University is, of course, a time to prioritise study and hard work.
But it’s also the first experience of living away from home for many, and a chance to make a dorm room or shared house that is truly your space.
To do that, you’ll need the essentials. And that, in our eyes anyway, includes a TV setup, noise-cancelling headphones and at least one way to blast out music at the weekend.
Luckily, we have you covered. It may have been a little while since our dorm-room days, but we do rate and review hundreds of AV products every year and know good quality when we see it.
We have rounded up a few of our favourite products below, all of which we’ve tried and tested. They are all within reach of a student budget, but still highly recommended for freshers and students of life alike.
So if you or a loved one has an imminent first week, here are some AV products sure to liven up even the most bare-bones student accommodation:
A What Hi-Fi? Award winner, the Sony WF-C710N are the cheapest noise-cancelling headphones we recommend and brilliant budget earbuds all round. For the new low price of £62, you’ll enjoy fulsome, controlled bass, a great sense of musicality and a cool design. Perfect for studying without breaking the bank.
Good news: you don’t need to pay through the roof for high-resolution music. Tidal has long been the music-streaming service of choice for audiophiles thanks to its 24-bit/192kHz streams, and students can get a £5.99 student plan that is better than half price.
To take full advantage of those hi-res Tidal streams, though, you’ll want a good portable DAC for the best possible sound quality. iFi has been producing affordable five-star models for years, and its latest, the iFi Go Link 2, comes highly recommended.
For the full budget audiophile experience, a Tidal subscription, portable DAC and decent wired headphones will set you up perfectly for three years of studying. The Røde NTH-100 are Award winners and one of our top picks at this price, thanks to its eloquent, revealing sound and well-made design that’s comfortable for hours at a time.
Dinky, portable and highly stylish, the Roberts Revival Petite 2 may look like a humble radio but is so much more. With Bluetooth, a 20-hour battery life, a 3.5mm headphone port and a clearer, richer and more dynamic sound than you might expect, the Revival Petite 2 will bring retro flair to your dorm parties.
They may be a bit costlier than some of the other items in this article, but if you’re looking for desktop speakers on a budget, then the Ruark MR1 MK3 is what we recommend. They are compact enough to lug to student accommodation and back, but most importantly they sound powerful, punchy and dynamic with excellent rhythmic drive.
If you’re on a student budget, the Pro-Ject Primary E is a great choice as an entry-level turntable. It lacks fancy features such as USB ripping, Bluetooth and automatic operation, but if you’re looking for a purist design and great quality sound, the Primary E comes recommended. It’s easy to set up for beginners too.
We’re sure AirPods need no introduction. But the Apple AirPods Pro 3 are the tech giant’s best headphones yet, with spacious, powerful and dynamic sound as well as impressive active noise cancelling. If you already have an iPhone, you can also enjoy snappy user-friendliness and exclusive features.
The Sony WH-CH720N may be getting an upgrade soon, but they still come highly recommended, with a forceful, robust sound and decent ANC for the price. A What Hi-Fi? Awards winner for the best wireless headphones under £100, they are absolutely our top choice at this price range.
The Echo Dot has undergone several generations by now and hasn’t always hit the audio sweet spot, but the Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) punches above its weight with an impressively expansive sound. Alexa, now synonymous with audio assistants, is as helpful as ever, particularly if you have other Amazon smart devices such as a Fire TV.
For a TV that is big enough for a flat move night, small enough to fit in the car and cheap enough for a student budget, the 43-inch Samsung U8000F is more than up to the job. Great value at £229, it’s a solid all-rounder for both movies and gaming, and it has all the main streaming and catch-up apps built in.
If you’re moving away from home for the first time, there’s a good chance you’ll need your own games console if you can’t wrestle the family unit away. If you’re getting a PS5, we recommend the disc-based version, as it can double-up as a 4K Blu-ray player.
MORE:
Best cheap TVs: affordable 4K televisions for under £500
Best cheap wireless headphones: tried and tested by our experts
Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars
