I've covered more Apple launches than I'd care to admit in the past four years. From the annual iPhone unveilings in September to WWDC in June, and many miscellaneous events in between, there's been one running theme throughout all of them: no new Apple TV 4K.

That changed with Apple's latest low-key event, which took place earlier this week. It centred around smart home devices, including a Siri AI-enabled smart speaker with a display that can be used to view video doorbells, display recipes, and stream music. While the HomeView looks like a nice piece of kit, my attention was squarely on the new Apple TV 4K 4th Generation.

Last refreshed in 2022, the Apple TV 4K has been the neglected stepchild in Apple's lineup for the past four years; the company has been too busy cramming wildly powerful in-house developed processors into new Mac computers and iPads.

Thankfully, Apple saw sense and has decided to refresh the streamer with the same A19 chip from the iPhone 17 with a dedicated AV1 decoder for more efficient streaming, improved wireless connectivity, Siri AI and built-in far-field microphones for hands-free navigation, and an improved remote with built-in 'Find My' functionality.

Now, I've been mulling over the new streaming box since its announcement on the 13th October, and the shine really has worn off. This contemplation has led me to an unfortunate realisation: I have no intention of buying the new Apple TV 4K.

What I was convinced would be an instant no-brainer purchase has been derailed thanks to a couple of key factors, and yes, the biggest issue is the price.

Apple has previously offered two configurations of this streamer. There was a cheaper 64GB model which launched at £149 / $130 / AU$219, and saw a price increase to £199 / $199 / AU$299 in June this year, and a 128GB version with an Ethernet socket which released for £169 / $179 / $249, and received a similar price increase to £249 / $249 / AU$399.

Apple now only sells a single 128GB configuration, meaning the 4th Generation starts at a staggering £299 / $299 / AU$449. Plenty of geo-economic factors explain this price increase to some extent: RAM, storage and chip shortages, plus global conflicts, are mostly to blame.

But two price increases in six months? That's starting to feel egregious, especially considering that the 'starting' price for the Apple TV is now double what it used to be.

Furthermore, the existing Apple TV 4K is technically receiving some of the features from the new model.

Apple notes that, "Siri AI is available as a beta on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later), and is available at launch in the US, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the UK in English," which means if you have the 2021 or 2022 Apple TV 4K, you'll be able to use the new Siri AI voice commands and search functions.

And that new Siri Remote with Find My built in? Apple is selling that separately too, and it's compatible with multiple generations of Apple TV HD and 4K, with the Find My feature supported on the 2021 and 2022 models too. It's set to cost £59 / $59 / AU$89; that's a much more wallet-friendly upgrade.

Now, we're expecting important picture and sound upgrades with this new generation, and the upgraded processor is likely to harbour more features in the future and enhanced longevity in the long run. And of course it's entirely possible that my mind will be changed once we review the upcoming Apple TV 4K, which is set to release at the end of the month.

That said, if you've got Apple TV 4K FOMO like me, but are averse to dropping £300 on the new model, then these features might just tide you over as well.

MORE:

Read our full Apple TV 4K (2022) review

Check out our picks for the best streaming devices

As well as the best OLED TVs

If you are a regular What Hi-Fi? reader, then you likely will have seen that we announced the 2026 Award winners earlier this week. For those who have not seen them yet, don't panic; you can see the list of winners here.

Leading up to the final results, we have been testing a huge range of different home cinema and AV products in order to find the best of the bunch. And that has called for us to test a diverse set of movies and TV shows to see how these products perform.

There are some discs that we reach for time and time again (Blade Runner 2049, Dune Part Two, for example), but we also want to have a fresh supply of films and shows at our fingertips.

In our monthly Now Showing column, we take a look at what the reviews team have been watching to challenge a product's picture or sound performance.

East Of Eden (2026 –)

Words by Ioan Hazell

If you attended secondary school after 1990, there’s some likelihood that a novel by John Steinbeck ended up stuffed into your school bag alongside a Walkman, iPod or iPhone. Schools tend to opt for Steinbeck’s shorter stories, such as The Grapes Of Wrath or Of Mice And Men, but the author’s self-proclaimed magnum opus, East Of Eden, is less commonly on the curriculum.

And that’s a shame, because, while the book’s critical reception was varied upon release, there’s good reason for it since becoming one of Steinbeck’s most widely loved novels.

The Netflix adaptation of the story follows the Trask family through three generations, the latter two of which grapple with a brotherly Cain and Abel dynamic. This Biblically-charged tension is only compounded when the character of Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) crawls bloodied to the door of a Connecticut farmhouse owned by Adam and Charles Trask (Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist), the second generation.

For fear of spoilers, I’ll keep schtum about what follows. But for lovers of the novel, I should say that, while this adaptation doesn’t quite deliver the gut-punching emotional blows of the book, it is still a gripping, if somewhat blatantly theatrical watch. Visually, it is a feast for the eyes, with painstaking care taken on set design and costumes. The New Zealand landscapes used as a simulacrum for California’s Salinas Valley don’t hurt, either.

Come to think of it, this series is probably best summed up by a quote from the novel itself: “Now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma (2026)

Words by Alastair Stevenson

As a kid who grew up watching The X-Files, Gillian Anderson is as close to a global treasure as you’ll get in the world of acting, in my humble opinion.

So when, as a horror fan, I saw she was doing a genre-bending movie with Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, it was a pure “shut up and take my money” moment. And while it’s quite heavy-handed with its symbolism, boy am I happy I did, as from the moment I started watching, Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma proved to be an audio-visual treat.

Though it’s full of great performances (especially from Anderson, who plays a reclusive horror actress), it was the visuals that really stood out for me, with every decision and minor detail contributing to the story and intended tone.

First, there’s cinematographer Eric Yue’s decision to shoot almost all of the film in 35mm, to replicate the grainy, noisy tone of its ’70s and ’80s slasher film inspiration. Then there’s the use of the classic glass matte painting Hollywood technique for backdrops, over the easier and more common CGI used in most modern films, which adds to its unique, surreal feel.

The end result is an experience that blends retro nostalgia with modern storytelling to create something truly unique. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d strongly recommend any horror fan give it a go.

Stream Camp Miasma on MUBI

Pre-order Camp Miasma on 4k Blu-ray

Pearl (2022)

Words by Robyn Quick

Mia Goth is building up quite the horror discography, with one of her biggest breakouts coming from her role in the 2018 reboot of Suspiria. But another entry cemented her as one of this generation's go-to horror greats: enter Pearl.

Goth plays the titular lead (and also co-wrote the screenplay), with the film following the rural schoolgirl. Stuck looking after her family's farm and caring for her ailing father, Pearl also has a ravenous desire to be a star. And she will pursue her dream, no matter what it takes.

Not only is it hugely entertaining, bloodthirsty viewing, but Pearl is a great test of your home cinema system's picture. The beautiful farm landscapes call for a great amount of detail and clarity, from the fields of barley to the fluffy clouds in the sky.

It will challenge your system's sound performance as well. During the iconic dance scene as Pearl performs to a straight-faced panel of judges, the soundtrack evokes classic Hollywood tunes rather than modern slashers. Accompanying the sprightly score is the sound of footsteps on the stage, which also tests out your system's ability to place these precisely around the soundfield.

Buy Pearl on 4K Blu-ray from HMV

Stream Pearl on Apple TV

The Social Network

Words by Lewis Empson

David Fincher has directed numerous films that I'd consider to be a cut above the rest, and in my humble opinion, The Social Network is his very best work.

It has sat comfortably in my personal top 10 ever since I watched it over a decade ago, and it's a film I've since used to test a wide array of AV and home cinema products.

It's now been accompanied by a sequel that (while I haven't seen it personally) hasn't been receiving the best reviews, which is somewhat disappointing. That said, a surge in popularity for one of my favourite films is still a win in my books, and I hope the release of The Social Reckoning is drawing some well-deserved attention to the original.

If there's one word that I'd use to describe this film, it would be "slick". Performances are deeply engaging, the cinematography and camera work are fluid, and the soundtrack is an electronic masterpiece courtesy of Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

This movie is a must-watch for anyone who has just invested in a new sound system; seriously, the soundtrack is just that good, especially the ingenious interpretation of In the Hall of the Mountain King. A scene in a nightclub also springs to mind, as the sound mixing is impressively realistic and immersive.

Frustratingly for 4K Blu-ray fans such as myself, a physical copy can seemingly only be obtained if you purchase the £500 Columbia Classics: 4K Ultra HD Collection, Volume 2 box set, or if you can track down a limited edition steelbook that was released early last year.

However, the good news is that Apple has added The Social Network to Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+), with a 4K version with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos currently available to stream.

Stream The Social Network on Apple TV

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

Watch Australia vs New Zealand 2nd Test live streams

Australia's hopes of ending their Bledisloe Cup drought are over for another year, after the All Blacks stormed to a 50-19 victory last weekend in Auckland. However, there is still plenty for the Wallabies to play for as they host their old rivals in the second and final match at Sydney's Accor Stadium.

Australia head coach Les Kiss may have seen his unbeaten start end following the All Blacks' barnstorming second-half display, but there were still positives for the 61-year-old to take from the performance. The Wallabies trailed only 17-14 at the interval, raising hopes they could claim become the first team to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park in 40 years but injuries to Ben Donaldson and Len Ikitau eventually told. Kiss has made four changes to his starting XV for the return fixture, with fly-half Declan Meredith and former All Black Aidan Ross among the players to come in as Australia hunt a first victory in this competition since November 2020.

New Zealand cross the Tasman Sea with the Bledisloe Cup safely secured for another year, but Dave Rennie's side are unlikely to take their foot off the gas. Still smarting from their 3-1 defeat by South Africa in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, the All Blacks showed their clinical edge with five second-half tries in Auckland. They will now be keen to secure a 2-0 victory, and Rennie has freshened up his 23 with eight changes in total. That includes three alterations to the starting XV, as loosehead prop George Bower, lock Fabian Holland and wing Josh Moorby all get the nod.

Follow our guide below for where to watch Australia vs New Zealand live streams from anywhere with a VPN, including for FREE.

How can I watch Australia vs New Zealand for free?

US viewers can watch Australia vs New Zealand live and for free on RugbyPass TV, which you can also access via the RugbyPass app (iOS/Android).

Fans in the States will also be able to stream the game at no cost on World Rugby's YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, viewers in Australia can watch the matches live and for free via 9Now and Channel 9.

Rugby fans in New Zealand can watch the 2nd Test on free-to-air ThreeNow on tape delay later on Saturday, with coverage due to start at 8.30pm NZDT.

And in 40+ other territories where there's no domestic broadcaster for this series, the game will be streamed for free on the SANZAAR TV Channel on YouTube. Countries include Belgium, Georgia, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, China and India. You can find a full list here.

If you're from any of those countries but are currently overseas, you can simply use a VPN to tap into your free coverage. More details below...

Watch Australia vs New Zealand live streams from anywhere

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

We rate NordVPN as one of the best VPNs 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 Australia vs New Zealand in the US

As detailed above, RugbyPass TV will broadcast Australia vs New Zealand live and for free in the US. All you need to do is register an account.

Fans in the States can also access the game via World Rugby's YouTube channel.

Overseas 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 Australia vs New Zealand live streams in the UK

You can stream the Australia vs New Zealand 2nd Test on Sky Sports in the UK. The game is live on the Sky Sports Main Event channel.

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

Watch Wallabies vs New Zealand live streams in Australia

Free coverage of the 2026 Bledisloe Cup 2nd Test will be available via 9Now online and on Channel 9 in Australia.

Stan Sport subscribers will also be able to watch this match on the pay-to-stream platform and app. Stan Sport costs AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription, which starts at AU$9.99/month.

Those visiting other parts of the world from Down Under can use NordVPN to watch all the rugby action for free as if you were back home.

Watch Australia vs All Blacks live streams in New Zealand

Sky Sport is the exclusive New Zealand broadcast partner for the 2026 Bledisloe Cup, with coverage on Sky Sport 1.

If you don't have Sky then you can still watch thanks to Sky Sport Now, which costs $29.99 a day, $59.99 a month or $549.99 for a whole year.

Australia vs New Zealand: Need to Know

• 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.

If we asked you to think of two brands from the worlds of hi-fi and automotive that you thought should work together, the names Bowers & Wilkins and Aston Martin would probably crop up more than a couple of times.

It might surprise you to know, though, that these two officially tied the knot only in 2023, when Bowers & Wilkins was announced as Aston Martin’s audio partner.

The first project was a 15-speaker system for the then all-new Aston Martin DB12 – but we are here to talk about one of B&W’s more recent systems, the 23-speaker set-up for its DBX S SUV.

Price

As you would probably expect from a performance SUV with an Aston Martin badge on board, the Bowers & Wilkins system for DBX S isn’t cheap. The car itself starts from £210,000, and the speaker package is a meaty option which comes in at around £8500.

That, though, is roughly what we’d expect a set-up at this level to cost – especially when it comes to top-tier automotive brands. It’s a similar story when talking about the Naim for Mulliner audio option for Bentley’s Bentayga SUV.

In the grand scheme of the actual cars themselves and the other options you can pay for, the step-up audio systems can actually make a lot of sense.

System

As standard, the Aston Martin DBX S comes with the 790 watt, 14-channel Premium audio system, which features 13 speakers and a subwoofer.

Tick the Bowers & Wilkins option, and power more than doubles to 1600 watts, while the speaker count increases to 23 with 21 channels of amplification.

The speaker count breaks down as follows:

4 x 17cm paper-cone woofers split between the front and rear doors

7 x 25mm aluminium tweeters spread through the dashboard, front/rear doors and roof lining

4 x 40mm full-range speakers in the front and rear ceiling

7 x 10cm midrange speakers split between the dashboard, front and rear doors and the roof

1 x 19cm x 13.3cm subwoofer in the boot

Those midrange speakers all use Bowers & Wilkins’ proprietary Continuum cone material, which you can find on all the brand's domestic loudspeaker ranges.

The double dome aluminium tweeters can be found in the likes of B&W’s 600 Series speakers – behind each one you'll find special spiral diffusion channels to help absorb reflected sound and reduce vibrations.

The DBX S system also uses Bowers & Wilkins’ tweeter-on-top speaker configuration, which places the tweeter in a separate enclosure to isolate it from vibrations caused by other drivers in the same cabinet. The result is a more open, transparent sound.

In the Aston Martin, each tweeter is hidden behind an intricately designed grille, which looks distinctive and premium, and this grille design is used to cover larger drivers elsewhere in the cabin.

Audio processing for the system is controlled using a combination of QuantumLogic Immersion and Dirac Unison.

The former crunches the numbers and separates your stereo track into individual elements before it then decides where to send them within the system for the best listening experience.

The latter optimises loudspeaker performance and includes bass-management tech to get all the speakers working together in unison.

Sound modes

As is the case with most premium car audio systems of this type, the user has a range of different sound modes at their disposal.

First, you have a choice between ‘studio’ and ‘stage’. Studio is designed to be the most authentic and purest sound mode, while stage is designed to replicate the feeling of being in the middle of a live performance, with extra processing that makes the mode feel more immersive.

Once you’ve picked your flavour (we prefer the studio mode for a more accurate sound), you also have the option of switching the focus of the system between an ‘all seats’ listening mode, a more specific ‘driver’ mode or a ‘rear’ mode biased towards your back-seat passengers.

In our experience of other systems on the market, choosing between these modes tends to come down to personal preference. And the same rings true here. During testing, we edge towards the all seats mode because it delivers a nice blend of immersion, detail and focus.

The driver mode is a bit more intense and the effect more obvious than in other systems we’ve tested. Vocals in particular are brought right into focus in front of the driver, and they sound quite pronounced. This isn’t in a negative way; we just find the effect more noticeable, and during testing it took us a bit longer to get used to.

As you might expect, this driver-specific setting gives you a greater sense of your own personal stereo image when you’re behind the wheel – there’s greater precision within what feels like a tighter soundfield. You are also aware of a greater sense of verticality and height with the stereo image compared with the all seats setting.

We see the appeal of the driver-focused mode, but in this instance we think you sacrifice a bit too much of the free-flowing nature of the sound – we prefer the greater spread and feeling of immersion encouraged by the all seats mode.

In addition to these modes, you also have traditional tone controls at your fingertips for bass, midrange and treble, none of which we feel we need to tinker with during our time with the system.

Sound

The better-sounding premium systems we have tested all deliver a more mature, refined and sophisticated performance than entry-level set-ups, and this Bowers & Wilkins set-up definitely fits into this category.

It’s an expressive and exciting listen, with one particular highlight being the level of refinement and detail you can hear at the very top end.

The system does a great job of extracting detail and pushing high frequencies without overstepping the mark. You get crisp, sharply drawn lines from the tweeters, but they don’t sound stressed or harsh when pushed.

It’s sometimes difficult to convey subtlety and low-level dynamics of a track when you have external factors such as road and engine noise to contend with, but the DBX S’s interior does a great job of isolating you from outside interference.

This allows the system to peel more layers away from the music and delve impressively deep into the fine detail. Spin a couple of minutes of Nothing Arrived by Villagers and you soon get the drift.

The speakers do a great job of communicating the intimate nature of the track. The system captures and surgically extracts the intricate plucking of the acoustic guitar extremely accurately but delivers it with a sense of life and expression too.

You get a real feel for each note; a mixture of intensity, delicacy and authenticity hooks you in.

The system does an excellent job communicating the dynamic shifts in the track’s vocals and the guitar strings, as the pace slows and the dynamics quieten before everything shifts back up through the gears.

Play something with a bit more power and drive, such as Macklemore & Lewis’s Downtown, and Bowers’ system hits with intensity and power. The track marches along in a lively and energetic fashion.

As the different vocals rotate around each other from verse to chorus, the system paints each element with impressive texture and tonality. Here, the studio mode really delivers refinement and sophistication in spades.

However, although there is an impressive amount of bass weight and power on display and the system can drop to impressive depths, the lows don’t gel quite as smoothly with the rest of the frequency range, in our opinion.

They have a tendency to stick out from the rest of the presentation, and we’d also like a greater level of definition.

It’s not a question of dialling down bass weight in the tone controls; the quantity isn’t really the problem. It’s more that the system doesn’t differentiate between bass notes quite as clearly and obviously as the very best systems we’ve heard.

Verdict

It can be tricky getting in-car systems to deliver like proper hi-fi, but the Bowers & Wilkins for Aston Martin DBX S system succeeds in many ways. The package delivers a large-scale, dynamic and refined sound with the midrange and treble being particular highlights.

In our opinion, it doesn’t quite have the quality of bass needed to secure that fifth star, but if it was our money, we still wouldn’t hesitate ticking the options box.

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Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound System (2026 Porsche Macan Electric) review

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With their Rube Goldberg contraptions and quaint, cheese-heavy lifestyle, you wouldn't expect Wallace & Gromit to be at the forefront of AV tech. But a new exhibition casts them and the rest of the Aardman crew into an immersive, audio-visual extravaganza.

Prepare to see Shaun The Sheep, Morph and, of course, Feathers McGraw like never before.

Larger Than Life: The Aardman Story at the Lightroom in King's Cross is a fascinating look at the legendary animation studio and its considerable body of work over the last 50 years. And it's heavy on bespoke animation, including the iconic model train chase scene from the Oscar-winning The Wrong Trousers.

The right fit

If you haven't been to the Lightroom before, you can read more about it here, but it's basically an immersive experience with projectors beaming footage onto the four walls and floor with the audience plonked in the middle of it.

The model train chase scene from The Wrong Trousers shows the venue's capabilities at their best, with Gromit in hot pursuit of villainous penguin Feathers McGraw, the former laying down track pieces mere millimetres in front of his train. Except instead of following the director's shots, the chase happens on the walls around us, the audience, with the rest of the walls adorned with alternative angles, storyboard stills, initial sketches and more.

It's a loving recreation of an iconic scene, one which was described by Danny Boyle as one of the greatest ever action sequences. Though if I have one criticism, it's that Lightroom's projectors can't quite keep up with Gromit's speed-laying-down of track pieces, his arms at times becoming a literal blur.

