Huawei has announced a new generation of wireless earbuds, the FreeBuds Neo.

Positioned as a more accessible sibling to the FreeBuds Pro, the new earbuds share a lot of common features with the flagship range.

The FreeBuds Neo feature a lightweight, mini stem design. Each earbud weighs approximately 4.8g.

Huawei has also updated the eartips, optimising the design across “eight key ear-related surfaces”. While we're not 100 per cent clear what it means by "ear-related surfaces", the work will reportedly make them more comfortable to wear for prolonged periods and ensure they fit a wider range of ears.

An 11mm polymer composite dynamic driver is at the heart of their “turbo drive unit”, which uses a multi-port vent system to balance pressure behind the diaphragm for “smoother, more controlled diaphragm movement”. Huawei says that the driver’s lightweight, high-rigidity diaphragm delivers “clear highs and a realistic sense of presence”.

Standard Bluetooth codecs are supported, as well as higher-quality Bluetooth codecs including LDAC, which allows data transmission up to 990kbps when connected to a compatible source. The buds also support Huawei’s own L2HC codec that allows for higher 2.3Mbps high-resolution lossless transmission, but only with select Huawei smartphones/tablets.

The earbuds have an 'unlimited spatial audio' feature, which uses real-time head tracking to keep audio stable relative to head movements. There is also a fixed spatial audio option, as well as 'pinpoint game audio' – a setting optimised for first-person shooter games, which provides accurate tracking of footsteps and gunshots.

The FreeBuds Neo feature a “dual-channel noise cancellation architecture”, which sees a C-shaped tube and air vent working in tandem to minimise the entry of outside mid/high frequencies into the ear. A third-gen audio chip is used to process and cancel environmental sound, resulting in an average noise cancellation of -30dB across the hearable frequency range.

In an effort to boost call clarity, the FreeBuds Neo use three microphones and a bone conduction sensor, alongside AI processing. The earbuds' "anti-wind" design further reduces airflow interference, allowing users to take calls in noisy situations.

Like the FreeBuds Pro 5, the new earbuds feature tap controls on the stem, and see their antennae upgraded to offer an improved Bluetooth range of up to 170m, alongside enhanced resistance to interference.

The Huawei Audio Connect app can be used to control the earbuds, letting users switch between noise cancellation modes and EQ settings, locate the earbuds and check battery levels. The FreeBuds Neo are compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows and support cross-system dual device connection.

In terms of battery life, the FreeBuds Neo provide 40 hours of charge with their case, and up to 10 hours from the earbuds alone, which falls to 6.5 hours with ANC enabled. Notably, a 10-minute quick charge will give you four hours of playback.

The Huawei FreeBuds Neo will be available in four colours: Stellar Silver, Nebula Pink, Ice White and Starry Black. They are due for release in the UK on 23rd September, costing £120.

Customers purchasing the FreeBuds Neo before the 26th of October will be given a £20 discount.

MORE

Read our full Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 review

Plus, I thought this simple upgrade would elevate Sony's WF-1000XM6 wireless earbuds – I was wrong

Stay up to date with our pick of the best wireless earbuds, tested by our expert reviewers

Onkyo has announced a trio of new wireless speakers: the GX-AiO 50, the GX-AiO 100, and the GX-AiO 150.

An expansion of Onyko's desktop-friendly 'Creator' range, the three one-box speakers are designed to bring extensive connectivity and versatility to three varying sizes and form factors.

The GX-AiO 50 is the smallest in the range, the GX-AiO 100 sits in the middle, while the GX-AiO 150 is the largest, most premium option.

All three boast a 2.1-channel acoustic architecture which combines dual main drivers with a built-in, independently amplified subwoofer. All three use Class D amplification and Onkyo's own digital signal processing to minimise noise and distortion, resulting in "clear detail" and "deep, dynamic bass".

Physical connections include HDMI ARC alongside a USB-C and optical input, plus a switchable phono input if you want to hook up a turntable. For wireless listening, Bluetooth 5.3 is also available.

Three listening modes are accessible across the range. Eco Mode provides more precise low-volume control for nighttime listening and smaller spaces, whereas Standard Mode is designed for everyday listening. Max Mode, meanwhile, puts each system at its highest output for when you want to get the party started.

Plus, if you want to go even louder, you can connect any GX-AiO system into a stereo pair.

While they come in different sizes and clock in at different price points, all three systems follow a similar design language whereby a central control dial is flanked by two main drive units.

Integrated LED lighting around the control dial and the subwoofer slits has also been added "to create a warm ambient glow without overwhelming the room".

According to Vinny Bonacorsi, Onkyo's Chief Operating Officer: "The new Creator AiO series delivers what today’s younger music lovers want: compact size, simplicity, connectivity and affordability, paired with timeless industrial design. This series represents another bold step forward in Onkyo’s evolution, bringing our passion for music to a new generation.”

The Onkyo Creator GX-AiO series will be available this autumn in a choice of black or white finishes. Prices are as follows:

- GX-AiO 50: $399
- GX-AiO 100: $499
- GX-AiO 150: $599

MORE:

Read our Ruark MR1 Mk3 review

Read our five-star Onkyo GX-30ARC review

Our guide to the best desktop speakers for every budget and needs

While it may have forged much of its reputation on its budget hi-fi separates, including the outstanding A8 integrated amplifier, Rotel's premium Michi product series has produced some real gems. From the Michi X3 amplifier to the Michi Q5 CD player, Rotel knows how to operate in the higher echelons of the hi-fi market.

Now, the Japanese brand is adding to its more premium collection of separates with two new additions to the Michi lineup: the Michi Prestige P430 preamplifier and the Michi Prestige S430 stereo amplifier.

According to Rotel, the S430 stereo amp is aimed at listeners who want to step up to a fully fledged separates system, delivering 230 watts per channel into 8 ohms.

The new amplifier uses an advanced architecture which combines an oversized in-house-manufactured toroidal transformer, large bulk-storage capacitors, isolated signal routing and multi-stage push-pull output transistors, all of which combine for "firm bass control" and outstanding "dynamic impact".

In terms of connections, the Michi Prestige S430 houses balanced XLR and RCA inputs alongside dual 5-way speaker binding posts. Externally, the S430 features an aluminium chassis and a front-panel display with selectable metre displays and a backlit power toggle.

Also arriving is the Michi Prestige P430 preamplifier, designed to bridge the gap between traditional and modern sources for listeners who want ample connectivity options alongside the performance of a separates set-up.

Central to the new preamplifier is an ESS SABRE ES9028PRO 8-channel DAC which, says Rotel, renders recordings "with pristine clarity, natural detail, and an open, precisely focused soundstage". The P430 is capable of supporting PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz, as well as DSD256.

Further, the new preamplifier has been built to preserve signal integrity via its transparent signal paths and refined power-supply architecture, resulting in a sound which balances "exceptional control and musical insight".

The P430 boasts balanced XLR and RCA inputs and outputs, coaxial and optical inputs, and HDMI ARC for connecting to a home cinema set-up and a moving magnet phono stage for partnering with a turntable.

Further connections include dual subwoofer outputs, a 6.35mm headphone port, and wireless Bluetooth connectivity with aptX HD codec support for streaming files up to 24-bit/48kHz.

The Michi Prestige S430 stereo amplifier and Michi Prestige P430 preamplifier are available this September. The S430 will set you back £3599 / $3999 / €3999, while the P430 is priced at £3599 / $3999 / €3999.

MORE:

Read our Rotel Michi Q5 CD player review

New issue of What Hi-Fi? out now: vinyl made easy with simple yet sensational turntables

Best stereo amplifiers: budget to premium options tested by expert reviewers

Last month we asked you, our ever-opiniated readers, to settle a long-standing argument amongst the reviews team. Specifically, are we living in a golden age of home cinema?

Four weeks on, the answers have come flooding in (many breaking our PG-13 language rule). But, to our surprise, unlike our team of testers, you are not only united in your belief we are not living in a golden age, you also (generally) agree on the reason why.

It’s all about physical media

The importance of physical media was a central point in all your arguments, which shouldn’t be a surprise given how vocal you (and we) are about the benefits of 4K Blu-ray over streaming.

This was initially expressed by reader “mrj6j”, who argued that, despite having a “proper” set-up that he’s spent years, even decades, honing, the age of streaming is a blemish he can’t ignore, which makes it impossible to call the current world a golden age.

“I have been into home cinema for a long time and agree we are at a point where it is more affordable, but mine has grown into a 4k projector in a dedicated room with a 7.2.4 Atmos set-up. And a 136-inch screen in total darkness. But this has taken a long time to grow into what it is today. But it is exceptional; it often sounds better than the cinema (I had it professionally calibrated), and I can enjoy it whenever,” wrote mrj6j.

“The problem is that the 4k discs are the best format, better than streaming without doubt. But do those with a home cinema set-up utilise this? They should, and more distributors should too.”

Reader Michael Peterson agreed, adding that even if you have a more modest set-up, as he does, the increased price and limited selection of 4K Blu-ray discs and players is an issue that stops the 2020s being a golden age for home cinema.

“I have an entry-level Samsung, my Sony receiver, Elac sub1010 and 8-inch speakers in a 2.1 set-up. I use my Xbox One S for Blu-ray and streaming. Good enough [for] me. 4K Blu-ray would be better if the prices of discs and players were more affordable and discs were more reliable,” he wrote.

But it wasn’t just about 4K Blu-ray; some readers, including Andrew Wood, argued: “Culturally [the golden age was], when you shuffled into town, to a shop, to hire or buy a video/DVD and then watched it on your wide-screen CRT TV with built-in 5.1.”

Our hot take

We agree; there is something undeniably special about physical media. At a technical level, we have long championed 4K Blu-ray. It offers a much higher bitrate, superior HDR and far less data compression than streaming, giving you a sharper, more detailed image in most instances. That’s why we use an ever-evolving library of 4K Blu-ray test discs when reviewing home cinema hardware. We even have a monthly Now Showing column where we detail the new movies we're using.

While none of us would go so far as to want to return to tapes and CRT TVs – read this feature chronicling our editor’s attempts to resurrect his VHS collection last year, and you’ll see why – we also agree there’s something emotionally special about physical media. Having it on a disc you own gives you a more personal, emotional attachment to the film, as rather than just clicking on something an algorithm’s decided you will like, you’ve chosen that film, specifically, at some point.

As Andrew Wood points out, there was also something truly magical about the Blockbuster years, when we had to physically go outside to rent a new movie. Many of the team are old enough to remember the experience, and have fond memories of the family trips (and arguments) we had going out to pick a new film to watch after the final school bell rang on Friday. That makes it hard not to agree that there is some substance to his argument that, "culturally", that was a golden age for film fans – even if the hardware was worse and it wasn’t as easy to find new films to watch.

MORE:

These are the best projectors we’ve reviewed

We rank the best surround sound systems

Our picks of the best Blu-ray players

Some people will never be able to get past the cost of these Marten speakers, and we can understand why. Standing just 42cm tall, the two-way Parker Duo Diamond Edition look under-equipped to survive in a high-end sector dominated by sonically talented and intimidatingly muscular floorstanders.

Given the significantly larger internal volumes and formidable driver arrays featured on those towering rivals, the Parker Duo Diamond Edition’s chances don’t look good. In the event, it turns out that these modestly-proportioned Swedish boxes can look after themselves.

Any company that names its product ranges after Jazz greats shows, at the very least, a good amount of musical appreciation. Marten invokes the likes of Coltrane, Mingus and Oscar, among others, and uses the Parker name for its step-up series.

It may be shocking for some to discover that the Parker Duo on test here is merely one of the early steps on the Marten ladder. Unusually, it is available in two forms: the standard version of the Duo (£11,995 / $19,000 / AU$18,500) and the Diamond Edition on test here.

Design & build

The standard Parker Duo uses ceramic diaphragms in both its 25mm tweeter and 19cm mid/bass unit. Its crossover point is set at a fairly typical 2200Hz, and the network design is a mixture of first and second-order filters. A rear-firing 23cm aluminium passive radiator is used to tune the bass.

Sensitivity is claimed to be 88dB/W/m and nominal impedance is rated at 6 ohms. Note, the minimum impedance is just 3.1 ohms, which suggests these speakers will perform best with a muscular amplifier.

The Diamond Edition adds more spice to the formula by swapping the standard model’s ceramic tweeter for a diamond dome, and upgrading the crossover’s polypropylene capacitors for more exotic copper-foil types. The internal wiring is upgraded too. Everything else, including the electrical specifications, remains the same.

See the Diamond Edition in real life, and it gets off to a good start. Build quality is as immaculate as the price demands. The gloss black finish of our review samples is wonderfully deep and mirror-like.

Not all our team like the unusual styling of this product, or the fixed metal grilles over the drive units, but we have no complaints about fit and finish.

The Parker Duo’s front panel is 6cm narrower than the rear, which looks a bit odd at first. This unusual shape reduces the build up of internal standing waves, while the use of 35mm-thick M-Board (a proprietary laminated material) for the enclosure’s panels is claimed to produce a more rigid and inert structure than more conventional alternatives.

The performance of any standmounter is massively dependent on the quality of its support. Marten makes dedicated stands for the Duo, and they are impressively weighty and rigid. Their construction is based around three rigid pillars and a thick steel base, fitted with four isolator feet co-developed with IsoAcoustic. These stands cost a chunky £3295 / $5000 / AU$5750 per pair, but are good enough for us to consider them an essential part of the deal.

Any product at this level positively demands a top-class system. Our reference set-up consists of Naim’s ND555 / 555 PS DR music streamer and the Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart record player feeding a Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power amplifier combination.

The cables are a mix of premium offerings from Chord Company and Vertere Acoustics. For benchmarking purposes, we have the ATC SCM50 and the PMC MB2 SE speakers.

These Marten speakers perform best when given plenty of space to breathe. In our 3 x 7 x 5m test room, they sound most at home with the front panel around 90cm from the back wall and angled in slightly towards the listening position so that the tweeter axis crosses a little behind our heads.

Given such a placement, these speakers produce a lovely, consistent tonal balance combined with the kind of three-dimensional stereo imaging that almost feels physical.

Sound

That huge price tag may lead many to expect sonic fireworks every time these speakers play music. That’s not how it works.

The Parker Duo Diamond Edition does exactly what every truly great speaker should, and that’s reproduce the source material with the minimum of alteration. So, if you have a poor compressed recording, or less than capable electronics in your system, these standmounts will merely reflect that, imperfections and all.

Unusually for such revealing and analytical performers, these Marten speakers won’t go out of their way to highlight those flaws. You can hear the shortcomings easily, of course, but they remain in proportion, and the good parts of the recording will still shine.

However, feed these speakers a diet of great recordings – classics such as Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue or Take Five by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, for example – and they will turn in a performance full of subtlety, dynamics and cohesion that’s almost eerily convincing.

That the Marten Parker Duo Diamond Edition are capable of a high level of resolution should not be a surprise. Such qualities should be a given at this level. However, what sets them apart from most rivals is the degree to which they step beyond the mechanics of hi-fi – you know, a cone moving backs and forward, crossover components and enclosure resonances – to put the music front and centre.

These speakers sound impressively natural regardless of whether we are talking about rendering instrumental textures in classic jazz recordings or the nuances of Billie Eilish and Khalid’s vocals on the wonderful song, Lovely.

When we play Tchaikovsky’s Marché Slave Op.31, these Marten standmounts stay controlled even when pushed hard to high levels. Just as pleasingly, they refuse to harden up and compress to any significant degree under such circumstances.

There are certain boxes that need to be ticked for a speaker to succeed at this level. Tonality has to be spot on, and it is. These standmounts sound neutral while still displaying natural warmth and richness; this is a rare combination that few rivals manage.

Next, dynamic expression should be top class. That’s another tick here, whether we are talking about the wide-ranging sweeps of Tchaikovsky’s symphony or the finesse needed to get the most from the Billie Eilish/Khalid track, the Duo Diamond Edition manages it.

Then we come to rhythmic drive, a quality many hi-fi products struggle with. A quick spin of Michael Jackson’s Who Is It? reveals that these Marten speakers excel in this area too, communicating the song’s momentum and energy beautifully.

We haven’t even got to the icing on the cake yet. These relatively small speakers do bass, proper deep bass, way beyond that we would expect for this size of standmounter. As we listen to the Jackson track we are floored by the power and authority of the lows. The Parker Duo Diamond Edition hit hard and true, delivering the lows with enviable articulation and precision.

Compared to the cheaper but appreciably larger ATC SCM50 speakers, the Martens deliver richer, punchier bass with broadly comparable extension. The company claims low-frequency extension down to an impressive 36Hz ±2 dB. That sounds believable.

Verdict

The real shame of a product like this is that very few people will actually be able to hear and enjoy it, given its price and restricted exposure.

However, if you are one of the lucky few with the budget and system to do a speaker like this justice, we recommend a serious audition; the Marten Parker Duo Diamond Edition is a true endgame speaker.

Review published: 2nd September 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the YG Acoustics Carmel 3

Also consider the TAD ME1TX

Read our ATC SCM50 review

Best bookshelf speakers: top standmounts for every budget tested

Well this is something we haven’t seen from a Bluetooth speaker before: a design that mimics a kettlebell. And from turntable brand Lenco, too. Quite a departure.

The Orbita-360 isn’t aimed specifically at fitness fans, and it doesn’t weigh too much, so we wouldn’t start using it for kettlebell swings. But it is waterproof, so can be used outside, and it fires out sound in 360 degrees.

Inside is a 2.1-channel audio system comprising a 4-inch subwoofer, four full-range drivers and dual passive radiators, delivering 60W RMS (120W maximum). It promises “rich, room-filling audio with impressive bass and clarity.” And because its sound is projected evenly in 360 degrees, everyone in the surroundings should enjoy the same listening experience, no sweet spot required.

It supports Auracast, and so can pair with other compatible speakers to create more immersive wireless sound. And it’s rated IPX6 waterproof, so is protected against “strong water jets” – in other words, it’s safe to use by pools or fountains, and will happily withstand the inevitable downpour during your picnic.

The battery is good for 13 hours of use (that’s one hour less than the Award-winning JBL Flip 7). And it has nine lighting effects (including continuous and beat-synchronised modes) from its built-in LEDs, for adding a bit of razzle-dazzle to your gatherings.

But really it’s the design that sets it apart, of course. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, though the materials are more traditional – there’s an aluminium carry handle and a fabric finish (similar to those seen on the Amazon Echo range). The colour choices are also quite vanilla: Diamond Black or Lunar Grey.

Lenco is better known for its affordable turntables, such as the L-85. It has made speakers before, though its current range consists of the kind of hideous karaoke speakers that usually signal that a night out has gone awry.

The Orbita-360 is out now for £230 (around $300 / AU$440).

MORE:

The best Bluetooth speakers around

What is Auracast? Find out here

The best outdoor speakers to buy before the weather turns

As someone who uses both a Sonos Beam and Beam Gen 2 at home, I’m probably more excited than most about the announcement of the new Beam Ultra.

And, I have to say, I think it broadly looks excellent, delivering pretty much everything that Beam owners like me have been asking for.

But ‘pretty much everything’ and ‘everything’ aren’t the same thing, and we always want more.

So, here are the five features of the Beam Ultra about which I’m most excited, and the three elements that I find slightly disappointing.

Good: up-firing drivers

This is the big one: the thing Sonos Beam owners have been clamouring for since the launch of the original model back in 2018 – dedicated up-firing drivers.

In fairness, the Beam Gen 2 does an excellent job of creating a Dolby Atmos effect with its front-firing drivers and clever virtualisation tech, but the Beam Ultra should be significantly better in this regard. I find that very exciting indeed.

Good: more drivers in general

The Beam Ultra actually features nine drivers, which is four more than the existing Beam Gen 2.

As well as the two up-firers, the new soundbar features a forward-firing driver, two side-firing drivers, and four woofers, arranged into what Sonos says is a 7.1.2-channel configuration.

This should bring improvements to spaciousness and directness as well as Dolby Atmos delivery – assuming Sonos has nailed the tuning, that is.

Good: compact dimensions

It might feature four more drivers than the Beam Gen 2, but the Beam Ultra is still impressively compact, measuring 6.5 x 75 x 10.5cm.

In other words, it’s only 10cm wider than the diminutive Beam Gen 2, which means it will still fit neatly below or in front of most TVs – even smaller models – and it won't visually dominate a typical living room.

Good: upgradability

As with Sonos’s previous soundbars, the Beam Ultra can be upgraded through the addition of a subwoofer and/or wireless surrounds, and the new model’s launch is coinciding neatly with a new feature called ‘Portable Surround’.

This, as the name suggests, will allow you to use two portable speakers – the Play and Move 2 are compatible – as surrounds with one of Sonos’s soundbars.

Why does that matter? If you use a pair of non-portable speakers (Era 300s or Era 100s, for example) as surrounds, that's likely all they’ll ever be. Use portable speakers, though, and they can be picked up and used as music speakers anywhere in or out of the house. That’s much better value for money.

Good: new app

The launch of the Beam Ultra is also coinciding neatly with the launch of the new Sonos app, called Sonos 27.

Sonos is promising fancy features such as integration with any and all AI chatbots, so you can control your system via ChatGPT if you like, but, frankly, I’m just excited for the promised usability overhaul.

I still find the current Sonos app a real pig to operate, so I can’t wait to see how Sonos has (hopefully) improved things.

Disappointing: no HDMI passthrough

Look, I wasn’t expecting Sonos to add HDMI passthrough – I don’t think this is a feature that Sonos will ever support – but that doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed that it’s not been added.

I own a TV with just two HDMI 2.1 inputs, and one of those doubles as the eARC port. Once that’s taken up by a soundbar, I have just the one left. Seeing as I have both a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, that’s a bit of a pain in the bum, and it wouldn’t be if the soundbar just had a dedicated HDMI input and 4K/120Hz passthrough.

For Sonos, though, simplicity is key, so I think the single HDMI socket is here to stay.

Disappointing: no DTS:X

Again, this isn’t something I was expecting, and I don’t actually think a lack of DTS:X in the context of a mid-range soundbar is actually that big a deal, but it would still be better to have than not, especially as there are rivals that offer both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

That said, Sonos hasn't completely ruled out adding DTS:X support in the future.

Disappointing: a fairly high price

Whether the Beam Ultra is good value will ultimately depend on how it sounds, but at £699 / $699 / AU$1099, it certainly looks expensive on paper.

There are rivals from the likes of JBL and Harman Kardon that offer up-firing drivers and similar driver configurations for around the same money as the Beam Gen 2. If the Beam Ultra had simply replaced the Beam Gen 2 at its £449 / $449 / AU$649 price, it would be exceptionally tempting.

At £699 / $699 / AU$1099, though, Sonos is asking us to pay a significant premium, and the new soundbar is going to have to deliver some seriously impressive performance to justify it.

