It’s Monday, Yay! Said no one… But to help you get through the start-of-the-week blues, we do have a special pick-me-up: a fresh entry to our weekly hi-fi and home cinema news digest.
For this week’s Rewind, we have some particularly fun treats, including a feature detailing our experience trying to repair some vintage hi-fi, the launch of new premium speakers from Focal and a new KEF LSX rival taking to the ring.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Repairing vintage hi-fi requires patience and Kit-Kats
Here at What Hi-Fi? we are all in favour of improving sustainability and reducing the impact our passion has on the planet. So much so that we ran a special themed week on the topic last year, and plan to do another in 2026 – watch this space.
Because of that, we’re always looking for ways to make our hi-fi last longer and save it from rusting on a scrap heap.
Last week, our intrepid regular contributor, Joe Svetlik, took the time to visit a volunteer repair club to learn more about its efforts restoring and repairing old hi-fi.
As well as showing quite how tricky it can sometimes be, it also proved that, like most of us, repair work is done best with good snacks, as well as tools, to hand.
Read the full story: I spent a day fixing vintage hi-fi – here’s what I learned
Two landmark rock albums launched on “audiophiles' format of choice”
If you ever visit a hi-fi show or pop into a posh showroom, there’s a strong chance you will hear Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album or ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres playing at least once.
Which is why it’s no surprise that just after we penned a feature looking into the new reel-to-reel trend sweeping the upper end of the audiophile market, both albums launched on the format.
That’s right, cash-flush audiophiles can now buy the two classic albums on the format. The albums have reportedly been duplicated in real time from a 1:1 copy of the flat analogue master tapes, making them the most “authentic” and “true to life” way to listen to them, according to record label Rhino.
But there is one minor catch: as well as needing a compatible reel-to-reel tape player to play them, Rhino is only releasing 500 copies of each – so act fast if you want one.
Read the full story: Fleetwood Mac and ZZ Top come to the audiophile’s format of choice – but you’d better hurry
Focal launched its Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanding speakers
Focal launched its new high-end Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanding speakers last week. As the name suggests, the new model is an evolution of the base Scala Utopia Evo from 2017.
The big difference is that the new M model features Focal's new 'PRISM' tweeter and a new 'M-profile' W midrange driver – which aim to let them deliver a more transparent, precise and natural sound.
We’ve not heard them yet, but the upgrade comes with a premium price tag, with the Scala Utopia Evo M retailing for €40,000 / $46,000 per pair (UK price to be confirmed).
Read the full story: Focal's latest high-end floorstanders are "an ode to the art of listening at home”
A new KEF LSX II rival takes the stage
Active speaker systems are an increasingly popular category, with Cambridge Audio, Technics and more all trying to break into it and take top dog KEF’s spot as the lead player.
So PSB launching two new all-in-one wireless speakers as part of its iQ series with the same goal last week makes a lot of sense.
The cheaper iQ1 (£899 / €999 / $999) is set to take on the KEF LSX II LT, while the slightly more premium iQ2 ( £1299 / €1399 / $1499) will take on the LSX II.
Both speakers offer class D amplification, fully active designs, come with BluOS onboard and feature the same driver arrangement – a 1.9cm aluminium dome tweeter paired with a 10cm propylene mid/bass driver.
We’ll be curious to see how they compare to their KEF rivals when we get them in for review.
Read the full story: PSB’s BluOS-powered all-in-one wireless speaker systems aim to take on five-star KEF rivals
MORE:
These are the best hi-fi systems we’ve reviewed
We rank the best OLED TVs
Our picks of the best floorstanding speakers
