We’re only two weeks away from Santa’s epic trip around the world, but that hasn’t stopped hi-fi and home cinema companies dropping a wealth of early “gifts”.
Which is why we’ve stayed belligerently glued to our desks (or sofas if we’re in one of our reviewing rooms), covering all the latest announcements, making it quick and easy for you to stay informed.
With that out of the way, here’s the top hi-fi and home cinema news from the past week.
We had a look at LG’s cable-free OLED
LG’s M-series has always been an interesting beast, offering the same panel tech as the firm’s flagship OLEDs, but coming with a completely wireless design and more premium price tag.
Which is why, last week, we took the time to zoom down to LG’s HQ and take a prolonged hands-on look at its latest M5. And while we’re not ready to give it a full star rating – that would require one to make its way into our viewing rooms for full testing – we did find a lot to like about the unit. So much so that our eyes on the ground reported:
“The wireless sound and video transmission that’s the M5’s star attraction is a genuinely spectacular achievement, causing seemingly no compromise to picture and sound quality, and giving gamers much less to worry about than we imagined possible.”
Read our full LG M5 (OLED65M5) preview
Loewe wants to bring its luxury OLED TVs to the US
The other big bit of OLED news to break last week was that German luxury TV brand Loewe plans to expand into the US. That means stateside readers may well be able to actually buy one of its premium, hand-assembled OLEDs in the not-too-distant future.
The only downside is that, despite repeated hands-on previews with its OLEDs over the years, we’re yet to fully review one, so we can’t make any definite comments on whether they’re worth the investment. This is especially true right now as Loewe has kept mum on which specific models it's planning on launching in the US.
Read the full story: Loewe announces that it will bring its premium, hand-built OLED TVs to the US in 2026
IKEA launched new Bluetooth speakers
Last week, retail giant IKEA continued its tepid advance into the world of audio, unveiling its new line of Solskydd Bluetooth speakers. The speakers have a material, woven finish and are available in three sizes.
Specifically, there’s a small, portable 8-inch/19cm model that costs £29; a medium-sized 11-inch/29cm version costing £50; and a large 18-inch/45cm speaker for £80. Prices in the USA are $89, $100 and $140, respectively.
While we’re yet to hear any of them, the eye-catching designs certainly caught our hi-fi team’s eye and piqued our interest.
Read the full story: IKEA's colourful Bluetooth speakers come in three different sizes and are surprisingly affordable, too
There’s a new see-through CD player in town
FiiO is a brand famous for making “interesting” hybrid products, and that trend continues with its newly unveiled DM15 R2R. Though at first glance you may just think it’s a see-through portable CD player designed to tug at your heart’s nostalgia strings, the way the firm’s CP13 does, it's actually way more than that.
FiiO’s bolted every spare part it had left in its shed into the spinner's tiny frame, making it so it can also act as a DAC and headphone amplifier for your smartphone or laptop. There’s even Bluetooth connectivity baked in. Hopefully, it’ll back all of this up with decent audio quality – and we'll know that if and when we get one in for testing!
Read the full story: FiiO's new portable CD player has hi-res Bluetooth and doubles as a DAC
Quad’s new CD transport has a surprising inspiration
The 1960s are famous for a lot of things: free love, some of Hanna-Barbera’s finest cartoons, Bob Dylan… it’s a long list. But one thing you won’t find on it is CDs. The tech didn’t exist until the 1980s, at least as far as consumers were concerned.
But that’s the inspiration Quad’s taken designing its spiffy new CD transport, the Quad 3CDT. The design is apparently intentionally done so it matches the feng shui of its sibling, the Quad 3 integrated amplifier.
And while it feels a little weird thinking about a CD player designed to look like it was made in the 1960s, there’s no denying it looks cool and has a lot of decent hardware under its retro-looking frame.
Read the full story: Quad's retro-modern CD transport promises to play your discs with “uncompromised fidelity”
MORE:
These are the best CD players we’ve reviewed
We rank the best OLED TVs
Our picks of the best DACs
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