.

We test out the system’s Mapping setting. This spreads the sound across the four speakers more evenly, delivering a wider soundfield but also sacrificing too much of the system’s sonic precision for our tastes.

When watching the genre-melding medley in Sinners, for example, the Mapping feature delivers a greater sense of scale as the camera swoops around the room, but the exactness of individual voices and instruments is less clear compared to when the feature is switched off.

The best rivals are able to combine scale and accuracy, but the Valerion forces you to choose one or the other, and we ultimately choose the latter and switch Mapping off. It’s simply too vague.

Big leaps in dynamics are handled well, though. Continuing with Sinners, as a snake appears suddenly in front of the Smoke and Stack twins, the jump from ominously quiet to a loud screech is portrayed effectively.

But more subtle or gradual dynamic changes are handled with less skill. When the villainous vampire Remmick sings Rocky Road To Dublin with his new troupe, the build-up in dynamics is not delivered with much tension and so does not feel as exciting as it should.

When playing music, we recommend, perhaps predictably, the Valerion’s Music preset. This narrows the sound and makes it more direct, and the mix shifts to all-channel stereo.

The bass is not as prevalent here as it is with movies, but it remains well balanced with the rest of the frequencies. There still isn't enough punchiness with each beat, though, and it is not the most rhythmic system we have heard.

When playing Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles, the start of the track is portrayed with a pleasing delicacy, but the build to the chorus does not have the soft subtlety we are listening for. Styles’ vocals are clear in the mix, but there’s also a bit of sibilance that makes for a slightly distracting performance.

It’s worth noting that there is the option to upgrade the Valerion system to a 5.1.2-channel configuration with a centre speaker. This seems appealing on paper, but this centre speaker is a significant sonic mismatch with the system’s other speakers. There’s a noticeable shift in both character and quality as audio moves from one of the front satellites to the centre, which is harsher, less dynamic and less detailed.

Considering how much of a movie’s sound is mixed for the centre channel, including most of the all-important dialogue, it’s clear that adding this extra speaker is a net negative. We therefore chose to review the centre-less 4.1.2-channel system. It may not be perfect, but it is the Valerion at its best.

Verdict

The Valerion Thunderbeat 4.1.2 is an improvement on the majority of TV speakers and a pleasant performer overall. But there are more immersive, integrated Dolby Atmos sound systems on the market that you can get for the same (if not less) money.

In 2026, this ultimately feels like quite a basic solution in terms of both features and sound quality. It’s decent, but you can do better if you spend your money elsewhere.

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Features 4
• Design 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6

Read our Samsung HW-Q990F review

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

As much as we love a good soundbar, sometimes they won’t always cut it, especially for all-encompassing, cinema-style surround sound.

That’s where a 5.1 speaker system comes in. And we’ve got two premium speaker systems going up against each other – the Award-winning KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System, and the Fyne Audio F500e AV Pack 2.

The names may both be a mouthful, but that’s not all they have in common – both offer cinematic sound at similar price levels, and both are fronted by five-star stereo speakers that made waves in our hi-fi testing room: namely, the KEF Q Concerto Meta standmounts and the Award-winning Fyne Audio 501E floorstanding speakers.

But which speaker system comes out on top? There’s only one way to find out…

Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2 vs KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System: price

At the time of our review, KEF did not offer the Q Concerto Meta 5.1 as an all-in-one package, meaning you had to buy all the components separately at a total cost of £3146 / $4050 / AU$5650. This has since changed in the UK, and at the time of writing, the complete speaker system can be purchased for £2549 / $3,428.72 / AU$4,873.28.

However, as the KEF package uses standmount speakers for the front and rear, you’ll have to factor in the cost of speaker stands. KEF does offer the SQ1 stands at £275 / $400 / AU$450 per pair if you want a perfect match, which does drive up the cost substantially.

The Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2 comes in at £2500 when bought separately, but is also available as a package at Peter Tyson for £2249 (though somewhat confusingly, it’s listed as ‘Fyne Audio F501E 5.1 Speaker Package’). Note that there are only UK prices here, as certain components – namely the centre channel and subwoofer – don’t seem to be available in the US and Australia.

That puts the Fyne Audio AV Pack 2 as £300 (13 per cent) cheaper, and that’s before factoring in stand prices. We’ll have to see if the KEF’s performance justifies the higher cost, but it’s the Fyne Audio package that takes this round.

**Winner: Fyne Audio AV Pack 2**

Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2 vs KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System: build

We start with the KEF system, which is made up of the Q Concerto Meta standmounts, a pair of Q1 Meta bookshelf speakers, the Q6 centre channel and the Kube 12 MIE subwoofer. Looks can be subjective, but we found this to be a swooningly handsome system with a cohesive design language that matches nicely.

We reviewed the satin black finish, but the system is also available in satin white or walnut (the subwoofer is only available in black, however).

A slightly glossy surround to the Uni-Q driver array adds a nice sense of contrast, while the KEF tab at the top of each standmount speaker is a classy touch. A beautiful system all round.

The Fyne Audio system is made up of the F501E floorstanders, the F5E surround speakers, the F502E LCR centre speaker and the F3.10 subwoofer, and is what we’d describe as far more “functional”. The floorstanding speakers in particular look neat, and the black ash vinyl finish feels high-quality to the touch, but they don’t have the same allure as the trendy KEF speakers.

There’s only one finish, black ash vinyl, which looks smart enough, but doesn’t exude a luxurious feel like the KEF package.

You’ll also need to ensure you have ample space if you go for the Fyne set. The floorstanders measure in at a substantial 98 x 25 x 29cm (hwd). The Q Concerto Metas are 56cm shorter at 42 x 21 x 32cm, though once on a stand the two will likely be of a comparable height. The bookshelf speakers are a more similar size - the Fyne Audio F5E come in at 27 x 17 x 23cm, comparable to the KEF Q1 Meta speakers at 30 x 18 x 28cm.

Both have rather bulky centre channels – the Fyne F502E LCR centre speaker measures in at 25 x 68 x 25cm, while the KEF Q6 Meta comes in at a similar 21 x 63 x 30cm. The Fyne F502E is designed to be wall-mounted with screw hooks in the back and no attachable rubber feet, but this may lead to your TV or projector having to be placed quite high up to accommodate the speaker size.

When it comes to subwoofers, it’s the KEF model that starts to look a bit unwieldy – the Kube 12 MIE subwoofer measures in at 41 x 39 x 41cm, a tad larger than the F3.10 subwoofer at 34 x 41 x 39cm.

Overall, the exposed screws, basic styling and mismatch of speaker sizes can make the Fyne system look somewhat slapdash, unlike the sleeker and more uniform KEF speakers.

**Winner: KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System**

Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2 vs KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System: features

We’ll get into the details below, but the long and short of it is that these are two 5.1 systems, both with unique, impressive driver technology.

Fyne Audio’s IsoFlare point source driver array is front and centre in their F500 AV Pack 2 system, literally, but is also found in the surround speakers too. This proprietary driver, in which the tweeter sits in the throat of the mid/bass unit, has trickled down from Fyne’s higher-end models to this more affordable speaker range.

The F501E floorstanders sport a 2.5-way design, with a downward-firing port that utilises the company’s BassTrax Tractrix diffuser technology to deliver more uniform bass dispersion around your listening space. Each sports a 15cm multi-fibre mid/bass driver with a 25mm titanium dome compression tweeter, paired with a 15cm multi-fibre bass driver.

The Q Concerto Meta standmount speakers, on the other hand, are packed with KEF’s proprietary driver technology to maximise sound quality and minimise unwanted distortion.

They feature a three-way bass reflex design, and each unit features KEF’s 12th Generation Uni-Q driver array, which combines a 10cm aluminium midrange driver, a 19mm vented aluminium dome tweeter and the company’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT).

The Uni-Q arrangement is backed up by a 16.5cm hybrid cone bass driver, and a rear-firing port is used to tune the lower frequencies. The bass driver cones are constructed with an aluminium skin layered over paper and feature a shallow concave design, which enhances rigidity and dampening, resulting in “improved punch and definition” as we found in our KEF Q Concerto Meta review.

The Fyne Audio F5E surround speakers feature a two-way design, with a 125mm IsoFlare, multi-fibre mid/bass driver and a 19mm titanium dome compression tweeter. Like their floorstanding counterparts, these bookshelf speakers also have a downward-firing port with Fyne Audio’s BassTrax Tractix diffuser.

To compare, KEF’s surround speakers, the Q1 Meta, could be considered the baby brothers of the Q Concertos. They drop the bass driver and feature a two-way bass reflex design, but also feature a slightly larger 12th Generation Uni-Q array comprising a 25mm vented aluminium dome tweeter with MAT, and a 130mm aluminium cone for mid/bass purposes.

The F502E LCR, the centre channel of the Fyne Audio package, sports a 2.5-way design with a 200mm IsoFlare multi-fibre mid/bass driver with a 25mm titanium dome compression tweeter, flanked by electromagnetically damped 20cm bass and 20cm ABR drivers.

KEF’s centre channel, the Q6 Meta, features the same Uni-Q array as the Q Concerto speakers, though it’s sandwiched between two of the same bass drivers from the front speakers.

Rounding things out with the subwoofers, the Fyne Audio F3.10 subwoofer pairs a 25cm woofer with 450W of amplification and a down-firing low-turbulence port. The KEF Kube 12 MIE powered subwoofer, on the other hand, is a 12-inch front-firing subwoofer powered by 300W of Class D amplification.

The Kube 12 is also housed in a sealed cabinet design for greater placement flexibility and includes a room position EQ switch on the rear to change the sound depending on whether you have the subwoofer placed in the corner, out in the room, or in a cabinet.

**Winner: Draw**

Fyne Audio F500e AV Pack 2 vs KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System: sound

With both systems fronted by five-star hi-fi speakers – namely the Fyne Audio F501E and the KEF Q Concerto Meta – our hopes were rather high.

We tested both systems with the same scene from Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, and both rewarded us with a serious dose of punch.

The Fyne speaker system soon proved itself to be a big proponent of immense cinematic scale, reinforcing the punch with bold and dramatic dynamic shifts. Detail isn’t sacrificed as a result, however, with the F501E floorstanders in particular offering plenty of crispness and clarity.

Not to be outdone, the KEF system also offers plenty of muscle, with an explosion at the start of the scene delivering a gut-punch of low end from the subwoofer. The system is agile, however, remaining fully in control while delivering a powerful and dynamic low-end kick.

The scene also reveals just how talented the KEF system’s centre channel is. A hushed conversation between Yelena and Bob results in a supremely natural and realistic representation of voices with excellent projection, which is aided by how forthright and crisp this centre channel sounds.

Despite this, the centre channel remains well integrated into the system as a whole. The left, right and centre speakers mesh seamlessly, and these in turn gel with the surrounds, leaving no noticeable gaps in between the channels.

Moving to the Matera chase scene in No Time To Die, and the Fyne system nails the “surround” aspect of “surround sound”. We’re immediately placed into the centre of the action as Bond evades henchmen in 4x4s and on motorcycles, with effects passing around our seating position and towards the surround speakers with solid accuracy and fluidity.

The KEF system too delivers an impressively coherent display of surround sound, again placing us in the centre of the action as bullets clatter against the bulletproof glass of the Aston Martin DB5. The metallic clinking of bullet casings hitting the ground and the sparkle of fragmenting glass are layered, dynamic and detailed in all of the ways we’d hope, which helps to raise tension and excitement within this sequence.

What’s particularly impressive about the KEF system, however, is how integrated the system is as a whole, with all the speakers meshing together seamlessly and leaving no noticeable gaps in between channels. Despite the Q1 Meta rear speakers being smaller than the Q Concerto Metas at the front of this system, there’s no noticeable tonal dissonance or any sacrifice in scale between the front section and the surrounds.

Which is more than can be said for the Fyne system. As impressive as the surround effect is, it also reveals the biggest drawback of the system: a lack of cohesion when it comes to the sonic character of each component.

This is felt most by the centre speaker – the F502E LCR can sound soft and less defined in comparison with the clean, clear and engaging sound of the F501E floorstanders. The centre speaker does sound better when placed against a wall, but even then voices lack purity and can sound somewhat recessed.

To top it all off, the cohesion problems don’t end there – there’s a slight sonic mismatch with the F5E surround speakers too.

This is more evident when we listen to the KEF and Fyne systems back-to-back, which only serves to highlight the KEF’s stellar sonic cohesion across its respective components. It also reveals how much more agile and precise the sound from the KEF speakers is too, whereas the Fyne package prioritises scale and cinematic punch at the expense of some dexterity.

The Fyne F500E package will have its fans, as it proved to be an exciting and engaging surround sound system with a sheer magnitude that we can’t help but admire. But its disappointing centre channel holds it back, and the KEF Q Concerto Meta system offers a bit more cinematic subtlety.

**Winner: KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System**

Fyne Audio F500e AV Pack 2 vs KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System: verdict

What we have here are two talented 5.1 systems, both fronted by five-star stereo speakers that went down very well in our hi-fi test room. The difference is that the other speakers drag the package down in the case of the Fyne – the F501E front speakers are detailed, crisp and revealing, but there’s a slight sonic mismatch with the F5E surrounds and even more so with the bulky, soft centre channel.

There’s still plenty to like in the Fyne package’s bold delivery, however, and anyone who favours big, punchy and broad cinematic sound will find themselves right at home – it just falls short of true greatness.

The KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1, however, has no such problems when it comes to sonic cohesion. To put it bluntly, the system reminds us why we love proper surround-sound systems so much, and it looks good while doing so.

**Overall winner: KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System**

MORE:

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

Also consider the Q Acoustics 5040 5.1 Home Cinema

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

Building a genuinely cohesive home cinema system, though, is much harder.

The best packages don't constantly remind you which speaker is producing which effect or draw attention to individual sonic fireworks. Instead, they disappear entirely, transporting you into the world of the movie with such convincing scale and cohesion that you stop thinking about the equipment and simply enjoy what you're watching.

On paper, KEF's R Meta 5.1 speaker system certainly has all the ingredients required to achieve that lofty goal. The question is whether, together, they amount to something even greater than the sum of their already rather impressive parts.

Price

Those ‘ingredients’ are a pair of R7 Meta floorstanders on front left and right duties, two (five-star) R3 Meta standmounters as surrounds, an R6 centre speaker, and the unusually compact KC92 subwoofer.

At the time of writing, these speakers aren’t available as a pre-packaged system, though that may soon change. In the meantime, the cost of building the system with the separate speakers is £10,499 / $13,200 / AU$19,400.

That’s a hefty chunk of change, no doubt, and you can take things further by adding R8 Meta Dolby Atmos ‘toppers’, should you so wish, at £1500 / $1800 / AU$2800 per pair.

Design

This is an unapologetically substantial package. Even before you've wrestled the hefty R7 Meta floorstanders into position, it's clear that this isn't a surround system designed to disappear into your living room.

The R3 Meta are generously proportioned by standmounter standards, too, while the R6 Meta is a particularly large centre speaker – one clearly designed to prioritise acoustic performance over blending discreetly beneath your TV.

Despite the varying sizes, there's an aesthetically pleasing sense of consistency across the range. The speakers all share the same understated, clean-lined design language, with KEF's distinctive Uni-Q driver array taking pride of place on each model.

Rather than feeling like a collection of separate products assembled into a surround package, the R Meta speakers immediately look like members of the same family, giving the impression of a system that has been designed as a whole rather than assembled from individual parts.

The KC92 subwoofer, though, initially looks like the odd one out. It's a surprisingly compact cube sitting alongside such substantial floorstanders, and its neatly integrated side-firing drivers make it appear smaller than a high-end subwoofer has any right to.

That compactness is entirely deliberate, however. The force-cancelling driver arrangement allows KEF to keep the cabinet remarkably small while apparently reducing unwanted vibrations, and those wanting even greater low-frequency output can simply add more KC92s. KEF will even sell you a bracket that lets you stack them into a rather awesome-looking tower of bass.

Our review package arrived in a high-gloss black finish that looks suitably Darth Vader-like but quickly attracts fingerprints. The speakers are also available in white and walnut, but the KC92 doesn’t get the walnut finish. Slightly disappointingly, the gorgeous indigo gloss in which you can buy the R3 Meta standmounters isn’t available for the rest of the system.

Whichever finish you choose, though, build quality throughout is excellent. From the reassuring solidity of the cabinets to the immaculate fit and finish, every component feels worthy of a package costing comfortably north of £10,000.

Features

Much of the technology underpinning the R Meta series has trickled down from KEF's flagship Reference range, but perhaps the cleverest aspect of KEF's R Meta package is that, despite the differing sizes and roles of the individual speakers, the R7 Meta floorstanders, R3 Meta surrounds and R6 Meta centre all share exactly the same drive units.

Each speaker features KEF's 12th-generation Uni-Q array, combining a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter and 125mm midrange driver into a single point-source unit, alongside identical 165mm hybrid aluminium bass drivers. The only real difference is how many bass drivers each speaker employs – two in the centre and each of the floorstanders, and one in each of the standmounters.

The Uni-Q array has long been one of KEF's defining technologies. By placing the tweeter at the acoustic centre of the midrange driver, the company aims to create more even sound dispersion and improve the integration between frequencies.

It's also impossible to ignore the distinctive Tangerine waveguide sitting proudly in front of the tweeter. While it gives KEF’s speakers their instantly recognisable appearance, it's there for more than cosmetic reasons, helping to control the tweeter's dispersion for a more consistent high-frequency response across a wider listening area.

Backing up the Uni-Q array is KEF's Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). Mounted behind the tweeter, this maze-like absorber is designed to eliminate almost all of the unwanted sound radiating from the rear of the driver before it has a chance to colour the performance, helping to produce cleaner, more natural treble.

The KC92 subwoofer, meanwhile, takes a similarly clever approach to solving a different problem.

Rather than relying on a large cabinet to produce serious low-frequency output, it packs two opposing 9-inch drivers into a remarkably compact enclosure, with each driven by its own 500W Class D amplifier. The force-cancelling arrangement is designed to reduce unwanted cabinet vibrations while allowing the subwoofer to remain unusually discreet.

Practicality has clearly been a consideration, too. All three main speakers feature twin sets of binding posts for those wanting to bi-wire or bi-amp, but KEF has dispensed with the fiddly metal bridging plates traditionally used to connect terminals for single-wire use. Instead, a pair of rotary links simply twists to join the terminals inside the speakers. Neat.

The R7 Meta and R3 Meta also feature rear-firing bass reflex ports, with KEF supplying foam bungs should you need to position them close to a rear wall. It’s still worth avoiding the bungs and giving the speakers a bit of breathing space away from walls if you can, but they’re otherwise very forgiving over placement, not least thanks to the Uni-Q driver array’s dispersion characteristics.

Sound

We already know what accomplished musical performers the R3 Meta standmounters are, but how do the fronts of this system, the R7 Meta floorstanders, handle hi-fi duties? With effortless sophistication, that’s how.

Fed track after track, they sound clean, composed and wonderfully controlled, with an expansive soundstage and an ability to unpick complex recordings without ever becoming analytical. Tori Amos' Cornflake Girl for example, is reproduced with impressive subtlety, her voice locked firmly between the speakers while the piano, percussion and bass each occupy their own clearly defined space.

It is possible for that polished presentation to become almost too civilised, though. During our initial listening with our Marantz Cinema 30, Tool's The Pot lacks a little of the visceral snap and attack we'd hoped for, while John Williams' Jurassic Park theme feels fractionally more restrained than it should.

However, swapping to the Denon AVC-A1H transforms matters, bringing greater drive and energy without sacrificing the refinement that makes these speakers so easy to listen to. Prospective buyers would do well to partner them with an amplifier that shares their considerable talents without doubling down on their composure.

Once we turn our attention to movies, it quickly becomes apparent that this isn't merely an excellent collection of speakers; it's a genuinely cohesive surround package. As effects move around the room, you're rarely conscious of which individual speaker is producing them. Instead, sounds travel with remarkable continuity, each cabinet handing seamlessly to the next until the speakers themselves almost disappear from the experience.

That cohesion is accompanied by an immense sense of scale. The opening race sequence in F1: The Movie fills our listening room with the deafening roar of engines and screeching tyres, yet never descends into chaos. The R6 Meta centre anchors dialogue securely amid the mayhem, while the front soundstage stretches confidently beyond the physical positions of the speakers.

Ambient effects spread throughout the room with such conviction that, despite this being a conventional 5.1 package, we rarely find ourselves wishing for dedicated height channels. It can't produce truly discrete overhead effects in the manner of a Dolby Atmos system, of course, but it creates such an enveloping, three-dimensional soundfield that the absence of ceiling or up-firing speakers rarely feels like a compromise.