A joy

But that's nitpicking. The show is a joy, pure and simple. Which is fitting, given the immense admiration that Aardman's work attracts.

From the cabaret-style intro, through a brief history of stop-motion animation, to the studio's early successes on Vision On to global recognition via A Grand Day Out (seven years in the making) and the music video for Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, it captures the spirit and playfulness that the studio brings to every project.

Not that it's comprehensive. The music video for Nina Simone's My Baby Just Cares For Me is nowhere to be seen, which is a shame. Nor is it presented in chronological order. Rather, as with previous Lightroom shows, it's divided up into chapters ('Characters', 'Miniature Worlds' etc) with the whole show running on a continuous loop.

But it has more of a coherent beginning and end than the venue's previous shows, top and tailed respectively by the cabaret intro – featuring the studio's most famous characters pumped out of a machine that takes in balls of clay – and Morph closing the lid on the whole presentation (but not before pointing and laughing at the audience, as if we're tiny creatures placed there for his amusement in a neat reversal of the usual viewer-character dynamic).

While completists might be better served elsewhere, it is still full of great tidbits. I was interested to learn that the studio takes its name from an early character it created (an underwhelming superhero whose name is a pun on Aardman, "Hard Man"). And I couldn't help but snigger at Steven Spielberg's response when pitched Chicken Run (sold as The Great Escape with chickens): "The Great Escape is one of my all-time favourite movies, and I've got 300 chickens."

We also get a peek behind the scenes of the studio's plywood panels and kept-dark stages to witness the painstaking animation process first-hand. Younger visitors might find these sections a bit dull, but for those of us old enough to remember A Grand Day Out airing on TV in the late ’80s, it's fascinating.

According to the head of the Lightroom, the show was between two and four years in the making (no one quite knows exactly when they started talking to Aardman about creating it). And it shows: as with all Aardman productions, a lot of love has gone into it, and as the studio's considerable body of work proves, if you want to get it right, it's worth taking your time over these things.

MORE:

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In case you somehow hadn't noticed, we announced the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners earlier this week.

It was an interesting mix of returning favourites, new entrants and surprise upsets across the various categories.

Out of the 111 winners, however, we're pleased to report that several of them are on sale.

This includes repeat winners such as the Sony WF-C510 and Cyrus 40 ST, which are now back to their lowest price, as well as savings on the newly victorious Sennheiser CX 80U and LG C6 42-inch.

There's plenty more, though – take a look for yourself:

Budget OLED TVs are tough to get right, but Samsung has made a mighty good go of it with their offering this year. The Samsung S85H is one of the best cheap OLEDs we've tested thanks to a punchy, three-dimensional picture, high brightness, and solid app and gaming support. Get this price by using the promo code RSTV50 and then claiming £75 cashback from Samsung – full T&Cs are here.

It's hard to go wrong at £28, but the Sony WF-C510 seriously overdeliver at this price. The budget buds have just won their third What Hi-Fi? Award in a row, thanks to their compact, comfortable design, solid, musical sound and 11-hour battery life.

If you prefer your budget headphones wired, then the Sennheiser CX 80U are the pair we recommend. Their small, lightweight design, comfortable fit and rich, solid sound make them the best budget wired earphones we have tested in years.

The LG C-series regularly makes an appearance in our launch line-up, and this year is no different. The LG C6 took home the gong for best 40-43-inch TV thanks to its crisp, three-dimensional and contrast-rich picture, along with excellent motion handling and gaming features. You’ll need to claim 10 per cent cashback from LG to get this full discount – full details here.

The Cyrus 40 ST is our favourite high-end music streamer, and has just received its third What Hi-Fi? Award in a row. It may not be cheap, but it's an incredible piece of kit with expressive, punchy and exciting sound, excellent rhythmic drive and a classy look.

The Samsung HW-Q990H is also a new Award winner, thanks to its detailed, full-bodied cinematic sound, immersive and spacious sound and superb connectivity. We tested it at a rather pricey £1599, but you can now pick it up for £999 thanks to a £400 cashback offer – full T&Cs here.

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And the best TVs for all budgets

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

After one of the best music streamers money can buy?

The Cyrus 40 ST isn't exactly cheap, but it does boast five stars and multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards. It's a strong all-rounder that can shine in a wide range of systems.

And that price just got a bit more palatable. The Cyrus 40 ST is available for £2649 at Richer Sounds, a £346 discount from the price at which we reviewed it.

So what is it about the Cyrus 40 ST that makes it stand out from its rivals? The all-important sound quality, of course.

"Dynamically, it is impressively expressive, rendering low-level shifts in intensity elegantly, and delivering large-scale orchestral crescendos with real conviction," our Cyrus 40 ST review reads.

"As we listen to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony it is hard not to be impressed by the Cyrus’s performance. It sounds big and brawny when required but still has a lightness of touch when the music demands it."

The 40 ST simply has a level of clarity and precision that we haven’t heard bettered anywhere near this price, while also sounding natural and engaging across all types of music.

While Cyrus's iconic half-width chassis design remains, the 40 ST sports a sleek, modern look with a new aluminium casework.

The 40 ST uses the BluOS streaming engine, which comes with ample streaming features, including support for AirPlay, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, internet radio, and numerous other services. Bear in mind, though, that there's no Bluetooth or Chromecast, and hi-res file support is restricted to 24-bit/192kHz PCM and MQA.

There's also an upgrade option in the form of a 40 PSU outboard power supply, which brings gains in scale, power and authority. That unit will set you back a pricey £2495, though.

If you don't mind a few feature gaps, the Cyrus 40 ST has a breadth of talent and an even-handed nature that few others can match. With three Awards under its belt, the 40 ST is on its way to becoming a What Hi-Fi? legend, and it can be yours with £346 off at Richer Sounds.

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Also consider the Naim ND5 XS2

The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners have been revealed!

Imagine the premium wireless multi-room speaker market is a saloon from one of those classic spaghetti westerns. You’ve got Denon’s revamped Home 2 series leaning on the bar, Apple’s HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini playing a round of Three Card Monte, while Sonos’ Era 100 and Era 300 supremos menacingly spin their pistols as they eyeball prospective newcomers with a steely gaze.

Then, the wooden saloon doors swing open, and into the smoky scene steps JBL, armed to the teeth with its new three-strong Cove range. The talented titan has been the fastest gun in the West when it comes to its Award-winning range of portable Bluetooth speakers, but now it wants a slice of the multi-room treasure, starting with the flagship Cove X1 wireless speaker we have on test here.

Given its impressive portable pedigree and former multi-room experience with the now-defunct Link series and stylish Authentics range, JBL seemingly has what it takes to be the quickest draw in this particular shootout. On paper, at least.

Price

The JBL Cove X1 is priced at £430 / $450 / AU$650, making it the most premium member of the Cove range, eclipsing the £200 / $230 / AU$300 RRP of the Cove M1 and £400 / $400 / AU$600 tag of the Cove P1.

At this sort of money, you can scoop up the five-star Sonos Era 300 for £449 / $499 / AU$749 at the time of writing – though discounts will often drop this to around £349 / $399 / AU$649 – or get yourself the excellent HomePod 2 for £349 / $349 / AU$549 if you want a simple smart speaker and remain devoted to all things Apple.

Build & design

If you are familiar with JBL’s extensive portfolio of portable Bluetooth speakers, you’ll know that eye-grabbing colourways and funky style quirks are very much par for the course. Camo finishes, rubberised bumpers, even on-unit lighting for some newer-gen models – these are speakers designed to look as fun as they sound.

The Cove range does things differently. JBL says the new lineup is conceived to slot far more subtly into a domestic setting, hence the more utilitarian styling showcased by the X1 and its companions. Forget bright pinks and bold reds – black or white are the only finish options here.

The Cove X1, then, is not a particularly fun thing to look at, but considering that this is a speaker around the size of a small bread bin, it just about achieves its aim of fading into the background rather than drawing your attention like a fizzing sparkler atop a small cupcake.

At the top of the unit you’ll find a series of touch-capacitive controls, including volume, play/pause and Bluetooth pairing options, as well as a heart-shaped favourites icon for giving you quick access to a preferred playlist or range of soothing ambient sounds.

The small, subtle symbols do help to complement the deliberately understated aesthetic, but the lack of physical feedback does make for a less satisfying experience. Our test unit also lacks an auditory response straight out of the box, but you can adjust this by toggling on ‘Feedback Tone’ via the JBL One app.

Inside, the flagship Cove X1 houses a six-driver array, with 200 watts powering four 30mm tweeters – including one upfiring unit – alongside a pair of 9 x 12cm woofers to produce what JBL describes as an “ultra-wide sound with incredible detail” that, with the help of Constant Sound Field technology, “remains clear across the room”.

Encircling the entire speaker is a wraparound grille to facilitate that more omnidirectional sound, complemented by a smaller top-mounted grille under which sits one of the up-firing tweeters.

Features

The Cove range has been designed to be as user-friendly as possible, especially with regard to its multi-room capabilities, touting a flexible and expandable whole-home audio ecosystem powered by JBL's in-house platform and managed through the JBL One app.

In this regard, the X1 is a success. Our two review samples are easy to set up and get working, with both speakers requiring barely more than the push of a button to get hooked up to the wi-fi and grouped together in a stereo pair. Given how temperamental some wireless speakers (even five-star models from Sonos and Audio Pro) can be when it comes to connecting to the network and forming a cohesive pair or grouping, this is already a big plus.

You're not short on wireless streaming options. As well as being Roon Ready and offering Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with standard SBC and AAC codecs, the Cove X1 grants support for AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect. Dolby Atmos spatial audio is also on the menu. Wired listening via USB-C, meanwhile, is only available to US buyers.

For hands-free voice control, Alexa Plus is baked into the X1 and, once you’ve linked the speaker to your Amazon account, ready and willing to do your bidding. Just be aware that Alexa is tied into its own limited ecosystem, so while you can request playback from services such as Amazon Music and Spotify – and ask the usual questions about the weather and the meaning of life – there’s no voice control for Tidal and Qobuz.

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.

Sound

Just as the Cove X1’s mature aesthetic is at odds with the usually-funky JBL recipe, so too does the new model’s sonic presentation deviate from the one with which we’ve become so accustomed from the likes of the Award-winning Xtreme 5, Charge 6 and Flip 7 Bluetooth portables.

Instead of trading on that musical, fun and expressive nature that has earned JBL a small truckload of Awards for its portable roster, the Cove X1 favours a more subdued sonic presentation, one that leans further into weighty robustness rather than fleet-footed joie de vie.

To an extent, such a presentation plays into the JBL’s hands, and thanks to its considerable power and its omnidirectional driver array, the Cove X1 has no problems filling our test rooms with its big, weighty sound. If you’ve got a reasonably large listening space and need something that will fill it without much fuss, the X1 could be a suitable candidate.

That room-filling sound is reasonably detailed, evidenced by the fullness it brings to the opening cascade of drums on Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter or the soft, rasping vocals of Lana Del Rey’s delivery on Born To Die. The levels of clarity we hear are equally acceptable, with few hints of cloudiness or muddiness acting as an impediment to our musical catalogue.

Sadly, the Cove X1’s surprisingly unexpressive personality robs our tracks of any attention-grabbing spark. The Cove X1 has a direct and upfront presentation, but so much of JBL’s signature punch and dynamism has been replaced by a sound that lacks the potency to set pulses racing or hearts aflame. Hans Zimmer’s Dune soundtrack has a weighty presence, yet the music’s soul sounds subdued by this oddly flat approach.

Dynamic swings don’t land with the intent that we crave, in part owing to the lack of precision that the Cove X1 exhibits whenever things get too technical. Rhythms don’t have the brisk agility that we seek, either, a deficiency that’s made all too clear when we find ourselves desperately willing Eminem’s propulsive The Way I Am to kick into gear.

What really surprises us is how unbalanced the Cove X1 can sound. Top-end notes often exhibit a hardness that distracts us from the rest of the frequencies, while complex arrangements don’t tie together as convincingly as they do when we switch to the Award-winning Sonos Era 300. The Era 300 may have a smaller sound, but there’s no question that it sounds more agile, cohesive and satisfying than its JBL contemporary.

We tinker with the in-app sound settings to see if we can inject more life into our sample speaker, but we realise that this is far more a quality issue than one stemming from unbalanced tonality.

The Era 300 completely outguns the Cove X1’s attempts at spatial audio, too. Ludwig Göransson’s Sirens from The Odyssey soundtrack soars when played through the Sonos, benefitting from an airy and atmospheric presentation that bewitches us as a Siren song should. The Cove X1, by contrast, falls flat, failing to grant the track the enthralling feeling of space and scale as conjured by the superb Sonos.

Verdict

It’s hard not to be disappointed by the JBL Cove X1. Given JBL’s success in the portable Bluetooth market and its propensity to produce products that are both fun to listen to and own, we thought that the X1 had everything it would take to make the likes of Sonos and Denon quake in their respective boots.

Sadly, the Cove X1 misses the mark. Its seamless ease of use and heavy feature set lay some very decent groundwork, but the speaker’s unconvincing sound means it fails to capitalise on what is a very solid foundation. For us, this feels like a major missed opportunity.

Review published: 16th October 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Build 4
• Features 5

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Read our review of the Sonos Era 300

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English manufacturer Audiolab has announced the release of its first standalone phono stage in almost 20 years, the PPA7. The company says that the new unit is “much more than a traditional phono stage”, calling it “a veritable multitool for vinyl lovers”.

It may not include a corkscrew or a nail file, but the PPA7 doesn’t fall short of its “multi-tool” status, with a built-in headphone amplifier and an analogue to digital converter (ADC).

In this case, the ADC serves the dual purpose of enabling wireless streaming to Bluetooth headphones or speakers via Bluetooth 5.3 (with support for the hi-res aptX HD codec), and also allows the unit to be connected to a PC or Mac via USB-C for digitising and storing records.

The ADC supports 16 and 24-bit recording at sample rates ranging from 44.1kHz to 192kHz. Audiolab says the ADC's adjustable output level allows users to “achieve an ideal balance between recording loudness and the audible noise floor”.

The company has acknowledged the PPA7’s visual likeness to the five-star rated D7 DAC, which launched last year. The units have identical 5.6 x 18 x 20.8 cm (hwd) aluminium cases, sharing features “right down to the multifunction rotary controls” which flank the 33mm OLED display.

Separate stereo RCA inputs are included for moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) cartridges, alongside RCA outputs for connecting to an external amplifier or powered speakers. The output can be switched between fixed or variable modes, the latter of which engages a built-in volume control for direct connection to a power amplifier.

Both types of cartridge are well-accommodated by the PPA7. For MM cartridges, a 47kOhm input impedance can be switched between capacitances of 100pF and 220pF, while selectable 100 ohm and 330 ohm resistance loads provide further flexibility for MC cartridges. Audiolab claims that these settings allow users to “fine-tune the sound to suit their system”.

Gain can also be adjusted with a maximum value of 52dB for MM and 66dB for MC cartridges.

A front-mounted 6.35mm headphone socket can deliver up to 600mW of power to drive loads ranging from 20 to 600 ohms, supporting “a detailed and dynamic performance with a broad range of wired headphones”.

Future and past-proofing the PPA7’s design, a USB-A input has been included for firmware updates, while a 12V trigger inputs allow the unit to be integrated into a wider system for coordinated powering up and down.

We've previously seen headphone amps integrated into phono stages, with five-star products such as the Cambridge Audio Duo pulling it off in style, but we look forward to testing the extra functionality of Bluetooth and USB that the PPA7 has to offer.

The PPA7 will be available for £499 / $699 / AU$1099 in a choice of black or silver, with sales beginning in late October.

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Read our full Audiolab D7 DAC review

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Sony has lifted the lid on two new hi-res Walkmans, but they are both significantly more expensive than their 2022 predecessors.

But let's not dwell on that – after all, it would be a bit naive to expect new products at four-year-old prices. Let's focus on the good stuff.

And there's certainly plenty of that. The flagship NW-WM1ZM3 and step-down NW-WM1AM3 promise to "bring together Sony's most advanced audio technologies" and capture "subtle nuances throughout a performance, while maintaining clarity, scale and dynamics at higher volumes."

So what's the difference between them? The flagship NW-WM1ZM3 features a gold-plated oxygen-free copper (OFC) chassis which doesn't just hold the parts in place, but helps enhance the sound quality.

The 99.99 per cent (4N) purity OFC main chassis and OFC rear chassis are secured with screws secured with a low-resistance gold-plated treatment that's exclusive to the ZM3, which provides a stable ground connection to deliver "powerful bass, an expansive soundstage and smooth, extended high frequencies."

It also has the same thick Kimber Kable wiring as the massive DMP-Z1, which reduces noise and preserves signal integrity.

The NW-WM1AM3 isn't quite as premium, but still boasts an aluminium-alloy main chassis and gold-plated OFC rear chassis to enhance rigidity and hence sound quality.

Both models have upgraded power supply architecture, with the single high-polymer capacitor replaced by dual ones. Add in hand-soldered OFC wiring, and it should produce a cleaner, more stable power supply with less interference.

The larger, high-purity 4N copper coil used in the L-C filter optimises the balance output signal from the digital amplifier, while its flat conductive wire reduces resistance and distortion, meaning better clarity and detail across the frequency range.

The digital ground is further strengthened by an OFC milled block covering the digital components, resulting in more clarity and definition, Sony says.

Also onboard is Sony's S-Master HX digital amp tech, which was developed specifically for Walkmans, and promises a powerful, detailed sound. It's compatible with Native DSD formats, and includes a look-ahead noise shaper that predicts quantisation noise in advance and applies optimal processing for a clearer, faster sound reproduction.

The same look-ahead noise shaper features in Sony's five-star WH-100XM6 headphones, courtesy of the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3.

Sony's DSD Remastering Engine is there too, to resample PCM audio into an 11.2MHz DSD ultra-high-frequency stream. Sony claims this gives the sound a character that's closer to analogue.

You can now use the DSD Remastering Engine when listening to music streamed over wi-fi or that's been downloaded.

The 35-hour battery life (for both) is a big step on from the 18 hours offered by the ZM2, but there's a caveat. That figure involves listening to 128kbps MP3s, which would seem a bit of a waste considering the audio chops at your disposal. Listening to DSD files will drain the battery far quicker – we got less than 10 hours from the ZM2, which is around 50 per cent less than the quoted run time.

Over streaming, Sony claims the new players will last 31 hours (though that's in "offline mode with balanced connection").

The screens have also been enlarged, and now stand 5.5 inches across (half an inch bigger than the ZM2's). You can now customise the home screen interface, too. And the screens promise to be smoother and more responsive – which is good news, given that the clunky interface was one of our main criticisms of the last model.

Which brings us to the price. The NW1-WM1ZM3 costs £4299 (around $5899 / AU$8499) and the NW-WM1AM3 £2099 (around $2999 / AU$3999). That's an increase on their 2022 predecessors of £949 for the flagship and £799 for the step-down. Ouch.

We found the ZM2 to be a deeply impressive performer with beautiful build quality, but it was let down by its limited power output and rather clunky operation. Let's hope these improvements can help the new model earn that elusive fifth star.

MORE:

Read our Sony NW-WM1ZM2 review

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Watch Champions Cup 2026/27 live streams

The cream of Europe's (and South Africa's) rugby union club sides are once again doing battle for supremacy in the Champions Cup, with all comers from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales trying to break the six-year French stranglehold on the crown.

Following two titles apiece for Toulouse and La Rochelle, Bordeaux Bègles have become the dominant force in the competition and are now looking to replicate Toulon's incredible three straight victories from 2013 to 2015. From the telepathic halfback partnership of Matthieu Jalibert and captain Maxime Lucu, the tries of flying winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and powerful forwards like Ben Tameifuna and Boris Palu, coach Yannick Bru's can rely on star quality all over the pitch.

