It's been a scorching summer so far, and it's just as intense in our test rooms as we have a collection of exciting products in for review this month – many of which bring hotly anticipated competition to the established order.
We have Marshall's first-ever Dolby Atmos soundbar, brand new 2025 4K TVs from LG and Samsung, Bose's next-gen flagship ANC wireless earbuds, and a compact streaming amp unit from Eversolo that is jam-packed with features and affordable enough to upset a few of its established hi-fi rivals.
As ever, if you have any questions about these products before we get started on our reviews, drop a comment at the bottom of this page, head to our forums or social media channels, or email us at whathifi@futurenet.com. We’ll do our best to find the answer to your questions during our testing process and get back to you.
Here are our top products that we can't wait to test this month.
Eversolo Play CD Edition
One of the most exciting launches during High End Munich a couple of months ago was the Eversolo Play – a compact streaming amplifier from an exciting, emerging brand that impressed us with the great design, terrifically smooth app experience and user interface of its Eversolo DMP-A6 network streamer.
The Eversolo Play boasts extensive streaming talents alongside a Class D amplifier, an AK4493 DAC chip that handles hi-res audio files, and has an appealing, interactive touchscreen display. There are multiple analogue and digital connections alongside HDMI ARC and a moving magnet phono stage, while Roon Ready and multi-room capabilities are also supported.
Best of all, there is a CD variant – the Play CD Edition – which includes a CD-ROM in its compact form, and we've got a sample unit in our test rooms. At £699 / $799, this just-add-speakers unit could cause quite the stir...
Marshall Heston 120
Marshall has brought its rock'n'roll style to the least visually adventurous of product categories: the soundbar.
The iconic brand made the leap from guitar amps to Bluetooth speakers and headphones long ago, but the Marshall Heston 120 is its very first soundbar. Marshall is marketing the new model as “the loudest thing for your TV” – it's also rather long, measuring 1100cm wide.
The Heston 120 sports a retro look, with metal grille details and rotary dials on top that add a tactile element you don't normally get with modern soundbars. If you've seen Marshall's roster of Bluetooth speakers, you'll know the kind of thing we're talking about.
The Heston 120 is a Dolby Atmos soundbar (DTS:X is also supported) with a 5.1.2 speaker configuration. Inside, there are five full-range drivers, two tweeters, two mid-woofers and two subwoofer units, with 11 Class D amplifiers delivering a total of 150W peak power output.
Connections include HDMI eARC and RCA stereo inputs, while you can stream thanks to Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay 2 and Spotify/Tidal Connect support.
The Heston 120 costs £900 / $1000 (around AU$1875), taking the fight straight to the five-star Sonos Arc Ultra, and you can read our first impressions of the new contender in our hands-on below.
Read our Marshall Heston 120 hands-on review
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
Bose has taken the wraps off of its new flagship wireless earbuds... and it looks much like the same as before, doesn't it? The 2nd Gen version doesn't completely overhaul its five-star predecessors, which means you get the same comfortable fit, the same battery life and Bluetooth features alongside, we're told, the "same iconic performance".
However, Bose has made improvements in some key areas, such as noise-cancelling and voice call quality. A new algorithm is layered on top of Bose's excellent ANC effect, which aims to make the changes in ANC levels smoother when adapting to sudden changes around you in Aware Mode. Meanwhile, background noises should be reduced even further while keeping voices clear during calls.
That sonic performance has been tweaked a little, mind, with Bose promising a more talented bass response and smoother higher-end frequencies thanks to some adjustments to the new buds' audio tuning.
Wireless charging is now enabled, too. Happily, the price has remained the same as before, with the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) costing £299 / $299 / AU$450 – the same as the 1st Gen models cost two years ago.
Will Bose's enhancements be enough to retain its King of ANC earbuds title? Or have new premium contenders from Technics and B&W moved the sonic boundaries further? We can't wait to find out.
48-inch Samsung S90F
The S90F is the step below Samsung's flagship 4K TV range for 2025 (the S95F QD-OLED), and it's the 48-inch version we have in for testing this month.
Samsung is promising "excellent viewing performance, regardless of the specific panels that are integrated into the product." The S90F range has a mix of QD-OLED and OLED panels across its sizes, with the 48-inch version having a 4K OLED panel.
The S90F promises 1300 nits of peak brightness, a refresh rate of 144Hz and HDR10+ support (no Dolby Vision here), and has the flagship NQ4 AI Gen3 processor on board. There are four HDMI inputs available – all of which are HDMI 2.1.
Will Samsung's latest offering surpass the performance we've enjoyed from LG and Sony's OLEDs so far? Now that's an exciting question.
Focal Bathys Mg
Focal has unveiled a step-up version of its premium Bathys wireless headphones. The new Bathys Mg clocks in at £999 / $1299 / AU$2300, which is considerably more high-end than the standard Bathys' £699 / $799 / AU$1199 billing.
The key difference is the use of a pure magnesium driver membrane, a material which blends stiffness and lightness in a bid to deliver greater precision and layers to the sound. Focal's audiophile wired headphones, such as the five-star Clear Mg, already use the same material to great success.
Elsewhere, the mics have been updated for improved ANC, the design has been refined with premium materials and more comfortable cushioning on the headphone and ear cushions, and you can listen in wired mode (3.5mm and USB-C cables are included) with 24-bit/192kHz hi-res support available.
The Focal Bathys Mg are available in a Chestnut finish (as you can see in our review sample above), and we are reviewing them right now to find out if they are worth that high-end price tag.
LG 65QNED93
While LG rules the roost when it comes to OLED TVs, its LCD models have a much less stellar reputation. In fact, the brand has traditionally shied away from sending its non-OLED models in for review, which rather says it all.
That has changed, though, and LG is very confident that its new, flagship Mini LED model is a real contender, providing one to us to prove that very point.
The 65-inch model that we have in for review uses a VA panel, rather than LG’s usual IPS technology. It also has more dimming zones than any previous backlit LG TV, and the brand says it’s made huge improvements to the light control system. All of this should make for big improvements to picture quality, particularly where contrast is concerned.
Will all of this be enough for the QNED93 to compete with the best Samsung and Sony Mini LED TVs? We will know once we’ve done those comparisons in the coming days.
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Read our Samsung HW-Q990F Dolby Atmos-in-a-box system review
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