In fairness, this is nothing new for Sonos, which typically prioritises performance over specs – let's see if it's got the formula right again when we get the Beam Ultra in for review.

MORE:

“We know the home, we know audio, we know music” – we speak to Sonos about its operating system rebrand, its "customer-led" focus and app updates

Sonos Ace Ultra feature all-new drivers, updated ANC, and a "direct connection" to the current Sonos ecosystem

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

The remarkable resurrection of vinyl over the past decade or so shows no sign of abating. Quite the contrary, in fact. Indeed, there are plenty of people, apparently, who are getting into record collecting even before they own a turntable!

That is a situation that we at What Hi-Fi? feel obliged to address. In this issue, then, we have some excellent suggestions for turntables that will make living with a record deck and enjoying your vinyl collection as easy and fuss-free as possible. Whether it’s fully automatic functioning, an incorporated phono stage or Bluetooth capabilities so you can link in with your wireless system, it’s all there for you.

We also have a remarkable Group Test of floorstanding speakers from £900-£1200, where Dali takes on established favourites from Acoustic Energy, Fyne Audio and Monitor Audio. And we round-up premium standalone soundbars, showing that a single unit can get much of the way towards delivering a full surround-system’s sound.

Turntables that make vinyl replay a doddle

Perhaps you’re just considering dipping your toes into vinyl waters for the first time, but don’t necessarily want the fuss of a purist approach, where manual speed control – physically changing the belt over between 45 and 33⅓rpm – is just the tip of the audiophile iceberg. Or, maybe you’re an old hand with vinyl, but are pining for the simple life.

What you may be looking for is the tactility and fantastic, warm sound of vinyl that you’ve heard about, but with a little more simplicity and convenience. And for that, any of the turntables we are recommending over the following pages will suit you very nicely.

The decks we round up this month are designed to be as fuss-free as possible. Automatic speed control is, thankfully, present on all these turntables. Some have auto start/stop functionality, some even have Bluetooth so you can beam your vinyl music wirelessly to your chosen set-up.

Make no mistake though, every record player here, regardless of convenience, feature set and ease of use, sounds great – as you should expect from some of the world’s foremost turntable manufacturers. There’s a brace each from Sony and Audio-Technica, and Dual, Pro-Ject and Technics also make our list of seven.

What each of these turntables aims to do is get you playing your vinyl quickly and easily – whether it is your first deck, you’re dusting off your record collection for the first time in years, or you’re somewhere in between.

Premium soundbars round-up

The very best soundbars will take your home-cinema sound to the next level, without the need for multiple speakers.

Their compact nature makes them the ideal solution for those without the space for a full surround-sound set-up, with fronts, surrounds, subs, AVRs and the whole shebang. While there really is no substitute for such a set-up, it’s just not always practical.

But, if truly immersive cinematic sound is a priority, and your budget allows, a premium soundbar such as those featured here will mean less of a compromise, while still avoiding the trailing wires and need for placement of multiple boxes.

We have four premium soundbars for your consideration this month, from KEF, Sennheiser, Canvas Hi-Fi and Focal. None of these audio systems is cheap, of course, but each is a viable option for rivalling a full surround-sound system with a smaller footprint.

See if your next home cinema sound update could be found in this quartet of rather impressive soundbar solutions, only in this month's What Hi-Fi?

Budget stereo amplifier head-to-head

The sub-£1000 integrated stereo amplifier market is a tough nut to crack. Such amplifiers need to be forgiving enough to work well with budget sources and speakers, while having the sonic stretch to shine with higher-quality partners. Arcam’s A5 has been the dominant force in this sector since its introduction in late 2023, and the revised, current Award-winning A5+ version has simply reinforced that superiority.

The arrival of the Marantz Model 70 could be a problem for Arcam, though. Marantz is a recognised master of entry-level stereo amplification, and make no mistake, the company has been aggressive here, pitching the Model 70 directly at the class champion. We’ve tested both amplifiers against each other to find out.

Floorstanders group test

When it comes to floorstanding speakers, those in the £1000 ballpark face a difficult challenge: maintaining a mid-range price tag while matching the performance of higher-end separates. They should shine in use alongside premium gear, while giving budget options their best shot at success.

The Fyne Audio F501E are our current Award-winners in this bracket, with a powerful sound that justifies their significant proportions. However, they have recently come up against aggressive competition from the Dali Sonik 5, which, for speakers of their relatively modest size, bring with them a host of competing talents.

The priciest of our quartet of floorstanders, the Acoustic Energy AE309 Mk2 are hotly pursued by the Monitor Audio Bronze 300 7G, which land dead centre of our price range at £1000.

Which of these pairs of towers is our top recommendation at this level? Find out in this month's mag.

First with reviews

As always, our First Tests section is where you'll find What Hi-Fi?'s considered verdicts on the very latest hi-fi and AV gear.

A new affordable stereo amplifier is always interesting, and this month past masters Marantz return with the Model 70. Will it impress as much as the outgoing Marantz PM6007 has?

The Model 70 isn't the only Marantz separate to have entered our test rooms this month. The CD 70 is, as you might guess, a CD player – with CD sales reportedly on the rise, this could be a timely move for Marantz in a market that hasn't exactly been awash with players in the last few years.

Elsewhere we have reviews of the KEF LS Luxe active speakers, Denon AVR-X2900H home cinema amplifier, Grado SR325 Classic headphones, Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 speaker package, Hisense XR10 projector, Samsung S85H OLED TV and Acoustic Energy AE Active speakers.

Find all these reviews in October's What Hi-Fi? – out now!

High-end and mightily tempting

Our Temptations section of the magazine is where you'll find the highest of the high-end of hi-fi and AV products.

The Roksan Caspian 4G Streaming Pre-Amplifier and 4G Power Amplifier combination "bristles with energy, balancing excitement with control superbly". Our reviewers also note that the units "render an expansive soundstage". Tempted? Deep pockets? Find out more this month!

Marten has named its latest standmount speakers after jazz legend Charlie Parker, and indeed the Marten Parker Duo Diamond edition are musically rather special. "These speakers sound neutral while still displaying natural warmth and richness," we say in our review. Find out more about these classy speakers in this month's What Hi-Fi?.

Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive and freshly updated list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy – including winners of 2025's What Hi-Fi? Awards. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of the best wireless headphones to a home cinema speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.

Whatever you do, don't miss the October 2026 issue of What Hi-Fi?. Grab a copy today, or simply download it onto your tablet or smartphone. Enjoy!

You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition

Samsung and Canvas HiFi have announced the Samsung HiFi S99H, a new edition of the Korean giant's flagship OLED TV, married to a soundbar from the Danish audio brand.

Two versions of the Canvas soundbar are available with this particular TV model – the standard Canvas with 1000W of Class D amplification, or the larger Canvas L with a staggering 1500W.

The Samsung HiFi S99H will make its debut at IFA 2026 in Berlin this week, and will be available in 55-, 65-, 77-, and 83-inch sizes.

Prices start at $7,999 (UK and AU$ are TBC) – we tested the 55in version of this TV at £2499 / $2500 / AU$3999 back in June, so you can see this HiFi version is very much a premium product.

A fixed floor stand or wall mount is included, and there's an optional rotating floor stand available in aluminium or black.

Samsung has described the S99H HiFi as "more than simply the combination of a TV and a sound system.

The ambition is to create a new category in which true HiFi, picture quality and furniture design are developed as one integrated solution — developed for consumers who do not want to choose between performance and interior design."

We've previously tested the Canvas HiFi 65 soundbar and were very impressed by its clear, detailed sound and excellent handling of voices. We're yet to test the Canvas L, which Canvas HiFi has marketed as the "world's first audiophile soundbar".

Both Canvas soundbars are stereo, but include Baach's 3D audio processing to create a wider and more immersive soundstage.

In our Samsung S99H review, we gave the flagship OLED five stars, but noted that the audio lacked volume and bass weight. The HiFi S99H looks to rectify this shortcoming.

The Samsung HiFi S99H will be available in selected Canvas showrooms from October, with the Canvas L version available later this year.

MORE:

Read our Canvas HiFi Canvas 65 review

Our pick of the best TVs you can buy for every budget, from flagship OLEDs to budget Mini LED sets

And here are the best soundbars you can buy with your own money

"Good things come to those who wait", and I've been waiting a long time for a new Sonos Beam. Three long years, to be precise.

Thankfully, it looks like my patience has paid off, as Sonos has finally announced a new version of its compact Beam Dolby Atmos soundbar, and upon first impression, it's exactly what I've been waiting for.

The Sonos Beam Ultra takes the concept of the Award-winning Beam Gen 2 and elevates it; and I mean that in a literal sense.

While the Beam Gen 2 sported a five-speaker array with four elliptical mid-range drivers and a single tweeter, the Beam Ultra takes things up a notch with nine drivers in a 7.1.2 arrangement. That includes two upward-firing drivers for the first time on a Sonos Beam.

This upgrade was top of my wish list for a new Sonos Beam. While the Gen 2's advanced psychoacoustic processing delivers a surprisingly convincing Dolby Atmos experience, it's hard to beat dedicated height channels when it comes to delivering a proper "dome of sound" effect.

The addition of up-firing drivers brings the Beam Ultra closer to the Arc Ultra in many ways. Taking Sonos' usually excellent sound tuning into account, I'm really hoping that the Beam Ultra will deliver the height I felt was missing on the Beam Gen 2 after years of waiting.

However, there's one missing upgrade that has tempered my excitement ever so slightly. Specifically, the firm's SoundMotion woofer technology.

As we mentioned in our Sonos Arc Ultra review, this smaller, redesigned bass driver features "four smaller, lightweight motors in opposing corners" which are "able to push the cone to shift far more air and produce far more bass".

As a result, the Arc Ultra delivers "deep, tuneful and expressive bass", and it's a noticeable difference compared to the original Arc soundbar.

A smaller, more efficient bass driver seems like a perfect fit for the Beam, especially given the footprint of the soundbar. The Beam is also starting to see challengers in the market when it comes to bass performance, so a low-end upgrade would have been appreciated.

Despite this, Sonos appears not to have outfitted the Beam Ultra with its SoundMotion bass tech, which feels like a missed opportunity to me.

That's not to say the Beam Ultra won't deliver better bass. We'll only know if it is better in that metric when we run the two head-to-head in our review rooms. I just think the Arc Ultra tech would have been a great fit for the new Beam, considering our positive experience with it.

Nevertheless, the Beam Ultra is shaping up to be the compact Atmos-equipped soundbar that I've been waiting for, and I can't wait to hear it in action.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

As well as the best cheap soundbars

Sonos has formally named its app and multi-room operating system. Sonos 27 is being introduced this year with two new products – Ace Ultra and Beam Ultra – and boasts new AI control features, and new app navigation.

According to the company's press release, it "represent[s] the next stage of Sonos’ evolution from a collection of connected audio products into an increasingly intelligent and adaptable audio operating system for the home".

Why now? We spoke to Sonos's vice president of software, Sid Patel, and senior director of product development, Brandon Holley, both of whom have been with the company for over a decade, to dig into the newly-christened Sonos 27 operating system.

"For years, people have seen us as a speaker company, but what we actually have been building is an audio operating system," says Holley.

"Why now? We really think we've not done enough justice to tell the story of what the software does with the overall system and the speakers, and what it brings, and so this [branding] gives us a place to talk about the software and hardware and how it all works together," says Holley.

"Underneath it's extremely complex, there's a lot going on... but from a customer's standpoint, we want them to understand that every interaction, every piece of the system, whether it's the hardware or a partnership with a specific music provider – that is all part of a system."

"We've spent 20 years learning how a home feels and functions, and finally, we're naming the thing that we've been building all along," says Holley.

Sonos 27 is the overarching operating system powering the Sonos ecosystem and its many products, with Sonos aiming to treat its "audio operating system" like an Apple/Android operating system that updates every year. The '27' in the name will update every year, changing to '28' next year, we're told, just like iOS 26 will update to iOS 27 this year.

Fabric – "the magic that has been Sonos for 20 years"

While naming the various things the Sonos ecosystem can do might seem like a marketing exercise, what is more concrete is the company's commitment to ensuring its ecosystem isn't a walled garden like other brands, offers various ways to control its products, and that these products work together more seamlessly.

Ensuring that the new Ace Ultra wireless headphones connect to every Sonos 27-compatible product seamlessly is a key component of this. "That is not a promise we fulfilled fully with Ace; we are fulfilling it with Ace Ultra," says Patel.

Sonos Fabric is the name given to the multi-room capability of the ecosystem, in the way that Sonos products can be linked together – or as Patel calls it, "the magic that has been Sonos for 20 years".

That includes the whole-house multi-room grouping of products, a stereo pairing between two speakers, and the new 'headphone linking' feature, which will let you transfer sound between a Sonos speaker or soundbar to Sonos Ace Ultra wireless headphones.

Another new feature under the 'Fabric' umbrella opens up the possibility of portable surrounds. The Sonos Play and Move 2 portable speakers (which feature Bluetooth and wi-fi) can now be used as rear surrounds alongside the Sonos Arc/Arc Ultra, Beam (Gen 2) and Beam Ultra soundbars. Sonos' Positioning Technology will use high-frequency sound to "sense a speaker's location and adapt its role" accordingly.

New AI-enabled ways to control your Sonos products

It will come as no surprise that AI is a big part of the new operating system, and as an evolution of the brand's "open platform philosophy", Sonos will let users control its ecosystem using any AI assistant they prefer.

"AI is obviously all the rage in the industry, but the way we're approaching it is like how we've approached it from the beginning for everything," says Patel. "We're creating a platform where we plug into other AI ecosystems and AI ecosystems can plug into us, similar to how music partners can plug into us today."

Sonos 27voice is the brand's own assistant for "music and mood curation" that has been customised and is more AI-friendly, while the Sonos 27mcp (Model Context Protocol) infrastructure will let you connect any external AI assistant or agent to your Sonos system (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Siri) so you can ask it to control music anywhere in your home.

"We know the home, we know audio, we know music," says Patel, "and so we've taken a layer and created intelligence there, so what we do is bring that intelligence to the home." The focus is on letting users control their music in a way that's quickest and feels most natural to them, whether that's using voice control, the app, the web app, the on-unit buttons or AI.

"From the time you bring your speaker home and your system home and you set it up, we want you to be listening to TV or music as fast as possible," says Patel of the brand's number one goal for the app.

A new feature called Sonos Custom Agents will also let users "create their own agents" through their system, allowing you to customise the model, persona and voice for your own personal AI assistant.

"We are in a new era where we're listening to our customers a lot more"

A big part of the creation of Sonos 27 and any updates going forward will be listening to customer feedback, especially on the app. It's a concentrated effort after the disastrous app redesign of 2024, which led to widespread customer dissatisfaction, the then-CEO stepping down, and Sonos rolling back many of the app features to re-gain trust amongst its customers.

"We still believe the Sonos app is the best way to experience your system along with all the other control services like voice and web and direct control," says Patel.

"We are in a new era where we're listening to our customers a lot more," Patel acknowledges, and declares many of the new app changes have been "community driven and very experimental", with the Sonos team engaging with customers on Reddit and social media channels to get instant feedback.

"We sort of opened the door to even our engineering team engaging with customers on Reddit, which is not something we did in the past. And it's actually worked out really well for us."

The Sonos 27app will gain fresh discovery and tab navigation, a new "virtual" volume dial, presets, lock screen integration and more. On top of that, the brand says it's still "innovating" and working closely with Apple and Google to further integrate Sonos features within a smartphone's native operating systems.

Will this be a turning point for Sonos, and will it be enough to claim back trust amongst its many long-term customers? There is a definite sense of confidence that the new features will work as promised, and we'll be getting our hands on Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra review samples imminently to try out all the new features and see how the updated app works – so stay tuned.

Sonos 27 will be available as a free update to all current-generation Sonos products (i.e. all products working with the 'S2' app/OS since 2020), with the portable surrounds support, new app navigation and Sonos 27mcp rolling out from 8th September.

MORE:

Sonos Ace Ultra feature all-new drivers, updated ANC, and a "direct connection" to the current Sonos ecosystem

Sonos' new Beam soundbar is finally here with a big Dolby Atmos upgrade – but there’s still something missing

Read our original Sonos Ace review

Sonos has just taken the wraps off the Beam Ultra, a new Dolby Atmos soundbar that sits between the entry-level Beam Gen 2 and premium Arc Ultra.

One of the coolest things about the Beam Ultra is that, unlike the Beam Gen 2, it has dedicated up-firing speakers for a more involving Dolby Atmos delivery.

Dolby Atmos isn't the only 3D audio format in town, though. DTS:X is a serious alternative, and one that's particularly popular with home cinema enthusiasts, yet Sonos has resolutely refused to support it on any of its speakers.

Given the chance to speak with Brandon Holley, Sonos’s Senior Director of Product, ahead of the Beam Ultra’s launch, we asked about that.

“Beam Ultra doesn’t support DTS:X at this time”, he said.

But could it (and other Sonos speakers) do so one day?

“It’s definitely a question that we ask ourselves, and it’s one of the many features, codecs and partnerships that we’re constantly entertaining. The door isn’t closed to any of those particular things”.

I realise that all seems a bit "nothing to see here", but I actually took some encouragement from the way Holley said it, and I genuinely believe this is a discussion that Sonos is having regularly.

It’s always seemed slightly odd to me that Sonos – a brand that has had format and service agnosticism at its core from its inception – would support Dolby Atmos and not DTS:X.

Sure, DTS:X is comparatively niche, but so are a large number of the streaming services that the Sonos ecosystem supports.

I wouldn't be surprised if DTS:X eventually found its way onto Sonos speakers. The more pressing question, though, is whether the Sonos Beam Ultra is any good in its own right.

We intend to answer that question by putting it through our comparative review process just as soon as possible.

MORE:

Sonos' new Beam soundbar is finally here with a big Dolby Atmos upgrade – but there’s still something missing

Sonos Ace Ultra feature all-new drivers, updated ANC, and a "direct connection" to the current Sonos ecosystem

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

Sonos has finally launched a new version of its Award-winning Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar.

The new Beam Ultra was unveiled at a pre-launch press event today and sits in the same family as the more premium Arc Ultra, which came out in 2024.

The “mid-size soundbar” boasts a 7.1.2-channel configuration. This includes two up-firing drivers.

The up-firing drivers are a key upgrade over the older Beam Gen 2, which didn't feature them.

Despite the upgrade, there is still no DTS:X support. The omission isn't a huge surprise, as none of the company’s soundbars features it, but it is a bit of a shame for those wanting comprehensive surround sound options.

When asked whether Sonos would add DTS:X in the future, Senior Director of Product Development at Sonos, Brandon Holley told us: "The door isn't closed for us, but just in terms of delivering the value that we think our customers are specifically asking for, that's what Beam Ultra has today."

The Beam Ultra also features a redesigned centre channel and four levels of AI Speech Enhancement to help it deliver clearer dialogue.

There’s also a Night Sound setting if you don’t want to disturb the neighbours, which should compress the bar's dynamic range. Once again, the firm's Trueplay calibration is on hand to fine-tune the sound to your space.

You can also link the Beam Ultra with other Sonos products to create a multi-room listening experience, including the newly announced Sonos Ace Ultra over-ear headphones.

Holley added that the firm has worked to ensure the Beam Ultra delivers better audio with music, telling us: "We treat music as important as we do home theatre performance, and so we want it to sound great musically as a soundbar as well."

That's something we found to be true with Sonos' previous models, so we are hopeful it will be the same with the new addition.

The Beam Ultra will be available in two finishes (black and white) and you can mount the bar to your wall or simply place it in front of your TV. We don't have its full dimensions yet, but Holley told us that the Beam Ultra has been intentionally designed not to block the TV screen, even if it is sitting on the surface.

So, how much will the new soundbar set you back? In the UK, the Beam Ultra will launch at £699 (around $946 / AU$1320). That means it sits between the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799 and £449 / $449 / AU$649, respectively. The base Beam Gen 2 will remain on sale, sitting below the Ultra in Sonos' range.

We haven't managed to get the Beam Ultra into our test room yet, but we should have a chance to get up close with it very soon at the IFA trade show in Berlin. Watch this space.

MORE:

Check out our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here are the best soundbars we recommend

The Sonos Ace Ultra wireless headphones have landed, and it looks like good news throughout, with Sonos promising a "direct connection to the Sonos system."

Positioned above the three-star Ace – the brand's first headphones released in 2024 – the new step-up Ace Ultra have been designed from the ground up to deliver the improvements to sound, noise-cancelling and wider compatibility with the Sonos ecosystem that were missing from Sonos' debut over-ears.

At the heart of the Ace Ultra is the "Headphone Engine 2", a next-gen wi-fi hardware and software system that lets you link the headphones directly to your existing Sonos system. It's the feature that we (and Sonos customers) have wanted all along, allowing you to swap audio from any Sonos wireless speaker or soundbar to the Ace Ultra headphones at the press of a button (or via the app), and back again.

Listening to music on the Ace Ultra from your laptop or smartphone is still done via Bluetooth rather than wi-fi, but this is a marked improvement over the original Sonos Ace, where you could only 'swap' audio from select Sonos soundbars.

With the Ace Ultra, this 'headphone linking' feature will work with any current Sonos soundbar and wireless speaker under the Sonos 27 ecosystem, including the Arc Ultra, Ray, Beam (Gen 2), new Beam Ultra, Sonos Five, Era 100, Era 300, Move 2, Play and Roam 2.

The Ace Ultra feature all-new Sonos-designed 40mm drivers, and the sound is tuned with input from the Sonos Soundboard, which features leading figures in music and film (including Grammy winners) to deliver a sound "that stays true to the artist's intent."

Active noise cancellation has been given a boost, with the Ace Ultra promising to be twice as effective in this regard. The Ace Ultra house 10 mics (up from eight on the original Ace), with an adaptive ANC system that continuously monitors your surroundings to deliver the best ANC experience.

An Adaptive EQ also tunes the ANC to adjust to any imperfections in the acoustic seal around the earcups, such as gaps in the fit for those wearing glasses.

An Aware mode, which lets outside sounds in, also returns, as does support for headtracking with Dolby Atmos content.

Battery is up to 35 hours (up from 30 hours from the original Ace) with ANC activated, and you can get three hours from a fast-charge of three minutes. The higher-quality aptX Lossless codec is supported, while native support for 16-bit/48kHz resolution is once again supported via a wired USB-C connection.

The general design of the Sonos Ace Ultra remains the same as before, with soft foam cushions to provide maximum comfort, and physical buttons that include a multi-function button/slider (called the 'control key') through which you can adjust volume, change noise modes and playback, and send music to and from your connected Sonos speakers via the 'headphone linking' feature.

There are three-band and eight-band EQ settings in the app to further customise the sound to your tastes, whereas TrueCinema technology tunes the headphones' sound according to your room's acoustics when connected to a compatible Sonos soundbar.