When all is said and done after the final at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in May, it will be Toulouse who will expect to have toppled Bordeaux and added to their record six previous titles. Revenge will be on the mind of Ugo Mola's men who have captured six of the last seven Top 14 titles — Bordeaux dumped them out of the Champions Cup for the last two seasons running.

Outside of France, England rugby's Exeter Chiefs were the last team to win this title. Their PREM Rugby form suggests that is likely to be beyond them this time around, but Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby and three-time champions Saracens all feature among England's eight-strong line-up of sides.

It's now been a hard-to-believe eight years since an Irish team prevailed — an anomaly that Leinster, Munster and Connacht will all be trying to put right this time around. The Bulls, Lions and Stormers are the trio of teams bringing high hopes from South Africa, while Glasgow Warriors and Cardiff are respectively seeking to win a first title on behalf of Scotland and Wales.

Follow our guide below for information on where to watch Champions Cup live streams in 2026/27 with a VPN — and potentially for FREE. We've also got the full schedule of tournament fixtures.

How can I watch Champions Cup 2026/27 for free?

The vast majority of Champions Cup games are available to watch only for rugby fans who pay for the privilege. But a handful of games are shown for free.

In France, two games per round (featuring French teams, of course) will be streamed for free on the France.TV website and app.

All of Cardiff Rugby's home matches will be shown on S4C in Wales, as well as streamed on the BBC iPlayer.

DAZN will also have one game per round for free in territories such as Japan, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the Caribbean, the Nordics, the Baltics, Benelux, Poland, the Pacific Islands, the DACH region, Brazil and Romania.

You can see which games are being shown for free on those services in the schedule at the bottom of this article.

Watch Champions Cup streams from overseas

You won't be able to watch your go-to Champions Cup live stream while traveling overseas. 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 your preferred Champions Cup live stream from anywhere in the world.

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

Watch Champions Cup 2026/27 live in US

Comprehensive coverage of the 2026/27 Champions Cup in the USA comes from specialist rugby online platform FloRugby.

Subscribers can watch the action live or on demand through web browsers and the FloRugby app. It costs $39.99 a month or $155.88 for a whole year of rugby union action.

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

Watch Champions Cup 2026/27 in the UK

Rugby fans in the UK will need a Premier Sports subscription to watch Champions Cup rugby, with every game showing on the platform.

It costs £18.99 for a month of use, or get a whole year of Premier Sports from £150. You also have the option to add it to your existing Sky, Virgin Media or Prime Video subs.

Watch Champions Cup 2026/27 in Australia

All matches of the 2026/27 Champions Cup are being shown on the specialist EPCR TV platform in Australia.

Prices are in Euros, with a year of access costing €49.99. That's around AU$80.

Australian viewers travelling abroad can access their Champions Cup streams using Surfshark VPN.

Watch Champions Cup 2026/27 in Canada

Rugby union fans in Canada can watch the 2026/27 Champions Cup on FloRugby.

Remember, you can use a VPN to access your usual live stream when travelling away from Canada.

Watch Champions Cup 2026/27 in New Zealand

New Zealand is another of the 50 countries that gets its Champions Cup coverage through EPCR TV.

Costing from €49.99 for a whole year, that's around NZ$100.

Champions Cup Fixtures

Round 1

Friday 16th October
Gloucester Rugby vs Union Bordeaux Bègles — 3pm ET / 8pm BST

Saturday 17th October
Sale Sharks vs Glasgow Warriors — 8am ET / 1pm BST
Vodacom Bulls vs Stade Français Paris — 8am ET / 1pm BST
ASM Clermont Auvergne vs Leinster Rugby — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm BST Watch free on France.TV
DHL Stormers vs Bristol Bears — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm BST
Connacht Rugby vs Saracens — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm BST
Stade Rochelais vs 10bet Lions — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm BST
Munster Rugby vs Racing 92 — 3pm ET / 8pm BST
Bath Rugby vs Montpellier Hérault Rugby — 3pm ET / 8pm BST

Sunday 18th October
Section Paloise vs Leicester Tigers — 9am ET / 1pm BST
Stade Toulousain vs Exeter Chiefs — 11.15am ET / 3.15pm BST Watch free on France.TV
Northampton Saints vs Cardiff Rugby — 1.30pm ET / 5.30pm BST

Round 2

Friday 11th December
Stade Français Paris vs Northampton Saints — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT
Glasgow Warriors vs Section Paloise — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT

Saturday 12th December
10bet Lions vs Stade Toulousain — 8am ET / 1pm GMT
Leicester Tigers vs ASM Clermont Auvergne — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT
Montpellier Hérault Rugby vs Vodacom Bulls — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT Watch free on France.TV
Leinster Rugby vs Sale Sharks — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT
Saracens vs Stade Rochelais — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT
Bristol Bears vs Munster Rugby — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT
Cardiff Rugby vs Bath Rugby — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT Watch free on S4C/BBC iPlayer

Sunday 13th December
Exeter Chiefs vs Connacht Rugby — 8am ET / 1pm GMT
Union Bordeaux Bègles vs DHL Stormers — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT Watch free on France.TV
Racing 92 vs Gloucester Rugby — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT

Round 3

Friday 8th January
Glasgow Warriors vs Leicester Tigers — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT

Saturday 9th January
Gloucester Rugby vs DHL Stormers — 8am ET / 1pm GMT
Exeter Chiefs vs Stade Rochelais — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT Watch free on France.TV
Vodacom Bulls vs Bath Rugby — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT
Leinster Rugby vs Section Paloise — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT
Montpellier Hérault Rugby vs Northampton Saints — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT
Connacht Rugby vs Stade Toulousain — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT
Stade Français Paris vs Cardiff Rugby — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT

Sunday 10th January
Racing 92 vs Bristol Bears — 8am ET / 1pm GMT
Saracens vs 10bet Lions — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT
Union Bordeaux Bègles vs Munster Rugby — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT Watch free on France.TV
Sale Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT

Round 4

Friday 15th January
Northampton Saints vs Vodacom Bulls — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT
Cardiff Rugby vs Montpellier Hérault Rugby — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT Watch free on S4C/BBC iPlayer

Saturday 16th January
Section Paloise vs Sale Sharks — 8am ET / 1pm GMT
10bet Lions vs Exeter Chiefs — 8am ET / 1pm GMT
DHL Stormers vs Racing 92 — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT
Bristol Bears vs Union Bordeaux Bègles — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT Watch free on France.TV
Stade Rochelais vs Connacht Rugby — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT
Munster Rugby vs Gloucester Rugby — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT
ASM Clermont Auvergne vs Glasgow Warriors — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT
Leicester Tigers vs Leinster Rugby — 3pm ET / 8pm GMT

Sunday 17th January
Stade Toulousain vs Saracens — 10.15am ET / 3.15pm GMT Watch free on France.TV
Bath Rugby vs Stade Français Paris — 12.30pm ET / 5.30pm GMT

Round of 16

Friday 2nd April – Sunday 4th April
Fixtures and kick-off times TBC

Quarter-finals

Friday 9th April – Sunday 11th April
Fixtures and kick-off times TBC

Semi-finals

Saturday 1st May – Sunday 2nd May
Fixtures and kick-off times TBC

The Final

Saturday 22nd May
TBC vs TBC — 9.45am ET / 2.45pm BST

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Sky has just announced two new Sky Sports memberships for their NOW streaming service.

The Football membership will provide access to Sky Sports’ football coverage only, with prices starting from £23.99 a month.

Conversely, the Multi-Sport Membership includes Sky’s non-football coverage. Formula 1, golf majors, international cricket, year-round tennis, darts, rugby, NFL and more are all part of the membership, which starts at £19.99 a month.

Fans can still enjoy access to all coverage through the regular Sky Sports membership, which has been renamed All Sky Sports and starts at £27.99 a month.

By choosing a Football or Multi-Sport membership, fans can save £4 or £8 a month, respectively compared to paying for an All Sky Sports membership.

However, these prices are only for the Standard membership with 720p picture quality and stereo sound. A Boost membership for 1080p Full HD quality and Dolby 5.1 sound costs an extra £6, while Ultra Boost for 4K and Dolby Atmos support is £9 more.

If we're to do the maths here, with Ultra Boost, that brings Multi-Sport to £28.99 a month, Football to £32.99 and All Sky Sports to £36.99. Do note, however, that no 4K channels are included with the Football membership.

The recently announced Multiview feature will also be available when selected Premier League fixtures overlap.

While these extra memberships will undoubtedly add some confusion to the already complex subscription options, we welcome the extra flexibility to pay only for the sports you actually watch.

It's been a busy few months for Sky – we recently had a sneak peek at the new TV OS, while the mobile streaming app is getting a picture quality boost.

MORE:

Here’s our review of Sky Glass Air

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For football, Dolby Atmos is a bigger game-changer than 4K and HDR combined – and Sky could make it even better

British hi-fi mainstay NAD has announced two new products in its Classic Series: the C 359S streaming amplifier and C 569 CD player.

The C 359S brings streaming smarts to a traditional Class AB amplifier courtesy of the BluOS platform. And the C 569 uses NAD's Dynamic Digital Headroom (DDH) and QRONO d2a technologies to bring out more detail, depth and presence from your CD collection.

While the C 359S uses Class AB amplification, it foregoes the large transformer and linear power supply usually associated with that design. Instead, it employs a high-current, low-noise switch mode power supply that's derived from NAD's flagship Class D amplifier platform.

Power conversion, signal processing and amplification are kept separate by a modern multi-layer architecture, while grounding, current paths and signal routing minimise unwanted interaction between the amp's various functions.

NAD claims the C 359S is "a remarkably quiet, responsive amplifier" that delivers 2 x 70 watts of continuous power into 8 ohms, and can handle demanding loudspeakers "without compromise".

Hi-res streaming and multi-room audio come courtesy of the BluOS platform, so you can beam audio to speakers dotted throughout the house. With aptX HD Bluetooth also onboard, a phono input for turntables, plus an HDMI eARC port for connecting to your TV, it's equipped to handle multiple audio sources.

By redirecting deep bass to the subwoofer via high-pass filtering, it eases the load on the main speakers and amp for better clarity, imaging and headroom within a 2.1-channel setup.

And the design is recognisably NAD, with push buttons, knob controls and a bundled IR remote.

The C 569 CD player sits between the entry-level C 538 and flagship (and much more recent) C 589. Onboard is the latter's Qrono d2a filtering technology, which refines timing and resolution for a more natural performance from PCM- and MQA-encoded music.

NAD's own Dynamic Digital Headroom (DDH) tech eliminates inter-sample clipping so that percussion and transients can hit harder and cleaner without digital distortion.

Both of these technologies are part of NAD's "Music First" design, which "favours musicality, tonal balance and clarity over exaggerated detail or specs", creating performances that are "naturally engaging" even during long listens.

Onboard are an ESS Sabre DAC, improved op-amps and a refined power supply that should lower noise while preserving low-level details, while the C 359 can also be used as a CD transport with a separate DAC.

The C 359 is out now and costs £1099 (around $1400 / AU$2000), while the C 569 CD player is coming in late November for £749 (around $1000 / AU$1400). The C 569 is just a tad pricier than the Award-winning Arcam CD5, so it'll be fascinating to see how they compare.

MORE:

What does the future hold for Bluesound and NAD? We talk to Lenbrook's CTO to find out

Should you buy a streaming amplifier? Pros and cons

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Projector brand Xgimi has added three RGB triple-laser models to its collection, promising to bring the “big-screen experience home without the need for a dedicated home cinema space”.

The Horizon 30 Series comprises the Horizon 30 Pro, 30 Max, and 30 Ultra Max. All of them offer 4K resolution and have a 120Hz refresh rate, with Xgimi claiming that the latter results in “smooth, natural motion”.

This follows on from Xgimi’s Horizon 20 Series which came out last year, but the China-based company says the new models will deliver an “upgraded viewing experience with vivid images in rooms with ambient light, greater depth in dark scenes, and smoother motion for fast-moving content”.

There is a Dual Intelligent Iris system built into each model, which Xgimi claims can adjust light output as scenes change. Like its predecessors, all three projectors also support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG, plus IMAX Enhanced content.

On top of the projectors’ 4k/120Hz offerings, gamers will be pleased to hear that they support variable refresh rates (VRR), and auto low latency mode (ALLM) for "faster, more responsive play".

According to Xgimi, the models can project an image up to 300 inches, which should make for an immersive viewing experience.

There are a range of features built-in to make set-up easier, including optical zoom, lens shift, automatic keystone correction, and autofocus. There are also obstacle avoidance and screen alignment features on hand. This easy set-up is helped by each projector’s built-in stand, which you can tilt vertically and rotate horizontally if you need to adjust manually.

The 30 Ultra Max offers the highest claimed brightness of the bunch at 6000 ANSI lumens. Then the 30 Max comes in at 5300 lumens, and the 30 Pro claims to go up to 4800 lumens.

Google TV is on board, which gives you access to the usual streaming apps, including Netflix, Apple TV and Disney+. The projectors also come with their own built-in sound system, consisting of two 12W Harman Kardon speakers.

So, how much will the new range set you back? The most expensive of the bunch is the Horizon 30 Ultra Max, which comes in at £2799 / $3199 / around AU$5366. Next is the Horizon 30 Max, setting you back £2399 / $2699 / AU$4599. Finally, the 30 Pro will cost you £2099 / $2099 / around AU$4025.

We tested Xgimi's older Horizon 20 Max and gave it a solid four-star review in our test room, praising its extreme brightness and room-filling sound by projector standards. We said in our review that the black levels aren’t the best so, if the new models can fix this issue, we could be getting an even stronger entry to the market.

MORE:

Check out the best projectors

Here is our review of the Xgimi Horizon 20 Max

These are the best soundbars you can buy

Moon has expanded its Compass collection of hi-fi separates with its latest integrated amplifier, the 341.

Combining Class A/B power amplification and fully balanced preamplification into a single unit, the new model boasts 100 watts of power into 8 ohms, to deliver what its maker describes as “exceptional sound” with “clarity, poise and musicality”.

The Moon 341 comes equipped with an integrated phono stage with support for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, as well as four RCA outputs and a balanced XLR input.

The integrated model features the brand’s ‘Moon Hybrid Power’ (MHP) and ‘Distortion-Cancelling Amplifier’ (MDCA) technologies derived from the company’s flagship North collection.

MHP aims to combine the benefits of a traditional power supply with modern switch-mode tech for better energy efficiency and stability; MDCA uses error correction outside the audio signal path to further reduce audio distortion.

According to Renaissance MD John Carroll: “The 341 is a new classic. It has been created using more than 40 years of audio design expertise and is set to be popular with our customers, especially as physical music formats continue to see strong sales. We know that owners of the 341 will love the way it delivers a powerful yet detailed performance from both CDs and vinyl.”

You can manage your new integrated amp via a large rotational dial alongside on-unit buttons, or use the provided aluminium remote control.

The Moon 341 integrated amplifier is available in combined black and silver or an all-black finish, priced at £4400 / $5,000.

MORE:

“We don’t want to compromise on anything” – we visit Focal to discover the human craft behind its high-end speakers and headphones

Read our recent Moon 371 review

The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners have been revealed!

These are the best stereo amplifiers you can buy

We have tested hundreds of headphones here at What Hi-Fi?, and as much as we love the flagship offerings with all the bells and whistles, we’re just as big fans of a good budget pair.

Which is why we were delighted when we first reviewed the Sony WF-C510 – now only £28 at Amazon – back in September 2024.

Your expectations shouldn’t be too high at this price point, of course, but these earbuds deliver great sound with minimal fuss, along with a sense of fun and musicality. And, two years on, they are still the best budget earbuds in the business.

We have spent a good amount of time with the bargain buds since then; here’s what we’ve learned.

The sound is yet to be beaten at this price

If you’re after a pair of budget earbuds, the sound quality won’t be beaten at this price. They’re fun, engaging and musical, with a level of entertainment that belies the budget price tag.

“We test them with a range of genres and the Sonys just go about their business,” our Sony WF-C510 review reads.

“You can tell the WF-C510 are part of the Sony family, such is their musicality and rhythmic ability – even complex pieces of music don’t unravel and their sense of timing and ability to just get into the groove of a song works with any music you play through them.”

Admittedly there isn’t a lot of competition at this price, but while we are fans of the five-star EarFun Air, nothing else we have tested has come close in the two years since. The only way you’ll beat the sound quality is to jump up a level to the Sony WF-C710N, which are also Award winners but more than double the price.

The battery life beats most flagship earbuds

The WF-C510’s mighty 11-hour battery life will be more than enough for most people – it’s longer than that on most premium earbuds, including the flagship Sony WF-1000XM6.

Granted, those buds offer active noise cancelling and can hold more charge in their case, but if you need headphones that can go the distance without a pit stop, then the WF-C510 might be for you. With another 11 hours in the case, I often go several days of use without a need to recharge.

They’re supremely comfortable too, ideal for extended listening sessions.

There’s a surprising amount of features

While there is no active noise cancelling, there are still plenty of features, even at this price level.

Bluetooth Multipoint allows you to have two sources connected at once, while IPX4 water resistance will protect against splashes and raindrops. You can also listen to each bud independently, and there’s also Ambient Sound Control to allow some external noise through.

If you haven’t upgraded your earbuds for several years, you should be pleasantly surprised by the amount of features you can get for the price of a round of drinks.

The Sony WF-C510 won’t be beaten at the price of £28 at Amazon – but if you do have more of a budget, we recommend these step-up models:

MORE:

The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners have been revealed!

Take a look at the best wireless earbuds: top pairs tested by our reviewers

Check out the best cheap wireless earbuds you can buy

If you’re worried about the environmental impact your headphone habit is having on the planet – or just fancy a pair you can repair yourself – the Fairbuds 2 wireless earbuds could be for you.

They are made by Fairphone, the Dutch manufacturer who specialises in modular, repairable and eco-friendly designs. And they add impressive audio specification to the bargain.

Such as support for LDAC, Sony’s hi-res audio codec. There is also a new 11mm dynamic driver with an organic bio-cellulose diaphragm, and tuning by Rotterdam-based studio Form Follows Frequency.

Fairphone claims that the driver is lighter and responds faster than that in the original Fairbuds, and that it delivers a brighter, crisper treble. We are also promised “a rich, balanced sound out of the box, with deeper bass, warmer mids and clear highs.”

They are well-specified in other regards, too. You get 40 hours of total battery life (including the case), active noise cancellation, IP54 water resistance and Bluetooth 6.0 complete with Multipoint for connecting to two devices at once.

They are also 37 per cent smaller than their predecessors, with a charging case that’s 32 per cent smaller.

But it’s the buds’ eco credentials that will appeal to many. They are made with SGS-tested, PFAS-free plastics and silicone that come in direct contact with your skin, and many components are replaceable by users, including the earbuds and batteries within the case. Unlike other earbuds, the batteries and components are not sealed behind glued-shut cases. So if they fail, you can just swap them for a new one.

They are also made with about 49 per cent “fair and recycled materials” – those produced under fair working conditions as part of Fairphone’s Living Wage Bonus and Workers’ Voice programmes.

They’re also completely e-waste neutral.

Fairphone went back to the drawing board for this pair of in-ears, saying they are “completely re-engineered for all-day comfort across a wider variety of ears”. This better fit should also improve passive noise cancellation, while active noise cancellation comes via a six-mic array that claims to block noise by up to 45dB.

The Fairbuds app has also had a refresh, with a new design, and new features including new audio presets, customisable equaliser settings, and a tips and tricks section.

Despite these improvements, the Fairbuds 2 are actually around 20 per cent cheaper than their predecessors. They are out now in the UK (coming 2nd November in the US), and cost £99 / $119 (around AU$190). They come in Forest Green or Horizon Black.

Fairphone claims that less than 15 per cent of small electronics such as earbuds are ever reused or responsibly recycled, with around 40,000 tons of headphones being thrown on the scrapheap each year. Anything that can help can only be a good thing.

