Wharfedale has revamped its top-of-the-range Elysian series of loudspeakers.

The Elysian Series R now replaces all of the five established models in the range, including the five-star Elysian 4 floorstanders, promising "elevated engineering and an even more captivating musical performance".

The new line-up consists of the Elysian 1R two-way standmounts, the Elysian 2R three-way standmounts, the Elysian 3R and 4R three-way floorstanders, and the Elysian CR centre channel.

Wharfedale describes the new R range as an evolution of the previous Elysian speakers rather than a full-scale reinvention, with components revisited and refined to deliver "greater accuracy, transparency and musical realism".

The Elysian R range deploys enhanced 'Air Motion Transfer' (AMT) tweeters, designed for greater sonic resolution and accuracy alongside ultra-low distortion. The AMT tweeters have been updated with a new "ultra-light" pleated diaphragm, with an "enlarged, high-specification design" combined with the acoustically damped rear chamber. This should result in a more open and effortless quality to the high frequency performance.

Apart from the smaller Elysian 1R, all of the new speakers house a 15cm midrange driver with a cone constructed using a woven glass fibre matrix, which Wharfedale promises results in "astonishing realism and tonal accuracy".

Depending on the model, either an 18cm or 22cm glass fibre matrix bass driver is used, which has also been refined alongside the motor system, in pursuit of better depth and control at the lower end of the frequency range.

Wharfedale's the Slot-Loaded Profiled Port returns to work alongside the bass drivers, while the brand has refined other areas of the speakers throughout. These include revised crossovers to improve transparency, and components and circuit board layouts chosen for the shortest signal path and less electromagnetic interference.

For the cabinets, all five Elysian R models feature Wharfedale’s latest Panel Resonance Optimisation System (PROS), whereby a multi-layer construction of woods of differing density is accompanied by strategic bracing for enhanced structural integrity and reduced panel resonance.

All five Wharfedale Elysian R Series speakers will be available from late June in a choice of matt black, matt grey or piano lacquered walnut wood veneer finishes. Prices are as follows:

- Elysian 1R standmounts: £3499 / $5995 / AU$7999 per pair (stands £399)
- Elysian 2R standmounts: £4999 / $8495 / AU$11,999 per pair (stands £449)
- Elysian 3R floorstanders: £5999 / $9995 / AU$13,999 per pair
- Elysian 4R floorstanders: £6999 / $11,995 / AU$15,999 per pair
- Elysian CR centre channel: £3499 / $5995 / AU$7999 (stand £449)

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Read our recent Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i review

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Wharfedale seems to believe in the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach, if the new Diamond 12i range is anything to go by, and who can blame it? On paper, the highlights of this updated range aren’t particularly exciting: they include a revised set of finishes, redesigned reflex ports and a tweak of each speaker’s internal damping.

Nothing to get particularly excited about, although Wharfedale deserves praise for keeping the entire range’s pricing unchanged from its predecessors. In a world where every manufacturer is pushing up prices, this comes as a refreshing and pleasant surprise.

The original Diamond 12 series launched in late 2020 and quickly became our go-to recommendation for anyone looking for great value, affordable speakers, whether for stereo or home cinema use.

The original 12.3 floorstanders were a particular favourite of ours, offering an excellent all-round performance in a neat, easy-to-accommodate form. They won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards over the years and remained the class leader right until it ended production in late 2025.

Design

Its replacement, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i, looks reassuringly familiar. In fact, you have to look hard to notice any substantial changes beyond the three new finishes (black, walnut and grey).

The revised rear firing port looks much the same from the outside, though we did notice a soft rubber ring mounted to the end on the inside, something the original never had.

The trio of drive units is essentially the same. That’s no problem, as they were hardly a weakness.

The 12.3i remains a 2½ way design where the upper 13cm driver handles the midrange and bass, leaving the lower one to add a bit of muscle only at the lowest frequencies.

Both of the larger drivers use Wharfedale’s Klarity diaphragm material. Klarity is the company’s marketing name for mica-loaded polypropylene, a material claimed to offer a good balance between stiffness, damping and light weight.

A 25mm textile dome tweeter takes responsibility above the 2.2kHz crossover frequency. We’ve heard this high-frequency unit in various Diamond 12 models and it has always impressed with its detail and refinement.

Build & compatibility

Take a look at the specifications and you will find nothing obvious has changed from the previous gen model. The 12.3i’s sensitivity is still 89dB/W/m and nominal impedance continues to be rated as 8 ohm compatible, with a minimum of 5 ohms.

These numbers imply that these floorstanders should be easy enough to drive for most price-compatible amplifiers. Certainly, the Arcam A5+ integrated amplifier we used for much of this test had no difficulty driving them.

We do notice that these speakers are now single-wired only. Is that a major loss? We don’t think so, and suspect most owners never took full advantage of the previous generation’s twin set of terminals.

Overall, the Diamond 12.3i’s build quality is good for the money. We have a pair of the originals for comparison, and notice that the finish on the new ones’ metal feet isn’t quite as neat, but to be fair this is something that you would never see once the speakers are installed.

There is little to complain about elsewhere. The cabinets feel solid and are finished neatly. Our review sample is in the new black finish and looks understated but still classy.

At 97.5cm tall and just 18cm wide, these Diamond floorstanders are compact enough to fit into most rooms without dominating, and in the UK at least, that’s a big positive.

We do find that the 12.3i is a little fussier about room positioning than its predecessor. Its revised porting arrangement has resulted in a more muscular bass performance, which many will prefer, but it also makes the speakers less forgiving about their proximity to a wall.

In our 3 x 7 x 5m listening room, the 12.3i sound most comfortable around 70cm into the room, and slightly angled towards the listening position to solidify their stereo imaging. The previous generation model could be placed closer and still sound balanced.

Sound

A floorstanding speaker at this price has a difficult balancing act to perform. It has to be forgiving with budget separates and streaming systems, yet still shine with more ambitious electronics. The original 12.3 did that superbly, and so does this new version.

The change of port and internal damping may seem slight on paper, but they have changed the Diamond 12.3’s character a little. The new “i” models are certainly bigger and bolder-sounding. Play a dramatic piece of music, such as the Indiana Jones theme by John Williams, and there is no denying that these new Diamonds produce more dramatic results.

Dynamic shifts are a little more vivid with the new-gen model going from quiet to loud and back again with greater conviction. The bass also kicks harder and, perhaps surprisingly given the identical specifications, seemingly a little deeper.

The tweeter is unchanged, so we’re surprised to find that the treble is now a little more forward than before. It adds to the sense of space in the recording and makes low-level details a touch more apparent. But don’t worry, things aren’t overdone, as the Diamond 12.3i still sounds refined and well-behaved by class standards.

As we work our way through the likes of De La Soul’s Cabin In The Sky set and Jill Scott’s To Whom This May Concern album, it becomes clear that the 12.3i floorstanders should still be considered class leaders. It is hard to argue against the fact that their combination of insight, dynamic expression and control is hard to beat at the money.

Given a song like De La Soul’s YUHDONTSTOP, the 12.3i are a fun listen, rendering the group's vocal flow with enthusiasm and clarity. Vocal and instrumental textures come through well, certainly better than any rival floorstander we’ve heard.

Rhythmically, these Diamonds are surefooted rather than enthusiastic, but they convey the music’s momentum and energy well enough. We’re having fun and these Wharfedale floorstanders are playing their part in that.

However, as good as these new speakers are, there are areas where we feel the older model edges things. In side-by-side comparisons, the original 12.3 sounds a little more cohesive and conveys musical momentum a touch more emphatically. Its bass is a little better integrated too, though clearly less powerful.

Verdict

Given that this “i” model replaces the original, perhaps the comparisons don’t matter so much. It is how the Diamond 12.3i compares to its price rivals that is more important.

In this respect, there is little out there to worry these Wharfedale floorstanders. They remain a cut above the competition, and that makes them an excellent buy at the money.

Review published: 1st June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 4
• Compatibility 4

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Flares, sideburns, the mullet... the 1970s must carry the can for some truly terrible style trends. But it also birthed some pretty great-looking speakers, like the Wharfedale Denton 1. Launched in 1974, it was a real landmark in Wharefdale's evolution. And now it's back, with a modern makeover.

The Denton 1S is the latest in Wharfedale's Heritage Series, which are all inspired by its models from yesteryear. But this is the first inspired by a specific model, the Denton 1. With an unusual full-range coaxial drive unit with two cones mounted on the same axis, it could be positioned either vertically or horizontally. It also broke away from the classic wood-panelled look that Wharfedale was known for in favour of a moulded polyurethane (plastic polymer) enclosure with curved edges. Which is a very modern look.

The new model keeps these trademark elements but packages them within a new design, with a "vastly elevated sound".

It's small enough to fit on a desk, but can be wall-mounted, situated close to a wall or placed on a stand. Inside is a new two-way coaxial driver developed especially for this model. A 25mm silk-dome tweeter sits within a 165mm enhanced polypropylene mid/bass cone, allowing both drivers to radiate from a single acoustic centre to produce sound that's time-aligned and phase coherent.

The cone should deliver a wide and balanced frequency response thanks to its enhanced rigidity and critical damping, while the 44mm voice coil allows for power handling up to 100W.

The result? Natural tone balance, excellent transient accuracy and reduced colouration across the midrange, according to Wharfedale. Bass should be warm and full of texture, while high frequencies come with smooth yet crisply rendered detail.

It should also deliver a wide soundstage to entertain you regardless of where you're sitting.

The Denton 1S's crossover network is mapped to Linkwitz-Riley 4th order acoustic slopes at 2.6kHz, and works with a form of EQ that Wharefdale has dubbed the 'Brilliance Switch', which is one of the best names we've heard for a long time. This has two positions: 'norm', or 'max', which raises the response by 1.5dB to between 2 and 4kHz, adjusting the sound for positioning the speaker close to a wall. So you shouldn't suffer acoustically just because you're short of space.

While it might look similar to the original Denton 1, the 1S's cabinet has a whole new construction. It's made of a thicker, denser combination of woods to scatter panel resonances, while differing-thickness fibreboard panels are bonded and braced to control critical resonance modes. The front baffle is also recessed for better structural integrity.

The rear bass port is double-flared with a soft rubber on the inner flare to reduce turbulence and avoid chuffing while also enhancing the bass response. It offers bass extension down to 45Hz (-6dB), and it should match with lots of different amplifiers thanks to its 88dB sensitivity and an impedance averaging 8 ohms, with a minimum of 4.5 ohms.

The Denton 1S comes in the same white matt finish as its progenitor, along with black and blue colour schemes. It's out in late May for £649 / $999 / AU$1799 per pair.

Wharfedale's other Heritage speakers, like the Denton and Linton, have reviewed well, picking up four and five stars respectively. You can read about them below.

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Read our Wharfedale Denton review

And our Wharfedale LInton review

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This week, we updated our best OLED TV buying advice, replacing the 48-inch Panasonic Z90B with the 42-inch LG C5 as our main recommendation for people tight on space.

Normally that would be a cause for celebration. In most instances, we only ever add a new set to our buying guides when we have found something better to recommend, after all.

That’s a key reason so many of our advice pages have entries that have been there for months, or even years in some very rare cases. If it’s still the best, regardless of its age, we’ll keep recommending it.

And to be clear, the 42-inch LG C5 is an excellent small OLED TV. That’s why we gave it a five-star rating and What Hi-Fi? Award last year. If you want a Cliff Notes summary, here’s the verdict from our review:

“The 42-inch LG C5 is the best small OLED TV we’ve tested this year. Like its predecessors, it offers a near-flawless feature set and solid, sharp, immersive picture quality, neatly packaged in a small room-friendly frame. The only minor issue remains its audio, which, while fine for casual viewing, isn’t powerful or precise enough for immersive movie watching. Plan for a soundbar in your budget, if you don’t already have one.”

The issue is, despite all its perks, it’s not the best small OLED we have tested in the past 12 months. That honour went to the also Award-winning, slightly larger 48-inch Panasonic Z90B.

We confirmed that when we ran all the small OLED TVs we had head-to-head during last year’s Awards season. The reason is simple: at the time, it offered the best picture quality of all the TVs in the room.

Though it wasn’t the brightest, it offered the most even-handed performance, with colours and movements looking wonderfully natural. So, unless you were a gamer with numerous consoles and PCs requiring multiple HDMI 2.1 sockets, it was our main recommendation.

As we said in our 48-inch Panasonic Z90B review:

“From sparkling desert dunes in sci-fi epics to cars thundering across a race track and heated conversations behind closed doors, every scene we threw at this set looked wonderfully authentic and weighty. If you want a 48-inch OLED TV and value cinematic authenticity, the Panasonic Z90B is currently the one to get.”

The only reason we have stopped recommending it is that stock appears to have evaporated atypically early, making it near impossible to buy, unless you’re willing to grab a second-hand or display set.

We have asked retailers and Panasonic if any new stock will appear, and why it has sold out so fast, and we will keep you updated on what we find out.

Either way, while we think the 42-inch LG C5 is still more than enough OLED for most movie fans tight on space, its ascension to our buying guide isn’t the same cause for unbridled celebration it might normally be. And the early loss of the Z90B isn't a good thing for buyers in general. There are very few good, small OLED TVs around in general, after all.

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Ryan Gosling is really in his element right now. Following the success of the sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary, every other piece of content on my social media is a slickly edited video of the handsome devil.

Much of his back catalogue regularly appears in our AV test room. Barbie and Drive, for instance, are both excellent test discs, and the eagle-eyed among you will have spotted us using them in our reviews.

But there's another film featuring Gosling that is a brilliant way to test your home cinema hardware, and it is celebrating its 10th birthday. Damien Chazelle's La La Land leapt onto the screen back in 2017, and blew critics and audiences away with its show-stopping score and captivating performances from Gosling and Emma Stone in the leading roles.

If you have somehow never seen the modern classic, let us fill you in. It follows Sebastian, a struggling pianist, and Mia, an aspiring actress, who fall in love. When their careers start to take off, they find themselves having to make some tough decisions.

It's a film that we see used time and time again in demos for a range of AV kit, but over the years we have not used it in our own test room as much as we would like to. So this anniversary seems like the best time to revisit the best scenes to challenge your home cinema system, and also to bring it back to the top of our shelf where it belongs.

Opening sequence

From the off, La La Land really starts all guns blazing. On a hot summer's day, a seemingly endless queue of cars stretches to the Los Angeles horizon during rush hour. And what would any of us do in this scenario? That's right, open up your car door and break into a synchronised song and dance number.

The six-minute scene is dynamic and energetic with near constant movement that challenges a TV or projector's motion handling. With the crowd weaving around the cars and dancing in every direction, keep your eyes peeled for motion blur or juddering.

On top of that, the scene puts your audio system to the test. As dancers clamber about on the roof of the cars and horns blare around the soundfield, the precision of your audio set-up will be challenged. With a convincing Dolby Atmos system, you should hear the various sounds all around the space with a sense of accuracy and immersion.

"A Lovely Night"

Even if you haven't seen the film, you will almost certainly recognise the classic iconography of this scene. After running into each other at a party, Sebastian and Mia find themselves at the top of a beautiful hill but, despite obviously having feelings, lament that they are wasting this romantic view by spending it with each other.

As the pair move from the shade under a tree to a colourful night sky, it is a good test of how your screen handles the subtle detail in the crinkles of Sebastian's white shirt and the darker areas of Mia's yellow dress.

This beautiful sky also delivers a great test on its own. It starts at the top of the screen with a bright violet, before merging to pink and then ending in a darker red. On many screens, this may reveal an issue with colour banding, which is where smooth colour gradients are instead divided into stark lines.

A dance under the stars

After admitting their feelings for each other, Sebastian and Mia take a romantic trip to the Griffith Observatory which makes for another excellent test scene.

As the scene takes a magical realist turn and the pair floats into the night sky, note the contrast between the bright twinkle of the stars and the dark of the sky. There is a danger of the deep black looking more like a dark grey, or the stars not standing out against the more cavernous black backdrop.

On top of that, the twinkling stars can go the other way to create an unwanted "halo effect" where light spills out too much. That is particularly prevalent with Mini LED TVs because they rely on a backlight with local dimming zones. This all means it is particularly useful if you want to challenge your own Mini LED screen.

What's your favourite scene in La La Land? Drop it in the comments below.

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Wharfedale's Heritage range is – as the name suggests – a celebration of the brand's history. And now there's a centre channel to go with the pairs of stereo speakers.

The Heritage Centre will transform your Linton or Denton speakers from a stereo setup to a 3.1 or 5.1 home cinema system. It's purpose-built to work with the existing Heritage models, and designed to look right at home doing so.

Like the Linton, Super Linton, Super Denton and Dovedale, the Heritage Centre is a three-way design: the midrange driver works alongside twin bass drivers and a treble unit. Its drivers are derived from those inside the Super Denton.

The midrange driver’s 50mm fabric dome claims to enhance vocal projection and dialogue clarity, which is exactly what you want from a centre channel. It also claims wide dispersion, with seamless transitioning across the frequency range.

Inside the treble unit are a ceramic magnet motor system with a 25mm fabric dome of its own, and a damped rear chamber that absorbs output from the diaphragm, reducing the resonant frequency. This should eliminate harshness.

Overall, the Centre promises “the same full-bodied sonic scale, richly expressive midrange and sweetly articulated high frequencies” as the rest of the Heritage Series. These models have reviewed well: the Denton scored four stars from us back in 2012, while the Linton notched up the full five stars.

A lot of thought went into the Centre's design, too. Like every other Heritage model, it was overseen by Peter Comeau, Wharfedale’s Director of Acoustic Design. It's built to contain all four drivers with enough space inside to sonically match the other Heritage speakers for consistency in performance. Its combination of woods was incorporated in order to scatter panel resonances. And the internal bracing – combined with the damping material – keeps cabinet resonances below the level of the audio signal to eliminate interference.

It also has the same walnut, mahogany and black-oak veneers as the Linton and Denton speakers, to look of a piece with them.

The Wharfedale Heritage Centre will be available in late May for £649 (around $880 / AU$1200).

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What Hi-Fi? turns 50 in 2026 and we're looking back on some of the most important hi-fi and home cinema products in our lifetime – and beyond!

We're going back further than 1976 in this article as we look back on a series of debut speakers from hi-fi brands that went on to great things.

Our list details the first-ever models from some of the most renowned loudspeaker brands in history, including Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, KEF and Quad, some (but not all) of which started life long before What Hi-Fi?.

Wharfedale Bronze 2 (1932)

Wharfedale’s first speaker was built in the cellar of founder Gilbert Briggs' llkley home in 1932.

The Bronze was purely a drive unit (in those days, radio enthusiasts assembled their own cabinets). A year later, it was housed in a wooden cabinet for those who wanted an ‘extension’ speaker. Shortly after came the ‘Nubian’ cabinet speaker in 1934.

But it was a whole decade before Wharfedale marked the first of many milestones: the invention of the first two-way loudspeaker.

In 1945, the company combined a 30cm bass driver with a 25cm full-range ‘treble’ unit, using a crossover at 1kHz. And in the years after the company’s introduction of ceramic magnets to moving coil drive units led to the company’s much-celebrated Diamond series.

• That Was Then... Wharfedale Diamond review

Bang & Olufsen Hyperbo (1934)

Not uniquely, Bang & Olufsen came to the speaker market through radio manufacturing. In 1925, Peter Bang & Svend Olufsen’s first commercial radio – the modest production of which began in Olufsen’s attic – was the Eliminator, a radio component that allowed the connection of a radio directly to the mains, eliminating the need for batteries.

Having moved to a factory in Struer just two years later (B&O remain at that same site today), the Hyperbo – a radio, gramophone and integrated loudspeaker – arrived in 1934.

Like every B&O product produced since, the Hyperbo was heavily influenced by the emerging Bauhaus style in the early 1900s: a design attitude that has consistently manifested itself in the artistic craft behind the company's many speakers and TVs.

Acoustic Research AR-1 (1954)

Acoustic Research was founded in 1952 by inventor Edgar Villchur and his student Henry Kloss. Based on the acoustic suspension principle patented by Villchur in 1956, its first model, the AR-1, sold for $185 (over £1000 in today’s money).

The AR-1's woofer trapped air in the speaker’s sealed enclosure to provide a spring for the diaphragm, enabling it to move back and forth – doing the same job as the more conventional mechanical spring.

This was followed quickly by the AR-2 but it was the AR-3, released in 1958, that became Acoustic Research's landmark speaker, borrowing the AR-1's acoustic suspension technology but bringing onboard newly designed drivers.

Quad ESL-57 (1957)

Quad founder Peter Walker was the first to implement electrostatic technology in loudspeakers, waving goodbye to traditional driver cones and cumbersome cabinets.

In their place he put a thinly-stretched, electrically-charged diaphragm between two metal grilles, which received the music signal from the amplifier.

The first in what has become a brand-defining range of electrostatic speakers, the ESL-57, was in production for nearly 30 years, while the ESL-63 continued Quad’s electrostatic legacy until 1999. Quad continues to manufacture electrostatic speakers to this day.

KEF K1 Slimline (1961)

KEF’s oldest speaker was born out of founder Raymond Cooke’s desire to achieve outstanding sound quality from a slim, living room-friendly enclosure.

At 12.5cm deep, the K1 Slimline incorporated the same driver innovations as the Monitor versions that arrived in the K1 series: the B1814 woofer with its flat rectangular diaphragm of aluminium skinned polystyrene, the M64 elliptical midrange unit with a similar diaphragm construction, and the T15 tweeter with its hemispherical Melinex diaphragm.

To minimise colouration, the wall panels of the braced cabinet were dampened with bituminous pads. And, lounge-friendly in their aesthetic as well as their size, the K1 Slimlines were finished in walnut with 'coffee' fleck grilles – a far cry from some of the designs it employs today.

• That Was Then… KEF Reference Model 101/3

B&W P1 (1966)

Beginnings don’t get much more humble than B&W’s. The year after founder John Bowers started hand-assembling speaker systems in the electrical store he ran with Roy Wilkins in Worthing, Bowers & Wilkins (then B&W Electronics Ltd) released its first loudspeaker: the P1.

The cabinet and filter were B&W's own, but the drivers came from EMI and Celestion – this was in the decade before the company started using the bright-yellow Kevlar woven composite.

The profits from the P1 allowed Bowers to purchase a Radiometer Oscillator and Pen Recorder, meaning that every speaker the company sold could have calibration certificates.

• That Was Then… B&W 602 S3 review

Spendor BC1 (late ’60s)

Bextrene was the material of choice for the speaker diaphragms in Spendor’s first pair of speakers, the BC1.

A product of BBC engineer Spencer Hughes (co-founder with Dorothy Hughes, hence the Spendor name) and co-designer Dudley Harwood, the BC1 speakers had a three-way design: the only commercial 8in Bextrene mid-bass driver, a Celestion HF 1300 tweeter and a Coles 4001 G supertweeter.

They were fed by a nine-element crossover comprised of film capacitors for frequency and temperature stability, and radio metal cored chokes that allowed for high transients and low resonances.

The BC1s hit the market in the late ‘60s and found their way into broadcast and recording studios before eventually being available to buy for consumers. Some 600 pairs were supposedly in operation at the BBC at one time.

• That Was Then… Spendor SP2/3E review

Harbeth HL Monitor Mk1 (1977)

British speaker brand Harbeth came about due to the discovery, by founder H.D. Harwood, of a potential new film plastic for speaker cones.

Towards the end of his career in the BBC’s Research Department, and during investigation into bextrene plastic as a cone material for BBC monitors in the ‘60s, Harwood proposed that polypropylene would make a good cone material.

And so, upon his formal retirement, he set up Harbeth to make a speaker with his patented polypropylene-coned driver. The HL Monitor was released in 1977, and four versions subsequently followed over the next decade.

Dynaudio P-series (1977/78)

We have to pedal back almost 50 years to find Danish brand's first speakers – the five P-series models in 1977. However, they were short-lived, had limited distribution and, while using the company’s own crossovers, were the only Dynaudio speakers to rely on OEM drivers.

The P series (P for 'passive') comprised the P16 (pictured), P21, P31, P46 and P76. All models used specially coated soft dome tweeter with high power handling – something Dynaudio would later become renowned for.

The first range to use Dynaudio’s in-house MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) woofers and tweeters, and receive international distribution, was the four-strong MSP series in 1984. Dynaudio has used its own drivers ever since.

• That Was Then… Dynaudio Audience 52 review

ATC S50/S85 (1978)

After a few years making drive units, ATC produced its first speaker systems in 1978: the bass-reflex S50 (pictured) and infinite baffle S85, which established a naming tradition based on the internal volume of the speaker.

Inside the plywood-based 50- and 85-litre cabinets were 2.5cm soft dome tweeters, a 7.5cm soft dome midrange driver and a 22.5cm woofer (two in the S85).

Unusually, the crossover arrangement allowed for true active tri-amping, allowing you to choose between either the internal passive crossover or an external electronic crossover via a rotary switch.

ProAc Tablette (1979)

A few years after founding loudspeaker manufacturer Celef Audio Ltd in 1973, Stewart Tyler decided that producing more expensive designs in smaller quantities, rather than increasing production capacity and potentially sacrificing quality, was the way forward.

With that decision came a new company name: ProAc, short for Professional Acoustics.

The first speaker to bear the name was the Tablette; mini monitors – they really are dinky – which have spawned more than ten variations since their original production in 1979.

Wilson Audio WAMM (1982)

Following Wilson Audio’s Smart turntable, which was essentially a re-jigged Acoustic Research deck and became Wilson Audio’s first ever product, founder Dave Wilson introduced the company’s first pair of speakers, the Wilson Audio Modular Monitor (WAMM), in 1982.

Each channel comprised two towers: one sub-bass module, and one with twin mid-bass drivers and an electrostatic supertweeter flanked by twin midrange/tweeter modules. It sold for $28,000 and was the most expensive speaker you could buy at that time.

The WAMM evolved through six versions from 1982 to 1993, and has since been revived, with the Master Chronosonic and Master Subsonic speakers still current in the company's catalogue.

Focal DB13 (1982)

JMlab established Focal for speaker driver production in Saint-Étienne in 1979, and three years later the company's first pair of speakers appeared.

The DB13 bookshelf speakers were equipped with a double voice coil driver plus Polyglass and Polykevlar driver cones, and were capable of volumes more akin to larger speakers.

They propelled the company towards the high-end audio market and to international shores.

Martin Logan Monolith (1983)

Convinced they could make a class-leading electrostatic speaker capable of adequate bass and suitable for rock music, Gayle Martin Sanders and Ron Logan Sutherland (later ‘Martin Logan’) conceived a prototype in 1980. Unfortunately, its flat aluminium panel blew up when they turned up the volume...

Undeterred, their first production-ready speaker arrived three years later: the Monolith. A revised transducer saw a clear Mylar diaphragm sandwiched between two perforated-steel stators.

And to ensure good sound dispersion, a horizontally curved panel was implemented, and this curvilinear transducer has been central to the design of every Martin Logan electrostatic since.

