Welcome to the latest edition of On the Radar, where we recount some of the biggest hi-fi and AV announcements from the last month and the products that we're most eager to get into our test rooms.
This month we saw two legendary Japanese audio brands reveal landmark new products in categories in which they have previously excelled.
Yamaha unveiled its latest Dolby Atmos soundbar system, which it hopes will be the key to defeating the likes of Sonos, Samsung and Sony.
Onkyo, on the other hand, continued its revival with a new CD player that sports a surprisingly low price tag.
Elsewhere, LG launched a new super compact ultra-short-throw projector that features a 4K image and Dolby Atmos audio. It hopes to outshine Samsung's The Premiere 5, which shouldn't be too hard considering it only scored three stars in our full review.
Up next is the Pro-Ject Head Box E, which promises punchy amplification for your headphones despite its pocketable form factor and affordable price.
And rounding up our list of new products is the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE, a revised version of the company's P100 wireless noise-cancelling headphones, which we weren't entirely convinced by in our original review. Can this freshly-tuned pair deliver the goods?
Let's dive in to all the details...
Yamaha True X Surround 90A
Yamaha’s Dolby Atmos surround sound system takes technology from the Japanese audio brand’s very first soundbar and boosts it with two decades of soundbar advancements.
Sporting an upgraded version of beam-firing drivers from 2005’s YSP-1, this new system utilises those drivers and Yamaha’s clever processing to amp up height effects in order to increase cinematic immersion.
The soundbar is paired with wireless surrounds, which double as individual Bluetooth speakers, and a new wireless subwoofer, which features a symmetrical flared port design for reduced vibrations and bass distortion.
You’ll also find support for wireless music streaming over Bluetooth and wi-fi, and Yamaha’s Surround:AI system, which can adapt the audio output to suit the content you’re watching in real time.
- Price: TBC (estimated £2500)
- Release date: September 2025
LG CineBeam S
Projector manufacturers are going crazy for compact, ultra-short-throw models at the moment, and LG is the latest company to jump on the bandwagon.
This 4K UST projector can beam images of up to 100 inches in size from just 39cm away from your wall, with a claimed 500 ANSI lumens of brightness and built-in stereo speakers that support Dolby Atmos (on paper at least).
LG’s webOS smart platform is also on board, meaning you can stream from the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus and Apple TV directly from the projector, though there is an HDMI socket (which doubles as the eARC connection) if you plan on hooking up a Blu-ray player or games console.
With Samsung launching its Premiere 5 projector earlier this year, could LG be eyeing up its own slice of the compact UST pie?
- Price: £1099 / AU$2,499 (around $1460)
- Release date: September 2025
Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE
We weren’t totally enamoured with the first generation of Cambridge Audio’s noise-cancelling over-ear headphones, so we’re glad to see that it’s launching a refined model that tweaks some of our biggest gripes.
The new SE variant of its Melomania P100 headphones claims to have weightier low end and more refined dynamics, which will result in "more powerful, immersive playback" according to Cambridge Audio.
The new cans also sport a redesigned headband that promises "exceptional comfort for every head shape" thanks to improved cushioning and clamping force.
They still have the same custom 40mm composite neodymium drivers alongside Class A/B amplification as the previous generation, as well as support for Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless wireless audio codec. The promised sound improvement is all down to the tuning, so we’re eager to see if Cambridge can win us over.
- Price: £249 / $299 / €279 (Australia pricing TBC)
- Release date: available now
Pro-Ject Head Box E
Pro-Ject’s new headphone amp is punching well above its weight, but who doesn’t like an underdog?
Costing less than £100, Pro-Ject assures us that it has no trouble powering “even the most demanding headphones". It weighs just 390g and is easily pocketable if you plan on taking it on the go, while its 665 milliwatts (0.665 watts) into 32 ohms is enough to drive a variety of wired headphones.
It may be small, but Pro-Ject maintains that it's mighty indeed, claiming it can outperform a typical stereo amplifier in a hi-fi setup with a CD player or turntable. Inside this plucky little box is a fully discreet electronics system which should allow for more robust power handling, cleaner performance and easier servicing and repair.
Connectivity-wise, the Head Box E sports a pair of RCA sockets for inputs, along with a bypass RCA loop output for passing the signal on to another amplifier or audio device. There are also dual headphone outputs (6.3mm and 3.5mm) which can be used simultaneously for shared listening.
- Price: £89 (around $120 / AU$180)
- Availability: available now
Onkyo C-30
This Onkyo CD player has been designed to work seamlessly with the trio of amplification devices that launched at CES in January, as the brand reemerges into the hi-fi market.
It sports the company’s VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuit) technology, which claims to remove pulse noise from the signal path for a cleaner analogue output from the player’s 24-bit/192kHz DAC.
Furthermore, the C-30 features a “vibration-resistant, blast-finished aluminium front panel” on the front, alongside analogue, digital optical and digital coaxial outputs on the rear.
UK pricing is yet to be confirmed, but we do know that it will cost just $349 in the US; a relative bargain compared to the amplifiers in the range, which all cost north of £1000.
- Pricing: £TBC / $349 / AU$TBC
- Availability: TBC
MORE:
Read our full Yamaha True X Soundbar System review
As well as our Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review
Check out our picks for the best projectors
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