That ability to immerse without drawing attention to itself proves equally captivating in Blade Runner 2049. The haunting ambience of the abandoned Las Vegas sequences extends effortlessly into every corner of the room, while the thunderous score is delivered with breathtaking scale and authority.

Despite the sheer size of the presentation, however, subtle details are never drowned out. The package remains wonderfully composed, allowing tiny atmospheric cues to coexist naturally alongside seismic low-frequency effects.

The KC92 deserves special praise. If your priority is sheer low frequency extension, there are physically larger subwoofers that will dig deeper, but what the compact KEF lacks in outright depth, it more than compensates for with speed, precision and tonal sophistication.

Bass notes start and stop with remarkable precision, textures remain easy to discern and, perhaps most importantly, the KC92 never sounds like a separate component. Whether underpinning the rumble of an F1 car, the immense organ notes of Interstellar or the ominous low-frequency pulses of Blade Runner 2049, it simply feels like an extension of the main speakers.

Compared with our reference PMC Twenty5.23 speaker package, the KEFs make for a fascinating contrast.

The PMCs remain the more energetic and revealing performers, extracting the finest details from recordings and delivering dynamic shifts with greater urgency and attack, but the KEFs counter with a presentation that's more effortless, more spacious and ultimately more cohesive. They don't simply place effects accurately around the room; they create an enormous, unified soundstage that encourages you to forget about the individual speakers altogether and become absorbed in the performance.

And that's ultimately this package's greatest achievement. Plenty of surround systems impress by throwing effects around the room or bombarding you with bass, but the KEFs never feel as though they're trying to show off.

Instead, they rather dissolve into the background, leaving only the sonic world of the movie you’re watching. That’s why we find ourselves still watching films long after our official testing is complete.

Verdict

The R Meta 5.1 package is beautifully engineered, immaculately built and packed with clever technology, but it's the effortless cohesion with which those individual elements come together that makes it so special.

Whether it's the seamless handover of effects between speakers, the KC92's astonishingly well-integrated bass or the vast, enveloping soundstage, every aspect of the system works towards a single goal: drawing you deeper into whatever you’re watching.

It's not entirely perfect. The R7 Meta floorstanders reward careful amplifier matching if you don't want them to sound a little too easy-going, and there are larger subwoofers capable of plumbing even greater depths. Neither ‘flaw’ significantly detracts from the overall experience, though.

Instead, the KEFs deliver one of the most immersive, refined and convincing surround performances we've heard at this level. This is a package that consistently prioritises the film over the fireworks, and that's precisely why it succeeds so brilliantly.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Design 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Fyne Audio F8SP AV

Also consider the PMC Twenty5.23 5.1

Read our KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System review

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

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

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

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

Price

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

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

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

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

Build & design

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

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

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

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

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

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

Features

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

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

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

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

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

Sound

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verdict

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

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 4
• Build 5

MORE:

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

Also consider the Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2

Read our Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Home Cinema Pack review

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

It is set to be a “comprehensive reinvention” of the previous generation – the Radius Series 3G. Monitor Audio is making some strong claims with the new trio, saying that the technology has been developed to “raise the performance benchmark of the compact speaker category”.

You can use them as a multi-speaker system for both hi-fi and home cinema set-ups, and with the option of a multi-room configuration.

Under the hood, the brand is employing C-CAM (Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium) cone technology with the driver design. Monitor Audio says this is more rigid and lightweight than conventional cone materials so it can deliver “impressive levels of fidelity”.

This is the fourth generation of the tech, and is employing RST III (Rigid Surface Technology) cone geometry that reduces resonances across the frequency range for a more accurate sound, according to Monitor Audio.

On top of that, the redesigned Gold Dome tweeter uses an external magnet motor system that the brand says acts more as a full drive unit rather than a traditional internal puck magnet.

You will also find Monitor Audio’s HiVe II (High-Velocity II) port design, which “supports smooth airflow and delivers tighter, more controlled bass performance”.

There is a range of add-ons on offer as well. That includes a Radius Floor Stand (£300 / $395) which features “wooden tripod legs for a modern aesthetic”, and a Desk Pad (£30 / $40) to offer a “stable platform with a subtle upward tilt”.

So, how much will the Radius speakers cost? The Radius 1 and Radius 3 will cost £425 / $525 and £575 / $725 per pair, respectively. The Radius On-Wall speaker will set you back a further £450 / $525.

Plenty of Monitor Audio’s speakers have received glowing reviews in our test room, from the Studio 89 stereo speakers to the Bronze 50 7G standmounts, both of which earned five stars. We will have to wait until we hear the Radius 4G Series in our test room, but the brand’s strong speaker history and versatile design make us hopeful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

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Designed as a modular, multi-speaker home cinema platform, it pairs a flagship soundbar with wireless surrounds and a subwoofer to create a premium, stylish Dolby Atmos system that’s every bit as ambitious as its benchmark rival.

But LG is also bringing something genuinely new to the table in the form of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, a technology designed to adapt to your room to a degree hitherto unseen.

It’s a bold move, but you know what they say about taking a shot at the king…

Price

LG refers to the Sound Suite configuration that we’re looking at as the Immersive Suite 7 Pro. It includes the H7 soundbar (which we have a separate review of), W7 subwoofer and two M7 speakers.

While bundle discounts feel likely in the future, buying the Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro as a package doesn’t currently confer a special price, so you still need to pay the full amount for the H7 (£900 / $1000), W7 (£600 / $600) and M7s (£400 / $400 per speaker), resulting in a full system price of £2300 / $2400 (Aussie pricing hasn’t yet been announced).

There’s an obvious rival here, in the form of the Sonos Premium Immersive Set With Arc Ultra, which consists of an Arc Ultra (£999 / $1099), Sub 4 (£799 / $899) and two Era 300s (£449 / $479 per speaker).

But while the cost of the separate components is higher if you go with Sonos, there are bundle discounts available that mean the full system currently costs a Sound Suite-beating £2086 / $2311.

That said, the pricing is close enough for these two systems to be considered in very much the same ballpark.

Design

This is a very smart-looking system.

The Sound Suite H7 soundbar is svelte and solid, with a low profile that won’t obstruct the bottom of many TVs and a lovely little display that clearly indicates the format of what’s being played but automatically dims after a set time so as not to distract from what you’re watching.

The mesh cover and metal trim give the H7 a premium look, and the raised icon buttons on the top are easy to find in the dark, should you need to.

The subwoofer and M7 speakers aren’t quite as weighty or solid-feeling as the bar (or their Sonos equivalents), but they are much larger than they look on paper, giving the system a substantial but stylish overall appearance.

It’s possible to wall-mount the soundbar and the surround speakers, and the subwoofer’s relatively slim design and flat back mean it can be positioned neatly against a wall.

The sub can even be laid flat if you prefer, and we can see some people choosing to slide it under their sofa. We find that subwoofers generally perform better when they have room to breathe than when they’re firing bassy frequencies straight up your bottom, but each to their own.

There’s some rather snazzy lighting towards the bottom edges of the soundbar and surrounds, and this can be customised in terms of both brightness and colour. You have a full palette to play with, which is pretty neat if you like that sort of thing (we do).

Features

This is one heck of a speaker-packed system. The H7 soundbar alone features eight full-range drivers (three in the front, three in the top and one in each end), four woofers (all up-firing) and eight passive radiators, which are both front and rear facing.

These work with clever processing (the bar features the same Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor as LG’s 2026 flagship TVs) to produce what the firm refers to as a 9.1.6-channel soundfield.

Each M7 speaker has three 38mm full-range drivers (two front-facing and one up-firing) and a woofer of its own, while the W7 sub boasts a 20cm driver that LG claims can deliver bass as deep as 25.9Hz.

When combined, this amounts to a 21-speaker system. Not enough for you? The Sound Suite system can accommodate up to two further speakers (either more M7s or smaller M5s), and your TV’s speakers, if said TV is a C5, G5, or one of its newer sets.

Arguably, the most interesting thing about the system, though, is the technology it uses to get these drivers working together to produce home cinema sound.

That technology is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, so called because of the way it can flexibly accommodate less-than-ideal speaker placement. We’ll get to the effectiveness of this in the sound section, below (spoiler alert: it’s pretty flipping effective).

LG has worked closely with Dolby on Sound Suite, to the extent that this is the first family of products to support FlexConnect, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that DTS:X is not supported on top of Dolby Atmos.

Getting sound into the system is simple enough, but there is one obvious disappointment: there’s no dedicated HDMI input. Instead, you are expected to run any external sources into your TV first, and then back out of your TV and into the soundbar via eARC.

That’s neat, simple, and pretty common, even in soundbars at this level (the Sonos Arc Ultra is another offender), but it still isn’t welcome, and there are rivals that offer one (or more!) HDMI inputs and even full support for passthrough of 4K/120Hz signals.

Interestingly, this is also the first soundbar we can recall testing that has dropped the legacy optical connection. One suspects that very few people use the optical connection of a Dolby Atmos soundbar, not least because it lacks the ability to actually handle Dolby Atmos, but its lack here feels noteworthy nonetheless.

There are wireless ways to send music to Sound Suite, of course, including Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect.

Control is primarily handled via LG’s ThinQ app, which is broadly good but could be a little slicker in its handling of the Sound Suite system.

Getting everything connected to wi-fi proves more fiddly than it should, for instance. Each component has to be added individually, and for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, you must input your wi-fi password separately for each product rather than simply entering it once for the whole system.

The subwoofer, meanwhile, is added via a slightly different process to the soundbar and speakers, which adds to the sense that things could be more streamlined.

Once connected, the app is reasonably well laid out, and mercifully, Sound Suite doesn’t have dozens of baffling sound modes to wade through. Instead, there are just five presets (which LG slightly confusingly refers to as ‘Sound Effects’): AI Sound Pro+, Standard, Clear Voice Pro+, Bass Boost and Custom EQ.

Standard is the mode you’ll likely settle on (as discussed in the Sound section), while Clear Voice Pro+ is essentially a dialogue enhancer for those struggling with intelligibility. Bass Boost feels unnecessary given the system’s already generous low-end output, and the Custom EQ – which offers full manual adjustment – is best approached with caution unless you’re confident in what you’re doing.

AI Sound Pro+ is the most interesting of the presets, automatically analysing what you’re watching and adjusting the presentation accordingly. It also engages the AI Upmix feature, which converts incoming audio into a virtual 9.1.4-channel presentation. AI Upmix can be activated independently, but it cannot be disabled while AI Sound Pro+ is selected.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect calibration is pleasingly swift. The system quickly assesses speaker positions and, assuming the master volume isn’t set too low, does a solid job of mapping the room.

Some aspects of the process feel slightly old-fashioned, though – notably the requirement to manually measure and input the distance between the soundbar and your listening position. Calibration is also carried out at the system’s current volume level, rather than an LG-defined volume that provides the best results, which seems a little unhelpful.

Within the Sound Settings menu you can trim the levels of the Subwoofer, Centre, Overhead and Side channels individually. There are also toggles for Dynamic Range Control and Auto Volume, though neither should be necessary in most set-ups (there’s a separate Night mode for those looking to temporarily reduce dynamics and bass weight). A separate Tone Settings menu allows independent adjustment of treble, mid and bass levels, providing additional scope for fine-tuning.

One particularly neat feature is the ‘Set Position’ button, which uses the FlexConnect technology to refocus the soundfield towards a different seating position at the press of a button. More on this below.

The app also allows you to assign a function to the heart-shaped shortcut button on the remote, though at present the options are limited to launching a specific internet radio station or Spotify playlist.

As hinted at, unlike the Sonos system, LG Sound Suite can also be operated via remote control, and a serviceable handset is included in the box with the H7 soundbar. It feels fairly light and plasticky, but the buttons are clearly labelled and logically arranged. Volume and input selection are easy to access, and the dedicated AI Sound mode button makes it simple to experiment with presets.

The absence of a dedicated Night Mode button, however, is a bit disappointing, as this is exactly the sort of feature you might want to engage quickly without having to dig into menus or reach for your phone.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the audio performance, it’s worth flagging that we did encounter some bugs during our week of testing the Sound Suite system.

Wi-fi connectivity proved temperamental at times, with certain components refusing to join the network on the first attempt and requiring multiple set-up passes through the app.

More concerning was an intermittent volume-control issue. On one occasion, the system powered on at an extremely high volume level – seemingly at or close to maximum – despite having previously been set much lower. The remote’s volume buttons reduced the volume number shown on the soundbar’s display, but the actual output didn’t change. The app, meanwhile, reported the volume as being set far lower than what we were hearing. Only after adjusting the level within the app did the system respond properly. Not a pleasant experience.

At another point, the remote appeared to control only the soundbar itself rather than the system as a whole, and lowering the volume to zero would silence the bar but not the wireless speakers. Curiously, after fully unplugging and reconnecting the system during comparative testing, the issue disappeared and did not return.

These issues weren’t constant, and they will likely be addressed via future firmware updates – this is a brand-new system, after all – but they’re worth noting for anyone who’s planning to go early with a Sound Suite system.

Sound

Before diving into the LG Sound Suite system at its best, it’s worth addressing the AI sound modes – because, while they’re impressively bombastic, they’re not how this system performs at its most convincing.

The AI Upmix feature expands the soundstage and adds scale and weight, but it also exaggerates background sounds and lends dialogue an artificial, slightly echoey quality. Voices become less natural and less clearly defined, even as the overall presentation grows in size.

AI Sound Pro+ takes things further still by also boosting bass and upper frequencies to an extent that further exaggerates some of the system’s less positive sonic traits, such as its limited finesse and lack of midrange fullness. The result is undeniably big, but also aggressive and shouty.

Standard mode is therefore the only sensible option for serious listening. It’s in this setting that the LG system sounds most coherent, balanced and representative of its true character.

And there is plenty to like.

With Blade Runner 2049, the system immediately demonstrates one of its standout strengths: Dolby Atmos placement. The floating audio adverts are positioned with impressive precision, each inhabiting a clearly defined point in space, with one in particular hanging strikingly high and to the left.

During the baseline test, the interviewer is placed further back in the room, creating a tangible sense of depth and separation between him and K. Joi’s disembodied voice in K’s apartment is similarly well placed, helping to create an impressive sense of three-dimensional space.

In fact, the LG places lots of effects more dramatically than the Sonos Arc Ultra system, pushing sounds further along the ceiling and creating a slightly more exaggerated overhead bubble.

Scale is another clear strength. This is a genuinely room-filling system, capable of projecting effects confidently from front to back and floor to ceiling.

The opening race at Daytona in F1: The Movie is delivered with thrilling impact. The commentary floats high above the listening position, fireworks streak cleanly across the ceiling, and the crunching impacts as cars trade blows along the banked section land with satisfying force. The presentation is bold, expansive and undeniably cinematic.

Even the most complex Atmos moments are handled with notable composure. The large-scale musical sequence in Sinners, with its genre-hopping strands and swirling overhead effects, fills the room from every angle without collapsing into chaos. The tonal consistency between the H7 soundbar and the M7 speakers helps maintain cohesion as sounds sweep around the soundfield.

The Dolby Atmos FlexConnect feature also deserves credit. As mentioned, the calibration process is quick and, provided you don’t set the volume too low, pretty accurate in identifying the position of each speaker.

The app also allows you to shift the sweet spot with a tap of the ‘Set Position’ button, effectively refocusing the soundfield towards a different seat.

In practice, this works far better than expected. Within reason, the system does a convincing job of re-centring the presentation, so that even when we move to increasingly off-axis and unconventional seating positions, dialogue and key effects remain anchored, and the overhead layer still feels properly aligned.

FlexConnect is similarly effective at compensating for less-than-ideal speaker placement. While you inevitably lose some of the pinpoint surround-left and surround-right specificity when the M7 speakers aren’t optimally positioned, the system continues to fill the room convincingly and can still place effects impressively high above the listening position. If one speaker is well placed and the other isn’t, your ears are drawn to the imbalance surprisingly infrequently.

That said, FlexConnect can’t perform miracles. With all speakers clustered towards the front of the room, it can’t convincingly swing effects fully over and behind the seating position. The Atmos presentation remains surprisingly spacious, but there are physical limits to what digital processing can achieve.

In short, it’s still well worth taking the time to position the speakers as well as possible, but FlexConnect is more capable than it really has any right to be, and certainly the best technology of its type that we’ve heard.

Bass performance, too, is impressive in terms of depth and power. During the infamously challenging Chapter 2 of Blade Runner 2049, the W7 subwoofer digs deep and delivers substantial low-frequency weight without obvious distortion. There’s more outright heft here than from the Sonos system, and it lends action scenes and musical crescendos real physical presence.

However, once the initial spectacle subsides, the system’s limitations become more apparent.

Even after calibration, the balance feels slightly skewed, with the soundbar a touch recessed against the surrounds and the subwoofer proving slightly domineering.

Each channel can be manually trimmed, but achieving a truly natural balance proves difficult. We frequently find ourselves reducing the subwoofer level, as it can become overbearing, occasionally introducing a broad, slightly indistinct rumble rather than tightly controlled punch.

By comparison, the Sonos system deploys its bass with greater precision and control, delivering punch without the same sense of excess.

Dialogue is, unfortunately, where the LG is at its weakest. While not overtly harsh, voices lack warmth, richness and dynamic subtlety. In the Vegas penthouse scene between K and Deckard in Blade Runner 2049, Harrison Ford’s voice sounds breathier and less expressive than it should, and this is a recurring theme with everything we watch.

Through the LG, voices simply sound flatter and less expressive, with a faint raspiness and a touch of sibilance that becomes noticeable over time. Emotional inflections are missed, reducing the sense of intimacy.

Even in Standard mode, background elements can sit too far forward in the mix. As K walks through the precinct in Blade Runner 2049, for example, the ambient buzz and chatter draw attention away from the opening dialogue of the baseline test. The Sonos keeps those elements more firmly in the background, resulting in a cleaner, more focused presentation.

Similarly, in F1, while the LG delivers scale and impact in abundance, the Sonos sounds tighter and more composed, with a more precise beginning and end to each effect and commentary that feels more naturally integrated into the soundfield.

Music playback follows a similar pattern. In Standard mode (the AI processing is once again best avoided here), the LG is punchy, energetic and very bassy. Olivia Dean’s Nice To Each Other has plenty of drive and momentum, and the low end is pretty tuneful and rhythmic, if slightly overplayed. The system is certainly engaging, at least on a surface level.

But, disappointingly predictably, vocals lack warmth, texture and dynamic subtlety, sounding slightly raspy and inorganic. The Sonos delivers significantly greater clarity, expressive nuance and overall realism, drawing you closer to the performance. The LG, on the other hand, feels as though it’s putting a veil between you and the singer.

Also, while not bright, the Sound Suite’s treble is rather sibilant and insistent, drawing the ear in a faintly annoying way and distracting from the more important elements of a track. This issue manifests with pretty much everything we play: it’s in the steel strings of the acoustic guitar in Agape by Bear’s End, the hi-hat in Progress by Public Service Broadcasting, and the synthetic snaps and maracas in Waterbreathing by Che-Yung.

If you’re wondering to what extent the soundbar is dictating the system’s sonic character, it’s worth noting that the M7 speakers have very similar traits. Using one of them in isolation reveals the same punchy but somewhat aggressive and cold approach to sound.

This familial resemblance is what allows the Sound Suite system as a whole to reproduce those surround and Atmos effects so effectively, but it also reinforces the system’s slightly hard-edged presentation and makes the M7 a rather synthetic speaker in its own right. The Sonos Era 300 is a much more accomplished and musical standalone performer.

Verdict

LG’s Sound Suite is an ambitious and genuinely innovative attempt to take on Sonos at the top of the premium soundbar system tree.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect isn’t a gimmick – it’s an impressively effective technology that (in LG’s hands at least) delivers convincing height, scale and spatial precision even when speaker placement isn’t ideal.

And, at its best, Sound Suite is thrilling, producing a large, room-filling presentation with dramatic overhead effects and deep, powerful bass.

But while LG has nailed spectacle, it’s fallen short on subtlety. The overall balance tends towards the cold and slightly aggressive, with bass that can dominate and dialogue that lacks warmth, richness and expressive nuance.

If scale and flexibility are your priorities, Sound Suite impresses. For all-round sonic sophistication, though, it’s a fair way behind the best in class.

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Features 4
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the LG Sound Suite H7

Also consider the Sonos Arc Ultra

Read our Samsung HW-Q990F review

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

On that final point, I was particularly excited this week when a key piece of hardware I have long been waiting for arrived in the dungeon. To be precise, a next-generation wireless Dolby Atmos surround sound system with the firm’s swanky FlexConnect tech.

Editor’s Note: We can’t reveal which specific product, but I will be on hand, dishing out good Karma to any reader who successfully guesses which one it is.

What is Dolby FlexConnect, you ask? Well, eager beavers, it’s a cool, sort-of new technology that was unveiled by Dolby all the way back in 2023 at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin.

