RGB Mini LED was the big new panel technology of 2026, and it first entered our test rooms with the Hisense UR9.

We were rather impressed by the controlled backlight performance and rich cinematic HDR picture, granting it four stars.

One of our main issues was the price tag, with the £3000 cost pitting the 65-inch UR9 against flagship OLEDs. No more, however – the RGB Mini LED TV can now be picked up for £1499 at Sevenoaks.

To get this price, you'll need to use the code GDTV300, and then claim £200 cashback from Hisense. Full Ts and Cs can be found here.

That's not all, however – gamers can enjoy a free Xbox Design Lab controller and a month of Game Pass, both of which can be used with the TV with no need for a console.

Apart from the RGB Mini LED screen, one of the biggest selling points of the UR9 is that it's one of the first TVs with support for Dolby Vision 2, specifically the premium Dolby Vision 2 Max. Be aware that iQIYI is the only current Dolby Vision 2 content partner operating in the UK, though we expect more services to join as the format grows.

HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG are all on board too, with widespread support on both streaming and physical media.

Whatever you watch, however, you'll benefit from the RGB Mini LED screen. The new technology uses red, green and blue Mini LEDs in the backlight for greater brightness and more precise colour reproduction.

We found it couldn't quite top OLED in some categories, but it was one of the most accomplished backlit TVs we've tested.

"Play 1917 on 4K Blu-ray, and the opening logos immediately demonstrate just how well controlled the TV’s backlight system is," our Hisense UR9 review reads. "Blooming around the bright white text is minimal, black depth is strong, and colours look rich, warm and nicely cinematic.

"More importantly, the local-dimming system generally goes about its business without drawing attention to itself. Throughout our testing, the UR9 almost never exhibits the flickering, brightness pumping or visibly shifting backlight behaviour that can make many Mini LED TVs distracting."

Gamers are nicely catered for, with three gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports that support a whopping 4K/170Hz (including 4K/120Hz for consoles), VRR and ALLM. Perfect for that Xbox controller and Game Pass subscription, then.

You'll be able to access the Xbox app on Hisense's fast and responsive VIDAA platform, which includes all the major streaming services and UK catch-up apps. Do note that access to the Apple TV Store is missing, though.

The sound is also surprisingly expansive and full-bodied for TV standards, with the Devialet-tuned 4.1.2-channel speaker system delivering particularly impressive width and height effects. A modest soundbar will still outperform it, but UR9’s audio system is better than that of most TVs.

The Hisense UR9 sports several next-gen features at a knock-down price. For some of the latest technology 2026 has to offer, check out the Hisense UR9 now half-price at Sevenoaks.

MORE:

Also consider reading our Sony Bravia 8 II review

There's also the LG G6 review

Here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

As I write this, testing is well underway for the 2026 What Hi-Fi? Awards, with a battle royale taking place between all sorts of hi-fi and home cinema equipment.

One of the ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors we reviewed for Awards consideration was the Hisense PX4 Pro. Now I can’t tell you if it has won an Award just yet, but I can reveal that it earned the full five stars from our rigorous testers.

I can also share that there is £100 cashback available, as well as a free Xbox Design Lab controller and a month of Game Pass included. Once you take off the cashback, that brings the price down to £2399 at AV.com.

You can claim the £100 cashback directly from Hisense from 27th November. Full Ts and Cs can be found here.

It's facing some tough competition now, but Hisense has long been a dominant force in the UST projector space. The Hisense PX3 Pro was even a What Hi-Fi? Award winner, so we had high hopes for its successor.

And we weren’t disappointed. Hisense has made several worthy improvements, offering deeper blacks, more colour volume and a holistically improved, more three-dimensional-looking image during a viewing of Civil War.

“The work Hisense has done improving its PX line over the past two years is immediately apparent, and the PX4 Pro leaves a strong impression,” our Hisense PX4 Pro review reads.

“Characters’ faces look more realistic, featuring more natural highlights and deeper shadows. As they move through a burning forest, the extra brightness helps the PX4 shine; the flames possess hues of red and orange that are entirely missing on the PX3.”

Sound is also solid given the PX4 Pro’s humble size. The little box throws audio around the room with impressive height effects that are missing from most USTs. It’s no match for a dedicated sound system, but impressive by UST projector standards.

As you can probably tell from the free controller and subscription, the PX4 Pro has quite the focus on gaming. Hisense has made a big deal of the 1080p/240Hz performance, with VRR and ALLM supported also. However, 4K/120Hz gaming is off the menu, as the two HDMI 2.1 sockets are limited to 60Hz at 4K resolution.

All four key HDR formats – Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG – are on board, as well as dedicated Filmmaker Mode, IMAX Enhanced certification and Active 3D content picture modes.

Hisense’s Vidaa OS comes loaded with nearly all the apps you need. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Freely are all on board, with only the more specialist streamers missing.

We have a few minor quibbles, but the Hisense PX4 Pro sits in a gap between entry-level and flagship USTs and is a great choice for movie fans who can’t quite stretch their budget to the top tiers of the market. It’s even better value, of course, with £100 cashback at AV.com and a free Xbox controller.

MORE:

Read our AWOL Vision Aetherion Max review

Also consider our Hisense PT1 review

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

Always charging your Bluetooth speaker?

Whether you're a party animal, BBQ enthusiast, or regular host, nothing's worse than the speaker dying just as things get going.

And that's where the JBL Xtreme 4 comes in. As well as being an Award winner for its engaging and entertaining sound, it also packs in a whole 24 hours of battery life.

Oh, and did we mention? The Xtreme 4 is currently only £169 at Richer Sounds, a whopping 49 per cent off from the price we tested at.

You just have to sign up for the free Richer Sounds VIP club to get this discount, but luckily that doesn't cost a penny.

With some September sunshine still seeping through the clouds, the JBL Xtreme 4 is perfect for any outdoor gatherings you still have planned.

With a tough, wraparound grille made from a combination of recycled plastic and fabric, the Xtreme 4 is waterproof and dustproof, perfect if the heavens do decide to open.

And the Xtreme 4 can survive long trips as well as wet ones – the already impressive 24 hour battery can stretch to 30 with the Playtime Boost feature turned on. This does suck the weight and solidity out of the bass, however, so we'd save this for emergencies.

With Playtime Boost turned off, however, we're pleased to report a fantastically refined sound.

"It produces a wonderfully clear and consistent sound across tracks," our JBL Xtreme 4 review reads. "Low frequencies are poised and punchy but don’t lack weight. Highs are crisp enough so they don’t feel rolled off.

"Detail levels are excellent for the money and it's still exciting and fun to listen to, which is exactly what you want from a product like this."

There are plenty of features on board too – Bluetooth 5.3 and Auracast are both on offer, while the Xtreme 4 can also niftily function as a power bank if required.

The Xtreme 4 has since been replaced by, you guessed it, the JBL Xtreme 5. It adds drop resistance and a greater sonic presence to its list of credentials, but it's also currently over £100 more with a £279 price tag.

Unless you're after the very latest and greatest in Bluetooth audio, however, the JBL Xtreme 4 should be more than enough to cover your speaker needs both indoors and outside. For an entertaining and refined sound that can last all day, consider the JBL Xtreme 4 for £169 at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Fancying an alternative? Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Feeling loyal to JBL? Take a look at the JBL Charge 6 review

Check out our best Bluetooth speakers 2026: tried and tested for every budget

Do you commute into work?

If you do so on public transport, you’ll no doubt appreciate that it’s far from the quietest experience. Whether it’s the constant dinging of the bus bell, someone playing music on the train or the deafening roar of the underground (looking at you, Jubilee line), then the constant early-morning hubbub is the last thing any of us needs.

That’s where the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) come in. With class-leading noise cancellation, they will wrap you in a cocoon of silence so only your precious music or podcasts can get in.

They are now available at a new lowest price too. A £39.78 reduction at checkout means you can pick up these noise-cancelling cans for only £286 at Amazon, down from their previous low of £303.

Bose invented active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, so it’s hardly a surprise that its headphones have consistently excelled at blocking out the outside world.

As our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review reads: “Whether you’re riding public transport or walking past roadworks or construction, they provide a blanket of silence so that your music (or podcasts) can bask in the spotlight, eliminating the deepest rumbles and the majority of mid-band hubbub we encounter on our daily travels.”

This second-generation model improves upon the original in several ways, including kicking in quicker to nullify sudden noises in Aware mode.

There is also the option to listen to them wired over USB-C, a battery life that has been extended to 30 hours, and an upgrade to Immersive Audio (Bose’s take on spatial audio).

Our favourite change to Immersive Audio is the new ‘Cinema’ mode, which pulls dialogue into greater focus when watching movies. It’s the most effective use of the technology yet.

There have also been some small but significant gains in sound quality – the second-generation cans are clearer and more detailed than their predecessors, as well as a bit more solid and musically tighter.

“Play Charli xcx’s Von dutch, and the Bose rev their engines, launching themselves into the upbeat track with their best foot forward,” our review reads. “The synths surge with low-end texture and impetus, the beat pulsates with snap and crispness. It’s the same pleasingly smooth, bass-rich character Bose has long favoured, simply more insightful and precise than ever before.”

While they do sound good, they’re not the class leaders sonically in the premium wireless headphones market. That honour goes to the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6, which offer greater clarity, texture, drive and dynamic subtlety.

The Sony pair cost at least £335 at the time of writing, however, so the Bose QC Ultra 2 currently have the edge in terms of value, thanks to this record low price of £286 at Amazon. If it’s noise cancelling you’re after, then the QC Ultra Headphones 2 will block out the sounds of your morning commute better than any other.

MORE:

More into buds? Our best wireless earbuds will sort you out

Our pick of the best wireless headphones

Read our Sony WH-1000XM6 review

We're big fans of LG's latest mid-range OLED.

The five-star LG C6 is one of our favourite TVs of the year, thanks to a bright, rich and refined picture, awesome gaming credentials and an app-packed smart platform.

It also delivers a solid audio performance for its class, though it's no substitute for a dedicated sound system.

That's where this bundle deal comes in. The LG C6 is currently down to an impressive £1899 at Smart Home Sounds with the code TRADE250, only £10 above the lowest price we've seen.

But the real kicker is that you get a Dolby Atmos soundbar absolutely free – add the four-star LG S70TY to your basket with the C6 and the cost will be removed at checkout.

Even without the soundbar, this would be a great deal on a fantastic TV.

Much of the C6's success comes from the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 chip. We don't often get too excited about processor upgrades, but this seemingly small change has resulted in an even brighter and richer performance than its predecessor, the Award-winning LG C5.

"Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious," our LG C6 review reads. "Highlights are more intense, colours have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality."

The C6 offers a more enticing, dynamic and three-dimensional delivery overall, as well as enhanced upscaling, remastering and shading subtlety.

Gamers, as ever, are well looked after with LG TVs. VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming are available on all four HDMI 2.1 sockets, as well as 4K/120Hz for console gamers. PC gamers can even crank it up to 4k/165Hz with VRR.

The reliable LG WebOS is similarly impressive, with all the major streaming services present, well optimised and delivering content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos where applicable.

As well as Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG are also on board. HDR10+ is missing – as are the newly released Dolby Vision 2 and HDR10+ Advanced – though this isn't a huge issue at the moment.

Improvements have been made to the sound also, with a more open and immersive delivery. We recommend taking the soundbar freebie, however – the LG S70TY package will smash the C6 when it comes to sound quality thanks to its easy-going, balanced presentation and well-integrated subwoofer.

You can pay a lot more and get a lot less than this great-value bundle deal. A £601 saving at Smart Home Sounds on one of the year's best OLEDs is quite the bargain anyway, but chucking in a decent Dolby Atmos soundbar makes this an absolute steal.

MORE:

Check out our LG C5 review

Also read our LG G6 review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

Here at What Hi-Fi?, we pride ourselves on advising on the best AV equipment to buy, and you can see our recommendations in our many buying guides.

However, we're always interested in the opinions of our readers and the public at large, and it seems on this product we're aligned.

The Hisense AX1525H, now on offer for £199 at Amazon, is our budget soundbar system Award winner, offering stellar audio quality for surprisingly little money.

And it seems the general public agrees – it's still one of our most popular reviews nearly a year after publication and it's consistently retained the top spot in Amazon's competitive soundbar charts.

The Hisense AX5125H will be a marked improvement on your TV's sound. But as an incredible-value Dolby Atmos package, it's capable of so much more.

It's a complete 5.1.2-channel system in a box, with wireless surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer all for less than the price of most solo soundbars. Together they'll create a bigger, more immersive sound than even Dolby Atmos-enabled TVs.

We tested the AX5125H with a viewing of Civil War, and found a cohesive and enveloping presentation with a surprising ability to project effects around the room.

"As the gentle guitar track recedes and is replaced by the sounds of war, we’re surrounded by gunfire and incidental effects," our Hisense AX5125H review reads. "Bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position, helicopters hover at ceiling height, and distant explosions rumble menacingly."

The subwoofer is also impressive for the price, going loud and deep while still offering enough tonal expression to sound musical.

Music playback is respectable too, delivering some subtlety despite occasional overenthusiastic bass notes.

At £199, you won't find a similarly priced package that sounds better, and going by the Amazon charts, it seems that the secret is out. If you want Award-winning Dolby Atmos sound at a bargain price, consider the Hisense AX5125H with £50 off at Amazon.

If you do have the budget to splash out a bit more, we also recommend these soundbar systems for more refinement:

MORE:

Here are all of the best budget soundbars you can buy right now

Also in the market for a new telly? Here are all of the best TVs

Check out our Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 review and Samsung HW-Q990F review

As a writer at What Hi-Fi?, I am, of course, a huge admirer of many premium wireless earbuds, whether it’s the user-friendly Apple AirPods Pro 3 or the noise-cancelling Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).

But when my most recent, long-running flagship earbuds finally conked out and I faced the prospect of no headphones at all, I needed a cheap, reliable pair that could tide me over for at least a little while.

Step in the Sony WF-C510, now at a new low of £28 at Amazon.

Far from the temporary, functional replacements I had in mind, the WF-C510 soon proved to be extraordinary value for money. With a solid, musical sound and far more features than I expected for less than £30, the Sony pair are more than up to the task of being your headphones of choice.

Take a look at our Awards over the years, and you’ll see that Sony has long been the go-to brand for budget wireless headphones. The WF-C510 may be the cheapest option even in its budget range, but that doesn’t mean Sony has completely held back.

The WF-C510 offer a generous 11 hours of battery life, despite battery usually being one of the first sacrifices when a brand launches a budget pair of buds.

There’s also an ambient mode to let in more of your surroundings, which can come in useful when exercising outdoors or listening to announcements while commuting. The buds are also snug and comfortable, with an IPX4 rating to protect from rain, sweat and other splashes.

Bluetooth Multipoint is also on board, so you can pair the buds with two devices at once and switch seamlessly – instantly switching, say, from listening to music on your phone to a Zoom call on your laptop. If you’ve never used it before, this is highly convenient and a surprisingly advanced feature for a £28 pair.

And the all-important sound quality? Fun, engaging and musical, but still with Sony’s winning signature sound profile.

“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.”

Our only slight niggle is the build, which does look and feel budget. However, it's hard to complain when they are yours for the cost of a round of drinks.

The Sony WF-C510 are comfortable and pack a huge sense of fun and musicality. Don’t just take my word for it, though – these are What Hi-Fi? Award winners, and now they can be yours for only £28 at Amazon.

If you’ve got a bit more of a budget, however, consider these alternatives:

MORE:

Read our Sony WF-C510 review

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

Check out the best cheap wireless earbuds you can buy

Rejoice! Sony has finally updated its budget five-star wireless headphones range.

This announcement includes the new Sony WH-CH530, available now for £50, which are just about to land in our listening rooms for the full What Hi-Fi? review treatment.

However, if you can't wait, we're also excited to announce that its five-star predecessors, the WH-CH520, have had their price crash.

Specifically, the WH-CH520 are back down to their lowest price of £25 at EE, officially half the price of their successors.

We're yet to review the WH-CH530, but it's worth bearing in mind that Sony claims they come with five hours more battery life, as well as a sonic boost thanks to improved processing and algorithms.

However, if you're after value, it's hard to argue with the WH-CH520, especially with its £25 price tag.

