If you struggled to stay on top of all the hi-fi and home cinema news last week, trust us, you’re not alone.
Over the past seven days everything from a wave of new Apple tech, including new wireless earbuds, to the long-awaited “hi-fi” tier we’ve all been waiting years to see from Spotify launched.
Which is why, as always, we’ve created a handy digest explaining all the big announcements to break over the past seven days.
Spotify launched a new lossless tier
We were beginning to think the long rumoured “hi-fi”, higher quality Spotify tier we’ve been reporting on for years was never going to appear.
Then, out of seemingly nowhere, poof, right after the Apple launch event last Tuesday, a press release announcing it appeared in our inbox.
Catchily named Spotify Lossless, the new tier offers music fans the ability to stream tracks at 24-bit/44.1kHz in FLAC. Is that industry leading? No, but it’s still a big step up on the streaming platform’s previous, horribly compressed peak.
The new tier is rolling out to select regions, including the US and UK, right now, and will set you back £12 / $12 per month. Premium subscribers will automatically be upgraded when it’s available in their regions.
We’re still waiting to get access to the tier; when we do, we’ll let you know how it compares to its rivals! Watch this space.
Read the full story: Our eight-year wait is over – Spotify Lossless is finally here!
Apple unveiled new AirPods and iPhones
Tech giant Apple last week revealed a wealth of new hardware including its iPhone 17 line of smartphones and AirPods Pro 3 earbuds.
The main draw for the iPhone 17 line is that the base, cheapest model now has Apple’s ProMotion tech, which offers 120Hz / VRR powers and a higher 3000 nits peak brightness. These should make it better for watching movies outdoors and potentially improve HDR performance, though we’ll need to get one in for testing to confirm this.
The AirPods Pro 3 are a slightly bigger evolution featuring a tweaked design, improved eartip options and, according to Apple, better sound and upgraded “best in the world” active noise cancelling. We’re looking forward to checking the marketing claims, which we’ll do when we get our AirPods Pro 3 test sample.
Read the full story: AirPods Pro 3 launch with "breakthrough audio performance", improved ANC and longer battery life
We finally got to test the KEF Q3 Meta
The KEF Q3 Meta aren’t exactly “new”. They actually launched last year, but it was only last week that our reviewers got a pair in and finished testing them in our dedicated listening room.
For those that missed their original announcement, the Q3 Meta are the step-up standmounts in KEF’s entry-level range. That puts them in square competition with some pretty heavy hitters, including the Award-winning Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 and Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2.
Do they manage to compete with their incredibly impressive rivals? After putting them properly through their paces, we’re pleased to give them a five-star thumbs up. Matched with everything from the price-appropriate Arcam A5 integrated amplifier to the budget Rotel A8, the speakers delivered a mature, even-handed performance with strong clarity and detail resolution.
Read our full KEF Q3 Meta review
MORE:
These are the best standmount speakers we’ve reviewed
We rate the best wireless earbuds money can buy
Our picks of the best wireless headphones
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