It may have been baking in the oven for quite a while now, but it still looks like a tasty treat that, if it delivers on the firm’s marketing claims, could make Atmos far more accessible, in two key ways.

First and foremost, it aims to do this by making Atmos a platform where you can mix and match speakers from different brands, or even use your TV’s speakers as a central channel in lieu of a soundbar, to make a wireless system.

So, in theory, if you had a mishmash of FlexConnect-compatible speakers from different manufacturers, you could turn them into a Frankenstein Dolby Atmos surround sound system.

We have covered why this makes us, as a team, nervous – you want speakers to have a complementary sonic character for decent results. And, because the system we have in our test room is from one manufacturer, I won’t be able to ascertain if those concerns are warranted yet.

The second benefit or the new tech, which in theory would also help with the above, is its claimed more accurate and powerful calibration powers. These are mainly being marketed as being designed to help systems, even those mixing speakers from different lines and companies, play nicely together.

But an equally important benefit of these set-up improvements is how they also aim to allow you place your speakers wherever you like, without destroying the cinematic experience.

I have highlighted before the difficulties many people will face getting a full-fat Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 system into their home (for optimal results, as is the case with any audio system, placement makes a big difference).

But the truth is, even a wireless soundbar system, which doesn’t have ceiling speakers, such as the Award-winning Samsung Q990F from last year, can be a struggle for many people.

This is because most “normal” living rooms aren’t laid out so that the satellite speakers can be placed in their optimal position (which is usually just behind the left and right sides of the intended viewing area/sofa). Many people place their sofa flush against a wall, of course. And even if they do have space behind it, they don’t have stands, or furniture naturally placed in the optimal position or at the right height for the rear left and right channels.

FlexConnect aims to fix this common problem by offering intelligent new “calibration” powers that will allow them to deliver a decent experience even with “unorthodox” positioning. And I mean unorthodox.

In FlexConnect’s marketing material, and based on the conversations I’ve had with companies, it is designed to work in extreme scenarios.

Extreme as in, for example, if the speakers are set at different heights and distances from the viewer. I’m talking the left channel being on a bookshelf nearly directly behind the sofa, with the right speaker set horizontally to it.

In my experience, no system, at least of the many I have helped test, sounds good in arrangements such as this – even the five-star products with excellent room correction powers.

So, momentarily putting aside the laws of physics, that’s a pretty bold claim. And it's definitely a major selling point for FlexConnect, if it works.

Which is why, as much as I’m excited to test a FlexConnect system in general, the first thing I’ll be doing when I get into the dungeon next week is playing a game of move the speaker. Then I can discover just how powerful the tech’s calibration and optimisation powers really are.

It’s going to be fun…

MORE:

These are the best surround sound systems we have tested

We rate the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Our picks of the best AVRs

It's a battle of the British hi-fi Titans today; and this time it's being fought on the home cinema battleground.

We are pitting two five-star 5.1 surround sound speaker packages against one another. Each is a fierce competitor – and a What Hi-Fi? Award-winners at that – but which one is worth your hard-earned cash?

In the KEF corner, we have the Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System, which combines the talents of the Q Concerto Meta standmount speakers, Q1 Meta bookshelf speakers, Q6 Meta centre channel, and Kube 12 MIE powered subwoofer.

And in the Bowers & Wilkins corner, it's the three-time Product of the Year winning 606 and 607 S3 Speaker Package. This includes the 606 S3 standmount speakers, 607 S3 standmount speakers, HTM6 S3 centre channel, and ASW610 subwoofer.

Both sound great, and they look good too, but which should take pride of place in your home cinema setup?

KEF vs Bowers & Wilkins: price

These two launched with a pretty significant price disparity, but the current-day story brings something of a plot twist.

When we reviewed each of these speaker packages, we found that neither was available to purchase at an all-in-one bundle price. This meant that we tested the KEF package at £3146 / $4050 / AU$5650, and the Bowers & Wilkins package at £2496 / $3799 / AU$3947 – those prices established by adding the cost of each component separately.

However, since we bestowed these systems with five-star reviews and various Awards, retailers have begun selling the packages as convenient bundles, with all components supplied together.

The Bowers & Wilkins system can now be found at a heavily discounted price of £1999 (at Sevenoaks Sound & Vision), whereas the KEF package is down to an all-in-one price of £2549.

It's worth noting that these systems don't seem to be sold in bundles outside the UK.

That still gives the Bowers & Wilkins system an edge in the pricing department; however, the KEF can be found at a much more comparable price than initially seemed likely.

**Winner: Bowers & Wilkins**

KEF vs Bowers & Wilkins: design

We won't beat around the bush here; there's one speaker package that we have been swooning over ever since it strutted into our home cinema testing room late last year.

The KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 package is a rather handsome set of speakers, especially in the all-black finish that adorns our review sample. The finish is good too; the whole system is furnished in solid-feeling wood cabinets and wrapped in quality vinyl.

This is the more expensive package of the two, but its more premium feel goes some way to justifying the extra outlay.

The Bowers & Wilkins package, on the other hand, still looks and feels rather nice and is plenty premium enough for the asking price. It looks suitably suave in all three of its available finishes; but the little touches make the KEF system the better-looking of the duo.

The top-mounted KEF tab on the front and surround speakers, paired with the fossil-like waveguide, Uni-Q driver array (more on that in a moment), and sharp lines, really seal the deal.

We should note that you will need to invest in appropriate speaker stands to accommodate either of these systems – unless you want to set them up at shin-height, which we wouldn't recommend.

**Winner: KEF**

KEF vs Bowers & Wilkins: features

Each brand features its own proprietary driver technology throughout their respective speaker packages.

KEF employs its Uni-Q driver array, which places the tweeter in the centre of the mid-range driver, and accompanies the company's “tangerine waveguide”, which supposedly removes the traditional “sweet-spot” position that is a common factor with other speakers, producing an overall wider dispersion of sound throughout your listening space.

This is backed up by the company's Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which is claimed to “absorb 99 per cent of the unwanted noise from the rear of the driver for pure and natural sound”, according to KEF.

Taking a closer look at each component, the Q Concerto Meta speakers feature a 10cm aluminium midrange driver combined with a 19mm vented aluminium dome tweeter in the Uni-Q array configuration, alongside a 16.5cm hybrid-cone bass driver with a rear-firing port that's used to tune the lower frequencies.

The Q6 Meta centre channel sports an almost identical driver setup, but it sports an additional bass driver.

The Q1 Metas have a slightly larger Uni-Q array, comprising a 25mm vented aluminium dome tweeter with MAT, and a 130mm aluminium cone for mid/bass purposes.

As we reference in our review, “while that driver is a few millimetres bigger, it’s also expected to do a lot more due to the lack of a dedicated bass driver.”

Finally, the Kube 12 MIE features a 12-inch woofer, powered by 300W of Class D amplification.

Jumping over to the Bowers & Wilkins package, the 606 S3, 607 S3, and HTM6 S3 speakers all feature the company's titanium-dome tweeter, accompanied by midrange and bass drivers made of B&W’s Continuum cone material.

The 606 S3 sports a 25mm-dome tweeter and a 16.5cm-cone driver, whereas the 607 S3 surround speakers feature the same dome tweeter and a slightly smaller 13cm-cone driver. The HTM6 is most akin to the surround speakers, with the same 25mm tweeter and two 13cm mid/bass drivers.

Rounding things out, the B&W ASW610 subwoofer features a 25cm paper and aramid fibre cone long-throw driver and 200W of Class D amplification.

Taking stock, we find that the KEF package is the more fully featured of the two. It sports larger drivers for the front speakers, with KEF's Award-winning MAT technology, alongside a more powerful subwoofer and the Uni-Q driver array that features in many other What Hi-Fi? Award-winning speakers.

**Winner: KEF**

KEF vs Bowers & Wilkins: sound

This is the all-important category in this head-to-head speaker package comparison. So which surround sound system comes out on top?

Well, the good (and diplomatic) answer is that both of these surround sound packages sound fantastic, hence why they proudly sit shoulder to shoulder on our current Awards list. We'll start with the B&W package as it is defending its place as our Award-winner for three consecutive years.

We pretty much had only good things to say about the 606 & 607 S3 package's sound performance in our review, citing its warm, rich and detailed sonic signature as being a key component as to why we score it so highly. It blends insight and agility, without sounding too lean or skipping important details; it truly ticks all of the boxes.

We find it to be dynamically impressive at each end of the scale, too. The delicate handling of low-level dynamics captures the subtle inflexions of emotion in dialogue, whereas the system's extraordinary subwoofer delivers punchy, controlled and tonally varied bursts of bass when required.

This is all packaged in a system that works harmoniously, with no obvious sonic mismatches or conflicts, and the dispersion of sound means that no obvious gaps are left between the channels.

If there is one small drawback to this system, it would be the scale of the sound. It's by no means a deficiency of the system as a whole, but compared with other speaker systems we have tested, we find that the B&W package isn't as spacious or large-scale as others on the market.

This is where the KEF system steps in. It delivers all of the above, and more.

We rave, in our review, about its rich, powerful sound that ticks all of the boxes. Detail, agility, dynamics, timing; it's all here, and it handles all of this with an added sense of scale that helps tip the scales into KEF's favour.

All of this comes at the minor expense of a slightly less tuneful subwoofer, but its controlled and precise bass presentation ensures it remains a very worthy component of this Award-winning system.

What really seals the deal is the KEF's seriously impressive centre channel. It delivers crisp and deeply detailed dialogue to an extent that it almost feels as if the characters are in the room with you. This natural, balanced and rich sound is supported by the talented Q Concerto Meta front speakers, which capture fine details with ease, and the Q1 Meta speakers are the icing on the cake, delivering a tonally matched surround sound experience.

**Winner: KEF**

KEF vs Bowers & Wilkins: verdict

The truth is that you would find little to complain about if you pick either of these systems, as they both deliver high-quality cinematic sound. That being said, the KEF system puts the extra outlay to good use, as it comes wrapped in a more stylish design, and puts an emphasis on upping the ante when it comes to scale and subtlety.

Bowers & Wilkins has delivered an impressive speaker system in its own right, so if you're looking for something slightly more compact and a touch cheaper, you definitely won't be disappointed if you opt for the B&W package.

**Overall winner: KEF**

MORE:

Check out our full list of the best surround sound speaker systems

As well as the best AV receivers

And read our full Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2 review

Native Dolby Atmos FlexConnect support is coming to LG’s 2026 premium TV lineup, including the W6, G6, C6, CS6, B6, B6E OLEDs, as well as the MRGB95, MRGB9M and MRGB85 RGB Mini LED TVs when they launch later this year.

This means you'll be able to connect the M5 or M7 wireless speakers directly to the TV for seamless, flexible audio output.

But, if you already have an LG G5 or C5 OLED TV and want Dolby Atmos FlexConnect without upgrading, then you're in luck.

The AV giant has announced that the 2025 models mentioned above will support the wireless immersive audio feature with a forthcoming update. An exact date as to when the update will arrive has not yet been provided.

There are a couple of catches to be mindful of here. The first is that even though other FlexConnect speakers are on the market, namely the TCL Z100, only LG's speakers will be supported, meaning you'll have to opt for the M5 or M7 if you want wireless surround sound on your LG TV.

As we've recently reported, the LG Sound Suite speaker prices are towards the premium end of the scale, with the M7 directly competing with Sonos' Era 300 Dolby Atmos speaker.

Secondly, LG hasn't confirmed if FlexConnect is coming to the M5 wireless OLED TV. This would be an odd omission, as a wireless sound system seems like a perfect match for a TV whose primary intention is to cut cords.

Supplying the mid-range model with a new feature and skipping the flagship TV from the 2025 range would also be a strange move from LG, so we've reached out for confirmation.

We had a brief hands-on demo of LG's FlexConnect-enabled Sound Suite system at CES 2026, and found it made a very strong first impression. Configuring the speakers seemed simple, and the surround sound effect from a quartet of M7 speakers was impressive indeed.

We will, of course, need to test the new speaker range in our home cinema testing room before we pass any final verdict.

MORE:

What is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?

Read our LG G6 hands-on review

Check out our picks for the best surround sound speakers

The bundle pairs the showstopping Marantz Cinema 30 AVR and cinematic Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2, which we've just reviewed.

Normally, the two items would set you back £5748, but right now Peter Tyson is offering this at an all-in-one price of £4999. That's a saving of nearly £750 on an Award-winning amplifier, and a sound system that delivers punchy, cinematic sound.

Why is it such a great deal? We'll start with the Award-winning Marantz Cinema 30, which we've already praised countless times before. It wraps up bold, smooth and rich cinematic sound inside a classy and luxurious design to create an AVR that we can't resist.

It continues to be our reference AV amplifier in our home cinema testing room thanks to its clear and detailed nature, and the wide range of features on board (including seven HDMI 2.1 sockets and a raft of wireless streaming options) ensure its built to handle anything you can plug into it.

The icing on the cake is the fool-proof setup system, which uses Audyssey room calibration via an included microphone to adapt the sound to your listening space, and handle all sorts of speaker measurements (such as distances and levels) automatically.

Moving on to the recently-reviewed Fyne Audio F500E, we have a surround sound system that isn't quite perfect, but it is very enjoyable to listen to.

We identified the crisp and engaging F501E floorstanders as the highlight of this system, as they ensure that movies and music are presented with plenty of detail. We also have to give the F3.10 subwoofer kudos for its deep and agile bass, which adds to the dramatic and cinematic nature of this system.

While we wish that the F502E LCR was a bit more forthright and dynamic with voices, this system impressed us as a whole. We actually tested it with the very Marantz AVR mentioned above, so we can attest that this is a solid pairing if you're after big cinematic sound.

If convenience is your priority, then this bundle includes the key components (you'll just need to add speaker cables) to get your surround sound system set up. And at a £749 discount, we can also vouch for the savings.

MORE:

Read our Marantz Cinema 30 review here

As well as our full Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2 review

And check out our picks for the best surround sound systems

However, as any concert-goer knows, a good headliner is even better when it's backed up by a talented support act, and with the Fyne Audio F5E scoring a still admirable, but not perfect, four stars recently, we do have some reservations about whether this system can rival the likes of the Award-winning KEF and Bowers & Wilkins systems.

And we can’t forget about the centre channel and subwoofer, as these components take two pairs of stereo speakers and make them into a fully fledged surround sound system, which Fyne is calling the F500E AV Pack 2. Yes, an AV Pack 1 exists, though it swaps the front speakers for an additional pair of F5E speakers.

With all that in mind, can Fyne Audio deliver a 5.1 system that ticks all of our boxes? Simply put, the F500E AV Pack 2 is certainly cinematic, but it’s also a little rough around the edges…

Price

Breaking that £2500 total price down, we have the F501E floorstanders for £999, the F5E surround speakers for £399, the F502E LCR centre speaker for £600, and the F3.10 subwoofer for £500.

At the time of writing, Peter Tyson is offering the speakers as a bundle, somewhat confusingly under the name 'Fyne Audio F501e 5.1 Speaker Package', but with a big discount that takes the all-in price down to £2249.

Other retailers may soon offer a bundle, too, and even those that don't might well be willing to match the Peter Tyson price if you ask nicely.

You’ll notice that we’re only including UK pricing here. That's because certain components – namely the centre channel and subwoofer – don’t seem to be available in the US and Australia.

Competition in this price range is surprisingly fierce. The Fyne Audio package is among Award-winning peers, including the Bowers & Wilkins 606/607 S3 speaker package, which we reviewed at £2496 but can now be found for around £1999.

KEF also sells its mighty Q Concerto Meta 5.1 package for £2549 at select retailers. While that is a step up in price, the performance increase may well justify the additional outlay, as we’ll find out later in this review.

Build

If we had to distil our feelings towards the styling of the F501E system down to one word, it would be “functional”.

The floorstanding speakers that make up a predominant portion of this system look neat, and the black ash vinyl finish feels high-quality enough to the touch, but they don’t spark the same allure that the trendy KEF Q Concerto Meta speakers do in that Award-winning 5.1 system.

You’ll also need to ensure you have ample space, as they measure in at a substantial 98 x 25 x 29cm (hwd).

Thankfully, the modest F5E bookshelf speakers are less demanding, as they only measure 27 x 17 x 23cm, though you will have to provide and factor in the space requirements for a pair of speaker stands, or you can wall-mount them if your space allows.

Furthermore, they’re wrapped in the same black ash vinyl, which looks smart enough, but doesn’t exude a luxurious feel, as is present with the similarly priced KEF and B&W packages.

This sentiment is most felt in the bulky F502E LCR centre speaker, which measures in at 25 x 68 x 25cm. It’s designed to be wall-mounted, and it features screw hooks on the back to support this, but the sheer size of it means that your TV or projector screen will have to be fairly high up to accommodate its height.

Also, we could not find any attachable rubber feet in the box to use this in a tabletop set-up. However, as the sound section of this review will reveal, that may be intentional.

The F3.10 subwoofer measures 34 x 41 x 39cm, and it’s wrapped in a matching black ash vinyl finish, which complements the rest of the components nicely.

Overall, the exposed screws, basic styling and mismatch of speaker sizes can make this system look somewhat slapdash, which is slightly disappointing when we look at Fyne Audio’s wider range of eye-catching hi-fi speakers.

Features

Fyne Audio’s IsoFlare point source driver array is front and centre in this system, literally, and it’s also found in the surround speakers too.

This proprietary driver, in which the tweeter sits in the throat of the mid/bass unit, has previously been reserved for higher-end models within Fyne’s speaker ranges; however, it’s trickled down to the more affordable F501E and F5E stereo speakers, as well as the F502 LCR centre speaker.

The F501E speakers sport a 2.5-way design, with a downward-firing port that utilises the company’s BassTrax Tractrix diffuser technology, which aims to deliver more uniform bass dispersion around your listening space.

These floorstanders each sport a 15cm multi-fibre mid/bass driver with a 25mm titanium dome compression tweeter, paired with a 15cm multi-fibre bass driver.

The F5E, on the other hand, feature a 2-way design, with a 125mm IsoFlare, multi-fibre mid/bass driver, with a 19mm titanium dome compression tweeter. Much like their floorstanding counterparts, these bookshelf speakers also have a downward-firing port with Fyne Audio’s BassTrax Tractix diffuser.

The F502E LCR, on the other hand, sports a 2.5-way design with a 200mm IsoFlare multi-fibre mid/bass driver with a 25mm titanium dome compression tweeter, flanked by electromagnetically damped 20cm bass and 20cm ABR drivers.

Rounding things out with the F3.10 subwoofer, which pairs a 25cm woofer with 450W of amplification. Fyne has outfitted a down-firing low-turbulence port, which it says will deliver “consistent in-room performance”.

Sound

The most important aspect of any home cinema speaker system is, of course, how it sounds. Considering that the F501E proved to be a hit in our hi-fi testing room, and the F5E also scored admirably, we have high hopes (and expectations) for the sonic capabilities of this system.

We’ve paired the F501E package with our reference Marantz Cinema 30 amplifier, alongside the Oppo UDP 203 4K Blu-ray player, which is sadly no longer on sale. We also have the KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1, and Bowers & Wilkins 606/607 S3 speaker packages on hand as two Award-winning reference points to compare the Fyne system with.

Starting with Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, we immediately deduce that the main objective of this speaker system is to deliver a sound with immense cinematic scale. The sequence in which the group of anti-heroes escape a facility with the seemingly non-super-powered Bob is conveyed with a serious dose of punch, which heightens the excitement throughout.

As the thunderous score reaches its crescendo after a shocking revelation about Bob, we find it hard not to get drawn into the scene, thanks to the Fyne’s bold and dramatic dynamic shifts.

While scale is prioritised, we’re pleased to find that detail isn’t sacrificed as a result. The crispness and clarity of the F501E floorstanders are a huge benefit to the system as a whole, as details are captured throughout the scene with plenty of texture.

Switching to Blade Runner 2049 to assess the low-end capabilities of the subwoofer, we find the F3.10 to deliver weighty and agile bass that does a solid job of building tension in the infamous chapter two sequence.

Some fuzz does creep in during the deepest parts of the sequence, and it isn’t as taut or snappy as its rivals. Nevertheless, the Fyne subwoofer does a solid job of adding some low-end oomph to the system.

What's more, this system nails the “surround” aspect of “surround sound”. The cat and mouse chase sequence in No Time To Die, in which 007 has to evade a group of henchmen in 4x4s and on motorcycles, is presented in a way that puts us immediately into the centre of the action, with effects passing around our seating position and towards the surround speakers with solid accuracy and fluidity.

This does, however, bring us to the biggest drawback of the system. While the surround effect is convincing, we wouldn’t necessarily say that there is much cohesion when it comes to the sonic character of each component.