The Sonos Ace Ultra headphones will cost £399 / $449 and be available globally from 29th September, with pre-orders starting from today, 1st September. The headphones will be available in four finishes: new sand and agave colours, as well as the standard black and white options.

Interestingly, the established Sonos Ace will continue to be available. The Ace are currently priced at £299 / $299 / AU$449, which is a considerable drop from their launch price of £449 / $449 / AU$699. Those in the UK will also get a bonus saving, as the new Ace Ultra will launch for £50 less than the inaugural Ace did.

We have high hopes for the new Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, which seem to address many of the issues we had with the original Ace – such as incomplete features, buggy connections, "average" sound, and ANC quality that didn't compete with strong rivals.

Let's see if they give the current Sony, Bose and Sennheiser class leaders a run for their money.

MORE:

Read our original Sonos Ace review

And our five-star Sony WH-1000XM6 review

Best wireless headphones 2026: reviewed and rated by our in-house experts

A lifestyle projector needs to get the balance between performance and portability just right, and the Hisense C2 Ultra makes a pretty compelling case for itself.

Not only does it focus on convenience and is incredibly easy to set up, but it also delivers a bright, punchy 4K picture and outstanding built-in sound.

And now you can get all of that with a solid discount, too. The C2 Ultra is down to £1599 at Sevenoaks, a £200 drop from the £1799 price we tested it at only last week.

And there's more. You even get an Xbox Design Lab Controller and 1 month of Game Pass thrown in for free, so you can take advantage of the projector's many gaming features.

The Hisense C2 Ultra clearly has portability in mind, and this is reflected in the design. It's compact at 29 x 25 x 25cm (hwd), and even comes with a neat cloth carry bag.

Constantly moving a projector around can involve constant set-up adjustments, but Hisense makes this as smooth as possible. The C2 Ultra can rotate a full 360 degrees on its circular base, for starters, and its cradle design supports a generous 135 degrees of vertical tilt.

The Auto Magic AI Adjusting 2.0 system is also one of the most straightforward AI set-up systems we've seen, with a genuine plug-and-play experience that seldom needs any manual intervention.

The triple-laser DLP projector is rated to deliver up to 3000 lumens of brightness and claims to support huge image sizes of up to 300 inches. The larger you go, the more brightness you lose, though, and we found 100-150 inches to be the sweet spot.

The built-in Vidaa smart platform isn't quite as sophisticated as Google TV, but it does boast all the major domestic and international streaming services as well as Freely.

There's also support for all four HDR formats – including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision – a rarity for a projector, as well as an IMAX Enhanced picture preset.

Gaming features include ALLM, 240Hz refresh rate support, and a measured 34.4ms of input lag in Game mode with a 60Hz signal. Ideal for that bundled Xbox controller, then.

And it's not all features over performance – the picture the Hisense produces is still effortlessly watchable.

As our Hisense C2 Ultra review reads: "The C2 Ultra’s HDR images are bright, for starters, making full use of the available 3000 lumens to deliver images that look both excellently punchy in a dark environment, and strong enough to hold their own, retaining good colour saturation and solidity, even in fairly bright living room conditions."

Our only issue was a cloak of greyness in some uniformly dark scenes, and a moderate level of rainbow effect in bright highlights.

It's the sound that really impresses for a projector, however – the unusually powerful, 40W JBL sound system delivers a remarkable amount of bass, as well as a palpable sense of three-dimensionality for Dolby Atmos.

The Hisense C2 Ultra is absolutely stacked with features as well as being extremely user-friendly. Given how much you get for the price, this really is a bargain – and even more so with £200 at Sevenoaks.

MORE:

Read our BenQ W2720i review

Also read our BenQ TK705i review

Our pick of the best projectors across a range of prices

How to set up your projector and get the best picture

JBL has dominated the portable Bluetooth speaker market with its Go, Flip, Charge and Xtreme models, and now it is turning its attention to the wireless multi-room speaker category with the new JBL Cove range.

The Cove range is designed to bring "superior JBL sound to every room", touting a flexible and expandable whole-home audio ecosystem powered by JBL's in-house platform and managed via the JBL One app.

The new series consists of three models available at launch: the compact Cove M1, the battery-powered Cove P1, and the flagship, six-driver-toting Cove X1. Each speaker can be used in its own right, as a stereo pair, or as part of a multi-room setup.

The smaller Cove M1 houses a trio of tweeters alongside a single woofer, while the Cove P1 packs four tweeters and a single woofer. The flagship Cove X1, meanwhile, also houses a quad tweeter array, complemented by a pair of woofers.

Both the Cove X1 and Cove P1 support Dolby Atmos, with the battery-powered Cove P1 boasting 14 hours of playtime on a single charge and an IP56 certification for protection against dust and water.

To help you get the most out of your multi-room system, JBL’s own 'Constant Sound Field' automatically tunes the speakers to their given environment, while 'AI Sound Boost' further aims to optimise performance based on where and how you listen.

You're not short on wireless connectivity, either. Alongside standard Bluetooth, wi-fi access grants support for AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Qobuz Connect, and all members of the new Cove family are Roon Ready. Spotify Tap provides quick access to Spotify, while built-in Alexa Plus voice control is also available.

The Cove range will connect with JBL's Bar Series MK2 soundbars (which include the Bar 300MK2 and Bar 1000MK2), and you can use a pair of Cove speakers as rear surrounds for a home cinema setup.

According to Carsten Olesen, President of Consumer Audio at Harman: "JBL Cove marks an important step in our ambition to become a leading force in home audio, combining powerful JBL Legendary Sound with the simplicity, flexibility and outstanding value that will help even more people discover how simple it is to have great sound throughout the home.”

Each member of the JBL Cove range will be available in white or black finishes from October 2026. The JBL Cove M1 is priced at £200 / €230 / $230, the Cove P1 at £400 / €450 / $400, and the Cove X1 at £430 / €500 / $450.

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Era 300

Also consider the Apple HomePod 2

Best wireless speakers: tried and tested by our expert team

Dali has announced the release of a new subwoofer, the Basik Sub, which the company says is “a natural partner” to its Kupid and Sonik 1 standmounters.

The Basik Sub uses a 20cm downward-firing woofer made from paper pulp, which Dali claims combines “low mass with rigidity to provide detailed low-frequency performance”.

According to the company, the Basik Sub’s downward-firing configuration allows more even bass distribution and improves flexibility when it comes to positioning.

It's powered by Class D amplification, delivering 170W RMS and a peak of 220W. And the subwoofer's reasonable dimensions of 31.9 x 29.5 x 31 cm (hwd) should also make it easy to integrate into smaller listening spaces.

The subwoofer includes a stereo line-in and a mono LFE input to cater for hi-fi and home cinema applications. The speaker also features built-in controls, such as a gain, crossover adjustment (40–120Hz) and phase controls (0–180°), which Dali says “make it straightforward to integrate Basik Sub into a wide range of systems”. A dual-stage limiter has been included to protect the drivers from overloading.

A vented voice-coil helps to maintain cooling and minimises air compression at high listening levels, while a switch-mode power supply regulates power consumption and heat generation.

According to Krestian Pedersen, head of product management at Dali: "We've seen a rise in popularity of bookshelf speakers with our own award-winning KUPID and SONIK 1 speakers over the last year. This has been fuelled by small, affordable streaming amplifiers and turntables which allow consumers to create a custom hi-fi system for the price of a smartphone.

"BASIK SUB is designed as a natural enhancement for these systems as almost all affordable streaming amplifiers and speakers feature a dedicated subwoofer output and bass management features, making it possible to get the full scale and bandwidth from a compact and interior-friendly package"

The Dali Basik Sub is set to go on sale in October for £429 / $800 / €500 and will be available in six finishes: Solid Black, Solid White, Caramel White, Golden Yellow and Chilly Blue.

MORE

Read our full Dali Sonik 1 review

And our Dali Kupid review

Plus, take a look at our pick of the best subwoofers for all budgets, tested by our expert reviewers

It’s easy to see why ultra short throw projectors have become so popular in recent years.

They can deliver bigger images and usually cost much less than the largest TVs, and do so while sat just inches from your screen, rather than having to squat in the middle of your living room.

It’s also easy to see why Hisense UST projectors in particular have done so well.

Hisense has more experience with them than most brands, which now typically pays off in superior performance levels, and it has the economies of scale to sell UST projectors more cheaply than most rivals.

Even by Hisense’s standards, though, the PT1 is quite the head turner, offering full tri-chroma (RGB) laser projection, built-in Vidaa smarts, a premium design and a potent integrated sound system for just £1599 in the UK.

Is this really Hisense’s biggest bargain to date, though, or does the price come with strings attached?

Price

The Hisense PT1’s £1599 / $2199 / AU$2500 price is aggressive for any UST projector, never mind one as well specified and richly featured as this one.

If your projector doesn’t need to be a UST model, Hisense has a strong ‘coffee table’ offering in the shape of the C2 Ultra, while BenQ’s Award-winning W2720i is a strong rival if you’re after a projector focused more on a dedicated home theatre approach.

Design

The PT1 doesn't stray too far from the conventional rectangular UST projector design, with speakers on the front edge and a lens slit on top. That's quite a contrast to models such as the futuristic AWOL Vision Aetherion Max and gleaming metallic Leica Cine 1.

It offers enough eye-catching refinement in its build quality and the crisp bronze metallic trim and side detailing, though, to look like it should cost more than it does.

Hisense’s love affair with UST projectors started with the notion that when partnered with a screen they could essentially replace the traditional TV set, so it’s no great surprise to find the PT1 shipping with pretty much the same long, sleekly finished and button-packed remote control you get with the brand’s latest premium TVs. It even has the same solar recharging panel at the bottom of its front edge, and a series of buttons for directly accessing various streaming apps.

Features

As a UST projector, the PT1 is capable of producing images as large as 150 inches when sat just inches from your wall. However, thanks to a slightly restrained claimed peak brightness of 2500 lumens (less than you get with Hisense’s cheaper PL2 UST model), you’re probably better off thinking of 120 inches or so as being the maximum image size this projector can stretch to while retaining the sort of punchy images you’ll likely want in today’s HDR world.

Talking of HDR, the PT1 joins other current Hisense laser projectors in supporting all four of the main HDR formats: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Such comprehensive HDR support remains uncommon in the projector world, and it means the PT1 will always play the best version of any HDR content you feed it. It’s able to apply dynamic tone mapping to HDR10 content, too, in a bid to optimise such images to the projector’s capabilities.

The PT1 is capable of playing 4K images through its 2.07 million micro mirror DLP optical engine courtesy of Texas Instruments' XPR technology (a combination of pixel shifting and fast DLP mirror ‘flashing’), and its light comes from three separate lasers, one for each of the red, green and blue colour elements.

This is the most important way it differs from the cheaper PL2 model, which only uses single-element laser lighting, and it should enable the PT1 to produce a much wider colour range.

In fact, Hisense claims it can reproduce 110 per cent of the AV world’s most extreme (and actually rarely used) BT.2020 spectrum, making full coverage of the smaller DCI-P3 spectrum typically used in HDR mastering well within its reach.

The PT1 also carries an AI Colour mode that claims to fine-tune every frame to deliver, in Hisense’s words, “richer, more accurate colours that go beyond what typical displays can offer”.

The PT1's built-in smart system is the ninth generation of Hisense’s own Vidaa platform. While Vidaa might not be the most glamorous or ‘intelligent’ smart system on the market, it is straightforwardly organised and presented, making it relatively easy to use.

It also carries all the main global and UK apps, including the relatively new Freely UK platform that lets you livestream most of the UK’s terrestrial broadcaster channels rather than having to depend on an aerial to receive them. This is particularly handy given that the PT1 no longer sports the digital tuner input you used to get on Hisense’s earliest laser TV projectors.

Connections are still decent, though. They include three HDMI ports (two with ‘enhanced’ HDMI 2.1 gaming features), a USB-C port, an optical digital audio output, a headphone jack and a LAN port. There's also wi-fi and Bluetooth support, including Apple AirPlay.

Home theatre fans will be pleased to hear that the PT1’s available picture presets include both Filmmaker and IMAX Enhanced modes, while gamers will appreciate the projector’s support for 240Hz frame rates (at HD resolution), 4K resolution at 120Hz refresh rates, ALLM switching, and a reasonably speedy (for a projector) measured input lag of 37.1ms with 60Hz feeds in the default Game mode.

This input lag can be reduced, too, to 20.4ms if you activate the DLP Turbo feature in the picture menus. Activating DLP Turbo, though, switches off all your auto and manual keystone correction work – not ideal for us given the unexpected difficulties we experienced with getting the PT1’s provided auto keystone correction feature to get the edges of the images straight.

The relatively deep and substantial bodywork associated with UST projectors often helps them integrate substantial sound systems, and the PT1 sports an unusual 2.0.2 channel arrangement, where the two main front-firing speakers are partnered with a pair of up-firing units. Total amplification is 46 watts.

Picture quality

If you’re careful which settings you use, the PT1 is capable of delivering plenty of the impressively natural, balanced and refined pictures we’ve come to expect from Hisense UST projectors.

Provided you use its Filmmaker Mode or IMAX Enhanced presets with HDR10 footage, and the Dark Dolby Vision setting with Dolby Vision content, images enjoy a wonderfully no-nonsense and essentially glitch-free quality.

This is expertly built on a combination of remarkably deep and consistent blacks for such an affordable UST projector. There is excellent sharpness and texturing with both native 4K and upscaled HD sources; and eye-catchingly natural skin tones of the sort that elude so many other similarly affordable projectors.

Motion with 24p movie sources looks natural out of the box in the presets we’ve just recommended too, without the need to mess around with any motion compensation settings.

Both the Filmmaker Mode and IMAX Enhanced presets default to the Film option for the PT1’s Ultra Smooth Motion setting, confirming the sense we’ve got from other recent Hisense projectors that this Film setting is now one of the most cinematic movie motion presets in the projector world.

However, while the Filmmaker Mode, IMAX Enhanced and Dolby Vision Dark modes are endlessly watchable in pretty much fully blacked out rooms, they look a little dim and dull in any even half-bright living room environment.

This doesn’t matter, of course, if you’re looking for a projector to go into a dedicated home cinema room, but UST projectors such as the PT1 are typically positioned as lifestyle options, designed to cope with bright as well as dark room settings. So, while the PT1’s lack of brightness versus most UST projectors might actually serve its pictures well when it comes to their excellent black levels, they become a limitation if you’re looking for a UST projector to essentially take the place of a living room television. Don’t forget, either, that if you try to push the PT1’s pictures towards the biggest extremes of its claimed screen size range, the picture will shed significantly more brightness.

It’s perhaps telling that if you go into the PT1’s Screen Type menu, the only options available are Wide Angle ALR screen, High Gain ALR Screen 1, High Gain ALR Screen 2, and No Screen. There’s no option for a relatively neutral or negative gain screen of the sort a home cinema purist might prefer to use, perhaps acknowledging that the PT1’s limited brightness needs extra ‘help’ from whatever surface it’s being projected onto.

We were able to confirm that the PT1’s most accurate image modes do indeed benefit from a brightness boost when projected onto the 120-inch AWOL Vision Cinematic+ ALR Motorised floor-rising acoustic screen. However, the screen’s relatively high gain made dark scenes look a little less convincing in a dark room than they did on our usual almost-neutral-gain screen.

It also adds to the overall cost of the projector set-up, of course, as a good-quality ALR (Ambient Light Reflecting) screen is considerably more expensive than a regular neutral-gain screen.

Naturally, the PT1 has picture settings that can push the picture quite significantly harder in terms of brightness and colour saturation than the relatively accurate modes we’ve recommended so far. Using the HDR Standard, HDR Dynamic or, to a lesser extent, Dolby Vision Bright modes, however, has a really quite strange impact on the projector’s colour performance, with the tones that generally looked so balanced and authentic in Filmmaker Mode especially suddenly starting to take on some quite ‘off’ tones.

A kind of bluish green hue tends to dominate the overall tone of the HDR Standard setting, while skin sometimes takes on the sort of tones you only see in the real world with people who’ve spent way too long on a sun bed.

For example, the leaden skies over Los Angeles as Agent K heads to the old orphanage in Blade Runner 2049 take on a curious purple hue at times, and what should be subtle tonal differences become overstated, drawing too much attention to themselves by simply not looking subtle or authentic enough.

The brighter settings do create a more HDR feeling with HDR sources, including giving peak bright highlights impressive punch for a display technology that doesn’t have any local dimming processing to draw on. The overcooked nature of some of the colour tones is reduced a little by the natural desaturating effect of ambient light, too, if you’re in a non-blacked-out space.

Overall, though, we don’t find the Standard and Dynamic HDR10 settings and Dolby Vision Bright modes as truly engaging and immersive as we would have liked while using the projector in day-to-day living room conditions.

The PT1’s brighter presets also cause an increase in the rainbow effect, where the DLP projector engine causes stripes of pure red, green and blue to flit over stand-out bright objects, though it is far from the worst offender we’ve seen in this respect.

Sound quality

You certainly can’t accuse the PT1 of not trying to deliver a compelling audio performance to go with its king-sized pictures. In fact, if anything, it tries a bit too hard.

At first hearing, you’re immediately impressed by two striking audio achievements: loudness and the size of the soundstage. The speakers mounted on the projector’s front edge drive their sound forward with impressive power and volume, easily filling the gap between the projector and seating position with a potently expressed three-dimensional space.

The smaller up-firing speakers built into the PT1’s top are a little less well-rounded, but they deliver a palpable sense of height and plenty of subtle placement details within the resulting vertical wall of sound. Cooling fan noise, meanwhile, is noticeable by its absence, even during the quietest movie scenes.

Lower mid-range sounds are rich and rounded, too. The projector can even deliver enough bass to give big movie moments a level of heft and scale not found on most integrated TV and projector sound systems.

The only problem is that this bass doesn’t know when to stop, sometimes trying so enthusiastically to reproduce the movie world’s most foundation-troubling low-frequency sounds that the speakers either collapse in on themselves, so that the overall sound becomes swallowed and muted, or succumb to distracting crackles and buzzes.

Deep male voices can sound a bit thick and dominant, too, though we can finish on the good note the audio mostly deserves by adding that voices sound connected with the action on the screen, rather than as if they’re coming from the speakers below.

Verdict

The Hisense PT1 is yet another highly competent projector from Hisense. In its most accurate, dark room-friendly picture settings, in fact, it’s rather more than competent, delivering excellent images for its money, with outstanding black levels and natural colours.

Its relative lack of brightness compared with many of today’s UST projectors, though, together with some colour issues when using its brightest picture settings, make the PT1 less of a dark room/bright room all-rounder than people looking for the convenience of a UST projector might want it to be.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Hisense C2 Ultra

Also consider the BenQ W2720i

Read our Hisense PL2 review

Best projectors: the best options tested by our home cinema experts

Happy Monday and welcome to another retrospective on all the big news over the past seven days in the worlds of hi-fi, TV and home cinema, plus our pick of the review headlines from our test team.

We’ve had a bit of everything this week, from Apple’s big annual announcement to a talented tablet from Samsung.

Here’s everything you need to know…

Naim launched Uniti Star Lite

We’ve been huge fans of Naim’s Uniti Star streaming system since it launched way back in 2016. And Naim took the wraps off a new version last week, but with one major change.

The new Lite model doesn’t have the built-in CD player and ripper of the original. Unfortunately, this is due to supply issues, but Naim does claim to have upped the audio performance from the machine. Even with the lack of CD-spinner, we can’t wait to get it in our test rooms.

“Uniti Star Lite is not simply the original Uniti Star without a CD drive” – Naim says its new streaming amp sounds better, too

Apple confirms September event

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Everyone in the world of tech has been waiting for that one email to go around announcing Apple’s intention to unleash its latest generation iPhone on the buying public.

But will it just be iPhones that we see this year? Rumour has it a new pair of AirPods could be on the way together with refreshed tablets and, if we’re lucky, maybe even a new Apple TV 4K. All will hopefully be revealed on the big date…

Apple’s September event has a date, which means the first foldable iPhone looks imminent – but what else is expected?

Xbox’s lifeline for physical media

Both cinephiles and gamers were disappointed when Sony announced that its next-generation PlayStation console was going to ditch physical discs, so imagine our surprise (and glee) when Xbox announced a new initiative which looks like it could keep the disc format ticking over for a little while yet.

"It's really a breakthrough in how we think about physical and digital media" – Xbox's latest announcement is a lifeline for physical media and a direct response to Sony's huge Blu-ray disc fumble

Samsung’s talented big-screen tablet

Our test team had a great time getting to grips with Samsung’s huge Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra tablet this week.

Okay, so we realise a 14.6in tablet isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you’re a movie fan who can’t live without their fix of the big screen on the move, we think the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has iPad Pro-rivalling credentials that need to be taken seriously.

Get the full lowdown in our Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review

Bose’s flagship soundbar falls short

Our experts were also excited to get Bose’s new Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar into our test rooms, but we weren’t exactly blown away by what this flagship Dolby Atmos ‘bar has to offer.

We felt it was a good-looking unit boasting premium build quality and an intuitive control app, but it was ultimately an unsatisfying and undynamic listen, and the Sonos Arc Ultra continues to be our recommendation at this premium level.

Read our full Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar review

FiiO reveals more retro-inspired hi-fi

FiiO loves retro-looking hi-fi components, and this week, it announced a product which “takes inspiration from the 'golden era of 1950s tube amplifiers". At £769 / $769 / €665 the EA13 is a relatively affordable full-size vacuum tube amplifier, but with a solid feature set and design.

FiiO's retro-modern amp takes inspiration from the "golden era of 1950s tube amplifiers"

McIntosh revealed a new streaming preamp

This week we got a glimpse of the wonderful blue lights of McIntosh’s VU meters, this time sat on the front of the company’s new CS7500 streaming preamplifier.

Dressed in McIntosh’s trademark black, green and blue colours, the CS7500 promises a wide assortment of connectivity options and all the streaming smarts you’d expect from a product costing over $12,000.

McIntosh’s new high-performance preamplifier combines classic looks with streaming smarts and a premium price tag

The rest of the week's news in brief:

Castle launches four new speakers that offer "a new level of performance" while retaining the brand's "natural warmth" and handcrafted cabinets

Yamaha bolsters its streaming arsenal with a feature-laden streaming amplifier and network music player

Apple might be about to launch new AirPods 5, but will they feature substantial improvements?

Eversolo brings streaming, downloads and physical CD playback together in one multitasking product

Porsche and Burmester have a new secret weapon for their car hi-fi systems, and it sounds like sci-fi

Watch US Open 2026 live streams

The world's biggest tennis stars (with one notable exception) are heading to the historic Flushing Meadows to do battle at the fourth and final Grand Slam of the 2026 season — the US Open. And we're serving up all the information you need to watch every match live and from anywhere.