Sonus Faber Parva (1983)

In 1983, three years after Sonus Faber founder Franco Serblin produced his first system (an all-wood, all-in-one model called the "Snail" that really needs to be seen), the brand was established in a small laboratory in Monteviale, northern Italy.

It was in that year Sonus Faber launched its first product: the Parva 2-way speaker, featuring a Kevlar midrange cone and solid walnut wood cabinet.

This paved the way for some legendary models (such as the Extrema and Guarneri ranges), and what is today, 35 years later, one of the world’s most distinguished and design-savvy high-end speaker brands.

Dali 2 (mid '80s)

The Dali 2 was released shortly after the renowned Danish speaker company Dali (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries) began in 1983.

The debut speaker had a two-way configuration, with a 6.5in laminate pulp/polyvinyl cone woofer, 1in tweeter with a soft polypropylene dome, and walnut veneered wooden cabinets.

The Dali 2 was followed by larger models in the range, the 3, 4, 6 and 8, which Dali explained shared the same design philosophy and signature sound: they don't "'thunder' or 'boom' bass – they just handle more power and provide better bass response".

Acoustic Energy AE1 (1987)

With the introduction of the AE1 Loudspeaker in 1987, Acoustic Energy Ltd was officially born. The concept was to create a compact studio monitor (it measured 30cm tall and 18cm wide) that could handle the high volumes and dynamics of larger speakers.

To achieve this, Acoustic Energy lined its cabinet with a concrete/plaster compound to eliminate as much resonance as possible, and developed a new mid/bass driver. It featured a 10cm cone of spun aluminium, thicker at the centre than the edges and anodised to create a ‘ceramic sandwich’, and used an oversized magnet assembly that allowed the AE1 to accept 200W of power.

The AE1 was refined in several revisions until 2016, when its SEAS tweeter went out of production. The design has since resurfaced in the amplified AE1 Active model.

• That Was Then... Acoustic Energy AE2 Signature review

Neat Petite (1991)

Neat Acoustics began life as a hi-fi shop in Darlington called North Eastern Audio Traders. After identifying a gap in the market for a small musical speaker, its owners developed the Neat Petite.

When we reviewed them in 1993, we heralded these speakers a musical success. We called their sound 'hugely stimulating', mostly due to the way they portrayed timing and dynamics – something that's continued to be a trademark in the brand’s more recent speakers.

• That Was Then... Neat Petite review

PMC BB5-A (1991)

After a stint as the manager of BBC's Maida Vale studios, Peter Thomas and former BBC engineer Adrian Loader designed the first PMC speaker, the BB5-A.

It introduced the company’s hallmark Advanced Transmission Line technology, in which drivers were used to improve bass output.

In an interview with What Hi-Fi?, Thomas said: “The design was certainly not conventional. Whereas the majority of speaker designers used ported or sealed cabinets, we found that a transmission line system for bass loading, if refined, gave a performance that significantly exceeded conventional bass loading principles.”

Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One (1994)

Five years after launching its first product, the Wilson Benesch Turntable, the British company launched a second: the A.C.T. One loudspeaker.

Unveiled at the 1994 Frankfurt High End show, the A.C.T. One used carbon fibre – the world’s first curved carbon fibre composite panel in a speaker design. It sported the sloping top and solid metal baffle that remain part of the company’s distinctive designs today.

While many years before the implementation of crossover-free midrange driver designs, as seen in the company’s Eminence series, the A.C.T. One placed great importance on phase coherence and the reduction of crossover elements.

Eclipse TD 512 (2002) 

Deviating from the traditional two-driver configuration and box design, Eclipse’s speakers are as distinct as they come. The company’s first, the 36cm-tall TD 512 speakers, were a "radical departure from the speaker norm" (as we stated in our 2002 review), with only one drive unit and an egg-shaped enclosure made of marble-loaded resin.

The former’s job to cover the whole frequency resulted in some shortcomings – namely, a rolled-off treble – but ultimately these beautifully imaged and detailed speakers did more than enough to enjoy a five-star debut. As we said at the time: "Little else at their price (£2350) will deliver such unrestricted access to the recording."

Q Acoustics 1000 series (2006)

Q Acoustics may not have the heritage of some other brands, but the British company’s debut, the six-strong 1000 series in 2006, has been one of the most notable of the 21st century.

The 1000 series comprised the 1010 and 1020 bookshelf speakers, 1010C centre channel, 1030 and 1050 floorstanders, and 1000S active subwoofer. Each model featured the same ferro-fluid cooled, micro-polyester weave tweeter and Linkwitz-Riley crossovers, and every drive unit was ‘torque mounted’ into its front baffle.

The 1010s were five-star performers in their own right, and later received another five-star review as part of a complete multi-channel surround package.

MORE:

• The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame
• The best stereo speakers of the 21st century
• 10 of the best songs to test your speakers

After years of waiting, Sony has finally announced a TV with four HDMI 2.1 sockets, rather than the brand’s usual two.

That makes it the first Sony TV that can handle 4K/120Hz signals from consoles and gaming PCs across all of its HDMIs.

Unfortunately, it’s probably not the model you’re hoping for, because it’s not a flagship OLED or Mini LED set – it’s the budget-oriented Bravia 3 II.

Not that we should be sad about cheaper TVs getting improved specs, of course, but it feels as though the people most likely to have enough gaming machines to need more than two top-spec HDMIs are also the sort of people to have a premium TV.

The Bravia 3 II, though (which is, naturally, a successor to the Bravia 3), is a standard LCD set that lacks not only Mini LEDs and Quantum Dots, but also local dimming of any kind.

That isn’t to say it will be a bad TV. Sony has a strong track record of getting excellent performances out of specs that many consider to be basic, and if it pulls off the same trick again, this could be an excellent option for buyers on a budget – particularly those who are also hardcore gamers.

There’s just one further problem, though: the Bravia 3 II is not currently set to come to the UK.

Sony has given a vague explanation that mentions catch-up app certifications and left the door open to it arriving on these shores in the future, but there are no guarantees.

That’s a shame, naturally, but Blighty-based TV buyers still have reason to be pleased by the Bravia 3 II’s existence – because it’s presumably just the first Sony TV to get the four HDMI 2.1 inputs treatment.

Sony has presumably switched to MediaTek's Pentonic 800 chip for the Bravia 3 II, hence the additional HDMI 2.1 sockets, and there’s every reason to expect this chip to now appear in future Sony TVs.

That's the approach that Philips has taken with its 2026 TV range.

But what will those future Sony TVs be and when will they arrive? We honestly don’t know.

Sony has today announced just the Bravia 3 II and entry-level Bravia 2 II (which is coming to the UK), plus a couple of fairly affordable soundbars and some home cinema accessories.

Is there more to come, or is this all of the new kit that we’re getting from Sony this year? Only time will tell.

MORE:

Here are all of the best TVs and best gaming TVs you can buy right now

Apple has surprised iPhone fans by revealing the iPhone 17e, a more affordable variant of the Product of the Year-winning iPhone 17.

It follows the five-star iPhone 16e, with an upgraded processor, feature set and build.

It's powered by the A19 processor, which also features in the aforementioned iPhone 17. The CPU is paired with the C1X wireless chipset, which reportedly doubles the wireless connectivity speeds of the iPhone 16e.

The new modem will also reportedly allow for better battery life, with Apple claiming 30 per cent less energy drain than the model found in the iPhone 16 Pro, resulting in "exceptional all-day battery life".

Furthermore, it touts a similar 6.1-inch OLED display, which uses Apple's Super Retina XDR technology for rich, vivid colours, as well as the same 1200 nits of claimed peak brightness.

However, this year's model comes with the super scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield 2 coating from the iPhone 17, although the notch remains instead of being replaced by the Dynamic Island, as some rumours predicted.

Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support also carry over from the 16e, as does support for Apple's Spatial Audio format and Dolby Atmos sound.

While we would've liked to see a few more AV-centric upgrades, we're not surprised by the lack of any meaningful changes to the display or speakers, as Apple has made it clear what its priorities are with this budget iPhone.

Instead, it's focusing on packing more day-to-day features into the 17e, including MagSafe. This gives users the option to charge wirelessly with MagSafe attachments, or even attach MagSafe wallets and cases with a simple and satisfying magnetic snap.

Apple has, however, stuck to its guns regarding the cameras, or should we say camera. It's the same 48MP Fusion sensor, which reportedly enables "optical quality 2x Telephoto". Users can pick between snapping full-resolution 48MP snaps for sharper details or 24MP pictures for more efficient file sizes.

The Apple iPhone 17e is available to pre-order now for £599 / $599 / AU$999, and it comes in Black, White and a new Soft Pink finish.

The base storage has also been upgraded to 256GB as standard; however, a higher-capacity 512GB version is also available for £799 / $799 / $1399. It replaces the iPhone 16e entirely, which is no longer available for purchase on the Apple website.

MORE:

Read our full iPhone 17 review

And our iPhone 16 review

And check out our picks for the best smartphones for movies and music

This week, Panasonic announced a new “partnership” with Chinese manufacturing giant Skyworth for its TV business.

The news broke at a launch event in Germany attended by What Hi-Fi?, where we also got our first look at Pansonic’s 2026 range of TVs, which includes just one new affordability-focused OLED.

During the event, the two firms revealed that the Shenzhen-based company will handle all sales, marketing, and logistics for most future TVs with Panasonic branding destined for Europe and the UK. Panasonic, meanwhile, will handle quality control.

In short, it looks as though Skyworth will make, distribute and sell the new TVs, while Panasonic rubber stamps them as “meeting its standards”.

We await full details, but one company paying to use another's brand, or entering a formal partnership to co-develop products, isn't anything new in TV land. Philips has had a deal with TP Vision for many moons, and Sony announced a new partnership with TCL earlier this year.

It’s too early to say how these changes will play out. Despite nearly two decades of reviewing TVs, I have yet to test one from the Skyworth stable. So I don’t have any experience of the company's TV-making abilities.

It has, though, made plenty of OLED sets in the past, which TCL, a famous champion of Mini LED, has not – hence my and some of the team’s concerns about Sony’s future in the space when their partnership was first announced.

At the event, all the representatives from both sides were making the right noises, of course, telling our senior staff writer, Lewis Empson, “Panasonic TVs will stay true to what makes them great,” but “with new scale and resources behind them.”

If true, that’s awesome.

Still, I am somewhat nervous. In my experience, these sorts of partnerships haven't always led to “great products” for the end user.

For example, remember when Samsung bought Harman and started plastering AKG branding over a wealth of three-star earbuds, including the original Galaxy Buds Pro and Galaxy Buds Pro 2?

Or the procession of TVs with “tuned by Onkyo” or “tuned by B&O” branding that ended up with three-star scores for their sound section.

In a past life, when I still reviewed smartphones, I also remember some pretty disastrous “partnerships” with camera makers.

There was one in particular with Motorola and Hasselblad – a premier camera maker that helped develop the technology used to film the moon landing. Let’s just say the results weren’t out of this world…

There are too many examples littered throughout history to list here. But for me, the idea of Panasonic TVs going down the same route is particularly sad.

As a reviewer, I am, of course, unbiased; but I have very fond memories covering the brand, which was one of the most exciting TV makers on the scene in the early days of my career.

Its plasma TVs dominated the market. More importantly, they genuinely had the performance chops to justify their popularity.

Heck, look at our reviews of its TVs at the time. In 2009, the year of my first TV review, the Panasonic TX-P42X10B earned a five-star recommendation. Humble brag: we were also the first brand to get a sample.

The following year, the Panasonic TX-P50V20 took things to the next level, winning our best 50-inch TV trophy during the 2010 What Hi-Fi? Awards.

This hot streak continued all the way to 2013 with the Panasonic TX-P50GT60B plasma set winning best premium 47in-52in TV that year.

Panasonic was, for us and many readers, the top dog of plasma, pure and simple.

And, while many reviewers started favouring rivals’ LCD and OLED offerings, as evidenced by the decline in Panasonic TV sales from that point, I personally continued to love the firm’s premium offerings and overt focus on delivering “as the director intended experiences”.

In fact, it was this DNA that led me to invest in a (heavily discounted) four-star Panasonic TX-55EZ952B for personal use in 2017.

And this focus has carried on over the years, despite diminishing sales, as evidenced by the Award-winning 48-inch Panasonic Z90B from 2025. It was its atypically mature, consistent picture that helped it take the trophy.

With sales dipping and Panasonic no longer being the mass-market darling it once was, I can see that new owners may want to change this. From a business perspective, it certainly makes sense. If profit is your end goal and the current strategy of focusing on cinephiles isn’t working, why not pivot to volume or at least tweak the formula to be more in line with what's doing well for rivals right now?

It’s just a little sad for people with tastes similar to mine, those who value uniformity and consistent picture quality over a blow your socks off nit count and smorgasbord of AI features.

The number of TV makers still focusing on my main priorities seems to be diminishing by the hour.

I can’t help but think that’s a bad thing. After all, authenticity and consistency always win the race longterm right? The tortoise and the hare taught us that. Right?!

Here’s hoping I’m wrong.

MORE:

These are the best TVs we have tested

We rank the best OLED TVs

Our pick of the best Panasonic TVs

Another Monday, another entry into our weekly Rewind column, where our team of experts once again offer the cliff notes on all the latest hi-fi and home cinema news you need to know about.

And what a week it was with not one, but two big products passing through our listening rooms and a couple of big surprise launches appearing out of the blue.

Here’s what you need to know.

Sony’s earbuds winning streak continues

Sony’s wireless earbuds and headphones have been on a hotstreak in recent years, thanks to their ability to deliver a holistically solid experience, with no serious weaknesses. That’s a key reason you’ll find four sets with Sony’s branding in our current list of What Hi-Fi? Award winners.

And, after fully reviewing the firm’s newly unveiled Sony WF-1000XM6 wireless earbuds, we’re pleased to report that trend is showing no signs of slowing. Despite strong competition, key tweaks to Sony’s Award-winning formula that improve audio, ANC and mic quality make the XM6 an easy five-star recommendation.

As we said in our review: “The premium wireless earbuds market has never been healthier, and your choices have never been wider and more varied. But just when you thought Sony might be pulled back into the chasing pack, the WF-1000XM6 push the brand ahead again with a breathtaking all-round performance.”

Read our full Sony WF-1000XM6 review

Rega’s new amp is pretty awesome

If more serious hi-fi is your game, you’ll be pleased to hear we also finished testing Rega’s spiffy new Mercury/Solis pre/power amplifier last week.

The market has some existing heavy-hitters at the Mercury/Solis’ £13,900 ($20,990 / AU$29,000) price point. A list headlined by the recently reviewed, five-star Yamaha C-5000/M-5000 (£17,198 / $21,998 / AU$25,998).

But, featuring the brand’s long-standing focus on delivering quality engineering and a design built around an analogue circuit that's clearly inspired by the brand’s first Elicit integrated amplifier – which was made all the way back in the 1990s – it’s still an easy recommendation.

During all our checks, the unit delivered a nicely dynamic performance full of rhythmic drive and sonic authority. Hence our verdict: “Rega’s statement pre/power amplifier is a hugely entertaining proposition that puts the music first.”

Read our full Rega Mercury/Solis review

Majority’s uber-cheap soundbar system

Cheap soundbars and soundbar systems carrying Dolby Atmos branding have been around for a while.

But it was only last year, after more searching than we care to remember, that we found one worth recommending, in the shape of the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H – a unit that genuinely surprised our reviewers with its atypically "good" audio and modest price tag.

Which is why we’re keeping an eye on Cambridge-based firm Majority Audio’s answer to it, the newly unveiled flagship Bowfell Halo Atmos soundbar system.

Unveiled last week, the unit is set to cost £170 and is a direct rival to the AX5125H, consisting of a main soundbar, two wireless satellite speakers and a subwoofer.

Read the full story: This brand's ultra-cheap Dolby Atmos soundbar is gunning for our five-star Award-winner

Roksan’s new “transparent design philosophy”

We all love a good chinwag, especially with old friends. Which is why, when Roksan unveiled its new Caspian 4G range of separates, our hi-fi and audio editor, Kashfia Kabir, couldn’t resist the urge to jump on the train to have a chat with the engineers and designers behind it.

During the conversation, she also had a chance to have an opening listen with some of the new hardware and get the inside scoop on how the brand plans to get more people into proper hi-fi separates with its clever “transparent design philosophy”.

Read the full story: Roksan wants to make its hi-fi separates more user-friendly with its "transparent design philosophy" – and I got an early preview

MORE:

These are the best wireless earbuds we’ve tried and tested

Our picks of the best stereo amplifiers

We rank the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Happy Monday, and welcome to a fresh entry into our hi-fi and home cinema news digest.

In it, our team of experts once again detail all the top stories to break over the past seven days, and as always, it was a hectic period.

We saw everything from new Temptation-level amps to affordable portable DACs launch.

Here’s what you need to know.

New Arcam hardware

Kicking us off, last week Arcam chose to unveil a wealth of new hardware, including a new set of speakers and home cinema amplifiers.

The new speakers are part of the firm’s 2024-launched Radia range and come in six varieties. These include two floorstanders (R45, R35), two bookshelf models (R25, R15), a centre speaker (R35C) and a subwoofer (R25B). As you’ve likely guessed, these can be combined to create a home cinema surround sound package.

The firm also unveiled its new home cinema amplifiers. These include the entry-level AVA15, step-up AVA25, and top-end AVA35. The amps’ specifications scale with their place in the range, but given how much we’ve loved Arcam’s older AVRs, which offer a sense of musicality missing on many rivals, we can’t help but get a little excited about the new models.

Read the full story: Arcam's new Radia loudspeaker range could be the perfect match for its Award-winning electronics

Read the full story: Arcam’s Radia AV line of home cinema amps promises serious movie magic

A headphone shootout

The wireless headphones market is a noisy, chaotic mess with every man and his dog offering a pair. Which is why knowing which is best is a tricky task, even if you follow the market.

To help, last week our intrepid senior staff writer, Harry McKerrell, took the time to run all the big sets in our listening rooms head-to-head to help offer the best, most up-to-date advice possible for potential buyers.

These include top pairs from Sony, B&W, Sennheiser, Bose and more. And, while the final winner wasn’t a huge surprise, quite how competitive the battle was between each set definitely was.

Read the full story: I've heard every major pair of premium wireless headphones – and one set reigns sonically supreme

LG Sound Suite pricing

We had an early look at LG’s latest flagship Dolby Atmos system, the Sound Suite, at CES in January.

And during the demo, we found a lot to like about it, including the inclusion of Dolby’s swish new FlexConnect tech, which promises to make it much easier to optimise speakers to the specific space they’re playing in, amongst other things.

But there was one big concern the entire home cinema team shared: their very high price.

With the soundbar alone costing £1000 and its top-of-the-range M7 satellite speakers £700, Sound Suite looked set to be one of the most expensive systems on the market. Thankfully, last week, LG made moves to partially address the problem, announcing price reductions across the entire range.

Read the full story: LG's just fixed a key issue we had with its latest Dolby Atmos soundbar system – and it’s not even out yet

KEF speakers tried and tested

Finishing off this week’s digest is our review of KEF’s new Coda W standmounts. They’re an interesting set of active speakers, in that, unlike their established cousins, the KEF LSX II LT and LS50 Wireless II, they’re distinctly focused on working with vinyl and CD players, over streaming.

That’s why, instead of built-in wi-fi streaming support for Tidal Connect and the ilk, they only have Bluetooth functionality. But, to make up for that, you get a built-in moving magnet phono stage.

Has the change paid off? After thoroughly testing them, we’re happy to report that the answer is, for the most part, yes. Either via Bluetooth or with a price-appropriate turntable or CD player connected (in our case Cyrus CDi and Rega Planar 3 RS Edition) the speakers delivered a clear, detailed presentation and deep, but controlled, low end.

Hence, our verdict:

“While the phono stage could be better, listening via the other inputs is a joy. The sonic performance is a step above its smaller, Award-winning cousins, and costs you less money to enjoy, too. If you’re happy to live without the wi-fi streaming features and are looking for a neat speaker system that doesn’t cost thousands, this should definitely be on your radar.”

Read our in-depth KEF Coda W review

MORE:

These are the best turntable speakers we've tested

We rank the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Our picks of the best AVRs

I have a confession to make: I actually use my phone's speakers to listen to music sometimes. I know, I know. I'm sure there's a spot reserved for me in audiophile hell, but hear me out: I think there's a time and a place.

I'm not completely mad, I don't play music through my phone in public. And nor should anyone (that's why we have a list of the best wireless headphones.) But at home, when the situation arises, I have been known to load Apple Music and blast songs straight from the phone.

And I think that’s okay. Here’s why.

A phoney speaker

Now in case you’re worried that this is the end of What Hi-Fi? as you know it, fear not. We – I included – still passionately believe you should enjoy the best sound quality you possibly can, whatever your budget. That’s why we cover the best cheap headphones and best budget speakers alongside the best audiophile headphones and best speakers for all budgets.

And in my defence, now that phones are much bigger than they were a few years ago, their speakers are becoming more capable. In our Sony Xperia 1 VI review, we comment that the phone’s speakers are “detailed and feature good stereo separation that makes a solid attempt to position sounds in relation to what is happening on screen.”

And in our iPhone 17 review, we say the device’s speakers deliver “a spacious sound, with focused vocals and enough detail given to sound effects (such as a bustling city street) to create a surprisingly immersive experience.”

Now neither of these is going to replace a dedicated speaker (of the iPhone 17's speakers, we even said “we’d refrain from using these to listen to music out loud”). And that's even more true of my ageing iPhone 12 mini. But they’ll do at a pinch. And that's exactly the kind of situation I’m talking about.

Coming clean with a dirty secret

So why, given that I work for the world’s foremost authority on sound quality and everything audiophile, am I advocating a set of speakers that would comfortably fit on your fingertip? One word: convenience.

I don’t often get the urge to clean the house, so when I do I have to act on it. If I wanted to listen to the admittedly much more rewarding sonic performance of my Ultimate Ears Wonderboom (the original model, eights years old and still going strong), I have to dig it out, power it up and pair it with my phone. At this point I usually find the battery has died and have to find the charging cable. In which time my kids have set fire to the curtains, or my desire to clean has evaporated.

But with my phone, there’s none of that. You just press play, and get on with it.

Another benefit: stick your phone in your back pocket and the music follows you wherever you go. There’s no carting the speaker around as you search for the bathroom spray, or move to vacuuming another room. I know, I should invest in one of the best multi-room systems… but cost of living. And I’ll bet even the most ardent of multi-room devotees stops short of the bathroom.

Of course, a pair of wireless headphones would do the job admirably, while also delivering a far superior sonic experience. But I need to be able to hear my kids. If my first inkling that something might be wrong is the smell of burning curtains… well, I might miss out on that dad of the year award for yet another 12 months.

There’s a saying: the best camera is the one you have on you. And sometimes – just sometimes, mind – the same can be said of speakers.

MORE:

Check out the best wireless speakers

The best Bluetooth speakers

What are open earbuds? For greater awareness

We did it. January and its 125 days are finally over, and while the rainy weather here in the UK isn't exactly improving, the days are getting that bit longer as we head into February.

This does mean we're spending more time in our test rooms, which is perfectly fine by us, as we have a bunch of products – spanning a variety of categories – in for testing. On the AV side, we have LG's new Sound Suite home cinema system that uses Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, as well as Xgimi's pricey Titan 4K home projector that boasts impressive specifications.

On the hi-fi side, we have in KEF's new active speakers, a striking, premium Audio-Technica turntable, and WiiM's first stab at the speaker market. Exciting stuff.

As ever, this is just a selection of the products we have in for review, and if you have any questions about them, send us an email at whathifi@futurenet.com or pop a comment below, and we'll endeavour to get back to you during testing.

LG Sound Suite

LG has revealed one of the first home cinema systems to use Dolby Atmos FlexConnect ahead of CES 2026, which aims to offer convincing Dolby Atmos sound from wireless speakers, no matter where they are placed in the room.

The Sound Suite consists of four products – an H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer, and the M7 and M5 wireless speakers – which can be mixed and matched to suit the requirements of your room and AV needs.

The H7 soundbar is priced £100 less than the five-star Sonos Arc Ultra (which itself can be used with Sonos' subwoofer and Era speakers), and we're looking forward to comparing the two systems side by side in our test rooms, as well as finding out just how well the FlexConnect system works during our full review.

Xgimi Titan

Xgimi has dubbed its Titan 4K projector its "most premium living-room projector" – and it's quite the deviation from the Chinese brand's portfolio of budget, portable projectors we've encountered so far.

The Titan boasts a claimed 5000 ISO lumens of brightness, a mighty 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and it even supports 3D content, which will surely be good news for all the Avatar fans out there.

The Titan also supports IMAX Enhanced, Dolby Atmos, HDR10+ and Filmmaker Mode. When our intrepid staff writer Robyn Quick first saw it at a IFA 2025 demo, a clip from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gave us a taste of what to expect: "The blues of the water are vivid and bright, so even when the doors were opened in the small cinema room, there was still a vibrant overall image on display."

Costing £3499 / $3999, the new Titan rivals the Award-winning Sony VPL-XW5000ES (which now costs £3999), and we can't wait to find out how they square up against each other.

KEF Coda W

KEF's LS range of all-in-one wireless speaker systems have been a roaring, five-star, Award-winning success, but its new active speakers are a little bit different.

The Coda W are fully active speakers, meaning it has built-in amplification – total power of 200W – negating the need for many separate boxes. However, unlike their cousin, the LSX II LT, there's no hi-res streaming or internet capabilities inside. You only get Bluetooth if you want to stream wirelessly from your phone or laptop. On the plus side, it supports the hi-res aptX Lossless codec.

The Coda W speakers have a great set of connections, including a moving magnet phono stage, HDMI ARC and USB-C, so you can connect all kinds of sources for a neat, compact hi-fi system. Costing £799 / $1000 and featuring the 12th generation of its signature UniQ driver, we're excited to hear if the KEF Coda W will live up to expectations.

WiiM Sound

So far, WiiM has focused on compact, affordable electronics, but the WiiM Sound marks the first time the young audio brand has stepped into the speaker market.

The WiiM Sound isn't a traditional speaker of course; it's a smart speaker that is taking direct aim at the Apple HomePod 2. With 100 watts powering dual tweeters and a 4-inch/10cm woofer, the Sound supports 24-bit/192kHz playback from Tidal/Qobuz Connect, Spotify and a host of other streaming services and internet radio.

Along with the colourful, customisable touchscreen display and voice control-enabled remote, the WiiM Sound also features room calibration technology, and plenty of options for multi-room and even home cinema set-ups with other WiiM products. Costing £299 / $299, will it be able to succeed in the most crucial aspect: sound? We'll find out soon.