This is most felt with the centre speaker, which can sometimes feel at odds with the rest of the system. While the F501E floorstanders deliver quite a clean, clear and engaging sound, the F502E LCR can sound a bit softer and less defined.

We should note that this centre speaker seems to perform better when placed against a wall; however, even in the optimal position, we find that voices lack purity and can sound somewhat recessed.

The F5E surround speakers aren’t a perfect match either, meaning that we sometimes notice a slight sonic mismatch here, too.

This becomes more evident when we compare this system with the KEF and B&W alternatives, both of which feature stellar sonic cohesion across their respective components, and handle dialogue with detail and consideration in equal measures.

We find that both of these systems offer a more agile and precise sound, too, whereas the Fyne package continues to prioritise scale and cinematic punch at the expense of some dexterity.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The F500E package proves to be an exciting and engaging surround sound system throughout our testing, and we find ourselves appreciating the sheer magnitude of the sound this system produces. That being said, its Award-winning peers offer a bit more in terms of sonic subtlety.

Verdict

The Fyne Audio F500E Pack 2 has many positive attributes, and it will appeal to anyone who favours big, punchy and broad cinematic sound. It can be fairly revealing thanks to the detailed and crisp F501E front speakers, but as good as these floorstanders are, we feel as though the rest of the system can let them down.

The F5E surrounds aren’t miles off, and they play a key role in delivering a truly impressive surround sound effect, but the centre channel is less appealing, thanks to its bulky frame and softer sonic characteristics.

Still, while the system as a whole falls short of true greatness, there's still much enjoyment to be found in its bold delivery.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Bowers & Wilkins 606/607 S3 Speaker Package

Also consider the KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System

Read our Dali Oberon 5 5.1 Speaker Package review

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

LG clearly has high hopes, too, judging from the pricing we’ve just received.

Sound Suite consists of four products – an H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer, and the M7 and M5 wireless speakers – that can be mixed and matched, so you can build a system to suit your requirements and room.

It’s also one of the first systems to feature Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which is designed to produce convincing Dolby Atmos sound regardless of the placement of the individual components.

So, you can buy the H7 soundbar on its own, or with the W7 sub and/or a pair of either of the speakers. In that way, it’s rather like a Sonos Arc Ultra, which can be bought and used solo, or partnered with one of Sonos’s subwoofers and/or its Era speakers.

But with Sound Suite, if you have one of LG’s latest and greatest TVs, that can act as the FlexConnect hub and be partnered directly with the sub and/or speakers – no soundbar required.

In total, LG says that there are 27 potential Sound Suite configurations, and that it’s possible to build a 13.1.7-channel system if you so wish.

You will need very deep pockets if you want to go that far, though, because LG has given Sound Suite some very premium pricing in the UK and US (Australian pricing is TBC).

That pricing is as follows:

• H7 soundbar: £1000 / $1000
• W7 subwoofer: £700 / $600
• M7 wireless speaker: £450 / $400
• M5 wireless speaker: £200 / $250

So, the H7 soundbar is priced the same as the awesome, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra in the UK (though it is cheaper in the US). That’s a bold move indeed, especially considering LG’s less-than-stellar (albeit improving) recent record in soundbar audio quality.

If you want to build a full system that features the H7 soundbar, W7 sub, and a pair of M7 surrounds, you’re looking at an all-in price of £2600 / $2000.

That’s even more than you would currently pay for Sonos’s top-of-the-range Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra in the UK (£2426), though admittedly less than the cost of the system in the US ($2806).

Bear in mind that the Sonos system includes a pair of the five-star Era 300 speakers as well as the Award-winning Arc Ultra and flagship Sub 4, and you can see that LG has picked a fight with the toughest kid in school with its Sound Suite pricing.

That’s a real statement of intent, and I think it’s great for Sonos to have a new, ambitious rival. But can LG really overthrow the incumbent?

We will be comparing the two systems side by side as part of our Sound Suite review – stay tuned for that in the coming weeks.

MORE:

LG Sound Suite looks like a great mash-up of Sonos and Sony, but I have one slight concern

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

That's exactly how I started my year, as I had barely digested my turkey and finished unwrapping my Christmas gifts before I stepped onto an 11-hour flight to Nevada to cover the biggest home cinema announcements of the year at CES 2026.

Among the companies I caught up with at CES was Dolby, which had plenty of exciting announcements regarding Dolby Atmos, and it also finally gave us a clearer picture of Dolby Vision 2.

I'm sticking with the former for now, as Dolby gave me one of my favourite Atmos demos in years, and it had nothing to do with movies.

I'm stepping out of my home cinema comfort zone here to talk about in-car audio, a subject area that I am frankly quite new to.

While I can appreciate a good sound system in a car after attuning my ears to countless home cinema surround sound systems, I've also sat in plenty of my friends' cars, which have Bluetooth speakers lodged into the cupholder due to malfunctioning stereo systems.

Therefore, when Dolby was talking me through its selection of Atmos-equipped vehicles, which were neatly arranged in the Dolby Live Theatre, I couldn't help but take its endorsement with a heavy dose of scepticism.

I mean, do you really need Dolby Atmos in your car? As it turns out, yes, you do.

I tried the immersive audio tech in two of the four cars on show; one being the Mercedes-Benz GLC (which featured a sound system from legendary hi-fi manufacturer Burmester) and the other a luxurious Cadillac Escalade IQ (outfitted with a sound system from AKG).

The Mercedes-Benz gets bonus points, as it's one of the first cars in the world to feature Dolby Atmos over wireless Apple CarPlay (with Apple Music), whereas previous Dolby Atmos-equipped vehicles have required users to stream music directly through the built-in infotainment system in order to access the immersive audio format.

My demos also included music being streamed directly from the cars' smart systems via the likes of Amazon Music HD and Tidal, and I was even shown an excerpt of the 1984 audiobook via Audible.

Despite my scepticism, the 3D audio presented in the cabins of both vehicles absolutely blew me away.

I was treated to a demonstration of a few tracks, including Pink Floyd's Money, Elton John's Rocket Man, Prince's When Doves Cry and Tiesto's BOOM.

All of these tracks sounded crisp, richly detailed and, most importantly, super immersive as every speaker in the cabin of the car was put to work.

Sound travelled organically throughout the car, with some effects even coming from the very back of the vehicle (literally from the boot, or trunk for our American readers) and travelling all the way up to the driver's position.

In the case of 1984, the included background effects were placed throughout the cabin in a way that transformed it into an immersive audio drama, putting me (who was luckily seated in the driver's position) directly into the centre of the action.

I immediately pictured a long road trip with my favourite playlist blasting through the Atmos-equipped sound systems of both cars. The plush leather interiors and huge screens helped to sell the vision, of course.

In all honesty, it makes sense that Dolby Atmos works well in a car. An enclosed cabin with speakers placed all around it is, in theory, the perfect environment for Atmos to thrive.

It requires a different level of processing compared to the usual home cinema setting that we're used to experiencing Atmos in; however, 3D music has been on the rise thanks to support from the likes of Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal.

Admittedly, Dolby Atmos music isn't for everyone. Hi-fi purists may take umbrage with the processing, and it doesn't work perfectly for every song. But as a long-time Apple Music subscriber, I've grown to appreciate the immersive audio format for music.

I should also mention that your mileage may vary (pun intended) depending on the track you use. Not all Atmos mixes are created equally, and I'm acutely aware that Dolby likely demonstrated these systems with the better Atmos mixes out there, but that's to be expected.

While the cars that Dolby was showing off at its CES presentation were outside of my budget (I'll be sticking to the London Underground for now), Dolby does have an aftermarket Atmos solution.

It's partnered with Pioneer for the launch of SPHERA, which can take the spot of your current car stereo system to enable Atmos with your car's existing speaker set-up.

The catch here is that very few cars out there have height speakers built in, but Dolby claims that a virtualised Atmos processing system, akin to the one found in Dolby Atmos soundbars that don't feature height speakers, such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2, will be used.

Will it rival the pricey Mercedes and Cadillac motors that I experienced at CES? Probably not, but having the option to enable Atmos on older vehicles is certainly a step in the right direction.

So, should you consider Dolby Atmos when picking your next car? If your budget allows, and you're serious about sound on the go, then absolutely.

However, it has to be heard to be believed, and I wouldn't blame you for being as sceptical as I was. There are, of course, more important things to consider when investing in a new car, but for audiophiles, this is a feature that's certainly worth looking into.

MORE:

Everything you need to know about Dolby Atmos

Listen to our favourite Dolby Atmos test tracks here

7 things I’ve learned testing in-car hi-fi for a decade

There’s the brand’s first RGB Mini LED TV and a new ‘Gallery TV’ to take on Samsung’s The Frame range, for starters, but what I’m most intrigued about, and excited to test, is its new Sound Suite range of home cinema speakers.

This is one of the first systems that will use Dolby Atmos FlexConnect – a technology designed to deliver serious Dolby Atmos sound from wireless speakers that are super-flexible about placement.

In that sense, it’s rather like Sony’s Bravia Quad and preceding HT-A9 systems, which each feature four wireless speakers that produce a really impressive bubble of Dolby Atmos sound even when placed in sonically imperfect positions.

But the LG Sound Suite system goes further in terms of flexibility, partly through the use of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which is said to be more accommodating than any previous tech, but more through the mix-and-match approach to speakers.

So, while those two Sony systems are packages of four identical speakers, LG Sound Suite is a family of four different products that can be mixed and matched as required.

The core component is the H7 soundbar, which can be bought and used solo or partnered with the W7 subwoofer, and/or the M7 and/or M5 surround speakers. In that way, it’s rather like a Sonos home theatre system built around a Sonos Arc Ultra.

But if you have one of LG’s newest premium TVs (the G5, C5 and QNED9M are specifically listed alongside a vague mention of 2026 models), this can act as the hub for the Sound Suite system, giving you the option to skip the soundbar and go for a setup much more akin to the Sony packages I mentioned.

LG claims that there are 27 potential Sound Suite configurations in total, and that it’s possible to build a 13.1.7-channel system if you so wish.

Conceptually, then, LG Sound Suite is the best of all worlds – a system you can build around your specific needs, and expand or adapt as circumstances and budgets change.

That’s very enticing, I’m sure you’ll agree, but I’m hoping LG has put at least as much thought into sound quality as it has into features and flexibility – because the brand’s track record with audio components isn’t terribly impressive.

LG’s TVs of recent years have all sounded pretty poor, even by the low standards set by modern flatscreens, and of all of the LG headphones, soundbars and wireless speakers we’ve tested this decade, none have achieved a hallowed five-star rating. Far from it, in some cases.

There are reasons to be optimistic, though. We know for a fact that LG takes sound seriously and works incredibly hard on audio quality. And the most recent of its soundbars we tested, the LG S70TY, was its best in a long time.

In other words, LG’s sound quality could be peaking at precisely the right time, and if the Sound Suite’s audio can match its ambition and flexibility, it could prove to be an all-things-to-all-people home cinema system.

That should leave the likes of Samsung, Sonos and Sony feeling a little worried.

MORE:

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

Check out our LG G5 review and LG C5 review

The new range includes the H7 Dolby Atmos soundbar, M5 and M7 wireless surround speakers, and W7 subwoofer.

All components use drivers sourced from Danish audio brand Peerless, and the modular nature means you can pick and choose your desired components to build the setup you desire.

This has been made possible by LG's new Sound Suite feature, which allows you to connect these components directly to an LG TV.

This means you can start small with a simple set of surround speakers, or build a full 13.1.7-channel home theatre system.

LG claims there are over 27 different combinations, so there is bound to be a setup to suit a range of different users and spaces.

But what if you don't have an LG TV? Fear not, by connecting the H7 Dolby Atmos soundbar to any TV via HDMI eARC, you can enable Dolby Atmos Flex Connect, which allows you to connect wireless audio components and place them with greater flexibility.

This likely takes a fair amount of brain power, hence why LG has implemented the Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 3 chipset into the H7 soundbar.

That processor has been previously reserved for the company's flagship OLED TVs, so seeing it powering a soundbar is certainly unusual.

Dolby Atmos Flex Connect is also coming to LG's upcoming 2026 TV lineup, as well as its existing 2025 range via a future software update.

Thanks to the flexibility and likely unconventional places that users will place these speakers in, LG has included a range of sound processing and calibration features to ensure the best performance from these speakers.

Sound Follow uses ultra-wideband wireless technology to "adjust the listening sweet spot based on the user’s location", and that's paired with Room Calibration Pro, which "analyses acoustic characteristics and applies AI processing to refine the sound for a balanced, room-filling audio experience".

Furthermore, LG has included its AI Sound Pro+ processing mode, which can upmix stereo signals into multi-channel surround sound.

AI is also used to power LG's object separation system, which can identify voices, music and surround effects, and ensure they are delivered with clarity.

LG is touting the H7 system as the "world's first soundbar audio system powered by Dolby Atmos Flex Connect". It seems to have worked closely with Dolby to develop the Sound Suite feature and, aside from TCL's Z100 speaker, this is among the first Dolby Atmos Flex Connect sound systems to reach the market.

We're yet to receive information relating to pricing or availability; however, we do know that LG will be showcasing this new system at CES 2026, so stay tuned for our full hands-on impressions from the Las Vegas tech convention next month.

MORE:

Read our full LG S70TY review

As well as our LG S95TR review

Here are our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

First, the KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 we built, reviewed and gave an Award to earlier this year is finally on sale as a bundle, meaning you don’t have to buy each speaker individually to make it.

Second, Richer Sounds is offering a pretty darned decent price on it, selling the KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker Package for £2549.

Cheap? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but a pretty reasonable price when you consider the fact it costs £3146 if you buy each part separately.

We built this system earlier this year by combining a number of five-star parts into a neat 5.1 setup. These include the two Q Concerto Meta standmounts (£1099), a pair of Q1 Meta bookshelf speakers (£499), the Q6 centre channel (£699), and the Kube 12 MIE subwoofer (£849).

Though the package doesn’t include the 8 Meta 'toppers' (£599) you’ll need to hear Dolby Atmos, the system is by far the best sounding we’ve tested in a 5.1 arrangement. So much so that for the first time in nearly a decade, we chose to replace our older PMC reference system with this KEF package in our home cinema test room.

Yes, it’s so good it’s become the new benchmark we use to compare other high-end surround systems against. Why? Because all the parts are wonderfully matched tonally, and combine to create a rich, warm, engaging sound that’s utterly engrossing when watching films.

As we said in our KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 review: “Put simply, the KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 reminds us why we love proper surround sound systems so much. It’s rich, crisp and dynamic sound instantly draws us into the action, and while it will certainly take up more room than your average soundbar, you won’t take umbrage with it taking up space in your living room thanks to its dashing looks.”

If you’re building a proper home cinema and want the most engaging, immersive audio possible from a 5.1 system, then we’d thoroughly recommend checking out the new bundle from Richer Sounds – trust us, you won’t regret it.

Black Friday quick links

• Amazon: browse all of today's best deals
• B&W speakers: save £200
• Bluetooth speaker: 48% off five-star JBL
• Bose QC Ultra Earbuds: save £100
• Bravia 8 TV: save 34% on 55in Sony TV
• Denon AV receiver: save £500
• Dolby Atmos soundbar: down to £299
• ELAC Debut 2: five-star speakers now £199
• Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum 4 now £169
• LG C5 55-inch: lowest-ever price at Richer Sounds
• JBL soundbar: now better than half price
• John Lewis: £500 off LG and Sony OLED TVs
• Richer Sounds: browse Black Friday deals
• Sevenoaks: £150 off Award-winning speakers
• Sony headphones: now just £29
• Stereo amplifier: Cambridge Audio now £299
• TVs, movies, home cinema: browse the best deals
• Vinyl: 3 for £66 at Amazon
• Wireless earbuds: Award winners now £75

There's a hefty saving to be made on a Sonos bundle that will save you a whopping £808. You can pick up the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar, a pair of Era 300 surrounds and the Sub 4 for £1888.20 at Peter Tyson. This is only available if you add the discount code BUNDLE10 at checkout, but that should take a matter of seconds.

We may not have heard all of these elements together as part of a complete system, but both the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sonos Era 300 proved themselves to be excellent performers on their own.

Need more convincing? When we had the Sonos Arc Ultra in our test room, its immersive, room-filling sound performance simply blew us away. We say in our review: "It really is quite amazing how much more crisp, spacious, precise and detailed the Ultra sounds."

You don't need a remote or display to control the Ultra, you just connect it to your TV via HDMI eARC and it becomes your TV's speakers. And while a lack of dedicated HDMI inputs and DTS:X support will bother some people, for others it won't be an issue.

Moving on to the two Sonos Era 300 surrounds included in the deal, the glowing reviews only continue. With its huge scale of engaging sound, wide range of features and seamless Sonos experience, we find that this model is an impressive speaker that can do it all.

Even though we tested the Era 300 with just one speaker, we note that the spread of sound is immense and "projects sound further into the room and overhead more confidently than any other similar wireless speaker we’ve heard."

Under the hood, the arrangement is made up of six drivers – four tweeters (one forward-firing, two side-firing, one upward-firing) and two woofers (angled left and right for stereo playback) – all powered by Class D amplification.

There's a metal grille covering the front and rear driver sections, and touch controls for playback and volume along the top panel, which work beautifully.

Then we come to the Sonos Sub 4. Full disclosure here: we have not had this model in our test room.

It features dual force-cancelling woofers that "virtually eliminate distortion", according to Sonos. It also offers a versatile design that can be placed upright or on its side (depending on your setup). That all bodes well for the model to offer some extra oomph to the sound system as a whole.

If that £808 saving at Peter Tyson sounds tempting, then now is the time to pounce.

Black Friday quick links

• Amazon: browse all of today's best deals
• B&W speakers: save £200
• Bluetooth speaker: 48% off five-star JBL
• Bose QC Ultra Earbuds: save £100
• Bravia 8 TV: save 34% on 55in Sony TV
• Denon AV receiver: save £500
• Dolby Atmos soundbar: down to £299
• ELAC Debut 2: five-star speakers now £199
• Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum 4 now £169
• LG C5 55-inch: lowest-ever price at Richer Sounds
• JBL soundbar: now better than half price
• John Lewis: £500 off LG and Sony OLED TVs
• Richer Sounds: browse Black Friday deals
• Sevenoaks: £150 off Award-winning speakers
• Sony headphones: now just £29
• Stereo amplifier: Cambridge Audio now £299
• TVs, movies, home cinema: browse the best deals
• Vinyl: 3 for £66 at Amazon
• Wireless earbuds: Award winners now £75

This year has been no exception, and the good news is that after a fairly stagnant 2024, we have a new entry to our Award-winners list. The list, which features returning champs from Wharfedale, Dali and Bowers & Wilkins, now includes a premium package courtesy of KEF; and it happens to be really quite good.

Each entry is a 5.1 system. However, the beauty of any surround sound speaker package is the flexibility to swap in different elements. Adding a pair of height channel toppers to most of these systems can easily result in a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos system, or you could hypothetically turn any of these into a 7.1 system with an additional pair of surround speakers.

That said, we've judged these systems in their respective 5.1 configurations and found plenty to like about each. We'll start with the newest addition to our list...

KEF delivers a truly stunning speaker system

KEF has made an impressive return to our AV testing room, not long after delivering one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars of the year in the form of the XIO. The Q Concerto Meta 5.1 speaker package takes a pair of five-star standmount speakers, adds a mighty good subwoofer and centre channel, and rounds things out with a very capable pair of bookshelf speakers to create a rich, powerful and superbly cinematic system.

It's a pricier package than the previously Product of the Year-winning Bowers & Wilkins package (more on that in a moment), but we found its dashing good looks, impressive cohesion and, most importantly, its exceptional cinematic sound to easily justify its price tag.

We raved about its "rich, warm and engaging sound" in our full review, noting how capable the Kube 12 MIE subwoofer is in underpinning the overall experience with a controlled-yet-punchy dose of low-end oomph.

That's balanced nicely with how agile and dynamic the other components of the system are. The centre channel does an excellent job of capturing clear and emotive dialogue with plenty of detail, while the Q Concerto Meta speakers (which serve as the namesake and front left and right channels of this system) deliver a rich and punchy sound.

The system as a whole sounds precise and keeps pace without sounding thin or analytical; in fact, we were pleasantly surprised at how rich and dynamic it sounded during our testing.

It's a step up over the B&W system, but we couldn't overlook it during our judging, which is why we've bestowed it with the "Best speaker package over £2500" title.

Wharfedale, Dali and Bowers & Wilkins all defend their titles

The rest of this list is comprised of previous Award winners, as each remains a shining example of what makes a great surround sound speaker package.

