Rewind: Onkyo’s five-star return, an uber-expensive Dolby Atmos system, two hi-fi birthday celebrations and more

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

January is in the rearview mirror, but oh boy, did it go out with a bang. Last week, we saw everything from an 80th birthday celebration from JBL to new cabled headphones and earbuds from industry heavyweight Sennheiser.

Which is why you may have missed a few key headlines last week. Here to help, our team of hi-fi and home cinema experts has penned a fresh entry to our weekly Rewind news digest. Here’s everything you need to know.

We reviewed Onkyo’s new desktop speakers

Onkyo GX-30ARC powered speakers — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Last week, we finally got new Onkyo hi-fi into our listening rooms, specifically its new GX-30ARC desktop speakers.

And after thoroughly putting them through their paces, we’re pleased to say the tiny, affordable, powered speakers are very impressive. Though they only really shine with a decent source, matched nicely, they deliver a wonderfully well-organised, engaging sound that will delight music fans. Hence, our five-star rating and verdict:

“For the price you’ll pay, the Onkyo GX-30ARC make for an appealing proposition, showcasing impressive sonic abilities and excellent versatility within a compact, affordable package.”

Read our in-depth Onkyo GX-30ARC review

LG revealed pricing for its flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar system

The various components of the LG Sound Suite home cinema system, arranged in a smart living room — (Image credit: LG)

Soundbar systems are a bit of a vogue item right now, which is why LG’s new fancy Sound Suite caught our eye at CES. Featuring an H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer, and the M7 and M5 wireless speakers, as well as Dolby’s fancy new FlexConnect tech, it’s an enticing prospect.

But, as we learned last week, it’s also a very expensive luxury, with LG revealing the H7 soundbar will set you back a hefty £1000 / $1000 – far above its main rival, the Sonos Arc Ultra. And if you want to turn it into a system, the prices rapidly rack up, with the W7 subwoofer set to retail for £700 / $600, the M7 wireless speaker for £450 / $400 and M5 wireless speaker for £200 / $250.

Read the full story: LG has revealed pricing for its Sound Suite Dolby Atmos system – and let’s just say it had better sound great

Sennehiser launched new cabled headphones and earbuds

The Sennheiser HD 400U over-ear headphones and CX 80U earbuds alongside a USB-C cable on a grey background. — (Image credit: Sennheiser)

Sennheiser is no stranger to the wired headphone market. Heck, it’s responsible for more than a few of the sets to have featured in our best wired headphones guide over the decades.

But last week, it unveiled a slightly different take on the form factor in the shape of its 400U over-ears and CX 80U in-ears, which feature USB-C, rather than the traditional 3.5mm connection seen on its past offerings, the HD 400S and CX 80S.

Read the full story: Sennheiser's new budget headphones will work easier with your phone thanks to this simple change

Ruark celebrated its 40th

Ruark R810 MiE radiogram / wireless speaker system — (Image credit: Ruark)

If you like your hi-fi to look like a sleek piece of furniture, then we have some good news. Specifically, Ruark launched a special edition variant of its beautiful-looking R810 wireless speaker system to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

While we’re yet to get any version of the R810 in for testing, so we can’t attest to audio quality, having seen it at more than a few tradeshows and demos, we can confirm the base unit is a wonderfully crafted piece of kit. Which is why we were happy to see the anniversary R810 MiE edition add two exclusive new finishes – Penta-Chord Walnut and Leaf-Line Oak – to the mix.

Read the full story: Ruark's 40th anniversary radiogram is seriously stylish, tantalisingly exclusive and packed with streaming smarts

And JBL its 80th

JBL L100 Classic 80 standmount speakers in oak — (Image credit: JBL)

JBL also celebrated a key milestone last week, unveiling a new special edition version of its iconic L100 standmount speaker to celebrate its 80th anniversary.

Despite featuring a very similar design to the original version, which launched all the way back in the 1970s, the L100 Classic 80 speakers have thoroughly modern internals.

Specifically, the three-way speaker has a new cast frame, housing a 30.4cm pulp-cone woofer, a 13.3cm polymer-coated pulp-cone midrange unit, and a 60mm titanium-dome tweeter. JBL claims this will let them offer radically improved performance and its signature “lively, engaging sound”.

But be warned. If you want a pair, you’ll have to act fast as JBL’s only making 800 of them, each of which will set you back a hefty $7499 (roughly £5400).

Read the full story: JBL has resurrected one of its iconic retro hi-fi speakers to celebrate its 80th

MORE:

These are the best desktop speakers we’ve reviewed

Our reviewers rank the best standmount speakers

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars, fully reviewed

Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.

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