Audio-Technica AT-LPA2

It's hard not to be wowed by the transparent design of Audio-Technica's new flagship turntable. The AT-LPA2 features an acrylic chassis and acrylic platter, laying bare the belt-drive mechanism and striking a gorgeous figure. It's not just for looks, however; Audio-Technica says the material offers "exceptional" resonance control to keep pesky vibrations away from affecting the vinyl record in play.

The brand's AT-OC9XEN moving coil cartridge is fitted to a newly designed, straight carbon fibre tonearm that can be adjusted to work with a wide variety of cartridges. A separate power supply and control unit comes with the deck, which supports 33 ⅓ and 45 RPM speeds.

At £1699 / €1999, Audio-Technica has Rega's Planar 6/ND7 to compete against, but we are very much looking forward to getting our records spinning on the AT-LPA2.

MORE:

Ask the Reader: is bigger always better, or are you more interested in smaller, but still great-sounding, hi-fi?

Are wireless home cinemas finally going mainstream? A check-in on cable-free TV set-ups

I love spatial audio, but there's one feature I can't get my head around

OLED panel tech has dominated our best TV buying guide and yearly list of What Hi-Fi? Award-winners for close to a decade. The only constant complaint we’ve had is that OLED TVs tend to have high price tags, making them luxury items, even among home cinema fans.

Enter the catchily named Toshiba XF9F, an aggressively priced TV designed to offer movie fans with regular-sized pockets a seat at the OLED table. And, packed with all the key hardware and specifications most fans will want, it’s certainly an enticing proposition.

But is that enough for it to succeed against veteran heavyweights such as LG, Panasonic, Sony and Samsung?

Price

The Toshiba XF9F is available in 55- and 65-inch options in the UK. Sadly, it hasn’t made its way to the US or Australia yet.

The 55-inch model we have in for testing (the 55XF9F53DB, to give its full, super-sexy name) launched with a competitive £999 price tag, while the larger 65-inch model would cost you £1299 at that time.

To put that pricing in context, at launch, the entry-level 55-inch LG B5 would have set you back £1699 and the 65-inch model an even heftier £2499.

Since then, both series have seen hefty discounts, but the Toshiba continues to be the cheapest OLED of its size. At the time of writing, numerous retailers are offering the 55-inch XF9F for £799, and the 65-inch model for £999 – and it was cheaper than that during Black Friday.

This is the first time we’ve seen a new OLED in these sizes so cheap – to the point the price places the XF9F as more of a direct rival to Mini LED sets, such as the Award-winning TCL C7K (£629 and £799 for 55 and 65 inches respectively), than any of the recent OLEDs we’ve reviewed.

Build

The Toshiba has a utilitarian but generally solid build.

The set’s central metal stand is easy to attach using the eight included screws and is suitably sturdy.

The only minor design embellishments are a tiny sensor and power indicator bolted onto the bottom of the TV and an incredibly shiny finish on the back. This shiny finish is an absolute fingerprint magnet, but you shouldn’t be touching the TV much once it’s in place.

The remote is also a basic plastic affair. We would have liked a backlight or USB charging, but it is functional, having intuitive shortcuts for most of the apps you’ll need, and also for the TV's various settings, littered across it.

Features

The Toshiba XF9F is a reasonably well-stacked OLED, considering its price. For starters, it has three HDMI 2.1 inputs. Most of the OLEDs we test, outside of those from LG and Samsung, only have two full-fat HDMI 2.1s, which are required to run current-generation consoles at full speed (4K/120Hz).

And while one of the Toshiba OLED’s three HDMI 2.1 inputs does still double as the eARC connection, so will very possibly be taken up by a soundbar or other audio system, the added connectivity is a welcome inclusion we weren’t expecting.

The HDMI 2.1 inputs will handle 4K/120Hz and VRR, and there’s a dedicated low-latency game mode which ALLM will automatically switch to.

While PC gamers may sniff at the 120Hz refresh rate (144Hz has become common on most step-down OLEDs, including this year’s LG C5, Samsung S90F and Panasonic Z90B), this won’t be an issue for the vast majority of potential buyers, as consoles can only run at up to 120Hz, and only the most powerful of PCs will run top titles at framerates beyond that with acceptable-looking graphics.

The only downside is that it doesn’t have any other HDMI inputs. So, while it’s well-stacked for current-generation console gamers with a Dolby Atmos soundbar, it’s a little limited for people with lots of older boxes, such as old DVD / Blu-ray players, retro consoles or media PCs.

At the XF9F’s heart, a custom TRU Picture Engine CPU runs the show. This handles picture processing elements such as upscaling and motion processing, and we’re pleased that there isn’t lots of ‘AI’ branding to be wary of.

HDR support is also excellent, with the Toshiba promising to understand and play nicely with all four of the current formats used for movies, TV shows and games. So, that’s the dynamic Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats, as well as the more standard HLG and HDR10.

Finally, app support is excellent thanks to the XF9F’s use of Amazon’s Fire OS. Ad-heavy and slightly confusing in terms of what’s actually yours and what’s behind a paywall, sure, but Fire OS also supports pretty much every streaming service you can think of, including Apple TV, Disney+, Netflix, Now, Paramount+ and Prime Video, as well as niche ones, including Shudder, Crunchyroll and the like.

In the UK, Freely and local catch-up services BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and 5 are all present and working correctly.

So, from a pure specifications perspective, the XF9F is more than competitive, especially compared with similarly priced rivals.

Picture

But how good is its picture? This is where things get a little more complex.

Out of the box, the benefits of OLED compared to LED are immediately apparent as we watch a demanding scene from our Civil War 4K Blu-ray.

The flames in the nighttime forest hold serious intensity and wonderfully bright hues of red and orange, giving them a life missing from many Mini LED TVs. Blacks are also inky deep in a way that only OLED, with its pixel-level light control, can deliver. There’s a nice sense of depth to the picture, which feels immersive and, in most ways, delivers the impact the scene deserves.

By comparison, the similarly priced TCL C7K looks a little soft, and though it has more dark detail, the image isn’t as defined or three-dimensional on account of its good, but not perfect, blacks.

But there are big issues with the Toshiba TV’s picture. Transitioning to a bright daytime scene in a military camp, the XF9F’s motion handling is far too heavy-handed. Helicopters’ movements are too smooth, and the cast look like marionette puppets as they float through the camp.

Colours are oversaturated, with greens and reds feeling artificial, and the set oversharpens to an extreme, making everything look slightly wrong.

Going into the settings, there’s no Filmmaker Mode, and even the Movie and Custom settings are fairly heavy-handed. It is, of course, possible to manually tweak individual settings within these presets, but even the lightest touch adjustments have a big impact on the picture, and not often in a beneficial way.

Even in their lowest settings, the motion handling and sharpness are far too aggressive. We also find it impossible to get the colour balance and contrast right, regardless of how much we tinker with the settings.

Colours feel either too warm or too cool, and while the Dynamic Contrast setting does boost dark detail as Civil War transitions to a night-time battle, allowing us to see details on the soldiers' uniforms and parts of characters' faces that previously were pure black, it comes with a big compromise.

Even in its lowest setting, Dynamic Contrast introduces picture noise, and parts of the picture, particularly faces, become too defined, giving the picture a slightly cel-shaded quality.

Eventually, we settle on the Custom picture setting with all processing features turned off and the sharpness control set to zero. The TV is still far from perfect when set like this, but it is as good as we’re able to make it.

Moving to our Alien Romulus test disc, the menacing space’s blacks are deep, and the ship emerging out of the darkness holds a solid three-dimensionality, with every rivet and detail standing out – at least in the parts we can see.

But entire parts of the picture that we can see on the TCL C7K are missing entirely on the Toshiba, coming up as pitch black. The issue repeats on dark-skinned characters, who at times become entirely faceless, thanks to the loss of dark detail.

The issue also makes bright white peaks over dark elements, such as the stars and even reflections on characters’ skin, appear too defined and a little distracting.

With our Dune: Part 2 disc, things pick up, with the panel dealing with the bright desert battle fairly well, especially compared to other TVs in the same price bracket.

The slightly over-etched characters don’t ruin the experience, and the picture still looks solid and nicely three-dimensional. There’s even a decent amount of detail and life in the characters’ skin tones, which, while slightly too warm, otherwise look fairly realistic and are far from the worst we’ve seen on an OLED.

It’s only when we move to our Brightness stress test, Pan, that the set once again struggles. The picture isn’t anywhere near as bright as any other recent OLED we’ve tested, let alone the C7K. This isn't a great surprise, given the XF9F's claimed peak brightness of just 500 nits, but it combines with some seemingly quite unsophisticated tone mapping to produce highlights that lack impact and bright detail.

It’s just a shame that the flies in the ointment around black crush and motion keep popping up, distracting from the perks of the picture. It’s this inconsistency that is ultimately the Toshiba’s undoing, with the issues appearing often enough to prevent us getting fully lost in what is playing out on the screen.

Running our final, demanding SDR stress test, via our old-faithful Blu-ray of True Grit, history repeats. The set instantly struggles with the incredibly difficult, nighttime opening.

Though the lanterns look great, the entire porch remains pitch black, missing details that are clearly visible on rivals. A fuzziness creeps into the falling snow and continues as the film moves to a daytime town scene, adding noise the director definitely didn’t intend.

This all adds up to make the Toshiba a frustrating set that is capable of doing things that similarly priced rivals can’t, but that lacks the finesse to do them consistently.

Sound

The XF9F features a 2.1, 24W sound system “with sound by Onkyo”. While no upfiring drivers are included, which is to be expected at this price, it also supports virtual Dolby Atmos.

And, as in-built speakers go, it delivers a just about passable performance. During the Civil War nighttime battle, the TV manages to suitably separate dialogue from the background gunfire and explosions. And while they’re a little thin and lack the heft to make it sound truly immersive, there’s a vague sense of directionality from left and right as the tracer rounds fly across the night sky.

But the low end is underpowered and occasionally tries to punch above its weight. During a particularly big explosion, distortion creeps in, and there’s an unpleasant acidic quality to the sound of a helicopter minigun.

The TV's loudness capability isn't great, with our testers being able to easily converse, even with the volume set to 85. Any higher and their composure completely falls apart, with the low end taking on a flabby quality and distortion frequently rearing its ugly head.

Moving to our new test disc of Wicked, the speakers struggle with the admittedly demanding music, lacking the dynamics to do the singers’ vocals justice. It’s still enjoyable, just nowhere near as good as the performance we’ve enjoyed on cheap-ish soundbars, including the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

Verdict

The Toshiba XF9F is the cheapest large-sized OLED we’ve tested, and one that comes loaded with all the features most gamers and movie fans will need.

That’s undeniably something we want to applaud, but the constant black crush, a lower-than-average peak brightness and aggressive processing rear their heads too many times to make us able to recommend the set.

This is especially true right now when there are a number of stellar, similarly priced Mini LED sets and smaller step-down OLEDs available that offer a holistically better experience.

If Toshiba could combine the XF9F’s raw materials with some more careful and considered processing and settings, it could be on to a winner. Here’s hoping that’s what we get next time.

SCORES

• Picture 3
• Sound 3
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the 65-inch TCL C7K

Also consider the 48-inch LG C5

Read our 48-inch Samsung S90F review

Best OLED TV: the 3 Award-winning sets our experts recommend

Philips’ 2026 OLED TVs will feature Dolby Vision 2. We had heard the news previously from Dolby, but now Philips has confirmed it along with more detail.

That means Philips joins Hisense and TCL as the only TV makers offering Dolby's next-gen HDR tech. LG has proved the surprise holdout, which could give Philips a key advantage, for this year at least.

Philips doesn't usually announce its TV range until a few weeks later into the year, so Dolby's reveal may have forced its hand.

The company says that the DLED 9001 will be its first with Dolby Vision 2, followed by the OLED811 series. It will subsequently come to its “premium Mini LED and DLED [Direct LED] TVs”.

The new models will run MediaTek's Pentonic 800 with MiraVision Pro chip, the first to integrate Dolby Vision 2.

The more premium of these TVs will offer Dolby Vision 2 Max, which is designed for the “highest performing TVs”. As well as elevating picture performance through smarter processing and improved tone-mapping, Vision 2 Max will unlock premium capabilities only possible with the higher-end screen technology that comes with pricier TVs, such as an evolved ambient-aware system, creator-guided motion handling, and new tone-mapping logic that harnesses flagship-class brightness and colour volume.

Dolby Vision 2's key sell is ‘Content Intelligence’. This optimises your TV to produce a “more captivating picture” based on what and where you’re watching. For example, Precision Black improves clarity in dark images without sacrificing black levels, while Light Sense 2 detects the ambient light around the TV and fine tunes the picture based on that information.

It also promises higher brightness, sharper contrast and more saturated colours. And it's not all about HDR – Dolby claims that its Authentic Motion feature will make scenes feel more cinematic by reducing judder on a shot by shot basis.

However, there's a fair amount of suspicion surrounding Dolby Vision 2, with critics wondering whether it's needed yet, given what standard Dolby Vision is capable of. The need to buy a new TV in order to experience it has also proved controversial.

LG has proved the surprise holdout over Dolby Vision 2 (the firm supported the original Dolby Vision from the start). Sony and Panasonic are yet to announce whether their 2026 TVs will support it, while Samsung is launching HDR10+ Advanced as a rival technology this year.

Will the addition of Dolby Vision 2 influence which TV you buy? Let us know in the comments.

MORE:

Three TV brands have confirmed support for Dolby Vision 2 – but there’s a big one missing

Check out our CES Live Hub for all of the news as we get it

Here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

CES 2026 is upon us. And, as always, it has brought with it the first wave of new TV announcements for the year.

Some may argue that 2026 been a bit of a damp squib compared with last year’s event, where we saw the launch of cutting-edge RGB Mini LED panels, which Samsung, Sony, TCL and Hisense are all betting on being the next big thing in TV tech. One announcement this year, though, set my pulse racing.

I’m talking about the arrival of the LG C6, which might have flown a bit under the radar, when you consider what has appeared at the top end of the TV market at the Las Vegas show this year.

Two highlights are the new, distinctly lifestyle LG W6 OLED (which our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, is already intrigued by) and the Samsung S95H, which has a completely new design more akin to the manufacturer’s The Frame range than last year’s five-star Samsung S95F.

It's the C6, though, that has caught my eye: a key upgrade I had been waiting to trickle down from the flagship models to the step-down C-range has finally made the move.

The brightness and colour volume boosting Primary RGB Tandem OLED tech seen on last year’s flagship LG G5, Philips OLED910 and Panasonic Z95B has found its way into certain sizes of this year’s C6.

From our testing of those 2025 TVs enjoying the tech, we know that it comes with a variety of benefits. It requires a bit of finessing (the LG G5 has a bombastic urge to show how bright it can go all the time, for example, which is a minor annoyance) but there’s no denying the added nit count is a bonus when used correctly.

The major benefit, though, is the improvement it makes to colour volume, especially during low-light scenes. It's an area where LG sets, in particular, have struggled in the past.

Every Primary RGB Tandem OLED set we have tested delivers a far more immersive and holistically better experience than older models. Indeed, every set with the panel tech we had in for review last year earned our top five-star rating.

In contrast to this, we found the C5 series was another in a long line of tepid upgrades to LG’s step-down range, incorporating modest improvements to peak brightness, minor colour temperature tweaks and the like.

Which is why last year, for yet another year, I was put off upgrading my ageing LG C2. While the improvements may be easy to spot in our review environment, where we compare sets side by side, in isolation, many viewers won’t experience a big enough upgrade to justify the investment.

I said as much in a separate op-ed at the end of 2025, my advice at the time being to consider upgrading only to a flagship set if you already own a semi-recent OLED.

Which is why, after seeing the C6 announcement, my heart skipped a beat. And I started constructing a bullet-point list of arguments to make with my partner – who, sadly, doesn’t share my passion for AV hardware – about why we should think about upgrading this year.

Sadly, though, I came to realise there is one big problem that means any surplus income this year will in all likelihood go on a holiday to Verona, rather than an LG C6: only the 77- and 83-inch LG C6H models are benefitting from the new panel tech.

To be clear, I’m not against TVs that size. If my house were big enough and my pockets deep enough, I’d be first in line for one. But they aren’t; and they won't be for many people right now. Any argument I might try to make with my partner for one of the larger models is destined, therefore, for defeat.

As a result, despite my wish finally coming to pass and a step-down OLED being upgraded to a next-generation panel, I can say I’m only partially tempted to upgrade for now.

Here’s hoping the Primary RGB Tandem OLED tech appears on the 55- and 65-inch step-down models as well next year… Then perhaps I might finally win the argument to upgrade.

MORE:

We rank the best OLED TVs we have tried and tested

Our picks of the best TVs

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars money can buy

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is one of the biggest events of the year for professional shiny-things chasers, and that remains the case for 2026.

Though the year has just started, CES 2026 has already brought with it all manner of audio-visual treats for enthusiasts such as ourselves.

These include everything from new TVs from big names, including Samsung and LG, to new speakers and projectors from upstart companies you may never have heard of before.

In fact, as is always the case, the show has already brought with it so many announcements that you may justifiably be struggling to keep on top of all of them.

Eager to help, we have experts at the show reporting live on all the biggest and most exciting ones they’ve spotted.

So make sure to stay tuned on this page for all our latest first-hand reporting of CES 2026’s latest and greatest AV news.

Also, make sure to get involved with the conversation. Our experts at the show are trying to get hands-on preview sessions with as much of the new hardware as possible.

So, if you have a question about a product at the show, let us know and we’ll endeavour to get you an answer ASAP.

Meet the team

Samsung’s giant new TV

Samsung always uses CES as the launchpad for its next line of OLED TVs, and that remains the case this year.

At CES, the Korean TV giant unveiled several new sets, including its new flagship S95H OLED – which is one of its most interesting to date.

The set features a completely new design that’s more akin to the Samsung Frame range than past OLED sets, including last year’s five-star Samsung S95F.

Despite this, it still has improved specifications, with Samsung reporting its new QD-OLED panel can go brighter and offer improved colour accuracy.

While it’s too early to offer any final judgments, our experts at the show walked away impressed after a hands-on demo session, reporting:

“The S95H wants to be a statement piece, and while we have thoroughly approved of the last two iterations of this TV, in some ways we wish they stood out a bit more. The S95H is here to rectify that, but only time will tell if it will succeed in this mission.”

A load of treats from LG

Never a company to be one-upped by its Samsung arch-rival, LG also used CES 2026 as the springboard for its new OLEDs. The headline entry is its new LG C6 step-down model.

This is the first C-series we’ve seen to feature the firm’s brightness boosting RGB Tandem OLED tech, which made its debut on last year’s flagship, five-star LG G5.

We haven’t had any hands-on time with the set yet, but the tech’s appearance has piqued our interest. We’ll try to get a demo of the LG C6 at the show, so make sure to keep checking this page.

On top of that, LG also unveiled its new lifestyle set, The Gallery TV. Pitched as a direct rival to the Samsung Frame range, the set is designed to look as unassuming as possible and double as a digital art frame when not in use.

On the audio side, the biggest thing that caught our eye is LG’s new wireless Sound Suite system.

The wireless Dolby Atmos system is one of the first we’ve seen to feature Dolby’s FlexConnect technology – a custom tech designed to let you create a fully wireless Atmos set-up that doesn’t require careful placement the way most current systems do.

The tech also lets you pair the wireless LG M7 and M5 satellite speakers with a compatible TV, using the set’s speakers as its central channel rather than a soundbar.

We haven’t heard Sound Suite yet, but the idea is a compelling one, especially for home cinema fans tight on space.

It had some Bluetooth speakers too...

LG’s bright start to 2026 goes beyond the world of home cinema. The Korean brand made a big push in the world of Bluetooth speakers last year with its Xboom Bluetooth speaker range, and now it’s added four new models to the lineup in a bid to keep up with the likes of Bose and JBL.

That expanded roster boasts four new additions – the burly Blast, the compact Mini, the durable Rock and the karaoke-ready Stage 501 – all of which have once again been tuned by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.

We reviewed the hefty Xboom Go XG8T last year, and while we weren’t blown away by its bold yet unrefined sound, there were hints that LG could compete in this ultra-competitive market if it continues to refine its portable sonic formula.

Who knows, maybe 2026 will be the year it cracks that particular nut.

New wireless headphones and speakers from a guitar legend

In guitar circles, there are few brands as iconic as Fender. Whether it’s Jimi Hendrix shredding on a strat, The Boss armed with his iconic telecaster or Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain smashing his mustang on Smells Like Teen Spirit, its axes have been an integral part of music for generations.

But, despite dabbling in headphones, it’s never fully conquered the regular consumer audio world. Which is why we were surprised, and cautiously excited, to see it make moves to do just that at CES 2026 where Fender unveiled new consumer-focused wireless headphones and speakers.

The new Bluetooth speakers fall into a new ELIE brand and consist of two options: the E6 and E12. Fender’s making a load of bold claims about both, claiming its "world-first Waves SOC [system-on-a-chip] implementation" will let them offer much better clarity and higher volume than rivals.

With pricing starting at $300 (around £220 / AU$450) for the ELIE 6 and going up to $400 (around £300 / AU$600) for the 12, that’s a bold claim considering the strength of competition at that level.

The Fender MIX over-ear wireless headphones are similarly bold with their aspirations, being set to retail for $300 (around £220 / AU$450).

Eager to separate them from the sea of competition at that level, the headphones come with a clever FWD Tx USB-C transmitter.

This reportedly enables lossless (LHDC-V), low-latency (LC3), and Auracast transmission modes when plugged into source devices. Fender’s quoting higher quality wireless playback up to 24-bit/96kHz lossless when the headphones and transmitter are connected.

The projector market is one that’s in a state of flux right now. While cinephiles will generally insist on getting a full-fat, incredibly expensive, long-throw, many people are starting to invest in the growing “coffee table” category – and for good reasons.

Simple to set up, small in size and, when done well, surprisingly capable, they’re a great option for people looking for a unit to power impromptu, big-screen movie nights. And if that sounds appealing, you’ll be happy to hear Samsung has just unveiled a new dinky, The Freestyle+, projector designed to deliver just that.

A direct rival to the likes of the Xgimi Mogo 4, the unit is a tiny beamer with a fancy new built-in AI powers designed to let it optimise its picture to deliver a decent movie watching experience, even in sub-optimal conditions – like when it's projecting onto a naked, painted wall, not a proper screen.

Considering how much we liked the original Samsung The Freestyle, which earned a four-star rating from our reviewers, we have high hopes for the new unit despite the fact it’s still 1080p and, as requested by our staff writer Robyn Quck, doesn’t have a built-in battery.

We’ll try to get a proper hands-on preview session with the new Freestyle+ at CES, so stay tuned for further details!

The LG Wallpaper TV has finally returned – and now it's wireless

After a five-year hiatus, LG's Wallpaper OLED TV series is back in the form of the new W6, and it's got some lovely new tricks up its sleeve.

The loveliest is the switch to wirelessness. While the original Wallpaper OLEDs were tethered to a very large soundbar, which also handled the picture processing and connections, the new W6 comes with the new version of LG's Zero Connect box, which can wirelessly transmit picture and sound from a position out of sight, up to 10m away.

While the W6 isn't wafer-thin in the way that the old models were, it's still just 9mm thick, yet it boasts the same flagship panel and processor as the new G6.

That means it uses second-gen Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel tech, complete with new anti-reflection tech that apparently delivers deeper blacks and more vibrant colours in bright ambient light, plus the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI chip.

And while the W6 will certainly be a very premium TV, rumour has it that the price gap between it and the G6 won't be huge. We're predicting a price of about £4999 for the smallest, 77-inch model.

Expect more on this, including hands-on impressions, in the next day or so.

Read the full LG W6 Wallpaper OLED TV story

We're into day two!

We’re into day two of our CES 2026 live hub. And while we may have gotten more than a few treats yesterday, our AV experts at the show have a choker block full calendar of yet more hardware to get a hands-on look, or listen, to at the show today.

But as ever, we want to hear from you. If you’ve spotted a product launch we missed and are keen to learn more about it, or have a burning question about one we’ve already covered, let us know in the comments section of this page. Our team on the ground will then do their level best to get you an answer ASAP.

Cambridge's first-ever active wireless speaker systems land

Cambridge Audio is striding out into uncharted territory with its new L/R series. Consisting of two active wireless speaker systems, the L/R X and L/R M, alongside the L/R S powered speakers, the new range represents a first for the British brand.

Central to the L/R X and M models is Cambridge's new 'Torus' tweeter which utilises a ring-shaped design with a tapered horn inside the rear chamber. The Torus employs a dual radius configuration, with a flatter top and steeper sides, alongside a large rear chamber for better clarity and direction.

All three models offer RCA line-level inputs, while the X and M models house twin USB-C ports – one for handling audio and the other for the speaker interconnect link – as well as digital optical inputs. You also get an HDMI eARC input and a moving magnet phono stage if you go for the L/R X or L/R M models.

The L/R X and M's streaming powers are driven by the fourth generation of Cambridge’s StreamMagic platform, offering support for the likes of AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Amazon Music, Deezer and Qobuz Connect. The smaller, cheaper L/R S, meanwhile, still offers built-in amplification alongside standard Bluetooth streaming.

We’ve already had listening time with the largest member of the family, so check out our L/R X hands on review if you want to hear our early impressions.

Samsung's new wireless speaker range offers hi-res audio, and works with Samsung TVs

Samsung's new wireless speakers are both quite different propositions. The larger Music Studio 7 offers hi-res audio and spatial audio, but no Bluetooth, while the lower-end Music Studio 5 (pictured) does have Bluetooth for local streaming, but no hi-res or spatial audio.

The 7 can also wireless pair with other units to provide stereo sound, or Samsung TVs via the brand's Q-Symphony tech. Handy if you're considering one of Samsung's 2026 TV lineup...

Read our full Samsung wireless speaker story

Xgimi's latest 4K home cinema projector is challenging the likes of Hisense and Epson

Next up, Xgimi has announced the release of its latest 4K home cinema projector – the Titan Noir Max. This follows on from Xgimi’s Titan projector that was announced late last year, but Xgimi says this flagship model boasts, “precision-tuned optics [to] bring out the kind of depth, contrast, and colour nuance once reserved for post-production studios.”

We are still waiting to learn how much this model will cost as well as its connectivity options. But we do know that the 4K model is employing the “most advanced dynamic IRIS system to date” with a native contrast of 10,000:1.

It looks to be in direct competition with the five-star Epson EH-LS9000, as well as Hisense's new XR10 model that was announced late last year. We will have to wait to see how Xgimi's latest entry compares with such stiff competition...

Read our full Xgimi Titan Noir Max story

We've been hands-on with Samsung's new Sonos Arc Ultra rival

It's only just been announced, but we've already had hands-on time with Samsung's new Dolby Atmos soundbar. Twice, in fact!

Samsung is making no secret of the fact that it's gunning for the Sonos Arc with its new HW-QS90H model. As such, unlike the HW-Q990F system-in-a-box, the QS90H is a solo bar with all of the drivers built in.

The focus has been on the bass, and Senior Staff Writer Lewis Empson reports that the QS90H sounds very deep and weighty indeed.