The cheapest entry is the Wharfedale DX-3 HCP, a pint-sized system that's designed for those who want top-notch cinematic sound in smaller rooms, yet you shouldn't let its compact footprint deceive you. It has no trouble in firing out a wide, spacious sound that is simultaneously crisp and dynamic. This is a great choice for anyone looking to dip their toes into the world of 5.1 speaker systems for the first time, too, as it comes in one convenient package.

Stepping up to a much larger Wharfedale system, we have the Diamond 12.1 HCP, which has just earned its fifth What Hi-Fi? Award. It's a composed, spacious and insightful system that bears Wharfedale's usual warmth and depth in equal measure. We struggled to find a moment where this system put a foot wrong in our original review, and it remains a seriously compelling option in the £500-£1000 range.

Next up is another firm favourite, the Dali Oberon 5 5.1. It's won countless Awards, and for good reason too. It's a stylish system that delivers a rich, detailed and dynamic sound without breaking a sweat. We especially like how cohesive it sounds, and when we consider the cons of this system, we simply reach this conclusion: there's "nothing at this price".

Rounding out the list is the formidable Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package. This two-time Product of the Year winner comprises two pairs of five-star stereo speakers, while the ASW610 packs a punch in the bass department. This system has it all: clarity, dynamism, warmth and agility, which is why we've featured it on our Awards list for the third year running.

The real question is who will take home the Product of the Year title? Can B&W defend its title and score the hat trick, or will KEF steal its thunder? No spoilers here – but the good news is that you'll only have to wait a few more days to find out the answer.

MORE:

Find all of the What Hi-Fi? 2025 Award winners here

Read our full KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 review

And check out our picks for the best surround sound speaker systems

The Sony Bravia Theatre Quad, a wireless Dolby Atmos speaker solution that delivers an impressive surround-sound experience without the need to trail cables around your living room, is a prime example of this.

We initially tested it at the unnervingly expensive launch price of £2499; something that proved to be its biggest downfall. Its predecessor, the five-star HT-A9 system, launched at just £1599 – that £900 price increase proved to be a tough pill to swallow.

Ultimately, we deemed it to be a bit too pricey to give it our full recommendation, which is a shame as it sounds good (if a little bass-light), and the fact that it's wireless makes it super convenient.

Pair that with an easy set-up process, smart design and HDMI 2.1 passthrough on the hub, and the Quad seemed to be within touching distance of true greatness.

Well, it looks like our biggest issue with the Bravia Theatre Quad has been rectified this Black Friday, as it's currently enjoying an £800 discount at Peter Tyson. With the price dropping to £1699, I'm starting to reassess my feelings towards the Quad system.

It's worth noting that most other retailers, including Amazon, Richer Sounds and Currys, have this system priced at £1799 currently, but Peter Tyson is offering an additional £100 discount, which is automatically applied at checkout.

Sure, the bass is still a bit underwhelming, but with a saving this huge, the prospect of investing in one of Sony's wireless subwoofers becomes a lot more reasonable. In fact, we identified this as the only sonic shortcoming in our full review.

We described the system as "clean, crisp and energetic" and complimented its ability to deliver an "immersive performance that surrounds us in a bubble of sound".

Sound effects are placed well, putting us in the middle of the action, and it does an impressive job of projecting sound upwards to produce convincing Dolby Atmos height channels.

Our final thoughts on the Sony system were this: "Calling a verdict on the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad is tricky. There are very few systems that can rival it for convenience, and it is a step up over its predecessor in many ways. However, it’s just too expensive to wholeheartedly recommend, especially when getting the very best out of it involves shelling out extra for a subwoofer."

While that statement rang true at its sky-high launch price, the Bravia Theatre Quad is now a much more compelling system at this new, lowest-ever price. Its benefits, which were once outweighed by a hefty price tag, are now back to being the highlights of this wireless surround sound system.

If you're looking for a convenient and effective way of upping your audio game, then check this deal out at Peter Tyson, and remember that the £100 additional saving is automatically applied at checkout – no need to input any discount codes or membership details.

MORE:

Read our full Sony Bravia Theatre Quad review

Here are the best surround sound systems

And check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package

• Check out our picks of the best surround sound systems

It's a rarer sight in our AV room, though, with the XIO soundbar the only KEF-branded product to have graced this space recently.

Excellent though the XIO is, a soundbar won’t always cut it, especially for those who want cinema-style, all-encompassing surround sound. That’s where a 5.1 speaker system comes in, and KEF has been a key player in this sector of the home cinema market for quite some time.

Its latest offering, the Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System, is headlined by a five-star pair of stereo speakers and calls in backup from more members of the entry-level Q-series. It aims to deliver proper cinematic sound in a stylish package – but does it succeed?

No prizes here, you’ve seen the star rating…

Price

KEF doesn’t currently offer this system as an all-in-one package. We suspect that might change in the near future, but for now, you will need to purchase the components separately, at a total cost of £3146 / $4050 / AU$5650.

Breaking that price down into the individual components, we have the Q Concerto Meta standmounts at £1099 / $1400 / AU$2000 per pair, a pair of Q1 Meta bookshelf speakers priced at £499 / $700 / AU$1000, the Q6 centre channel at £699 / $850 / AU$1250, and the Kube 12 MIE subwoofer, which costs £849 / £1100 / AU$1400.

KEF also offers the Q4 Meta on-wall speakers, which can be swapped in for the Q1 Meta if your goal is to save some space. They are priced at £349 / $600 / AU$700 per speaker (or £698 / $1200 / AU$1400 for a pair).

If you want to turn this into a 5.1.2 system, meanwhile, KEF also offers the Q8 Meta Dolby Atmos 'toppers' at £599 / $900 / AU$1200 a pair.

An obvious competitor to the KEF Q Concerto Meta system is the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package, which we initially reviewed at £2496 / $3799 / AU$3947 but can often be picked up for less.

The KEF package, then, has to prove it's worth the additional outlay.

Build

Looks are subjective, but you’d have to do a lot of convincing to persuade anyone that this isn’t a swooningly handsome system.

The Q Concerto Meta speakers are a suave set of standmounters, with the KEF Uni-Q driver array starring front and centre, and the Q1 Meta surrounds and Q6 centre feature a cohesive design language that matches nicely.

While the subwoofer is only available in black, the rest of the system can be optioned in a satin white, walnut or satin black finish. We have an all-black system in our testing room, and if this were a beauty contest, this stealthy system would take home top prize.

The KEF tab at the top of each standmount speaker is a classy touch, and the slightly glossy surround to the Uni-Q driver array adds a nice sense of contrast to the monochromatic system we have here. We should also mention that the front and surround speakers come with magnetic grilles in the box.

Generally speaking, the system is moderately sized by surround-sound package standards. Each Q Concerto Meta measures 42 x 21 x 32cm (hwd) and weighs 9.5kg each, whereas the smaller Q1 Meta speakers measure 30 x 18 x 28cm each and weigh 6.1kg.

You will, of course, need to supply your own stands for these, though KEF does offer the SQ1 stands at £275 / $400 / AU$450 per pair if you want a perfect match. That’s quite a pricey option as speaker stands go, however, so keep that additional cost in mind if you’re considering this system.

The Q6 Meta, which serves as the centre channel of this system, is a bit more substantial at 21 x 63 x 30cm and 14.1kg, but it doesn’t look out of place next to the Concertos.

Where things do start to get a tad unwieldy is with KEF’s Kube 12 MIE subwoofer, which measures 41 x 39 x 41cm and weighs 18.6kg.

Features

As we know, looks aren’t everything – but KEF brings both style and substance with this system.

Starting with the stars of the show, the Q Concerto Meta standmount speakers are jam-packed with KEF’s proprietary driver technology to maximise sound quality and minimise unwanted distortion.

They feature a three-way bass reflex design, which KEF claims “ensures precise separation of high, mid and low frequencies for exceptional detail and clarity, bringing music and movies to life”.

Each unit features KEF’s 12th Generation Uni-Q driver array, which combines a 10cm aluminium midrange driver, a 19mm vented aluminium dome tweeter and the company’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which can reportedly “absorb 99 per cent of the unwanted noise from the rear of the driver for pure and natural sound”, according to KEF.

The Uni-Q arrangement is backed up by a 16.5cm hybrid cone bass driver, and a rear-firing port is used to tune the lower frequencies. The bass driver cones are constructed with an aluminium skin layered over paper and feature a shallow concave design, which enhances rigidity and dampening, resulting in “improved punch and definition” as per our full KEF Q Concerto Meta review.

The Q1 Meta surround speakers could be considered the baby brothers of the Q Concertos. They drop the bass driver and feature a two-way bass reflex design, but also feature a slightly larger 12th Generation Uni-Q array comprising a 25mm vented aluminium dome tweeter with MAT, and a 130mm aluminium cone for mid/bass purposes.

While that driver is a few millimetres bigger, it’s also expected to do a lot more due to the lack of a dedicated bass driver.

Next up is the Q6 Meta, which is currently the only centre channel option in KEF’s Q series speaker range. It features the same Uni-Q array as the Q Concerto speakers, though it’s sandwiched between two of the same bass drivers from the front speakers.

Last – but certainly not least – is the Kube 12 MIE powered subwoofer.

This 12-inch front-firing subwoofer is powered by 300W of Class D amplification and is housed in a sealed cabinet design, which allows for greater flexibility when it comes to placement.

KEF also includes a room position EQ switch on the rear of the subwoofer to adjust the sound depending on whether you have the subwoofer placed in the corner, out in the room, or in a wall alcove or cabinet.

Sound

While a speaker package fronted by a pair of five-star standmounters isn't guaranteed to be a success, it's certainly a good start, and so it proves here.

We’ve connected the system to our reference AVR, the Marantz Cinema 30, which costs £4000 / $4500 / AU$7900, primarily for its ability to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of connected speakers.

In practice, you could pair this with something slightly cheaper, such as the Denon AVC-X6800H (£2999 / $3500 / AU$5999), and even the Denon AVC-X3800H will do a good job of driving it.

Starting with Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, specifically the scene in which the squad of misfits plans an elaborate escape from a military facility, we’re treated to a muscular and rich, yet agile presentation from the Q Concerto Meta system.

The explosion towards the start of this sequence is delivered with a hefty dose of low-end punch, and the subwoofer delivers its gut-punch of low end while remaining in total control.

There’s no flabby or waffly bass here, and while the Bowers & Wilkins 606/607 S3’s subwoofer is a touch more tuneful, the KEF Kube 12 MIE delivers a powerful and dynamic low-end kick.

This system sounds big and bold, enveloping us in engaging sound from all angles, but it refrains from losing focus and becoming sluggish as a result.

The hushed conversation between Yelena and Bob that follows demonstrates how talented this system’s centre channel is. Voices are conveyed with clarity and texture, underpinned by an impressive handling of low-level dynamics.

This results in a supremely natural and realistic representation of voices with excellent projection, which is aided by how forthright and crisp this centre channel sounds.

That said, it remains well integrated into the system as a whole. The left, right and centre speakers mesh seamlessly, and these in turn gel with the surrounds, leaving no noticeable gaps in between the channels.

The Matera car chase sequence in No Time To Die is a perfect demonstration of this, as bullets clatter against the bulletproof glass of the Aston Martin DB5 in an impressively coherent display of surround sound, placing us directly in the middle of the action.

Despite the Q1 Meta speakers being smaller than the Q Concerto Metas at the front of this system, there isn’t a noticeable tonal dissonance or any sacrifice in scale between the front section and the surrounds.

There’s a sparkle to the metallic clinking of bullet casings hitting the ground, and as each shot makes contact with the car, we’re treated to a pleasingly impactful thud followed by the sparkle of fragmenting glass. It’s layered, dynamic and detailed in all of the ways we’d hope, which helps to raise tension and excitement within this sequence.

We also take this system for a quick test drive with some of our favourite test tracks, though our full KEF Concerto Q Meta review provides a more thorough deep dive into how these speakers handle music.

Streaming from Tidal to our Marantz Cinema 30 in Pure Direct mode, we can confirm that these front speakers are superbly talented for music and movies alike.

Taylor Swift’s The Fate Of Ophelia is presented with the same richness, punch and agility as we’ve experienced when watching movies, and the vocal clarity, depth and detail remain top-notch.

Gerry Rafferty’s Right Down The Line, on the other hand, demonstrates the KEF’s more delicate and reserved side, with a smooth and warm sound that makes for easy listening while remaining interesting and engaging.

Verdict

Put simply, the KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 reminds us why we love proper surround-sound systems so much.

Its rich, crisp and dynamic sound instantly draws us into the action, and while it will certainly take up more room than your average soundbar, you won’t take umbrage with it taking up space in your living room thanks to its dashing looks.

It will, of course, sound a hell of a lot better, too.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

MORE:

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

Also consider the Q Acoustics 5040 5.1 Home Cinema

Read our Wharfedale Evo 4.4 5.1 pack review

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

The current king of home cinema audio, however, is the Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package, which is a two-time Award winner and remains a reference point for other 5.1 surround sound systems to aspire to.

It's been a while since I've used this speaker package, but after plugging it into the excellent Marantz Cinema 30 AV receiver, I was swiftly reminded as to why we rate it so highly.

While its performance hasn't changed since it won for the first time back in 2023, the price certainly has. Originally launching at £2496, the system can now be snapped up for just £1999 at Peter Tyson – that's a saving of £497.

The fact that this speaker system is primarily composed of two Award-winning pairs of Bowers & Wilkins speakers – the 606 S3 and 607 S3 – should explain why this system is so impressive. Throw in the HTM6 S3 centre speaker and ASW610 subwoofer, and the 5.1 system is primed for home cinema sound duties.

We should remind you that the front and surround speakers are standmount units, so you should factor in the price of speaker stands if you're thinking of picking this system up.

The front, centre and surround channels all feature B&W's titanium-dome tweeter for crisp and stable high-frequency signals, which are backed up by Continuum cone material bass/mid drivers.

That tweeter design is crucial to the centre channel, which we found to deliver a “captivating vocal performance”, while the system as a whole offers up a rich, dynamic and engaging sound that ticks all of the cinematic boxes we look for.

B&W has been known to create some excellent subwoofers in the past, and the ASW610 is no exception. It’s small, to fit in with the fairly compact nature of this system as a whole, but it's also mighty when it comes to delivering weighty, controlled bass.

With a discount just shy of £500, this system is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to upgrade from a soundbar to a fully fledged 5.1 system. Don't miss this deal at Peter Tyson.

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Read our full Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package review

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Need an AVR for this speaker package? Here's a five-star Marantz deal

That's understandable; even we can't argue with the impracticality of a surround sound setup, which is why we're recommending this deal on a wireless Dolby Atmos speaker set.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Quad is a fuss-free and tidy solution for achieving full surround sound, and it does so without the need to run cables around your living room.

We did take issue with its launch pricing of £2499, which was a considerable increase over its five-star predecessors, the HT-A9.

However, thanks to the power of Prime Day, you can currently snag the Bravia Theatre Quad system for just £1999 at Amazon, Richer Sounds, Currys, Sevenoaks Sound & Vision, Peter Tyson, John Lewis and Sony Store Online UK.

With the price now down to a slightly more manageable £1999, the Bravia Theatre Quad is a wireless Dolby Atmos solution that we have no issue recommending.

Our criticisms of the system revolved around the high price tag and the lacking bass weight; both of which can be addressed with this £500 saving.

For those interested, our suggestion would be to put the savings from this deal towards the Sony SA-SW3 or SA-SW5 wireless subwoofer to add some low-end oomph.

Getting back to the main system, we had plenty of nice things to say in our full review.

We approved of its clear and spacious sound, which travels organically around the four wireless speakers in order to create a convincing bubble of Dolby Atmos sound around the listener.

Speaking of Dolby Atmos, each speaker features an upward-firing speaker, so height effects are well presented.

We're also quite fond of how easy this system is to set up, with the wireless sync box that plugs into your TV doing much of the hard work. It features HDMI 2.1 passthrough too, with support for 4K/120Hz gaming and Dolby Vision HDR.

Placing (or wall-mounting) these slender speakers is quick and easy, and the system features an easy calibration system to determine the location of each channel; no need to get your tape measure out.

Bonus points if you have a Sony TV to accompany it – might we suggest the A95L, which is currently £1500 off – as Acoustic Centre Sync allows you to use your TV as a dedicated centre channel.

With a £500 saving attached, the Sony Bravia Theatre Quads are an ideal solution for anyone who wants to upgrade from their soundbar, but isn't in the mood to reconfigure their living room.

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At least, that used to be the case. But then I subjected myself to one of the most frustrating processes I have ever undertaken, only to see it end with abject defeat.

My ongoing attempt to get a full-fat, off the rack, 5.2.2-channel Dolby Atmos system into my home proved, ultimately, fruitless. It ended with the sad conclusion that most UK houses are simply too small to accommodate such a set-up – and this after weeks, nay months, of effort.

To be clear, before our Australian readers once again tell me “to just build a bigger house” as happened when I discussed a similar failure when planning a 100-inch TV setup in my lounge, I am talking specifically about the UK, where homes are smaller.

For those who have never visited our rainy shores, most UK homes, like the Edwardian terraced house I occupy right now, don’t have massive living rooms or bedrooms compared with what you might get in the US or Australia.

In fact, according to most of the estimates I’ve seen, including this study featured in The Guardian and my rough and ready research looking at floorplans on RightMove, most UK lounges are around 17 square meters (184 square feet) in area.

That means most are around the size of, or perhaps a touch bigger than, a regular, single-car garage.

That’s ample space for a TV and soundbar, of course, but when you factor in the sheer volume of air you need to accommodate a 5.2.2 set-up's haul of speakers (centre, left and right, twin surrounds, twin subwoofers and twin height channels) that space rapidly gets eaten up. As I was to find when playing Tetris in an attempt to fit all of them into my lounge.

Is it possible? Yes. Especially if you're able to go custom install. But in my experience with trying off-the-shelf systems, doing so means committing a couple of cardinal AV sins.

For starters, most UK living rooms are too small to place all the speakers optimally, especially if you plan on having a big screen – and I am planning on having a big screen.

I want to use a UST (ultra short throw) projector to throw a 120-inch, or even 150-inch image. A screen that size means that, if I want to view films comfortably, my sofa is going to have to be close to the rear wall.

Editor’s note: As a rule of thumb, you should have between three-and-a-half to four metres' (11-13ft) viewing distance for a screen this size. I prefer a longer distance, towards the four metre-plus mark: it means not having to move my head constantly, or worry about eye strain.

Thanks to the dimensions of my room – standard for most terraced houses – to accommodate that and still have the speakers at the correct angle, my rear channels would have to sit fairly flush to the wall.

After hours of marking potential layouts and putting my planned sofa in various positions, the best I can get with a sensible viewing distance places the rear speakers less than 10cm from the back wall.

This is a problem. At that distance, the speakers won’t have room to breathe; running them this close to the back wall will result in a lumpy low-end that even my two planned subwoofers won’t be able to save.

This is one of the key reasons we, and Dolby in its official setup guidance, tell you to consider positioning and give your speakers space when setting them up – even without Atmos. Look at the official diagram below as an example.

The second cardinal sin focuses on the realities of shared living space: to do this properly, I would have to take over the entire lounge.

If you don’t live alone, that could well be the final nail in the coffin. I am not wealthy enough to have an excess of rooms, and my lounge is frequently used by others – my partner for instance – for things other than watching movies.

That means, as well as having to accommodate other furniture in the room, I am afforded a finite amount of patience when it comes to running cables and having large, easy to topple items – loudspeakers, say – “lying around” the shared space.

I’m not going to go over the conversation we had verbatim – this is a family friendly website, after all. Let’s just say I got to appreciate my limits fairly quickly, once I had floated the idea of drilling speakers into the ceiling, after barely selling the idea of getting a two, not four-seater sofa to accommodate the other channels.

For now, then, my dreams of a full-fat Dolby Atmos system are on pause – at least in the lounge.

My one ray of hope comes from our proposed attic conversion. I have already called dibs on one of the smaller, but better proportioned, rooms we have planned. Even here, though, thanks to the low ceilings, I am limiting my planned setup to a non-Atmos 5.2 arrangement, or possibly a step-down soundbar system.

Tiny violin sonata-worthy, first-world problem? Sure. Either way, after all my futile faffing, I remain convinced full-fat Dolby Atmos is a step beyond what most normal (UK) houses can accommodate.

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Even a moderately capable cheap soundbar is, more often than not, leagues ahead of a TV's built-in sound system.

Indeed, our senior staff writer, Lewis Empson, wrote an opinion piece mere weeks ago, detailing the difference a near half-decade old, cheap Sony soundbar makes when compared with the Sky Glass Gen 2’s internal speakers.

Advantages vary system to system, of course, but benefits from a more powerful but better-controlled low end, to extra detail and a better sense of directionality are all common pros you will experience when adding a separate soundbar or surround sound package to your home cinema setup.