You'll want to temper your expectations, as these were budget headphones even at full price, but we were still mightily impressed by how much Sony was able to fit in.

They're full of features, with Bluetooth Multipoint letting you connect to multiple devices wirelessly and seamlessly switch between them, voice assistants are supported, they have on-earcup controls and you can fine-tune the sound using Sony's excellent Headphones Connect app.

However, what impressed us most was the sound quality at this level. They produce an even-handed, nicely balanced sound with a solid, deep bass response and an informative and eloquent midrange.

"The low end they generate is solid, deep and properly controlled at the leading edges, so the WH-CH520 express rhythms confidently," our Sony WH-CH520 review reads. "They hit reasonably hard, and keep bass firmly in its lane where it can’t interfere with the midrange activity above."

The WH-CH530 add a further five hours, but the CH-520 still boast a phenomenal 50 hours of battery life. That's enough to fly to Australia and back!

The design is a bit plasticky, as you might expect from this price level, but they're solidly built, and at 147g they're lightweight for long travels or gym sessions.

Successor or not, the Sony WH-CH520 are incredible headphones now at an incredible price of £25 at EE. If you're after a budget pair, the WH-CH520 won't be beaten at this price and are well worth picking up before they inevitably start leaving store shelves.

MORE:

Want noise-cancelling? Consider reading our Sony WH-CH720N review

Prefer in-ears? Here are the best wireless earbuds you can buy

Our expert pick of the best over-ear headphones: wired and wireless over-ears for every budget

If you take your home cinema seriously, then you’ll understand the need for a serious audio upgrade over your TV’s built-in speakers. If you don’t have the space (or the budget) for a fully-fledged speaker package, a great soundbar is the next best thing and the Sennheiser Ambeo Max is one of the best you can get.

While it might have been released way back in 2019, Sennheiser’s big and burly ‘bar continues to leave a lasting impression on us, and it’s now on the receiving end of a monster AU$2,650 discount via the company’s own eBay store when using the code SEP15OFF.

Or, while you might not get the additional AU$150 saving, if you prefer to shop on Amazon you can grab the Ambeo Soundbar Max for AU$1,499.

Finally, you could head to Sennheiser directly and score the Ambeo Soundbar Max and the Ambeo Subwoofer for AU$1,898 — a total saving of AU$3,221.90.

Key to the Ambeo Max’s success is its use of larger speaker drivers than what you’ll traditionally find in other soundbars – six 10cm woofers, five 25mm tweeters and two 9cm full-range drivers firing upwards, to be precise. While their use does mean the Ambeo Max is max by nature (it weighs 18.5kg), the extra heft allows it to produce a sound with incredible scale.

Even at full price, we said in our review it was “well worth the money and effort”, adding “In using bigger, higher-quality drivers, the Ambeo Soundbar can produce audio with natural tonality, cohesion and solidity, and the 3D audio processing is some of the best we've heard in a product of this type.”

Indeed, you might think the lack of rear speakers means it won’t be all that effective at creating a surround sound effect, but our testing found the opposite to be true. Dialogue is delivered with great clarity too, and the companion app gives access to a number of adjustable EQ presets to fine tune the sound even further. A microphone is also included for calibration to ensure the soundbar performs to its best in your individual room.

It’s certainly a sizable investment, but when you factor in how much you’re saving, it does make the Sennheiser Ambeo Max incredibly good value.

MORE:

Read our full Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max review

And check out the best soundbars with options for every need

Sorting a new home cinema set-up can be a pricey affair, with the cost of both a new TV and sound system quickly adding up.

LG, however, has a solution – it offers a soundbar bundled with its latest flagship OLED, completely free of charge.

The flagship OLED in question is the LG C6, a punchy, premium TV to which we awarded five stars. It has just hit a new lowest price of £2564 at Smart Home Sounds for the wall-mount version, thanks to the promo code TRADE250.

That’s not all: you also get the LG S70TY Dolby Atmos soundbar and subwoofer included at no extra charge if you have both items in your basket at checkout.

We awarded the soundbar package four stars in our LG S70TY review, and it will certainly blow the TV into the weeds when it comes to sound quality. Given that the S70TY is retailing for £229 at Amazon, that’s quite the saving you will be making.

We retested the LG G6 following a major software update, which included a side by side comparison with its predecessor, the C5. It didn’t take long during a viewing of Civil War to start noticing the improvements.

“The flames in a burning night-time forest continue to offer an enthralling amount of extra detail as well as higher peaks, but, more crucially, characters’ skin tones look nicely realistic, retaining reds far better, to the point that the G5’s picture makes them look slightly jaundiced by comparison.”

Moving to a daytime scene in a military camp, “balanced” quickly becomes the word that best describes the G6. As a helicopter swoops into the camp over a forest, it’s clear that LG has backed away from its previous focus on aggressively pushing its TVs’ peak brightness at all costs.”

The G6 is particularly notable as one of the few TVs with a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel, which uses a ‘four-stack’ panel structure to help the OLED TV achieve higher peak and operating brightness levels while retaining colour volume and accuracy.

It also features a new Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor and Hyper Radiant Colour Technology, enabling higher peak brightness than the already dazzling LG G5.

HDR is well catered for, with Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG all on board and only HDR10+ missing. WebOS 26 is similarly well equipped, with Now, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and pretty much every app you can think of available.

As with most LG TVs, the G6’s gaming chops are particularly strong. All four HDMI 2.1 inputs support up to 4K/165Hz gameplay with VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision Gaming HDR.