While champion Carlos Alcaraz will play in New York, his long layoff means it's hard to know how far he'll be able to progress. And, with world number 1 Jannik Sinner out with his own injury and four-time champ Novak Djokovic out in the first round, the likes of French Open victor Alexander Zverev, 2021 winner Daniil Medvedev, and rising star Félix Auger-Aliassime will all fancy their chances.

It's hard to look past Aryna Sabalenka securing her third straight US Open title, but there's plenty of homegrown talent that will hope to impress in front of a notoriously partisan Queens crowd. Expect plenty of vocal encouragement for Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys.

Today (Wednesday 2nd September) sees the first day of Round 2 singles action with the vast majority of seeds still in the draw, and there's plenty of American interest involved in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Pegula kicks things off against compatriot Sofia Kenin (11.30am ET) followed by a tough challenge for Ben Shelton from Hubert Hurkacz. The evening session sees both reigning champions on the main court (from 7pm ET), with Sabalenka up against Polina Iatcenko before Alcaraz plays Jaime Faria.

Follow our guide below for where to watch US Open 2026 live streams.

How can I watch US Open 2026 for free?

Tennis fans in Australia are in luck, as 9Now is showing US Open 2026 live streams for free.

9Gem is showing extensive daily coverage of the tournament for free Down Under, with its live coverage also available via the free streaming platform 9Now.

If you're from Australia but are currently abroad and want to watch a US Open 2026 live stream, you can simply use a VPN. More details below...

Watch US Open 2026 live streams from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular US Open 2026 live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch any US Open 2026 live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate NordVPN as one of the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a generous 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Watch US Open 2026 live streams in the US

ESPN is providing full coverage every single day for US Open 2026 in the US, via ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, and the ESPN App.

Cord cutters will need the ESPN Unlimited plan to watch online, with prices starting from $31.99 per month. Alternatively, you can bundle it with Disney Plus and Hulu for $35.99 per month.

ESPN is also available through a cord-cutting service, such as YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV (all featuring a free trial for new users) or Sling TV.

To access your usual streaming service from outside the US, you'll need to download a good VPN, as detailed above.

• Expert TV advice: best OLED TVs for sports fans

Watch US Open 2026 live streams in the UK

Sky Sports is showing the 2026 US Open in the UK.

Sky TV plans that include the Sports channels usually start from around £35 a month and you can tailor your package to include other premium channels.

Now Sports Memberships will also show the tennis, with plans starting from £14.99 a day. The £27.99/month plan is your best option.

Outside the UK during the US Open? Get NordVPN to access your usual stream through Sky Go or the Now app.

Watch US Open 2026 live streams in Australia

Although not every US Open 2026 game will be broadcast for free in Australia, tennis fans can watch select matches on 9Gem at no cost.

That means you can also stream all the action via the network's 9Now streaming service and app.

Comprehensive US Open coverage comes courtesy of Stan Sport, with subscriptions costing from $29.99 a month. They also carry Champions League and Premier League football.

Again, you'll need to use a safe, reliable VPN to access 9Now and Stan when traveling abroad.

US Open 2026 Preview

It's not often that the tennis calendar heads into its fourth and final major of the year having had six different Grand Slam winners (the last time was 2018), but a combination of fierce combination and a litany of injuries to top players means that no single player has managed to completely dominate 2026.

On the men's side, both the reigning US Open champion (Carlos Alcaraz) and incumbant world number 1 (Jannik Sinner), looked like they would recommence their intriguing rivalry at Flushing Meadows. But Sinner has had to pull out through injury, and Alcaraz has only just been passed fit from the wrist issues that meant he missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

It means the men's draw is wide open for another challenger to prevail. Alexander Zverev should probably be considered the player most likely after finally removing the 'nearly man' monkey from his back. His French Open victory proved to the world — and himself — that he could win on the biggest stages. And, after then reaching the Wimbledon final the very next month, he could easily begin racking up the Slams.

He'll have to get past four-time champion Novak Djokovic, of course, but his competition won't begin and end with the GOAT. Hot Canadian prospect Félix Auger-Aliassime has come on leaps and bounds this year, while Flavio Cobolli and Alex de Minaur have been two of the most consistent players on the tour.

There are plenty of Americans who will like their chances of ending the country's 23-year barren run at the majors, with Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima all within the top 16 seeds. While Arthur Fils will try to ride the wave of momentum from his Cincinnati Open win last week.

Women's world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka has won the last two editions of the US Open and it's hard to look too far past her making it a third by the time the final rolls around on September 12.

Mirra Andreeva and Linda Nosková have both had breakout years to win their very first Slams, while number 2 seed Elena Rybakina took down Sabalenka in the Aussie Open for her first major win in nearly four years. All three will like their chances of a deep run at Queens, while previous winners Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek and Naomi Osaka will all also be in the conversation.

To thrill the crowds and pad the TV ratings, the legendary Williams sisters — Serena and Venus — have got a wildcard in the women's doubles. The 46-year-old two-time winner Venus is also set to play the singles.

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals
• Where to watch Vuelta a España 2026 for free

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

How to watch The Traitors Ireland season 2

Season 1 of The Traitors Ireland was one of the more emotional and brutal iterations of the show, as Faithfuls Kelley Higgins, Oyin Adeyemi and Vanessa Ogbonna fought their way to the grand prize. It also made a star out of retired prison officer Paudie Moloney, more recently seen in Ireland’s version of Dancing with the Stars.

Now the iconic reality gameshow returns, with host Siobhán McSweeney welcoming a new class of Faithfuls and Traitors to Slane Castle, battling it out both physically and mentally in the hopes of bagging a potential €50,000 prize.

Season 2 promises to be just as explosive as the first outing, with RTÉ teasing: “With new twists, new gameplay and plenty of surprises in store, audiences can expect all the drama, intrigue, treachery and unforgettable moments that make The Traitors Ireland unmissable.”

The Traitors Ireland season 2 premieres on August 30 in Ireland, with international release dates yet to be confirmed.

From Ireland but abroad? Don't sweat – you can watch The Traitors Ireland online by using this VPN to access all episodes on RTÉ Player in a few moments. Here's how to do it....

• Release date: Sunday, August 30
• Ireland stream: RTÉ Player (free)
• UK stream: BBC iPlayer (free, release date TBC)
• ABROAD? Download NordVPN app to watch RTÉ Player anywhere

Where to watch The Traitors Ireland S2 in Ireland

Season 2 of Traitors Ireland will air on RTÉ One in its native country, starting Sunday, August 30. Episodes will also stream for FREE on RTÉ Player.

Remember: use a VPN to access the service when travelling outside of Ireland – otherwise you'll find yourself geo-blocked. Boo.

Watch The Traitors Ireland S2 from abroad with a VPN

If you're away from home you might find yourself geo-blocked from your usual account. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you to get around this obstacle. It creates a private connection between your device and the internet, enabling you to appear to be in your home country. There are lots of VPN options, but we think NordVPN is currently the very best VPN for streaming.

How to use a VPN to watch TV shows abroad

Using a VPN to watch The Traitors Ireland is incredibly simple:

1. Install the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location that you signed up for the service in (e.g. UK).

3. Head to RTÉ Player on your browser or device and enjoy watching The Traitors Ireland online from anywhere in the world. Simple!

Where to watch The Traitors Ireland S2 in the UK

While a version of RTÉ Player is available to viewers across the Irish sea, the UK iteration of the platform doesn't host Traitors Ireland.

But, UK fans can still watch season 1 for FREE via BBC iPlayer, although season 2 isn't likely to drop for a little while yet.

Can I watch The Traitors Ireland S2 in the US?

Peacock is the home of all things Traitors in the US, however Traitors Ireland is yet to arrive on the streamer. With season 1 still banished, we wouldn't expect season 2 to arrive any time soon.

Where to watch The Traitors Ireland S2 in Canada

Traitors Ireland streams on Crave in Canada. Season 1 arrived pretty soon after its Irish debut, so while we wouldn't expect new episodes immediately, we can't imagine there will be too long of a delay for season 2.

Where to watch The Traitors Ireland S2 in Australia

The good news for Aussies is that Traitors Ireland season 2 will stream for FREE on 10Play. The bad news is that with the first season only arriving recently, viewers could be in for a bit of a wait.

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Watch The Traitors Ireland S2 trailer

• Upgrade the action: best TVs
• Apple TV+ free trial and all the ways you can get one
• Read our review of the Apple TV 4K box

As it says on the tin, these are Sennheiser ‘Pro’ headphones, which means they come from the part of Sennheiser which is still fully Sennheiser, designed in Wedemark, Germany, by Sennheiser’s pro-gear people, then hand-assembled in the company’s extensive manufacturing facilities in Romania.

The HD 480 Pros are, therefore, much differentiated from the consumer Sennheiser brand licensed (though currently up for divestment) by Swiss medical company Sonova, which manufactures its consumer lines like Momentum and Accentum noise-cancellers over in Ireland.

In pro circles, as in consumerland, Sennheiser is a respected brand regarded as providing both quality and reliability. And we often comment that there are bargains to be found in professional headphone ranges, as these haven’t faced quite the surge of raging competition that has marked the last couple of decades of consumer headphones. Not all the HD Pro headphones are priced like these 480s: the HD 280 Pro headphones, say, can be found for as little as £83 / $100 / AU$139. The HD 380 Pros are no longer available, but will be familiar workhorses to many; we use a pair as regular headgear for studio and radio work.

Now here’s the new HD 480 Pro, with quite the price differential from the workaday lower cans, but then these, along with the open-back HD 490 Pro, reside at the very top of the 400 series of purpose-built professional audio headphones. They are priced on Sennheiser's own international sites at £339 / $399 / AU$739, but we have already seen the Australian price significantly discounted.

However, we were supplied the slightly-superior HD 480 Pro ‘Plus’ version, raising the price to £369 / $439 / $819, although the ‘Plus’ bonus is entirely an upgrade from a mere carry bag to a hard travel case like the ones you’d get with upmarket noise-cancelling headphones; there is no change to the headphones themselves for the additional Plus pricing.

Design & facilities

As with the hard case of the Plus version, the exterior design of these closed-back cabled headphones veers towards a consumer look: plain oval headshell and pivoting yokes, rather like those used with increasing monotony in recent years on Sonova’s consumer headphones. Previous Pro models were different: the HD 380 Pro had a yoke design which cut right into the shell, while the yokes and cables on the HD 280 Pros almost entirely obscure the shell, stuck to the outer surface like face-huggers.

Here the oval shell is more like that of the Momentums – free, although significantly larger in size, and not flat-backed but interestingly concave, the smooth surface unadorned other than some almost-invisible writing in black on black, like Disaster Area’s spaceship in Hitchhikers’ Guide, reading ‘HD 480 Pro Professional Studio Headphones’ (image below).

The headband extension system is entirely different to consumer cans however, employing a wide flat steel slider with nicely firm ratchets to keep it at your preferred length on either side. The earcups are velour, for our money better than pleathers and their ilk for hot and heavy use, as well as being very comfortable, and easily replaced. And they include a Sennheiser-patented feature for fit, known as Special Axes Geometry, where the mechanical design is supposed to adapt to any shape of head, maintaining equal and comfortable contact pressure.

Their overall weight will certainly seem remarkably low to anyone used to carrying electronics in their earshells: despite being larger than Momentums they are lighter: 274g on our scale versus 295g for the Momentum 4s (Momentum 5 specs say 290g). You can feel a little added weight from the hanging cable, of course, which here connects via a mini-XLR 4-pin plug to a socket on the left headshell. But there’s a little rubber seal over a socket on the right headshell, which you can switch to the left, should you prefer right-sided cable entry. Super handy.

The cable is long and curly, and at the plugging-in end it has a minijack plug and 6.5mm (quarter-inch) adaptor. A coily cable structure can claim to block cable-borne noise for the wearer, but some studio technicians hate coily cables, because they hang down and make audible tapping noises hitting things as musicians nod their heads! Happily optional non-curly cables are available in 1.8m and 3m lengths. A cable for balanced 4.4mm sockets is also available.

As for the interiors, the HD 480 Pro have 38mm dynamic drivers backed by neodymium magnets, their voice coils described as “ultra-light” without any further detail. The shell design promises multiple stages of passive sound shielding, with the interior chambers designed, says Sennheiser, to eliminate unwanted vibration, reflections and distortion in what it calls a ‘Vibration Attenuation System’.

These models are said to be aimed at being versatile for applications in the studio and beyond, but especially for recording, mixing and production; increasing numbers of mixers and producers are now favouring open-backed models like the HD 490 Pro, but those spill sound, so can’t be used in recording rooms and booths where the privacy of closed shells works both ways.

With mixing and studio work in mind, Sennheiser is presumably targeting a neutral response. Its literature promotes two things in particular: long-term comfort, and tight, accurate bass reproduction.

“With closed-back headphones, a good reproduction of the low-end is usually difficult to achieve,” says Sennheiser. “This is where the HD 480 PRO excel… their low-end is super-accurate and realistic.” notes Jimmy R. Landry, Category Market Manager, Music Industry at Sennheiser.

They claim a response down to -10dB from 3Hz to 28,700Hz, and offer a nominal impedance of 130Ω at 1kHz, making them versatile enough to be driven by sources from professional mixing desks and audio interfaces to laptops and even mobile devices.

Listening sessions

Coily cable attached and the HD 480 Pros under the considered control of the excellent headphone output on Eversolo’s DAC-Z10, we settled in for some serious listening. For this we had the quarter-inch adaptor screwed on to the integrated minijack plug, though later we used the minijack alone into a 2026 MacBook Pro headphone output, which now has DC load detection and adaptive voltage output to suit the headphones plugged in. (The Eversolo conducts a similar analysis.)

Both of these put the headphone socket on our left, but we’d been warming them up with use at a radio studio which had the socket on the right; for this we simply detached the cable from the left headshell, moved the rubber grommet and reattached the cables to the right. This is a very convenient system, and sturdily connected with a four-pin miniDIN using a release tab. We would note, though, that it will get heavy use for those moving the headphones around in the hard shell case which comes with the ‘Plus’ version of these headphones, as you have to detach the cable each time you stow them in that case.

The HD 480 Pros achieve excellent relative accuracy for use in studio and mixing scenarios; bass elements in particular are toned and tight, full but not pumped up. Yet they don’t lack emotion; they’re also a very enjoyable listening when you’re simply there to enjoy the music, for their insight especially – we found ourselves analysing the vocal lines on the Madonna/Kylie Love Sensation, listening to separate Mags from Kyls. The HD 480 Pros easily distinguished between the Madonna vocal line, treated and slightly raspy with age, and the subsequent sexier (and better phrased) Kylie lines. Compare Kylie’s kitten version of the line “It’s more than love… yeh!” with an emotionless Madonna-only version (on the third track of the EP release) to hear one queen of pop very much schooling the other… Kylie wins! We didn’t think too much of the song, but these headphones certainly laid out its pumped-up beats and swirly production tricks to their best advantage.

We used Roon to play Nick Drake’s ‘Bryer Later’ at 24-bit/96kHz, the delicacy of the delicious folk-and-strings instrumental Introduction, then the surprisingly rocky Hazey Jane II, driven along by the chugging guitar of Richard Thompson and the solidity of a Pegg/Mattacks rhythm section from Fairport Convention. Even with levels high, everything held solid here, the bass sufficiently present while nimble and clear in pitch and tone, with the drum work almost entirely tucked in a little pocket behind Drake’s unique vocal, while the horn arrangement sit at far left and right extremes.

It’s a joy to sit under a mix like this under headphones of this clarity; it’s not pumpy, it’s not enthusiastic, it’s just on the money. You’d have to go electrostatic or planar magnetic to hope for more in the way of detail, but here you gain the airshifting power of a conventional dynamic driver to underpin it all.

From our MacBook Pro hard-drive we played Pete Townshend’s 2026 ‘remake’ remixes of the 2019 album ‘Who’. Every element of Ball and Chain was laid clear: the opening guitar intro, the crisp piano motif, the distant soaring guitars joined by close-up acoustic plucking, until Daltrey arrives central and strong, rich and more gravelly even than Madonna, though his energy gives little betrayal of the fact he was 74 when he recorded it.

In addition to giving free access to each element in the mix, the headphones presented the track as a cohesive whole, and it was all tonally spot on from the transducers in their geometrically-angled positions, from Daltrey down to the running bass lines that were delivered at full strength from top to bottom.

We played a lossless Apple Music Classical Session by Max Richter, new arrangements of bits from the ‘Hamnet’ soundtrack. See things that others don’t begins with piano so very gentle that its presence is almost outweighed by the sense of an audience trying not to cough or rustle their programmes around the hall acoustic – which was very successfully created by the Sennheisers, then washed through by the entry of simple mournful strings in a kind of well-tempered version of Pärt-style sadness. It’s a short piece, but made beautiful by the HD 480 Pros.

They loved an open mix, so that while slamming home most of the new Stones album, the relaxed country shuffle of Ringing Hollow had the space to again enjoy each element individually, as well as the song as a whole. Steve Jordan’s drums got the space to shuffle, with the kick drum as only the gentlest of underpinning bass taps, but the snare rim shots snapping through.

This album, which is mastered at quite a high level, did occasionally get a little shouty through the Sennheisers when we took the level above their comfort levels. While the sweet spot was plenty loud enough, those liking even more might find there’s a limit to their smooth delivery.

It was similar with Amy Shark’s It’s Kinda Hot (the chorus sounding very Alex The Astronaut): beautifully handled up to the last few stops, then a little overwhelmed by the combination of complexity and sheer level.

We doublechecked these from the Eversolo DAC’s headphone output and found the same effect, also something odd, where the bass pedal imparted about the same energy all the time even as everything else was turned up, as if the pedal just wasn’t going to push any more no matter where we went. In an all-in-one speaker we might think this to be algorithmic speaker feedback limiting output short of distortion, but here it may just be the physical limit of the phones to give that element any more energy.

We found them impeccably comfortable despite their significant size, although we never quite got the hang of putting glasses on while wearing them, despite a special ‘soft zone’ for this purpose, and Gunnar Dirks, Senior Product Manager for professional headphones, saying specifically that they fit every head precisely and comfortably even if you’re wearing glasses. Not that he's wearing glasses on his LinkedIn photo.

These were very small notes against many hours of listening delight. We used them for at least 12 hours during radio broadcasts, and they proved perfect cans for the studio as the closed shells prevented feedback while the sound all came through at their ‘studio’ monitoring quality. We’ll leave the engineers to complain if the curly cable is tapping on the desk…

Verdict

The HD 480 Pros are extremely high-quality headphones, suited to both studio use via their good passive isolation and relative accuracy, and to music listening, where their high frequencies open up a mix to examination and appreciation, while the bass is tight and full but never swampy. They are quite large but super-comfy, so well-suited to long sessions whether making or enjoying music.

No noise-cancelling, no app, no messing with endless EQ options; we found it all rather relaxing, as well as a reminder that if it’s cabled headphones you’re after, then there are two Sennheisers to choose from, and you certainly shouldn’t ignore the Professionals.

• See all our Australian reviews from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines

Watch Argentina vs Australia live streams

Argentina take on Australia in a two-match Test series, with the opening match taking place today in San Salvador.

Los Pumas pushed South Africa close earlier this month and will be hoping to claim a series victory over the Wallabies across the next couple of weeks. Felipe Contepomi has opted to stick with the same side that faced the Springboks, with the likes of Santi Carreras and Simón Benítez Cruz the key to unlocking Australia’s defence.

For the Wallabies, this will be new head coach Lee Kiss’s first real test. He enjoyed a winning start to his tenure earlier this month, overseeing two victories in a bilateral series against Japan, but Argentina will provide a much sterner examination. Australia have surprisingly left captain Harry Wilson out of the 23, although they are boosted by the return of Exeter Chiefs flanker Tom Hooper. Carter Gordon will continue at fly-half.

Follow our guide below for where to watch Argentina vs Australia live streams from anywhere with a VPN. We've also listed the full schedule and venues below.

How can I watch Argentina vs Australia for free?

In the US RugbyPass TV will show Argentina vs Australia for free. You can also access this via the RugbyPass app (iOS/Android).

If you're from the US but you're currently abroad, you can simply use a VPN to tap into that free coverage. More details below...

Watch Argentina vs Australia live streams from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Argentina vs Australia live streams if you're travelling abroad today. The platform will detect that you're in a foreign country and block you. You can use a VPN to get round this.

We rate NordVPN as one of the best VPN for streaming sports. It offers a generous 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

How to watch Argentina vs Australia in the US

As alluded to above RugbyPass TV will broadcast Argentina vs Australia. All you need to do is register an account.

Outside the US right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred coverage of the rugby.

• Expert TV advice: best OLED TVs for sports fans
• View the latest TV deals on Amazon

Watch Argentina vs Australia live streams in the UK

You can stream Argentina vs Australia on Sky Sports in the UK, it is available on the Sky Sports+ channel.

Outside the UK today? Use NordVPN to watch on Sky Sports as if you were back home.

Watch Argentina vs Australia live streams in Australia

Stan Sport is your go-to to watch in Australia, which costs AU$20/month on top of a AU$9.99/month Stan base plan.

If you're currently spending time in Australia from the US, use a good VPN, as detailed above, to tap into your free Argentina vs Australia coverage.

Argentina vs Australia: Need to Know

What is the Argentina vs Australia head-to-head?

Australia have won 30 of the 43 Tests with Argentina taking 10 and three draws.

• Where to stream the Premier League in 2026/27
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals
• Where to watch F1 2026 for free

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Watch South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test live streams

South Africa have to win the 2nd Test against New Zealand to stand any chance of winning the inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour. They lost the opener by 35-41 but in truth it was more comprehensive than the final score suggests, as the All Blacks scored five tries to the Springboks' one.

Despite the pressure they're under, the omens could be far worse for Rassie Erasmus' men.

It's been almost four years since the back-to-back world champions last lost consecutive Test matches. There was talk of that run coming to an end when New Zealand beat them by 24-17 in the Rugby Championship 12 months ago, only for the Boks to respond by dishing out the heaviest defeat in All Blacks history. It's no surprise, therefore, that Saturday's meeting at Cape Town Stadium has been framed by last September's 10-43 pasting.

With Rugby's Greatest Rivalry comprising four Tests in total, a New Zealand victory would guarantee the tourists at least a draw – and one half of the two-part Rivalry Trophy. New Zealand boss Dave Rennie, however, will expect a tougher examination than the one the All Blacks so emphatically passed a week ago.

South Africa gave up 21 turnovers and ended the game with 13 men on the field, while they had no answer to Will Jordan, who scored New Zealand's first and last tries. Captain Siya Kolisi is now back from injury too.

Follow our guide below for where to watch South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test live streams from anywhere with a VPN. We've also listed the full schedule and venues below.

How can I watch South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test for free?