Recently, though, I have seen a trend that I’m not completely convinced is a good thing for every home cinema fan: the increasing dominance of soundbar systems at around the £1000 / $1000 mark.

The soundbar has been a mass-market product for home cinema setups for around a quarter of a century now, and for good reason. The relatively small units don’t require complex setup, and take up a lot less space than a traditional 5.1 multi-speaker arrangement.

They have also come a long way sonically in recent years. In the past 12 months alone, we have seen plenty of fantastic soundbars pass through our test rooms, including the five-star Sonos Arc Ultra, which sits proudly at the top of our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide.

A soundbar, though, still can't match a good, equivalently priced multi-speaker package in a few key areas. That's largely due to their smaller frame and single-box nature.

Enter soundbar systems, a halfway house between a standalone soundbar and a full-fat multi-speaker package. These hybrids have begun to creep up the charts, eating further into 5.1, 7.1 and even full Dolby Atmos systems' share of the home cinema pie.

These systems started appearing a few years ago when Samsung, JBL and Yamaha started pushing them. But it is only recently that they have taken big steps towards becoming truly mass-market products.

Last year’s Samsung HW-Q990D is a good example. It was the first Dolby Atmos soundbar system to impress us enough to earn a five-star rating. Its predecessor, the Q990C, and every other product in the category, including the JBL Bar 1300 and Yamaha True X, received four stars at most.

The Q990D offers a meaty centre/left/right channel soundbar that is paired with capable wireless satellite speakers and a decent subwoofer. The combined package offers an impressive 22 drivers, set in an 11.1.4 channel arrangement.

It offers a convenient, wireless design for the satellites and subwoofer and genuinely good audio. Highlights include a large, immersive and three-dimensional sound with room-filling low-end heft. I get why the unit is so popular.

I also understand why retailers including Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks Sound and Vision, Peter Tyson and Amazon constantly feature it front and centre in their store fronts.

Companies clearly understand the appeal as well, with Samsung, JBL and more all launching new soundbar systems this year. These include the Samsung HW-Q990F and JBL Bar 1300MK2, the first of which we are reviewing right now.

Even companies that don’t make “systems” are sneaking in similar functionality. Sonos lets you connect its wireless subwoofers and Era 300 speakers to create a system. Sony does the same, offering various wireless satellites and subs you can pair with its premium soundbars, including the flagship Bravia Theatre Bar 9. Be warned, though: these extras add considerably to the overall cost.

Why are full soundbar packaged a bad thing? In isolation, they're not. I get the appeal, to the point that I am probably going to put one in my lounge. In smaller, or shared, living spaces, the convenience of the form factor makes complete sense – especially now we know they can deliver five-star audio.

No, I’m concerned because of the knock-on effect these setups might have on full multi-speaker systems. While they are undeniably a lot more faff – especially if you opt for Dolby Atmos with down-firing, ceiling-mounted speakers – a good package still comes with some key benefits you simply can’t get with a soundbar equivalent.

The most obvious is the added heft you can get from a full-sized speaker setup with discrete front channels; two floorstanding speakers can move a lot more air than a soundbar, simply because they are far bigger.

Also consider the added flexibility and room for growth that a separates package offers. Soundbar systems come out of the box pretty much ready to go, but they aren’t anywhere near as easy to upgrade.

Unlike with a full AV package, you can’t add extra channels to turn a 5.1 into a 7.1. With some exceptions (from the likes of Sennheiser, Sonos and Nakamichi), most soundbar-based systems support only one subwoofer out of the box. You can't add a second, despite the benefits that brings.

Having two subwoofers can radically improve your low end’s control and system's room dispersion, elevating the setup holistically, giving it better, more even coverage.

If you’re willing to spend some time with a full setup to get it properly dialled in, you can get better bang for your buck this way.

Despite these full-system benefits, though, I am seeing fewer and fewer new packages – high-end market aside – being introduced to take on the new soundbar systems. Jump over to most online stores, and you will still see older packages we reviewed years ago as the main options.

In fact, the slow down is so severe that we are struggling to get new multi-speaker systems in for review. That's never a good sign – we used to be swamped with options, to the point we would have to be very picky about which ones we would review.

This won’t be a problem for most people, of course, for whom the convenience of a wireless soundbar system makes a lot of sense – but for enthusiasts like me, it is a shame.

I can’t help but hope I’m wrong, and that more full-fat packages appear in the near future, targeting the same price point as the increasingly popular soundbar systems.

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Not tech related specifically, but when I first started as a journalist I also covered business and government tech, which meant occasionally writing about DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Let’s just say the experience meant I saw some “things” that inspired the goal.

Second, to build my own home cinema. While the second is infinitely more realistic (for now), over the years it's been in a state of flux jumping between one of two extremes.

Sometimes I think of ways to replicate the KEF Music Gallery's home cinema in a Richie Rich-style mansion, other times I focus on the more achievable goal of getting a projector and surround-sound set-up into one of my house’s spare rooms.

And even that downgraded dream has seen some changes over the years, as I’ve tweaked the specifics to meet the budget and the dimensions of the room I intend to put it – which, on a journalist’s stipend, is definitely not enough to replicate KEF's set-up.

These have included replacing the amazing Sony Bravia Projector 8 (VPL-XW6100ES) long throw projector I’ve wanted since we reviewed it with a much smaller, space-friendly ultra short throw (UST).

Specifically, the five-star Hisense PX3 Pro I helped review last year – it has a short throw distance and all the specifications I need to play games at full speed with my gaming PC.

Last week this continued with a fresh round of amendments to the surround-sound package I’m planning.

Originally I’d planned a full Dolby Atmos set-up, but quickly abandoned the idea when I realised my ceiling height is a little too low and my partner poo-pooed drilling speakers into the ceiling, period.

I then considered a 5.1 arrangement, but quickly tweaked this after a useful conversation with our technical editor, Ketan Bharadia.

During it, he reminded me of a key detail I, and many home cinema fans, regularly overlook – in instances like mine, two subwoofers are usually better than one.

Why? Well there’s one big reason, and it has nothing to do with low-end heft or creating deafening levels of bass.

Specifically, improved distribution. How does that work, you ask? Ketan explained it to me best by comparing bass distribution to using a flashlight in a dark room.

Imagine we've got a dark room, and you have a torch. Turn it on and you’ll just see one section of the room illuminated in a triangle / cone shape.

With a second flashlight, while you won’t be able to perfectly cover the entire room, you will see a lot more of it.

Subwoofers do the same thing with the way they distribute sound and pressure – remember speakers, including subwoofers, create sound by moving air around.

Using a second subwoofer evens out the distribution of sound and spreads the low frequency energy more evenly throughout the room, bringing a number of real world benefits.

First, the better distribution reduces the impact of nodes and antinodes – areas in a space where a particular part of the sound wave is over exaggerated or under represented or blocked.

These are particularly problematic for lower frequency sounds, which have long wavelengths. If you suffer from this, the low end won’t sound right in certain parts of the room.

Because the low end is spread more evenly rather than concentrated at particular points, two subs tend to excite fewer room nodes, which is great for overall performance but also important given home cinema movie watching is often a shared experience in my house.

Second, because two subs running in tandem, in most instances, they have to work less hard to produce decent bass levels.

This means the set-up is usually less prone to distortion and can be run at lower volumes than a single unit trying to populate a whole room – something my neighbours will also appreciate, given bass’s ability to rumble through terraced houses’ thin, connecting walls.

Which is why I’ve made the decision to invest in an extra sub when I finally pull the trigger and start building my home cinema later this year.

Now I just need to pick which specific package I want from our best surround sound systems buying guide and deal with planning the room’s treatment…

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The systems don't require cable management, as many – including the Award-winning Samsung HW-Q990D – use wireless satellites and subwoofers. They also take up less space than a proper 5.1 setup.

So if ease of use is your priority, going for a soundbar system makes a lot of sense. If, however, performance is your be all and end all, there’s not getting around the fact that a full-fat, multi-speaker package is usually your best bet.

After decades of testing surround sound systems we know that a good one will deliver audio with a sense of directionality and heft that you just can’t get anywhere else.

Which is why home cinema aficionados with the space to accommodate one are very likely to be looking at the wealth of new AVR / surround sound package deals that recently launched on Richer Sounds.

If you meet that description, we also have good news: after price checking the components of each deal to make sure they are actual discounts, and of course with our years of experience in using the products, we have two recommendations for you.

Sony TA-AN1000 with Q Acoustics 3020i 5.1 speaker package

The first deal we recommend gets you a Sony TA-AN1000 AVR with a Q Acoustics 3020i 5.1 surround sound package for £1489 at Richer Sounds. That’s a £106 saving on the two if you bought them separately.

Why this specific system? The two products certainly represent stellar value, but they also leave plenty of room for growth.

Sure, the Q Acoustics 3020i package is getting long in the tooth, having launched in 2021, but, to this day it offers solid value for money and a sound profile that’s great for movies.

Highlights include an atypically rich, warm sound with a full bass and precise treble. This, plus its ability to deliver sweeping dynamics makes it a great entry-level option.

For context, our perennially broke editor (me), still uses a stereo pair of the 3020i with a Technics SA-C600 system in his lounge for music listening.

The only real downside is that, despite being standmount units, they are atypically deep and you shouldn’t place them with their backs to a wall if you want the best results. So you should certainly measure the space you intend to put them in before buying.

The Sony TA-AN1000 is another impressive, stellar value option if you're just getting into “proper” home cinema surround sound. So much so that we described the Award-winning AVR as a “no brainer” purchase when we first reviewed it.

Could you get away with paying for a less muscly, cheaper AVR to power the 3020i? Probably; but the main selling point here is that the Sony has lots of room for growth, meaning you can continue to use it even if you choose to add extra channels or upgrade/replace the speakers down the line.

This, plus its flawless HDR and surround-sound standard support make it a wonderfully flexible, future-proof unit. And, even more importantly, it sounds sublime. As we say in our Sony TA-AN1000 review:

“Its crisp, precise and punchy sound strikes a nearly perfect balance, and it elevates every movie and song we throw at it. This amplifier ticks all our boxes, with a sleek design, good feature set and outstanding performance, making it so easy to recommend. If you’re looking at buying an amp at this level, then the Sony TA-AN1000 is a no-brainer.”

Denon AVC-X3800H with Dali Oberon 5 5.1 speaker package

The second deal lets you grab a Denon AVC-X3800H AVR with a Dali Oberon 5 5.1 speaker package for £2599 at Richer Sounds. Doing the maths after a thorough deal hunt, that’s a £150 saving on how much the two would cost if you bought them separately right now.

This is a great mid-tier package, ideal for people looking for a louder, more powerful system.

The speakers are another What Hi-Fi? Award-winner and it's the package we recommend to most buyers looking for a 5.1 system for less than £2000.

The package uses Award-winning Dali Oberon 5 floorstanders as the main left and right channels, with five-star Dali Oberon 1 standmounters taking on the surround duties. Add to these the Dali central channel and subwoofer, and you get a system that offers more heft and volume than the Q Acoustics – but requires more space as a result.

It also offers some sonic improvements, which justify its higher price tag. During testing, the system delivered a wonderfully full sound, with a hefty, but controlled low end and agile dynamics.

The end result is a surround sound system that delivers truly immersive home cinema experience, whether in conversation dramas or explosion-filled action movies. Which is why the verdict of our review says:

“The Dali Oberon 5 5.1 system presents every frequency in full, but with honesty and warmth that brings the best out of any soundtrack. They’re transparent but fun, powerful but subtle; we’d have them round to ours any day.”

Similarly, the five-star Denon AVC-X3800H is a step up on the Sony TA-AN1000, both in price and performance. It’s also one of the mid-tier AVRs we recommend, even at full price.

For starters, it’s crammed with hardware, making it one of the most future-proofed units you’ll find at its price. For regular surround sound, it can power 9.2 to 11.4 channels. If you want to make the leap to Dolby Atmos down the line, it can go up to 5.4.4 out of the box.

We tested it with 5.1 and Atmos systems and it delivers excellent results in both – so there is plenty of headroom for a system expansion in the future if you need it.

Then there’s flawless HDR support and six HDMI inputs – three of which are HDMI 2.1 ports rated to 40gbps. You shouldn’t run out of connectivity options, then, even if you have a ludicrous number of players, streamers and consoles.

But, as with the Sony, the Denon's main selling point is its excellent audio ability. All of which makes it a stellar AVR to match with the fine Dali package, and an easy recommendation at its current price. As we say in our Denon review:

“Combining future-proofed connectivity, flexibility and a mature, authoritative but expansive sound [if] you’re looking for an all-round performer with plenty of features and ample scope for system expansion, then the 3800 is a superb choice.”

If you want something significantly better than the Denon, you will need to go up a tier and invest in a more expensive AVR – such as the Marantz Home Cinema 30 we currently recommend, which costs £3800.

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It’s a long list, and one that this week had a new addition to it. Specifically, Sony’s Bravia Theatre U neckband speaker.

To catch you up, neckband speakers are a rare, but slowly growing category of home cinema and gaming focussed audio hardware with a fairly cool aim – to provide full-fat, personalised 360-degree audio.

The idea being that the speakers are worn around your neck and fire personalised audio tailored to your exact position, without the need for complex speaker arrangements or any form of cable management.

And yes, I get that it sounds cool – especially on a unit like the Bravia Theatre U which supports Dolby Atmos.

And yes, based on our testing, the Bravia Theatre U is by far the best sounding speaker we’ve tested in this category, easily beating the three-star Sony SRS-NS7 that came before it and Panasonic GN01, which I used at my old job before joining What Hi-Fi?.

That’s why we gave the Bravia Theatre U four stars and concluded:

“While more bass would be nice, the Theatre U is easily the best audio device we’ve ever hung around our necks.”

But, despite all my efforts, I still just don’t 'get' neckband speakers. To be clear, I'm not attacking Sony and this product specifically, I mean that I don’t get the appeal of neckband speakers as a category.

There are two key reasons for this. First, the fact they are for “personal use”. Because of their design they can only deliver on their "personalised" claim for one person at a time, but actually make noise that everyone can hear.

So if I use one to watch a movie in bed, my wife down the hall will still hear the sound. Equally, I couldn't use them to watch movies on a plane or train without severely annoying the people around me.

So for this specific use case, a headphone form factor makes more sense in my mind. Then I can enjoy the experience at a local level without bothering anyone else.

The Apple AirPods Max paired with an Apple TV 4K or modern iPad do a fine job showcasing how to do “home cinema” Spatial Audio with headphones.

Why make things needlessly more complicated with a new design and category of speakers no one has asked for? It feels like a simple case of 'if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it' to me.

Then there’s the actual form factor. Regular readers will know I accepted I am not cool a long time ago. I’m a proud prog fan who has a collection of Styx T-shirts and have zero regret admitting I regularly sing Meatloaf ballads in the shower.

This, plus Gen Zers’ reaction to my wardrobe and music choices at my local, means I have come to accept I’m not going to be The Fonz anytime soon.

But even I, in all my millennial awkwardness, draw the line at wearing something that looks like a techie toilet seat around my neck when watching movies. I have some pride remaining and I plan to hold on to it for as long as possible.

Which is why, no dig at Sony, Panasonic or anyone else interested in experimenting with the category, I don’t see the appeal of neckband home cinema speakers.

Each to their own though, I guess.

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The Q Acoustics 3010i Cinema Pack is currently one of the cheapest, five-star, 5.1 systems we’ve reviewed and continue to recommend, retailing for £689 at Peter Tyson.

That is a massive £206 saving on its review price and £100 cheaper than its current cost at most rival stores.

We reviewed the 3010i 5.1 cinema package all the way back in 2019 and liked it so much we not only gave it a five star rating, it also secured two back-to-back What Hi-Fi? Award wins, before being dethroned in 2021.

Despite its age, it remains one of the cheapest 5.1 surround sound systems we’ve fully reviewed and recommend.

For the money you get a compact, standout speaker package that to this day delivers a home cinema experience that’s more than good enough for most people.

Highlights are its surprisingly loud, room filling sound and robust central channel, which delivers nicely expressive audio.

You’ll also struggle to find a better tonally balanced system with such an expansive sound field at this price.

As we said in our Q Acoustics 3010i 5.1 Cinema Pack review:

“As effective in a surround presentation as in stereo, the 3010i forms the basis of an excellent all-round speaker package.”

We only have two minor words of caution. First, if you really care about low-end heft, be warned the subwoofer lacks outright impact.

Second, while this is the best deal we’ve seen for a package less than £700, if you have a little more to spend there are other packages on a deal right now.

One of the best is on the newer step-up Q Acoustics 3050i Cinema Pack. The package is on sale for £899 for VIP members at Peter Tyson. That is a solid £450 saving on its review price.

The five-star package, which won a 2021 What Hi-Fi? Award, offers more powerful, insightful bass, and is slightly more versatile, based on our testing.

If you are not a VIP don’t worry, all you have to do is sign up for a free Peter Tyson account to unlock the discount.

But if you can’t stretch that far, we’d strongly recommend considering the smaller, more affordable 3010i package, especially at its current price.

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Priced at £999 and set to be available at selected retailers from June, the package is made up of four wireless active satellite speakers and a subwoofer. The speaker configuration also supports a range of Dolby audio formats, including Dolby Atmos, to create a sense of 3D sound thanks to its upwards-firing speakers.

Loewe says it has a 4.1.2 speaker configuration, but a closer look indicates it has four upward-firing drivers (one in each satellite speaker) instead of two. We have reached out to Loewe for clarification.

Perhaps surprisingly, this system could perk the ears of football fans as well as AV nerds. That’s because French football captain Kylian Mbappé partially owns the brand. He has previously partnered with Loewe for the release of the We. HEAR Pro Bluetooth speaker.

There’s good news for those squinting in the dark to try to turn the volume up (we’ve all been there), as the remote control has an integrated OLED display for individual adjustment of bass, treble, and various sound modes, as well as energy-saving Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity. The “effortless to set-up” 720 watts system uses a wireless signal via an included HDMI eARC dongle.

While Loewe has a wide range of TVs (and a projector) in its lineup, this system is compatible with TVs and projectors from other manufacturers.

We're yet to test this system, but it has the possibility of being a premium sound package worth considering, due to one key feature.

When we tested the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad, for example, our main criticism was its bass-light performance and lack of a subwoofer, which, when paired with a hefty price tag, ultimately let it down.

Loewe has cleverly opted to include a subwoofer with the We. BOOST system, which should negate the low-end issue we faced with the Quads – making this new wireless Dolby Atmos system one to watch.

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And here are best TVs to pair it with

We saw a short-lived saving back in October where a cashback offer effectively brought the cost of the system down to £579, but this was (understandably) quickly withdrawn so could be chalked up to a mistake on the seller's part. That makes this the closest to a 'real' deal we have seen in a while.

Consisting of a soundbar, wireless subwoofer and two wireless surround speakers, this impressive system boasts a massive 11.1.4 total channel count. We said in our review that it is a "hugely compelling package" and good value compared to others in the market, so this deal is worth your time.

The HW-Q990D is definitely up there when it comes to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. Creating truly immersive and realistic sound is what all soundbars are really aiming for, and this package delivers.

We said in our review: "The Q990D does a superb job of delivering Atmos-ness[.] It really fills the room with sound and places effects in three-dimensional space with impressive precision for a soundbar system. It’s not only that planes sweep across, above and behind the listening position, impressive though that is, but the varied distance from you that effects appear in – some very close to your ear and others across the room."

It has some great features as well, most notably its upgraded HDMI connectivity. With two HDMI 2.1 inputs supporting 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, it's perfect for gamers looking to maximise their next-gen console set-ups. The system also supports the latest audio formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

If your budget can stretch to this deal on an immersive soundbar, then this is one for the top of your list.

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But regardless of your feelings, there’s no denying that a good musical’s potent mix of audiovisual elements can make them a great way to test your home cinema set-up. Whether it’s Cynthia Erivo’s powerhouse delivery of Defying Gravity in Wicked, or the visually stunning recreation of Queen’s Live Aid performance in Bohemian Rhapsody, a good musical can lay bare the flaws of many a system.

Which is why we take the time to constantly update this list with the best musical movies to test your home cinema set-up. Every single movie on this list has been chosen for how it can put a surround sound system to the test and reveal its strengths or weaknesses, while, of course, entertaining and standing as a solid movie otherwise. If you think we’ve missed any, be sure to get in touch on our social media channels or forums!

La La Land (2016)

It may be over 10 years old, but Damien Chazelle's La La Land remains a stellar film and test disc for any serious movie fan.

With an all-star cast, the film chronicles struggling pianist Sebastian (played by Ryan Gosling) and aspiring actress Mia (played by Emma Stone). Set in Los Angeles and full of fond odes to the city’s jazzy days of yore, the film is jam-packed with scenes that will test every part of your system.