The G6’s sound system is a step in the right direction, with a fuller, more robust sound than its predecessors. The nicely balanced S70TY soundbar is a clear upgrade, however, so we certainly recommend taking up the freebie instead of relying on the built-in speakers.

If you are looking for a new flagship OLED and need a sound system also, then this LG G6 package is the best value you’ll find right now. £2564 at Smart Home Sounds is the lowest price we have yet seen on this nuanced, accurate and immersive OLED – and a free four-star soundbar is the icing on the cake.

MORE:

Here’s our pick of the best TVs for every budget

Want a cheaper LG OLED? Check out our LG C6 review

For last year’s model, head over to our LG G5 review

Taking home cinema seriously?

In that case, you’ll want a seriously good AVR – and we can’t deny the outstanding sonic performance of the JBL Synthesis SDR-38, which also boasts a stylish build and extensive feature set.

In our five-star review, one of our few gripes was the substantial £7300 price. That, though, is less of a problem now, thanks to a new low of £3499 at Richer Sounds.

To get this whopping 52 per cent discount, you’ll have to sign up for the (completely free) Richer Sounds VIP club to bring the price down to £3999. Add in our exclusive promo code WHFJBL500 at checkout to save an extra £500, and you’ve got yourself a five-star AVR with £3801 off.

The JBL Synthesis SDR-38 is aimed squarely at audiophiles, as shown by its enthusiast-leaning setup and operation, but we think even the pickiest will be won over.

There’s no shortage of features: the SDR-38 delivers 180W of Class G amplification with all seven channels driven, and seven HDMI 2.1 sockets which feature the full 48Gbps bandwidth. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are also on board for immersive home cinema sound.

There’s also quite the list of wireless connectivity options, with hi-res and MQA support via Roon, as well as Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Google Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth with the aptX HD codec supported.

All of which is contained within a rather stylish and premium chassis, complete with an OLED display, on-device controls and an appropriately premium volume wheel.

However, what really won us over about the SDR-38 was its incredible sound performance, as demonstrated during a test viewing of Dune in Dolby Atmos.

“The spacious, echoey environment of the aircraft hangar is reproduced with a grand and expansive sense of scale, while the conversation that takes place regarding the Stillsuits is packed with a tangible low-level dynamic flair that incorporates warmth, subtlety and (most importantly) character to each voice,” our JBL Synthesis SDR-38 review reads.

Testing further with the car chase scene in The Batman and everything is delivered with excellent detail and clarity, digging out all the finer details we would expect for an AVR at this price level and leaving no gaps between speakers.

There were certainly no issues with the sound performance in our five-star review – the SDR-38 excels at everything from large dynamic shifts to hushed conversations, making it an excellent choice for dedicated home cinemas.

It may still be pricey, but the SDR-38’s performance justifies the cost even at full price. So home cinema aficionados will not want to miss out on the chance to get this fine-sounding home cinema amplifier with a massive £3801 off at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our full JBL Synthesis SDR-38 review

As well as our Denon AVC-X6800H review

And check out our picks for the best AV receivers

Poor-quality TV audio can very quickly ruin a movie night.

Was the main character meant to sound that muffled in the climax? Or did they just explain something crucial to the plot?

That's just one of the reasons we at What Hi-Fi? usually recommend investing in a good soundbar or sound system. It doesn't have to be a super flashy or premium model either, which is why the Hisense HS215 has caught my eye for £59 at AO.com.

It's an inexpensive but effective way to improve your TV speakers, especially for clearer dialogue and a wider tonal range. And frankly, out of all the soundbars we've tested, there's nothing else we recommend at this price.

With darker nights on the horizon and cosy evenings on the sofa becoming more common, your TV speakers are going to get quite the workout over the next few months.

Which is why a quick soundbar upgrade might just save your autumn, especially if you have a nice TV that gives movies the picture they deserve.

The Hisense HS214 can do just that, adding a broader soundstage and a welcome touch of bass thanks to a 3-inch down-firing woofer on the underside.

Dialogue clarity is one of the key benefits of the HS214, sounding even better than the five-star OLED TV we were testing with.

"The HS214 anchors the vocal, meaning you can sit back and enjoy the unfolding drama without focusing on the subtitles," our Hisense HS214 review reads. "The enhanced depth that the bass unit brings to the table isn’t superfluous either; there’s a solid sound to the lows and kick that gives the sound a touch more musicality than you would otherwise experience."

The HS214 is also a surprisingly competent music player, an area where even expensive soundbars struggle. Despite its size, the soundbar produces a pleasant, uncluttered midrange and a decent stereo image, delivering Follow Me Around by Radiohead without the tinniness we often experience with small speakers.

It’s simple to set up, too: an HDMI ARC port means you can just plug your TV in via HDMI and be done with it, but there are also optical and coaxial sockets, a 3.5mm mini-jack auxiliary input, Bluetooth 4.2 and a USB port.

At only 9.2 x 5.8 x 65 cm, it's also compact enough to fit in small spaces, and a decent build quality means it will sit happily beneath both a new high-spec TV, or an older model. It can also be wall-mounted thanks to rigging points on the rear and fixings included in the box.

If you're looking for a decent upgrade to your TV speakers at the lowest possible price, the Hisense HS214 is for you.

MORE:

Read our Hisense HS214 2.1 review

Check out the best budget soundbars: cheap ’bars, tested by our experts

And the best TVs under £1000: affordable OLED, Mini LED and LCD models hand-picked by our experts

Do you sometimes wish you could block out the outside world?

Active noise cancelling (ANC) is the way to go, and it's no longer gated behind super-premium headphones – good ANC can now be found in the budget headphone market.