Lucky viewers in the US can watch all eight games of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour for free, including the South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test, courtesy of RugbyPass TV. You can also access this via the RugbyPass app (iOS/Android)

In New Zealand, meanwhile, free-to-air Three and its ThreeNow streaming platform are showing all eight games on tape delay. The 2nd Test kicks off at 3.10am NZST on Sunday, but will be shown in full again at 11am NZST.

If you're from the US or New Zealand but you're currently abroad, you can simply use a VPN to tap into that free coverage of the 2nd Test. More details below...

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You won't be able to watch your regular South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test live streams while traveling abroad. The platform will detect that you're in a foreign country and block you. You can use a VPN to get round this.

We rate NordVPN as one of the best VPN for streaming sports. It offers a generous 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

How to watch South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test in the US

The South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test is free-to-air in the US, thanks to RugbyPass TV. All you need to do is register an account.

Outside the US right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred coverage of the rugby.

• Expert TV advice: best OLED TVs for sports fans
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Watch South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test live streams in the UK

The South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test is being shown on Sky Sports in the UK, on its Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports+ channels.

Need the Sky Sports lowdown before you invest? Check out our dedicated guide to all things Sky.

Outside the UK today? Use NordVPN to watch South Africa vs New Zealand as if you were back home.

Watch South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test live streams in Australia

The South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test is available to watch on Stan Sport in Australia, which costs AU$20/month on top of a AU$9.99/month Stan base plan.

If you're currently spending time in Australia from the US, use a good VPN, as detailed above, to tap into your free RGR coverage.

South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test: Need to know

What is the Springboks vs All Blacks head-to-head?

The Springboks have won 43 of their 111 previous encounters with New Zealand. The All Blacks have won 64, and the other four ended in draws.

In South Africa, the head-to-head stands at 28-26-1.

• Where to stream the Premier League in 2026/27
• Or save money with these unmissable TV deals
• Where to watch F1 2026 for free

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Plonking a 65-inch OLED TV in my living room came with some unexpected side effects. Namely, my house is now the gathering place for match days, Grand Prix watch parties, and movie nights.

And I couldn't be happier; that's what home cinema is all about in my opinion, and I'm always keen to host so that I can preach (and more importantly show off) the benefits of OLED to my not-so-AV-savvy mates.

While I usually get met with raised eyebrows when I mention the price of OLED TVs, after demonstrating the inherent benefits of OLED, the unanimous sentiment amongst my friends is along the lines of "yeah... I need one of these".

While I have convinced a couple of friends to splurge on an OLED TV already, at the end of the day that price factor is the hardest sell, especially to a group of twenty-somethings living in cramped London house shares.

That said, I usually end up getting a message shortly after they return home to their LCD TV complaining that I've ruined every other TV for them; and no, I am not sorry.

That's why I'm almost always urging them to save up and treat themselves to an upgrade, and I now have a secret weapon to tempt my mates into joining me on team OLED.

My friends and I are all keen gamers, and there's this little game launching in November that we're all quite excited for; it's called Grand Theft Auto VI, you might have heard of it.

As such, the current buzz in our group chats is upgrading our gear to experience the game at its best, including its stunning visuals. This conversation has ramped up since Thursday night's Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look, which premiered on Netflix and gave us a glimpse at the vibrant visuals of Rockstar Games' latest flagship title.

Frame rates and fidelity have now become major talking points, and the few friends of mine that don't already own a PS5 are now locked into purchasing one ahead of the 19th of November.

My advice to friends who already own a PS5 but want to upgrade a key component for GTA VI is to upgrade their TV or monitor; and of course, I'm pushing them towards OLED.

The perfect blacks, pixel-level contrast control, and superb response time of OLED make it a perfect panel technology for gaming, and I think the most anticipated game of the decade is a good excuse to take the plunge.

I've also touted the benefits of upgrading to a newer HDMI 2.1-equipped TV, too; most of my friends didn't know what VRR and ALLM were, let alone that their consoles had these features. And, of course, I've already assured them that these sets will exceed expectations when it comes to movies and sports too.

My recommendations are currently down to these three models, all of which are perfectly suited to all content:

The LG C6 is my current top pick; it comes in a range of sizes including a desktop-friendly 42-inch version, and it's one of the best-equipped TVs on the gaming market.

However, a stellar budget alternative is the Philips OLED760, which sports an impressive set of gaming specs and Ambilight, and it's under £1000 for the 55-inch model currently.

And the Samsung S99H is probably the most impressive TV I've seen this year. It happens to support up to eight full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets if you purchase the wireless One Connect system, and the picture performance is simply stunning. That said, the price will put many (my friends included) off.

If you're eyeing up a home cinema upgrade in preparation for GTA VI later this year, then my advice remains: you'd be hard-pressed to go wrong with any of the OLEDs I've mentioned above.

Now, my next task is to talk them into getting Dolby Atmos sound systems, but that's a discussion for another day...

MORE:

Read our full LG C6 65-inch review

Check out our picks for the best OLED TVs

Find the best OLED TV deals here

Another month, another set of home cinema products to review. We have been treated to a variety of models, from 4K projectors to Dolby Atmos soundbars.

But all of that needs to be tested with the very best movies and TV shows. We've got quite the range in our monthly Now Showing column for you, including old-school horror and one major new release that we can't wait to get into the test room.

Without further ado, here are our current top picks for testing.

X the Unknown (1956)

Words by Robyn Quick

If you’re a horror fan, then the cult classic X the Unknown is certainly one to add to your list. Released way back in 1956, it uncovers the cause of a string of mysterious deaths on a military base in rural Scotland. The culprit? A sentient blob simply called 'X'.

Its oozing presence is surprisingly disturbing as it terrorises the nearby sleepy town. The blob’s powers extend to burning and melting skin, which makes for unsettling viewing via the movie's tangible practical effects.

Hammer has just released a 70th anniversary collector's edition of the film in 4K, and it's a brilliant restoration. The crisp and detailed picture looks like it could have been shot yesterday, even in black and white.

There’s no Dolby Atmos, but the 5.1 mix is still a good test of your sound system to hear how it handles the dramatic soundtrack filled with brassy stings.

Buy X the Unknown on 4K Blu-ray from Hammer

The Odyssey (2026)

Words by Harry McKerrell

I might be the last person in the country to do so, but I finally made my own personal pilgrimage to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Honestly, Odysseus got home quicker than I managed to pop down to my local cinema to see 2026’s biggest release.

Well, second biggest, but I wasn’t in the mood for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

What else is there to say about one of the most discussed films in recent memory? The first feature-length movie ever to be shot exclusively using IMAX cameras, Nolan’s epic has all of the sweeping scope and fantastical spectacle you’d hope for from an adaptation of what is arguably Western literature’s most definitive tale, all while keeping the narrative grounded in its very human roots.

Ok, you won’t get the full benefit of IMAX if you’re just watching at your local picture house, but there’s still so much to be said for immersing yourself in that half-mythical world with a decent-sized screen and a full-blooded surround sound system, if only to enjoy Ludwig Göransson’s enchanting, earthy and often eerie masterwork of a score.

Odysseus took a total of 20 years to get back from the Trojan War. The least you can do is drive 15 minutes to the cinema to watch The Odyssey.

Like seeing craggy Ithaca once again, it’s totally worth it.

Buy The Odyssey soundtrack on Amazon

The Bear – Season 5

Words by Daniel Furn

Once a surprise breakout and now a critical darling and recipient of more than a few controversial Emmys in the comedy category, the stress-inducing culinary show The Bear struggled after its first two stellar seasons, with the third and fourth helpings suffering from meandering plotlines, distracting celebrity cameos and a lack of focus.

There’s clearly been a conscious decision to change things for this fifth and final serving, however. The first change is visual, with the show shifting to a widescreen look shot with anamorphic lenses. There’s a plot reason, however – gone are the tight, claustrophobic close-ups of Carmy’s chaotic reign, and in is a wider, more teamwork-oriented framing as the kitchen staff start to bond under Sydney’s more measured leadership.

Hans Zimmer is yet another welcome addition, making a rare crossover to the world of television with a jittery, peppery score that is perfect for the stressful goings-on of a high-end Chicago kitchen on a spectacularly busy night. And while there’s still no Atmos support, the clinking of cutlery and a season-long rainstorm give the surrounds a surprising amount of work this time around.

The third big change? The Bear’s final season all takes place over one particularly dramatic and stormy day. It may be better off binged as, in true The Bear fashion, we have a few aimless early episodes.

However, it all builds to one truly captivating, satisfying and occasionally nail-biting final service, as pretty much every character gets to wrap up their character arc and showcase five seasons of growth. Chef’s kiss.

Stream The Bear on Disney Plus

MORE:

Check out our list of the best 4K Blu-ray players

These are the best TVs you can buy right now

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, too

Stereo wireless streaming speakers from Yamaha: two boxes, but the simplicity of an all-in-one system. There's no extended system required, because the speakers contain both amplification and a streaming system (here Yamaha’s MusicCast), so that as a minimum you could just place the speakers, cable them up and start enjoying your hi-fi – with high‑fidelity streaming on offer, an HDMI TV connection, and control from a well-established multiroom-capable app.

And these are most definitely hi-fi, with several of the compromises more generally involved with all-in-one systems going out of the window. There's no lack of stereo separation here, nor any questions over whether a particular manufacturer is able to excel across the hi-fi chain: Yamaha’s MusicCast streaming is well-established, the company makes award-winning amplifiers and AV receivers, and it also has a strong record in loudspeakers going back to the 1950s.

And as musical instrument makers, the Japanese company might even claim a unique insight into the sounds which form our music in the first place.

We were delighted to have the new NX-70A speakers in for review in Sydney, as they were first revealed to the world here in Australia, at the Sydney Hi-Fi Show back in May. Euro-Yamaha had hoped to hold their reveal for the recent High End Vienna, so in Sydney they were slightly anonymised, their product cards redacted, our reportage restricted!

Now at last we can tell all, and listen in earnest, to see how these streaming active speakers neatly straddle the convenience of an all-in-one system with the sonic strengths of genuine stereo hi-fi.

Build & drivers

The Yamaha NX-70A speakers are substantial standmounters, available in black or white, and unusually shaped, with fairly subtle rounded curves and a top plate which rises to be higher at the back (335mm) than the front (315mm). Either side of the rear back spine, a selection of inputs sits among a back plate of lovely shining copper-coloured metal.

The speakers port fairly traditionally to the rear but the cabinets also have grille openings to the rear with more copper-accenting, and most unusually in a curved strip on the top. These we presume to be for passive cooling of the internal electronics: thermal management rather than acoustic design.

Perhaps unusually, that top plate doesn’t have any control buttons, such as a local volume control; it’s clean aside from the grilles at the back, Yamaha’s ‘tuning fork’ logo at the front, and four structural fasteners which secure the top plate to the main cabinet of MDF, enhanced to mitigate vibration, with the front baffle reinforced with a 25mm panel (designed, we’re told, using a laser Doppler Vibrometer). The very front panel layer is an ABS plate, shaped to incorporate a new tweeter waveguide. All this is beautifully integrated, kept clean and attractive up front, with the cool tech stuff going on mainly at the back.

One feature easily overlooked is a small white light and a text display in the black section at the bottom of the left speaker; the display shows the input or song information and other messages. The right speaker has just the white light. The text display might be useful if you’re up close in a desktop situation, but it’s too small (for our old eyes) at a normal listening distance. If you find it intrusive you can set the dimming options to zero, though even this is not quite ‘off’, but then this text panel sometimes shows error messages (e.g. ‘Version Error’ during a firmware update), which might be useful to see.

You get a rather nice half-size remote control included, with a copper-ringed central circle. A set of optional stands is available (A$799.99 in Australia), in the same black and white colour choices as the speakers.

The pricing of the NX-70A ranges them as obvious competitors to, among others, KEF’s established wireless speaker range, and specifically the KEF LS50 Wireless II. But the Yamaha aesthetic is very different, partly by virtue of using separate 30mm tweeters and 13cm woofers (compared with KEF’s single coaxial driver) and also by going for a taller, more conventional if quirky look, compared with the fat curves of the KEFs, which look rather as if inflated to the point of bursting.

Both drivers in the NX-70A use the same material blend, described by Yamaha as their ‘Harmonious Diaphragm’, as used also in the company’s highest hi-fi speakers. This combines wood fibre from spruce (which Yamaha notes is used in its grand piano soundboards) with the synthetic polymer Zylon, a material to which Yamaha switched after its period favouring beryllium, which is an excellent lightweight alkaline earth metal, but sadly a highly toxic one to work with.

By contrast Zylon is more easily manipulated, yet an extremely strong polymer claimed to have an acoustic velocity comparable to beryllium and a tensile strength 1.6 times higher than Kevlar. Its versatility for use in tweeters as well as woofers provides the possibility of a tonally-matched sound across the full frequency range.

Each driver has its own dedicated amplification module (so an active system, rather than merely powered). Yamaha claims to have taken great efforts to optimise these relationships, announcing a new arrangement called Synergistic Drive: “an innovative unified circuit design,” says the literature.

“By connecting the speaker unit directly to the amplifier circuit, the system precisely manages electric current flow, minimising distortion that is fundamentally rooted in conventional amplifier and speaker interactions.”

You might this would be something which could apply to any active design, yet it implies a technology “unique to Yamaha”. Further investigation reveals the use of current feedback around individual drivers, detecting distortion as variations in electrical current and aiming to reduce it in real time. This reduces the negative effects of distortion caused by Eddy currents, says Yamaha, and specifically addresses third harmonic distortion. It reminds us of the feedback in Yamaha’s YST subwoofers.

So Synergistic Drive is Yamaha’s particular take on active speaker design, raised to higher hi-fi levels of priority than on Yamaha’s smaller active speakers and soundbars.

Room correction is another thing possible by having processing, amps and speakers all in one package. Yamaha not only here includes its YPAO (Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimiser) straight out of its AV receivers of renown, but also provides a bundled microphone for the purpose, rather than the common practice of leaving such crucial measurements instead to the vagaries of a smartphone microphone.

Ins, outs, and apps

Physical inputs are fairly limited, which is typical of the smart speaker breed: that back panel hosts one minijack analogue input, one optical digital input, a USB-A slot, and one HDMI eARC/ARC input with CEC.

This last plays back audio from whichever HDMI socket on your TV is marked for HDMI ARC, and makes these speakers ideal for flanking your TV to provide sound for all your entertainment, not merely music. We have no hesitation in recommending the solution of stereo speakers either side of your TV rather than a soundbar in front of it.

Additional socketry provides a subwoofer output, so you can add depth if you need it (only in a larger room, we’d say), and an Ethernet socket if you can give the NX-70A a wired network connection; otherwise MusicCast will help make the Wi-Fi link to your network. This MusicCast app controls everything from input selection to streaming and even multiroom sharing between rooms.

The left and right speakers can connect to each other wirelessly, so there’s no need to run a cable between them. But you can choose to do so using the very coily Ethernet-style cable provided, length three metres, so still allowing good separation between the two boxes. Using the cable provides stability in a busy Wi-Fi environment, and also allows a higher digital connection rate which actually doubles the highest frequencies these speakers can deliver: they go up to 35kHz (-10dB) when using a wired connection, only 21kHz (-10dB) when using Wi-Fi. From this we assumed (and Yamaha confirmed) the wireless connection to use a 48kHz sampling rate with the cable raising this to 96kHz, both at 24-bit.

There is Bluetooth available for direct streaming, but we note its codecs are limited to the lower SBC and AAC codecs, so MusicCast here can provide preferable and higher-quality ways to stream. This is also true of AirPlay 2 streaming, currently limited (by Apple, not Yamaha) to the AAC codec at 256k, even though it’s capable of far more.

You can get higher quality using Tidal or Spotify via their Connect versions, which means just using the service’s native app as the controller, and directing the music to flow straight from the internet to the speakers at whatever quality you’re paying for.

There’s also Google Cast here, good from Android phones and devices.

But if you store music actually on your device, the most reliable way to play is the tab for ‘This iPhone’ (or whatever) at the top of the MusicCast app’s interface. This seems to send the file at full quality, most likely via some UPnP/DLNA in the background. We hear the difference in our listening notes.

Yamaha MusicCast also allows multi-room playback, combining ‘rooms’ within the app so that any MusicCast device can share its inputs with any other MusicCast devices in the home. Given Yamaha’s MusicCast ecosystem of products runs from small wireless speakers to hulking AV receivers, this is potentially a powerful method of home unification.

The NX-70A speakers are also Roon Ready, if you have invested in this music organisation software.

Also under fingertip control in the MusicCast app there is internet radio, a Podcast section, and ‘Server’ access, which instantly found various file shares on our home network, through which we could then navigate through folder structure or artist/album lists slightly laboriously (no permanent library is created). Files loaded via USB are accessed in a similar way.

All these will benefit from the DAC implementation here, using an 8-channel 32-bit ESS DAC, the ES9017S. We were told that “3× channels of differential output are combined and then sent to the tweeter and another 3× to the woofer, creating a more precise representation of the original signal with wider dynamic range and lower noise levels as it’s combining 3× versions of the conversion to capture more detail.” (We’re just gagging to ask ‘so why not 4×?’ but we’ll let it lie.)

Many ways to play, then: let’s fire them up.

Listening sessions

Set-up proved fairly simple whether or not the stands were attached for use in the music room, or simply sat on a firm surface either side of the TV as we used them later with HDMI; for such surfaces they have pre-attached silicone feet. We gave them the Ethernet-style cable connection between the speakers to ensure we heard them at their best.

We also gave them a wired Ethernet connection to our network, and this cable was coming from the right, a bit strained to reach the left speaker which has all the inputs. The speakers are very clearly labelled as to left and right, arriving with huge cardboard covers telling you so, but the first thing we did once inside the MusicCast app was to check if we could switch left speaker with right. And yes we could, so we were able to restore cable neatness, hoorah. (We later found a button on the back which can do the same thing.)

Since our environment already has MusicCast elements in residence, adding the NX-70A was just a case of selecting ‘add device’ then scrolling down a very long list, which shows how many MusicCast-enabled products Yamaha has released. When you get all the way to the NX-70A, it’s not there! An enquiry to the local Yamaha team revealed that Yamaha puts new products at the top, above ‘A’, but doesn’t think also to include them in the right place. This oversight aside, we had the NX-70A connected pretty much instantly, and checked for a firmware update.

We ran background internet radio and AirPlay 2 streams from an iPhone for a good week just to have the speakers soaking through, as it were. This was when we discovered that playing music stored on our phone via AirPlay 2 sounded radically different to playing the same files via the ‘My iPhone’ tab of MusicCast. It’s a great demonstration of what such transmission does to your files. Playing the beginning of Kate Bush’s Aerial Tal via ‘My iPhone’ at 16/44.1, the vocal had a quicksilver edge while the gentle piano beneath was richly toned across the soundstage from left to right; we could hear the pedal being lifted. All that was just gone when playing via AirPlay: softer, blander, less in the way of life and dynamics.

Spotify and Tidal users can do better; selecting these services within MusicCast simply opens the native app and you choose the Yamahas as the target. Because MusicCast has already allocated these to become a ‘Room’, it is this ‘Room’ you’ll see as the target, rather than the Yamahas themselves. This can be confusing, especially if you have two streaming devices in the same room. If you want to see ‘Yamaha NX-70A’ as the target for streaming services, then just name the MusicCast room as ‘Yamaha NX-70A’.

If you want Apple Music at better quality, currently we could only suggest the extended workaround of having an AppleTV 4K playing Apple Music into your TV, and then out via HDMI into the Yamahas.

The ‘Server’ option within the MusicCast app looks for files on your network. We have assorted old NAS drives humming away around the home and MusicCast found them all. Not all such platforms do so.

Even more conveniently we attached an old WD powered hard drive to the USB-A slot, and could thereby play our collection of high-res albums through the Yamahas.

And playing from this USB drive we really found what a high level of hi-fi performance the NX-70As could achieve. The guitar on Audio Alchemy’s Marrakesh at 24-bit/96kHz sounded delightfully clear and clicky-edged, while the bass sounded not so much as if it was emanating from the two speakers but more as if a small bass guitar cabinet was somewhere in the middle of them, so like the real thing was the bass fullness and tone. There’s a double-time section in the middle of this track which showed also the system’s speed, keeping up with the gaps in the machine-gun bass notes: individually punchy, no blur. We used this section to find our ideal speaker positioning, which in our room locked the bass into the best combo of tightness and depth with the ports 22cm out from the rear wall, close enough to suit general use with TVs as well as making stereo lounge use convenient. Nor does their treble fade excessively off-axis, though keep the tweeters at ear height to enjoy best imaging.

There was an almost alarmingly real delivery of the percussion that somehow sits in 3D among Chick Corea’s piano and ensemble on his Australia Concerto No. 2; this wildly dynamic piece burst unrestrained from the Yamahas with all its impressive imaging and ping-pong bursts of sound intact – exactly the kind of spread that would be lost on a smaller all-in-one system or speaker. The Yamahas bring all the hi-fi qualities of proper speakers, without compromise from stuffing electronics inside, we’d say, and quite possibly benefitting from all that Synergistic Drive! With the Chick Corea they sounded simultaneously musical and clinical, laying out the soundstage with both width and depth, everything in its place to make this whole popping piece stand forth in a three-dimensional presentation, among which we could still hear the wide ringing roll-off of a China boy cymbal, or the gaps between separate rolls of the brushes on the snare, the richness of orchestration around Corea’s marvellously close-miked piano (home territory for the Yamahas) which brought this piece to life. They did the same with a super-crisp delivery of Herbie Hancock’s Cantaloupe Island and its still more extreme ping-pong elements; during the piano solo the left channel was silent like a hole in the Matrix.

They can certainly rock, as proven by their smashing out of Yes’ studio version of Heart Of The Sunrise (24/96) with thrillingly tight and real drums to the fore. Alan Parsons came through as DSD 2.8MHz files no problem (it’s good to quad-DSD), all our FLAC and WAV tests played fine (up to 384kHz), and the speakers absolutely excelled when blasting out The Eagles’ Life In The Fast Line at 24-bit/192kHz, again spreading the panned guitars wide while pumping out a bass that was tight and full. They go loud with glee.

YPAO Volume & YPAO Room Calibration

We were by now preferring not to engage the YPAO Volume option (as opposed to the room calibration, see below). This YPAO Volume slider (under the MusicCast app’s sound settings) had been on by default as a kind of loudness EQ “to hear balanced low, mid and high frequencies clearly at all levels”. It may be useful at lower levels, but for anything higher it often seemed to have a mildly deleterious effect when playing at a decent volume; on the Eagles specifically it had softened the bass pedal, taking realism out of the rhythm section, while mildly veiling the wonderful airiness up top that the Yamahas were otherwise delivering.

Happily you can toggle this YPAO Volume on and off easily at the top of the sound settings panels, so it’s easy to try for yourself, and develop a preference.