Check out his Samsung HW-QS90H hands-on for his early impressions.

TCL promises to go one better than the latest crop of RGB Mini LED TVs

While most other TV makers are getting into bed with RGB Mini LED, TCL is going its own way, opting for SQD Mini LED as its technology of choice for its flagship TV this year.

SQD stands for Super Quantum Dots, and refines how light is filtered at the colour level, reducing colour crosstalk and maintaining colour accuracy.

It will feature in the X11L, which launched in China late last year and will be TCL's flagship TV in Europe and the US in 2026. Other TCL TVs with the tech will be announced later in the year.

Want to see what else it can do? Read our full story: Forget RGB Mini LED – TCL has just announced SQD Mini LED TVs

Onkyo's Muse series is great news for hi-fi fans

Onkyo is kicking off its 80th anniversary celebrations with a brand-new Muse series of streaming amplifiers, which aims to offer amplification and streaming talents in one sleek box.

All you need to do is add speakers to the Muse Y-50 or Muse Y-40, which boast Class D amplification, Spotify/Qobuz/Tidal Connect hi-res streaming, and ample connectivity including HDMI eARC and moving magnet phono stage.

The new Onkyo streaming amps feature a large display screen for track information and the compulsory VU meter display, and are due out in May 2026. The Y-50 is set to cost $1499, while the Y-40 will cost $999, with UK, AUS and other pricing TBC.

A special edition Muse 80th model with a retro finish is also on the cards, with limited availability of 1000 units worldwide – that's due out in summer.

Read the full story here: Onkyo celebrates its 80th anniversary with all-new Muse streaming amplifiers

Vinyl fans, rejoice! There's a new Audio-Technica turntable in town

Audio-Technica has launched the new AT-LP7X record player at CES 2026, and it's a minimalist deck that hides plenty of versatile features under its matte black finish.

You get a switchable, built-in phono stage that works with both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, and an adjustable tonearm that can be updated to work with a wide variety of cartridges.

The LP7X comes fitted with a J-shaped aluminium tonearm and is pre-mounted with the AT-VM95E cartridge, but can be updated down the line should you wish.

The deck can be plugged straight into active speakers for a compact setup, or be used within a more traditional hi-fi separates system. The LP7X is yours for £679 / $999, sitting just under the £859 / $1299 AT-LP8X turntable we reviewed (and enjoyed!) last year.

Read the full details: Audio-Technica's new AT-LP7X turntable offers ample versatility in a sleek, modern design

Philips 2026 OLED TVs will have one big advantage over LG's...

Dolby Vision 2 is a funny one. Dolby Vision has proved a hit – though not with Samsung – yet the follow-up has gathered its fair amount of suspicion. Do we even need it? Have we reached the limits of what the original Dolby Vision can achieve? Is it all just a cynical ploy to make punters buy a new TV?

Philips would tell you yes, yes and no, respectively. It's just announced it will be the first TV maker to release an OLED with Dolby Vision 2. It joins Hisense and TCL as the only three brands to commit to the tech so far.

We're still awaiting news from Sony and Panasonic, but LG has confirmed it won't support the tech in 2026. That's a big surprise, given its early support for the original Dolby Vision.

So will it leave LG a step behind Philips this year? Or will most people just not care?

Find out more about Philips' decision in our Philips Dolby Vision 2 story

November is a busy time for What Hi-Fi?. For starters, we have to get into our gladrags, ascend from our test rooms and reveal the year’s What Hi-Fi? Award winners at our swanky black-tie ceremony.

Then we have to contend with Black Friday and trawl all the stores, specialist and mainstream, to find you the best hi-fi and home cinema deals to be had on said Award winners and any other five-star product we have reviewed.

*Raises fist at sky and screams “Black fudging Friday” in angry William Shatner voice*

On top of all that, we have to continue our eternal quest, reviewing new products to keep our buying advice up to date and relevant to what’s actually in stores right now.

Which is why, despite all of the above, we continued to publish reviews throughout November (11 to be precise), maintaining business as usual in our viewing and listening rooms.

During that process, however, there was one thing that was a little bit different in November for our reviewers: we found only one product worthy of a five-star rating. Which makes this, the latest edition of our regular Pick of the Month column, our shortest ever.

The Rotel Michi Q5

The vinyl revival has been a joyful thing for quite some time now – which is awesome. But if you prefer your physical media to be a little more compact and shiny – and at the same time have a surplus of serious cash – then you might want to consider the Rotel Michi Q5.

This undeniably premium CD player retails for £5499 ($7499 / AU$9499). That's a clear level above the £2995 ($3995 / AU$4999) Cyrus 40 CD we recommend as the top option in our best CD player guide.

After putting it through its paces, though, we can say that it’s certainly worth it – assuming you have the accompanying amplifier and speakers to back it up. The giant unit is packed with top-end, custom hardware designed to make the absolute most of CDs.

Highlights include a bespoke CNC-machined aluminium CD-transport mechanism and ESS ES9028PRO eight-channel DAC chip. The latter lets you play 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 files via its USB input, in addition to its CD-spinning capabilities.

Most importantly, when paired with our price-appropriate reference Burmester 088/911MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers, it delivers stellar audio. Whether it’s layered classical arrangements, bopping pop, or booming metal, the unit delivers audio with impressive detail resolution, expressive dynamics and a nicely taut bass.

As you will see from our reviewers' five-star rating and verdict: “Some people will baulk at the Michi Q5’s price, and that’s understandable. Given we are so far into the age of streaming, a high-end CD player certainly isn’t going to make sense for everyone. However, if you are dedicated to the original silver disc and have a collection that justifies this kind of expense, we have no hesitation in recommending the Rotel Michi Q5 highly.”

Five stars

Read our full Rotel Michi Q5 review

MORE:

Our reviewers rate the best stereo amps

Our picks of the best bookshelf speakers

We rank the best floorstanding speakers

Chord Electronics has given its much-lauded Mojo 2 DAC and headphone amplifier an upgrade with regard to its connections. The portable device now features a new 4.4mm headphone output and offers USB-C charging.

Sticking with the Mojo 2 name and its current price point of £395 in the UK, these two updates are a result of customer feedback and the demands of new devices now universally using USB-C. One of the two original 3.5mm headphone outputs will be replaced by the 4.4mm socket, which Chord says allows the Mojo 2 to be used with "a far greater range of high-performance headphones".

The 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs will now have independent volume memory, letting the user set output levels for different headphones.

The USB-C input is now switchable and can be used for both data transfer and device charging. On the updated Mojo 2, there is a small 'flash' symbol above the input to denote its new charging ability.

All other features and functions of the Mojo 2 remain the same, including the eight-hour battery life, the palm-sized casing, and multi-colour, multi-button control. It has coax and optical inputs, and the micro USB port remains so that users can continue to connect it to the Poly 2 streamer module.

Chord Electronics assures us that all the fundamentals of design and the sound quality remain unchanged, too.

The Chord Mojo 2 is a multiple (and current) What Hi-Fi? Award winner, with the portable DAC and headphone amplifier using Chord's proprietary digital audio technology, and being hailed as delivering benchmark transparency and a game-changer for boosting the sound quality of your desktop-based and headphones listening.

The existing Mojo 2 with the original connection (from 2022) will still be on sale for some months until stocks run out – at the moment, you can buy it for just £249 at Peter Tyson (down from £395) in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.

The new Chord Mojo 2 will retain the same name, but the '2' on the unit will be in bold to distinguish it from the outgoing model. The price will remain unchanged at £395 / $650 / AU$799.

MORE:

Read our full Chord Mojo 2 review

Our guide to the best DACs we've tested and rated

Check out the best wired headphones you can buy

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

The Wharfedale Diamond launched back in 1982 as a single speaker. It enjoyed such success, however, that it was subsequently turned into a whole range. Now, 43 years later, comes the latest version, the Diamond 12i.

It follows the Diamond 12 range, which won a phenomenal 14 What Hi-Fi? Awards since its launch in 2020. The Diamond 12i refines the design and bass-reflex port while remaining at the same high-value price. Inflation? What inflation?

The 12i range comprises five models: three standmount speakers and two floorstanders. There's also a centre speaker and effects speakers for home cinema use (the latter add height channels for more immersive formats such as Dolby Atmos).

The existing Diamond 12 range's four wood-effect finishes are replaced by three new, more contemporary, options: Deep Black, Stone Grey and Classic Walnut.

The low-frequency performance has also been tweaked, with the introduction of a redesigned bass-reflex port and revised internal damping. Wharfedale promises “improved bass clarity and control”, with more articulate low frequencies, enhanced transitions between bass and midrange, and a more consistent spatial performance, regardless of speaker placement.

The drive units are the same as the previous generation, but benefit from tighter production tolerances.

They feature the same Klarity driver diaphragms as on the Diamond 12 Series, which should deliver a sound which is both “accurate and highly engaging”.

If it's anything like the Diamond 12.1, we should be in for a treat – we called them “surprisingly sophisticated standmounters for their size and price.”

Wharfedale says it hasn't cut any corners in the construction, too. The cabinet walls are made from sections of wood fibre board of varying thickness, constructed in a way that is intended to minimise the effect of any sound interference from the cabinet itself for a greater sonic purity.

Intelligent Spot Bracing sees a wooden brace connect opposing walls in such a way that minimises resonance transferring between walls.

The Diamond 12i range goes on sale in December at the prices below. These are the same as the equivalent Diamond 12 models when they launched in 2020, which is quite an achievement.

• Diamond 12.0i (standmounter): £199 / $399 / AU$599 per pair
• Diamond 12.1i (standmounter): £249 / $499 / AU$699 per pair
• Diamond 12.2i (standmounter): £299 / $549 / AU$899 per pair
• Diamond 12.3i (floorstander): £499 / $1199 / AU$1699 per pair
• Diamond 12.4i (floorstander): £699 / $1499 / AU$2199 per pair
• Diamond 12.Ci (home cinema centre speaker): £229 / $399 / AU$699
• Diamond 12 3Di (home cinema effects speaker): £349 / $599 / AU$899 per pair

MORE:

Read our Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 review

Dali Kupid vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1: which five-star speaker is best?

The best budget hi-fi speakers

If you have a beloved old turntable and don't want to replace your perfectly functional vinyl hi-fi system, but still want to give it a sonic refresh and some extra features, then an outboard phono stage is an excellent upgrade path.

Alternatively, you might have bought a new budget turntable and have a pair of active desktop speakers, but are missing the crucial phono stage element in the chain.

In either use case, this Cambridge Audio Alva Duo phono preamp is a great, inexpensive and discreet addition that will give your vinyl system a modern refresh and a sonic upgrade in the process. You can snap it up for £249 at Richer Sounds – that's a £50 saving off its full price in this early Black Friday deal.

The five-star outboard phono stage is compatible with both moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) cartridges. Best of all, it includes a built-in headphone amplifier stage and volume dial, which is highly unusual for most standalone phono stages, no matter the price.

This is ideal if your ageing turntable-based hi-fi system doesn't have a headphone socket, and you want to enjoy listening to your records late into the night and without disturbing anyone else in the house.

The Cambridge Audio Duo's full-size 6.3mm headphone socket means you can easily plug in a pair of great wired headphones – such as the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X, the Grado SR325x, the Austrian Audio Hi-X20 or your trusty old Sennheiser HD 600 – and enjoy your records with their quality largely intact.

For those embarking on their first turntable adventure, the addition of this Duo phono stage to a pair of active speakers (one that already has amplification built in) will ensure your vinyl records will be heard with a smooth, detailed and full-bodied sound.

You do get a punchier and more rhythmically precise sound from our current Award-winning Rega Fono MM Mk5 phono stage for a similar price, but it doesn't have any of the extra features that make the Cambridge Duo so enticing.

Most budget to mid-price turntables that we would recommend using the Duo with will likely be equipped with MM cartridges as standard, but if you were to explore MC options in the future (be warned: they tend to be much, much pricier), the Duo gives you the option to expand your horizons when the time comes.

Whether it's the missing link in your compact desktop vinyl system or a modern refresh to an ageing but much-loved hi-fi system, the stylish little Duo with its dynamic sound and great features is worth considering as an upgrade. Snap it up for its deal price of £249 at Amazon or Richer Sounds before Black Friday is over.

MORE:

Check out all the early Black Friday hi-fi deals currently live

Looking for a great Black Friday Bluetooth turntable deal? This five-star spinner is great for starting your vinyl journey

Calling all desktop fans! The Award-winning KEF LSX II LT speaker system has crashed to its lowest ever price

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
• John Lewis: £500 off LG and Sony OLED TVs
• Richer Sounds: browse Black Friday deals
• Sevenoaks: £150 off Award-winning speakers
• TVs, movies, home cinema: browse the best deals

In all my years of testing TVs (18 and counting), the Sony Bravia 8 II is one of my absolute favourites – and undeniably the best flagship OLED you can buy right now.

We tested it against the Samsung S95F (with which it shares its QD-OLED panel), the LG G5 and the Panasonic Z95B, and our reviews team unanimously decided the Bravia 8 II was the best TV overall.

That's why it went on to win the coveted TV Product Of The Year gong at the What Hi-Fi? Awards last November.

And, despite being the best of the best, the Bravia 8 II has been the recipient of lots of lovely discounts, which is what this page is all about.

But first, some more info to help you decide if this is the right TV for you.

What makes the Sony Bravia 8 II so good?

The Bravia 8 II is the (overdue) successor to the awesome A95L.

It features the latest-generation QD-OLED panel, Sony's latest and greatest picture processing, an innovative audio system that involves the whole screen vibrating to make sound, very good gaming specs and a smart design.

Unusually, the TV is available in just two sizes, 55 and 65 inches. We've tested both: our original review was based on the 55-inch version, but we then also sourced the 65-inch model for a flagship OLED shootout

The Bravia 8 II goes slightly less bright than those other next-gen OLED models mentioned above, but it's still a very bright TV, and it combines that punch and dynamism with superb cinematic authenticity and some very subtle sharpening that makes the image look more solid and three-dimensional than its rivals can match.

It's better-sounding than those other sets, too, though we do recommend adding a dedicated sound system if you're able. Picture quality this superb demands equally superb audio.

My only additional note is that the Bravia 8 II has just two HDMI 2.1 sockets that support 4K/120Hz gaming. For most people, that will be of no consequence, but for hardcore gamers with multiple machines, it could be frustrating. Just something to bear in mind.

Got all that? Then simply scroll down for the latest and lowest prices on my favourite TV of 2025.

The best Sony Bravia 8 II deals

Sony Bravia 8 II 55-inch (K55XR8M2)

Launch price: £2499 / $3500 / AU$4195

The 55-inch Bravia 8 II is the first one we tested, and the primary basis of our full Sony Bravia 8 II review.

It is, as should be clear by now, an exemplary TV, and by going for the 55-inch model rather than the 65 incher, you get increased pixel density, which means you get an even sharper picture.

Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch (K65XR8M2)

Launch price: £2999 / $4000 / AU$5295

What you lose in pixel density by going for the larger Bravia 8 II, you more than gain in cinematic scale.

There really is no accounting for size when it comes to an immersive movie or game experience, so I almost always recommend going big to people who are torn between two sizes.

Do be aware, though, that the feet of the Bravia 8 II can only be placed at the furthest points of the TV's bottom edge, so you will need a piece of furniture at least as wide as the TV (144cm / 57 inches).

This obviously isn't an issue if you're wall-mounting the TV or are willing to buy a third-party universal stand for it.

When it comes to our yearly Awards testing, the best surround sound speaker package category is easily one of our favourites to judge. While it involves a lot of physical labour – constantly swapping subwoofers and floorstanding speakers is a workout for sure – we're often treated to an immersive cinematic sound experience that floors even the very best soundbars.

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

There’s no point in being coy about it at this point – the Sony Bravia 8 II is my favourite TV of 2025.

Not only that, it’s also been proclaimed the best premium TV of the year in the What Hi-Fi? Awards, having been tested side-by-side with the Samsung S95F, LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B.

• Check out all of the early Black Friday deals on Amazon

You can click here to read more about that epic, flagship OLED group test, but in summary, the Bravia 8 II combines the latest QD-OLED panel with Sony’s legendary processing to produce absolutely stunning picture quality.

The Bravia 8 II doesn’t actually go quite as bright as those rivals I’ve mentioned, but it’s still a very bright TV in its own right, and it combines that brightness with inky blacks and Sony’s subtle image enhancement to recreate movies with unmatched crispness, solidity and three-dimensionality.

Colours are rich but accurate, too, and Sony has done a huge amount of work on dark gradation, ensuring that you don’t miss out on any crucial shadow detail.

And, while I absolutely recommend adding a dedicated audio system if you want the quality of the sound to match that of the picture, the Bravia 8 II sounds a good deal better than its rivals.

One of the big surprises with the Bravia 8 II was how aggressive Sony was with the launch pricing, but that hasn’t stopped the discounts coming thick and fast.

So, while the 55-inch model launched for £2499, it can now be bought for £1799 at Amazon, and the 65-inch version, which launched at £2999, can now be picked up for £2199 at Amazon.

These aren’t outlier deals, either, as other retailers, such as Richer Sounds and Sevenoaks, are offering the two sizes at the same prices.

Will it get cheaper for Black Friday?

The big question, then, is whether prices will drop further for Black Friday at the end of this month.

Now, this one is hard to predict. Unlike LG’s G- and C-series TVs, which have exhibited a clear pattern over the last few years that includes extra-big discounts during Black Friday, the Bravia 8 II is a rather unusual proposition.

While it officially replaces the A95L, that TV was around for two years, so we can’t look at last year’s price history and expect it to repeat. What’s more, the Bravia 8 II launched for less than the A95L did, and was discounted earlier. it's just a different proposition all round, really.

But while we can’t learn much from the A95L’s price history, we can look at what happened to the pricing of another Sony model last year – and doing so presents some encouraging news.

The standard Bravia 8, which launched last and still sits in Sony’s range below the Bravia 8 II, received some tasty, temporary discounts during Black Friday last year. The 55-inch model dropped by £150, while the 65 incher dropped by £200.

I would not be at all surprised if the Bravia 8 II was discounted by similar amounts, so we could see the 55-inch model drop to £1649, and the 65-inch model to £1999.

Of course, there’s no way of knowing for sure that these discounts will materialise, but I do know for sure that I wouldn’t be forking out for a Bravia 8 II right now. I don’t see the current prices rising, so there’s no harm in waiting, just in case.

And when Black Friday does roll around on 28th November, keep an eye on retailers such as Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks and Peter Tyson, as well as Amazon. Those specialists often engage in pricing battles with one another that result in extra deals, often via discount codes.

Or, of course, you can just stay tuned to our Black Friday deals hub, where we will be flagging all of the biggest and best discounts as we find them during the sales event.

MORE:

Here's our full Sony Bravia 8 II review

And here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

Will the LG C5 be discounted for Black Friday? I believe I have the answer

Halloween is officially over, which means we have changed gears and are firmly in deal hunting season.

But, despite Black Friday now being clear and visible on the horizon, that hasn’t stopped hi-fi and home-cinema brands flooding our team with fresh news to cover and products to review.

Over the past week we’ve checked out everything from a new premium phono stage from an iconic British brand to an awesome Sony projector.

Here’s what you need to know.

Michell’s new two-box phono stage is a winner baby (yes that’s a Ru Paul reference)

Iconic British hi-fi brand Michell Audio had a busy October. Not only did it unveil its new Revolv and the Gyro turntables, it also delivered its fancy Apollo phono stage to our listening rooms for testing.

And once we got the clever two-box unit set up and connected to our reference Technics SL-1000R turntable, Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers, boy did it deliver the sonic goods!

Across every track we threw at it, the unit delivered sumptuous, insightful and fluid presentation. Hence our five-star rating and glowing conclusion:

“The competition is tough, but the Apollo’s formidable blend of talents is hard to resist. Its unfussy attitude, seductive sound and excellent build make it one of the standout options in this part of the market.”

Read our full Michell Apollo review

Technics sounded the death knell on a legend

If you’re a fan of Technics’ iconic SL-1200G turntable, we have good and bad news. Last week, the brand confirmed that, after 50 sweet years, its 'G' line is going out of production.

But, as a silver lining, it is sending the deck off with a bang, confirming it will do a limited run of new Grand Class SL-1200G/1210G Master Edition special production turntables.

Featuring a number of design and hardware tweaks, Technics described the new models as the final evolution of the iconic G-series.

Just be warned, Technics is making only a limited number of each, so you’ll have to act fast if you want either when they become available in January 2026.

Read the full story: Technics waves goodbye to the legendary SL-1200 turntable with super-exclusive Master Editions

The Sony Bravia Projector 7 continues the brand’s winning streak

Regular readers know we are big fans of Sony’s latest projectors. So much so that we gave its Sony VPL-XW5000ES and Sony Bravia Projector 8 What Hi-Fi? Awards this year.

And, while its awkward pricing puts it against some very strong competition, after putting it through its paces in our test rooms, we are pleased to report that the middle child, Bravia Projector 7, is an excellent performer.

For your money you’ll be treated to a flexible, “proper” projector capable of delivering a rich, balanced and detailed picture with a sense of three dimensionality missing on many rivals. As we say in our review:

“If you’re looking to step up to a projector that delivers an even more cinematic image with more balanced colours, even better contrast, and extra subtlety, then the Bravia Projector 7 is certainly worth the upgrade – providing your budget allows.”

Read our full Sony Bravia Projector 7 review

We ranked our favourite Bruce Springsteen songs

Last week the Bruce Springsteen bio-pic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere hit cinemas. To help celebrate, the What Hi-Fi? team has come up with a list of the top Springsteen tracks we love, and occasionally even use for testing, from the Boss’s rich and lengthy catalogue of work.

Read the full story: eight of the best Bruce Springsteen tracks to test your hi-fi system

Triangle upgraded its Capella speakers

Finishing off this week’s Rewind column is some news from Triangle – the launch of its new Capella 2 wireless active speakers. The units are a direct follow up to the firm’s previous-generation Triangle Capella standmounts, which we awarded four stars last year.

Key upgrades include the addition of Spotify Connect Lossless and Tidal Connect support, improved wi-fi connectivity, a more modern chipset and new subwoofer output. Will they help the new units nab that oh so elusive fifth star? We’re hoping to get them into our listening rooms to find out!

Read the full story: Triangle’s upgraded Capella 2 speakers land with Spotify and Tidal support

MORE:

We rank the best bookshelf speakers money can buy

Our picks of the best projectors

Check out our picks of the best phono preamps

As Black Friday approaches, there's one question on the minds of savvy TV buyers: will there be any great deals on the LG C5?

It's little wonder there's so much interest in the C5.

• Check out all of the early Black Friday deals on Amazon

LG's C-series OLED TVs have long been the benchmark when it comes to the combination of performance, features and price, and this year's C5 is a real upgrade on last year's C4 – at least in the larger sizes.

All sizes of the C5 have already seen significant discounting and can be bought for a lot less than they launched for. But will they drop even lower for Black Friday at the end of the month?

I track the prices of the best TVs right through the year, and a look at the price history of last year's C4 suggests that yes, the C5 should get even cheaper for Black Friday.

But how low might it go? Let's break it down, size by size.

LG C5 42-inch (OLED42C5)

• Launch price: £1400
• Current price: £949
• Predicted Black Friday price: £899

The 42-inch version of the C5 isn't much of an improvement on the 42-inch C4, and that means it isn't quite as accomplished as the versions that are 55 inches or larger.

That doesn't mean the 42-inch C5 is a bad TV, though. On the contrary, it's the best TV of its size that we've tested all year, delivering balanced, consistent picture quality right out of the box, plus an unbeatable suite of gaming features.

It's a great option for smaller rooms, and is even just about compact enough to work as a desktop gaming monitor.

The 42-inch C4 dropped to £888 during Black Friday last year, so I think it's fair to expect a drop to £899 for the C5. Seeing as it's already available for £949, it could go even cheaper.

Read our full LG OLED42C5 review

LG C5 48-inch (OLED48C5)

• Launch price: £1500
• Current price: £1049
• Predicted Black Friday price: £999

Like the 42-inch model, the 48-inch version of the C5 is very similar to its predecessor. In this case, that actually means you can buy an even better TV – namely, the 48-inch Panasonic Z90B.

But the 48-inch C5 is still an excellent, five-star TV in its own right, offering the same enjoyable picture quality as the 42-inch model, but at a more engaging size.

The 48-inch C4 hit £999 during Black Friday last year, and the C5 isn't much more expensive even now. I wouldn't be surprised if this one hit £949, but £999 is still a great price.

Read the full LG OLED48C5 review

LG C5 55-inch (OLED55C5)

• Launch price: £1900
• Current price: £1199
• Predicted Black Friday price: £1099

This is where the C5 series gets really good. Despite the on-paper specs being largely unchanged, the 55-inch C5 is a solid step forward from its predecessor in terms of picture quality.

There's increased brightness, dynamism and solidity to the image, and more accurate, more consistent colours. Best of all, you get this exemplary picture without the need to dig deeply into the settings.

As with every other C5, the 55-inch model has four HDMI 2.1 sockets that all support 4K/120Hz gaming (and 4K/144Hz, for that matter), as well as VRR and ALLM. This is a gloriously good gaming TV.

The sound is a bit of a letdown, but that's par for the course with OLED TVs. Budget for a soundbar and you'll be set.

The 55-inch C5 dropped to £1099 during Black Friday last year, and I expect the C5 to go at least that low.

Read the full LG OLED55C5 review

LG C5 65-inch (OLED65C5)

• Launch price: £2700
• Current price: £1699
• Predicted Black Friday price: £1499

While we haven't published a dedicated review of the 65-inch version of the LG C5, we did look at it as part of our Awards comparisons, and can confirm that it performs just as expected.

By going for 65 inches rather than 55, you sacrifice a small amount of sharpness on account of the decreased pixel density, but gain much more in cinematic scale. Otherwise, the TVs perform the same.

If you have the room and budget for the larger set and you're serious about home cinema, I recommend going for it.

Last year's 65-inch C4 hit £1495 during Black Friday, and I think the 65-inch C5 will drop to around the same price this year.

LG C5 77-inch (LG OLED77C5)

• Launch price: £3800
• Current price: £2799
• Predicted Black Friday price: £2399

Again, we haven't run a dedicated review of the 77-inch version of the LG C5, but we have seen it in action at various events over the course of the year, often alongside its smaller siblings, and the performance looks perfectly consistent.

Again, you will lose a little pixel density and therefore sharpness by going up to this size, but the increase in cinematic scale is pretty massive at this level.

The 77-inch C4 dropped to £2399 during Black Friday last year, and while the 77-inch C5 has a little way to go to hit that level, I think it will get there this year.

LG C5 83-inch (LG OLED83C5)

• Launch price: £5999
• Current price: £3999
• Predicted Black Friday price: £3549

Honestly, going up to 83 inches with an OLED TV is not a great move from a value point of view. The additional six inches of screen real estate adds absolutely loads to the price – £1200 at the time of writing.