So if you're a student who needs to focus while studying or just want to quieten the commute on a budget, our audio experts highly recommend the Award-winning Sony WF-C710N, now only £62 at Amazon.

That's quite the discount from the £100 price we tested at, and even cheaper than the previous low of £69 over Prime Day.

The Award-winning Sony WF-C710N are follow-ups to the Sony-C700N, also fellow Award winners, so it's clear that this is a high-quality pedigree.

The WF-C710N made several improvements, however, including upping the battery life to 8.5 hours with ANC on, and 30 hours including the case.

Speaking of ANC, that's one of the WF-C710N's key strengths. Sony's Dual Noise Sensor filters have been added to extract an extra layer of noise in the mid and bass frequencies. Our expert reviewers could hear the difference, with the hustle and bustle of the outside world kept firmly at bay.

And the other key strength of the C710N? Sound quality, which is a step above the competition at this price level.

"The WF-C710N extract a fantastic amount of detail for the money," our Sony WF-C710N review reads. "We switch over to Eminem’s Mockingbird and the buds give you a bit of everything. You have tightly defined, punchy bass that is weighty and nicely balanced.

"You also have the spritely percussion and clapping that punctuates higher up the frequency range. It sounds crisp, but not overcooked – notes are painted in texture and sharply defined."

There's support for Bluetooth 5.3, as well as the usual SBC and AAC audio codecs. The buds are also splashproof with an IPX4 rating, while Bluetooth Multipoint allows you to connect two devices simultaneously.

If you're after noise-cancelling on a budget, or indeed just want an excellent pair of mid-range earbuds, then the Sony WF-C710N come highly recommended. They're attractive, comfortable and capable noise-cancellers that are frankly a steal for £62 at Amazon.

MORE:

Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C510: which budget Sony buds are better?

Check out our list of the best wireless earbuds

Also consider the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS

Got noisy neighbours while you work from home? Builders banging down the road? Or just gossiping office co-workers?

We've all been there. But if you just want to escape to an impenetrable cocoon of silence, there's one audio company that does noise-cancelling better than any other: Bose.

And its latest premium wireless over-ears, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), are the brand's best noise-cancelling headphones yet, eliminating the deepest rumbles and most mid-band hubbub.

And now the noise-cancelling cans are available at a new lowest price – you can pick them up for £303 at Amazon thanks to a £30 saving at checkout. That's even cheaper than the previous low of £341 we spotted in May.

Yes, the name Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd gen) is a bit of a mouthful. But this latest generation has fixed the gripes we had with the first QuietComfort Ultra headphones: there's now wired listening over USB-C, battery life has been boosted from 24 hours to 30 and the Immersive Audio is more satisfying.

For the uninitiated, Immersive Audio is Bose's take on spatial audio. The 'Still' mode is now more spacious and dimensional, but it's the 'Cinema' mode that works best by pulling dialogue into greater focus while watching TV and movies.

We had high expectations when we put the QC Ultra 2's noise-cancelling abilities to the test, and we weren't disappointed. Whether we were walking past roadworks, riding public transport or jetting off on planes, the headphones provided us with a blanket of silence so we could enjoy our music and podcasts in peace. Only the shrill, high-frequency cry of a baby broke through the formidable shield.

The ‘Immersion’ mode can dial down the intensity if the vacuum effect is too eerie for you, while the 'Aware’ mode allows external sound in. A new algorithm can dampen down sudden loud noises more quickly now – we tested with a hoover and the headphones' noise-cancelling intensity reacts accordingly.

Sound quality has seen some tweaks from the first generation too, with meaningful gains when it comes to clarity and detail.

"Play Charli xcx’s Von dutch, and the Bose rev their engines, launching themselves into the upbeat track with their best foot forward," our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review reads. "The synths surge with low-end texture and impetus, the beat pulsates with snap and crispness. It’s the same pleasingly smooth, bass-rich character Bose has long favoured, simply more insightful and precise than ever before."

However, the Bose fall behind our current benchmark, the Sony WH-1000XM6, when it comes to sound quality, with the XM6 offering a more natural, even-handed tonality. The Bose prevail for outright sound-blocking intensity, however, and are currently £30 cheaper.

If it's noise-cancelling you're after above all else, Bose are the ones to beat. The QC Ultra Headphones 2 are strong all-rounders with an ANC ace up their sleeve, and are available at a new low of £303 at Amazon.

MORE:

More into buds? Our best wireless earbuds will sort you out

Our pick of the best wireless headphones

Read our Sony WH-1000XM6 review

Looking for a soundbar to liven up your living room? Not just any soundbar, but a Dolby Atmos-enabled one that adds spaciousness and excitement?

Then we've got you covered. Our expert testers found the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 to be a particularly fun sound experience that delivers a much more immersive soundstage than most TV speakers.

It's seeing a healthy discount now too – the code ENCHANT20 brings the price down to £263 at Peter Tyson, saving you a whopping £167.

A 5.1.4-channel soundbar driven by a total power output of 195W, the Harman Kardon 900 includes two up-firing drivers for true Dolby Atmos support.

MultiBeam technology is on hand to create a more spacious soundstage, and the Harman Kardon One app allows you to adjust the EQ settings and calibrate the soundbar. We highly recommend you do this – our testers found a notable difference in the bar's soundstage after calibration.

Streaming services such as Tidal and Amazon Music can also be played through the app, with Spotify Connect and Bluetooth 5.3 also supported.

Those who already have Harman Kardon products will want to listen up – the soundbar can wirelessly connect to the Enchant Sub and Enchant Speaker, with two Enchant speakers able to function as rear surrounds.