YPAO room calibration, though, is a different thing, combining a parametric EQ with what Yamaha calls RSC (Reflected Sound Control). Kudos to Yamaha for including a proper puck microphone with the NX-70As, rather than relying on phone speakers to achieve what is an extremely complicated job, attempting to measure room characteristics and then adjust the speaker EQ accordingly.

To do this, you construct the little cardboard stand for the puck, then attempt to balance it where your head might be for listening; you certainly won’t be limited by the length of the cable attached to the puck microphone, as this is long enough to wrap twice around the Moon and back. (Recoiling the YPAO microphone cable to fit back in the plastic bag is the key challenge facing reviewers when returning any so-equipped Yamaha review item.)

With the puck in place, you set the measurements off, and it’s very quick – slightly longer if you’ve attached a subwoofer. Two hisses, two whoops and it’s over. Accept the scan, and you can then toggle YPAO on and off to see if you like the results.

It seemed accurate, identifying and correcting a bass dip which we know to exist in our lounge room, pleasingly less critical of our music room’s response. We tried using the correction in the lounge: sometimes it seemed to clarify the upper bass, sometimes it seemed to mask the clarity of things, like Diana Krall’s vocal on Here Lies Love, softened back significantly, the spread and openness of the mids and highs also crushed, and everything slightly monofied. Of course that’s just us, in our room. Again it’s free to try, so try it.

Meanwhile there are plenty of other tone controls inside the MusicCast settings (with sophisticated Finite Impulse Response EQ filtering, we gather), so plenty more to play with. The app also links to a separate IP browser interface for network tweaks.

They worked well as HDMI TV speakers (or optical if no HDMI ARC); indeed the speakers proved ideal for movie sound, with dynamics and spread and especially dialogue clarity all in a league which no soundbar would match. (Yamaha also kindly adds a dialogue enhancer slider in the app settings, should it be required.) There’s apparently no attempt to respond to Atmos soundtracks with virtual processing; thank heavens for that. Stereo clarity is invariably to be preferred.

We almost forgot to mention the remote control. We had quickly became accustomed to using the MusicCast app for everything, especially as this app is not like some others which disappear or disconnect when momentarily not in use; the MusicCast app returns to being fully active as soon as selected. However, the physical remote can be very handy for quick actions, especially when the phone rings, and feels just that bit more sophisticated in the hand, especially when enjoying just a music session, screen off.

Verdict

Any final issues, however minor? We have to say no. The NX-70A speakers were easy to set-up, easy to address using an established and powerful app, and they sounded great. We even liked the clever packaging.

For their best sonic results just find the purest path to playback (keep Bluetooth and AirPlay for convenience use only), and get banging out your tunes. The Yamahas do not sound in the least bit processed or woofed up in the bass like so very many all-in-one systems, and especially the smaller wireless speakers. These are genuine hi-fi speakers, made active, wireless, and streaming.

Yes, at the price, you might attempt to build a separates system which combines a great streamer with a great amp and great speakers; you would potentially gain flexibility of replacement and repair/replacement. But you would lose all the convenience, the minimising of component count, and we don’t think you’d get a much better sound either. Yamaha is experienced in streaming, in amplification, and in loudspeakers. They’ve done top work in bringing all that together so effectively, so synergistically, in the NX-70A.

• See all our Australian reviews from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines

The Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) has announced the winners of the EISA Awards 2026-2027, marking the 44th edition of the world's longest-running and most respected awards programme for consumer electronics. Across five categories, Hi-Fi, Home Theatre & Vision, Photography, Mobile Devices and In-Car Electronics, this year's winners represent the products that EISA's expert groups judged to be the outstanding performers of the year.

The winners were selected through EISA's rigorous, long-established judging process. Over several months, editors from more than 50 specialist technology magazines and websites in 27 countries tested hundreds of new products from every major manufacturer, comparing notes and, in the case of most categories, meeting in person to debate and vote on the strongest candidates in each category before reaching a final consensus.

This year's list of winners spans everything from loudspeakers and mirrorless cameras to flagship smartphones, home theatre systems and in-car infotainment, reflecting both the breadth of EISA's expertise and the pace of innovation across the consumer electronics industry over the past 12 months.

“The EISA Award is the award with the greatest tradition in the world,” said EISA president Ljubiša Miodragović. “It is given by a group of the most respected technology editors on the planet, people who spend months carefully judging and reviewing every device before a single winner is chosen. That is what sets these awards apart, and it is what makes today's announcement so meaningful for the winning companies and for our readers alike.”

This year, Australian Hi-Fi participated in judging the hi-fi categories, and Sound+Image helped judge home theatre and vision devices. In both cases, the process involves nominations, short-lists, online presentations, listening sessions and extensive lab testing, before conducting a lengthy final voting session between all the relevant EISA expert group editors.

You can view the full list of all the products that won a ‘Best Product’ prize in 2026-2027 EISA Award categories, including the final Judges’ Citation explaining why each won. A full list of EISA Award winners in other categories such as mobile devices and photography equipment can be found at the end.

To see all the AV winners, you can head here for Sound+Image’s presentation of the 2025-2026 EISA Home Theatre and Vision Award categories.

As a final quick disclaimer, please also note that What Hi-Fi? magazine and website have no official connection with EISA; it's the Australian-based Australian Hi-Fi and Sound+Image magazines which have the longstanding EISA connection, dating back to the organisation's expansion from a European to a global perspective on audio, AV and wider consumer electronics categories.

On sale now, #368 of Sound+Image delivers our regular 100 pages of news, reviews and views - packed with reviews, and loaded this issue with all the AV winners of the EISA Awards!

EISA Awards 2026-2027
Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines are EISA’s exclusive representatives for Home Theatre and Hi-Fi here in Australia voting together with a community of 50+ technology magazines, websites and social media commentators from 27 countries, to reward the best products in each class of each sector with a coveted EISA Award.

All the AV winners are fully featured in the new Sound+Image; you can also find details on our microsite here.

VALVES vs SOLID-STATE
Join the classic debate!

- Musical Fidelity M6xi integrated amplifier
First, a solid-state design from no lesser an amplification master than Musical Fidelity: the solid-state contender is the new update of the company's best-selling integrated amp, bearing massive solid-state power provision.

- Fezz Audio Titania MK2 integrated amplifier
Now the valves: this Polish design aims to simplify the valve amp, improving ease of use and reliability while retaining the joys of seven glowing valves, not to mention three enormous toroids.

REVIEWS GALORE!
Independent, in-depth reviews of the latest, greatest kits and potentially some duffers – we'll let you know...

- Yamaha NX-70A wireless streaming hi-fi speakers
A big secret at the Australian Hi-Fi Show in Sydney, then revealed at Vienna, and now shortly to be released to the world: meet Yamaha’s active streaming NX-70A standmount speakers.

- LeIca Cine Compact 1 smart mini projector
Leica has released a third projector leveraging the camera-maker’s special abilities in glass and lens manufacture; it marks a new affordable entry point to the luxury line.

- Primare Allt-i-Ett all-in-one audio system
The modern breed of large console-style all-in-ones gain from streaming abilities, app control, all manner of cunning tech, and this one even comes with extra added Scandi hygge.

- Richter Dragon Series 7SE floorstanding speakers
Richter rocks the room with the re-imagined return of the Aussie company’s famous Dragon floorstander, resplendent in an all-new Series 7 Special Edition.

- Denon Home 200, 400, 600 wireless smart speakers
Three new wireless smart speakers provide the first options for standalone sound, here built for streaming with HEOS multiroom on board.

- JBL Xtreme 5 Bluetooth speaker
It’s a long-running favourite model with us for its bottle-opener and remarkably unboxy sound, and JBL’s latest Xtreme 5 has bulked things up still more.

- Sennheiser RS 275 TV headphones package
Sennheiser’s classic ‘RS’ series of TV headphones is here reborn using the new Auracast standard to send your TV sound to these lightweight headphones.

- ASUS ROG Kithara hi-fi gaming headset
The planar-magnetic ASUS ROG Kithara is designed for a double life: microphone attached to keep gamers alert and alive, or hi-fi cables for music listening.

Earlier this week, Naim launched its new premium Uniti Star Lite streaming amplifier, which retains all the extensive features, connections and design of the original Star – but loses the CD player and ripper.

This is a blow to CD fans, but it was unavoidable due to issues sourcing the original drive mechanism and an inability to find a suitable alternative.

Naim's solution therefore was to cease production of the original Star and introduce the Star Lite as a streaming-focused unit. All sensible, to be fair, especially at the lowered price of £3199 compared with the now-discontinued Star's £3499.

With all the specs, amplification and streaming features being pretty much identical, we had also assumed that the sound quality of the two units would remain the same as well. That would be no bad thing, as the original Uniti Star got an effusive five-star review from us when we tested it back in 2018.

However, Naim has now confirmed to us in a statement that the new Star Lite will actually have a "better audio performance" than the outgoing Star.

Developing the Star Lite gave Naim's engineers the opportunity to tweak elements of the hardware, circuitry and software under the hood, all of which should result in "a cleaner signal path, with improved transparency for a more refined listening experience."

Here is the full statement from Naim below:

"The Uniti Star Lite was developed as a replacement for the Uniti Star following the discontinuation of the CD mechanism. However, during development, we identified some performance benefits resulting from this simplified architecture.

"By removing the CD mechanism, we were able to reduce electrical noise within the product. Combined with software optimisation and a more focused hardware architecture, the result is a cleaner signal path, with improved transparency for a more refined listening experience.

"In short, Uniti Star Lite is not simply the original Uniti Star without a CD drive; the simplified architecture has enabled us to achieve a more optimised electronic with a better audio performance."

So that's more positive news than we initially thought, and credit to Naim for not resting on its laurels. While many will mourn the loss of the integrated CD player, it looks like those investing in the Star Lite will potentially benefit from better sound, too.

MORE:

Naim's Uniti Star Lite streaming amplifier launches with extensive features – but it is missing one key ingredient

Quiz! Can you name the first film in these home cinema formats?

If Sonos Ace Ultra headphones are in the works, here are three things they need to get right to rival Sony and Bose

Happy Bank Holiday weekend!

While Bank Holidays are best known for long weekends away, late evening plans and general relaxation, they're also a great time for deals.

We've seen plenty pop up already, from last year's Product of the Year TV to 2026 contenders, to cinematic tablets and projectors. You can see them all below.

These are all products we've tried, tested and reviewed ourselves – regardless of the discount, we'll only recommend a product if it has earned four stars or more.

So sit back, relax and browse some deals as the weekend begins...

Even if you're not an audiophile, there's a good chance you've heard of the Sony 1000X series before. As a tenth anniversary present, the Japanese tech giant released Sony 1000X The Collexion, which combines the line's technology with a sonic signature that prioritises scale, detail and clarity.

If your budget only stretches to an entry-level OLED, then the Samsung S85H is an excellent contender. It features good peak brightness at this price level, as well as a punchy, three-dimensional picture and solid feature support. Use the code RED20 at checkout to get this deal price.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has a huge, bright 14.6-inch screen that's ridiculously immersive for a tablet. It also boasts enough power to function as a laptop replacement. Use the code BH15 to save an extra 15 per cent this Bank Holiday weekend.

The Sony Bravia 8 II is our TV product of the year at its lowest price yet. Need we say more? We'd currently recommend not updating the system software due to current issues, but otherwise this is an exceptionally bright, vibrant and three-dimensional TV. Save £250 with the code TRADE250.

Finally, the Hisense C2 Ultra is designed with convenience in mind, but we still found the pictures to be bright and punchy and the sound often outstanding for a projector. We only reviewed the 4K projector this week, but there's already a £200 discount.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

How many home cinema formats have you owned over the years? Have you been an avid collector ever since the VHS and Betamax days?

Whether you've owned them all or have only just started, we've put together a little quiz about the films that were notable firsts in home cinema.

They could be the first on a particular format, the first to have notable surround sound technology, or experimental releases that were pioneers in terms of 3D or frame rates.

It's multiple choice, so there's no need to worry about knowing exact answers – you have a one in four chance either way.

So what are you waiting for? Put your home cinema history knowledge to the test...

MORE:

Quiz! Can you name all the types of hi-fi and AV cables from the photos?

Quiz! Can you remember when these pioneering AV products first came out?

Quiz! How fast can you solve our turntable challenge? Test your wordsearch

Hands up; we’re pretty late to this one.

In fact, if Apple does as expected, the iPhone 17 Pro we have before us today will be replaced in just a couple of weeks.

So, why bother reviewing the iPhone 17 Pro at this late stage? There are two main reasons: it will likely be available to buy for a little while yet, and probably at a discount; and it gives us a good benchmark to judge the new model against.

As ever, we’re interested in the iPhone 17 Pro not for its rocket ship power or fancy camera array (though those are interesting), but for its picture and sound quality. We want to know if this is the best phone for taking movies and music with you on the move.

And it is – for the next couple of weeks, at least.

Price

The iPhone 17 Pro launched with a starting price of £1099 / $1099 / AU$1999, but it is now possible to get discounts of around £100 in the UK if you shop around.

That price gets you the entry-level 256GB version (Apple is no longer offering a 128GB Pro model), but 512GB and 1TB versions are also available, at a premium of £200 / $200 / AU$400 and £400 / $400 / AU$800 respectively.

If the 17 Pro’s 6.3-inch display isn’t large enough for you, an upgrade to the 6.9-inch Max will incur an additional premium of £100 / $100 / AU$200.

Design

The iPhone 17 Pro represents Apple's biggest design change to its Pro phones in several years, and it's one that took a little getting used to.

The most obvious change is the enormous new camera plateau, which now stretches almost the entire width of the phone. It looked rather shocking when we first saw it, but after spending time with the phone, we've come to think it gives the 17 Pro a more natural and balanced appearance than the asymmetrically placed square camera bump of its predecessor.

The move from titanium to aluminium also sounds like a step backwards for a phone at this level, but in practice it brings some advantages. The edges are smoother and more rounded than those of the 16 Pro, making the 17 Pro feel more comfortable in the hand, while Apple's new anodised finishes give it a character that's been missing from some of the more sober recent Pro models.

Our Deep Blue review sample is particularly lovely, with a rich, almost pearlescent finish that changes subtly as it catches the light. We're also rather taken with the Cosmic Orange option, although its unapologetically bold appearance inevitably divides opinion.

In fact, while the iPhone 17 Pro's design doesn't necessarily come across as dramatically different in photographs, this is an absolutely beautiful phone in the flesh, and one that feels every bit as premium as its price suggests. It's the most appealing-looking and nicest-feeling iPhone we've used in several years.

The physical controls remain unchanged from the 16 Pro, with volume controls and the Action button on one side, and the power/Siri and Camera Control buttons on the other.

The bottom edge has also been subtly revised, with both speaker grilles now appearing to be the same size rather than one being noticeably smaller than the other on the previous model.

The 17 Pro retains the same IP68 water and dust resistance as its predecessor, too; we even put that to a fairly vigorous test at Bude's Monster Slip And Slide, where it continued recording video while getting thoroughly soaked without any adverse effects.

Apple's new Tech Woven case is a particularly nice companion to the phone. Its woven finish feels more tactile and premium than many conventional cases, while the understated design complements rather than obscures the 17 Pro's new appearance.

The result is a Pro iPhone that feels both familiar and substantially refreshed. The camera plateau may take some getting used to, but the smoother shape, tactile finishes and excellent in-hand feel have made us rather fond of Apple's latest design.

Features

The iPhone 17 Pro's headline display specifications don’t look radically different to those of its predecessor. It's still a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with a 2622 x 1206 resolution, 460ppi pixel density, ProMotion up to 120Hz and an Always-On display. The big changes are to what's happening on top of that excellent OLED panel.

Apple has introduced a new anti-reflective coating that it claims reduces reflections by 33 per cent, while outdoor peak brightness has increased from 2000 nits on the iPhone 16 Pro to a huge-sounding 3000 nits.

Apple says these two changes combine to deliver up to twice the outdoor contrast of the previous model. We'll examine what that means in practice in the Picture Quality section, but the ability to maintain a convincing picture when you're watching in bright sunlight is particularly relevant to a phone intended to carry your movies everywhere.

For AV consumption, the format support is excellent, too. The iPhone 17 Pro can play HDR content in the HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats, and Dolby Atmos is supported on the audio side.

What’s perhaps most interesting from our point of view is that all of the above also applies to the standard iPhone 17, which boasts the same OLED display with the same specs and the same anti-reflection tech. It will be fascinating to see if this is borne out in our picture testing.

The other major upgrade for the iPhone 17 Pro over the 16 Pro is Apple's A19 Pro chip and new thermal management system. The new chip retains a six-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine, but the new six-core GPU now has a Neural Accelerator in each core, improving its ability to handle demanding graphics and AI-based tasks.

Just as important, though, is the new thermal management system. The 17 Pro's aluminium unibody is more than 20 times more thermally conductive than the titanium used previously, according to Apple, and it incorporates a vapour chamber that moves heat away from the A19 Pro and into the aluminium chassis. Apple claims this allows up to 40 per cent better sustained performance than the previous generation.

For most content consumers, such as us, this level of power is essentially overkill – the 17 Pro operates with the sort of slickness you'd expect from a flagship phone and can handle graphically intensive games without breaking a sweat.

The more important benefit is the sheer amount of headroom it provides, and the ability to maintain high performance over longer periods without thermal throttling. In practical terms, that means higher frame rates during long gaming sessions and a better chance of the phone still feeling effortlessly quick several years from now. Of course, if you are going to use your phone for content creation as well as consumption, all of this extra power becomes considerably more useful.

Apple has also substantially upgraded the camera system. The 48MP Fusion Main camera remains, but the Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras are now 48MP Fusion models, too.

The Fusion branding refers to Apple's image-processing architecture as much as the sensors themselves, with computational processing combining multiple sources of image data to produce a final shot.

The camera system is also more flexible when it comes to zoom. Alongside the 0.5x ultra-wide and 1x main views, you can now choose 2x, 4x or 8x optical zoom, giving you more options for getting close to a subject without resorting to the potentially softer digital zoom.

The new 4x Telephoto is particularly useful as a middle ground between the standard camera and the long-range 8x option, while its larger sensor helps it capture more light and detail.

If that’s all Dutch to you, the upshot for casual photographers is brilliantly detailed, dynamic and balanced shots at various levels of zoom. This is a supremely talented camera system that’s a doddle for amateurs to use and an absolute beast in the hands of a professional.

The front-facing camera is an even more obvious upgrade for everyday users. It moves from 12MP to 18MP and, more importantly, introduces a new square sensor that gives you much greater flexibility over framing. You can tap to expand the field of view, switch between portrait and landscape framing without rotating the phone, and automatically widen the shot when other people join a selfie.

Centre Stage can also keep you centred during video calls, while Dual Capture lets you record from the front and rear cameras simultaneously – useful for vloggers, but also for anyone who wants to capture their own reaction alongside whatever they're filming. There's also ultra-stabilised 4K HDR video for smoother handheld footage.

Battery life has improved, too. Apple rates the 17 Pro for up to 31 hours of video playback, compared with 27 hours for the 16 Pro. A sufficiently powerful charger can also take the phone to 50 per cent in just 20 minutes.

Bluetooth has been upgraded from version 5.3 to Bluetooth 6. That doesn't bring any meaningful benefit right now, but Bluetooth 6’s improved efficiency, reliability and potential for lower-latency connections could make it more useful as compatible headphones and other devices catch up.

Picture quality

The iPhone 17 Pro doesn't reinvent Apple's approach to picture quality, and nor does it need to. The iPhone 16 Pro already produces one of the finest pictures we've seen from a phone, combining excellent detail and contrast with Apple's typically impressive commitment to colour accuracy and consistency.

The 17 Pro takes that formula and makes some subtle but worthwhile refinements.

Put the two phones side by side and the colour balance is remarkably similar. There is, however, a smidge more richness to the 17 Pro's presentation, which is particularly evident in skin tones.

Subtle variations have a little more depth and life, but there's no sense that Apple has achieved this by simply turning up the saturation. The overall balance remains remarkably natural, and that combination of richness and restraint is one of the things that is so appealing about the picture.

There's a similarly subtle improvement to black depth. The 17 Pro's blacks are just a little deeper and denser than those of the 16 Pro, and while the difference is small, it lends the whole image a little more solidity and lustre. It's not simply a case of dark areas having been made darker, either: shadow detail remains excellent.

The dark scenes of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey provide a good demonstration. As Bilbo, Fili and Kili track their missing ponies through the darkness, the 17 Pro delivers an excellent combination of insight and solidity, with fine details remaining visible while the deepest parts of the image look impressively dense.

The 16 Pro is also excellent here, but its slightly lighter blacks give the picture a little less depth, while the 17 Pro's richer colours and deeper contrast combine to create a more three-dimensional image.

The same characteristics repeat across everything we watch. The dimly lit opening of Conclave benefits from the 17 Pro's extra depth and richness without sacrificing any shadow detail. The brighter scenes of The Creator, meanwhile, absolutely pop, with the vivid greens of the terraced rice paddies contrasting beautifully with the blue of the police ships and the red of “the weapon's” jumpsuit.

In fact, we find ourselves repeatedly drawn towards the 17 Pro's picture when switching back and forth between the two phones. The differences aren't dramatic, but the newer model has a little more of that lusciousness that makes an image particularly enjoyable to watch.

In normal indoor lighting, there's little to separate the two phones in terms of outright brightness. Both produce wonderfully dynamic pictures with plenty of pop, and neither is crying out for more light. Move into really bright ambient conditions, though, and the 17 Pro's new display technology makes a much more obvious difference.

The new anti-reflective coating significantly reduces glare bouncing back at you from the screen, while the display can automatically unlock its additional outdoor brightness in very bright conditions. The combination makes the picture noticeably easier to see and enjoy when the environment would otherwise be fighting against it.

It's worth stressing that this isn't a matte screen in the manner of Samsung's latest flagship OLED TVs. Those displays are exceptionally resistant to reflections, but their matte finishes can also sap some of the depth and richness from black areas. Apple's approach is closer to the treatment used by LG's G6: reflections are reduced significantly without turning the glossy OLED surface into something visibly matte, so you retain those deep, lush blacks while gaining a useful degree of protection from glare.

Motion, meanwhile, remains very good, as we'd expect from the 120Hz ProMotion OLED. There is, however, still some judder inherent in 24fps movie content, and the sheer responsiveness of an OLED display can make this more obvious than it might be on an LCD screen. It’s far from a major problem, and certainly not unique to iPhones, but it would be nice if in future phones Apple could offer an option for some very gentle motion processing to smooth this out without introducing the artificial, soap-opera-like quality of aggressive interpolation.

Finally, we have to mention the Dynamic Island. In the default letterboxed presentation, it's essentially a non-issue for movie watching because the picture doesn't extend far enough up the display for the Island to overlap it. Zoom the content to fill the entire screen, though, and it's obviously there.