From the film’s blistering opening, which sees an impromptu song and dance breakout during a traffic jam or the now iconic A Lovely Night segment, where Sebastian and May dance the night away, there are more good scenes than can easily be counted.

But for the team, the standout scene we always come back to is A Dance Under the Stars. Showing Sebastian and Mia as they visit the Griffith Observatory, it is a tricky scene for any TV or projector.

Featuring a challenging mix of light and dark segments, as the two float among the stars, it offers a solid means to check everything from dark detail and black level to whether the projector or TV is prone to banding or the dreaded halo effect.

And all of that, with a wonderfully gentle soundtrack that swoops around the room, following the character’s movements.

See La La land on Amazon

A Complete Unknown (2024)

By Alastair Stevenson, editor-in-chief

These days it feels like every actor has to try and do at least one musical biopic to prove they’re a “serious thespian”.

A Complete Unknown is Timothée Chalamet’s turn at the bat. In it, he places iconic poet and singer Bob Dylan as he transitions from his early folk roots into an electric superstar.

As with Austin Butler’s take on Elvis before him, the movie sees Chalamet immerse himself in Dylan, even performing several of the artist’s greatest hits – guitar, vocals, harmonica and all.

While some of the What Hi-Fi? team feel the movie is a little too safe with some of the more interesting parts of Dylan’s life during the period, there’s no denying Chalamet’s performances of the music are excellent.

Even the minor off-key inflections in Dylan’s voice are spot on for every track – to the point you could argue it’s further proof of the ongoing adage that’s been doing the rounds since Jimi Hendrix covered All Along the Watchtower: that people can do Bob Dylan better than Bob Dylan.

Add to this stellar supporting performances from an all star cast, including Edward Norton, and the movie stands as one of the best musical movies to arrive this year. Whether you’re an existing fan or newcomer to Dylan’s music, it’s well worth a watch and listen.

See A Complete Unknown on Amazon

Better Man (2024)

By Robyn Quick, staff writer

When the concept of Better Man was announced, I, like most people, was incredibly dubious. Robbie Williams played by a CGI ape? No, thank you. But this film just proves you can’t judge a film by its bizarre setup.

While the singer’s music may not be to everyone’s taste, it certainly makes for a toe-tapping and surprisingly moving overall watch.

The biopic follows Williams from childhood as he struggles to fit in with other kids to his whirlwind success in boyband Take That when he was just 16.

The fact that he is portrayed as a chimp (but still voiced by Williams himself) is slightly jarring at first, but very soon you fall for the cheeky but tragic character.

As Williams and the rest of the band are skyrocketed to fame, they dance down Regent Street, belting out Rock DJ, which has all the pizzazz of a real-life performance. Even if you are not a Robbie Williams fan, Better Man provides a delicate mix of boyband magic and tender emotion.

Buy Better Man on Amazon

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

By Alastair Stevenson, editor-in-chief

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is an iconic movie most people remember for its impactful visual style and atypical claymation.

But if you’re a fan of musicals and want a hauntingly good movie that will really put your surround-sound system through its paces, its soundtrack is a great option.

With music by Danny Elfman, the movie is full of great tracks that’ll really test your system’s precision, dynamics and ability to express detail.

Highlights include the orchestral opening track, This Is Halloween, the soulful Jack’s Lament and iconic – and atypically perky by Burton’s standards – What’s This?. The sheer range of bangers on display makes this a wonderfully fun disc to push your system.

This, plus the fact that it comes with stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 tracks available, is a key reason the Blu-ray is a great test disc you’ll often see playing in our dedicated test rooms.

Buy The Nightmare Before Christmas on Amazon

Wicked (2024)

By Becky Roberts, managing editor

If you've somehow managed to avoid seeing Wicked, you almost certainly wouldn't have avoided witnessing its hype on social media.

The latest Broadway movie adaptation, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (the to-be Wicked Witch of the West), covers the first act of the stage production and follows the meeting of the two aspiring witches at Shiz University and the events that lead to their first meeting with the Wizard of Oz.

The sequel, Wicked: For Good, will continue the story, covering the second act, and is scheduled for release this November.

Considering the wealth of established, popular, sing-along musical numbers at Wicked's disposal and the vocal chops of pop icon Grande and Tony- and Emmy-winning musical star Erivo, not to mention how advanced modern production and filming is for movie musicals nowadays – oh, and the $150m budget! – it is hardly surprising that the soundtrack is an audio masterclass.

The audio is squeaky clean throughout, while the final, iconic sequence for Defying Gravity is a particularly glossy advert for the Dolby Atmos mix (available on the 4K Blu-ray and Apple TV+ rental).

See Wicked on Amazon

Interstella 5555 (2003)

By Alastair Stevenson, editor-in-chief

It is yet to get the 4K Blu-ray treatment, but if you’re a music fan and want a great movie to test your surround sound system’s low end heft, rhythmic precision and dynamics then Interstella 5555 is a hard one to beat.

Though it may not be the best known entry on this list, it’s definitely one of the most interesting. The movie is the result of a collaboration between an all-star team of Japanese anime heavyweights and iconic, and sadly retired, French electronic/pop legends Daft Punk.

The movie plays the band’s second album, Discovery, from start to finish and follows the journey of a group of interstellar pop stars.

Discovery is a great test disc for any audio system, full of complex time changes, swooping synths and interlocking parts.

Pair it with Interstella 5555’s awesome artwork and animation and it’s easy to see why we use it to test surround-sound packages as well.

Buy Interstella 5555 on Amazon

Tár (2022)

By Becky Roberts, managing editor

Watch the trailer (above) or read the plot synopsis for Tár and you might well assume it was a biopic on a legendary composer you somehow hadn't heard of.

But the psychological drama, written and directed by Todd Field (Little Children), is actually about a fictional world-renowned conductor of a Berlin orchestra, Lydia Tár, played by Cate Blanchett.

An uncompromising intense and oft-surreal portrayal of Tár as her life unravels in the face of a damning accusation plays out on a knife's edge – something the musical orchestrations really work hard to accentuate.

Rather than inauthentically uses existing compositions, the soundtrack is an original 20-track concept album by Icelandic musician Hildur Guðnadóttir, featuring Blanchett and co-star cellist Sophie Kauer as well as iconic orchestras from London and Germany.

It's a fantastic work on its own and deservedly won as much acclaim as the movie itself.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

By Alastair Stevenson, editor-in-chief

To be clear, this list is focused on movies with cracking soundtracks to test your speakers. And as music scores and soundtracks to push your sound system go, you’ll struggle to do better than Bohemian Rhapsody.

The movie is an autobiography of the iconic British band Queen that heavily focuses on frontman Freddie Mercury.

The soundtrack runs through pretty much all of the band’s long catalogue of hits, making it a great way to gauge any surround-sound system’s holistic performance.

If you’re short on time we’d recommend checking out the film’s Live Aid scene, which is particularly majestic thanks to the care the film’s audio team took while shooting to ensure the performance was as authentic as possible.

This involved a lot of technical wizardry using a secret 16-track recording the BBC made at the time, to replicate the ambience of the original performance.

This, plus some studio magic, let them accurately create an authentic surround-sound track that matched the original and placement of each camera shot.

If you’re a music fan, and Queen fan in particular, this is a test disc you should 100 per cent have in your collection.

Buy Bohemian Rhapsody on Amazon

Rocketman (2019)

By Alastair Stevenson, editor-in-chief

If you have a Dolby Atmos system and want a great movie with a cracking soundtrack to properly push it to its limits, we’d thoroughly recommend checking out Rocketman.

Directed by Dexter Fletcher, the film is a biopic of English singer/songwriter Elton John. The movie includes stellar performance by the entire cast and is full of some of John’s best songs.

As an added perk, its Atmos mix is incredible. Every performance does proper justice to the music being played and uses Atmos' enhanced directional quality to give you a proper “dome of sound” experience.

Whether it’s the roar of the crowd crashing over from above you like a wave as John’s piano starts to emanate from the central channel, or ambient noise on the street, the sound is universally excellent.

Even the music alone shines, with every instrument holding a distinct place in the mix and the sound offering wonderful dynamism, making it a great gauge of any surround-sound package.

Buy Rocketman on Amazon

A Star Is Born (2018)

By Harry McKerrell, staff writer

Much like the enduring popularity of dear old Godzilla, 2018’s A Star Is Born proved that people won’t get sick of a good thing if the brainboxes behind the scenes are clever enough to give that thing a fresh new lick of creative paint.

The story of a young musician’s rise to stardom under the mentorship of an established yet fading icon has been told multiple times in different guises since the ‘50s, but Bradley Cooper’s gut-wrenching spin on the tale might end up going down as one of the very best.

A lot of that owes to the movie’s musical credentials. Enlisting the help of Lady Gaga and proving that he’s got his own fairly decent set of pipes, Cooper’s selection of musical accompaniments is robust, emotionally resonant works that avoid the trap of tipping over into downright schmaltz.

Shallow is rightly the one everyone knows, but I defy anyone to watch the movie in its entirety and then remain dry-eyed while listening to Gaga singing Always Remember Us This Way or I’ll Never Love Again. It still hurts!

Buy A Star Is Born on Amazon

Whiplash (2014)

By Ainsley Walker, former staff writer

Let's get one thing straight – Whiplash is a sports movie disguised as a music film. It's a portrayal of one man's desire to better his peers and push his body beyond its limits, transcending his current physical restraints no matter the cost.

It follows the story of a young drummer named Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) as he begins studying at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory set in New York City.

The institution shares a lot of similarities with the real Julliard School, known for its brutal expectations. Andrew's ultimate goal is to reach the same heights as his idol, legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich, and his teacher Terence Fletcher (J. K. Simmons) does not make it an easy ride at all.

The soundtrack for Whiplash revolves around the big band type of sound that drummers like Rich were famous for.

It features an interesting assortment of original jazz pieces, original underscore parts, and classical jazz standards that featured various artists including the iconic track Caravan by Stan Getz and Duke Ellington, which plays a big role in the film's overall sound and story.

Buy Whiplash on Amazon

Hamilton (2020)

By Tom Parsons, TV & AV Editor

Not a musical movie as such but a stage musical filmed and released on streaming during the darkest days of the Covid pandemic, Hamilton is a stunning production that looks and sounds superb on a properly sorted home system.

Hamilton tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, the orphan who became a military officer, a trusted advisor to George Washington and one of the US's Founding Fathers. It's an exceptional story told in exceptional fashion, via the medium of hip-hop.

Lin-Manuel Miranda not only came up with the idea, he wrote all of the music and lyrics (and an accompanying book), and he was the star when the show was filmed back in 2016.

There's also a superb appearance by Jonathan Groff (he of Mindhunter fame) as the delightfully unpleasant King George.

Thanks to the HDR picture and Dolby Atmos audio, this is as close as you can get to a theatre experience without travelling to Broadway or the West End.

Stream Hamilton on Disney+

The Greatest Showman (2017)

By Kashfia Kabir, Hi-Fi and Audio Editor

This movie musical has been a gift for AV demos, with brands such as JBL, McIntosh, Sonus Faber and Sony (to name a few) using this Award-winning film's incredibly catchy and extravagant collection of songs to showcase surround-sound systems both small and large, affordable and supremely high-end.

It's a genre-spanning soundtrack that covers stadium rock, big pop tunes, EDM and hip-hop-infused numbers – and, of course, power ballads.

The ensemble title track and empowering This Is Me are rousing, thrilling tracks that will test your system's sense of power, loudness and organisation, while Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron's The Other Side duet is verbal sparring in musical form, dynamically and rhythmically fast-paced and full of personality.

But the standout track and demo favourite is undeniably Never Enough by Loren Allred (who provides the singing voice for star Rebecca Ferguson).

It's a beautiful song and a real test of how musical your system is when it comes to vocal subtlety, the nuances of a human voice expressing emotions and, of course, how well it can handle the higher frequencies as the heart-tugging song steps up a gear and soars to a crescendo.

Thrilling, goosebump-inducing stuff.

Stream The Greatest Showman on Disney+

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

By Becky Roberts, managing editor

The height of Beatlemania sounded fabulous (apart from all the screaming). A Hard Day's Night was the first of five movies that the Fab Four would feature in.

The black-and-white mockumentary stars Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr as fictionalised versions of themselves as they make their way to a London TV show.

Featuring gaffs with hysterical fans, a mischievous grandfather and a frustrated TV producer, the movie comically depicts a typical 'day in the life of' the band members back in the late 60s.

Its unapologetically, no-holds-barred cheesiness is utterly charming, the boys' charisma and director Richard Lester's light-hearted framing carrying the 75-minute runtime with the ease of a Christmas Special, and the soundtrack is, as you'd expect, musical jukebox gold.

Presented on 4K Blu-ray with a fully restored negative and a 5.1 surround (DTS-HD Master Audio) mix created by none other than Giles Martin (of course) at Abbey Road Studios (of course), it's an audio-visual romp for your home cinema system

Buy A Hard Day's Night, on Amazon

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Wondering which to go for? Let us be your guide.

We'll explain what these systems entail, how they differ, and the pros and cons of each. That way, you can buy the best system for you, and enjoy the true home cinema experience for many hours to come.

• Which TVs sound the best? We find out

What do 5.1 and 7.2 mean?

These numbers refer to how many of what type of speakers the setup contains. The first number is how many 'standard' speakers it involves, while the number after the decimal point is the number of subwoofers.

So a 5.1 setup will involve five speakers (ordinarily a centre channel, plus two front and two rear speakers), and one subwoofer. A 7.2 system adds two additional 'standard' speakers and a second subwoofer.

Is 5.1 or 7.2 better?

It all comes down to your situation. More speakers will create a more impactful sound, and adding two extra speakers at the back will make the audio much more immersive. An extra subwoofer will help even out the bass response as well, spreading the bass equally throughout the room.

But 7.2 systems certainly have their downsides.

The first is space. Most people don't have room to accommodate nine separates, at least not without cluttering up their lounge.

Then there's the question of arrangement. Adding two extra speakers at the back of the room often isn't practical, particularly if your sofa is against the back wall (as most people's will be to maximise floorspace).

In such cases, a better solution could be adding two Dolby Atmos channels (via Atmos toppers) at the front of the room to create a 5.1.2 system – assuming your AV receiver supports Atmos, of course.

Some AV receivers also don't support 7.2 systems, as they're limited to 5.1. But most do.

Then there's the cost. Because it involves more speakers, a 7.2 system will be more expensive than a 5.1. For example, the Klipsch Reference 605 Atmos 7.1.2 package is £1989 at Richer Sounds, but the 5.1.2 version is £300 cheaper.

If you have the money and the space, a decent 7.2 system will provide a fantastic experience. But for many of us, a 5.1 arrangement will more than suffice.

Advantages of surround sound vs a soundbar

We're big fans of soundbars here at What Hi-Fi?. They're compact, and usually more affordable than a surround sound system – especially if you buy one of the best budget soundbars. But they do have their downsides.

You have to make sure your model will fit with your TV. If your soundbar is too tall it will obscure the bottom part of the TV screen.

LG and Samsung make soundbars specifically for use with their TVs, so you know they will fit and look all of a piece (with certain models, anyway). But they don't sound the best.

It's not just a case of finding room for it, either. If it has upward-firing speakers, as many models do, it can't have anything above it as that would block the sound. So you can't place it on a lower shelf.

Then there's the spread of sound it produces. Because all the speakers are directly under the TV, you won't get a truly immersive sound as you will with a proper surround system. Even with Dolby Atmos and other processing to create a 'virtual' surround sound, there's no substitute for the real thing.

That's why if you have the budget, and the space, we recommend a 5.1 or 7.2 surround sound system – or a full-fat Dolby Atmos speaker system if you can go that far.

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And that includes the sound system. For BMW’s flagship full-size saloon, you wouldn’t expect Bowers & Wilkins to be too far away. After all, the legendary British speaker brand offers sound systems for several models in BMW’s portfolio, including the five-star set-up we tested in its superb iX electric vehicle.

For the new 7 Series, B&W has pushed the boat out even further with a Diamond Surround Sound System which uses no fewer than 36 (yes, 36!) speakers. And now we’ve been fully immersed we can report back with our findings…

Price

BMW’s premium executive saloon doesn’t come cheap – our press car as tested costs £142,354 including all options.

The Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System is part of BMW’s Ultimate Pack, available for the 7 Series. It isn’t available as a single option, which means you have to pay a pretty hefty £22,000 for the privilege, although the pack does cover a whole suite of tech options 

It includes everything from massage and ventilated seats to BMW’s Sky Lounge panoramic sunroof and high-tech Parking Assistant Pro which helps you slot the sizeable saloon into any space that can accommodate it.

Systems

In a first for Bowers & Wilkins, there isn’t just one sound system on offer for the 7 Series; there are two different options available to potential buyers. There’s the standard set-up which comes equipped to any car that rolls off the production line and there’s the optional step-up system.

So, the standard Bowers & Wilkins Surround Sound System uses 18 speakers powered by an 11-channel amplifier and has a total power output of 655 watts.

Impressively, the step-up Diamond Surround Sound System boosts the speaker count to 36, increases the number of powered channels to 32 and trebles the power output to 1965 watts.

25mm Nautilus® Diamond dome tweeters are added to the doors and dashboard, while an upgraded die-cast aluminium chassis is introduced to the car’s midrange/woofer speakers. An extra 10cm Continuum midrange driver is added to the dashboard (the system already features the cones in the front and rear doors). The Diamond Surround Sound System also gets 4 aluminium 3D speakers inserted in the headlining and extra headrest speakers in the front (they come as standard in the rear).

You also get more sound options to play with in the flagship system, including a 4D Audio Bass Experience which you experience through eight, ‘4D’ shakers positioned in the backrests of the front and rear seats.

Sound features and settings

Bowers & Wilkins gives you a choice of 4 different sound profiles to help tweak the sound to suit your sonic taste.

Studio claims to be the most authentic setting and during testing, we found this to be the case and helped deliver the most balanced and neutral audio.

The Concert setting adds space and extra processing. Music has more of a reverb around it to give the impression you’re listening in a concert hall. The soundfield lacks a bit of focus and solidity, instead preferring to give you more of a spread across the cabin.

The ‘On stage’ setting makes it sound like you’re yes, you guessed it, on stage surrounded by the band or orchestra. Again, you’re treated to a wide soundfield but there’s a greater sense of solidity and immersion thanks to a more prominent overhead effect. 

‘Rear’ simply caters more for passengers in the rear of the car, shifting information from the front of the cabin and into the rear speakers.

You can alter the ‘3D intensity’ in the concert, on stage and rear modes - this translates into more (or less) information being fed through the height speakers in the car’s headlining. During testing we preferred to keep the intensity relatively low so as not to to distract too much from the sound coming through the main speakers.

The 4D bass experience provided by those shakers can be set on a sliding scale of intensity from one to five or you can turn it off completely. It will be down to personal preference whether you like the sensation and if you do, how much you want to feel its impact.

With the feature turned on, we felt it combined a general rumble with more targeted punching sensations depending on the bass information in the track. We found it too intrusive and distracting on the higher settings and preferred the subtlety of the lower settings just to help add a little extra reinforcement.

You can even adjust the 'Personalised Surround Intensity', i.e. the audio coming through the headrest speakers for the driver and all passengers. Again, you’ve got a sliding scale of one to five or you can have it off. We found it can add a little boost to the feeling of immersion you get, but again, we wouldn’t have it on the higher settings as they cand distract from the overall sound.

Sound quality

Navigate the on-screen menus and you can fire up Bowers & Wilkins’ own ‘Experience the Sound’ audio demo, which gives you a quick blast of the system’s capabilities in a FLAC 5.1 surround sound mix.

It paints a good picture of the system as it throws effects between channels but we’ve got a few of our own hand-picked test tracks ready to roll.

We start with Candy Paint from Post Malone and you are immediately drawn to the level of detail on display. The slightly echoey chimes that start the track and hang around at the top of the sound field sound pristine and sharply drawn.

They sit in their own space and are joined by Malone’s vocal which hangs nicely in front of you. It sounds textured, emotional and believable. Then there’s the repetitive patter of a drum machine that taps away in the background but blends effortlessly into the soundstage.

Low frequencies make their presence felt – they’re weighty and solid although we’d like a bit more control and definition. The system doesn't seem able to sharpen those edges and discriminate between notes quite as effectively as it can with the mids and highs. The track also lacks a bit of dynamic thrust and flair which some systems use to help grab and hold your attention.

Switching to Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 in C Major under the control of Herbert Von Karajan and once again the system's ability to strip out fine detail in the mids and upper realm comes to the fore. The string section sounds wonderfully precise from start to finish and how the system handles high frequencies is a real treat.