MORE:

Our guide to the best wireless earbuds around

Sustainable, affordable and easy – this simple upgrade saves old hi-fi products

I spent a day fixing vintage hi-fi – here's what I learned

Watch Australia vs New Zealand 2026 live streams

The opening fixture of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup could just as easily be its final, as the Kangaroos and Kiwis clash at the Sydney Football Stadium today.

Regardless of the opponent, Australia's rugby league team are the favorites every time they step on to the field. Having sealed the last three men's World Cups, they're odds on to make it four on the spin and 10 of the last 11 editions. It's a phenomenal, foreboding record and anything but lifting of the trophy in Brisbane after the final on 15th November will be deemed a failure. That's a lot to live up to for head coach Kevin Walters, as he seeks to follow in the footsteps of legendary leaders like Bob Fulton, Tim Sheens and, most recently, Mal Meninga.

He'll have to accomplish the feat without one of his key men and members of Meninga's 2021-winning team, Nathan Cleary. He suffered a horrible injury (at the hands of, ironically, Kiwi Phoenix Crossland) during his Penrith Panthers' preliminary finals defeat at the back end of the NRL season. That gave Walters a big call for who to hand the no. 7 jersey to, and he has opted for the Parramatta Eels' Mitchell Moses. Panthers lock Isaah Yeo will captain the side.

It now feels like a long time ago that New Zealand got their hands on the Paul Barrière Trophy — 18 years to be precise. That required one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport, as the Kiwis beat the Aussies in their own backyard to come away with their first and only World Cup win.

Of the players looking to etch their name into Kiwi history, the likes of Jahrome Hughes, Ronaldo Mulitalo, and experienced captain James Fisher-Harris will all be relied upon by head coach Stacey Jones to subdue the Kangaroos. And then there's uncapped sensation Kalyn Ponga, who caught the attention of footy fans the world over with his extraordinary try in the Grand Final. Will we see more moments of magic from the fullback in Sydney?

Follow our guide below for where to watch Australia vs New Zealand live streams in the Rugby League World Cup from anywhere with a VPN today — and potentially for FREE.

Australia vs New Zealand team news

Australia team: Reece Walsh, Jack Bostock, Latrell Mitchell, Kotoni Staggs, Tom Trbojevic, Cameron Munster, Mitchell Moses, Patrick Carrigan, Harry Grant, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Jacob Preston, Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo (c)

Replacements: Tom Dearden, Cameron Murray, Reuben Cotter, Keaon Koloamatangi, David Fifita, Bradman Best

New Zealand team: Kalyn Ponga, Jamayne Isaako, Dane Gagai, Casey McLean, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Kodi Nikorima, Jahrome Hughes, James Fisher-Harris (c), Jeremy Marshall-King, Moses Leota, Isaiah Papali'i, Briton Nikora, Joseph Tapine

Replacements: Te Maire Martin, Naufahu Whyte, Erin Clark, Xavier Willison, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Keano Kini

How can I watch Australia vs New Zealand for free?

Seven and the 7plus streaming website and app are showing Australia vs New Zealand for free in Australia.

In New Zealand, ThreeNow will also stream this and every Kiwi match..

Overseas? Use a VPN to access your free Australia vs New Zealand live streams from anywhere...

Watch Australia vs New Zealand streams from abroad

You won't be able to watch your go-to Australia vs New Zealand live stream while traveling overseas. 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 your preferred Rugby League World Cup live stream from anywhere in the world.

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

Watch Australia vs New Zealand live in US

Sports streaming specialist Premier Sports has won the rights to show the 2026 Rugby League World Cup in 129 countries — including the USA. So that's where you can watch Australia vs New Zealand.

The platform will let those Stateside watch every single game of the tournament for a one-off payment of $25.

Watch Australia vs New Zealand in the UK

Premier Sports is where you can watch Australia vs New Zealand and all the other games the UK.

It costs £18.99 for a month of use, or get a whole year of Premier Sports from £150. You also have the option to add it to your existing Sky, Virgin Media or Prime Video subs.

Watch Kangaroos vs New Zealand in Australia

Australian footy fans have the best deal of anyone, with Australia vs New Zealand (and every single game of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup) going out for free on Seven.

That means it can also be streamed for free online thanks to 7plus. You need a free account to watch. Register with your name, birth year and Australian postcode (e.g. 2064).

Australian viewers travelling abroad can access their free Australia vs New Zealand streams using Proton VPN.

Watch Australia vs New Zealand in Canada

Just like south of the border, Premier Sports will broadcast Australia vs New Zealand.

Premier's plans cost $29.99 for a rolling monthly plan. Alternatively, pay $79.99 for six months or $139.99 for a whole year of access.

Watch Australia vs Kiwis in New Zealand

ThreeNow will show Australia vs New Zealand among its selection of free-to-air games.

Sky Sport is the other New Zealand broadcast partner for the Rugby League World Cup and will broadcast every game across its multiple channels, including Australia vs New Zealand.

If you don't have Sky then you can still watch thanks to Sky Sport Now, which costs $29.99 a day, $59.99 a month or $549.99 for a whole year.

• Where to watch a free Champions League live stream
• Get the matchday experience with one of the best soundbars
• Shop our best TV deals

Naim has announced its latest high-end all-in-one wireless music system, the Mu-so Utopia.

We travelled to Naim and Focal’s respective headquarters for a hands-on preview of the new system ahead of launch – you can read our first impressions via the link below.

• Read our Naim Mu-so Utopia hands-on review

Following on from the excellent Focal Mu-so Hekla we tested earlier this year, the new system combines Naim-powered amplification with trickle-down technology taken from Focal’s high-end series of Utopia loudspeakers.

Inside, the do-it-all system packs 720 watts of Class D and A/B amplification driving a whopping 15 drive units, teasing an “immersive experience” that will happily cover rooms up to around 50m² in size.

The majority of the drivers are powered with Class D amplification, including a pair of 2.75cm ‘M-shaped’ midrange woofers and four full-range drivers housed at the sides and top of the unit.

Twin 25mm ‘PRISM’ tweeters – derived from those found in Focal’s more prestigious Scala and Diva Utopia loudspeaker ranges – are driven using Class A/B power, with Focal’s engineers informing us that A/B gives greater control to the upper frequencies.

On the streaming side, Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify are all on board in their ‘Connect’ forms, as are AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth 5.3 with standard AAC and SBC codecs. UPnP streaming lets you play stored files from your local network, and you can create a multi-room setup with compatible Naim and Focal products.

The Naim Mu-so Utopia is capable of handling hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM alongside DSD128, while Dolby Atmos support is a major part of the system’s appeal. There are plenty of sound modes from which to choose, ranging from a Dolby Movie mode to ‘Sphere Music’ which uses beamforming microphone tech to build a three-dimensional audio experience.

Physical connections include HDMI eARC for integration with a home cinema system, as well as an optical input and an RCA output if you want to connect to a subwoofer. There’s also an ethernet port for a physical connection to your wi-fi network.

The Mu-so Utopia follows a similar design language to the Mu-so Hekla and Naim Mu-so 2 systems that preceded it, with an anodised aluminium chassis accented by a red trim that runs lengthways across the main body. Just be aware that, at 40cm in length and weighing around 14kg, this mighty Mu-so will need plenty of space.

An illuminated white dial is found atop the Mu-so Utopia, from which you can control volume by turning it to the side, with the dial also acting as a touch screen for selecting your input and switching power on/off.

The Naim Mu-so Utopia will set you back £4499 / $5500 at launch, a good deal more than the £3000 / $3600 for the Hekla we took for a spin earlier in the summer. Once we have put it through its paces in our test rooms, we’ll know whether it’s worth the extra outlay.

MORE:

Read our Naim Mu-so Utopia hands-on review

And our established Focal Mu-so Hekla review

Best hi-fi systems: CD, vinyl and streaming music players for the home

The Mu-so Hekla felt like a big deal for Focal and Naim. While branded as a Focal product, the all-in-one Hekla represented a careful collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio, with Naim’s Mu-so wireless speaker pedigree adopted under the prestigious Focal banner.

The new Naim Mu-so Utopia promises to take that symbiosis to new levels of performance and price. Billed as the “Hekla with the brakes off”, the new Mu-so Utopia all-in-one wireless system once again takes the amplification and pedigree from Naim’s Award-winning range of Mu-so wireless speakers, married to trickle-down technology taken from Focal’s high-end range of Utopia-branded loudspeakers.

The Hekla but better? Focal driver tech powered by Naim amplification? One listen was never going to be enough, so we headed to both Naim’s UK headquarters and Focal’s facility in France to get a proper taste of what the Mu-so Utopia can do.

Price

The Naim Mu-so Utopia will set you back £4499 / $5500 at launch, a good deal more than the £3000 / $3600 for the mighty Hekla we took for a spin earlier in the summer, and a lot more than, say, the £1299 / $1699 for the five-star Ruark Audio R410 all-in-one system we have so admired since its 2023 launch.

That’s a decent wad of cash by most objective standards, but when you have a product that’s touted as a soundbar, a streaming hub and a Dolby Atmos-powered hi-fi and surround system, the numbers do make more sense. On paper, at least.

Build and design

We’ll do our best to rein ourselves in here. We know that the Utopia doesn’t come cheap, that we have encountered it only in a demo setting, and that taste is an inherently subjective and slippery beast; but it’s hard not to be enchanted by the imposing allure of this substantial all-in-one system.

The Naim Mu-so Utopia follows the same core design language as the Fokal Mu-so Hekla and Naim Mu-so 2 systems that preceded it. It has a brushed black anodised aluminium chassis complemented by a red trim that runs lengthways across the unit’s 100cm-wide body.

Speaking of which, the Utopia is a pretty sizeable beast, weighing in at around 14kg – so you’re going to need a reasonable amount of space and a sturdy rack capable of giving it proper support. If you intend to integrate it within a home cinema system, a separate rack from your TV is probably going to be required if you don’t want to block the bottom of your screen.

At the top of the all-in-one wireless system, you will find the same white illuminated dial used across the Mu-so range. You can control volume with a turn to the side, with the dial acting as a touch screen to adjust input and power. While we didn’t have the chance to try it out for ourselves, our time using the Hekla suggests that we are likely to be equally happy getting up close and personal with the Utopia when we get the chance.

Physical connections include HDMI eARC, for integration within a home cinema system, as well as an optical input and an RCA output if, say, you want to pair your Mu-so Utopia with a bass-boosting subwoofer. There is also an Ethernet port for granting a more stable internet connection.

Inside, the Mu-so Utopia packs 720 watts of Class D and A/B amplification driving a whopping 15 drive units, teasing an “immersive experience” that will happily cover rooms up to around 50m² in size.

Most of the drivers are powered using Class D amplification, including a pair of 2.75cm ‘M-shaped’ mid-range woofers and four full-range drivers housed at the sides and top of the unit.

Twin 25mm ‘PRISM’ tweeters – derived from those used on Focal’s high-end Scala and Diva Utopia loudspeaker ranges – are driven using Class A/B power, with Focal’s engineers telling us that A/B grants greater control and precision in the upper frequency ranges.

Features

At this kind of price, you should expect an extensive streaming suite backed by decent high-resolution file support. So Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify are all on board in their ‘Connect’ versions, as are AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth 5.3 with standard AAC and SBC codecs.

UPnP streaming supports playing stored files from your local network, whereas multi-room capabilities let you create a chained system with compatible Naim and Focal products.

The Utopia is capable of handling hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM alongside DSD128, while Dolby Atmos support is one of the system’s big trump cards.

There are plenty of sound modes from which to choose, including a ‘Dolby Movie’ mode for smaller or more standard listening rooms, alongside ‘Sphere Music’ and ‘Sphere Movie’, the latter of which uses Focal’s beamforming tech to construct “exceptional clarity and spatial accuracy”.

There is even a Night Mode, which reduces dynamics and bass so you don’t disturb your neighbours or co-habitants.

You can choose your desired listening mode using the Focal & Naim app, a platform from which you can also calibrate your system’s settings via an equaliser and Focal’s ‘ADAPT’ (Adaptive Acoustic Personal Tuning) room-calibration technology.

ADAPT collects and analyses data about your listening space and then adjusts the resultant audio output accordingly; just be aware that you will need to know your room’s dimensions first if you want a proper tailor-made experience.

The Mu-so Utopia doesn’t come with its own dedicated remote, so you will be operating predominantly via the dedicated app or, if you’re an iPhone user, Siri voice control. HDMI CEC further allows your television’s remote to control your Utopia without needing a separate device.

Sound

At What Hi-Fi?, we like to be thorough, and we like to do things properly. As such, we have heard the Mu-so Utopia in two separate countries, listening at Naim’s headquarters in Salisbury, England, before flying over to France to discover how it sounds in Focal’s dedicated Saint-Étienne facility.

These demonstrations are, naturally, never going to be as in-depth as having the product to ourselves, and we will need to get a review sample of our own before we know whether or not Naim’s latest system makes the grade. Still, the two trips have given us a firm idea of what the Mu-so Utopia can do.

Our Salisbury session was, as the French might say, something of an apéritif. Even with Naim’s gentle warning that its particular model still needed a bit of tinkering to its tuning, our three-track sampler gave us a taste of the system’s abilities.

Lyle Lovett’s The Road to Ensanada hints at the unit’s capacity to bring texture and delicacy to the track’s gentle guitar strums, whereas Leo Kottke’s Across the Street sounds fulsome and rich as Kottke’s meatier guitar playing fills Naim’s listening room with breadth and authority. Like the best demos, it leaves us wanting more.

A few weeks down the line, that’s exactly what we get. With a Mu-so Utopia firing on its native turf, we have the chance to hear what the premium all-in-one system can do across music, movies and even a short gaming showcase.

The cinematic portion of the demo includes a Dolby Atmos clip from 2014’s Unbroken, during which the American Air Force is sent on a bombing mission against Japanese installations on Nauru during the Second World War.

The Utopia’s ability to fill Focal’s 50m² test room without breaking stride is remarkable, but what really gives us hope is how it handles directional audio.

There is a tangible sense of definite sonic placement as anti-aircraft explosions burst and thud amidst the soaring allied planes. And, as an enemy fighter whizzes past our central heroes, we experience the sound of the aircraft’s engine moving from right to left as the Utopia tracks that roaring growl with precision and authority.

Away from movies, the Mu-so Utopia can be integrated as part of a gaming set-up – something Focal’s enthusiastic team demonstrate via a Dolby Atmos-powered clip from the ever-chaotic Star Wars: Battlefront II.

It’s a typically barnstorming sampler, and once again the Naim seems accomplished in how it grants genuine scope and scale to the unfolding action as lasers blast, soldiers bark orders to one another, and spaceships whizz across the crowded sky.

Our continental demonstration ends with the Mu-so Utopia flexing its musical muscles via renditions of Bittersweet by Billie Eilish, Happiness Is Simple by Simon Franglen from Avatar: The Way of Water, and Annette Askvik’s Liberty.

Again, our initial impressions are positive. Subtler textural insights rarely appear to go missing amid the Utopia’s remarkably powerful, room-filling approach, be they the whispered idiosyncrasies of Eilish’s signature vocals or the mournful strings that rise and fall across the elegiac Liberty.

Happiness Is Simple further hints at the Mu-so Utopia’s apparent talents for blending power and precision, with the premium system granting shape and scale to the track’s arcing strings as they soar above simple percussive rhythms and impish pipes.

If we had to raise any point of concern, it would be that the Utopia occasionally showed hints of hardness in the mid-to-upper ranges, especially during a closing stereo recording of Dr Dre’s What’s the Difference. This, though, could well have been due to the volume the track was playing at and our proximity to the unit itself.

A more suitable listening position and volume – not to mention ample running-in time to smooth out those hard edges – may well rectify any potential issues.

Early verdict

Does the Mu-so Utopia live up to its name tag as an all-in-one system capable of taking you to a higher plane of audio enjoyment?

It’s too early to say. That asking price is far from a modest sum, especially when compared with the five-star Hekla, so the step-up model is going to have to work hard to justify not only its higher price tag, but its place within the Mu-so range.

We’ll need much more time to get to grips with everything that new system can do, but it’s hard not to be optimistic at this stage. The Utopia has ample Mu-so pedigree on its side, and when you’ve got trickle-down tech from Focal joining with amplification from Naim, you’re always going to have a fighting chance.

For now, though, all we can do is wait until we get a Naim Mu-so Utopia into our own test rooms to give it the full What Hi-Fi? test treatment. Stay tuned.

MORE:

Read our Focal Mu-so Hekla review

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

Best hi-fi systems: CD, vinyl and streaming music players for the home

Focal has always felt like a brand that does things its own way. Take a look at a pair of the company’s Grande Utopia Em Evo floorstanders, complete with their articulated rear ‘spines’ and £220,000 asking price, and you’ll get an immediate feel for a company that is comfortable in its own skin.

Founded in 1979 in Saint-Étienne, France, Focal has anchored its core reputation to luxury high-end speakers, stereo systems and headphones, seeking “to enhance listening experiences and restore the authenticity of artists’ work” by “pushing back the boundaries of musical reproduction”.

A noble aim on paper, but what interests us most about Focal is its approach to that “boundary pushing” production. Described as a shared French philosophy, so much of the brand’s output seems to remain rooted in a human-led, almost artisanal approach.

Focal’s headquarters are still located in Saint-Étienne, a facility from which the company assembles, primarily by hand, its loudspeakers, speaker systems and headphones.

As France is only a short flight from Heathrow, we hopped across the Channel to delve deep into Focal’s audio production and, crucially, the people behind it.

Made in France: flax drivers and crafted cabinets

In this age of all-encompassing automation, what is perhaps most striking about Focal’s production philosophy is its apparent focus on human craft. From cabinets to drive units, humans remain central to Focal’s overarching manufacturing process.

Unlike most of its key rivals, practically all of the company’s drivers are made in-house, with much of the work done by hand. Focal favours a flax sandwich cone for many of its drive units, manually constructed using French-sourced flax fibres sandwiched between two layers of fibreglass, chosen for its combination of rigidity and lightness.

The cone is then cut using a precision laser cutter, while a magnet, voice coil, spider and surround are added later to support the driver.

Why flax? As Louis Gibout, Focal’s deputy brand, digital marketing and retail director explains, the chosen material affects the resultant sound: “Flax has a warmer sound colouration. That’s why we deliberately choose one membrane or another, depending on what we want to do.

“We have two floorstanding speakers, the Kanta and the Sopra. One uses a flax membrane and a beryllium tweeter, the other uses a beryllium membrane and a beryllium tweeter. One customer will want a warmer feeling [of the flax], and one will want a more analytical approach. Two different versions, two different philosophies.”

That brings us on to beryllium, one of Focal’s signature materials reserved for the company’s more rarefied ‘M’ dome drivers. According to Focal, the brand’s signature ‘M-shaped’ unit profile helps to reduce the stress on the membrane during movement, resulting in less distortion and unwanted colouration at high frequencies.

While Focal’s new ‘Prism’ tweeter has moved away from beryllium, the brand’s affection for the material runs deep. As our guide explains, this is an element that provides an exceptional stiffness-to-weight ratio, granting outstanding movement control and precision in the upper sonic reaches.

The one problem? It’s a pretty nasty material to work with: “When people are working with beryllium, they are in a cosmonaut suit, because [the dust] can be very dangerous. We’ve not had any issues in more than 20 years, but still, we are very, very cautious.”

Just as humans remain firmly embedded in the production process of Focal’s drivers, they are equally important when it comes to quality control.

Here, the process blends man and machine, with each driver on the production line undergoing both an electrical test via audio signal analysis and a more personal test with the good old-fashioned human ear. As Gibout explains, actual human beings are essential to ensuring that each product meets the required standard:

“[We need] to keep a human process in the quality process. When you hear Focal products, you know it has been tested individually throughout production.

“Our production staff are able to recognise from what they hear where the issue is coming from. You know that every speaker [driver] has been tested individually, and when it’s assembled, it is matched with another speaker to make sure you get the best matching possible.”