The Enchant 900 alone is more than up to the job, however, as upon booting it up, we are "greeted by an energetic, exciting sound", as our Harman Kardon Enchant 900 review states.

It's an immersive, room-filling sound that's much more spacious than our TV speakers, with remarkably clear vocals and a reasonably clean presentation.

It's not the most subtle soundbar, however, with the treble especially sounding rather coarse when pushed.

But if it's a big sound you're looking for, the Enchant 900 provides that in spades, with plenty of spaciousness and excitement to boot. It's also far easier to recommend in the crowded entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar market now that it's £167 off at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Also consider the JBL Bar 300MK2

Read our Hisense AX5125H review

If you take a look at our best wireless headphones page, you'll find lots of great recommendations for every budget.

But if you're looking for the ultimate option when it comes to style, luxury and sound quality, there's only one line we'd recommend: the Focal Bathys series.

Luckily, the original Focal Bathys now has a price tag that's not quite as high-end as its appearance: the premium pair of cans is now £399 at Peter Tyson.

That's the lowest price we've seen for the wireless wonders, which previously dropped to £449 earlier this year. Given that we reviewed them at a whopping £699, that's a rather generous £300 discount.

Focal was previously better known for its wired headphone offerings, but that all changed with the release of the Bathys. We're pleased to report that this transition to Bluetooth hasn't resulted in a step down in finesse – even at their high-end launch price, these cans don't disappoint.

As you will have likely noticed, the usual Focal flair is present in the design, with aluminium ear cups and light-up logos. The playback buttons have a plasticky feel, but otherwise this is a gorgeous and solidly built pair.

The Bathys were Focal's first foray into active noise-cancelling, and a strong opening effort. Two different levels are available ('soft' or 'silent') as well as a 'Transparent' mode. There's also codec support for SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive.

30 hours of battery life is on offer, with charging via USB-C. There's even a USB-DAC mode that supports 24-bit/192kHz audio through the USB-C port.

However you listen, the Focal Bathys are among the most engaging wireless headphones we have heard.

As our Focal Bathys review reads: "Instantly we recognise the smooth, warm, full-bodied tonal balance the company’s wired headphones have found so much success with, and here too that is complemented by very good levels of resolution, dynamic subtlety and rhythmic ability within the context of their type and price."

If you're willing to go the wired route, then the USB-DAC mode adds a degree of refinement and tightness to the delivery.

Focal has released an updated model with a purely magnesium driver, helpfully called the Focal Bathys Mg. The sound is a cut above in terms of refinement and expression, though you'll have to swallow the £999 asking price.

With the high-end Focal Bathys now at a similar price to the majority of the premium headphone market, now is the perfect time to snap up a flashy pair of luxury headphones at a drop-down price. With as much substance as they do style, the Focal Bathys come highly recommended for £399 at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

How do active noise-cancelling headphones work? Are they worth it?

The best noise-cancelling headphones you can buy

And our pick of the best wireless headphones

When we think of the best times for outrageous deals, Black Friday and Prime Day usually spring to mind.

However, it seems the Labor Day sales have pipped them to the post for this particular deal. The Sony WH-1000XM5, a What Hi-Fi? favourite and the recipient of multiple Awards over the years, are down to $198 at Amazon.

That's officially 50 per cent off for Sony’s superb premium noise-cancelling headphones, and a fair bit cheaper than the previous lowest price we've seen of $248.

So what are you waiting for? If you haven't upgraded your headphones in a few years, this is an incredible value deal for a former flagship pair.

While this model has been superseded by the Sony WH-1000XM6, the XM5 are still a highly recommendable pair of wireless headphones and a fair bit cheaper than the XM6's current price tag of $398.

We gave the XM5 five stars at full price, so with this discount the cans are an excellent performance-per-pound proposition. Their engaging sound quality, impressive noise-cancelling, great call quality and comfortable fit make them a match for any rival at this price level.

The XM5 have had a complete revamp compared to previous entries in the series, with a slimmer “noiseless design” that folds flat into their carry case.

It's a design that certainly works when it comes to comfort, with our expert testers ranking them among the best with just the right amount of clamping force.

Noise canceling is impressive, thanks to the Integrated Processor V and eight microphones. Automatic noise canceling optimisation is also available, adapting the ANC as you move around without any manual fiddling needed.

Bluetooth Multipoint and LDAC Bluetooth support are also included - the latter allows streaming of high-quality audio from compatible devices at bitrates higher than conventional Bluetooth, while the former allows two devices to be connected to the headphones at the same time.

The XM5 also debuted some new features for the premium headphone line: Speak to Chat pauses playback when you start talking, Quick Attention lowers the volume when you cover the right earcup, and Wearing Detection automatically pauses your audio when you take the headphones off, restarting as soon as you put them back on.

And the all-important sound quality? Hugely musical and entertaining, with more detail than previous generations.

"With low frequencies, the WH-1000XM5 also display a newfound precision," our Sony WH-1000XM5 review reads. "It’s not that the previous model didn’t deliver, but the WH-1000XM5 make even the XM4s sound a little thick in the lower mids and bass. The new headphones expose greater detail and can differentiate between notes more easily.

"Move higher up the frequency range, and these Sonys continue to extract more information thanks to an extra sense of clarity. Notes are also dispatched with unerring precision – the XM5 headphones don't miss a beat when it comes to timing."

With a reduced price of $198 at Amazon, you'll be hard-pressed to find better value at this price point. With impressive sound quality, punchy delivery, an impressive feature set and a substantial 30 hours of battery life all packed in, the Sony WH-1000XM5 still have a lot to offer for a lot less money.

