Got the Monday blues? There’s not a lot we can do about that; a few of us may even be right there with you.
But we can offer a minor silver lining: while Monday does mean a return to work for most of us, it also brings with it a fresh entry to our weekly Rewind news digest.
Here, once again, we sum up all the latest developments in the world of hi-fi and home cinema that you need to know about.
What Hi-Fi? Readers’ Award voting is open!
First up, we have two bits of good news. To start, voting for this year’s Readers’ Award is open, so you can tell us what you think this year's best piece of hi-fi or home cinema hardware is, irrespective of our reviewers' ranking.
Second, to celebrate our 50th birthday, we’re also running a Golden Anniversary Readers’ Award alongside it. This will let you pick the best Readers’ Award winner of all time! Just make sure to get your votes in fast, as the polls close on the 28th September.
Read the full story: Vote now for the What Hi-Fi? Readers' Award 2026 – and for your Golden Anniversary winner!
Rotel’s new Michi amp is a delight
Rotel’s Michi range has a strong track record in our review rooms, and that trend continues with the new Prestige X430 integrated amplifier, which we finished reviewing last week.
Unveiled alongside the firm’s Q430 CD player, the amp is the cheapest option in Rotel’s Michi range, retailing for a still-not-quite pocket change £4499 / $4999 / AU$6499. While that’s certainly not “cheap”, the amp does undeniably represent good value for money, offering specifications we’d normally expect from an amp a good grand more expensive.
But, more importantly, when matched with appropriate hardware, it sounds great. As we said in our review:
“This Rotel Michi Prestige X430 amplifier is, in most ways, a superb all-rounder. We can’t think of a rival that is as uniformly capable across its inputs as this one. It will drive any price-compatible speaker with ease and has a wonderfully unfussy nature. If you are looking for an integrated amplifier at this premium level, the X430 has to be top of your shortlist.”
Read our full Rotel Michi Prestige X430 review
Sony acknowledged it has a problem
Many of you may have missed it, but there have been widespread reports of an annoying bug afflicting certain Sony TV models recently. The reports focus on the sets’ eARC, which has apparently been on the fritz for many owners, refusing to deliver Dolby Vision signals correctly and occasionally desyncing or outright losing audio. Our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, has managed to replicate the audio issue on our Bravia 8 II sample. Thankfully, last week Sony Japan finally confirmed it is aware of the issue and will release a software update to fix it later this month.
Read the full story: There's been a big problem with some Sony TVs – but a fix might finally be here
A new tiny phono stage is coming
Last week ClearAudio launched its new Compact Phono, a phono stage that does exactly what it says on the tin: offer vinyl fans a dinky, discrete amplification solution that won’t take up oodles of space, measuring in at a box of chocolates-sized 2.6 x 11.5 x 8cm (hwd).
Despite its size, the firm claims it will still deliver a premium sound that will delight even the most discerning of LP spinners – which is good news as its £490 / €490 / $639 price sandwiches it between the five-star Cambridge Audio Duo MC/MM and Award-winning Graham Slee Reflex M.
Read the full story: Clearaudio’s new phono stage is designed to “tuck discreetly alongside any turntable”
MORE:
These are the best phono pre-amps we’ve tested
We rank the best stereo amplifiers money can buy
Our picks of the best TVs
