It's a brand new year! Happy new year to our readers, and we are here to brighten the January blues by giving you an insight into the hi-fi and home cinema products we have in for review this month.
While we try to clear away the festive-induced cobwebs and tackle 2026 with refreshed energy, there is no time to catch our breath when it comes to what's really important to us at What Hi-Fi? towers: reviews.
Our listening rooms have already opened the doors to new products as we get back to work on our first week, and we have on the testing block products as varied as Rega's flagship pre/power amplifiers, high-end open-back headphones and a new contender in the premium 4K projector space.
Below is a small selection of the tantalising products we have in for testing this month, and do get in touch with us via whathifi@futurenet.com if you have any questions about them, and we can endeavour to answer your query during testing.
Rega Mercury and Solis
They're finally here. Rega's Mercury and Solis pre/power are the brand's new high-end flagship amplifiers, and they are finally in full production flow, after early concepts and units were teased and previewed at trade shows over the past year.
The pre/power duo costs £13,900 in total (approx. $21,000 / AU$29,000), and are, according to the brand, "the culmination of almost four decades of Rega electronics engineering experience in solid-state amplifier development". The engineers have obsessively worked on this new flagship, choosing components intentionally (even older DAC chips, for instance) to prioritise sound quality above all.
The preamp features line-level and balanced XLR inputs, coaxial and optical inputs, and USB type B, with the internal DAC supporting up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM and DSD64 file resolutions. The power amp outputs a claimed 168W per channel into 8 ohms – it may not be the flashiest product in terms of specs and design, but here's hoping that Rega can deliver where it really counts: pure audio performance and enjoyment.
We've got review samples of the Mercury/Solis in right now and are currently testing them – stay tuned for the full review in a few weeks.
Quad 3
Here's another product we've been dying to get into our test rooms ever since we first laid eyes on it last year. The Quad 3 amplifier takes inspiration from the charming 33 / 303 pre/power amp duo and brings those gorgeous 1960s retro looks to an integrated design.
Underneath the hood, however, it's a thoroughly modern affair, with cutting-edge specs (advanced ESS Sabre DAC chip, extensive file compatibility, aptX Bluetooth, HDMI ARC) and the promise of a "detailed, expansive and expressive sound".
All that packed into a nifty compact design with that eye-catching LED display, for £1249 / €1895 / AU$2799, is certainly tempting. Now, if only we had that matching Quad 3CDT transport that was just announced before Christmas in too...
Yamaha YH-4000
Yamaha's high-end YH-5000SE wired headphones were a revelation: they were a five-star stunner and winner of our Temptation Award in 2023 – truly, an impressive, hugely talented and insightful pair of audiophile open-backs.
Now, we have their latest premium headphones in for testing. The new YH-4000 open-back headphones follow the same design structure and magnesium body as the 5000SE, but with updated materials and technology. The orthodynamic (planar magnetic) drivers return, while there is a new mesh filter and brand new earpads specifically made for this model. The headphones are hand-assembled in Yamaha's Kakegawa factory, where their famed grand pianos are also made, and we hope the "uniquely responsive, natural and precise sound” lives up to the promise.
We also have the closed-back model, the Yamaha YH-C3000 ($1699), in for testing. The C3000 uses a new "armodynamic" driver and feature hand-crafted beech wood housings for the earcups – which promise lightweight build and natural sound.
Sharp RP-TT100
To quote our original news story: "This wasn't on our 2025 bingo card". TV/AV manufacturer Sharp surprised us with its first turntable in 20 years, with the RP-TT100 making its debut at the IFA showcase last year.
The RP-TT100 record player is fully automatic in use, with pause, reward, fast forward and repeat functions available at the push of buttons. There is even a USB-C port for digitising your records, while the deck itself features an aluminium platter and metal tonearm.
With built-in phono stage and Bluetooth streaming, Sharp is aiming to deliver all the modern requirements of a turntable for newbie vinyl fans.
The price is on the affordable side, too, costing a rather competitive £180 / €199, with availability in UK and Europe at the moment. Can it hold its own in the very crowded budget turntable market? We shall see.
Fyne F500E 5.1 speaker package
Fyne Audio's F501E wowed us with their incredibly expressive, cohesive and entertaining performance at £999 per pair, beating out plenty of pricier alternatives and winning the overall Product of the Year gong for floorstanders at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025.
Naturally, a 5.1 surround sound package incorporating these talented speakers is our next step. This Fyne package consists of the F501E as the front left/right speakers, the smaller standmount F5E as the surround speakers, with the F502E centre and F3-10 subwoofer – all for £2249.
Can Fyne succeed in a home cinema setting the way it excelled on the stereo front? We are currently testing this 5.1 package, so you won't have long to find out in our full review.
Xgimi Horizon 20 Max
We normally encounter Xgimi projectors at the portable end of the market, such as the cute and enjoyable Xgimi MoGo 4, but the Chinese brand is now aiming for the big boys.
Its new range of 4K projectors are aimed at "serious home theatre enthusiasts" and we have the flagship, the Horizon 20 Max, in for review. This RBG triple laser projector aims to deliver “immersive visuals even in daylight or high-ambient light environments”, and has a claimed 5700 ISO lumens of brightness and 20,000:1 contrast ratio. It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and IMAX Enhanced, while Google TV gives you plenty of smart app access.
Sound is provided by Harman Kardon, while gamers are promised low-latency modes and a 240Hz refresh rate. Priced at £2599, it goes up against fierce competition from the Award-winning Epson EH-LS9000 – we can't wait to see how the new Xgimi fares.
TCL C6K (Q6C)
TCL had a terrific year at our What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025, picking up three wins for its C7K and C6KS TVs. Sandwiched between them is the C6K (or Q6C in the UK) and we have high hopes that this Mini LED TV lives up to such high expectations.
As part of TCL's 2025 TV range, the C6K stars from £799 for the 55-inch up to £3199 for the 98-incher. This Mini LED TV features comprehensive HDR support (same as those in the C7K), high refresh rates, and support for Dolby Atmos Flex Connect, which should give you greater flexibility for choose and placing your home cinema speakers.
You get fewer dimming zones and lower max brightness of 1000 nits compared with the step-up C7K, and a 2.1-channel 40W Onkyo sound system, instead of the C7K's Bang & Olufsen version.
We praised the punchy brightness and contrast on TCL's C6Ks and C7K TVs as well as their very competitive prices last year, so here's hoping that the C6K model we have in for testing follows in its siblings footsteps.
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