Why is that? It's all to do with the added complexity of manufacturing OLED panels this large, and the apparently high failure rate at the factory.

But while the 83-inch C5 isn't the most sensible option, it sure is the most exciting. This is the absolute largest size you can buy, and while the additional six inches doesn't sound like a lot, it makes a big difference to the cinematic spectacle of a movie night.

Prices of the 83-inch C5 are currently tracking a bit higher than they were for the C4 this time last year, but I still expect it to hit a similar level – around £3549 – for Black Friday.

FAQ

MORE:

Check out all of the best Black Friday deals we've found

Here are the best TVs you can buy, and here are the best soundbars

If you thought hi-fi speakers were big, old fashioned and expensive, then you clearly haven't seen the Dali Kupid. These chirpy little boxes come in a range of cheerful colours, are compact enough to sit on a bookshelf and are very reasonably priced, too.

They also earned five stars in our review.

So you should just buy them, right? Not so fast. Because the Kupid is up against some stiff competition in the form of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1. These speakers actually started life more than 40 years ago with the introduction of the original Diamond model. They have come a long way since then, of course, and offer a similarly compelling package.

Wondering which is more deserving of your hard-earned? Let's help you decide.

Price

Dali Kupid vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1: price

These two are very evenly matched in terms of price. The Dali Kupid is the newer of the two models, having launched in the summer of 2025 for £299 / $600 / AU$599. That's similar to the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1's price of £249 / $399 / AU$699.

But it really depends on which country you're in. The Wharfedales are cheaper in the UK and US, but more expensive in Australia. As the older of the two pairs (having launched in 2020), they are also more likely to be given a discount during a big sales event.

**Winner: Wharfedale Diamond 12.1**

Build & design

Dali Kupid vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1: build & design

The Kupid is the smaller of the two designs, being shorter, narrower and less deep than the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1. This makes them more versatile in terms of placement, by simple dint of the fact that more surfaces will be able to accommodate a smaller speaker footprint.

They come ready for wall-mounting too, with wall brackets and fixing screws included in the box.

But of course it's the colours that are the most noteworthy aspect of the Kupid design. The two standout finishes are the “chilly blue” of our review unit and “golden yellow” which will bring a welcome pop of colour to even the drabbest of interiors.

But not all Kupids come in bold colours – the speaker also comes in more subtle shades of black, white or walnut. Whichever finish you choose, they each have the same starburst lines radiating from the tweeter (though these stand out more on some colourways than others).

Build quality is good, but the speaker is a bit lightweight and feels a little cheap compared with the Diamond 12.1, whose wood finish is sturdier and more refined. But then the Wharfedales are larger and look more traditional, which may not appeal to everyone.

Despite their many similarities, these speakers are pitched quite differently – the Dalis as younger and more accessible, the Wharfedales as the more traditional offering.

The Dalis use a 26mm “ultra-light” soft dome tweeter and an 11.4cm mid/bass driver made from a paper and wood fibre material that has long been used in Dali’s speakers. A “dual flare” reflex port at the back optimises airflow to maximise bass, while magnetic grilles protect the drivers.

The Diamond 12.1s are by no means massive, though, and they have been engineered to sound equally good whether placed into a room or up against a wall. So there's still plenty of versatility to their positioning.

The cabinet is reassuringly solid, and is made from differing thicknesses of MDF bonded together to control resonances, with strategic bracing added for good measure.

The 12.1s have a 13cm mid/bass driver with a polypropylene/mica composite cone material called Klarity, along with a rear-firing reflex port. There's also a 25mm textile-dome tweeter which aims for wide dispersion.

In terms of design, these speakers are apples and oranges, and which you prefer will depend very much on your needs and preferences.

**Winner: Draw*

Compatibility

Dali Kupid vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1: compatibility

The Diamond 12.1s have the higher sensitivity of the two: 88dB to the Kupids’ 83dB. But it’s a tricky tightrope to walk – speakers at this level need to play nice with both micro systems and more demanding separate components. Both models fare well.

The Kupids are easy to drive with most amplifiers we partnered them with during testing, producing ample levels of volume. They do start to sound less convincing when pushed harder, but that's to be expected given their diminutive size and the fact that they are better suited to smaller rooms.

The Diamond 12.1s are similarly adept, whether we partner them with high- or mid-level equipment. They sound more confident and composed than most similarly priced rivals, with a presentation that is simultaneously bold yet refined. Very impressive.

**Winner: Wharfedale Diamond 12.1**

Sound quality

Dali Kupid vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1: sound

We'll start with the Kupids. They sound lively and full of get-up-and-go, which is appropriate given their bright and colourful design (we imagine they have a very sunny demeanour).

They don’t provide the deepest bass, nor the widest soundstage, but that’s to be expected given their small stature.

But what there is is very good indeed – well balanced, with a solid, expressive midrange and enough kick in the lower frequencies to keep your head nodding.

Basslines are tuneful and punchy, and dynamically, the Kupids deliver the ebbs and flow of tracks with conviction and deliver an exciting, involving presentation. Voices are delivered with delicacy and depth, and they sound clean and clear, too.

These speakers are also very agile, with a snappy sense of timing. “From Kendrick Lamar’s King Kunta to Tunng’s Didn’t Know Why to the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, the Kupid have a fleet-footed quality that zips along with all kinds of tracks in an engaging manner,” we say in our review.

The soundstage might not be as wide as some rivals’, but it does give instruments enough room to breathe, while also revealing subtler details that some speakers might miss. For example, you can hear the differences in pressure on the piano keys in Erik Satie’s Gnossienne No.1, which is deeply impressive for speakers at this price.

We never find ourselves getting bored listening to the Kupids, and they are adept at conveying the personality and tone of different recordings, too, which is lovely to hear.

The Diamond 12.1s are previous What Hi-Fi? Award winners, so you know they're going to put in a great performance.

And they do. “They dig up a pleasing amount of detail and manage to organise it in a cohesive and musical way, with easy to follow low-level musical strands and a presentation that doesn’t start to get confused when things get busy,” we say in our review.

They are tonally smooth, and never sound anything but balanced. They will expose sub-par recordings, but at the same time they don't over-egg proceedings – a vital quality at this price.

Again, the bass isn't as deep as with bigger speakers, but that's to be expected. However, they do deliver a larger, more spacious sense of scale and authority compared with the smaller Kupids.

The Diamond 12.1s also remain composed even when the music becomes more demanding, with a surefooted sense of rhythm.

So which sound better? Again, they're really different beasts. The Kupids have more pep in their step, and are the clearer and more enjoyable listen, while the Diamond 12.1s have the more spacious and refined presentation.

For us, the Kupid's sense of liveliness and greater dynamic ability gives them the edge.

**Winner: Dali Kupid**

Verdict

Dali Kupid vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1: verdict

What a battle. With a heritage spanning back 43 years, the Diamond 12.1 standmounts remain highly recommended, while the bright and peppy Kupids are the new upstarts and have just won the 2025 What Hi-Fi? Award for best standmount speaker under £500.

Each is a fantastic budget option; it just comes down to what you want from a speaker.

If space is limited, and you want a bright and colourful design that is matched by its lively sonic character, go for the Dali Kupid. If you have a touch more room to play with, and you prefer a more mature and refined design, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 are for you.

Whichever you choose, we're sure you'll have many hours of happy listening.

**Overall winner: Dali Kupid**

MORE:

Read our Dali Kupid review

And our Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 review

These are the best bookshelf speakers around

• These are the best floorstanding speakers we've reviewed

With their bold colour palette, eye-catching design and space-friendly compact form, the new Dali Kupid speakers are made to appeal to a wider audience of music fans.

The Kupid are designed to fit into people’s spaces easily and be used with modern compact hi-fi, micro systems or as TV speakers. Indeed, part of our testing period was spent hooking the Kupid speakers up to the WiiM Amp Ultra streaming amplifier we also have in for testing – and the pair showed just how simple, compact and streamlined a modern hi-fi system can be.

And affordable, too. The Dali Kupid are priced at £299 / $600 / AU$599 per pair – that puts them right up against the Award-winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 (£249 / $399 / AU$699).

Considering the Danish brand has spent the last handful of years focusing on the higher echelons of the high-end hi-fi scale – from the flagship Kore and Epikore speakers, to the premium IO-8 wireless headphones – this is a welcome return to the budget speaker market.

Dali’s wallet-friendly Lektor, Zensor and Spektor ranges have entertained us in the past with their enjoyable, dynamic sound from compact forms, and the new Kupid model is cut from the same cloth.

Build & design

While they’re not as titchy as the Neat Iota II speakers, the Dali Kupid are small speakers that are designed to be placed just about anywhere. Standing 23.7cm tall and 14cm wide, they are a little bigger than desktop speakers such as the Ruark MR1 Mk3, but are still a fair bit more compact than standard small speakers such as the B&W 607 S3 and Neat Petite Classic.

This means they can be placed on desks, cabinets, bookshelves, TV stands or large windowsills rather than on dedicated speaker stands, and are especially suited to those with limited space. You can even wall-mount them, with the required wall brackets and fixing screws included in the box – helpful!

The overall build quality is good, with smooth curves and a neat finish, while its lightweight frame speaks to its budget billing. But these aren’t plain Janes. We really like the styling of these speakers – they come in colourful shades that set them apart from the traditional hi-fi speaker crowd.

Our review sample comes in an appealing “chilly blue” finish, but you can also choose from a bright “golden yellow” or subtler shades of black, white and walnut. Those starburst lines radiating from the tweeter are a lovely design flourish and are present in every colourway, with the contrasting gold detail standing out on our blue sample in particular.

Compared with the brand’s own Zensor and Spektor speakers or their main rival, the long-running Wharfedale Diamond 12.1, the Kupid’s build does feel a little on the ‘budget’ side. The Diamonds are sturdier and have a more refined build quality with their wood finish, but they are also larger and more traditional-looking. The Kupid are clearly aiming for a different (and most likely younger) audience who are looking for something fresher and more modern.

Underneath that more accessible outlook lies Dali’s decades of acoustic engineering expertise, with the Kupid speakers promising to deliver a rich performance from such a compact form and at this price level.

The two-way speakers feature a 26mm “ultra-light” soft dome tweeter and an 11.4cm mid/bass driver made from a paper and wood fibre material that Dali has long used in its speakers. The dished tweeter waveguide is shaped to help integration with the midrange driver, and the custom crossovers are designed to deliver accurate timing overall.

There is a “dual flare” reflex port at the back of the cabinet that optimises airflow, minimises turbulence and aims to deliver deep bass from this compact cabinet size. It’s all very sensible, and there are magnetic grilles included in the box to protect the drivers.

Compatibility

The Kupids have a rather low sensitivity of 83dB to get enough bass extension out of such compact speakers, which is a balancing act Dali has done before in its Spektor 1 standmounts.

Despite this figure, we found they were easy enough to drive with most amplifiers we tried during testing, and got good volume levels out of them. The Kupids start to complain just a little when pushed to party levels in our fairly large test room, but as these speakers will be used mostly in smaller spaces, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.

During our testing period, we had the Kupids plugged into our usual reference system of Naim Nait XS 3 amplifier and Cyrus CDi CD player. Shifting to more appropriately priced partners, we tried the Kupid with the Arcam A5 and Rotel A8 amps, and the budget Pro-Ject Primary E turntable and Bluesound Node Icon streamer as sources, and then finally connected the speakers straight into the one-box WiiM Amp Ultra streaming amplifier.

With all combinations throughout our testing time, the Kupid speakers more than hold their own and retain their innate lively character.

Sound

Right from the moment we hit play, the Kupid reveal a lively, nimble presentation that is packed with enthusiasm.

We have to accept they won’t deliver the hugest spread of sound or the deepest bass due to their cabinets’ physical constraints, but we find ourselves looking past any such limitations as the speakers themselves sound well balanced. They have a particularly expressive and solid midrange, with enough slam in the lower frequencies to contrast against the sweeter, more delicate moments.

They exhibit a knack for snappy timing and agile rhythm. From Kendrick Lamar’s King Kunta to Tunng’s Didn’t Know Why to the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, the Kupid have a fleet-footed quality that zips along with all kinds of tracks in an engaging manner.

The bassline in Rag’n’Bone Man’s Human sounds tuneful and agile enough to keep the track’s fierce momentum going, while the brooding quality and build-up of tension in Massive Attack’s Angel is felt thanks to spot-on timing and clear, precise edges to notes.

There’s enough space to allow instruments and textures to flourish, from the crunchy depth of a grungy guitar to the sweeping orchestral strings in the Game Of Thrones soundtrack.

Dynamically, the Kupids deliver the ebbs and flow of tracks with conviction, while also revealing subtler moments with a deft hand. The smooth, soulful quality of Marion Black’s 1970s hit Who Knows is full of richness and body; the hi-hats in Max Roach’s Lonesome Lover have enough fizz and snap without sounding thin, and that saxophone glides through with verve.

The Kupids do a great job in expressing the high drama and frenetic attitude of Fontaines D.C.’s Starburster, with those punctuating gasps in the chorus stopping and starting with alacrity. There’s ample excitement and solidity underpinning the high-octane track to get into the groove, but there is also no undue brashness at the top and no flab at the bottom.

Equally, the subtle differences in pressure on the piano keys in Erik Satie’s Gnossienne No.1 are delivered clearly, which is quite impressive for such budget speakers.

We particularly like how expressive, detailed and fluid the Kupids are in the midrange. Laura Marling’s strong yet intimate vocals in Hope In The Air are communicated with crystal clear focus and all the nuances and emotion in her singing are laid bare. Her voice hangs beautifully in the centre, against a fairly low-noise background.

Play Still Dre and we find ourselves tapping our toes and snapping our fingers along to the melody, with the Kupids' infectious sense of enthusiasm and stellar sense of timing and agility keeping our attention hooked. Sure, those bass notes would hit deeper with bigger speakers, but we find that the Dali speakers deliver a satisfying amount of punch that keeps us entertained.

These are very capable performers for their modest price and size. We find ourselves listening to song after song and never get bored; the Kupids also allow the personality and tone of each recording era to come through with little fuss – something that even more expensive speakers struggle to do.

The Kupid speakers are livelier and more dynamically exciting than the Diamond 12.1 rivals, even if the larger speakers are more spacious and a touch more refined. The Kupids punch harder and win us over with their sure-footed rhythm and sheer sense of fun – sonic characteristics that have run through Dali’s previous budget speakers, and which we are delighted to hear resurrected here.

Verdict

Dali has hit upon a winning combination in the Kupid speakers. Small size, attractive looks, entertaining sound and an affordable price – what more could you want?

Give them a whirl, and don’t be afraid to opt for the bolder, colourful finishes.

Review published: 1st October 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 4
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Also consider the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1

Read our Elac Debut B5.2 review

Our guide to the best bookshelf speakers for every budget

We know that Sony is working on a TV centred around the new RGB Mini LED panel technology that Hisense and Samsung have already incorporated into their respective ranges.

Those companies, though, have opted to dip their toes into the tech with just one TV each. A new report suggests that Sony could be taking a bolder approach by doubling down on the new display technology with two new TVs next year.

A forecast from Omidia's Research Director for Displays, David Hsieh, (via FlatpanelsHD) states that we could see a new Bravia 9 and Bravia 7 launch next year – presumably these will be the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II if Sony sticks to the naming convention established with the excellent Bravia 8 II – which could both sport the new RGB Mini LED panel tech.

Hsieh has reportedly made this prediction based on industry insights and sources related to the research company. That being said, nothing will be official until the news comes directly from Sony itself.

Hsieh suggests that the supposed Bravia 9 II could come in 65, 75, 85 and 115-inch screen sizes. The rumoured Bravia 7 II is forecast to add 50 and 55-inch sets, with the largest screen size predicted to be 98 or 100 inches.

Samsung and Hisense, for reference, have opted to launch their RGB Mini LED sets only at 115 and 116 inches, respectively, so Sony could be the first manufacturer to introduce a wider range of screen sizes with this display technology.

Of course, to be sure, we have to wait until Sony makes an official announcement for its 2026 TV range; we expect that to come towards the beginning of next year.

It is looking very possible, though, that Sony could become the first brand to adopt the new display technology with open arms – though we are willing to bet that Samsung, Hisense and TCL also have big plans for the new tech for 2026.

MORE:

Read our full Sony Bravia 9 Mini LED TV review

And check out our picks for the best Mini LED TVs

Find the best TV deals here

IAG owns some of the biggest hi-fi brands in the business, with the likes of Audiolab, Quad, Mission and Wharfedale all under its umbrella.

With design, engineering and virtually all manufacturing for all its brands under one roof, sustainability has been on IAG’s radar for some time now.

As part of What Hi-Fi?’s Sustainability Week, we spoke to Jamie O’Callaghan, the IAG Group’s Global Sales & Marketing Director, to hear how the company approaches the topic and evaluates how performance and cost fit into the equation.

“Long before the word ‘sustainability' was everywhere, we were already recycling sawdust into pellets for heating or repurposing into MDF, recycling water on-site, using solar power, and reusing cardboard and paper pulp for drivers and packaging,” says O’Callaghan.

And it continues in today’s manufacturing process. “We design them [products] so they can be repaired: modular parts, replaceable drivers, serviceable amps.

"We manufacture about 95 per cent of what goes into our products in-house. For the rest, we only source from suppliers who meet the strict standards (RoHS, REACH, etc).

"We’ve cut down on plastics in our packaging, and we recycle as much as possible on-site. Our lacquer and paint processes conform to extremely strict environmental regulations – far ahead of many current standards.

"In addition, we have a dedicated project management team working on material considerations – paints, materials, techniques that follow the demands for even less environmental impact and even higher levels of sustainability.”

At this point, it's probably worth remembering that the product turnover in the world of hi-fi isn’t as quick as in other consumer tech, such as smartphones, headphones, and TVs; there’s already a certain degree of sustainability built in.

“We believe sustainability starts with making products that actually last. If something is built well enough to be repaired and enjoyed for years – instead of being thrown away – that’s already a huge step.

"We still support some QUAD models that were released over 50 years ago. We keep spares, we have authorised service centres, and we’ve always believed a hi-fi system is something you maintain rather than discard.”

But does IAG think customers care about sustainability? “More than before, absolutely.

"We’ve had customers contact us asking if our speakers are vegan (which they are!) – ten years ago, it would have sounded odd, but now it’s a fair question. It shows people are thinking more consciously,” says O’Callaghan.

“That said, in hi-fi, sound quality and price are still the main drivers. Sustainability matters – but it’s rarely the number one reason someone buys an amplifier.

"What people do appreciate, though, is honesty. They can tell when a brand is actually making an effort versus just using marketing buzzwords.

"The biggest challenge is trying to balance sustainability with performance and price. In audio (and consumer electronics in general), the enthusiast community – audiophiles, reviewers, users – still expect things to sound exceptional and be affordable.”

And as O’Callaghan explains, what might be good for the environment might not necessarily be the right fit for a product, and even the eco-friendly options that look good on paper might have drawbacks.

“Eco-friendly materials don’t consistently deliver the performance our engineers require, or the cost-efficiency our customers expect. And the ones that do usually cost more – which then affects how competitive the product is.

"Sourcing components with a lower carbon footprint that still meet the quality benchmark is an ongoing challenge. And once costs rise, not all consumers or retailers are willing to absorb that, even if they support the idea of sustainability.”

It is a difficult balance to get right, though, especially in the affordable areas of the market where you’ll find most consumers.

As O’Callaghan puts it, “The inescapable fact is that most people like the idea of super-eco-friendly products and materials, but there is a ceiling as to how much of a premium they are willing to pay.”

Building more sustainable products isn’t as simple as swapping out materials. There are the cost implications on final prices and also knock-on effects on quality and performance.

O’Callaghan explains, “We’re working towards standards where plant-based plastics and bio-resins can be used as alternatives to ABS, recycled wood fibre board can replace traditional MDF and so on. These materials meet the 'sustainability box' but in practice, they often fail during real-world testing – from cabinet resonance and acoustic stability, through to finishing and long-term durability.

Some materials we’ve looked at are fantastic but incredibly expensive, can’t be finished beyond ‘natural colours’, and are extremely difficult to work into forms familiar for loudspeakers.”

When you start to think about adding a new technology there are complex sums to work through, and that, according to O’Callaghan, “isn’t simply a matter of adding X amount to the cost of a loudspeaker.

"It involves detailed calculations of man-hours for engineering work (investigation, testing, modelling, sampling) and that’s before considering production techniques, machinery, tooling, etc.

"The cost chain is long, and the timeline is similarly affected. The work continues, but it’s a process of incremental R&D and concept, not just a quick swap-in.”

Alternative materials can be challenging to machine and achieve a consistent finish and there’s the cost element, plus the question of just how ‘green’ they actually are.

“Carbon fibre is acoustically excellent; stone or mineral composites are extremely inert; and recycled PETs clearly offer environmental benefits.

"However, these materials often cost significantly more than MDF or ABS. And in some cases, their CO₂ footprint during large-scale production is significant – the end product may appear ‘green’, but the production process is less so.”

O’Callaghan uses the five-star, Award-winning Mission 770 stereo speakers as an example of how adding eco-friendly tech could affect pricing. The speakers already use packaging and MDF from recycled materials, a PFAS-free lacquer finish on real-wood veneers (as opposed to vinyl or synthetic materials) and water-based acoustic damping glue.

“If we were to substitute our materials for carbon fibre, 3D printed bio-resins and bring in stone-based composite boards, for example, the 770 would be marginally more ‘sustainable’ as an end product, but significantly more expensive to produce and therefore – as a rough estimate – five times more expensive to the end customer. More Sustainable? Perhaps, yes. Viable for dealers and consumers? Not at all.”

So what does the future hold for IAG and its approach to sustainability?

Could it become carbon neutral? “That is the long-term goal, but we want to be realistic and responsible about it.

"First, we’re mapping out our emissions properly so we actually know where we stand. Then we reduce what we can. Only after that does offsetting make sense,” says O’Callaghan.

Besides working on a public product sustainability policy to show greater transparency, O’Callaghan has good news for fans of IAG brands on the product front.

“We’re exploring new materials for future ranges. One project that Peter Comeau (Director of Acoustic Design) and his team are working on for 2026 is especially exciting, and takes this thinking to a whole new level.

"Our industrial design team is already eliminating materials, processes and design habits that don’t comply with a logical sustainability mindset. Watch this space!”

MORE:

Welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s inaugural Sustainability Week!

Sustainable, affordable and easy – why aren’t more people doing this simple upgrade to save old hi-fi products?

Do hi-fi and home cinema fanatics care about sustainability? We want to know!

I've been using the 65-inch Sony A95L at home for the last few weeks (that's it in my living room in the photo above), and I'm absolutely loving it.

It's that marrying of the brightness and vibrancy of QD-OLED technology to Sony's trademark cinematic authenticity that does it for me: it means the picture is hugely exciting and dynamic, yet also accurate and 'correct'.

It's great for gaming, too, and I'm really making use of the free, super-high-quality streams on Sony Pictures Core.

You would think, therefore, that I would be telling you to take up this A95L deal, which is the lowest price I've seen for the 65-inch model:

But I'm not going to do that, and the reason is two-fold:

The LG G4 is currently £800 cheaper

I don't like the LG G4 quite as much as I do the Sony A95L, but I do still like it a great deal.

And because LG is so much more aggressive with its pricing, the 65-inch G4 is available for vastly less, and a difference this big is too good to ignore.

The G4 has some advantages over the A95L, too: it's even easier to get the most out of (just use Filmmaker Mode and switch on the ambient light sensor and you're pretty much sorted); the webOS smart platform is better than the Sony's Google TV; and it's got four HDMI 2.1 sockets that support every gaming feature under the sun.

The G4 goes even brighter than the A95L, too, although its MLA OLED panel isn't quite as good at bright colours as the Sony QD-OLED panel is.

Still, at these prices, I would absolutely take the G4 over the A95L, and I'd spend the 'change' on a Dolby Atmos soundbar – the Sony A95L sounds good for a TV, but it's no match for even a mid-range soundbar such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

And the Sony A95L's replacement is now here

The second thing putting me off recommending that deal on the Sony A95L is that its successor, the Bravia 8 II, has just hit shops.

I'm not saying you should go out and buy the new model right now (I never recommend buying a TV at launch as prices are so inflated), but it's launched for less than the A95L did, and I don't think it will be too long before its hits the £2300 price point that the A95L is at now.

The Bravia 8 II's presence in shops now also means that the A95L's price is likely to drop further in the coming weeks and months.

So, while I love the A95L and would ordinarily recommend it in a heartbeat, anyone desperate for a flagship-level OLED TV right now should buy the LG G4 (and a soundbar) instead.

Those who can be patient, meanwhile, should wait either for the A95L's price to drop further or for the new Bravia 8 II (a review of which we're working on right now) to get its first discounts.

Sound+Image is Australia no. 1 mag for audio & AV reviews, news and technology. Every issue is divided between hi-fi features and reviews, audiovisual reviews and updates, plus a lashing of music and movie features to highlight the reason we need the equipment in the first place.

And in our latest issue, #362:...

MINI AMPS THAT ARE BIG ON STREAMING
Group test: Various developments have fed the rise of smaller hideaway amplifiers with app control and built-in streaming. But with such variety in power and price, how do you find your level?
- Feature: How to choose your amplifier
- Review: WiiM Pro
- Review: Sonos Amp
- Review: Denon Home Amp
- Review: Bluesound Powernode Edge
- Review: Marantz Model M1
- Review: Electrocompaniet RENA SA2

OPEN HEADPHONES
Group of three: They may annoy people on the bus commute, but for solo listening, open-backed headphones are a pathway to the airiest of hi-fi sounds. We test three new models at radically different price levels.

- Review: AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-R30x
New and attractively-priced open headphones – just A$219, yet they pretty much blew us away with their effortless and balanced presentation.

- Review: SENNHEISER HD 550
It can be hard to tell Sennheiser’s many headphones apart – yet they are invariably safe performers when it comes to the sonics, as these HD 550s confirm.

- Review: MEZE POET
Spectacular looks meet sparkling sonics in these Romanian planar-magnetic beauties. What airy wonders do they reveal, for their A$3499 pricing?

MORE REVIEWS...

- MARANTZ HORIZON wireless speaker
Luxurious materials and a remarkable design differentiate Marantz’s wireless speaker costing A$6500 (+A$1500 for the stand). Does it repay the price?

- KALEIDESCAPE TERRA PRIME + STRATO C 4K movie server + player
The premium movie server system is now ‘officially’ available in Australia, including a local movie store. We test a two-box server and player solution.

- VIEWSONIC V57-4K projector
It’s a ‘lumen king’ using a higher level of DLP projection than rivals to achieve higher brightness and overcome ambient light conditions.

- TANNOY SGM 10 stereo loudspeakers
These ‘heritage’-look speakers are developed from studio models and certainly have some quirks, but their sound can take on all modern challengers.

MORE FEATURES...

- TOP TVs & TV TECH FOR 2025
Advanced OLED panels arrive, but Mini LED has an RGB variation waiting in the wings. Is 8K coming or going? And will 3D return to TV?

- comment
ONE EAR ON THE FUTURE
The Editor looks forward to understanding whatever you’re all saying.

- show reports
HIGH-END MUNICH SHOW REPORT
From 2026, the HIGH END Show will move to Vienna, so there was much tearful sloshing of steins amid the usual collection of horns and sounds to celebrate the final Munich show.

- AUSTRALIAN Hi-FI SHOW, SYDNEY
Three days of Sydney sunshine, four floors of hi-fi and AV on song: here’s our full report of all the joys from this year’s Sydney show.

- countdown
THE BEST MOVIES OF THE 1980s!
From ‘Raging Bull’ to ‘Dogs in Space’, these are the 1980s movies that will get your home cinema back to the 1980s. Bring your own Spandex...

- classic movie scene
E.T.’s FLYING BICYCLE
Spielberg was riffing on the imaginary friend of his youth, but when Elliott’s bicycle took to the skies he created a scene that cinemas cheered.

- music stars
KATE BUSH
We look back at the original Kate Bush tour of 1979, her first and only time on the road until her residency London concerts 35 years later.

- NEWS
Marantz announces surprise two-box AV; Harman buys all Masimo Consumer brands; Electrocompaniet gets knobby; Rega goes digital with its Mk7 Brio amp; Melbourne gets a new AV experience store; Qobuz Connect debuts on loads of kit; Krix reveals its biggest ever subwoofer; Triangle effects speaker goes both ways; Blu-ray news: Pioneer stops, Sony goes...

It's all in #362 of Sound+Image, out now in print at newsagents and as a digital issue through Apple, Google, Readly, Zinio. Libby and more!

On the hunt for an OLED TV but not sure where to find the best bang for your buck? Luckily, we have spotted these deals that are well worth a second look.

For those looking for the best value OLED, the 55-inch LG C5 has crashed to £1520 at Richer Sounds. That saves you £380 off its original price of £1900 – not bad considering it only launched two months ago.

The 55-inch LG G5 is also available at an impressive discount and is our recommendation if you are looking for next-level picture performance. You can get it for £1920 at Richer Sounds, lopping off £480 from its original price.

On top of that, LG is also offering a cashback deal on both models, which means you can save even more. The cashback is dependent on the model, according to LG, so check here to see how much you could claim.

And if that wasn't already good enough, Richer Sounds is throwing in a free LG soundbar with each of these OLED TVs for good measure.

While we have not yet reviewed the 55-inch G5, the 65-inch model earned a five-star rating for its "dazzlingly bright image” and “crisp picture.”

Where the mid-range LG C5 uses "traditional" OLED technology, the 4K LG G5 is the first TV to launch with the brand’s new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel.

The C5 is also missing the new Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 2, which is the more powerful processor found on the G5. The G5 gets the AI Perceived Object Enhancer, AI Super Upscaling, and OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping picture features.

Instead, it uses an Alpha 9 AI Processor Gen 8, which is a bit slower and cuts out some of the more advanced AI features.

When we tested the G5, its sharp and detailed overall image impressed as well as its rich, vibrant colours.

As we say in our 65-inch G5 review, while watching Top Gun: Maverick, “What is immediately striking is how bright the new Primary RGB Tandem TV looks next to a conventional OLED. We’re talking levels that, in cases where peak-brightness highlights are on show, such as when Maverick engages the scramjet of the Darkstar hypersonic aircraft, we are compelled to shield our eyes from the blazing brightness."

The LG C5 is certainly not to be sniffed at, though. In our five-star review, we said that this OLED TV is "a simply exquisite TV for watching movies".

Skin tones look realistic, and subjects stand out against the background to striking effect, with sharp yet never over-etched or artificial-looking edges.

We certainly recommend budgeting for a dedicated sound system with both TVs. However, their audio performance is less dazzling than their pictures. The sound is perfectly fine for day-to-day use, but when using the TV's sound to enjoy a meatier home cinema experience, it does fall short.

Thankfully, you needn't worry too much about that, as Richer Sounds is throwing a free LG soundbar with each of these OLED TVs, though the model varies depending on which TV you choose.

There are four full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on both models. These are all capable of handling 4K/165Hz (as well as the 4K/120Hz that current consoles max out at, of course) signals with VRR and ALLM.

Richer Sounds is also offering a range of similar deals on all the other size options for both the LG C5 and LG G5, so there is bound to be an option that floats your boat.

MORE:

Here is our review of the LG 65-inch G5

And this is what we thought of the LG 55-inch C5

Check out the best OLED TVs right now

Wharfedale's new Evo 5 speaker range has launched at High End Munich 2025. Succeeding the Evo 4 series, the Evo 5 range boasts updated cabinets, drivers and crossovers and new damping technology, while still offering premium technology and sound at reasonable prices.

The Evo 4.4 floorstander is a five-star, What Hi-Fi? Award winner, so we're excited to hear what the new Evo 5 range has in store for us.

The new range consists of the Evo 5.1 two-way standmount speaker, the Evo 5.2 three-way large standmounters, two three-way floorstanders (Evo 5.3 and Evo 5.4) and an Evo 5.C centre channel for home cinema setups.

The mid-price Evo range has always benefitted from more premium technology, including the use of an AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeter and a domed midrange driver.

In the Evo 5 range, the AMT driver is bigger, measuring 35x70mm compared with outgoing Evo 4's 35x60mm unit, while the 50mm domed midrange driver has been further developed to match the new high frequency unit.

The AMT unit features a new sound-absorbing material called SilentWeave – a cotton/felt hybrid developed specifically for the Evo 5 speakers, which helps reduce sound wave reflections from inside the cabinet.

Furthermore, another damping element in the form of a frame (called ResoFrame) is features across all drive units in the Evo 5 speakers. It is made from elastomer and looks like a "cog-like shape within the driver's front panel." The AMT tweeters have a further damping gasket between the diaphragm and front plate that minimises mechanical resonances even further for a smooth response in the lower treble.

The domed midrange driver features both the acoustic damping frame and the SilentWeave hybrid material. Put together, Wharfedale promises a "sweetly extended" and purer treble, wide dispersion, greater efficiency and clarity.

The bass and mid/bass drivers across the Evo 5 also feature dedicated new technology. Alongside the ResoFrame damping frame, a new low-mass elastomer damping ring is introduced, situated at the rear of the driver cone where it meets the surround. This aims to optimise the lower midrange, promising voices that "sound richer, more natural and more emotionally engaging," according to Wharfedale.

The crossovers have also been redesigned, with shorter paths between the components and drive units. In the three-way speakers, the circuit layout is split into two – one for treble and mid, and the other for bass – to reduce any electromagnetic interference.

Wharfedale's SLPP (Slot Loaded Profiled Port) bass reflex design has also been upgraded to fire in three directions – left, right and to the rear – in the Evo 5. This is designed to improve bass extension and integration, while also improving the uniform dispersion of air in the room – compared with the two-direction vent system in the Evo 4 – and help ensure the speakers are less fussy about placement in the room.

And finally, the cabinet of all the Evo 5 speakers have been made proportionately a little larger to account for the larger driver and revised crossovers, while also offering larger cabinet volume for deeper bass and more expansive, immersive soundstage.

The cabinet is made of layers of woods of different densities to reduce resonance, while a hybrid metal/wood plinth is at the base of every speaker (which incorporates the bass reflex vents).

The Wharfedale Evo 5 Series will be available from June in four finish options: walnut wood veneer, matt black, matt white, and a new matt grey. Prices are as follows:

Evo 5.1 standmounter: £549 / €699 / AU$1249 per pair
Evo 5.2 standmounter: £749 / €999 / AU$1749 per pair
Evo 5.3 floorstander: £1099 / €1499 / AU$2599 per pair
Evo 5.4 floorstander: £1399 / €1899 / AU$3299 per pair
Evo 5.C centre channel: £549 / €699 / AU$1249

MORE:

Read our Wharfedale Evo 4.4 review

You'll go nuts for this Peanuts-themed record player

High End Munich 2025: the latest news, highlights and hi-fi launches

We have said it before and, sadly, we will without doubt say it again: modern TVs seem incapable of producing sound of a quality anywhere near approaching the brilliance of the images they provide. Which is a problem. Without great sound, you can never truly be engrossed in what you are watching.

This is why we are forever recommending that you budget for a soundbar when you invest such a lot of money in a top-notch television. Even a relatively cheap model will, almost certainly, provide a better experience than the TV alone. In this issue, then, we give you a trio of choices in a trio of price breaks. Our round-up of bargain soundbars will give you some fine options that won't break the bank.

At the other end of the scale, certainly as far as price goes, we bring you some stunning stereo amplifiers. If you are serious about your music, investing in the heart of your hi-fi system is never a bad idea.

Bargain soundbars from £80-£500

Don’t worry – it’s not your ears; movie dialogue really has become harder to hear in recent years, thanks to a shift in acting styles, filmmakers prioritising characters’ emotional responses over clarity of vocal delivery and a rise in more prominent sonic special effects. And the sub-standard sound quality offered by today’s televisions – even flagship models with impressive visual credentials – does nothing to help the situation.

Thankfully, there’s an easy fix – in the shape of a soundbar. Even a budget soundbar is more than likely to raise the quality of the sound you hear significantly. And, whether you are buying a budget ’bar or a top-end device, it is in vocal delivery and other midrange sonics that the improvements are most noticeable.

What’s more, the best soundbars do a pretty good job of making your movies sound more cinematic – but without the need for multiple speakers and for far less money.

This month we are focusing on affordable soundbars (less than £500), but even in this arena the improvements in terms of additional bass weight and greater depth to the sound are obvious. Above the £300 mark, you will hear a wider soundfield and often even a palpable sense of height. And it’s around this price point that you will usually get HDMI eARC connectivity, giving access to more advanced sound processing modes and hi-res audio.

Soundbars proliferate like bunnies in spring, so to help you find the breed that’s right for you, we have assembled nine popular models in three price brackets. So if you’re not sure where to start, check out this month's What Hi-Fi?

Our favourite premium stereo amplifiers

The stereo amplifier is the MVP in any hi-fi team, being the beating heart of your separates system and the component that necessarily amplifies the audio signals from your source to an output that your passive speakers can deliver. Quite simply, no amplifier means no sound!

Which stereo amplifier you choose will greatly impact your overall system performance, so you want a best-in-class performer – one that also offers the connections your sources need.

While many amplifiers retain a more purist, analogue-only approach, the popularity of music streaming means that many now contain built-in DACs for connecting phones, hard drives and digital hi-fi sources. What you require will depend on your needs and the connectivity of any existing equipment you have.

This month we focus on the best stereo amplifiers your money can buy at the more premium end of the integrated market, specifically those priced between £1000 and £5000. You can, of course, go much higher-end, but these amplifiers are the sweet spot between fair money and top-drawer performance, with invariably lovely build and a sonic character that has found favour with us.

We have rounded up 11 great amplifiers from hi-fi stalwarts such as Arcam, Rega, Chord, JBL, Audiolab, Cambridge Audio, Cyrus and Naim; and we think that every one of these amplification stars will serve you well for years to come.

Budget streamers go head-to-head

Both the Cambridge Audio MXN10 and WiiM's Ultra are brilliantly affordable ways to add cutting-edge streaming skills to your hi-fi separates, and they can even be used to create a simple but effective audio system by connecting them directly to a pair of powered speakers.

However, with both of these products earning five-stars when we reviewed them, you might reasonably be wondering just which one should be the recipient of your hard-earned cash. So, we’ve put these two network audio players up against each other to find out which one comes out on top.

Find out more in June's What Hi-Fi?

First with reviews

Once more, our First Tests section is filled to the brim with in-depth, impartial and expert verdicts on the very latest hi-fi and AV gear.

This month we had LG's latest flagship TV, the G5, in our testing rooms. The Korean TV giants' premium G-series sets have always impressed, and this latest earned top marks from our expert reviewers. Read our thoughts on this five-star OLED in this month's What Hi-Fi?

That wasn't the only five-star TV we tested this month – we also put the 55-inch version of Sony's Bravia 7 through its paces. Elsewhere, another Sony product – this time earbuds – also acquitted itself well; the WF-C710N impressed us, and you can read just why this issue.

We also had JBL's latest iteration of its fantastic wireless speaker range, the Charge 6, in for testing, as well as a neat little lifestyle projector in the form of the BenQ GP520, Elac's new Debut 3.0 DB53 standmount speakers and iFi's Zen DAC 3. Finally we took a long, considered look at Hisense's Canvas – a TV that doubles as a work of art.

See what our review team thought of all these products in June's What Hi-Fi?

Top-drawer products at top-of-the-line prices

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

Esoteric's F-01 integrated amplifier and PS-01F power supply combination is an impressive prospect. "It marries exceptional detail resolution and dynamic fluidity better than almost anything else we've heard," enthused our reviewers, before throwing lots of stars at it. Read more in the June issue of What Hi-Fi?

The Canton Reference 5 are a fine-looking pair of floorstanding speakers that graced our test rooms this month. Our review team noted their "imposing driver complement doesn't disappoint, delivering deep, muscular lows with minimal stress". Sound like it's up your alley? Got deep pockets? Read more in this month's mag!

Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive and freshly updated list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy – including winners of 2024's What Hi-Fi? Awards. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of the best wireless headphones to a home cinema speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.

Whatever you do, don't miss the June 2025 issue of What Hi-Fi?. Grab a copy today, or simply download it onto your tablet or smartphone. Enjoy!

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

Imagine you run a popular restaurant, and key to your establishment’s success is an award-winning recipe that, while not necessarily mind-blowingly complex, is a winner with proles and princes alike. The problem is, you now need to update your signature dish in order to move with the times, and while it’s an exciting opportunity to push new boundaries, there’s always a fear that you’ll throw the baby out with the culinary bathwater.

That’s the challenge facing Elac with its third-generation Debut model. The outgoing Debut B5.2 were a supremely engaging set of budget speakers, and while they weren’t anywhere near the top-end in terms of price, they were subtle, sonically savvy standmounts that won a stunning five What Hi-Fi? Awards on the bounce. Elac has promised wholesale design changes for the Debut 3.0 next-gen series, but does that Award-winning recipe still taste as sweet this time around?

Build & design

The Elac Debut 3.0 DB53 is the cheapest model in the third-generation range, and is a well-made pair of stereo speakers considering the money you’ll pay. The rival Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 exude a touch more class, but the tangible standard of care you’ll notice when handling Elac’s well-priced standmounts is impressive. Like many members of the brand’s stable, there’s a solidity to the Debut 3.0 that immediately puts your mind at rest.

They are not, however, a carbon copy of the outgoing Debut B5.2 standmounts. Viewed from the front, the Debut 3.0 DB53 are less cluttered than Elac’s second-generation speakers, again employing a two-way driver design but with the port relegated to the back of the speaker. That decision, says Elac, was born from a desire to improve bass reproduction, reduce distortion and keep the overall height of each unit down.

The changes don’t stop there. The DB53 standmounts employ a new 25mm aluminium tweeter – the previous Debut B5.2 speakers used a cloth dome unit – tuned for greater clarity. The Debut 3.0 DB53 employ a 13cm aramid fibre woofer with improved damping, a larger magnet and voice coil, resulting in what Elac hopes will be a more accurate and enjoyable sonic signature.

Moving back to the outside, the Debut 3.0 DB53 cabinet looks to benefit from strategically placed internal bracing for reinforcing the cabinet’s structure, a feature which seeks to minimise unwanted vibrations for greater clarity and accuracy across the frequencies.

Compatibility

We start off our testing using our reference system of the Naim Nait XS 3 amplifier (currently £2199 / $2999) working alongside the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition streamer (£2399 / $3290 / AU$4299). Our comparative benchmarks at this level come courtesy of the Award-winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 (£249 / $399 / AU$699) standmounts and, of course, the outgoing Elac Debut DB5.2 (around £249 / $199).

What we discover is that the Debut 3.0 DB53 need care with partnering equipment given their unforgiving sonic nature, a characteristic we find surprising at this budget level. We switch from the Naim Nait XS 3 to the Rotel A8 to find a more price-compatible amplifier – the Rotel costs around £399 / $449 / AU$649 – before seeking out the equally budget Marantz PM6007, a smoother operator that helps to mitigate, if not eliminate, the Elacs’ unforgiving character. If we were investing in a pair of the Debut 3.0 DB53, the Marantz is probably the amp we’d choose to power them.

Elac isn’t particularly dogmatic when it comes to recommending the best position for its speakers, advising a distance from any rear wall of between 30-60cm. We start the Debut 3.0 DB53 at roughly 50cm from our back wall but find them too light in the bass, opting instead for 40cm to give the speakers more lower-end clout. In terms of direction, we angle the Elac speakers slightly inwards so that their axis crosses behind our heads.

Sound

After letting them run in for well over a week, we’re ready to assess the Debut 3.0 DB53’s capabilities and find out whether this new recipe hits the spot or leaves something of a bitter taste. What we notice upon our first few sonic bites is how different these speakers are from those which preceded them, bringing in new levels of clarity and textural detail as they furnish us with more information than our comparative Debut B5.2 test pair.

George Benson’s Give Me The Night sounds clear and poised through the Elacs as the budget standmounts capably and openly reveal each instrumental nuance – a dash of smooth guitar here, a peppering of skittering drums there.

Further listening showcases the way in which the Debut 3.0 DB53 do an excellent job of giving all of this detail and clarity a healthy amount of space. Give Me The Night has adequate room in which to breathe, whereas Radiohead’s haunting, airy ballad Codex plays out across a strikingly wide, open soundscape. Thom Yorke’s falsetto is central to the composition, sitting neatly in the middle of the Elacs’ finely curated rendition as the speakers showcase their impressive knack for stereo imaging.

Elac’s promise that the Debut 3.0 DB53's move back to a rear-mounted port would result in more impressive bass reproduction does, in this instance at least, appear to be true. We play Ghost’s Satanized while switching between the older-gen Debut standmounts and our new test pair, noting how the latter’s increased punch and weight at the lower end helps bring out the song’s propulsive underpinnings.

When the occasion calls for it, the Debut 3.0 DB53 are able to pull out ample helpings of lower-end clout – the intense swell of booming vocals and imposing drums on Bear McCreary’s God Of War Ragnarök soundtrack lands with impressive weight, and while speakers of this size are never going to produce god-like levels of bass, there’s enough punch and power here to have your hairs bristling and your pulse quickening a little.

Yet, impressive as all this is, something is bothering us about the DB53. Listen to Give Me The Night carefully and you’ll notice a hard, bright leading edge to notes, especially clear on George Benson’s vocal lines and the track’s brassy horn stabs.

The Elac draw attention to the harshness of such recordings, and while our work to rectify the issue by switching to smoother or more price-compatible partnering equipment, such as the Marantz PM6007 budget amplifier, pays some dividends, it isn’t enough to fully tame the speakers’ rather unforgiving nature.

Moving over to our Award-winning budget benchmark standmounts helps us shine a light on the Elac's other limitations. The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 are smooth, fluid and dynamically involving, providing a counterpoint to the Debut 3.0’s more regimented approach.

Whereas Radiohead’s Codex sounds natural and dynamically free-flowing through the Wharfedales, the DB53 don’t quite bring out its rises and falls with the same transparency, while the Wharfedale make each piano stroke sound distinct, contrasting with the Elacs’ propensity to underplay dynamic contrasts.

The Wharfedales’ more fluid nature also allows them to transition from dynamic peaks and troughs more smoothly and emphatically – the Debut 3.0 DB53, meanwhile, have a more limited approach, with which shifts in energy and volume seem more muted and mechanical.

This isn’t enough, however, to fully temper our affection for the budget Elacs. The Diamond 12.1 may have them beaten for fluidity and dynamic expressiveness, but the third-generation Debut win back the points thanks to their greater levels of spaciousness and lower-end punch. If those are the qualities you look for in a pair of speakers, they’re certainly capable of holding their own in the budget standmount arena.

Verdict

The Debut 3.0 DB53 herald a new generation for Elac, bringing with them a distinctive sonic style in the process. Much of that new direction has resulted in gains in performance, evidenced by greater bass punch and increased overall clarity, but the third-gen Elac lose their predecessors’ more forgiving, nuanced nature. Even if they don’t quite match current rivals for dynamic ability or musical expressiveness, they’re a capable pair of speakers when paired with the right equipment.

First reviewed: March 2025

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 3

MORE:

Read our review of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1

Also consider the Dali Spektor 2

Read our Dali Oberon 1 review

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2025 is rapidly approaching. In less than a week’s time hi-fi fans will be able to visit UK's longest-running hi-fi show and see some of the top new products and some established favourites from over 150 audio brands.

As ever, myself and the wider What Hi-Fi? team will also be exhibiting and running a tech demo at the show.

While that means for at least part of the show I’ll be glued to our stand running the demo and chatting to visitors, I’ve already blocked out time to check out one pair of speakers set to make an appearance at the show: the Wharfedale Super Linton.

That’s not to say I'm not looking forward to seeing and hearing the dozen or so other new speakers at the show – I’ll be doing a tour checking out numerous stands while there for the weekend. But I’m especially excited about the Super Linton for a couple of reasons.

The first is simple. Myself and the team remain massive fans of the original Wharfedale Linton speakers, which we gave five stars to when we reviewed them all the way back in 2020. This was largely due to their effortless bass reproduction and wonderfully detailed, open soundstage, which led our reviewers to report:

“With effortless weight, spot-on stereo imaging and layer upon layer of marvellous detail, you could listen to these speakers for days and still not get tired.”

I’ve been eager to hear how the larger “Super” version sounds since they were unveiled at the start of November as a result.

Considering how much I enjoyed seeing the Super Denton at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2024, in the same room the Super Linton are set to be shown off, I can’t help but get a little excited – especially as the new speakers come with some meaty upgrades, based on the specifications I’ve seen.

Like the Super Denton, the Super Linton are larger than their predecessors. But Wharfdale has also done a lot of work under the hood adding across-the-board upgrades to the cabinet, crossover and drive units. The speakers feature a completely redesigned tweeter, midrange driver and woofer, with the 25mm dome tweeter sharing a lot of common attributes with the firm’s higher-end Wharfdale Dovedale speakers.

The second reason I’m excited about the Super Linton in particular is their looks. I’m a magpie with a soft spot for anything with a retro design. That’s why at past shows Fyne Audio’s Vintage series in particular caught my eye.

This remains the case with the Super Linton. Featuring a distinctly retro look inspired by the original 1980s Linton 3XP, the 'Super' speakers look wonderful based on the press imagery I’ve seen and I can’t wait to see them in the flesh – I’ve long argued hi-fi needs to look and sound nice if it has any hope of getting into a normal living space.

And that’s why the Wharfedale Super Linton speakers, which will be on demo and powered by the similarly retro-styled Quad 33/303 amplifiers, are one of the top new products to check out at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show this year.

MORE:
These are the best speakers we’ve tested

Our reviewers rate the best stereo amps

Our picks of the best bookshelf speakers

Wharfedale has announced the latest addition to its Heritage Series of loudspeakers. The new Aston standmount speakers are designed by established engineer Peter Comeau as his 'Signature' speakers, teasing "an absorbing, full-scale sound that belies the cabinet’s compact dimensions", although not everyone can expect to get hold of a set.

Conceived as a limited edition series, the Aston has been limited to just 500 pairs. The new standmounts employ a two-way ported design, a departure from the three-way configurations of the brand's established Linton, Super Linton and Super Denton lines.

The tweeter and mid/bass drive units are new bespoke designs made specifically for the Aston. The new treble draws influence from the design of Wharfedale's Dovedale series, employing a 25mm fabric dome and a damped rear chamber which absorbs vibrations from the rear of the diaphragm, aiming for a more detailed treble reproduction without compromising on top-end smoothness. The mid/bass unit, meanwhile, uses a rigid chassis and a 15cm carbon fibre cone in pursuit of a "natural and expressive performance" through the mid and upper frequencies.

The Aston’s crossovers deploy air-core inductor coils and polypropylene capacitors chosen for their revealing and transparent character. Wharfedale promises that the shape of the crossovers has been refined by extensive listening tests to ensure the speaker is simply "a conduit between the performers and the listener", resulting in a speaker with an engaging, transparent sonic character which excels across all genres of music.

The new speakers' cabinets are constructed using a blend of woods which helps to scatter panel resonances and reduce noise or distortion. The Aston also feature an inner layer of high-density particle board bonded to an external sheet of MDF by a special glue with resonance-damping properties.

Wharfedale has designed a bespoke pair of open-framed stands for its latest standmounts. The frame is constructed using British steel and glass inserts, with all but one of the stands filled with damping material to once again prevent external vibrations and resonances from travelling up to the speaker cabinet.

According to Wharfedale's director of acoustic design Peter Comeau: "By harnessing the latest developments in cabinet, driver and crossover design from key Heritage Series models...I've created a ‘signature’ speaker that entirely fulfils the brief I set myself for my first commercial design: a compact speaker with a wide-bandwidth sound. When you hear the Aston, I hope you’ll wonder how we achieved such a full-scale sound from speakers of such diminutive size".

The Wharfedale Aston are available from late February in a choice of mahogany, walnut or black oak wood veneers. The Aston will retail at £1999 per pair in the UK with the stands included, or £1699 without stands. The stands are also available to purchase separately at £499 per pair.

Outside of the UK, the speakers and stands are available as a package, priced at $3000 / €2500 / AU$5000.

MORE:

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Today, Sky unveiled its Sky Glass Gen 2 TV and teased a second, more affordable Sky Glass Air set, which is set to get a proper full reveal at an unspecified point later this year.

And, to be clear, the Gen 2 features some notable upgrades on the original Sky Glass, which launched in 2021 and earned a respectable, but not quite perfect four-star rating from our reviewers at the time.

In case you missed the original news, the short version is that the new Sky Glass will be available tomorrow, 12th February, with prices starting at just £14 per month. This is roughly the same price as the original and puts it in the same bracket as the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED.

The key upgrades include an improved 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos-ready sound system that, according to Sky, will “remove the need for a separate sound system”. Yes, we’ve heard and poo-pooed this claim before, but considering the fact we flagged average audio as an issue on the original Sky Glass it’s still a welcome move.

While the QLED panel hasn’t been upgraded to having a Mini LED backlight, Sky claims it has more dimming zones and more advanced local dimming powers than the original Glass, allowing it to produce better black levels, clearer colours and generally better performance. Considering how impressive recent FALD sets (including the four-star Panasonic W90A I reviewed at the end of last year) have been, there could well be some truth to this claim – but we’ll need to get the new model in to confirm this.

Despite all of this, throughout the presentation, I couldn’t help but think, 'why didn’t Sky go for bigger upgrades to its new TV’s panel tech?' And, while many would talk about Mini LED, which is established in the mid-range market, my mind went a step further – surely Sky should make an OLED!