This human element applies to everyone at the company. We are told that each new staff member, no matter their role or job title, spends two days in production as part of their onboarding process, from helping produce a flax membrane to assembling the drivers.

“It’s part of the journey. We want people to feel that and to know that what we do here is subtle, requires technical training and cannot be done by everybody, to make sure we have this know-how from the production of the driver membrane until the high-gloss finish [is applied].”

Obviously, Focal isn’t going to be left behind the times for the sake of tradition. Once a speaker is assembled, it is tested in one of the most Batman-esque anechoic chambers we’ve ever seen. It features a hydraulic platform upon which samples can be mounted, raised and then measured using lasers to assess the speaker’s frequency response, distortion and directivity.

A lot of the facility has a refreshingly low-key, artisanal feel to it, but such a high-spec anechoic chamber, complemented by some very sophisticated listening rooms, hints at a blend of the traditional and the cutting-edge.

The cruel hand of quality control

While driver production and cabinet assembly are performed in Saint-Étienne, Focal’s sister workshop in Bourbon-Lancy manufactures the cabinets and finishes for the likes of its Utopia and Sopra high-end loudspeakers.

While the cabinets are put together in France, certain woods and materials may be sourced from further afield. If you want a signature White Ebony finish, that comes from a rare tree species from Southeast Asia; the deeper, rich tone of ‘Ziricote’ is taken from sapwood grown in Mexico and Central America.

Luckily for us, the Saint-Étienne team have panel samples a little closer to hand, demonstrating the seven or so steps involved in producing both painted and high-gloss wood effects for its MDF exteriors.

For the most part, the process is again done by hand, often starting from a panel of MDF which is rough cut and sanded before a layer of gloss or paint is added, a process which is then repeated until the smooth, unblemished effect is realised.

“We use MDF because it’s very stable and the density is always the same. If you use real wood, you can have unwanted grains and hard spots, and it’s not very good for the vibration of the product,” explains Paul Weill, Focal’s special projects manager.

To Focal, it seems that how a pair of speakers looks is almost as important as how they sound. Perhaps the most striking example of this apparent commitment to quality comes at the end of the production process, wherein the hopeful speakers are exposed to blue, yellow and white lights to reveal any scuffs, scratches or marks that might have blemished their paintwork.

If nothing is found, the speaker is pretty much good to go, but if a sufficiently major imperfection is uncovered, the speaker is disassembled and sent back to Bourgogne so that the whole process can start all over again. Ouch.

Given that a pair of Utopia can take up to a month to craft, it’s a brutal test, but as Louis Gibout tells us, one that must be passed every single time: “We know how much speakers like these are. For the customers, it’s an investment, it’s an emotion, it’s a commitment to the brand, and the brand needs to deliver this quality.”

Arts and crafts: leather jackets and peacocking speakers

Sometimes, a pair of Focal Diva Utopia isn’t exclusive enough. Sometimes you need a pair of speakers that is utterly distinctive from the rest – a pair that is unique.

That’s where Focal Crafts comes in. Take a short walk from the company’s main facility, and you’ll find yourself standing in a small but airy workshop that could just as well be mistaken for an artist’s studio or fashionista’s boudoir as opposed to a wing of an international hi-fi brand.

This is the Focal Crafts atelier, wherein some of the brand’s most exclusive and sometimes eccentric creations are crafted – and, if they are really special, displayed. Such kooky creations include Diva Utopia speakers clad in leather, another sporting a peacock feather finish, one covered in denim (yes, they have a pocket), as well as a Scala Utopia Evo floorstander wrapped in luxuriant faux marble.

The Focal Craft division is responsible for creating some of the brand’s most entrancing exclusives, including a set of Diva Utopias adorned with Capiz shells and another covered in sand and mineral flakes designed to catch the light at different angles.

For those looking for the ultimate exclusivity, you can collaborate with Focal’s design team to come up with a set of speakers to your own particular aesthetic tastes. Focal’s designers will work with you to create a specially commissioned exterior, generally reserved for its reference-grade loudspeaker lines.

There are, however, some rules. All panels must be the same colour and type, and certain aspects of the speaker, such as the glowing company logo, must remain untouched to preserve brand identity.

We cheekily ask whether some customers’ tastes are simply too, well, tasteless to merit a custom paint job, and are gratified by the honesty of Paul Weil’s reply: “Yes, [but] our work is to move them in the right direction. If something is very terrible, we have no problem saying no. This is why we have pictures and examples of what we can do.”

Sometimes, practicality plays a part in the materials chosen. We are told a story of a customer who wanted a wireless stereo speaker system clad in green marble; not only was it too expensive, but its thickness also prevented each speaker from connecting via their Ultra-Wideband connection. Happily, a thinner marble-effect solution was found.

Earlier this year, Belgian projector manufacturer Barco announced an agreement to acquire the Vervent Audio Group, the parent company of Focal and Naim, ending the main stake ownership of Alpha Private Equity.

We hope that change in ownership will not profoundly affect how the company is run, and that whatever happens, Focal continues its apparent commitment to human-led research, development, construction and quality control.

In a world that is moving faster than most of us can manage, it’s reassuring to see that real people remain the key components in the brand’s quest for great sound.

MORE:

Read our Focal Mu-so Utopia hands on review

Best hi-fi systems: CD, vinyl and streaming music players for the home

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

If you are a Disney+ subscriber in the UK, we have some unfortunate news: there is another price hike for each of the streaming tiers.

The cheapest choice (Standard with Ads) comes in at £6.99 from £5.99 per month. Standard Monthly has gone from £9.99 to £11.99, and Premium Monthly has jumped from £14.99 to £15.99.

For those on an annual subscription, the Standard tier will cost £119.90 compared to £99.90. Finally, the Premium tier has also gone from £149.90 up to £159.90.

That means that those on the Standard plans are being hit the hardest, and the price difference between paying for 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos for the Premium subscription is getting smaller.

New customers will have to pay this new price starting today, while existing monthly subscribers will have until 18 November before seeing the increase. If you are on an annual subscription, then the new bill won’t come until 2nd of December.

As a small consolation, Disney also announced a promotion for new and eligible returning customers, who can also save with a six-month saver offer, with monthly prices of £5.99 for Standard with Ads, £9.99 for Standard and £11.99 for Premium.

The price of the Extra Member is staying the same at least, costing £4.99 a month if you’re on Standard with Ads, and £5.99 a month on Standard or Premium.

This most recent price hike is hardly a surprise – Disney+ has consistently increased its fee since 2020. And it’s hardly the only platform to do so, with Netflix recently increasing its highest Premium tier from £18.99 per month to £20.99.

These consistent price hikes and the uncertainty of your favourite shows remaining on a platform long-term, certainly make us cling to our collection of 4K Blu-rays a little tighter.

After all, once you have a physical copy of Avatar or Ant-Man, at least you are not at the mercy of these ever-increasing costs.

MORE:

Here's our review of Disney+

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Check out the best TVs

Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 live streams

The eyes of the rugby league world turn to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea for the next month as the sport's best international men's, women's and wheelchair teams gather Down Under for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

As if the Kangaroos really need homefield advantage, Australia became the official host nation when the US, Canada and France all dropped out over the last few years. They've won the tournament in nine of its last 10 editions (the only blip coming in 2008 when New Zealand won it for the first time) and they've gone into the 2026 competition as odds on favorites — the number 1 ranked team in the world have lost only one game of international rugby this decade.

That said, the Kangaroos came within four minutes of an upset in the very first game of the tournament, an instant classic against New Zealand that they eventually came through 24-22. And then last time's losing finalists, Samoa, strolled in 14 tries in their destruction of France before the first tournament shock when Tonga beat England. Up next on Sunday comes Fiji vs Cook Islands..

Follow our guide below for information on where to watch Rugby League World Cup live streams in 2026 with a VPN — and potentially for FREE. We've also got details of the full schedule of tournament fixtures and results.

How can I watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 for free?

You can watch all 53 games of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup — men's, women's and wheelchair — for FREE thanks to Seven and the 7plus streaming website and app in Australia.

In New Zealand, ThreeNow will also stream select free-to-air matches, with every men’s and women’s game, including the semi-finals and final, available to watch free of charge on the platform.

If you're outside Australia or New Zealand right now use a VPN to access your free RLWC live streams from anywhere...

Watch Rugby League World Cup streams from abroad

You won't be able to watch your go-to Rugby League World Cup live stream while traveling overseas. 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 your preferred Rugby League World Cup live stream from anywhere in the world.

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

Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 live in US

Sports streaming specialist Premier Sports has won the rights to show the 2026 Rugby League World Cup in 129 countries — including the USA.

The platform will let those Stateside watch every single game for a one-off payment of $25.

Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in the UK

Unlike previous Rugby League World Cups, there will be no free-to-air coverage in the UK. Instead, you'll need a Premier Sports subscription.

It costs £18.99 for a month of use, or get a whole year of Premier Sports from £150. You also have the option to add it to your existing Sky, Virgin Media or Prime Video subs.

Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Australia

Australian footy fans have the best deal of anyone, with every single game of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup going out for free on TV across the Seven Network's channels.

That means every single game can also be streamed for free online thanks to 7plus, which is available on laptops, smartphones, tablets, a wide range of streaming devices, and gaming consoles.

You need a free account to watch. Register with your name, birth year and Australian postcode (e.g. 4064).

Australian viewers travelling abroad can access their free Rugby League World Cup streams using NordVPN.

Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Canada

Just like south of the border, Premier Sports is the streaming service with exclusive rights to show Rugby League World Cup 2026 matches in Canada.

Premier's plans cost $29.99 for a rolling monthly plan. Alternatively, pay $79.99 for six months or $139.99 for a whole year of access.

Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in New Zealand

Sky Sport is the primary New Zealand broadcast partner for the Rugby League World Cup and will broadcast every game across its multiple channels.

If you don't have Sky then you can still watch thanks to Sky Sport Now, which costs $29.99 a day, $59.99 a month or $549.99 for a whole year.

ThreeNow will show selected free-to-air coverage as well. Every New Zealand men's and women's game along with the semi-finals and final will be shown at no cost on the platform.

Rugby League World Cup Fixture List

Men's

Thursday 15th October
Australia 24-22 New Zealand

Friday 16th October
Samoa 78-4 France

Saturday 17th October
Papua New Guinea vs Lebanon — 12.25am ET / 5.25am BST / 3.25pm AEDT
England vs Tonga — 5.05am ET / 10.05am BST / 8.05pm AEDT

Sunday 18th October
Fiji vs Cook Islands — 1.05am ET / 6.05am BST / 4.05pm AEDT

Friday 23rd October
Tonga vs Lebanon — 5.05am ET / 10.05am BST / 8.05pm AEDT

Saturday 24th October
Papua New Guinea vs Samoa — 12.25am ET / 5.25am BST / 3.25pm AEDT
England vs France — 2.35am ET / 7.35am BST / 5.35pm AEDT

Sunday 25th October
New Zealand vs Cook Islands — 1.05am ET / 5.05am GMT / 4.05pm AEDT
Australia vs Fiji — 5.05am ET / 9.05am GMT / 8.05pm AEDT

Friday 30th October
England vs Papua New Guinea — 5.05am ET / 9.05am GMT / 8.05pm AEDT

Saturday 31st October
New Zealand vs Fiji — 12.45am ET / 4.45am GMT / 3.45pm AEDT Australia vs Cook Islands — 5.05am ET / 9.05am GMT / 8.05pm AEDT

Sunday 1st November
Lebanon vs France — 1.50am ET / 6.50am GMT / 5.50pm AEDT
Tonga vs Samoa — 4.05am ET / 9.05am GMT / 8.05pm AEDT

Saturday 7th November
Semi-final 1 — 4.05am ET / 9.05am GMT / 8.05pm AEDT

Sunday 8th November
Semi-final 2 — 4.05am ET / 9.05am GMT / 8.05pm AEDT

Sunday 15th November
Final — 3.35am ET / 8.35am GMT / 7.35pm AEDT

Women's

Friday 16th October
Australia vs Samoa — 5.05am ET / 10.05am BST / 8.05pm AEDT

Saturday 17th October
Papua New Guinea vs France — 10.15pm ET (Fri) / 3.15am BST / 1.15pm AEDT
England vs Wales — 2.35am ET / 7.35am BST / 5.35pm AEDT

Sunday 18th October
New Zealand vs Fiji — 10.50pm ET (Sat) / 3.50am BST / 1.50pm AEDT

Friday 23rd October
Samoa vs Wales — 2.50am ET / 7.50am BST / 5.50pm AEDT

Saturday 24th October
Papua New Guinea vs Fiji — 10.15pm ET (Fri) / 3.15am BST / 1.15pm AEDT
Australia vs England — 5.05am ET / 10.05am BST / 8.05pm AEDT

Sunday 25th October
New Zealand vs France — 10.50pm ET (Sat) / 2.50am GMT / 1.50pm AEDT

Friday 30th October
England vs Samoa — 2.50am ET / 6.50am GMT / 5.50pm AEDT

Saturday 31st October
Fiji vs France — 10.35pm ET (Fri) / 2.35am GMT / 1.35pm AEDT
New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea — 2.55am ET / 6.55am GMT / 5.55pm AEDT

Sunday 1st November
Australia vs Wales — 12.45am ET / 4.45am GMT / 3.45pm AEDT

Saturday 7th November
Semi-final 1 — 1.55am ET / 6.55am GMT / 5.55pm AEDT

Sunday 8th November
Semi-final 2 — 1.55am ET / 6.55am GMT / 5.55pm AEDT

Sunday 15th November
Final — 12.15am ET / 5.15am GMT / 4.15pm AEDT

Wheelchair

Friday 30th October
Ireland vs United States — 10pm ET (Thu) / 2am GMT / 1pm AEDT
England vs Wales — 12.30am ET / 4.30am GMT / 3.30pm AEDT

Saturday 31st October
France vs Scotland — 12am ET / 4am GMT / 3pm AEDT
Australia vs New Zealand — 2.30am ET / 6.30am GMT / 5.30pm AEDT

Tuesday 3rd November
France vs New Zealand — 7pm ET (Mon) / 12am GMT / 11am AEDT
Australia vs Scotland — 9.30pm ET (Mon) / 2.30am GMT / 1.30pm AEDT
Ireland vs Wales — 12am ET / 5am GMT / 4pm AEDT
England vs United States — 2.30am ET / 7.30am GMT / 6.30pm AEDT

Friday 6th November
Scotland vs New Zealand — 7pm ET (Thu) / 12am GMT / 11am AEDT
Wales vs United States — 9.30pm ET (Thu) / 2.30am GMT / 1.30pm AEDT
England vs Ireland — 1am ET / 6am GMT / 5pm AEDT
Australia vs France — 3.30am ET / 8.30am GMT / 7.30pm AEDT

Monday 9th November
Ranking semi-final 1
Ranking semi-final 2

Tuesday 10th November
Semi-final 1
Semi-final 2

Thursday 12th November
Seventh place play-off
Fifth place play-off

Friday 13th November
Third-place play-off
Final

Rugby League World Cup 2026: Groups

Men’s Rugby League World Cup Groups

Group A
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Cook Islands

Group B
England
Samoa
Lebanon

Group C
Tonga
Papua New Guinea
France

Women’s Rugby League World Cup Groups

Group A
Australia
England
Samoa
Wales

Group B
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
France
Fiji

Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Groups

Group A
England
Ireland
Wales
USA

Group B
France
Australia
Scotland
New Zealand

Rugby League World Cup 2026: Preview

While a team boasting the likes of Harry Grant, James Tedesco and captain Isaah Yeo will intimidate any 13 on the planet, Australia's adversaries will take heart that at least 2026's Dally M Player of Year Nathan Cleary will be missing. The horror injury he suffered towards the end of the NRL season was bad enough to prevent Penrith's star man from adding to his ever increasing roll of honor.

So which teams are best positioned to capitalize? Stacey Jones's New Zealand are the men most likely to, and much will be learned when the Kangaroos and Kiwis clash in Sydney in the tournament curtain raiser on Thursday 15th October. Lots will be expected of uncapped Kalyn Ponga after his remarkable coast-to-coast try in the recent Grand Final. Samoa and England were the last two losing finalists and Tonga are the only other team to beat Australia this century.

It's a similar story in the women's tournament, with reigning champions Australia — the so-called Jillaroos — heavily tipped to make it a four straight titles, with neighbors New Zealand and Samoa the nations most likely to challenge. While it's a very different picture in the wheelchair tournament; England and France have been the dominant force in that discipline, sharing the spoils with two titles each in its four-tournament history.

• Where to watch a free Champions League live stream
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• Shop our best TV deals

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Been curious to jump on the OLED bandwagon to see what all the fuss is about? Perhaps you are finally taking the plunge ahead of a certain video game launch next month?

Whatever your reasons, if you are taking the first step on the OLED ladder, then the Samsung S85H is an excellent choice. It’s one of the best entry-level OLEDs we have tested – and it is currently available at a new lowest price of £1074 at Richer Sounds. That's £426 off the price from when we tested the TV in July!

To get this price, use the code RSTV50 to save £50 off the already discounted price and then claim £75 cashback from Samsung – full details are here.

A good, cheap OLED is hard to get right – but Samsung has made a lot of good decisions here, particularly with brightness. The brightness is particularly good for an entry-level OLED, which is ideal if your room has a lot of ambient light.

“Switching to Pan, our standard peak-brightness stress test due to its atypical 4000 nits mastering, it’s immediately clear that the S85H burns brighter than previous entry-level OLEDs we’ve tested and its main rival, the LG B6,” reads our Samsung S85H review. “The setting sun offers a wider range of reds and oranges that show up as pure white on its rival.”

Colours are a tad bombastic compared with the B6, but the solidity and three-dimensionality of the S85H’s picture meant it was the set our eyes were drawn to during a race scene in F1: The Movie.

The S85H comes with the latest-gen version of Samsung’s Tizen operating system, which is easy to navigate and automatically arranges apps based on your usage habits. As usual, all the major apps and services are present and running correctly, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV and more.

Gaming specifications are surprisingly impressive for the price, with four full-speed HDMI 2.1 inputs capable of carrying a 4K/120Hz signal, as well as VRR and ALLM. Even some flagship OLEDs have only two HDMI 2.1 sockets!

Dolby Vision Gaming is missing, however, as is the regular version of Dolby’s HDR standard. No Samsung set supports Dolby Vision, however, and HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG are all on board.

Our main gripe with the S85H is with the audio. The 2.0-channel, 20W Dolby Atmos system noticeably lacks bass, even though there’s a reasonable sense of direction and separation. It’s fine for daytime TV viewing, but you will probably want a soundbar for any form of movie watching.

The LG C6 and Samsung S90F offer a little more nuance, extra finesse, and a more natural picture if you do have a bit more money for a mid-range OLED.

But if you are restricted on price, then the Samsung S85H is one of the top options currently available. Its punchy, immersive and three-dimensional picture is a cut above most similarly priced rivals, and it is now enjoying a good £426 discount at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our full Sony Bravia 7 II review

And our full Samsung S90F review

Our pick of the best TVs for every budget, including awesome OLED models

We blinked, and suddenly it’s been more than a year since we got KEF’s premium XIO soundbar into our test room.

And, despite a very busy 12 months in soundbar land, the KEF XIO has clinched a What Hi-Fi? Award for the second year in a row.

One of its biggest direct competitors was the awesome Focal Mu-so Hekla, which has a much higher price tag (£3000 / $3600 / around AU$5695) than the XIO (£1999 / $2500 / AU£3600), but a 7.1.2-channel configuration compared to the XIO's 5.1.2 system.

As you would expect from a much more expensive sound system, the Hekla is more detailed, refined and dynamic than the XIO, which is why it very much deserves its five-star rating.

So why isn't the Hekla our Award-winner?

Primarily, it's because while the Hekla is excellent, the 'soundbar' label doesn't fit it entirely comfortably.