But what's remarkable is how quickly you stop seeing it. Once you're engrossed in a film, your brain seems to erase it from your awareness. We'd still love a phone with a genuinely uninterrupted screen for movie watching, but in practice, the Dynamic Island proves far less distracting than you might expect.

Ultimately, the iPhone 17 Pro doesn't deliver a night-and-day improvement over the 16 Pro. Instead, it takes an already exceptional picture and gives it a little more richness, depth and lustre, while making it more usable in the brightest viewing conditions.

A comparison with the standard iPhone 17 is also revealing. Despite the two phones having the same headline display specifications, the 17 Pro has a little more pop and vibrancy.

In F1: The Movie, for example, the fluorescent tubes lighting the laundromat are a brighter, purer white, while Brad Pitt's race suit is a touch crisper and more detailed in texture. Skin tones are also very slightly more naturally saturated.

The differences are small, but they give the Pro a marginally more dynamic and three-dimensional presentation.

Sound quality

As with the picture, the iPhone 17 Pro doesn't represent a radical change to Apple's already excellent approach to sound.

That said, the built-in speakers are a little fuller and richer than those of the 16 Pro, with more weight and a smoother, more rounded presentation. The difference is subtle, but the older model sounds just a touch thin and hard by comparison.

The standard iPhone 17's speakers are broadly similar, but the Pro has the edge here, too. The 17 sounds a touch more aggressive and less fluidly rounded, and it seems to lean more heavily on its bottom speakers, resulting in a slightly left-sided balance when watching in landscape. The 17 Pro sounds a little richer, smoother and more spatially consistent.

It's with Spatial Audio movies that the iPhone 17 Pro’s tiny speakers really impress. The opening sequence of F1: The Movie is reproduced with a surprisingly wide soundstage, with cars sweeping from deep on the right to far over on the left, while the commentary and fireworks have a reasonable sense of height.

Effects, music and dialogue are also given enough space to breathe that the busy soundtrack remains surprisingly clear. You're certainly not surrounded by sound in the way you would be with a proper home cinema system, but the scale and spatial precision are remarkable for a tiny device such as a phone.

Stereo music is less impressive through the speakers. While they produce a decent amount of bass for their size, depth remains paltry by absolute standards, and tracks sound much thinner than they should. It’s a more congested delivery, too, with Sleep Token's The Summoning, for example, losing much of its spaciousness and scale.

That's hardly surprising given the physical limitations, though, and the 17 Pro is still very capable by the admittedly rather low standards of smartphone speaker audio.

Connect a good pair of headphones, meanwhile, and we no longer need caveats. Using a pair of AirPods Max 2 via USB-C, the 17 Pro delivers superb clarity, rhythmic drive and tonal balance, with enough composure to make complex recordings genuinely engaging.

Tool's Invincible is reproduced with absolute confidence, the steady dynamic build of the percussion gathering momentum without losing its precision, while Maynard James Keenan's vocals remain focused without sacrificing their deliberately airy, ethereal quality.

The differences between the 17 Pro and 16 Pro are smaller through headphones than they are through the built-in speakers, but as we switch between the two with Rosalia's Divinize, the new model sounds just a little tighter, particularly in the fluttering bass notes of the chorus, which have terrific punch and control. Rosalia's vocals are a touch cleaner and smoother, too, especially when listening at high volumes.

The standard iPhone 17 gets unsurprisingly close through headphones, but the Pro still has a small advantage. Playing Architects' Animals, the 17 Pro sounds just a little fuller and smoother without sacrificing any of the track's punch or dynamics. It's an overall meatier, more mature delivery, though the difference is subtle.

Verdict

The iPhone 17 Pro is an outstanding portable movie and music player, with a superb screen, excellent sound and small but meaningful improvements over its predecessor.

The picture is the real star. It retains the beautiful balance and authenticity we’ve come to expect from Apple’s phones, but gains a little extra richness, depth and lustre. At the same time, the improved anti-reflection performance makes it considerably more practical in bright conditions.

Sound is similarly refined, with a small but worthwhile improvement to the built-in speakers and outstanding performance through headphones.

The key thing is that none of these improvements is transformative. If you already own an iPhone 16 Pro, there isn't a compelling AV reason to upgrade, particularly if you mostly watch indoors and listen through headphones.

For someone buying a new phone, though, the equation is different. The standard iPhone 17 gets surprisingly close, but the Pro has a small but discernible advantage for both picture and sound, as well as its much more capable camera system and greater processing headroom.

Admittedly, those advantages are small enough that the standard iPhone 17 remains the most sensible performance-per-pound option if you only care about movie and music performance, but if you also feel like you might take advantage of the more advanced camera system and/or processing power, the extra money for the Pro model becomes easier to justify.

Ultimately, the iPhone 17 Pro is probably the best phone we've tested for taking movies and music on the move. The (presumably) impending iPhone 18 Pro might push things on even further, but that won't change the fact that the 17 Pro is an exceptional AV machine – and one that could become even more tempting with end-of-life discounts.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 5

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When we reviewed Sony's first RGB Mini LED TVs (which it refers to as "True RGB"), we found them to be among the best backlit TVs we had ever tested.

Our main issue was the price, with the Sony Bravia 7 II model competing with new mid-range OLEDs at its £1999 launch price. Now, however, the price is much more palatable thanks to a beefy £721 discount, which sees the TV now available for £1279 at Argos.

Use the code RED20 to get this price, and you'll be rewarded with a bright, vibrant picture with excellent depth. You can also claim triple Nectar points on this purchase, too!

RGB Mini LED, for the uninitiated, is next-gen TV panel technology that uses independent red, green and blue LEDs rather than filtering a blue LCD layer.

And after extensive testing of the Sony, the benefits over traditional Mini LED were clear.

"When this TV is in its element, it becomes possible to forget that this is a backlit TV, as the RGB Mini LED system doesn’t distract or detract from the experience," our Sony Bravia 7 II review reads,

"This extends to general blooming control, which is extremely impressive by prevailing standards.

In a shot from Oppenheimer in which the nuclear bomb testing site is lit up at night by a series of spotlights, we find that the halos of light that we’ve seen time and time again on other backlit TVs have been strictly confined."

Sony's typically excellent picture tuning is also on display here, with balance and subtlety applied to the punchy colours so they don't appear overblown.

Motion handling is also particularly impressive, but it's the solidity and depth that really blew us away. Sony's Bravia XR Processor is renowned for its ability to capture three-dimensional depth, with a screening of No Time To Die giving a tangible sense of solidity that we rarely see.

The Bravia 7 II is stacked with features too – fittingly from the makers of the PlayStation, there's plenty for gamers to enjoy. Four HDMI sockets with ALLM are on offer, two of which have full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets with 4K/120Hz gameplay and VRR support.

The built-in Google TV operating system has all the major domestic and international streaming services, while the Bravia 7 II supports the HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision HDR formats, with only HDR10+ missing.

Sony's usually impressive built-in audio has faltered slightly here, however. There's a good sense of clarity and detail, but the system struggles dynamically. Once again, we'd recommend a good soundbar or sound system if you want to make the most of this package.

While the Bravia 7 II is a fair bit cheaper now, you can still get a good OLED for a similar price. We'd recommend looking at the LG C5 for better contrast, black levels and viewing angles.

But, if you are happy with a high-tech backlit set, then the Sony Bravia 7 II is one of the best we've tested. It gets plenty right on the picture front, and is as appealing as ever now it's £721 off at Argos.

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Naim has added a new premium streaming amplifier to its Uniti range, called the Uniti Star Lite, which has all the same streaming features, connections, hi-res specs and design as the original five-star Uniti Star we effusively reviewed in 2018.

The big difference? It no longer has an integrated CD player and ripper, hence the "Lite" version.

That isn't Naim being contrarian and deciding CDs are passé just as the silver disc is growing in popularity; this "renewed focus" is the result of a supply issue.

As reported by US hi-fi site ecoustics, there was speculation earlier this year on the Naim Audio Community forum about the original Uniti Star's potential demise, with Naim's Richard Dane (who manages the forum) confirming that Naim had "run into difficulty in sourcing the CD drives for the Star" and had therefore decided to "pause production" while it looked for a suitable alternative or decided whether a "more extensive re-design is required".

Dane confirmed in a later post in August that, since the mechanism "suddenly ceased production", Naim had been unable to find a suitable replacement, and thus would stop production of the Star entirely and preserve any remaining CD mechanism stock for repairs and servicing.

• “Uniti Star Lite is not simply the original Uniti Star without a CD drive” – Naim says its new streaming amp sounds better, too

Dane further stated that there is a "logical solution to the problem", which we're seeing now in the form of the streaming-focused Uniti Star Lite.

The Star Lite sits between the compact Uniti Atom (currently £2299 / $3799) and the full-size, more powerful Uniti Nova (£4399 / $6899).

Even without the CD player, the Uniti Star Lite is a stacked product in terms of streaming and connections. It boasts the same 70W per channel into 8 ohms of Class A/B amplification as the original model. Naim says the Lite will be "preserving its audio performance", so we're expecting it will retain the excellent sound quality of the original Star. Update: Naim has confirmed to us it has made improvements to the sound quality, too.

Everything from AirPlay 2, Google Cast, and internet radio to Tidal/Qobuz/Spotify Connect is available, with UPnP compatibility that lets you access and play vast digital music libraries stored on connected NAS drives. Bluetooth is now updated to the aptX Adaptive codec.

Ethernet and dual band wi-fi is on board, while everything is controlled via the established Focal & Naim app, a comprehensive and elegant platform that also lets you connect up to six compatible Naim and Focal streaming products.

There is ample connectivity, from RCA and 5-pin DIN analogue inputs to optical, coaxial RCA and coaxial BNC digital inputs. There is also an HDMI ARC input, two USB-A ports, and a 3.5mm headphone port.

File format compatibility is also extensive, with hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128 supported (via USB), and 24-bit/192kHz files supported across most other inputs.

All of these features are identical to the original Star, as is the stately aluminium-clad design, which features a 5-inch display and the stunning illuminated volume/control dial on top.

The dimensions are identical, too, although the new Uniti Lite is 1kg lighter due to it no longer having an optical CD drive fitted.

Naim says the Uniti Star Lite is a "natural evolution" of the Star, and while it's a shame that the one feature that made the Star stand out is now missing, we must also applaud that Naim has stuck to its standards and hasn't simply fitted a disc drive of lower quality into a premium streaming product and called it a day.

The one upshot here is that the Uniti Star Lite has also shed a few hundred pounds in price: £3199 / €3999, compared with the original, now discontinued, Uniti Star, which cost £3499.

We're also told that the Star Lite will only be available in the UK and Europe markets, which won't be such good news for the rest of the world.

MORE:

Read our original Naim Uniti Star review

Our pick of the best hi-fi systems you can buy across all budgets

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The Sonos Ace wireless headphones launched back in 2024.

And they were big news for a brand more used to wrestling with multiroom audio than headband and earpad materials.

However, during rigorous testing, we were left underwhelmed for several reasons, all of which added up to a lukewarm three-star rating. (Here's our original Sonos Ace review.)

But, instead of packing it in after its first attempt, if online reports (and an official FCC filing) are to be believed, it looks like Sonos will be giving wireless headphones another go. And I’m all here for it.

Previously, Sonos has hinted that a new product is coming out in September, so if you put two and two together… Having said that, fresh rumours now suggest a new product will be unveiled, but it won’t actually be headphones.

Irrespective of who you believe, the new headphones model is allegedly going to be called the Sonos Ace Ultra. What the word ‘Ultra’ alludes to is anyone’s guess, but you’d automatically think a more premium pair of wireless headphones with advancements in sound quality and onboard tech.

Having reviewed the current Sonos Ace, I can think of at least three things that I’m desperate for Sonos to get right so it can really rival best-in-class models from the likes of Sony and Bose.

Read on for more and let me know if you agree in the comments below!

Improved sound quality

My top wish is quite simple. I want better sound quality. There isn’t anything particularly offensive about the way the Ace sound, but there isn’t anything memorable about them either.

In our Sonos Ace review, we described it as “a simplistic and safe sound – not one we would call exciting or enthralling”. And, in all my twenty-plus years of testing headphones, I can confirm there’s nothing worse than a “safe” sound from a product that fails to pull you in for a closer listen.

At the time, we compared Ace to their main rivals such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which sounded much more rhythmic and entertaining. You see, ultimately, if a product doesn’t get my feet tapping, I’m tapping out.

It's worth noting that both Sony and Bose have moved on with new iterations of their flagship wireless headphones since then, and the benchmark for performance has also moved up a notch – will Sonos be able to keep up?

More robust software

When we tested the Sonos Ace, they gave off a vibe that they weren’t quite ready for market. We came across a few bugs in the system, including distortion and crackling while switching from the company’s Arc soundbar to the headphones. We also suffered from a couple of lip-sync issues.

Sonos has released new software update since launch to improve functionality, but a product as big as Ace should really work straight off the bat.

I would hope that any new headphones come with more robust software in tow. I’d also want them to be ready to use with Sonos’ complete wireless speaker ecosystem.

At launch, the only product that worked with Ace was the Arc, until a later firmware update also added the Beam Gen 2, Beam Gen 1 and Ray to the list of compatible products

Being able to hand off the audio from one speaker (or soundbar) to the headphones for a more private listening experience is a unique trick which needs to be properly executed.

Wi-fi connectivity for hi-fi sound

One of the big initial rumours about the Ace headphones was that they might be networked home headphones with Wi-Fi, allowing users to stream high-quality, lossless hi-res audio wirelessly.

What we got was CD-quality audio via Bluetooth thanks to the inclusion of aptX Lossless. However, this only works with compatible source devices (i.e. smartphones and laptops), and because Bluetooth doesn't have the required bandwidth, hi-res levels of sound quality are out of reach.

This feature wouldn't be without issues, though, as joining other networks while you're out and about could be quite tricky, but from a home audio perspective, it could really help a pair of headphones stand out in this ultra-crowded market.

Any other business?

Elsewhere, there are a few extra features I think could make a new Ace model even better.

Besides support for a more advanced Bluetooth protocol (the original Ace supports Bluetooth 4), I’d like any USB-C connection to support more than just 16-bit/48kHz sample rates, given that modern streaming services can offer much higher resolution files.

I also think ANC and call quality will need to be better. All of Sonos’ competitors have moved the game along since we originally tested them, so Sonos needs to take this seriously.

We compared the Ultra to the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the original Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones at the time for both ANC and call quality and found the Ace to be lagging behind the pack.

And finally, there's pricing. The Ace launched at £449 / $449 / AU$699 and struggled to live up to their premium price tag. If a new model is just around the corner, it's going to need to offer a lot more at this price point to be competitive.

Of course, everything is pure speculation at the moment, but the rumour mill continues to turn at pace, and we’ll continue to keep a keen eye on any developments as we roll into September!

MORE:

Here's our pick of the best wireless headphones for every budget

Get reacquainted with our full Sonos Ace review

Sonos will launch new wireless headphones next month, official filing suggests

Reports suggest that Sonos could launch a major product in September – and it isn't the Ace Ultra headphones

British loudspeaker manufacturer, Castle, has announced two new series of speakers, Tintagel and Walmer, each featuring one standmounter and one floorstanding model.

According to Castle, the Tintagel Series is “the accessible bedrock of Castle’s new line-up”, while the Walmer Series is positioned further upmarket, “utilising sophisticated material and technologies” for “a new level of performance”.

The four new models are the first loudspeakers from Castle since the Windsor Series released in 2023. Like the Windsor Series, all of the new speakers will be designed and manufactured in the UK.

The new Tintagel series aims to bring Castle's "typical warmth, craft and musicality" in hand-crafted cabinets that use real-wood veneers.

The Tintagel 1 is a two-way standmounter, with 13cm mid/bass advanced fibre driver and a 28mm silk dome tweeter. The speaker uses a large, rear-firing bass port for low frequency extension.

The Tintagel 2 floorstanders use a twin 15cm advanced fibre drivers alongside the same 28mm silk dome tweeter as the Tintagel 1. A downward-firing port runs through the speaker’s plinth, which Castle says makes the Tintagel 2 “easier to position” in your listening room.

The speakers’ 'advanced fibre' cones are made from a fibre blend designed to provide light weight and diaphragm damping. Castle says that the cones’ material qualities “avoid the hard, exposed character that can come from less controlled diaphragm materials”.

The silk dome tweeters use a large dome and shallow waveguide to control high-frequency dispersion for “a stable tonal balance, both on and off axis”.

The more expensive Walmer Series features two speakers, the Walmer 1 and Walmer 2, which are designed for listeners who want more "technical refinement" and greater speed, openness and scale above the Tintagel models.

The Walmer 1 is a two-way standmount speaker, featuring a 13cm woven carbon fibre mid/bass driver and a 12x45mm ribbon tweeter. The three-way Walmer 2 floorstanders, on the other hand, use the same ribbon tweeter and twin 15cm bass drivers and a 11.5cm midrange unit, both made from woven carbon fibre.

Ribbon tweeters were chosen for the Walmer Series speakers due to their lightweight diaphragms, which can “respond quickly to resolve fine detail with delicacy and natural extension", while it also offers a wider horizontal dispersion of sound.

The drivers' carbon fibre material has a high stiffness-to-weight ratio, which Castle says delivers “bass notes [with] cleaner leading edges, reduces low-level colouration and allows the midrange to retain fine detail without becoming brittle”.

The Walmer 2’s midrange unit is also housed in its own enclosure, which isolates the driver from low frequency pressure changes inside the cabinet, “elevating clarity through the most critical part of the audio band”.

Additionally, the Walmer 2 featues a mass loaded transmission line system for controlled bass extension. Castle says the objective was to retain the brand's "natural warmth and musical ease" while also adding precision and transparency without sounding overly analytical.

The Castle Tintagel and Walmer Series are available from September, in finishes of Walnut and Black Oak. Prices are as follows:

Tintagel 1: £1999 / $2749 / AU$3749 per pair

Tintagel 2: £2999 / $3999 / AU$5499 per pair

Walmer 1: £2499 / $3499 / AU$4748 per pair

Walmer 2: £4999 / $7499 / AU$10,499 per pair

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Quiz! Can you name the first film in these home cinema formats?

I've recently been testing the iFi iDSD GR 2 DAC/headphone amplifier, and while it's a perfectly decent performer, it has left a question buzzing inside my mind like a wasp trapped in an upturned glass: why does a DAC need a Bluetooth input?

A seemingly innocuous question, perhaps, but one that won't leave my brain. Let's be clear that the iDSD GR 2 will set you back £529 / $529 / AU$849 at the time of writing, a product that's likely going to be driving all manner of respectable wired headphones.

If you're buying a DAC to improve the sound of your laptop-stored digital music files, then sound quality is likely to be top priority, so what's the appeal of throwing much of that out of the window on a less efficient means of audio transmission? Why have a Bluetooth option at all?

The curse of the unticked box

Part of the answer stems, I imagine, from one very simple motivator: consumer expectation. As we've seen with the rise of wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers, customers expect a well-stocked spec sheet, and as soon as certain boxes aren't ticked, alarm bells are set ringing.

It feels as though Bluetooth speakers now must have Auracast, while wireless headphones must deploy in-depth noise cancelling and some form of spatial audio. If they don't, a rival brand will, and that's where a potential buyer might instead head.

Omitting a given feature, even on a more premium or audiophile-centred DAC, might smack of an oversight on the part of the manufacturer, even if said omission was actually a strategic one designed to redirect resources elsewhere.

Try explaining that to an increasingly voracious customer base.

Let's not ignore the fact, either, that having a Bluetooth input is exceedingly convenient. As a means of wire-free transmission from your source (such as a Bluetooth-equipped laptop or smartphone), it's incredibly easy to access and generally very stable, and many users enjoy the freedom of having a source that isn't tethered to headphones or, in this case, their DAC. Like William Wallace fighting at the Battle of Stirling in Braveheart, it's all about freedom.

Bluetooth is also a universal language, and that extends beyond the purely technical. If you've got a friend who wants a quick connection to your fancy new DAC to hear your Tidal playlists in better quality, it remains the king of convenience. Everyone knows it, everyone uses it, and everyone understands how it works.

Plus, the quality is good, and getting better. The iDSD GR 2, for example, offers Bluetooth 5.4 with higher-quality codec support in the shape of aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive and LDAC, which essentially means the chance of streaming files up to 24-bit/96kHz using Adaptive and 32-bit/96kHz via LDAC. Such files can be accepted via Bluetooth, but as we’ll see, this is still a compressed and lossy streaming method which comes with serious drawbacks.

It’s still worth pointing out, though, that the DAC is still the thing doing the audio decoding, not your phone or laptop, so you're still getting some of the benefit of your dedicated device when playing via Bluetooth. Note, of course, the word "some".

Bluetooth(less) audio

No matter the strides that the likes of Qualcomm and Sony have made in improving Bluetooth as a means of audio transmission, there's no question that those trusty old wires still rule supreme when it comes to listening to hi-res files, as it guarantees lossless audio transmission.

As we wrote in our review, "the iDSD GR 2’s (Bluetooth) performance is perfectly capable, as evidenced by its sure-footed handling of a 16-bit/44.1kHz rendition of Goose’s Dripfield, but if you want to make the most out of your DAC – and indeed, the headphones you’ll be partnering it with – (it) should be seen as a nice bonus rather than a primary means of listening."

The problem is, when the DAC is wirelessly connected to your source, the Bluetooth part becomes the weak link in the audio transmission chain. No matter how good your wired cans are, how high the file resolution is, and how firmly you've got them jammed into the very real, very physical headphones socket, this lossly wireless connection to the source will become your limiting factor.

Plus, if you've spent all this money on a DAC, you're likely to be using a decent pair of wird headphones to partner with it, from the Røde NTH-100 (£149 / $149 / AU$249) to the open-backed Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X (£189 / $199 / AU$399), the Grado SR325x (£330 / $295 / AU$419) or, at a push, the Beyerdynamic T1 (3rd Generation) (£899 / $899).

Bluetooth has drawbacks which can rob the audio of its initial lustre, the main one being the problem of compression. LDAC, for instance, has a data rate of 990kbps, and while impressive compared with the 328kbps rate of standard SBC, it’s a lot lower than the 1411.2kbps provided by CDs.

Plus, if you've bought your not-inexpensive DAC to use primarily with wired headphones, not using a wire between source and said DAC seems somewhat redundant when the headphones provide a physical tether anyway. The supposed freedom provided by wire-free Bluetooth rather goes out the window, as you're still using a physical connection between your DAC and headphones anyway.

The question you have to ask is whether you'd miss Bluetooth if it weren't there. The Award-winning Chord Mojo 2 DAC doesn't have a Bluetooth input, but for sound quality, it's a cut above, and not once have we listened to the Mojo 2 and wished for wireless connectivity. That, in itself, tells you all you need to know.

It's admirable that iFi, or any other brand, would want its products to be as feature-laden as possible, but the idea of Bluetooth on a premium DAC designed to service the ‘sound-first’ market doesn’t make sense to me.