Sky representatives at the Glass Gen 2’s launch event, which was attended by our TV & AV Editor, Tom Parsons, made it very clear the firm is not interested in going after the OLED market. This is apparently largely due to the fact it thinks its customers care more about value and don’t want to splurge that much for a TV. Or, if they do, they’ll just buy one from LG, Samsung, Sony or Philips and connect a Sky Stream puck to it.

Specifically, a Sky spokesperson told us: “we wanted to expand the range so that everyone can afford our products. We're really, really thoughtful and want to make sure Sky is accessible and affordable for everyone”.

I agree with the primary point around value. I know plenty of people looking to consolidate and reduce their spending. For them, a holistic package including your content subscriptions, TV and sound system makes sense. But I’d argue that doesn’t rule out OLED. In fact, if anything, it makes a stronger case for it.

In my personal life, I know plenty of people who want an OLED but simply can’t justify paying the four-figure cost for even an entry-level TV with the tech, let alone a flagship model. Look at our LG G5, Panasonic Z95B, Philips OLED910 and Samsung S95F hands-ons and you’ll see that even in 2025 these will set you back a hefty amount of cash...

So, offering one on a subscription model is appealing, especially one where Sky could even potentially sell the hardware close to cost price as it would be making money on a subscription and the content services it provides.

This is why, for me, it would have actually made sense to offer an OLED option alongside the cheaper Glass Gen 2 and Glass Air. This would have given home cinema fans at every end of the market an option and an entry point to the entertainment platform.

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If you’re a frequent runner, cyclist or gymgoer, you’ll know that a good pair of sporting headphones is key for getting the most out of your workout. Many of us want The Dark Knight soundtrack firing into our ears and making our hearts beat that little bit faster as we plough towards the end of another lightning-fast 5K while imagining that we’re the Caped Crusader himself, but getting a pair of wireless headphones that can deliver that pulse-quickening performance, with the strength, durability and ruggedness to match, can be a heroic task.

Step forward the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. Boasting clever bone conduction technology with a lightweight neckband design, these are headphones that are designed to get you through the most arduous adventures. Shokz knows its way around a pair of sporty specimens, and with endorsement from marathon marvel Eliud Kipchoge and former Ironman world champion Jan Frodeno, the OpenRun Pro 2 are being championed by some of the finest athletes on the planet. Let’s see if they can nab a place on our proverbial podium.

Price

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 will set you back £169 / $179 / AU$319. If you’re after sports and workout headphones at a similar price, then wireless earbuds with adjustable stability bands or secure fits are our recommendation. The Beats Fit Pro are currently one of our favourites and sit roughly at the £190 / $160 / AU$299 mark, whereas the excellent Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) are yours for a similar £180 / $179 / AU$289 price tag.

Design & comfort

Even before it comes time to actually wear them, you’ll find yourself impressed with how tough Shokz’s versatile sporting headphones seem. Bend and flex the neckband in your hand and your blood likely won’t run cold with the realisation that your precious pals are about to snap or fail to return to their original shape. Drop them and they’ll bounce back like an iron-chinned boxer, bend them and they’ll flex like a master yogi; douse them with water and they’ll be dry and ready to wear in no time. That IP55 rating certainly comes in handy, after all.

If your sporting excursions tend to go beyond a simple jog to the end of the street to catch up to the ice cream van, you’re going to want a set of headphones that provide stability and comfort over long periods of wear. In this capacity, the OpenRun Pro 2 make a fine account of themselves, with their frame’s flexible and lightweight design (just 30g) barely registering across the key points of wearer contact. You may feel a small amount of weight from the over-ear loops, but it’s nothing close to the pressure or that ‘digging-in’ sensation that heavier rivals can often provoke.

Nor is there much worry about the OpenRun Pro 2 giving you any in-ear soreness. Thanks to their bone conduction tech, the Pro 2’s drivers sit beside the ear itself, bypassing fears of excessively bulbous eartips burrowing painfully into your ear canal and making your marathon a melancholic misery. Music playback aside, you’ll hardly notice the drivers are there, with that beside-ear configuration allowing exterior sounds to pass unimpeded into your lugs and giving you a far greater sense of awareness as you tackle busy roads and bustling byways. The security of the fit is superb, too, and while the neckband isn’t adjustable, we never feel concerned that the Shokz would ever come loose and disconnect us from our tunes.

Features

The OpenRun Pro 2’s primary purpose is to get you powering through personal bests, but that doesn’t mean these sporty headphones are as sparsely furnished as an abandoned running track. A decent battery life is essential if your workouts aren’t going to be cut short before their time, and the Pro 2 do a decent job of giving you ample playtime. 12 hours is a respectable amount at this level, while a five-minute quick charge providing 2.5 hours of use is welcome when you’re desperate to get out the door but realise you used up all of your juice on last week’s park run. For comparison, the Beats Fit Pro grant you a total of 27 hours of life, but that’s including the charging case.

If you do need to check up on your battery life, the OpenRun Pro 2 come with support courtesy of the official Shokz app. While not a particularly deep or involved platform, it fulfils its general brief by being uncluttered, clear and easy to navigate, especially if you’re halfway through a 10K and want to make adjustments as easily and quickly as possible. The app’s five-band equaliser lets you adjust the headphones’ sonic profile to your liking, although four preset modes – standard, vocal, bass boost and treble boost – are on hand for a quick fix. From our experience, we’d stick with the Standard setting, as we found that the alternate modes tended to make the Pro 2 sound unbalanced and lacking in key areas of the sonic spectrum.

If someone happens to ring you when you’re out and about, Shokz has planned for such a contingency. The brand has placed the Pro 2’s microphone in what it terms the ‘optimal low-wind zone’ to prevent wind interference and promote greater call clarity. The effect is genuinely impressive, and we certainly found that we were able to conduct clear conversations using the Pro 2 while adventuring in the Great Outdoors.

For further on-the-fly adjustments, the Pro 2 are furnished with volume up and down buttons housed at the right-hand side of the headphones which, though they might seem a little tricky to access at first glance, are in fact easily accessible when using your thumb to reach under the Shokz’ lightweight frame. To switch them off completely, the volume up button also acts as a power control – just hold it down for a few seconds and your running headphones will take a well-earned nap.

Sound

It’s only fair that we adjust our expectations given the provenance and purpose of these rather idiosyncratic sports stars, even if such concessions can only go so far in mitigating the OpenRun Pro 2’s sonic shortcomings. Bone conduction technology is a novel way of communicating sound from source to ear, and while running headphones are often judged as much for their design and durability credentials as for their audio capabilities, good sound still matters if your trusty companions are to keep you motivated across the miles.

What you really want from a decent pair of sports headphones is enough spark and energy to make your workouts go with a bang rather than a whimper, but those adjectives don’t exactly spring to mind during our tests. Their lack of punch and general body are perhaps our biggest issues with the Shokz, and it doesn’t take long to figure out that these are a long way from the most powerful or pulsating headphones we’ve ever heard. Sounding removed and distant, they’re very much headphones that put your music, with most of its flavours and idiosyncrasies, firmly into the background. In-ear rivals, such as the Sony LinkBuds Fit or the Beats Fit Pro, provide genuine sonic muscle, seeming powerful and propulsive when compared directly with the Run Pro 2’s rather flimsy sonic character.

There isn’t much clarity or musical engagement to be found, either. Again, these are running headphones designed to offer an accompaniment to your workout rather than acting as the main event, but that’s an excuse that only goes so far. Rhythms are poorly communicated, whereas the rise and fall of dynamics across tracks and genres are heavily compressed, leaving even the most adrenaline-inducing tunes feeling listless and lacking in any hint of drama. If you’ve ever played Mortal Kombat, think of a fighter after Shang Tsung has just used his signature ‘soul steal’ finisher; drained of life and hollow to the core.

That’s not to say the Shokz are completely without their charms. While the Pro 2 can sound hollow and removed, they’re not a wholly disorganised listen, and there is some textural detail to be found amidst the general blandness. The Shokz seem most comfortable through the midrange, and we’re pleased to discover that the hefty guitar on Audioslave’s Show Me How To Live and the erratic violin from Christopher Lennertz’s I Can Do Anything do sound something like a guitar and violin respectively. It’s nothing like the meaty, substantial sound you’d get from a sonically competent rival, but it is something.

Verdict

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 do have certain qualities that could make them recommendable to the right user. In terms of their design and usability, they are a decent attempt, one that’s likely to bring endless comfort and convenience to seasoned athletes who crave a pair of headphones that simply fade into the background – sonically and physically – during even the longest workouts. If you can’t deal with conventional in-ear designs, they could appeal.

If you need headphones that offer adequate levels of sonic performance though, we’d recommend searching elsewhere. Yes, concessions have to be made for their design and type, but when there are solid alternatives that can offer similar comfort levels alongside superior sound, it’s hard to find a way of wholeheartedly recommending Shokz’s effort. For driving you on for mile after weary mile, the Pro 2 don’t offer nearly enough sonic performance to make your marathon feel like a walk in the park.

First reviewed: November 2024

SCORES

• Sound 2
• Features 4
• Comfort 5

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August is over, and with it many of us are facing the sad reality of summer’s end and a return to work after our yearly family break.

But while many of you were recreating scenes from Wham’s Club Tropicana music video by a sunny poolside or beach front, the team of What Hi-Fi? experts were hard at work in our light controlled viewing and listening rooms in August. Over the month we reviewed a wealth of new hi-fi and home cinema hardware including everything from portable projectors to £30,000 / $30,000 speakers. 

But in that flurry of testing, only eight products impressed our reviewers enough to earn perfect marks. Here’s what you need to know about them.

Dali Rubikore 2 

The Dali Rubikore 2 may look like just another pair of high-end standmount speakers targeting the same space as the Award-winning KEF R3 Meta. But they’re actually a pretty big deal for the audio heavyweight. 

As the name suggests they’re the successors to the first generation Rubicon range that launched in 2014. Getting them into our viewing rooms it was immediately apparent a lot of work has been done in the decade since. The engineering is completely different including a brand-new hybrid tweeter design and new mid/bass driver arrangement.

Pairing them with the Arcam A15 or Naim Nait XS 3 the speakers delivered class-leading levels of insight and excellent rhythmic precision, which got our testers’ feet tapping. Hence their conclusion: 

“As entertaining as they are informative, the formidable Rubikore 2 deliver a good time, and then some.”

Score: 5/5

Read our full Dali Rubikore 2  review

Sony Xperia 1 VI 

When the  Xperia 1 VI first launched we were a little sad as many of the AV focussed features that made past Sony phones interesting had been cut. There’s no 4K resolution, and the longer 21:9 aspect ratio has similarly been retired.

Thankfully when we got it in for testing, we found the handset is still an excellent option for movie fans. A screen this size will never be able to do true justice to a movie masterpiece, but the Full HD resolution OLED panel still delivers great results for casual viewing – especially once you activate its Creator Mode picture setting, which is effectively a Filmmaker mode for phones, based on our testing.

Once done, colours look nicely accurate and the perfect black level lets it deliver an immersive experience. Our only caveat is that you will want to invest in a pair of decent headphones as, while the phone can deliver oodles of detail when paired with a good set, its inbuilt speakers lack weight and punch. 

Score: 5/5

Read our full Sony Xperia 1 VI review

YG Acoustics Carmel 3 

Is £30,000 / $29,800 a lot to spend on a pair of small, two-way floorstanding speakers? Yes. That’s an undeniable fact, and one you, our lovely readers, made clear in your forum and Facebook comments when we first published our YG Acoustics Carmel 3 review in August. 

But based on our time with them, we can safely confirm that if you do have that kind of cash to spare and want a fantastic, elaborately engineered pair of floorstanders, they are well worth considering. Though the speakers' metal finish may look a little dull for some, under the hood YG Acoustics has done painstaking levels of work improving their engineering. 

Putting them through their paces in our listening rooms, while we find they are very fussy and need to be paired with incredibly high-end hi-fi to truly shine, the Carmel 3 can deliver exceptional results. 

Matched with a Naim ND 555/555 PS DR music streamer and SME Model 20 Mk2/Series V/Ortofon Windfeld Ti MC record player feeding a Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power, the Carmel quickly proved this point. Hence our conclusion:

“There are so many things to praise, from the immaculate build quality to the ease of positioning, but watch out for their fussy nature.”

Score: 5/5

Read our full YG Acoustics Carmel 3 review

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 

Ever heard the saying, third time's the charm? That pretty much sums up our experience with the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. The Pi8 are the third generation true wireless earbuds from B&W, succeeding the three-star Pi7 S2 and first gen Pi7.

They still cost a lot more than many of the entries you’ll find in our best wireless earbuds guide, but for your money you’ll get a sonically gifted, easy to use set from one of the biggest names in hi-fi.

They’re also technically accomplished, running off Qualcomm's latest wireless chipset and being among the only earbuds to support Bluetooth 5.4 – most are locked at 5.3. They also have a dedicated DAC/DSP amp that bypasses the Qualcomm chip and lets B&W have more direct control over the earbuds’ sound.

Using them in our dedicated listening rooms and out the real world, the combination works a treat, with the Pi8 delivering great audio with sensational levels of detail regardless of the test track we threw at them. This made them an easy recommendation, with our reviewers concluding:

“The Pi8 are pricier than your average wireless earbuds, but sonically they perform levels above – the detail and refinement on show are breathtaking. Add useful features, solid ANC, the fact they’re nice to use and comfortable, and you’ve got buds that rival brands should take notice of.”

Score: 5/5

Read our full Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review

SME Model 20 Mk 2/Series V 

At What Hi-Fi? towers there’s an old adage that, outside of some very rare occasions, exceptional build and sound never comes cheaply. The £25,950 / $35,619 / AU$58,000 SME Model 20 Mk 2/Series V is good evidence of why that is.

The review unit we tested pairs the latest iteration of the iconic SME Model 20 turntable with the now legendary Series V tonearm – and based on our testing, though it’s expensive, the combo delivers truly magnificent results.

Adding Ortofon’s Windfeld Ti moving coil cartridge and pairing the unit with our reference Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM 50 speakers, the player delivered an honest and insightful performance with excellent sonic authority.

If you have the money this makes the SME Model 20 Mk 2/Series V an easy recommendation, with our reviewers concluding:

“We really enjoy our time with the Model 20 Mk2/Series V/Ortofon combination. It sounds at home across all musical genres, delivering the grit of Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run set as convincingly as the rhythmically dense electronic music of Four Tet.”

Score: 5/5

Read our full SME Model 20 Mk 2/Series V review

LG C4 (OLED48C4)

The LG C4 is rapidly turning into one of 2024’s most impressive TVs, with every size we’ve tested earning a perfect five-star rating. The 48-inch model we put through its paces in August continues this trend.

During our testing we found the 48-inch LG C4 retains all the strengths of the 65-inch model we originally tested, but in a smaller package. Regardless of what test disc we threw at it, the 48-inch LG C4 delivered a rich engaging picture full of detail and dynamism. 

Add to this its stellar gaming features, which include 144Hz/4K support as well as four full fat HDMI 2.1 inputs – which make it the best set this size for connectivity, period – and it becomes an easy recommendation. Our reviewers said as much in their conclusion:

“Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but LG’s latest C-series OLED TV is the best 48-inch TV you can buy right now. It undercuts or matches its rivals where price is concerned, it has a flawless feature set for gamers, and its picture is a clear step up over its predecessor.”

The only downside is that, like past LG C4s we’ve tested, the 48-inch model’s audio is terrible, even by in-built TV speaker standards. So you will 100 per cent want to invest in a soundbar to pair with it if you want the best experience possible. 

Score: 5/5

Read our full LG C4 (OLED48C4) review

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6  

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the second phone to appear in this month’s column. It’s also the latest folding phone from Samsung, designed to work as both a handset and tablet. Thankfully the sixth generation has proved to be a great step forward for Samsung’s folding phone offering.

Most sites will focus on updates to the chipset and camera, but for What Hi-Fi? it’s the phone’s screen and movie watching upgrades that matter most. The headline here is that the Fold 6 features a 6.3-inch exterior cover screen with a thin 22.1:9 aspect ratio for use in phone mode that folds open to reveal a 7.6-inch interior display with a 20.9:18 aspect ratio. 

Though the folded out aspect ratio is distinctly square by TV screen standards it still yields a nicely immersive viewing experience on Netflix, based on our testing.

As well as being bigger than a traditional phone display, the Fold 6’s OLED screen delivers excellent colours and a sharpness that makes it a solid entertainment station when on the go, or when stuck on a long train or plane ride. Hence its five-star rating and our reviewers’ conclusion:

“The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 can best be described as an OLED TV that will fit into your pocket. Its cinematic picture performance has truly won us over, and we’re convinced that this would be an ideal AV companion for a long-haul flight or road trip.”

Score: 5/5

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review

Philips OLED809

The OLED809 is Philips latest step down OLED TV and a direct rival to the LG C4. What’s the difference? For starters the TV features Philips Ambilight bias lighting system, which uses coloured LED lights around the frame to help reduce eye strain and increase immersion – doing things like throwing up a green hue when watching football. Second, it uses an 8th Gen P5 AI processor, and third, it runs using the Google OS operating system. 

But onto the important topic, does it provide a decent home cinema experience? After hours upon hours of testing in our viewing rooms, our reviewers’ answer is a definitive yes. For movie and sports fans after a TV that provides a 'blow your socks off' experience, the Philips OLED809 is a fantastic option, featuring wonderfully high peak brightness levels that help it deliver a punchy dynamic picture.

We said as much in our review, where our testers concluded:

“Though it retains Philips’ 'blow your socks off' goal, once you tone down its out-of-the-box picture settings the TV gives great results, particularly during bright scenes. Here it delivers a wonderfully wide colour palette and brilliantly high max brightness, which leads to a truly immersive viewing experience.” 

Score: 5/5

Read our full Philips OLED809 review

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As we sit in our test room looking at KEF’s legendary Reference 104/2, it is hard to believe that these floorstanders were introduced as far back as 1984. Forty years is a long time but these speakers wear it well, so sleek and clean is their appearance. It is easy to understand how they could be credited with pushing the industry’s move to slimmer, more elegant floorstanding designs through the following decade.

The Reference 104/2 speakers stayed in production from 1984 to 1996. Over that long life, they continued to be developed with bi-wiring capability and various tweaks to the drive units and cosmetics added over time. Our samples are from KEF’s vaults and are an early singled-wired version. The 104/2 proved a huge sales success for the brand, particularly so in the all-important USA market where they almost single-handedly established KEF as a real force. 

On introduction, the 104/2 speakers were sold at the princely but entirely reasonable sum of £599. That would certainly have been considered premium but not what we now consider ‘high-end’. Using the Bank of England’s online inflation calculator that price comes out to just short of £1900 in today’s money. Of course, there are huge differences in the relative cost of materials and labour to account for, but we can’t think of a current sub-£2000 speaker that can match the 104/2 in terms of engineering content.

Design & engineering

KEF’s aim for the 104/2 was ambitious. It wanted a speaker that combined high sensitivity, loudness capability, good bass extension and low colouration without being too big; a tricky ask, particularly back then. Given the task (and we assume a decent budget), the company’s much-respected engineering department didn’t hold back, coming up with clever design solutions that still seem innovative. 

They produced a floorstanding speaker with a sensitivity of 92dB/W/m and capable of 112dB loudness peaks. Power handling was impressive too, rated at 200 watts, while the frequency response was claimed to be 55Hz - 20kHz but measured within tight +/- 2dB limits. Such figures are competitive today, let alone back in 1984. Size? The final production model came in at a relatively compact 90 x 28 x 41.5 cm (hwd) but weighed a considerable 32kg.

Part of that heft can be explained by the use of five drive units in this three-way design. Only three of these units, a pair of 13cm B110 midrange drivers and a T33 soft dome tweeter are visible. These handle the frequency range down to around 150Hz where the two internal 20cm B200 bass units take over. 

These bass drivers work in what is called a ‘coupled cavity’ arrangement where their output drives the large front panel port. The benefits of such an arrangement include improved efficiency over a sealed enclosure alternative, good transient behaviour and better resistance to subsonic signals (as from a turntable) than traditional reflex designs. A large metal rod connects the two bass drivers to cancel the bulk of the vibration they generate. 

Those Bextrine-coned midrange units are unusual too. They don’t have a conventional driver chassis (so avoiding resonances) and are mounted into a dedicated resin-filled module along with the tweeter. This whole assembly – the complete black section on the top half of the 104/2 – is decoupled from the main cabinet in a bid to reduce any unwanted mechanical interactions. Putting the tweeter between the two midrange units also delivers a more even sound dispersion.

Remember that high 92dB/W/m sensitivity figure? Rather than going the obvious route to high sensitivity – lighter cones or horn-loading – KEF’s engineers decided to make the 104/2 a 4-ohm load. This approach offers gains in terms of acoustic output, though at the expense of demanding extra current from the partnering amplifier. 

While most speakers tend to be a nominal 8-ohm load, their impedance varies significantly depending on the frequencies they are trying to deliver, so much so that the impedance can dip much lower, to around 4 ohms on occasion. KEF reasoned that most good price-compatible amplifiers could cope perfectly well with a 4-ohm speaker as long as its impedance didn’t dip much further and so designed a crossover that compensated for the innate impedance swings of the driver complement. This was called Conjugate Load Matching and resulted in a complicated, component-packed (around 40) filter network that ultimately gave the 104/2 a flat impedance curve; one that most amplifiers should have no trouble driving.

Build quality & compatibility

Moving away from the engineering, it is hard not to be impressed by the build and finish of these speakers. Our KEF-supplied samples are in good condition. There is the odd cosmetic mark, but mechanically and electrically they seem spot-on. The cabinet is beautifully made and still feels immensely solid. The wood veneer on our sample is classy, and as a whole they appear more professionally put together than most similarly-aged speakers we come across.

That high claimed sensitivity figure rings true. The 104/2 have no trouble filling our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) test room, even when driven with modestly powered amplification such as the Arcam A5 (50 watts per channel). But, if you really want to hear what they can do it pays to feed them with high-quality sources and amplification. Move up to the likes of the Naim Supernait 3 integrated and the leap in performance is clear, even more so when we plug the KEF speakers into our reference set-up of Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and Burmester 088/911 Mk III pre/power amplifier.

Sound

They may be decades old, but these KEF speakers still have enough in the way of transparency to make such an endeavour worthwhile. We have heard a fair few similarly-aged alternatives over the years and can’t think of another one that matches this floorstander’s articulation or clarity.

Those expecting an old-fashioned soft and warm balance are in for a shock. These are fast and responsive performers that still deliver enough in the way of resolution to satisfy by current circa £2k standards. If anything, they fall slightly on the leaner side, with that complex bass arrangement holding up its end of the bargain with unexpected agility and solid punch. Judged by modern standards, the 104/2 don’t quite have the low-end muscularity we would expect from their size. But, bass quality remains more than acceptable, even though there is a hint of excess blurring at the edges compared to the speaker’s immaculately crisp midrange frequencies. 

Still, it is something we have no problem living with, and as we listen to Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city we find our attention drawn by the 104/2’s many strengths. Their midrange is astonishingly articulate and expressive, making it easy to track Lamar’s sometimes dense delivery. These speakers sound crisp in this region, with the leading edges of notes and sound defined with precision. That dome tweeter is good too, though perhaps lacking the final degree of refinement and textural detail to truly convince. Still, it integrates seamlessly with the midrange and doesn’t tend to draw too much attention to itself, which is a good thing.

Rhythmic drive is decent and the 104/2 generally sound right at home with music such as this, which is something we were not expecting. The way they deal with classical music is less surprising, but no less impressive. As we play Mahler’s Symphony No.3, it is hard not to be pleased by the dynamic reach and scale of their presentation. These speakers sound big and authoritative, rendering the music with an enviable degree of composure. They are controlled without ever sounding sterile. Details levels are high, but the fluid nature of the delivery stops things from sounding overly analytical. Despite all the attention paid to technology and engineering, the 104/2 don’t forget that music comes first.

Our time with these KEFs takes in all genres of music from Billie Eilish’s latest set to Motown legend Marvin Gaye and Jazz classics such as Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, and these speakers never disappoint. Could they be more tonally even and neutral? By modern standards, they certainly could, as instrumental timbres and voices lack a little purity and natural warmth. It is also possible to accuse the bass of sounding just that bit detached from the rest of the frequency range – not by much, but enough to slightly distract on certain recordings.

Yet, we find all these things easy to forgive. Remember the age of the design and the sheer complexity of what KEF’s engineers achieved all those years ago and such shortcomings seem trivial.

The takeaway here should be that the KEF Reference 104/2 is a landmark product in speaker design, a hugely ambitious effort that even decades on remains a pleasure to use. If you ever come across a pair in good condition, don’t hesitate to snap them up. You won’t be disappointed.

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When Burmester said it had something special lined up at the start of its demo at High End Munich 2024, it wasn’t kidding. Little did I know, but a legend was about to be brought back from the dead before my eyes.

But first, a bit of scene-setting. For those who haven’t been to Munich High End, it’s an audiophile’s dream. One of the best parts of the show is walking around and every so often taking a few minutes to listen to one of the systems being demoed at the show.

There must be hundreds of different set-ups on display – virtually every room you stumble into has music playing either on headphones or speakers – and before you know it, you’re in your listening groove and the whole day has flown by.

And there really is a system for everyone at the show from relatively affordable set-ups (at least by the standards of some of the brands there) to absolutely mind-blowing combinations that can cost a million or two.

Burmester brought the goods

In 2024, my personal highlight came courtesy of Burmester and its demo room. The German high-end hi-fi giant always has a significant presence at the show, and this year was no exception, with the company showcasing its brand new BX100 floorstanding speakers.

In the flesh, they look stunning, whether you’re lucky enough to be able to opt for one of the standard finishes (such as white, matte black or gloss black) at €75,700 per pair, or you can stretch that budget to €80,000 and one of the special paint options.

They are four-way speakers with a front-facing midrange driver, woofer, and two side-mounted woofers. An AMT (Air-Motion-Transformer) tweeter is mounted within its own dedicated, isolated section, which looks like an ‘X’.

The BX100 were driven by quite a collection of Burmester electronics and sources. The system comprised the 111 Music Centre (£14,500 / $55,000), which was ably assisted by the company’s 218 power amplifiers (£34,6000 / $50,000 each). The other source on display was Burmester’s 175 (approx €40,000 / $60,000) reference turntable.

I sat down and was introduced to the set-up by a Burmester representative who played five tracks to give the small audience a flavour of what it was capable of. It was a textbook demonstration with each one aimed at highlighting the strengths of the speakers. So far, so Munich.

Long live the King

But it was the sixth and final track that blew me away. Our Burmester host switched playback duties from the 111 Music Centre to the 175 turntable and announced he had something special to play for us.

It was a record, but not just any old record – a direct-cut disc, created using a master tape of a recording of Fever by the King himself, Elvis Presley. 

And wow. From the first bass note and finger snap, I was captivated. The system oozed class and sophistication out of every polished pore. The sense of immersion was next-level and closing my eyes it felt like the King was giving us a private performance in his blue suede shoes.