That's a lot to do with its design, which is less 'bar' and more 'slab' – albeit an extremely classy, attractive slab. Ultimately, It's not really suited for placement in front of a TV, and it can't be wall-mounted. Instead, it looks more at home on a side table, much like an all-in-one hi-fi system akin to a super-sized Naim Mu-so.

So, while on a performance-per-pound basis it's a relatively close call between the XIO and Hekla, KEF's entry makes more instinctive sense than the Hekla if you are looking for the premium soundbar experience.

The Samsung HW-Q990H also served as competition of sorts for the KEF XIO. Again, it's a slightly different proposition, as the Samsung model is a soundbar system with a wireless sub and surrounds, compared with the KEF's solo soundbar design.

These products are really designed for different people and use-cases, with the Samsung prioritising cinematic scale and immersion and the KEF taking a more hi-fi-quality approach to TV sound.

And because their markets are so different, they ultimately ended up in different sub-categories, with the Samsung taking the Best Soundbar System Award in the £500 to £2000 price bracket, and the KEF being assessed as a solo bar.

As well as the XIO's top-notch audio performance, its impressive hardware under the hood helps it stand out from the crowd.

It's deeper than many soundbars when standing on its feet, but it can be reoriented for wall-mounting so that it sticks out just 7cm. The smart chassis houses 12 drive units, each with a dedicated Class D power amplifier.

KEF’s Velocity Control Technology (VECO) is also built into the drive unit. Here, a flexible PCB with a sensing coil replaces a traditional former (the component the main coil wraps around) and measures movement speed. This allows the soundbar’s ‘brain’ to compensate for any errors detected.

In our review, we concluded that the KEF XIO “is one of the best soundbars we have heard”, and, another year on, it remains the best soundbar in its class.

Our only disappointment is that KEF hasn't yet launched a step-down model with a more compact design and lower price, but perhaps it will do just that before the 2027 What Hi-Fi? Awards. It would be fascinating to see a smaller XIO take on the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra.

MORE:

Check out the full list of What Hi-Fi? 2026 Award winners

Here's our review of the Focal Mu-so Hekla

And this is our review of the KEF XIO

Even if you’re not a Marvel fan, you are probably aware that a little film called Avengers: Doomsday is coming out later this year.

The mega superhero team-up has made headlines for the return of Robert Downey Jr. and several classic X-Men characters, as well as its shared release date with sci-fi epic Dune: Part Three (on ‘Dunesday’, as the internet has dubbed it).

But for AV fans, this isn’t the only rivalry occurring that weekend. After Dune secured IMAX exclusivity for a whopping three weeks, Disney responded by making its very own premium cinema format: Infinity Vision.

Infinity Vision only made its debut with the Avengers Endgame: Encore release, and is being heavily marketed by Disney as the way to see Doomsday. But is it worth going out of your way to see this format? And will it really be enough to compete with the established big-screen benefits of IMAX? Let’s see…

What is Infinity Vision?

Infinity Vision is Disney’s new cinema certification, which calls for screens to meet certain specifications. Infinity Vision-approved cinemas must have a screen width of at least 45 feet (around 14 metres), a Dolby Atmos or 7.1 sound system, and brightness levels reaching either 14 footlamberts in 2D or 6 footlamberts in 3D.

Unlike IMAX, which uses proprietary custom-built cameras and projection systems, Infinity Vision does not feature new technology. It is, instead, a certification programme, meaning that many screens around the world qualify for Infinity Vision without having to make any changes to their set-up.

You would be forgiven for thinking otherwise, however, given Disney’s aggressive marketing and tying it to one of its biggest releases of the decade. Our concern is, given how much Disney is hyping Infinity Vision, that cinema-goers may end up expecting a more transformative experience than what is essentially a rather nice screen and sound system.

Infinity Vision screens should be clearly labelled when booking, though we found that wasn’t always the case. Both I and senior staff writer Lewis Empson went to see Avengers Endgame: Encore on a Vue EPIC screen. Despite being the chain’s premium screen, it was not clear when booking whether this was an Infinity Vision screening or not; Lewis’s cinema wasn’t even listed on the Infinity Vision website.

How was Avengers Endgame: Encore in Infinity Vision?

Not all Infinity Vision screens will be the same – but first impressions for me were promising.

I saw Avengers Endgame: Encore on a Vue EPIC screen, which is handily the biggest non-IMAX screen I have had the pleasure of viewing. It’s not quite the all-encompassing, wall-covering scale of IMAX, but it’s safe to say the size impressed.

And the picture? Also a step up from your average screen. The enhanced brightness and, in this instance, HDR, made the previously somewhat drab Avengers: Endgame pop. The climactic battle is great for this in particular, with shimmering portals, colourful costumes and the many glowing superpowers, Arc Reactors and Infinity Stones all standing out nicely off the screen.

Detail is impressive too: when a shrunken Ant-Man clings onto Tony Stark’s beard, we can clearly pick out individual hairs and shorter stubble, as well as the lining of his shirt.

A welcome surprise was also that Infinity Vision did not cost extra. The Vue EPIC showing did cost more than one of its regular screens, but it was the same price I paid for a non-Infinity Vision viewing of Pressure a few weeks earlier, and I spied several regular Infinity Vision showings at no extra cost. This will, of course, depend on your local cinema.

So could an Infinity Vision screening rival an experience like IMAX? Not in our books.

Infinity Vision did offer a top-tier cinema experience, but it was never going to top the specialist IMAX cinema screens that have been in development for decades. Nowhere was this more evident than the sound. The audio in Avengers Endgame: Encore was clear, bombastic and nicely immersive. But after experiencing The Odyssey and its thunderous, visceral audio in IMAX earlier this year, the Infinity Vision sound felt much more run-of-the-mill.

Should you watch Avengers: Doomsday in Infinity Vision?

It all comes down to expectations. Disney is perhaps overselling the benefits of Infinity Vision, in our opinion, and if you’re expecting a night-and-day difference similar to the likes of IMAX or other premium formats, you might come away disappointed.

But, given that Avengers: Doomsday is not releasing in IMAX, it might be your best option. What Infinity Vision does do is highlight the best screens in your local cinema. It removes the potluck element from cinema booking (I am still heartbroken from watching the visual feast Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on a tiny screen) and this way guarantees a big screen with top-notch picture and sound credentials.

Infinity Vision may also encourage cinema chains to upgrade their screens – Disney told IndieWire that at least two exhibitors were looking to upgrade to 7.1 sound to get the certification.

With 52 per cent of the gross of Avengers Endgame: Encore’s opening weekend coming from Infinity Vision screens, this may well be a format that is here to stay. It may have lost the AV battle to IMAX, but it certainly has its uses – we’ll see which the public backs come Dunesday…

MORE:

Avengers: Endgame Encore is coming to the big screen, but is it worth another trip to the cinema?

These are the best 4K Blu-ray players

And check out the best TVs

Scottish hi-fi manufacturer Linn has announced the 343, its latest high-end four-way active floorstanders.

Available in two distinct flavours, the new compact floorstanders harness Linn’s proprietary technologies to project an “unshakeable illusion of reality”.

Each new speaker packs a woven carbon 19mm tweeter and a 6.4cm midrange driver, as well as a 22cm bass unit alongside a 19cm upper bass driver. Both lower-end drivers harness the brand’s Pistonik motor system inherited from Linn’s flagship 360 speakers introduced in 2026.

That Pistonik motor system promises “flawless linear force” over its entire wide range of in-and-out travel thanks to its long-stroke motor topology and extended magnet gap.

The result, says Linn, is “bass performance with the depth and authority to give 343 its remarkable sense of scale, and the precision to preserve its composure”.

Each speaker’s continuous cabinet is free from hard edges, designed to let sound leave the loudspeaker more consistently and reduce diffraction effects that reveal the position of each box within the room.

Central to realising this effect is the cabinet material, made using a glass-fibre-reinforced moulding compound which allows for the enclosures to boast thinner walls while preserving structural integrity and performance.

The 343 is available in two variants. The Exakt Integrated version comes fitted with a power supply, digital crossover, DAC architecture, and amplification housed within its integrated module. As its name suggests, it also harnesses Linn’s Exakt technology, which adjusts your speaker’s output to a given space in pursuit of better harmonics and time alignment.

The Passive with Active Bass (PWAB) variant shares the same drive units, this time boasting a Utopik and Power DAC for the bass system, with the 343 array comprising upper bass, midrange and tweeter units driven instead by external amplification.

Both versions are available now in a choice of Triton Black, Single Malt, Clyde Built, Linn Heritage, Piano Black, or Alpine White finishes. The Exakt edition is on sale for £65,000 / $97,500 / AU$139,995 while the PWAB version will set you back £45,000 / $67,500 / AU$99,995.

MORE:

The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners have been revealed!

Rewind: High-end speakers, an affordable five-star treat for home cinema fans, new Rega turntable rated and more

These are the best floorstanding speakers you can buy

Lord Byron once said, “Always laugh when you can; it is cheap medicine.” Nice though the Baron poet’s advice is, some circumstances simply aren’t fit for a giggle. In such cases, a cheap, top-notch pair of headphones might be a more suitable tonic to your ills.

Sony's five-star WH-CH520 headphones have been sitting pretty as our ‘best cheap’ pair of wireless headphones for a couple of years now. Recently, Sony has released a next-generation sequel in the form of the WH-CH530, which promise “a major sonic boost” on the previous model, for almost the same launch price.

The eagle-eyed among you will be sure to notice that these two budget headphones look almost identical. Their similarities aren’t just cosmetic, either; there is a significant amount of hardware shared between designs – as if choosing a pair of headphones wasn’t complex enough…

The new Sony WH-CH530 is another five-star success, but what are the differences between the two models, and is it worth the upgrade? We put the two in a side-by-side test to help make your decision.

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: price

The Sony WH-CH530 are yours for £50 / $70 / AU$100. As they are a new pair of headphones, we haven’t yet seen any notable price reductions on them.

A couple of years their senior, the predecessor WH-CH520 launched at £49 / $59 / AU$79, and we have seen sale prices as low as £25 / $34 / $58. For context, that’s about the cost of a new hardback book in all territories – not too shabby for a five-star pair of headphones.

**Winner: Sony WH-CH520**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: design

Much has remained the same between these two Sony designs. Besides an inscribed, rather than printed, Sony logo on the headband, a smaller, central power on/off and Bluetooth button and L/R labelling inside the earcups (rather than on the headband), the new WH-CH530 look more or less identical to their predecessors.

The same materials have been used between designs (plastic and pleather), and even the drivers are the same 30mm full-range dynamic variety that we saw in the WH-CH520. In terms of colourways, both headphones come in standard Black, White and Pink options, but Sony has swapped out the Blue, Beige, and Yellow finishes of the older WH-CH520 for new Mint, Cobalt, and Coral finishes for the WH-CH530.

The new headphones weigh around three grams more than the previous model, bringing them to a total weight of approximately 150g, but we would be lying if we said they felt appreciably different on our heads. Both on-ear designs have a reassuringly snug fit that is made more comfortable by pleather ear-cushioning and headband lining.

Both sets of headphones also feature a three-button strip of built-in controls for powering on/off, Bluetooth pairing, skipping forwards and backwards, volume up/down, and answering, ending and rejecting calls. The central button on the WH-CH530 is slightly smaller, but remains easy to locate and makes little difference to the headphones’ easy operation.

So, with very little having changed between designs, we are going to have to call a draw.

**Winner: draw**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: features

When it comes to features you can expect from a pair of wireless headphones at this price point, we have often found that beggars can’t be choosers. In the case of the WH-CH530, however, there’s a surprisingly ambitious feature set at your disposal.

Wireless connection is via Bluetooth 6.0, with support for Auracast sharing and Google Fast Pair for Android devices. The WH-CH530 also have Bluetooth multipoint connectivity for simultaneous connection to two devices, and are compatible with SBC, AAC and LC3 codecs. LC3 is the standard codec for Bluetooth Low Energy, which uses less power than regular Bluetooth for short-range connections.

Beyond the physical controls available on the right earcup, the WH-CH530 can also be used with Sony’s Connect app. The app features a 10-band equaliser with saveable presets so you can customise the sound, the option to set a maximum volume, a ‘Find Your Equalizer’ hearing test to identify your ideal EQ settings, access to Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) (which improves the quality of lower-res, compressed files), and support for immersive 360 Reality Audio tracks from compatible streaming services.

The WH-CH520 also do well in terms of features for their price, but don’t quite reach the heights of the newer model. The headphones support the older Bluetooth 5.2 version and multipoint connectivity, plus Fast Pair for Android Devices. Notably, though, they don’t support Auracast and they are compatible only with SBC and AAC codecs.

The older Sonys can also be used with the Sound Connect app. While this grants users access to DSEE, 360 Reality Audio and ‘Find Your Equalizer’ features, the available equaliser includes five, rather than 10 bands, and does not offer the option to limit the maximum volume.

When it comes to battery life, both headphones boast impressive figures, with the WH-CH530 pulling just ahead, at a maximum of 55 hours of music playback compared with the WH-CH520’s 50 hours. Both headphones charge via USB-C and can run for an hour and a half on a three-minute quick charge. Neither set accepts wired audio.

Of course, neither the CH520 nor the new CH530 feature active noise-cancellation; if you do want ANC powers, you'll have to pay extra for Sony's step-up CH-730N headphones.

For the longer battery life and the wider spread of features, the WH-CH530 takes the lead here.

**Winner: Sony WH-CH530**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: sound

Given that these on-ear headphones are so similar in design, it comes as no surprise that they have a lot in common in terms of their sonic character.

Both Sony models deliver a balanced and engaging listening experience. The bass is deep and solid, while the midrange is highly detailed, with the WH-CH530 offering a touch of extra clarity and expression.

High frequencies are handled by both headphones with impressive control for this price point. Even the jangly, aggressive guitars of 1970s punk rock stay smooth and clear without sounding shrill, while retaining all of the raw power and energy we would hope for.

But there are crucial differences between these headphones. Namely, the digital signal-processing tweaks that Sony has made to the WH-CH530 have resulted in a marked improvement in dynamics and rhythmic drive.

In our review, we describe the WH-CH530 as “sensitive enough to convey subtle shifts in volume” while also sounding “animated and impactful” during pieces with a wider dynamic range. Compared with the WH-CH520, which we thought sounded “a little inhibited”, the improvement here is obvious.

Although both headphones lack somewhat in terms of headroom, which is not altogether unusual at the budget price, this is to a much lesser extent for the newer model.

Rhythmically, too, the WH-CH530 outperform their predecessor. While testing, we “find ourselves pulled into the songs we listen to, toes tapping and heads bobbing” thanks to an appropriately robust sense of rhythmic drive. Compared with their older sibling, the new headphones give songs a healthy dose of additional punch.

While both headphones feature the same drivers, advancements in digital signal-processing have meaningfully elevated the sonic performance of the WH-CH530 above their predecessor. Consequently, choosing a winner in this section is simple.

**Winner: Sony WH-CH530**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: verdict

Looks can be deceiving, and, indeed, it would be tough to tell the Sony WH-CH530 and WH-CH520 apart from the outside, with their remarkably consistent designs. Inside the WH-CH530, however, the addition of extra features and the tweaks to digital signal-processing have provided a palpable sonic boost over their predecessors, improving dynamics, detail and balance – all without incurring a price hike.

It’s often said that good things don’t come cheap, but we count the Sony WH-CH530 as a marked exception to the rule. They are a fine budget buy.

*Overall winner: Sony WH-CH530**

MORE

Read our Sony WH-CH530 review

Want ANC? Consider the step-up Sony WH-CH730N

Then, why not check out our pick of the best wireless headphones tested by our expert reviewers

Man City vs PSG: match preview

Matchweek 2 in the Champions League 2026/27 has delivered a heavyweight clash as Premier League giants Man City take on two-time reigning champions PSG. Both sides earned victories in their opening fixtures and will be determined to claim a statement win at the Etihad Stadium.

A lot has changed since Man City beat Porto 2-0 last month, with their very participation in the Champions League going forward hanging in the balance after a guilty verdict over financial wrongdoing. However, with the appeal process underway into allegations his club deny, Enzo Maresca and his charges are solely focused on delivering positive results on the pitch. They did just that at Anfield courtesy of a thumping 3-0 win over Liverpool, and will be determined to deliver another statement victory, this time over the two-time defending champions.

PSG will be equally motivated to gain all three points prove to the rest of Europe that they remain a dominant force. Luis Enrique’s side have not enjoyed the best start to the season and currently sit sixth in Ligue 1. Yet there are signs they are hitting their stride. Since beating Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in the Champions League, they have won three league games in a row, including a 3-1 triumph over Le Mans at the weekend in which Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came off the bench to score.

With so much attacking talent on show, it should be a blockbuster clash, and you won’t want to miss a minute of the action. So check out below for how to watch Man City vs PSG live streams with a VPN — and potentially for FREE.

Man City vs PSG team news

Man City XI: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol, Anderson, Fernandez, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland.

Subs: Bettinelli, Rulli, Ndiaye, Kovacic, Ait-Nouri, Reis, Nunes, Bouaddi, O'Reilly, Allan, Foden, Lewis.

PSG XI: Safonov, Mendes, Pacho, Marquinhos, Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery, Doue, Dembele, Akliouche

Subs: Beraldo, Kvaratskhelia, Zabarnyi, Torres, Digne, L Hernandez, Godts, D Fernandez, Chevalier, Ndjantou, Mouak, Neves.

Watch Man City vs PSG streams from abroad

You won't be able to watch your go-to Man City vs PSG live stream while traveling overseas. 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 your preferred Champions League live stream from anywhere in the world.

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

Watch Man City vs PSG live in the US

In the USA, the Man City vs PSG live stream will be shown on Paramount Plus.

Paramount Plus plans start from just $8.99 a month or $89.99 year. And you can get access to the streaming platform for just $1, as it's bundled into a Walmart+ 30-day trial.

On holiday while the game is on? Get NordVPN to access your usual UCL streams.

Watch Man City vs PSG in the UK

TV coverage of Man City vs PSG is available on TNT Sports 1.

You can also live stream thegame on HBO Max, which includes TNT Sports with certain plans. Relevant subscription cost from £30.99 a month on a rolling basis or £25.99 if you commit to a whole year.

Outside the UK for a part of the season? Get NordVPN to access your usual UCL streams.

Watch Man City vs PSG in Australia

Every single Champions League fixture, including Man City vs PSG, is exclusive to streaming service Stan Sport.

To tune in you'll need both a standard Stan package (from $9.99 a month) and the Stan Sport add-on (a further $20). Stan Sport also has every single Premier League game available on the platform.

Australian viewers travelling abroad can access their Champions League streams using NordVPN.

Watch Man City vs PSG in Canada

In Canada, the Man City vs PSG game will be shown on the DAZN streaming service.

DAZN's plans start at $24.99 a month if you pay for a year up-front.

NordVPN will give you access to every game on DAZN even when you're overseas!

• Where to watch a free F1 live stream
• Get the matchday experience with one of the best soundbars
• Shop our best TV deals

Sony has a formidable line-up of wireless headphones, offering talented performances at various levels, from flagship noise-cancelling over-ear options such as the Sony WH-1000XM6, to the budget but nonetheless class-leading WH-CH730N.

The most affordable wireless headphones in the line-up are the new Sony WH-CH530 on-ear headphones, which replace the five-star WH-CH520. From the outside there is little to differentiate between the two models, apart from some minor cosmetic details.

On the inside, there isn’t too much difference either. The drive units are the same, but Sony claims to have made advancements in the digital signal processing and algorithms used inside the headphones, promising a major sonic boost over the previous model.

The question is, will the changes made between designs prove worthy of a new model?

Price

The Sony WH-CH530 are currently available for £50 / $70 / AU$100. Their predecessor, the WH-CH520, were released at a similar price of £49 / $59 / AU$79, but having been on the market a while longer, that figure has since fallen as low as £25 / $34 / $58.

If you do want a pair with noise-cancelling, you’ll have to pay more for Sony’s step-up pair, the CH-730N, which are yours for £100 / $180 / AU$230.