If you’re willing to spend what is still a considerable amount of cash on a DAC such as this, you’re going to want to get the best sound possible for the money. Bluetooth may be convenient, but the sonic sacrifices you’ll make feel unjustifiable given that the purpose of a DAC such as the iDSD GR 2 is, ultimately, to make your music and headphones-based listening sound as good as possible for the money spent.

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Has a film ever changed you?

If you're a fan of home cinema, then there's a good chance that a movie has (hopefully) touched you in some way or stuck with you over the years.

But how many films have actually changed home cinema?

There are many great reference discs out there which have surely opened some people's eyes to the possibilities of truly immersive home cinema, but only a handful of film titles can lay claim to have impacted the industry.

We're going to go through some of the most notable firsts in home cinema below, as well as a few pioneering titles which single-handedly changed the industry.

It's an interesting mix of absolute classics, smaller innovators and a few films you probably wouldn't expect. See how many you own...

1976: The first-ever VHS is... disputed

So what was the first film to kickstart the home media revolution? Well, no one's really sure. A long-standing rumour suggests that South Korean drama The Young Teacher came out on tape in 1976, shortly after JVC released the technology, but this claim has been widely contested.

The first Western releases are a bit more certain – Magnetic Video released the first 50 titles in a wave in 1977, which included classics such as M*A*S*H, Patton and Hello, Dolly!

1995: Batman and Jack Ryan bring surround sound home

Okay, bear with us here – surround sound technically entered our living rooms in the 1980s, when Dolby Surround and Dolby Pro Logic used a matrix to decode stereo into multi-channel sound. But surround sound as we know it today, with completely separate, discrete channels, came a bit later.

Batman Returns made history in 1992 as the first film to be released in cinemas in what is now Dolby Digital, making digital sound and 5.1 the new standard. However, it wasn't until the 1995 release of Clear And Present Danger on LaserDisc that a discrete Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track was available on home media.

Dolby Digital would then, of course, become the audio specification for DVD, and is still in use today, even if it has been superseded by the object-based Dolby Atmos.

1996: DVD arrives with a Harrison Ford double bill

DVD premiered in Japan with four titles in December 1996: Eraser, The Fugitive, Assassins and the fittingly futuristic Blade Runner: The Final Cut.

The format reached the US a few months later in March 1997, with 32 titles on launch day, including Twister, which became the top-selling DVD of the year and a notable early demo disc for the format.

DVD arrived in the UK in June 1997, when former What Hi-Fi? staff members were distinctly unimpressed with the Thomson DTH-1000U in our first-ever DVD player review. We were limited to region 2 imports from Japan at the time, however – DVDs didn't hit UK shops until 1998, when Mars Attacks! topped the first UK DVD chart.

Sony would later add a DVD drive to the PlayStation 2 in 2000, which would launch a DVD boom – with veteran AV experts contending that home cinema really took off when the disc-based format arrived. While DVD (and most physical media) is undoubtedly facing some challenges, they're still being made and released 30 years later – a lifetime in AV terms.

1997: DTS roars into home cinemas with Jurassic Park

We're sure many home cinema fans are familiar with DTS. But did you know the dinosaur mega-hit Jurassic Park played a key role in its development? Not content with revolutionising digital effects, director Steven Spielberg did the same for digital sound too, investing in the creation of DTS to showcase the film's sound design and various dinosaur roars.

This resulted in Jurassic Park becoming the first film to debut in cinemas with DTS surround sound in 1993, and also claiming the title of the first DTS home video release when it debuted on LaserDisc in 1997.

Dolby Digital and DTS have had a heated rivalry ever since, with DTS also creating several more advanced versions – including their own object-based codec, DTS: X.

2006: Adam Sandler and Arnie bring us Blu-ray

With Sony set to kit out the then-upcoming PlayStation 3 with a Blu-ray disc drive, it's no surprise that the Japanese tech giant also led the charge when it came to the discs themselves in June 2006.

50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, Underworld: Evolution and xXx were the very first Blu offerings courtesy of Sony, along with MGM's The Terminator.

A real mixed bag then (was anyone who purchased a ludicrously expensive early Blu-ray player reaching for an Adam Sandler rom-com?), and HD-DVD arguably had a stronger launch line-up with The Last Samurai, Million Dollar Baby, The Phantom Of The Opera and Serenity earlier that year.

However, we all know how that one went – HD-DVD waved the white flag in February 2008, and Blu-ray continues to be sold to this day, though it's of course competing with its successor...

2010: Avatar leads the 3D charge

Avatar was not, in fact, the first 3D Blu-ray – that honour goes to Monsters Vs Aliens in 2010, which was initially only available with Samsung 3D TVs or Blu-ray players.

However, almost anyone who invested in 3D home theatre technology at the time (which wasn't many, let's be honest) did so because of the Avatar effect, hoping to recreate the visual splendour of James Cameron's blockbuster at home. Avatar would have its 3D home premiere on Sky on Christmas Eve 2010, with a 3D Blu-ray release two years later.

Studios had mostly abandoned 3D Blu-ray by 2018, though certain regions worldwide still receive new releases. The most notable recent worldwide release has fittingly been a remaster of Avatar, as well as its two sequels – Avatar: Fire And Ash was released on 3D Blu-ray as recently as May 2026.

2014: Dolby Atmos arrives with a Michael Bay bang

Brave was the first feature-length Dolby Atmos film after a special installation at the El Capitan Theatre for its premiere in 2012.

However, it wasn't the first use of Dolby Atmos on disc – that honour goes to, um, Transformers: Age Of Extinction on regular old Blu-ray in 2014. Whatever you think of the film, it is a technical showcase, and it coincided with the announcement of the first Dolby Atmos technology for home theatres.

2016: X-Men, Hitman and Kingsman are the first 4K discs

As What Hi-Fi? reported at the time, the first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs came to the UK in a wave in early 2016, meaning it was a photo finish with no definitive winner.

The eight discs in total were all 20th Century Fox titles: Fantastic Four, Maze Runner: Chapter II - The Scorch Trials, Kingsman : The Secret Service, The Maze Runner, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Life Of Pi, Hitman: Agent 47 and Exodus: Gods And Kings.

While you might call the quality of these films, well, mixed, there's no denying the excitement in the air when this new format was announced, and 4K Blu-rays can now often be found strewn across our test room after a lengthy review session.

It's been a rocky road for 4K Blu-ray since, with some of our favourite 4K Blu-ray players disappearing, key manufacturers leaving the market and Sony seemingly hinting that the next PlayStation won't support any disc-based home media at all. Will we even get another home cinema format? Time will tell...

2017: Billy Lynn's Long, High Frame-rate Walk

Ang Lee's experimental war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk was not the first high frame-rate movie release (that was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which was released in cinemas in 2012 at a divisive 48fps), but it was the first to take its high frame-rate to home media in 2017.

The 4K Blu-ray was presented in 60fps rather than the 120fps seen in cinemas, but it was still a first for the format. We found both the film and the high frame-rate experience to be a bit hit and miss in our Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk review, noting a hyper-real sense of depth at the cost of a cinematic feel.

It's not a trend that would catch on, however – Ang Lee would return to high frame-rate for his next film Gemini Man, but otherwise home video has stuck with good old regular 24fps.

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Whether you’re after an eye-catchingly designed projector ‘cube', an ultra-short-throw projector you can leave on a sideboard, a serious home theatre projector or a design-led ultra-portable model, Hisense has got you covered.

In fact, as the many strong reviews the brand has received from us in recent years prove, Hisense hasn’t just got most of your potential projector needs covered; it’s got them nailed.

Not surprisingly, then, we have high hopes for the brand’s C2 Ultra model – despite its obvious focus on design and convenience.

Price

Value is usually a strong area for Hisense, and the C2 Ultra is no exception. Its £1799 / $2300 / AU$3495 pricing is aggressively low (particularly in the UK) for a projector that provides such specifications as 4K support, triple laser lighting, an integrated smart system, Dolby Vision support and 3000 lumens of peak brightness to go with its eye-catching lifestyle design.

There is some stiff competition around this projector's price, though, including BenQ’s Award-winning W2720i home theatre projector or, if you want something that maintains the C2 Ultra’s more portable, lifestyle design approach, BenQ’s TK705i or Epson’s significantly cheaper EF-72.

Design

The C2 Ultra’s compact (29 x 25 x 25cm) form employs one of the ‘cradle’ designs that have become all the rage these days, where the projector rests within a pair of support arms that allow the main body to tilt up or down to help you to get images to the right height on your wall/screen.

The projector also rotates around on its circular base to easily adapt to any tricky angles your room might present you with, and that base rather niftily carries a fairly large up-firing speaker on its top edge.

The C2 Ultra is finished in an appealing gunmetal grey colour, and boasts a neat combination of smooth matte, high gloss and grilled finishes over various parts of the main projector body’s ‘slightly squashed cube’ shape.

Unusually for a cradle-style projector, the C2 Ultra can be mounted onto an optional thin pole floorstand or ceiling mount bracket if you’re not happy just sitting it on a coffee table.

The C2 Ultra’s provided remote control features a nice finish, backlit buttons and an ergonomic layout that includes buttons for direct access to some of the world’s most popular integrated streaming apps. There’s also a mic button on offer, indicating that you can control aspects of the projector by talking to it courtesy of Hisense’s own ‘Vidaa Voice’ system or built-in Alexa support.

Features

The C2 Ultra is a 4K-capable DLP projector illuminated by a triple laser lighting system.

We should qualify the 4K claim by saying that, as ever with DLP projectors, it’s not ‘true’ 4K to the extent that it features a full 4096x2160 or 3840x2160 count of digital mirror devices on its image control chip. The combination of pixel shifting and rapid mirror ‘flashing’ created by Texas Instruments’ XPR system, though, creates a 4K effect from DLP projectors such as the C2 Ultra that’s actually been approved as genuine 4K by the influential Consumer Technology Association in the US.

The C2 Ultra’s laser lighting is rated to deliver up to 3000 lumens of brightness – a high number for such a portable projector, and one that raises the possibility of the projector genuinely holding its own against quite high levels of ambient light.

This brightness is also important to Hisense’s claims that the C2 Ultra can support images as big as 300 inches across – though because the larger you go, the more brightness you lose, we argue 100-150 inches will give you more satisfying results from an all-round image impact perspective.

Hisense also claims that the C2 Ultra can reproduce more than 100 per cent of the AV world’s most extreme BT.2020 HDR colour spectrum. Experience suggests such claims are optimistic in the real world, but Hisense quoting it at least points to a projector that is likely to deliver most if not all of the narrower DCI-P3 colour spectrum used for most of today’s HDR mastering.

The C2 Ultra’s small shape and cradled design make it a particularly portable projector, easily moved to different rooms or houses. It even ships with a neat cloth carry bag.

It builds on its portability, too, by being just about as easy a projector to set up as we’ve seen. It can rotate through a full 360 degrees on its circular base, for starters, and it supports a generous 135 degrees of vertical tilt to help you get the image in the right place.

Obviously, the sort of angles created by rotating and tilting projectors can cause distortions to the shape of the image on your wall/screen. Here again, though, Hisense has got you covered with its Auto Magic AI Adjusting 2.0 system.

Despite its awkward name, this combination of auto keystone correction, auto focus, auto obstacle avoidance, intelligent wall colour adaptation and intelligent eye protection works remarkably well and extremely consistently, contributing to a genuine plug-and-play experience that seldom needs any manual intervention to improve on its results.

The C2 Ultra even carries a 0.9-1.5:1 optical zoom system to help it adapt to a wide range of room sizes and room layouts. That’s more zoom range than you would typically expect to get with this sort of projector.

Most lifestyle projectors these days provide some sort of AI set-up system, of course. But the C2 Ultra’s system just works out of the box more straightforwardly than most.

The C2 Ultra’s connections comprise two HDMI ports (one with eARC support), an optical audio output, two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone socket, and ethernet, plus Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6e wireless connections.

The wi-fi connectivity feeds the built-in Vidaa smart platform. This isn’t as sophisticated or visually attractive as the popular Google TV system many projectors use, but it’s easy to follow and is strong on native streaming app support.

Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All 4, My 5, Now TV, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Paramount+, and HBO Max apps are all present, and a firmware update has now also added support in the UK for Freely, through which you can live-stream many of the UK’s terrestrial broadcast services rather than having to use a traditional aerial system.

The C2 Ultra supports HDR video, as we’d expect of pretty much any proper home entertainment projector these days, but it doesn’t stop at the usual HDR10 and HLG formats – it also supports both the HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats.

Finding one of these premium HDR formats on a projector at this level is still quite rare, so finding both on the C2 Ultra is excellent. Basically, it means the C2 Ultra will always play the best version of any source you present it with.

The playback flexibility doesn’t end there, either. The C2 Ultra has also earned IMAX Enhanced certification, and carries an IMAX Enhanced picture preset, while Hisense’s other usual punchy HDR Standard and HDR Day picture presets are also joined by a Filmmaker Mode calibrated to try and deliver pictures that get as close as the projector can manage to current mastering standards, for that ‘as the director intended’ feel.

There’s also support for 3D if you sort yourself out with a pair of DLP-Link 3D glasses, and an official ‘Designed For Xbox’ badge in the C2 Ultra’s marketing points to some unusually advanced gaming support. Confirmed features include ALLM switching when gaming sources are detected, 240Hz refresh rate support, and a measured 34.4ms of input lag in Game mode with a 60Hz signal.

You can get this down to 17.6ms if you call in a DLP Turbo Mode option, at the expense of some of the projector’s auto image correction tools.

A dedicated Gaming menu and information screen comes up if you hit the menu button with a game source running into the projector, and hooking up an Xbox Series X confirms 4K/120Hz support with HDR and VRR. Excellent.

One last feature in the C2 Ultra’s impressive feature locker for its money is a JBL-designed/tuned 40W sound system comprising 2 x 10W amplification and a 20W bass speaker cleverly built into the projector’s chunky circular desktop base.

Hisense’s materials on the projector suggest this sound system only supports DTS Virtual:X 3D audio, but Dolby Atmos also plays fine during our tests. Quite a lot better than ‘fine’, actually, but we’ll come back to that later.

Picture quality

As well as being fantastically easy to set up, the Hisense C2 Ultra’s pictures are effortlessly watchable. Hisense appears to have been doing living room projectors for long enough now to have forged a great feel for the sort of picture elements that most immediately warm viewers to a particular model’s cause.

The C2 Ultra’s HDR images are bright, for starters, making full use of the available 3000 lumens to deliver images that look both excellently punchy in a dark environment, and strong enough to hold their own, retaining good colour saturation and solidity, even in fairly bright living room conditions.

The C2 Ultra is even able to deliver bright highlights of HDR images with enough potency to almost have you believing it must be using a local dimming system somehow – even though this is, of course, not something current home projection technology can do.

Pictures are sharp and clean enough to look and feel like real 4K too, and the sharpness holds up well when there’s motion in the frame. Judder levels with 24p movie content feel strikingly natural rather than exaggerated or inconsistent.

Colour tones look nicely balanced and full of subtlety, too, helping 4K images deliver that three-dimensional feel that’s only fully unlocked by displays that are capable of a good combination of colour blending, contrast and clean, natural motion.

Black levels are only respectable rather than great, but for much of the time this relatively average part of the C2 Ultra’s performance is ‘hidden’ by the intensity and brightness of the rest of the images. It’s only uniformly dark scenes that suddenly reveal quite a cloak of greyness hanging over proceedings – especially if you’re using the projector’s Dolby Vision Bright, HDR Day or HDR Standard settings. You can also sometimes see a bit more detail in these elevated black areas than the content creators really intended you to.

The Dolby Vision Dark and HDR10 Filmmaker Modes improve on the excessive detail flaw without taking things so far that subtle details start to be crushed out of the image, but these modes are significantly less punchy than their brighter siblings, and the level of greyness lying over proceedings feels more or less the same. It’s just not offset by as much brightness as you get in the lighter HDR presets.

We also spot moderate levels of DLP projection’s rainbow effect over stand-out bright highlights, and while colours look well balanced, they can start to look slightly pallid in the brightest HDR images when using the projector’s relatively bright settings.

The brightest modes can also reduce the 3D effect that’s such a strong attraction with the Dolby Vision Dark and Filmmaker Mode settings.

Unless, however, you’re particularly susceptible to seeing the DLP projector rainbow effect (which a few people are), there’s nothing wrong enough or limited enough about the C2 Ultra’s pictures to prevent it from being consistently great fun to watch by class standards.

Yes, it sacrifices a little insight in the darkest and brightest scenes in its mostly highly successful quest to deliver as easy an ‘out of the box’ experience as we’ve come across in the projector world. But the overall picture results are still seriously easy on the eye for a projector that also has so many features and so much flexibility to offer.

Sound quality

The C2 Ultra’s clever integration of an unusually powerful three-speaker sound system pays off brilliantly. The volume and depth of bass delivered by that large up-firing woofer built into the projector’s base, for starters, are remarkable for such an affordable projector. It’s able to vary both the frequency response and volume of the bass it puts out better than the vast majority of TVs and pretty much all projectors, too.

The C2 Ultra builds on its strong bass foundations with similarly remarkable amounts of power and expressiveness for its midrange, too. It can get seriously loud without becoming muddy or congested, combining its raw power with strong levels of detail, without anything sounding too bright, clipped, thin or harsh.

The C2 Ultra even manages to deliver a palpable sense of three-dimensionality to its Dolby Atmos presentation, casting a soundstage that has genuine depth, height and width – and into which effects and scores are placed with excellent precision and dynamism.

As the cherry on the cake, the C2 Ultra not only delivers voices with a lovely rounded quality and great sense of context, but also ensures they’re projected, along with much of the rest of the sound, towards your screen, so that dialogue doesn’t sound as disconnected from the onscreen action as projector sound usually does.

The only problem with the C2 Ultra’s sound is that, while its woofer works brilliantly for the vast majority of the time, it can get caught out by the movie world’s most extreme and sustained low-frequency moments, suddenly succumbing to quite distracting amounts of crackling, whooping and phutting. It helps at such moments if you haven’t got the volume set much higher than its 60 level, but there’s no way of completely avoiding the occasional bass kerfuffle.

It’s also worth mentioning that even at its best, the integrated sound system isn’t a patch on the sound you would get from a decent soundbar, let alone a dedicated home cinema set-up, but that’s to be expected.

Verdict

The C2 Ultra isn’t perfect, but no lifestyle projector packed with so much flexibility and so many features at this price was ever going to be.

Even so, its rather grey dark scenes and rainbow effect issues cost it a mark in the context of the improved picture quality you can get from one or two less flexible rivals – especially the BenQ W2720i.

If its flexibility and features – especially its strong gaming support – sound like just what you need, though, you’ll likely be pretty amazed that such a user-friendly projector can also perform so well.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 5
• Features 5

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If you're at all immersed in the world of wireless headphones, you will likely be aware of Sony's 1000X series, which has graced many a What Hi-Fi? Awards shortlist over the years.

So imagine our excitement when the Japanese tech giant announced Sony 1000X The Collexion, a brand new pair of Bluetooth over-ears to mark the line's tenth anniversary.

When we finally got our hands on a pair earlier this year, we found it impossible to ignore their poised, detailed performance, while also admiring their feature set and classy construction.

And they've just had their first discount, so you can buy the premium pair for £499 at Richer Sounds, saving you £51 off their launch price.

The Sony 1000X The Collexion look good and make you feel good when you wear them – the cans have a clean, minimalist exterior made from metal and faux leather and make for an appreciably lightweight and unobtrusive listen.

The feature set mostly matches that found on their cheaper WH-1000XM6 siblings, including Sony’s ‘360 Reality Audio Upmix’ tech, support for the high-res LDAC codec and Bluetooth LE Audio for lower power consumption and better-quality sound.

They also offer 24 hours of battery life with ANC on and include a 3.5mm-to-3.5 mm audio cable for old-school wired listening (you can't listen via their USB-C connection). The 1000X The Collection are the first Sony headphones to feature its DSEE Ultimate processing engine, which improves lower-quality digital audio files.

Despite being sound-first headphones, noise cancelling also impresses, with the XM6's QN3 chip and 12-mic array doing an excellent job of suppressing noise across frequencies.

And the all-important sound? One which prioritises refinement, detail and maturity over the punchier, more flavoured personality of the WH-1000XM6.

"Detail levels are excellent, and when you have a pair of over-ears that offer clarity, textural insight and spaciousness to this extent, it’s hard not to be impressed," our Sony 1000X The Collexion review reads. "The elegiac strings on Never Goodbye are rich and mournful, while the piano on Debussy’s austere Sarabande strikes a wonderful balance between rich intent and subtle delicacy."

We did miss the extra sense of fun and entertainment that came from the XM6, but it's hard not to admire the spacious, open and mature personality of the 1000X The Collexion.

If it's scale, detail and clarity you're after, then the Sonys are seriously talented performers that consistently impress, and are now available with £51 off at Richer Sounds.

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A few weeks ago, Sony announced that its next-generation PlayStation console will ditch physical discs, which has (quite rightly) sent gamers and cinephiles alike into a frenzy.

Seeing this as an opportunity to one-up its arch-nemesis, which has dominated the home console market for years now, Xbox has announced a new feature that will give physical discs a lifeline – for now, at least...

Announced at Gamescom 2026, Xbox's new "disc to digital" initiative will let gamers acquire digital licenses for the physical games they own, essentially bundling the best aspects of physical and digital media into one.

Inserting a supported Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One game (Xbox says that thousands of titles are supported and more will be added over time) will prompt users to "claim a digital entitlement", essentially adding a digital version of their game to their library.

This allows them to fire up the game even when the disc isn't in the console, and it unlocks the ability to play the game practically anywhere, whether that's a friend's console that you're logged into, Xbox's Play Anywhere feature, or even the Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Crucially, though, users will still benefit from owning a physical copy of the game: Xbox says that this is an "important step toward a future where players can have greater confidence that the games they buy remain with them for years to come".

In other words, if you own a physical copy, your purchased titles can't suddenly disappear from your library – which is what happened when Sony removed hundreds of purchased films from PlayStation users' libraries recently.

Furthermore, you can still sell your disc or lend it to a friend without worry, as the digital license is transferable.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, in an interview with BBC News, stated that it will allow users to experience a best of both worlds approach, and claimed that "it's really a breakthrough in how we think about physical and digital media".

The feature will come to Xbox Insiders (the gaming firm's Beta software testers) on 31st August, with a wider rollout to all users expected down the line.

While this looks like a positive change on paper, it also suggests Xbox may follow Sony's lead and opt for an all-digital approach for its next consoles, though that remains speculation for now.

Xbox could be preparing its users by allowing them to digitise their existing physical library in readiness for a discless Xbox launching in the coming years, but only time will tell if that is the outcome.

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Quiz! Can you name the first film in these home cinema formats?