The work week is once again upon us and to help you start it with your best foot forward, our team of audio and home cinema experts has penned a fresh entry into our regular Rewind news digest.
It was yet another busy week at What Hi-Fi? towers. As well as attending launches from Cambridge Audio, JBL, Acoustic Energy and Apple, we also finished reviewing some big products – including an amp from a brand we know our regular readers love.
Here’s everything you need to know.
WiiM’s latest streaming amp hints at greatness
WiiM is a brand that has recently developed a strong reputation for delivering stellar value hi-fi. Over the past months we’ve given its WiiM Pro Plus and WiiM Ultra streamers five-star recommendations. Which is why we had high hopes for the WiiM Amp Pro.
After weeks of testing we can confirm there is plenty to like about the small, surprisingly affordable, unassuming streaming amplifier.
Offering better detail, much more lively audio and the same compact design as WiiM’s past streaming amp, it is the best the company has made to date in most ways.
So much so that our reviewers described it as, “A versatile, budget streaming amp with a huge leap forward in performance.”
But sadly, issues with some feature gaps and minor niggles with its rhythmic precision meant it fell just short of nabbing a fifth star from our reviewers.
Read our full WiiM Amp Pro review
Cambridge Audio’s latest amp follows in an Award-winner’s footsteps
The new Cambridge Audio MXW70 is the second amp to make it into this list. And while it doesn’t have the streaming smarts of the WiiM, there’s a good reason for that.
Specifically, this tiny power amplifier unit is designed to be paired with its older, equally tiny sibling, the Award-winning Cambridge Audio MXN10 streamer/preamp.
We’re yet to get any hands-on time with the amp, so can’t attest to its audio quality, but from what we’ve seen there’s plenty to like, with it sharing the same core DNA as its sibling. Highlights include 70 watts of power and a competitive £499 / $599 / €599 price tag.
Read the full story: Cambridge Audio's compact MXW70 power amplifier is the perfect partner to the five-star MXN10 streamer
JBL’s new Dolby Atmos soundbar is a beast
2025 is turning into a great year for Dolby Atmos soundbar buyers, with a number of big systems hitting the market. Most recently that list was added to by JBL, with its new Bar 1300MK2 system.
At a surface level it follows the same format as the four-star JBL Bar 1300 system we reviewed in 2023. This pairs an Atmos soundbar with a wireless subwoofer and twin satellite surrounds, which can be attached to the main bar for storage and to charge when not needed.
Under the hood it has had a few key upgrades, however. The biggest is its increased 29-drivers count, which lets it deliver a total of 11 audio channels in a 7.1.4 arrangement. We’ll be curious to see how it performs against its arch-rival, the Samsung Q990F, when we get them both in for review later this year.
Read the full story: JBL's super-powerful new Dolby Atmos soundbar system has the Samsung Q990F in its sights
Acoustic Energy revamped its 300 Series
Last week, Acoustic Energy unveiled the latest entry to its 300-series of mid-range loudspeakers, the new AE320².
The floorstanding speakers are interesting beasts since, despite costing £1999 / €2199, they feature a number of technologies seen on the firm’s 15-year-old Reference Series of speakers and much more expensive Corinium speakers.
Highlights include Acoustic Energy's Resonance Suppression Composite technology, which works to improve clarity, a slot-shaped duct port at the rear for better bass output, and a new 29mm soft dome tweeter based on that of the Corinium.
Read the full story: Acoustic Energy adds range-topping floorstanders to its revamped 300 Series
Bose's latest earbuds want to take the fight to B&W and Technics
The wireless earbuds market is getting increasingly competitive, with Technics and B&W releasing stellar five-star pairs recently. This week Bose looked to get in on the action, unveiling its latest 2nd-gen QC Ultra Earbuds.
Built on the foundation set by 2023’s five-star Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, the firm is making some pretty bold claims about the new model.
Specifically, promising they will deliver the "same iconic performance" that made the original a hit, but with significantly improved noise-cancelling and mic quality. Add to this the quality of life addition of wireless charging and they become a pretty enticing bit of hardware, at least on paper.
Read the full story: Bose's 2nd-gen QC Ultra Earbuds promise enhanced ANC, but can they compete with B&W and Technics rivals?
MORE:
These are the best hi-fi speakers we’ve reviewed
Our picks of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
We rate the best stereo amps money can buy
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