It goes without saying that these figures aren’t exactly pricey for a pair of well-equipped, wireless on-ear headphones. In fact, the WH-CH530 face such scarce competition at the price that their main rival remains the older Sony model.

Build & design

It would hardly be reasonable to expect a premium build at this price, and indeed, the WH-CH530 have a relatively spartan appearance. That is besides their vibrant range of colourways, which includes Black, White, Cobalt, Mint, Pink and Coral options.

Our test pair arrive in Coral, and they are impressively radiant – so eye-catching, in fact, that we find them catching stray glances as we wear them while on the London Underground.

The headphones feel somewhat plasticky to touch, but we could level the same accusation at headphones far further upmarket; materials like plastic are often chosen for their cost-effective resilience and lighter weight. With a quoted weight of approximately 150g, these headphones aren’t going to bog you down. It is worth noting, however, that they do not fold down or include a transport case, so some caution is necessary while packing them into bags.

Despite their plasticky feel, we find the WH-CH530 are a well-built pair of headphones for this budget level. Their on-ear (rather than over-ear) design fits securely across the various heads of the What Hi-Fi? testing team, and their adjustable headband is robust, clicking between sizes with a reassuringly solid feeling.

We find the medium-thickness pleather padding on the underside of the headband and the earpads to be fairly comfortable, but we also find that the firm fit of these on-ear headphones can cause aching ears among the larger-headed members of our test team during longer listens, though we suspect this small gripe would ease with longer-term use.

The fact that the earcups swivel slightly helps with finding a more comfortable fit, too, and the pleather lining does a good job of mitigating unpleasant ear warming, in all but the very hottest of listening conditions.

The trade-off of a somewhat tighter fit is that these headphones do a reasonably good job of keeping outside sounds out, which is important as the CH530 don’t feature active noise cancellation. Loud sounds will make it through the earcup’s barrier, as will any high-pitched screeches, but for everyday street wear, we find the passive noise isolation to be ample, allowing our music and podcasts to take centre stage in most environments.

Features

For headphones of their price, the WH-CH530 have a fairly comprehensive feature set.

Wireless connection comes via Bluetooth 6.0, with support for Auracast and Google Fast Pair for Android devices. The WH-CH530 also support Bluetooth Multipoint, for simultaneous connection to two devices, and they are compatible with SBC, AAC and LC3 codecs – LC3 is the standard codec for Bluetooth Low Energy, which uses less power than regular Bluetooth for short-range connections.

It’s a shame that Sony didn’t push the boat out and include high-resolution codecs such as aptX HD, but as the Rolling Stones famously sang, “You can’t always get what you want”, and Sony tends to reserve higher codecs such as LDAC for its more premium models.

Sony claims a connection range of 10 metres for the headphones, and we don’t encounter any problems with connectivity within this radius.

Physical controls are housed on the right earcup, in the form of a three-button strip. Controls include Power on/off, Bluetooth pairing, skipping forwards and backwards, volume up/down, and answering, ending and rejecting calls. Skipping between songs is done by holding buttons either side of the central button for a couple of seconds, and we find ourselves accidentally raising the volume (which requires a single, unsustained press) from time to time.

Besides this small hiccup, however, we find that the buttons are responsive, large enough for most fingers and easy to use.

A single microphone handles calls, which is aided by AI-assisted noise reduction. When we test the call function, we find that our voices come across with a fairly full-bodied and clear sound that is perfectly acceptable for the price. We have no trouble hearing or being heard by the people we are speaking to.

While the built-in physical controls are all well and good, for further functionality, users can turn to the Sound Connect app, which is available for iOS and Android. The app provides a stable and intuitive control interface.

It features a 10-band equaliser, with set presets alongside personalisable EQ slots. The equaliser offers a useful range of tonal modification, and we enjoy the flexibility provided here.

Other features include the option to set a maximum headphone volume, a ‘Find Your Equaliser’ function, which runs a hearing test to help you identify your ideal EQ setting, and access to Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) – a proprietary Sony upscaling technology, which claims to restore frequencies lost during lossy audio compression. We find the feature works well, and adds a sense of air to our music.

Sony has also made the Sound Connect app compatible with certain immersive audio apps, such as 360 Reality Audio Live, Artist Connection and Nugs.

The headphones charge via a USB-C input on the right earcup. It is worth noting that this input does not accept audio, however, and can only be used for charging.

The WH-CH530’s battery life comes in at an impressive 55 hours for music playback, which drops to 35 hours for calls. We aren’t sure that even the most intense long-distance romance would require a 35 hour phone-call, but if it did, Sony claims these cans would be up to the task. After a full charge, we get through four days of frequent listening without needing to reach for the charging cable.

When the battery does eventually deplete, a fast charge of just three minutes will give you up to 1.5 hours of listening. Testing this function, we find that the Sonys give us more than enough charge for our similarly timed commute to work.

Sound

Given that these headphones are essentially the same design as their predecessors, we were intrigued to see whether Sony’s digital signal processing tweaks would deliver on their promise of a sonic boost. We are pleased to report, they most certainly do.

Right off the bat, the WH-CH530 establish themselves as a well-balanced, expressive, and frankly, surprisingly enjoyable listen for the price. They offer more insight than we are accustomed to in this budget price range, with an energetic, musical sound that keeps us interested in our music library.

Streaming Shrine by Chat Pile from Tidal, formidable, grungy bass arrives with a good degree of crunch and low-end power, while a tightly tuned kick drum hits appropriately hard, offering a well defined, thumping rhythm. Despite the power of the bass, these headphones do well not to overwhelm the midrange, and the gleam of guitars goes on undisturbed, but heartily supported.

The WH-CH530’s midrange is expressive by price standards. Listening to John Martyn’s Solid Air, the singer’s voice is well-textured and detailed enough to convey a real sense of subtle rasping tones when Martyn pushes his voice to its limits. Across frequencies, these headphones put in a nicely integrated performance, and the mid and high frequencies flow effortlessly into one another, without a defined or uneven-sounding border.

High frequencies, too, are lucid and expressive. The WH-CH530 bring the cymbals of Sonny Rollins’ I’m An Old Cowhand to life, allowing them to shine alongside a busy, energetic saxophone. Notably, these headphones balance shine and substance well, and the saxophone resists becoming shrill, retaining a sense of body even in combination with bright percussion. Admittedly, fine detail is somewhat reduced in the high frequencies, but for headphones at this price, these Sonys put in a solid effort.

Dynamically, clear improvements have been made over the previous model, and the WH-CH530 are sensitive enough to convey the subtle shifts in volume of Debussy’s Le Rappel Des Oiseaux with compelling gravitas. In pieces with a larger dynamic range, such as Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring, the WH-CH530 sound animated and impactful, even if they don’t quite have the headroom to provide the jumps in volume we would expect to hear from a more premium set of headphones.

During classical pieces and rock songs alike, these headphones pleasingly keep up with rhythms and don’t let us lose track of the pulse of our music. We find ourselves pulled into the songs we listen to, toes tapping and heads bobbing.

Verdict

The Sony WH-CH530 are highly talented performers within their price range. While Sony didn’t make many changes between this and the previous model, the work it has done has resulted in a small but definite step up in performance.

Considering that they’re pretty comfortable, sensibly specified and have a seriously competitive battery life, we think anyone searching for a pair of headphones that will be kind to both their music library and bank balance should pay serious attention to these budget Sony headphones.

Review published: 14th October 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony WH-CH520

Want ANC? Consider the step-up Sony WH-CH730N

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

After years of waiting, ranting, and almost giving up entirely, I am delighted that Apple has finally replaced the 2022 Apple TV 4K 3rd Generation. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love that streamer, and I have spent almost every Apple launch and event since 2022 anticipating the announcement of its replacement.

That time has finally come. Apple has announced a new 4K streamer alongside a new HomePod Mini 2, the HomeView smart display, and a range of smart home devices developed in partnership with LG.

The Apple TV 4K certainly seems to be the streamer I’ve been waiting for. It looks like being a genuine upgrade over the previous model in terms of AV features and general functionality. While I am mostly exceptionally pleased with Apple’s announcement, there are a couple of issues that I have noted from Apple’s press release.

With that in mind, here are three things I have already taken a shine to, and two things I’m not super pleased with…

Like: a powerful processor for more than just AI

Apple has squeezed the same super-powerful A19 processor that can be found in the iPhone 17 into the Apple TV 4K 4th Generation. This chip has already proven to offer silky-smooth performance on the iPhone, and it can run everything from everyday apps to graphically intensive games with ease, so I am excited to see it in action on the new streamer.

The biggest feature that it enables is Siri AI, which can be used to control the streamer hands-free and track down content to watch. Asking the box to show you movies from a specific genre, or requesting Award-winning TV shows isn’t revolutionary – we have seen other streamers and operating systems do this – but it’s a nice feature to have nonetheless, especially now that you can speak to the streamer without picking up the remote, thanks to the built-in far-field microphones.

However, as someone who spends far too much time on IMDB looking at trivia, cast information, and filming locations, the ability to ask Siri contextual questions while I’m watching is a huge plus. Apple’s example of asking “where is Pluribus filmed?” really tickled my fancy, especially as a huge Pluribus fan.

That all said, the A19 chip does way more than unlock faster and more powerful AI responses; there’s a huge new AV feature coming to the box thanks to the new chipset.

It includes a new, dedicated AV1 decoder, which should help when it comes to streaming compressed video coded in the format. Apple touts “more efficient, high-quality streaming while using less bandwidth”, which is music to my ears.

This essentially also confirms a picture upgrade, and I can’t wait to see the new streaming box in action.

Dislike: an overly familiar design

The Apple TV 4K is a discreet and sleek black box designed to blend into your media setup, and it does a good job of doing exactly that. However, it looks almost identical to the outgoing model, which was incredibly similar to nearly every previous generation of Apple TV streamers.

Furthermore, the remote also looks unchanged from the outside, which is both a good and bad thing. I’m a huge fan of the high-quality aluminium handset with its clicky buttons, easy-to-use layout, and USB-C charging port, which means that I never have to faff around with batteries.

That said, Apple is charging significantly more for this streamer now (we’ll get on to that later), so a remote upgrade would have been nice. Backlit buttons would be a great start (Sky Stream’s remote scores points here), and a customisable shortcut button akin to the one found on the Google TV Streamer would also be nice.

Like: Find My remote and voice commands

I know I’ve just moaned about the remote, but there is a huge upgrade that I really do think is a game changer. Now, my sofa is notorious for swallowing remotes, so the inclusion of Find My is an absolute lifesaver.

There are two ways to locate the remote by the looks of things: you can give the “Siri, find the remote” command to the streaming box directly and it will play a chime, or use the Find My app on your iPhone to pinpoint the exact location of the remote using on-screen directions.

However, I know how lazy I can be, so being able to control the streamer without lifting a finger and instead letting voice commands do the work is a rather nice feature to have. Moreover, this could be a huge accessibility upgrade for those with mobility limitations.

Dislike: out of control price

There’s no beating around the bush here; the new Apple TV 4K is expensive. Apple is selling only one configuration this time, with the cheaper 64GB model being scrapped in favour of a single 128GB model with an ethernet socket for £299 / $299 / AU$449.

That is a substantial asking price for a streaming box, especially considering the last model launched at £169 / $150 / $250 for the 128GB model. Apple did initiate a price increase earlier this year, upping the asking price to £249 / $249 / AU$399.

It’s worth noting that the previous model is no longer available, so this essentially means we have had two fairly substantial Apple TV 4K price increases in the space of a few months.

Now, there are global economic factors at play that are orchestrating these price increases, and we are seeing the likes of Google and Amazon also increase the price of their streamers, but a £130 / $149 / AU$199 price increase feels rather egregious to us.

Apple may want to look into a cheaper step-down model in the future if it wants to reel in buyers put off by the price, as many will begin looking at the much cheaper Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max 2nd Generation at this rate.

Like: wireless surround sound with HomePods

Apple has made a big swing for immersive sound with the new TV 4K, and it involves its underappreciated HomePod speakers alongside some wireless audio trickery.

You can connect up to four HomePod speakers to the Apple TV 4K 4th Generation, and there are multiple configurations that you can use. Whether that’s four HomePod 2 speakers, four HomePod Mini 2s, or a mix of the two (provided that the front and back pairs match respectively), the new streamer can essentially act as a hub for a wireless Dolby Atmos surround sound system.

This wireless surround sound trend has become hugely popular across the home cinema scene, with the likes of Sony, LG, Hisense and Valerion all leading the pack, and now it’s Apple’s turn to jump on board. Considering how great the HomePod speakers sound, and given Apple’s impressive approach to sound tuning, I am very eager to test this new wireless audio feature out.

MORE:

Read our full Apple TV 4K (2022) review

As well as our Apple HomePod 2 review

And check out our list of the best streaming devices

Cambridge Audio has announced a new turntable, the Spira, which the company says is “built to work with any system you already own, whether that’s a full hi-fi set-up, active speakers, a Bluetooth speaker or even headphones”.

According to Cambridge Audio, “Spira has everything you need straight out of the box”, including a pre-fitted Audio-Technica cartridge, a built-in phono stage and a Bluetooth transmitter for streaming to wireless headphones or Bluetooth speakers.

We have previously seen similarly equipped turntables from Cambridge Audio, such as the premium Alva TT V2 and Alva ST models, but at a price of £329 / $499, the Spira is the company’s most affordable model to date.

What’s more, despite its reasonable pricing, the turntable has kept flexibility and upgrades in mind. A removable headshell makes cartridge changes “far easier”, while the built-in phono stage can be bypassed, allowing users to connect their own external phono stage.

But it’s not all about change. Cambridge Audio says the turntable has been “tuned to perform and made to last”, with an aluminium alloy tonearm with adjustable counterweight and anti-skate, alongside a 1.8kg steel platter mounted on a “solid wooden” plinth for “stable, low-vibration playback”.

Speeds of 33 1/3 and 45 RPM are supported, but however fast you spin your wax, your records will be safe from harm thanks to a full dust cover. To “keep rumble out of the signal”, the turntable also comes with a felt mat and vibration-absorbing feet.

The Spira comes in Black, White, Green, Orange and Blue finishes, which are conveniently matched to Cambridge Audio’s L/R active speakers.

The Cambridge Audio Spira is available now, priced at £329 / $499. This puts it right between two of our favourite Bluetooth turntables – the Sony PS-LX3BT and the Sony PS-LX5BT, both of which received five-star reviews earlier this year – so we can't wait to hear how the Spira compares.

MORE:

Read our full Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 review

Don't know where to start? Consult our guide on how to choose the right record player for you

Plus, check out our pick of the best turntables tested by our expert reviewers

Apple has finally lifted the lid on its new 4K streamer, ending the four-year reign of the Apple TV 4K 3rd Generation.

The new Apple TV 4K will deliver the "most immersive home theatre experience yet", according to Apple, alongside new Siri AI smart features and a hands-free way to interact with the streaming box.

While it may look almost identical from the outside, the Apple TV 4K 4th Generation sports a new front-facing LED indicator, which displays when the new built-in far-field microphones are listening for hands-free navigation via Siri voice commands.

Speaking of Siri, Apple is really pushing the virtual assistant with this latest-generation streaming box, claiming it to be a "profoundly more capable and conversational assistant".

Finding content should be easier with wider and more natural search parameters; for example, users can ask, “What Apple TV shows won at the Emmy Awards this year?" and they will be shown a rail of content, alongside similar options to expand the search.

Furthermore, Siri AI will also be able to answer while you're watching movies and TV shows. Apple's examples include “Where was Pluribus filmed?” and “Is this appropriate for a 15-year-old?”, with a subtle text overlay providing an answer without distracting from the content on screen.

The new Siri AI system, which was introduced in Apple's most recent batch of software updates, comes to tvOS for the first time thanks to the A19 processor – the same chip found in the iPhone 17.

While Apple touts 50 per cent faster CPU performance and up to two times faster GPU performance, the real benefit of this new chipset we're concerned with is the inclusion of a dedicated AV1 decoder.

It's set to deliver "more efficient, high-quality streaming while using less bandwidth", and we could see better HDR performance and sharper visuals thanks to the improved decompression of streamed video feeds.

The new Apple TV 4K supports the same HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats as its predecessor. Audio support is consistent, with Dolby formats up to Dolby Atmos, plus Apple Lossless for Apple Music.

On the subject of audio, Apple is introducing a major surround sound audio upgrade too. Users will now be able to connect up to four HomePod speakers to create a wireless surround sound system.

Apple says that four HomePod 2 speakers will deliver the "ultimate audio experience", and the newly announced HomePod Mini 2 can also work as a quartet. Users can even mix and match between the speakers, provided that the front and rear speaker pairs match.

The HomePod speakers will reportedly work together to "intelligently recognise their position in the room", meaning that audio levels and timing will be automatically calibrated to suit your space.

Moving on to the remote, Apple's sleek metallic handset looks familiar; however, it hides an internal upgrade that will seriously appeal to those sick of losing their remote between the couch cushions. It now supports Find My with Precision Finding, meaning you can use your iPhone to play chimes and track its location directly if it slips out of sight.

Finally, the Apple TV 4K 4th Generation sticks to one configuration, unlike its predecessor, which could be optioned with less storage and no Ethernet port. The latest generation sticks to 128GB of storage and an Ethernet socket, but it comes at a high price.

The Apple TV 4K now costs £299 / $299 / AU$449, which is a steep step up from its predecessor. Originally launched at £169 / $150 / $250 for the 128GB model, the 3rd Generation was subjected to an unwelcome price increase earlier this year, bringing it to £249 / $249 / AU$399.

Will the new features justify a substantial price hike? We'll have to wait until the 13th November, when the Apple TV 4K 4th Generation launches, to find out.

MORE:

Read our full Apple TV 4K review

As well as our Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max 2nd Generation review

And check out our picks for the best streaming devices

Way back in 2023, as I hunted for a living room-friendly sound solution for my new home, I replaced a Sonos Arc with a pair of HomePod 2s, and what I discovered was a surprisingly accomplished Dolby Atmos performance in a super-neat package.

One of my criticisms, though, and a key reason I ended up with the Sony HT-A9 system long-term instead, was that “there’s currently no way to extend the Apple system beyond two speakers, so you can't add dedicated surrounds.”

Now, more than three years later, Apple has finally removed that limitation.

This new Apple TV 4K model, with its powerful A19 chip, can be partnered with four HomePod 2s, four of the new HomePod Mini 2s, or a pair of each, to create a full surround sound experience.

As before, there is no dedicated, manual calibration involved. You simply plonk the speakers where they are most practical, and their combination of integrated microphones will work out where they are and adapt the sound to each other and the environment. Very neat – assuming it works as well as it does with a pair of HomePods.

For those not already familiar with how an Apple TV 4K + HomePods combination works, the HomePods don’t play audio just from the Apple TV 4K itself. Thanks to eARC support, they can also handle sound from other devices connected to your TV, such as a games console or Blu-ray player.

There are other things I’m excited about with the new Apple TV 4K, of course.

Far-field mics for totally hands-free operation via Siri AI are actually rather appealing, I think, as long as Siri can play content from all streaming apps; and AV1 codec support is potentially a big deal for picture quality in the long run.

As someone who misplaces the tiny Siri Remote on a near-weekly basis, the new version’s audible Find My feature should prove very useful, too.

But it’s this ability to turn a HomePod setup into a proper Dolby Atmos home cinema system that has really piqued my interest.

The downside? Cost, of course.

The new Apple TV 4K is launching at £299 / $299 / AU$449, which is a massive price rise on the previous model, and each HomePod 2, which, from a sound quality perspective, I think you will need as the front speakers at least, will set you back £349 / $349 / AU$549.

So a full package that includes a new Apple TV 4K and four HomePod 2s will cost a hefty £1695 / $1695 / AU$2645 – though you could of course save some money by using HomePod Mini 2s instead of HomePod 2s as surrounds.

And, actually, now I think of it, that is very similar to what Sony charged for the HT-A9 system I still use at home, and a lot less than it charges for the Bravia Theatre Quad (£2499 / $2500 / AU$3699).