The space around the orchestra allows for clear differentiation between the different sections. Quieter moments are allowed space to breathe, aided by the BMW’s well-isolated cabin which keeps listeners nicely isolated from tyre and engine noise.

Verdict

There’s no doubt the Diamon Surround Sound System is an impressive set-up. To get all 36 speakers working together as a cohesive unit can’t have been a simple task and it does produce an immersive and insightful sound. There’s a huge amount of detail on offer and the sense of refinement and sophistication, especially at the top end is something that few rivals we’ve heard can match.

We’d like the set-up to sound a bit more fun and for the low frequencies to be tightened a touch but for long journeys travelling in luxury this system has a lot going for it.

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The deal lets you grab the Sony HT-A9 for £1399, a £400 saving on its regular £1799 price tag.

We’d recommend jumping on the deal fast as not only did the Sony HT-A9 score a perfect five stars when we reviewed it, but it’s also one of the systems our very own TV/AV Editor, Tom Parsons, uses at home.

Key highlights include a surprisingly simple setup process that, once the satellite speakers are placed, delivers wonderfully detailed surround sound. This led our reviewers to conclude: 

“This is an accessible and generous set-up for people who want to add entertaining audio to their living room without being precious and would well suit those with large families or who live in awkward spaces. It is incredibly forgiving in its placement.”

Our only minor issue was that its low end was a little underwhelming, which is why we’d recommend also investing in the optional Sony SA-SW3 wireless subwoofer if you want the best experience possible. If that sounds tempting, we’re pleased to report the subwoofer has also had a hefty discount at Sevenoaks Sound and Vision. Specifically, you can pick it up now for £349, a £100 saving on its regular £449 price.

These are two of many great home cinema deals doing the rounds this Black Friday. Also, make sure to check out our best Black Friday soundbar deals and best black Friday speaker deals for other cracking savings.

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It’s absolutely packed to bursting point with all manner of tech, from the option of fully electric drivetrains to BMW’s Curved Display and even sees the debut of in-car gaming in the 5 Series.

For What Hi-Fi? it’s a big deal, because it once again sees a Bowers & Wilkins sound system offered as a premium option. We were recently invited to a media event and managed to get behind the wheel of a BMW i5 M40 and hear what this new generation of B&W system brings to the party.

System

Bowers & Wilkins has featured in the 5 Series since 2016 and we tested a previous iteration back in 2018 which was called the Diamond Surround Sound System and included the company’s trademark diamond dome tweeters. It used 16 speakers powered by a 10-channel, 1400W amplifier.

In this 8th Gen car, it is now simply called the Bowers & Wilkins Surround Sound System, as diamond dome tweeters are reserved for other models in the BMW range. However, it does include B&W’s Continuum cone technology which is used in the midrange speakers found in each door.

The B&W system comes as standard if you opt for the top-of-the-range BMW i5 M60 (which is the car we drove and pictured here) but the good news is that it’s available as an individual option for other models in the range in the UK and US. Adding the system will set you back £1250 / $950.

For that, you get 18 speakers, although the i5 fully electric cars only have 17. This is because the car batteries leave no space for the two woofers under the front seats. In this model, they’re replaced by a single subwoofer in the boot. The system is driven by a 655 watt amplifier with surround processing provided by Harman's Logic 7 software.

For those wondering, as standard the new 5 Series comes fitted with a Harman Kardon system with 12 speakers and a 205 Watt amplifier.

The full speaker line-up is as follows…

• 7x 25mm aluminium tweeters
• 7x 10cm midrange speakers (x4 with B&W’s Continuum cone technology)
• 2x (50cm + 80cm) dual-balanced woofers arranged in opposition to each other
• 2x bass woofers under the front seats (for non i5 models)
• 1x 20cm dual voice coil subwoofer in the boot (for i5 only)

Infotainment

The 5 Series cabin is an impressive place to be and taking pride of place on the dashboard is the BMW Curved Display. The single unit combines a 12.3in display behind the steering wheel and a 14.9in display next to it, which caters for all your infotainment needs.

It’s controlled by BMW’s trademark iDrive system, running BMW’s latest Operating System 8.5. The main screen is a touchscreen, but we found it easier to use the rotary control on the centre console which also has a volume scroll wheel and buttons for switching between navigation, media and telephone.

There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, while you also get access to Video on Demand from the likes of YouTube and Pluto TV. Pluto TV comes via the Powered by TiVo platform which is making its debut on the 5 Series.

You’re not short of charging points in the 5 Series, with a wireless charging tray and two USB-C inputs up front and a couple of USB-C inputs in the rear which can rise to four depending on the optional packages you add to the car.

And, it’s not just the Bowers & Wilkins system that brings sound enhancements to the i5. The sounds that accompany the different driving modes have been created with input from the world-famous film score composer Hans Zimmer.

Sport mode, for example, has a fruity, futuristic sound with plenty of thrust while there’s more of a sparkle to the sound that comes when you’re in the Efficient driving mode.

Sound

Bowers & Wilkins provides a 5.1 surround-sound demo in FLAC which sends various sounds from chimes to drums and strings throughout the cabin and between and across speakers to give you a taste of its surround credentials. It’s a neat demo, but there’s no substitute for playing your own music through it.

While we’re weaving our way through some country roads, we have time to play a handful of tracks starting with This Moment, the result of a hook-up between Chase and Status and Manchester band Blossoms. The poppy drum & bass track sounds suitably fast-paced and fun through the B&W system.

Highs don’t seem to sound harsh, with mids solid and relatively expressive and lows displaying a decent amount of weight. We didn't find ourselves heading straight for the sound menus to tinker, which is a sign that the system is doing some things right.

We switch over to Drake’s Too Much and there seems to be a good sense of rhythm and a decent amount of space around the main beat, the vocal and the percussion that circles above. With the Logic 7 processing engaged, you can alter the surround intensity in the menus. We tend to leave it in its normal position but also experiment at both ends of the scale. Alternatively, you can turn it off completely – the result is you lose the surround effect but seem to gain a bit more focus.

Verdict

The set-up in the all-electric i5 seems promising and the price to have this added as an option seems quite reasonable compared to other systems on the market.

We weren’t able to compare the Bowers & Wilkins system to the standard Harman Kardon set-up to hear if there is a big jump in sound quality, but first impressions were positive. Hopefully, we’ll have a little longer with the car further down the line, so we can bring you our definitive star rating.

MORE:

Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System (2018 BMW 5-Series) review

Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System (BMW iX) review

5 reasons your car audio system is better than your hi-fi (or could be soon)

I listened to the Apple Spatial Audio system that makes people cry – and it’s the future

That's why we've tested and reviewed a wide range of the best surround sound options, from Dolby Atmos soundbars to premium 5.1 speaker packages.

All of the speakers and soundbars on this list deliver exciting cinematic sound that are guaranteed to give your audio system a new lease of life. And, if you are working with a budget, you don't have to spend through the nose to get that.

We have options on this list ranging from a surprisingly brilliant Hisense soundbar system complete with surround speakers and a dedicated subwoofer for under £300, all the way up to a high-end KEF package that looks as good as it sounds.

Every option here has been tested thoroughly by our expert reviews team, and you can find out more about how we test surround sound systems below.

Furthermore, our best AV receivers page should be your next port of call if you're building a setup from scratch, as you'll need a good amplifier to drive the surround sound speaker packages on this list.

The best speaker package

It is an indisputable fact that the best way to achieve the most convincing surround-sound experience is by placing individual speakers all around your room. Usually that would consist of a ready-made home cinema pack (HCP) put together by the manufacturer, but there’s nothing to stop you creating your own, as long as you include all the necessary components.

B&W itself doesn’t sell this particular setup as a bundle; but multiple retailers do. It consists of a pair of 606 S3 speakers for the left and right channels, a couple of 607 S3 speakers for the surrounds, an HTM6 S3 for the centre channel, and a ASW610 subwoofer. Don’t forget you’ll also need stands for the front and surround speakers.

Why this exact combination? Because all of the components are compact and well crafted, and collectively they deliver a spectacular performance. The sound is brilliantly dynamic and energetic, but also detailed and insightful, with excellent warmth and richness to the vocals. It can’t match the sonic scale of physically larger packages, but it’s still full-bodied and engaging.

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that combining these five-star speakers would be so successful, but it’s still impressive just how well this DIY surround-sound package works.

Read the full Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package review

The best soundbar system

Samsung's proposition with the HW-Q990F is simple and appealing. It builds upon the Award-winning HW-Q990D with a core upgrade that enhances the sonic experience as a whole, creating an irresistible soundbar system that's perfect for anyone whose goal is to avoid trailing cables around their living room at all costs.

The system features a Dolby Atmos soundbar, two wireless satellite speakers with side-firing and upward-firing drivers and a redesigned subwoofer that's now a cube rather than a cuboid.

Pumping out a staggering 300W of power despite its small footprint, this small (yet surprisingly capable) subwoofer delivers a controlled, yet deep and punchy kick of low end that elevates the system as a whole.

That's not to say that the main soundbar and surround speakers don't pull their weight, respectively. The Q990F soundbar is talented in its own right, delivering a crisp and detailed sound with impressive Dolby Atmos height effects that play a key role in enabling that "bubble of sound" that we often look for.

The main 'bar is also feature-packed, with HDMI 2.1 passthrough that supports up to 4K/120Hz signals with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision supported. It also includes a range of different sound presets, and settings can be easily tweaked via the Samsung SmartThings app.

It's backed up by the wireless surround speakers, which mesh nicely with the soundbar and subwoofer to create a cohesive and immersive home cinema package. It doesn't hesitate to put you directly in the centre of the action.

If convenience without sacrificing sound quality is your objective, then the HW-Q990F should absolutely be on your radar.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F review

The best affordable speaker package

With poise, effortlessness, cut-glass diction and charisma, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 HCP is essentially the Audrey Hepburn of home theatre speaker packages.

The package is made up of a quartet of the excellent, mid-sized Diamond 12.1 bookshelf speakers for fronts and surrounds with the 12.C in the middle and the SW10 powered subwoofer supplying the bass.

The SW-10 sub is in some ways the star of the show: taut and dextrous, it is exceptionally musical and blends seamlessly with the system's speakers, thanks in no small part to they themselves having an impressive low end. The result is a rich and lively sound.

The SW10 delivers rich bass, but it never overpowers the midrange or treble. And, as a whole, the system sounds mature, impactful, agile and detailed.

The Diamond 12.1 system is an excellent choice for both music and film, and its combination of cinematic scale, relatively small physical dimensions and affordable price make it ideal for people who might otherwise not have considered a 'proper' home cinema setup.

For an appropriate AVR, we suggest trying the Denon AVR-X2800H. If we had to use one word to describe the sound of this receiver, it would be ‘confident’. The AVR-X2700H doesn’t try too hard to impress, as a nervously underpowered budget amp might.

It’s an easy and effective listen. No matter how hectic the action becomes, this Denon never misses a beat. It passes the laser blasts from speaker to speaker in a wonderfully coherent manner and, no matter the scene, creates a genuine sense of place.

Read the full Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 HCP review

The best premium speaker package

KEF's latest 5.1 surround sound system is an absolute gem of a speaker package, though it's a bit pricier than the alternatives on this list. We think it's worth the extra outlay, however, as this system sounds as good as it looks.

The five-star Q Concerto Meta standmount speakers headline this system, and they're supported by the Q1 Meta bookshelf speakers, Q6 centre channel, and the Kube 12 MIE subwoofer. KEF also has the Q4 Meta on wall speakers if you're looking to save space, but we preferred the Q1 Meta bookshelf units during our testing.

Performance-wise, the Q Concerto Meta 5.1 delivers a crisp, rich and powerful sound that allows every movie soundtrack to shine. It balances authority and agility with ease, resulting in a deeply engaging surround sound experience. The cohesion across the channels is excellent, leaving no obvious gaps between the channels, further increasing immersion.

The K12 MIE subwoofer is a standout component of this system, offering punchy, rich and expressive bass that stays perfectly in control even during challenging sequences. This sonic spectacle is wrapped up in a stylish package that we called "swooningly handsome" in our full review, with understated, suave styling throughout.

If your budget is a bit more flexible, and you're conscious about looks as well as sound quality, then this KEF system is a top recommendation.

Read our full KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 review

The best high-end speaker package

If money really is no object, then the top high-end choice is the KEF R Meta 5.1 Speaker System.

The R7 Meta floorstanders are the most eye-catching aspect of the system, making it clear that the package is not designed to disappear into your living room. These are paired with two R3 Meta standmount speakers and one R6 Meta centre speaker. Finally, the cube-shaped KC92 subwoofer completes the package.

So how do they sound? In short, they are incredibly sophisticated and composed performers. It handled whatever track we threw at it with "an expansive soundstage and an ability to unpick complex recordings without ever becoming analytical", as we noted in our review.

It's equally as enchanting with movies as with music, and we found when testing that it delivers an immersive surround experience that seamlessly blends each sonic element with effortless skill.

Read our full KEF Meta 5.1 Speaker System review

The best soundbar

If your idea of a soundbar doesn’t include any extraneous speakers like you get with the Samsung HW-Q990D (above), the Sonos Arc Ultra should be at the top of your shopping list.

We already loved the five-star, Award-winning Sonos Arc, so the idea of an improved version was very appealing, and the Ultra doesn’t disappoint. To the naked eye it looks identical to its predecessor, but the new model is a touch wider and not quite as tall. It still measures 114cm from end to end, though, so it’s best-suited to bigger TVs.

The big differences come underneath the grille, with seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a 'Sound Motion' woofer all combining to create a 9.1.4-channel configuration powered by 15 Class D amplifiers. That’s a notable upgrade from the original.

The result is a noticeable improvement in the way it handles bass, with a great combination of weight and control, but that’s just the beginning of its talents. The way it places particular sounds around you is particularly impressive, with loads of detail and dynamism.

For such a technologically impressive soundbar, though, there are some disappointments. While the setup experience and TruePlay customisation are slick the app itself isn't great, although it’s hardly something you’ll feel the need to use every day. The lack of extra HDMI inputs might also be frustrating if the TV you're planning to plug it into doesn’t have many.

Those minor quibbles aside, the Sonos Arc Ultra is certainly a soundbar that lives up to its name.

Read the full Sonos Arc Ultra review

The best wireless speaker system

Sony had a mammoth task on its hands when it set out to replace the fantastic HT-A9 wireless surround sound system, which it launched in 2021. Its answer to an updated speaker system was the Bravia Theatre Quad, a slimmer and more modernised take on the concept, and in many ways it was a considerable upgrade.

It's 16 channels, driven by 504W of amplification, delivers an immersive and engaging sound, aided by the inclusion of Dolby Atmos support. The HT-A9, on the other hand, featured 14 drivers in total; which is still impressive, but the Quad easily overshadows its predecessor.

We also praised its easy plug-and-play setup process, which is simple, efficient and tidy. There's no need to trail cables around your living room, and the Bravia Connect app leads you through the setup with an automatic calibration process that uses the microphone in your smartphone to tailor the sound to your space.

Sony was even kind enough to include an HDMI pass-through socket on the control hub box, which supports 4K/120Hz signals and HDR video too.

The Bravia Theatre Quad does struggle with bass somewhat, and the pricey external subwoofer feels like a necessity if you want to get the most out of this system; however, the issue is that the Quad system itself is very expensive.

That being said, if wireless convenience and cinematic sound are your two main priorities, the Bravia Theatre Quad is still a brilliant option.

The best cheap soundbar

Delivering Dolby Atmos from a small chassis is no mean feat yet the Sonos Beam Gen 2 achieves a convincing, immersive performance without so much as a vertical speaker in sight. Instead, when watching Atmos content, two of the soundbar's five front-facing arrays are dedicated to reproducing overhead and surround sounds. The soundbar then deploys its significant processing power to give the impression of height using psychoacoustic HRTF (head-related transfer function) technology.

While genuine overhead sounds are perhaps a stretch too far for this petite performer, its virtual delivery of the Atmos format outstrips any similarly priced soundbar and even a few that are more expensive. All told, the Beam Gen 2 delivers a spacious, enveloping soundscape that is full of detail and features three-dimensional effects with tangible motion.

Want an even more impressive soundstage? You can add two One SL rear speakers (£358 / $358 / AU$538) and a Sub (£699 / $699 / AU$999) for a more traditional surround set-up.

Not that many soundbars at this price point come with networking capabilities, but this being a Sonos product, the Beam Gen 2’s ability to integrate into a wireless multiroom system is fundamental to its design. This means you can stream to the Beam Gen 2 from a handheld device using Apple AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect is built-in too. It also supports Amazon Music Ultra HD audio, which gives you access to lossless 24-bit/48kHz tracks as well as Dolby Atmos Music.

Despite the lack of upward drivers, if space and budget are limited there isn't a better Dolby Atmos soundbar that we would recommend.

Read the full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

The best cheap soundbar system

If your budget doesn't stretch to the Samsung HW-Q990F (see above), then don't fret; Hisense has an alternative that costs a fraction of the Samsung system. The AX5125H doesn't score any points for its confusing name, but it makes up for that with a home cinema sound experience that greatly surpasses its shockingly low price tag.

It's a well-built, functional system that may not look as visually appealing as the rest of the options on this list, but the money saved has clearly gone towards making a system that punches way above its weight sonically.

Despite its small footprint, the system delivers a weighty, spacious sound that caught us off guard in our full review. We admit, we had some reservations going into our testing of the AX5125H, but its cinematic audio quickly dispelled those.

It manages to envelop us in a convincing display of surround sound, with a superb sense of Dolby Atmos height effects that soar over the seating position and dynamically move towards the rear speakers.

Bass is punchy and impactful, and while it can get a tad overexcited in certain instances, it's still a hugely impressive subwoofer for the price. It's also wireless, as are the surround speakers, and setup is a breeze, making this system super convenient overall.

If you're looking for an impressive system that doesn't break the bank, then this Hisense package is a compelling option indeed.

Read our full Hisense AX5125H review

The best compact speaker package

If you’re in the market for something more substantial than a soundbar but don’t have space to scatter speakers the size of wheelie bins around the place, Wharfedale’s DX-3 home cinema pack is right up your street.

The successor to the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning DX-2, this pint-sized package is perfect for smaller rooms, with the two-way closed-box design of the surround speakers meaning they can be placed close to a wall, while the centre channel will sit comfortably under the TV. The 70W subwoofer is relatively petite, too.

The diminutive dimensions of each component might suggest you’re going to get a small-scale sound from the DX-3, but it’s pleasingly cinematic, with punchy dynamics and plenty of detail. It doesn’t sound quite as rich or warm as its predecessor, but with the right amplifier that can probably be rectified.

It might not look or feel quite as premium as the DX-2 package did, and the RRP is £50 more expensive, but this is still a very affordable and hugely practical way to graduate from a soundbar setup.

Read the full Wharfedale DX-3 review

Also consider

• Q Acoustics 5040 5.1 Home Cinema: If you have space for floorstanders and want a 5.1 system that isn’t astronomically expensive, then the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Q Acoustics 5040 5.1 package is a solid choice. Our only minor quibble is that some of the other systems on this list deliver a more full-bodied sound.
• Fyne Audio F500E AV Pack 2: Fyne Audio wowed us in the hi-fi testing room with its new, entry-level F501E floorstanding speakers, so a home cinema package featuring them in the top spot was immediately cause for excitement. In reality, the system is a little rough around the edges, but it still provides a very enjoyable and engaging cinematic sound at a reasonable price.
• Dali Oberon 5 5.1: The What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Dali Oberon 5 5.1 speaker package is a great surround system that delivers unparalleled performance. If you have money to spare and the space for it, it’s an excellent option well worth considering.
• Wharfedale Evo 4.4 5.1: If money is no object, then the Wharfdale Evo 4.4 5.1 speaker package is well worth a look. During our checks, it delivered brilliant, dynamic sound with great rhythmic precision. Just be warned, if space is tight, the central channel is outright huge.
• Sonos Arc: If you don’t have space for a speaker package, but want a great surround-sound experience from a soundbar instead, and don’t fancy the Sony HT-A7000, then the Sonos Arc should be your next port of call. It offers some of the best audio you’ll find on a soundbar and comes with the added flexibility of the Sonos ecosystem, which makes it easy to pair it with some of the brand’s other speakers and subwoofer.
• Sony HT-S2000: Sony's cheapest Dolby Atmos soundbar manages to muster up an impressive surround sound experience from a 'bar that costs considerably less than many options on this list. We think that the Hisense AX5125H is the better choice, but for those looking for an all-in-one bargain should consider this Sony.
• Samsung HW-Q990H: While the Q990H soundbar system is the more nuanced and detailed performer compared to the Q990F, you can find the latter at a more discounted price, which makes it the better bargain at the moment. We will be keeping our eyes on its price tag.