The recording was very simple, but this just highlighted how good the system and speakers were at painting a believable picture. There was no room for error and Burmester didn’t miss a beat. The set-up created a fantastic atmosphere. The lack of background noise in the track helped give an unbelievable amount of space around the different elements. In turn, this gave the track a next-level feeling of intimacy and it felt like you were right there in the recording studio.

It peeled back the layers of detail in Elvis' voice and the finger clicks with impressive precision. The track’s swaggering bassline bounced along keeping the rhythm flowing. My fingers and feet couldn’t help but tap along in time.

Okay, so the stereo imaging was slightly trickier to get a feel for because I was sat behind several bodies that disrupted the sound waves on their way to my ears. However, I spent about 25 minutes in the demo, which left me wanting another 25 minutes. In fact, I could have stayed there all day listening to tracks from my own personal playlist. And that’s all you can ask for from any hi-fi system at any level, right?

MORE:

7 of the best hi-fi separates at High End Munich 2024

7 weird and wonderful pieces of hi-fi we saw at High End Munich 2024

9 of the best stereo speakers at High End Munich 2024

How to build the perfect hi-fi system

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the UK launch of Samsung's new 2024 TV range in Kings Cross, London. While the event was designed to show off the latest AV products from the Korean tech titan, of which a handful we've already reviewed or spent some hands-on time with, it was another TV in Samsung's KX Experience showroom store that really caught my eye.

Samsung had a selection of new models on show, including the QN900D, QN95D and S90D, and they all looked like promising performers (although we'll have to wait until they make their way into our AV testing lab to confirm that). However, I kept catching Samsung's The Wall MicroLED TV out of the corner of my eye. Bearing in mind that this TV was towards the other side of the building, it was still drawing my attention away from these brand-new models.

The pin-sharp picture quality and dazzling brightness impressed me from quite a distance, and as the chances I get to spend with MicroLED sets are few and far between, I took the opportunity to take a closer look. Much like my previous experiences at Samsung TV events in South Korea and Germany, my time with the MicroLED set was fleeting and conditions weren't optimal to make any sort of conclusive judgement, but the impact of the MicroLED screen is easily felt in practically every instance.

The 110-inch set I saw in action at Samsung KX has a 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160, yet it looked even sharper than traditional 4K, and even 8K sets to my eye. The Micro LEDs also allow for stunningly deep blacks with no sign of blooming when bright and bold colours are side by side with black backgrounds. 

This technology truly gives OLED a run for its money in this way, and while Mini LED TV sets of today are certainly getting better in that regard, they can't quite compete yet. 

There are some limitations, of course. The 110-inch set on show in Samsung KX is the smallest one available (for now), although Samsung also offers a gargantuan 146-inch model too. Therefore, you'll need a wall large enough to mount this set. You'll also need some fairly deep pockets if you want one of these TVs. The 110-inch model I saw will set you back a truly humungous £150,000 (around $190,000 / AU$285,000).

If a 110-inch TV isn't quite gargantuan enough for you, Samsung will sell you a 146-inch modular MicroLED set called The Wall for a price believed to be $220,000 (around £176,000 / AU$333,000). A single-body 146-inch MicroLED model was also displayed at IFA last year, though we're told this was a proof of concept rather than a final product.

If the price isn't enough to put you off, there was one other very minor flaw that I noticed during my brief time with the MicroLED TV at KX. It also may just be my critical eye that's used to studying TV, tablet and phone screens daily, but at times I felt that I could almost see the grid pattern where the MicroLED panels connect. I'm willing to bet this might differ on a person-by-person basis, and that not everyone will experience this, but it's something to note if you were considering dropping around 200 grand on a MicroLED TV.

We've asked time and time again when we can expect this TV tech to come down in size and price, but we've never been given a definitive answer. Samsung still seems set on using Neo QLED (Mini LED) for its flagship 4K and 8K sets, as well as its popular QD-OLED sets, so it doesn't look like Micro LED will become mainstream any time soon.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best Samsung TVs

Samsung 2024 TV lineup: everything you need to know

Sony’s promotional materials for the ULT Wear headphones (officially called the WH-ULT900N) are crammed with the sort of bold, enticing imagery and marketing buzzwords that seem slightly at odds with a company that we associate with prioritising substance over style. Words such as “power”, “vibes” and “style” accompany images of trendy youngsters posing in the streets or raving away the night, all with a pair of Sony’s latest bass-centric cans clamped over their ears or slung casually around their youthful necks.

None of this is by accident. Sony's latest wireless over-ear headphones are designed to cater specifically to a younger audience, an audience whose lives are soundtracked by Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny and Travis Scott instead of Neil Young, Tom Petty or The Beatles. Harnessing Sony’s Integrated Processor V1 alongside a pair of 40mm driver units, the ULT Wear are, in the company’s own words, “designed for power”, particularly when it comes to the headphones’ handling of bass reproduction. 

All this talk of power and bass boosting reminds us of when Beats added heaps of bass to its headphones during the noughties, yet even Beats has toned things down in recent years in pursuit of a more balanced sound signature. It’s odd to see Sony head in a seemingly backwards direction, so have the iconic brand’s latest headphones sacrificed their sonic soul in pursuit of big, bold bass? 

Price

Costing £180 / $200 / AU$440 at launch, the Sony ULT Wear occupy a gaping hole within the brand’s range of over-ear wireless headphones. The premium WH-1000XM5 will cost you a substantial £380 / $399 / AU$550, with the next-cheapest pair of over-ear cans in Sony’s range coming in the shape of the excellent WH-CH720N (£99 / $129 / AU$259). Both of these models are, incidentally, current What Hi-Fi? Award winners in the wireless headphones category.

As we’ve griped about before, this isn’t a price point heaving with many viable contenders. The Sennheiser Accentum Plus currently sit at around £200 / $230 / AU$400, while we tested the standard Accentum Wireless model last year at £160 / $180 / AU$300, neither of which impressed us greatly during our respective testing.

Build & comfort

Visually, the ULT Wear share a good deal of that handsome WH-1000XM5 DNA, sporting smooth, slightly cut-off earcups alongside a well-appointed adjustable headband to give the overall impression of a pair of headphones well-made. The new cans are a little weightier than their more premium counterparts, with chunky earcups that protrude from your head to such an extent that you can occasionally feel as though you’re sporting a pair of semi-industrial ear protectors. 

One of the key design features of Sony’s mid-range contenders is the on-ear “ULT” bass button which allows you to toggle between the provided presets on the fly, offering up a standard profile, ‘attack bass’ for more punch and ‘deep bass’ for a rounded, resonant lower-end signature. Further on-the-fly tweaks to things like volume, play/pause and your desired noise-cancelling mode can be made via the responsive on-cup touch controls. 

Despite their relatively large size, Sony’s substantial new cans certainly aren’t uncomfortable. To touch and hold they're a pleasure, with an easily adjustable headband that benefits from plenty of pleasing padding and a flexible, pliable construction. The earpads are equally well-serviced by nice levels of padded comfort, aiding an experience that generally feels snug, secure and reassuringly comfortable.

The ULT Wear add to their convenience credentials by neatly folding away, with a smooth hinge allowing the cups to swivel horizontally and fold upwards to meet the headband. The new units do distinguish themselves from other Sony models by proudly showcasing their large “ULT” button on the left earcup, while Sony’s iconic text logo on each side of the headband shimmers thanks to an eye-catching lenticular font. Hey, these are “cool” headphones, after all, so we’re happy to let Sony have its fun. 

Features

Let’s start with battery life, mainly because it’s an area of real strength for Sony’s powerful pretenders. The ULT Wear offer around 50 hours of playback if you’re willing to refrain from using noise cancelling, and while those figures will drop to around 30 hours with active noise cancelling turned on, that's hardly dropping into disgraceful numbers. We’ve spent a lot of time playing with our review pair, and yet it hardly seems as though we’ve made a dent in the amount of time left in their overall lifespan.

Noise cancelling is also present and correct, and while it won’t quite hit the highest heights offered by the more premium Bose QC Ultra Headphones, the ULT Wear have nothing to be ashamed of. Thanks to that V1 processor, the comfy cans do a solid job in surrounding you with silence, and with two main modes – standard noise cancelling and ambient sound – both working to Sony’s typically high standards, the former blocking out whirring computer fans and effectively softening the click-clack of angry office keyboards. The brand’s Adaptive Sound Control feature, which tracks where you’re wearing your headphones and adjusts to optimise your noise cancelling experience, continues to impress when deployed through the ULT Wear.

Sony's LDAC Bluetooth codec – which lets you stream high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/96kHz via Bluetooth at up to 990kbps – is also supported, while Bluetooth Multipoint lets you switch between devices on the fly as you sustain simultaneous device connections. If you’re in a hurry, fast pair tech allows you to hook up to source more quickly if you're using a Google or Android device (sorry iPhone users). 

The fun doesn’t stop there. We might have expected Sony to save some of its fanciest features for its most expensive, premium models, yet there’s no sign of skimping here. The ULT Wear support 360 Reality spatial audio with compatible tracks on Tidal, while you’ll have to take some snaps of your ears and hook up to Sony’s Bravia XR TVs if you want to enjoy the personalised head tracking experience.

Like many of the over-ear cans in the Sony range, the ULT Wear offer support for Alexa voice control and Google Assistant, both of which are responsive and alert to your queries thanks to their seamless integration. On the subject of using your voice, the call quality of the ULT Wear is typically excellent, with chats over Zoom sounding clear, solid and with a surprising amount of tonal depth. 

Sound

Diving into OutKast’s Roses makes it clear that the marketing for the ULT Wear was more than empty hyperbole. Sony’s new arrivals deliver that much-hyped lower-end oomph in spades, furnishing the legendary duo’s snappy hip-hop anthem with more muscle than the All Blacks’ front row. Immediately it’s clear that the Sonys are keen on carrying the tune their own way, taking the track’s signature beat and opting for mounted heaps of pulsating, eardrum-thwacking force.

The ULT Wear’s approach is unabashedly unsubtle, with a sonic personality that opts for a palette of a few bright colours at the expense of any of those bothersome shades or hues. This can lead to an invigorating (and overwhelming) listening experience, with the Sonys furnishing Roses with a fullness and solidity that wallops you around the ears with their relentless, full-bodied personality. Sonic details and subtler textures do tend to fall by the wayside, though: Atticus Ross’ Crimson Sky from FX’s outstanding miniseries Shōgun builds drama through layers of strings fortified by pulsating drums, yet individual timbres are lost in favour of a more general sonic outline that rarely seems to be adequately filled in with texture or nuance.

The same goes for true dynamic contrast. While it’s nice to hear Liars’ Big Appetite benefit from the robustness and forcefulness the ULT Wear duly provide, we’re not so keen on the lack of musical insight the track exposes. It’s a song with plenty of light and shade, from mysterious opening bass plucks to explosions of cymbal crashes and rising vocal wails, all of which the Sonys fail to communicate effectively as they bulldoze through with their insistent, one-note presentational style.

As you might expect, then, these are not cans with a sonic approach that’s conducive to all genres and to every artist in your entire Spotify catalogue. Pulsating, hard-hitting hip-hop – such as Wu-Tang’s Gravel Pit or Kendrick Lamar’s Money Trees – gains enthusiasm from the heft that the Sonys provide, but the subtleties of each respective vocal performance or any underlying instrumentation are lost within what feels like a sonic tornado. Heavy rock workouts need weight and force so that they punch through with sufficient conviction, but guitar-focused offerings from the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam or Deftones suffer from an overbearing sense of sonic overload that will leave even the hardiest of headbangers reaching for the aspirin. 

That’s before you’ve even touched that on-cup ULT toggle. The cans’ patented ‘ULT’ switch can be best compared with those bright red nuclear buttons you’d normally find housed on a submarine from a James Bond movie, in that it unleashes a cataclysmic explosion that should be avoided at all costs. The first ‘attack bass’ mode adds unnecessary weight to a pair of excessively bass-happy headphones, while ‘deep bass’ renders your music almost entirely unlistenable as it dials up the lower end to ludicrous, flabby extremes. It’s as though your music has been placed upon a giant blancmange, wobbling around without clarity, agility or solidity as your tunes struggle for purchase on this rumbly, unstable foundation. 

Even if you heed our warning and avoid the ULT button’s temptations, the Wear headphones will struggle with many rhythmic-dependant genres. Rick James’s Give It To Me Baby or Stevie Wonder’s Superstition are given a poor account as the Sony cans struggle to grab hold of each track’s funky rhythmic underpinning, and while Mint Royale’s joyous electronic anthem Show Me should soar with effervescent charm, the Sonys drag that infectious energy down with their weighty, heavy-footed nature. Rather ironically for a pair of headphones aimed at the lower registers of hip-hop and EDM, the ULT Wear are as nimble on the dance floor as a drunk uncle at a wedding.

Verdict

The Sony ULT Wear are an oddity. If you were keen on grabbing Sony sound at the mid-range level, it might have appeared as though this was the answer to your whispered prayers. In terms of feature set and build quality, the ULT Wear do an exceptional job of shadowing the best that Sony has to offer, and while they aren’t quite as well furnished or as comfortable as the company’s flagship over-ears, they’re not far off.

If you’re expecting the new boys to follow on from Sony’s recent string of exceptionally balanced, musical and detailed headphones, though, you’re likely going to be disappointed by an effort that paints everything with a broad, simplistic and overbearing sonic brush. If you’re searching for the fabled sound on which Sony has built its Award-winning reputation, either swallow your pride and drop down to the cheaper, better-balanced and subtler WH-CH720N over-ears or just save up for a pair of the outstanding WH-1000XM5 instead. 

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Features 5
• Comfort 5

MORE:

Read our review of the five-star Sony WH-CH720N 

Also consider the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM5

Read our Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review

Best over-ear headphones: wired and wireless models tested by our experts

Record Store Day, the annual celebration of all things vinyl, celebrated its 17th year this year, bringing with it a predicted £10 million boost to the indie record store industry in the UK alone.

A large part of that is down to the incredible number of limited edition records released for Record Store Day. There were 443 special releases in 2024, with many of them packing striking designs and limited edition album art that only make them all-the-more collectable.

Starting from 2009 (RSD started in 2008 with fairly slim pickings), we have picked out some of our favourite (and occasionally bonkers) limited edition picture disc designs, which make buying vinyl and never listening to it a more understandable viewpoint than ever.

Did you pick any of these up? Do you have another favourite picture disc from the archive? Let us know in the comments.

The Killers – Spaceman (RSD 2009)

After a relatively quiet first year for picture disc releases, Record Store Day was really finding its feet in 2009, with artists and labels realising the potential the event had for sales.

For RSD 2009, The Killers jumped on the bandwagon and released their single Spaceman on a limited edition 12" picture disc. It also included the previously unreleased Four Winds on the B side.

Them Crooked Vultures – Mind Eraser, No Chaser / HWY 1 (RSD 2010)

For RSD 2010, Them Crooked Vultures released a limited edition 10" record with recordings of Mind Eraser, No Chaser and HWY 1, both played live at Hordern Pavilion. 

It was presented in a transparent red sleeve, with Vulture Speak on the B-side – an exclusive interview.

Daft Punk – Tron Legacy: Translucent (RSD 2011)

Tron: Legacy was released at the end of 2010, so for RSD 2011, Daft Punk and Disney released three limited edition vinyl designs – all on a translucent record with a choice of blue, red or yellow rings, with blue being the most sort after. 

They all had the same tracklist, and featured the songs Derezzed, Tron: Legacy's end title track, End of Line and a rare track called Castor – the latter was only previously included on the special two-disc edition of the soundtrack.

Nine years later, the soundtrack was re-released on RSD 2020 to celebrate the film's 10th anniversary. This was another collector's dream, with a blue translucent glow-in-the-dark design.

Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the UK (RSD 2012)

The Sex Pistols released a limited edition 7” record of their first single, Anarchy in the UK, for Record Store Day 2012. It featured the original single artwork etched onto the record itself.

The re-mastered picture disc also featured the original b-side track, I Wanna Be Me, and was limited to 3,500 internationally.

David Bowie – Drive-In Saturday (RSD 2013)

It's hard to pick just one of David Bowie's many limited edition picture discs, but the RSD 2013 7" record is a striking double-sider worthy of note. 

Re-released to mark the 40 years since its original release, Drive-In Saturday was limited to just 3,000 pieces, and includes the stereo version of the title track, as well as the Russell Harty Plus Pop version in mono.

Ray Parker Jr – Ghostbusters (RSD 2014)

In honour of the film's 30th anniversary, Ray Parker Jr released a glow-in-the-dark 10" record of the iconic theme tune.

As well as the original song, there was an instrumental version, extended version and a dub remix. It was limited to 4,000 copies worldwide.

Father John Misty – I Loved You, Honeybee (RSD 2015)

To celebrate RSD 2015, Father John Misty released a red heart-shaped 7" disc featuring an acoustic version of I Love You, Honeybear – the title track of his album of the same year.

It also featured the B-side, I've Never Been a Woman, and was limited to 5,700 copies worldwide.

The Monkees – Saturday's Child / You Just May Be The One (RSD 2016)

The Monkees released a 7" picture disc for RSD 2016, featuring Saturday's Child (mono TV version) with You May Be The One (mono TV version) on the B-side. 

It shaped like The Monkees' logo and was limited to 5,000 worldwide.

Toto - Africa / Rosanna (RSD 2017)

For RSD 2017, Toto released a 7" vinyl of their 1982 classic, Africa, with Rosanna on the B side. And of course, it was shaped like Africa. It was limited to 2,500 copies worldwide.

Twin Peaks soundtrack (RSD 2018)

For RSD 2018, Twin Peaks fans were in for a treat – Warner Bros reissued the 2017 Twin Peaks soundtracks as two limited edition double LP picture discs.

The designs featured memorable and poignant stills from the series, including the Red Room's curtains and its chevron floor, Laura Palmer's homecoming queen photo and the New Mexico bomb explosion.

Madness – One Step Beyond (RSD 2019)

Madness celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2019, and they marked it by releasing this limited edition picture disc of One Step Beyond for Record Store Day of the same year.

As well as the original 7" single and 2009 remastered version of the track, this record also had the Italian and Spanish versions of the song, all presented on a shaped picture disc of the band performing their iconic "Nutty Train" dance.

Prince – Sign O' The Times (RSD 2020)

Record Store Day was postponed in 2020, but Prince fans found this exclusive release of his ninth studio album well worth the wait. 

The wider reissue of Prince's double album, Sign O' The Times, got a special limited 140g picture disc release for RSD 2020, with 16 tracks and two complementing designs in orange and blue. You can get a closer look at it in this YouTube video.

Mastodon – Fallen Torches (RSD 2021)

Mastodon recorded Fallen Torches on 2019 as a tribute to their long-standing music manager Nick John, who died in 2018. 

Originally it had been planned to be released to support their European tour, but as the industry descended into chaos around the pandemic, it just didn't happen. 

It was instead included on their album, Medium Rarities, but they also released this special shaped 12" picture disc for RSD 2021. It included title track and the instrumental.

The Cure – Wish (RSD 2022)

For Record Store Day Black Friday 2022, and for the 30th anniversary of The Cure's Grammy-nominated album Wish was pressed onto double picture disc for the first time. 

Including hit singles like High and Friday I'm in Love, it was newly remastered audio by Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.

Bluey – Dance Mode (RSD 2023)

Look, it may only be the parents of little ones that find this one of the best picture disc releases of 2023, but we dare you to watch it and not be completely hooked.

Aside from it's fantastic writing and heartfelt messages that every seven-minute episode delivers, the music is a huge part of the show too, and Dance Mode is a certified banger. Add that to this striking zoetrope design and this limited edition record a winner in our books.

Blur - Parklife (RSD 2024)

There are so many fantastic picture discs to choose from for RSD 2024, but we do have a soft spot for this one – another zoetrope picture disc, this time of Blur's Parklife.

The classic Britpop album turns 25 in April this year, and this special limited edition record is part of the celebrations. 

It was Blur's first number one album in the UK and includes four top 20 singles – Girls & Boys, To The End, End of A Century and Parklife.

MORE:

Record Store Day 2024: dates, guides, and the full list of releases

The 11 best Record Store Day 2024 releases – Gorillaz, Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth and more

Read all of our Vinyl Week 2024 features

Vinyl outsold CDs for the second year in a row according to official statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). 

RIAA's latest figures report that 43 million vinyl records were sold in 2023, outstripping the 37 million CDs shifted over the same period, amounting to $1.4 billion worth of revenue. 

This is the second year running that vinyl has outsold its digital cousin. We reported last year that vinyl had momentously beaten CD sales in 2022 for the first time since 1987, with vinyl albums selling 41 million units in comparison to just 33 million for CDs. 

The reasons for this resurgence aren't set in stone, but it's easy to point to some obvious reasons. Vinyl has continued to retain its classic, retro appeal, with social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube far more likely to see content creators espouse the virtues of their vinyl collections than their racks of old CDs. Some of them are so young they've probably never had a cause to own the latter, while the former seems like a charming format from a bygone age. 

Then, of course, there's the small matter of Taylor Swift. You can't move in 2024 for mentions of the uber-popular popstar, with Swift dominating US vinyl sales to a ludicrous degree. Releases of 1989, Speak Now, Midnights and Utopia on vinyl go a long way to explaining why figures are continuing to climb. The Swifties are a powerful market force.

Vinyl revival events and initiatives such as Record Store Day have also been fundamental to this continued resurgent growth – we've certainly played our part by reporting on such initiatives.  

As for CDs, the picture isn't as bleak as you might think. CD revenue was actually up in 2023 according to RIAA, even if physical units sold took a bit of a dip. Still, there appears to be a continued appetite for physical media, and while streaming services continue to monopolise the market (streaming accounted for 84 per cent of recorded music revenues in 2023 according to the RIAA), it isn't the only player in the game.  

If you're interested in the vinyl revival, keep an eye out for our upcoming vinyl week where we'll be celebrating the best of the format.

MORE:

Everything you need to know about Record Store Day 2024

50 great British albums to test your hi-fi system

Check out 12 of the best-sounding vinyl records

These are the best CD players right now

Yes, I’m well aware that it’s British Hi-Fi Week, but as What Hi-Fi?’s TV & AV Editor, I couldn’t resist cramming some home cinema action into our coverage.

It should come as no real surprise that the British brands responsible for some of the best hi-fi speakers in the world are also purveyors of quality surround packages, but did you know that one of the best AV receivers that money can buy is also from a British company? You do now. Or, more accurately, you will once you’ve scrolled down to read this round-up of the best home cinema products made by British hi-fi brands.

Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 HCP – £1299 / $2025 / AU$4122

Wharfedale has generally shown more commitment than most of its hi-fi peers to home cinema speaker systems, and the results speak for themselves: the brand took home three speaker-package gongs at the most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards alone.

Of those Award-winners, it’s the Diamond 12.3 HCP that we are flagging here. Using excellent stereo speakers in a surround package is no guarantee of success, but it certainly helps, and this package features two excellent pairs: the five-star Diamond 12.1 and Award-winning Diamond 12.3.

In a surround package such as this, the centre and subwoofer often feel like an afterthought. Not here, though, as the 12.C centre and SW-10 sub more than play their part, delivering clarity and tuneful weight respectively. All told, this is a classy and composed system with detail and dynamics for days, and it’s unbeatable at this price.

Read the full Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 HCP review

Bowers & Wilkins 606 & 607 S3 speaker package – £2496 / $3799 / AU$3947

Like the Wharfedale package above, this B&W package features two pairs of excellent stereo speakers. As the name suggests, the stereo speakers in question are the 606 S3 and 607 S3, both of which are current Award-winners that we love for their clarity, detail, spaciousness and all-round entertainment value.

Thankfully, these music maestros are not let down by the HTM6 S3 centre or ASW608 sub with which they are partnered in this system, and that translates to an awesome movie experience.

In fact, in our review, we wrote that ‘we find ourselves grasping at straws when it comes to finding things to complain about, as the Bowers & Wilkins 606 and 607 S3 Surround Speaker Package is nothing short of spectacular in the sonic department’. You can’t get much higher praise than that.

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

Arcam AVR31 – £5799 / $5250 / AU$11,495

AV amplifier land has been dominated by Denon for years now, but Arcam has recently proved that there is room for a sound-first, features-second AVR at the most premium end of the market.

Not that the AVR31 is exactly a slouch in the features department: it’s got umpteen HDMI 2.1 ins and outs, support for every sound format you are ever likely to need (and many you never will) and one of the best DACs in the business. Some people, though, will be put off the AVR31 because it has only seven channels of amplification, so going full Atmos requires the addition of extra amplifiers. You can buy a Denon AVR with more amplified channels than the Arcam for about a fifth of the price.

But it’s not the number of channels that matters, it’s the way you use them, as Arcam would almost certainly never say, and the AVR31’s premium credentials are made crystal clear through its sound, which combines delicacy and power like Blade Runner’s Roy Batty.

Read the full Arcam AVR31 review

Fyne Audio F8SP AV – £10,999 / $14,999 / AU$24,000

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; the centre is arguably the most important speaker in a surround system. Yet, time and again, speaker manufacturers bundle their big, brilliant floorstanders with a weedy, undernourished centre that makes dialogue hard to decipher and robs the overall system of its cohesion.

That’s not something that you have to worry about with the Fyne F8SP AV package, though. Its F57SP-8 centre speaker is a beast that has clearly been carefully designed and tuned to be a perfect match to the gloriously imposing, five-star-rated F502SP speakers.

“The front three full-range speakers are almost disarming in their precision and speed, adding a tangible layer of excitement to action sequences and making nearly every sudden move in horror films unbearably unnerving,” we said in our review.

The F501SP floorstanders used as surrounds don’t quite match the other speakers tonally, so we would consider upgrading these to another pair of F502SPs if you have the money and space. The twin subwoofers aren’t the very best in class either, so you might want to consider specifying a non-Fyne alternative (or two!) there as well. Even as it comes, though, the F8SP is an incredibly entertaining speaker package.

Read the full Fyne Audio F8SP AV review

Q Acoustics 5040 5.1 Home Cinema – £2475 / $3595 / AU$5199

Q Acoustics is such a fixture of the British hi-fi scene that it’s easy to forget that the brand has only been in existence since 2006. Over the past 19 years, it has shown a real dedication to producing seriously good surround sound packages that feature its seriously good stereo speakers, and the 5040 5.1 Home Cinema is just the latest of those.

The Award-winning stereo speakers in question are the Q Acoustics 5040s that give this package its name. They feature as the front-left and -right speakers, with a pair of 5010s as surrounds, a 5090 centre and QB12 subwoofer.

Despite the use of different speakers throughout, the system produces a really cohesive sound that’s also packed with energy, detail and dynamism. The soft, modern look of the speakers will appeal to those for whom the straight edges and wood finishes of traditional hi-fi don’t appeal.

Read the full Q Acoustics 5040 5.1 Home Cinema review