A Sonos Arc Ultra with two Era 300 speakers as surrounds will set you back £1797 / $2002 / AU$3232, too, so perhaps this Apple TV 4K home cinema isn’t quite as startlingly expensive as it first looks.

Of course, the real test will be how this system sounds. I was impressed by what a pair of HomePods could do on their own, so I am particularly keen to find out whether adding dedicated surrounds can deliver the kind of fully immersive Dolby Atmos I’m after – and how it compares with the Sony HT-A9 system I still use at home.

The new Apple TV 4K is due to go on sale on 13th November, so you can expect our test results around then.

MORE:

I replaced a Sonos Arc with two HomePod 2s – and I might not go back

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars and best surround sound systems you can buy right now

This is the HomePod with a screen that has been rumoured for years; it’s called Apple HomeView.

It is designed as a smart home hub, but it has some impressive audio chops courtesy of its custom-engineered acoustic system. This comprises two custom full-range drivers within the display itself that deliver Spatial Audio, while the down-firing woofer and two force-cancelling passive radiators in the base take care of the lower registers.

The computational audio (powered by Apple silicon and real-time sensors) promises to optimise continually the loudness and bass response. The wall-mounted version might lack the base’s bass capabilities, but the computational audio is tuned especially for on-wall placement.

That’s right, you can buy it either with the base for placing on a surface such as a kitchen counter or bedside table, or without for attaching to the wall. Both cost the same £299 / $299 / AU$449, but the wall-mounted model requires fittings and a power supply, both of which cost extra.

Like Apple’s HomePods, the HomeView can play music and wirelessly link up to other Apple speakers for multi-room audio. The difference is that the HomeView has a 7-inch Liquid Retina display that can show films and TV series, messages, calendars and FaceTime calls, and let you manage your smart home devices.

You control it either by tapping the touchscreen or with voice controls via Siri AI.

Thanks to facial recognition, it can serve up a personalised home screen for up to six users, all of whom can personalise Siri’s voice and even speaking speed. Pair it with your Apple Intelligence-powered device (such as the iPhone 18 Pro) and it can draw on your personal context, as long as you use Apple’s apps such as iMessage and Calendar.

On the version with a base, the screen can tilt for the perfect viewing angle, making it versatile in terms of placement. It's connected to the base by a stainless-steel hinge, and comes in four colours: silver, starlight, rose pink, or space grey. Each comes with a matching cable.

The screen has Apple’s True Tone tech that adapts the colour temperature depending on the ambient lighting conditions, while automatic brightness adjusts from 500 nits down to 0.3 nits for dark conditions. The interface even adjusts based on how far away from it you are, getting more detailed the closer you get.

You can personalise HomeView with your own photos, effectively making it double as a digital photo frame, or choose the Flow face to make it a piece of interactive digital art. Or add an animated Snoopy to the homepage, and watch him react to the time of day, the weather and sporting events (though thankfully not current events).

Album art on Apple Music is animated and serves up lyrics, while Handoff lets you continue listening to a song from your phone on HomeView by placing your handset in front of the HomeView display.

HomeView also works with Apple Home Collection, a new range of smart home cameras, thermostats and a lock, designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric.

HomeView is Apple’s big play for the smart home – but how useful it will be depends on how ensconced you are in the Apple ecosystem. We’re looking forward to trying out its AV skills though.

It is available to pre-order now for £299 / $299 / AU$449. Shipping starts on 13th November.

MORE:

It’s official! The HomePod Mini 2 has finally landed – and there’s good news and bad news

The best smart speakers you can buy

It's officially official: Apple has finally announced the HomePod Mini 2.

We've had so many letdowns with regard to the new Mini, with Apple's recent September launch event omitting the brand's compact smart speaker from its rundown of high-profile announcements, but this time, the news is truly set in stone.

Perhaps the biggest change beneath the surface is the jump from the original model's S5 chip to a new S10 chip which, alongside "advanced computational audio", helps to "analyse music in real time to optimise dynamic range, loudness, and acoustic performance". Theoretically then, the second-gen model should sound better than its predecessor.

The new model should also be smarter than its predecessor thanks to that new chip and updated support for Apple Intelligence, allowing the Mini 2 to be integrated within Apple's 'Home' ecosystem and giving Siri AI voice assistant a smarter, more personable upgrade.

There's a small catch, however. Siri AI will be available via a future software update in major territories such as the US, Australia, Canada and the UK, so you're not getting the speaker's full capabilities straight out of the box. When it does arrive, you can opt in to a more bespoke Siri experience via the Apple Home app.

The Mini 2 can be used as a single speaker, in a stereo pair, or as part of a multi-room set-up. Users can even create a four-speaker surround sound system with Apple TV 4K (4th generation), wherein four HomePod Mini 2 speakers and the new Apple TV 4K recognise one another's position in the room and automatically calibrate to the resultant output to fit the given listening space.

The external form is much the same as before, with a design that's akin to a hockey ball with the upper section cut off and a touch panel placed on top. The difference this time around is 'Sound Glow', whereby the top of the Mini glows and pulses in sync with the music, while the song’s album artwork generates a "colour-matched light experience that’s unique to every song".

According to Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Home Product Marketing: “HomePod Mini 2 brings together Siri AI, gorgeous new colours, and incredible audio. With Siri AI, it understands you better than ever, drawing on personal context and broad world knowledge to make music discovery even richer."

The HomePod Mini 2 is available for pre-order in green, pink, blue, white or black finishes, priced at £149 / $149 / AU$229. That's a considerable price hike from the £99 / $99 / AU$149 RRP of the original Mini, so it's up to Apple to prove that its next-gen sequel is worth the extra cash.

MORE:

Apple HomePod 2 vs HomePod Mini: what are the differences?

From Technics’ iconic turntables to JBL’s Classic standmounts – discover five of the best hi-fi product revivals

Our pick of the best wireless speakers you can buy right now

Rega has announced a brand new budget turntable with a completely new design, aiming to “remove all the paranoia and confusion” of the vinyl world by creating the “perfect” plug-and-play deck for new vinyl listeners.

The Rega Replay is the brand’s new entry-level offering priced competitively at £259 in the UK. Labelled as the “audiophile gateway drug”, the turntable has been designed from the ground up over three years, to “deliver exceptional sound at an accessible price”.

The Replay sits just under the multiple Award-winning Planar 1, which has traditionally been the most affordable record player in Rega’s line-up. We originally tested the current Planar 1 back in 2016 at £250, but the price has steadily risen over the years to £329 now.

The Rega Replay features many of the core elements of the standard Planar 1 – the phenolic resin platter with flywheel effect, the RB110 tonearm, and the Carbon moving-magnet cartridge fitted as standard.

But instead of a full-size conventional rectangular plinth, the Replay’s plinth is as minimal as can be.

Inspired by the skeletal plinths of the more premium Planar 8 and 10 turntables, the Replay features a reduced plinth footprint that weighs a mere 2.2kg in total.

The plinth features a laminated “high rigidity, low skeletal mass” design with an MDF core. This follows Rega’s long-held engineering belief that more mass saps music’s natural energy and introduces unwanted resonances that negatively affect the turntable’s performance.

The motor module under the main pulley also features the power input, power switch and a new PCB with built-in ventilation, and incorporates one of the three feet of the turntable.

The turntable remains a manual, belt-driven design, although there is no need to set the tracking force or anti-skating weight or balance the arm – you simply push the counterbalance weight on the tonearm as far as it will go, and that’s all the set-up required. Rega claims the Replay “can be set up and ready to use in under one minute”.

The Replay comes with a white mat that has a “different texture on one side to optimise grip on the textured platter surface”, says Rega, while the dustcover included is a minimal design, rather than a full-size hinged lid.

The Rega Replay will be going up against another long-running Award-winner, the Pro-Ject Primary E, which has been our favourite budget turntable for eight years now at a similar price of £249 in the UK. That’s going to be quite the battle.

We are waiting to get a sample of the new Rega Replay in for testing, so stay tuned for a full review soon.

MORE:

Read our recent Rega Planar 6 RS Edition review

Our guide to the best turntables for every budget

Tired of losing your wireless earbuds? Constantly charging them? Or just want to see what all the fuss is about?

We are big fans of wired headphones here at What Hi-Fi?, and we have reviewed plenty of them in our 50-year history.

So if you want a cheap wired pair that also sound sonically sophisticated, our expert audio testers recommend the Sennheiser CX 80U, now only £30 at Amazon.

It’s safe to say our reviewers were amazed at how good these buds sounded at this price. So good, in fact, that we have just given them a What Hi-Fi? Award.

True enough, the Sennheiser CX 80U are indeed wired, with a small, lightweight design that’s ideal for travel. Their modest size means they fit snugly without protruding out of your ears, and they also provide good passive noise isolation.

Given the price, you may not be surprised to hear that features are limited, but that may well be part of the appeal of the wired headphone resurgence. The Sennheiser CX 80U do sport a USB-C connection, which is far more common on smartphones these days than the 3.5mm connection of old.

The built-in DAC can also support hi-res files up to 24-bit/96kHz natively, and there is also an inline remote control on the right cable to answer calls, play, pause and skip tracks.

And the all-important sound? Big, dynamic and sophisticated.

“What greets us is brilliantly judged sound that’s both rich, detailed and surprisingly sophisticated for the money,” our Sennheiser CX 80U review reads.

“15 Step by Radiohead is a tricky test of timing, and the Sennheisers pass with flying colours. Not only do they hold on to and organise all the different musical threads that intertwine throughout the track, but they also extract an impressive amount of information from them.”

There’s a fine space around the different elements too, and no obvious bias in their tonal balance.

This deal may be only £5 off, but that's a 14 per cent discount on an Award-winning pair of buds that were already at an excellent price. The CX 80U are our top choice, especially for £30 at Amazon; but if you’re considering your options, we also recommend these five-star buds:

MORE:

Also consider our SoundMagic E80D review

Best wired earbuds: top in-ear models tried and tested by our experts

The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners have been revealed!

Wireless headphones have changed the way we listen, but not necessarily for the better. Because perhaps more than any other device category, they embody the shift to convenience over quality that's an unfortunate byproduct of some advances in personal listening.

True, the best wireless headphones sound very good indeed – almost as good as the best wired headphones, in fact. But to hear them at their best requires not only high quality sound files, but for both your headphones and digital music source to support a good quality wireless codec.

With so many competing codecs around – some of which are only supported by a tiny proportion of smartphones – this is easier said than done.

Surely there must be an easier way. And as of late 2025, there is, courtesy of the Sennheiser HDB 630.

These cans don’t just sound great, they include an ingenious solution to the codec clash problem plaguing so many wireless listening sessions. They come with a wireless dongle that's bursting with codecs. That way, even iPhone owners can enjoy the delights of the various flavours of aptX via their wireless headphones.

The HDB 630 quickly earned rave reviews, lodged themselves in our various lists of best headphones (including best over-ear headphones, best wireless headphones and best noise-cancelling headphones), and recently won a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award.

Here’s the story behind how they were made.

Research and you will find

The wireless headphone market is fiercely competitive, so making a pair that stands out and genuinely does something new is a very tall order. Rather than just offering the usual glut of minor upgrades and a tweaked design, the Sennheiser team went big on the research. And they discovered some interesting tidbits.

"Our research showed that, on average, audiophiles only listened to music for one, or maybe one-and-a-half hours a day. And we asked ourselves why that was – these people love music, so why aren't they listening to it for longer?" says Wee Hong Kuan, Sennheiser's Senior Product Manager.

They worked out it was due to what's involved in getting top quality sound.

"The best sound relies on being tied to a home system with an amplifier, so we asked ourselves: What can we do about this?" he says. "How can we cut loose this audiophile sound without losing the quality they demand? How can we get them listening not just for 90 minutes a day, but all day, wherever they are?"

Like other headphone makers, Sennheiser is obsessed with sound quality, so it was already hard at work on that front. But it realised this is only one side of the coin. Its research revealed another startling statistic: less than 16 per cent of phones are compatible with aptX Adaptive, and less than 1 per cent work with aptX Lossless. Having the best-sounding headphones in the world isn't much use if the sources feeding them audio aren't up to the task.

Which is where the dongle comes in.

An ingenious solution

The BTD 700 brings support for up to 24-bit/96kHz hi-res quality via the best wireless codecs (including aptX Lossless and Auracast). And it brings them to any Bluetooth headphones – just plug it into your music source and connect it to the headphones over Bluetooth. It went on sale a few months before the HDB 630 launched, but the decision to bundle the two together was a canny one.

To realise just how much of a gamechanger it is, it's worth considering the sheer number of Bluetooth codecs there are available: you’ve got SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LDAC, LHDC, L2HC, LC3, LC3+... It's an alphabet soup dumped on top of a word salad, followed by acronym crumble and initialism custard. Talk about making a meal out of it.

How many people know which codecs their phone or laptop supports? And whether their headphones support the same ones? Chances are, not many.

To make things more complicated, even the same model of certain Android phones will support different codecs depending on where they're sold – some Samsung Galaxy S handsets sold in the UK have Samsung Exynos processors instead of those made by Qualcomm, and so don't support Qualcomm's aptX codecs, for example.

Plug in the dongle, and all of this complexity disappears. Sennheiser estimates that it ups the percentage of phones able to support aptX Adaptive to over 80 per cent (that remaining 20 per cent accounts for all the Lightning port-based iPhones that are still in use, which don't work with the dongle's USB-C connection).

"That's the purpose of the BTD 700 – to erase these worries," says Kuan. "You don't have to worry about which codec your phone supports. You just need to make sure it has a compatible USB-C port." And that your headphones support the best codecs, of course.

This wasn't actually the first time Sennheiser bundled a dongle with a pair of headphones, though its previous offering was aimed more at business folk than audiophiles. The Accentum Special Edition (which are still on sale) come with a USB-A dongle for lower latency video calls on a PC. Though perhaps it could've done with a sound boost – the dongle-less version only scored three stars in our review.

Nevertheless, Sennheiser applied learnings from the Accentum model to the BTD 700.

A dongle isn't the most exciting product to look at – it's a dongle – but a lot of thought went into its design. Sennheiser added a groove near the USB-C connector to allow it to fit a phone that's wearing a case, and it had to be slim enough not to block vents or other ports on any phone, tablet or PC with which it's used.

The downside, of course, is that it's yet another thing to carry, and due to its compact size, it could be easily lost. Some users have taken to carrying it in a coin pouch when not in use, which isn't ideal. (Kuan recommends keeping it plugged into the HDB 630’s USB-C port when not in use.)

And of course, it's still limited by Bluetooth's bitrate, which posed a quandary for Sennheiser. "We had a decision to make," Kuan says. "Did we want high resolution but in a compressed format? Or to maintain a lower resolution, but lossless? That's the trade-off that we had to make. To achieve true hi-res lossless playback, a higher Bluetooth bandwidth will be needed to support that resolution. Which requires industry effort."

Even without the dongle, the HDB 630 fared very well in our review, thanks to their excellent sound quality and customisable features – like the parametric equaliser, which lets you not only input an exact number of Hz for your tuning preference rather than adjusting a slider, but also share your tuning via a QR code for anyone to scan and try out your preferences.

It's a compelling package that just goes to show, when you do your research, the rewards speak for themselves.

MORE:

Read our Sennheiser HDB 630 review

Check out the best wireless headphones

"Sound comes first" – we speak to Sennheiser about German engineering, changing ownership, and 80 years of making music

• Release date: Thursday, October 15
• US broadcast: ABC via Fubo free trial or Youtube TV free trial
• US stream: Hulu (16 Oct)
• UK & AU stream: Disney Plus (16 Oct)
• ABROAD? Download NordVPN app to watch from anywhere

Grey’s Anatomy is back for a landmark twenty-third season.

Much of what to expect is being kept under wraps for now, but we know that the season opener will see the hospital flooded with critically injured patients , while the second episode sees the team respond to a fraternity hazing mishap.

With the season 22 finale seeing Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy (Kim Raver) wave goodbye for a new life in Paris, there’s a few cast shake ups this season, with Debbie Allen, Scott Speedman and Jennifer Landon joining the team, while James Wolk plays Dr. Seth Norton, the boss of the hospital's new prestigious VIP wing.

Grey’s Anatomy season 23 premieres on October 15 in the US and Canada, with international release dates following.

From The States but abroad? You can watch Grey’s Anatomy online by using this VPN to access your usual streams. Here's how to do it....

Where to watch Grey's Anatomy S23 for free in the US

US viewers can watch Grey's Anatomy season 23 on ABC. The first installment premieres on Thursday, October 15 at 10pm ET/PT with new episodes weekly.

Both Fubo and Youtube TV offer free trials for new members, with ABC included. Fubo is a pricier but more comprehensive OTT option. ABC comes with its entry-level Pro plan for $88.99 a month.

Alternatively, The most affordable option is Sling TV, where local ABC channels are available in select markets (double-check yours is included before you buy) with its Sling Blue plan. The Sling TV price for this plan is $45.99 a month, though you can save 50% on your first month.

Each episode lands on Hulu the day after airing on ABC. Plans start from $12.49 a month, but there are various bundle plans available that can save you money when pairing with other services.

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

Watch Grey's Anatomy S23 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 Grey's Anatomy 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 your usual streamer on your browser or device and enjoy watching Grey's Anatomy season 23 online from anywhere in the world. Simple!

Where to watch Grey's Anatomy S23 in the UK

New episodes from Grey's Anatomy season 23 will begin landing weekly on Disney Plus in the UK from Friday, October 16.

In the UK, the Disney Plus price starts from as little as £5.99. Of course, subscribers have the option of upgrading to the ad-free Standard plan at £9.99 a month, or the £14.99 Premium option, which supports 4K and HDR streaming.

Where to watch Grey's Anatomy S23 in Canada

Grey's Anatomy will air on CTV at 10pm ET/PT every Thursday in Canada, with the premiere set for October 15. Viewers will need cable to access CTV.

Alternatively, Grey's Anatomy can be streamed on CTV via Crave. Crave is included with Walmart+, who currently off a 30 day free trial.

Traveling in Canada? Access your streams as usual with a VPN.

Where to watch Grey's Anatomy S23 in Australia

Disney Plus is also the home for Grey's Anatomy Down Under, with season 23 episodes streaming on Fridays, starting October 16.

There are a few Disney Plus subscription options to choose from in Australia. Go monthly for AU$17.99, or get a great saving – effectively 12 months for the price of 10 – by getting an annual plan for AU$179.99. There’s also a Disney Plus Premium plan available at AU$24.99 a month (or AU$249.99 per year) if you’re looking to boost audio and video quality. If you don't mind ads, the entry level plan is available for AU$9.99 per month, but there's no discounted annual option.

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Grey's Anatomy season 23 release date

Grey's Anatomy season 23 premieres in North America on Thursday, October 15 and in the UK and Australia the following day.

Grey's Anatomy season 23 cast

• Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
• Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
• James Pickens Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
• Caterina Scorsone as Dr. Amelia Shepherd
• Camilla Luddington as Dr. Jo Wilson
• Jason George as Dr. Ben Warren
• Chris Carmack as Dr. Atticus "Link" Lincoln
• Anthony Hill as Dr. Winston Ndugu
• Alexis Floyd as Dr. Simone Griffith
• Harry Shum Jr. as Dr. Benson "Blue" Kwan
• Adelaide Kane as Dr. Jules Millin
• Niko Terho as Dr. Lucas Adams
• Trevor Jackson as Dr. Wes Bryant
• Debbie Allen as Dr. Catherine Fox
• Scott Speedman as Dr. Nick Marsh
• Jennifer Landon as Dr. Toni Wright
• James Wolk as Dr. Seth Norton
• Sarah Levy as Corrie Witty
• Martin Martinez as Charlie
• Trevor Tordjman as Thomas

Watch the Grey's Anatomy season 23 trailer

• Upgrade the action: best TVs
• Disney Plus review
• Disney+ has restored 4K in affected countries

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.