MORE:

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review

We've rated the best headphones on the market right now

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs WH-1000XM5: which wireless headphones are better?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Read our BenQ W2720i review

Also read our BenQ TK705i review

Our pick of the best projectors across a range of prices

How to set up your projector and get the best picture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Fancy an OLED? Check out our LG C6 review

And read the verdict of our TCL C8K review

Our pick of the best TVs across a range of prices

RGB Mini LED: all you need to know about the TV panel tech that could defeat OLED

If you're at all immersed in the world of wireless headphones, you will likely be aware of Sony's 1000X series, which has graced many a What Hi-Fi? Awards shortlist over the years.

So imagine our excitement when the Japanese tech giant announced Sony 1000X The Collexion, a brand new pair of Bluetooth over-ears to mark the line's tenth anniversary.

When we finally got our hands on a pair earlier this year, we found it impossible to ignore their poised, detailed performance, while also admiring their feature set and classy construction.

And they've just had their first discount, so you can buy the premium pair for £499 at Richer Sounds, saving you £51 off their launch price.

The Sony 1000X The Collexion look good and make you feel good when you wear them – the cans have a clean, minimalist exterior made from metal and faux leather and make for an appreciably lightweight and unobtrusive listen.

The feature set mostly matches that found on their cheaper WH-1000XM6 siblings, including Sony’s ‘360 Reality Audio Upmix’ tech, support for the high-res LDAC codec and Bluetooth LE Audio for lower power consumption and better-quality sound.

They also offer 24 hours of battery life with ANC on and include a 3.5mm-to-3.5 mm audio cable for old-school wired listening (you can't listen via their USB-C connection). The 1000X The Collection are the first Sony headphones to feature its DSEE Ultimate processing engine, which improves lower-quality digital audio files.

Despite being sound-first headphones, noise cancelling also impresses, with the XM6's QN3 chip and 12-mic array doing an excellent job of suppressing noise across frequencies.

And the all-important sound? One which prioritises refinement, detail and maturity over the punchier, more flavoured personality of the WH-1000XM6.

"Detail levels are excellent, and when you have a pair of over-ears that offer clarity, textural insight and spaciousness to this extent, it’s hard not to be impressed," our Sony 1000X The Collexion review reads. "The elegiac strings on Never Goodbye are rich and mournful, while the piano on Debussy’s austere Sarabande strikes a wonderful balance between rich intent and subtle delicacy."

We did miss the extra sense of fun and entertainment that came from the XM6, but it's hard not to admire the spacious, open and mature personality of the 1000X The Collexion.

If it's scale, detail and clarity you're after, then the Sonys are seriously talented performers that consistently impress, and are now available with £51 off at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Check out our pick of the best wireless headphones for all budgets

Consider reading our full Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review

And our Sennheiser HDB 630 review

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs 1000X The Collexion: which premium wireless headphones should you pick?

Want one of the most immersive ways to watch movies on the move?

Well, that's exactly what you get with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, which we dubbed "as close to cinematic as a tablet can get".

Our review only came out last week, but we're already seeing discounts from the 'tested at' price of £1089 – the Wi-Fi-only, 256GB version is now £969 at Samsung.

If you want a device to watch your movies on the go in the very best quality possible, while also doubling as a laptop replacement, then this is the tablet for you.

At 14.6 inches, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is certainly big – and, given that it uses an AMOLED 2X display, it offers a highly cinematic experience, while remaining portable enough to pack away in a rucksack.

The 16:10 aspect ratio gives you much slimmer black bars than its main rival, the iPad Pro, making movies look considerably bigger and more immersive.

"There’s been a peak brightness boost to 1600 nits too, which matches that of the iPad Pro, and that really comes into its own in HDR scenes," our Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review reads. "We’re comparing it against the iPad Pro 13-inch M4, but HDR highlights certainly have a bit of extra punch on the S11 Ultra, and overall brightness levels are also slightly higher too.

"In the fight between K and Sapper in Blade Runner 2049, the bright windows pierce into the gloomy room with noticeably more intensity on the S11 Ultra, and there’s also a touch more subtlety in the light reflected onto their faces."

Despite the large screen size, the S11 Ultra is only 5.1mm thick. It is lighter than its predecessor at 692g, but it can be rather heavy to hold one-handed for extended periods. Thankfully, the pricey tablet feels premium, and it's also hardy with an IP68 water- and dust-proof rating.

If you're looking at the S11 Ultra purely for movies and music, then the Samsung isn't cheap and should probably be thought of as a potential laptop replacement too.

The flagship tablet has a beefy MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chip, which means it has no problems running apps, streaming, multitasking or using Samsung’s window-based desktop system, DeX.

There are three cameras on board – one selfie and two on the rear – and an 11,600mAh battery, which we found could last well into a second day with medium to heavy use.

The S11 Ultra's four external speakers can go loud and big, with support for virtualised Dolby Atmos that widens the soundstage further. The audio is much more assured with headphones, though, with a punchy, clean, upfront sound.

The only other tablet around this price range is the iPad Pro, which does offer more natural images and fuller-bodied sound but is even more expensive. It may be a better choice if you are already invested in the Apple ecosystem, however.

If you've got the budget and the space, though, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has a bright, sharp screen that is more immersive than just about any other tablet we've tested. Now £120 off at Samsung.

MORE:

Also consider reading our iPad Pro 13-in M4 review

These are the best tablets for movies and music across a range of prices

Read our Samsung Z Fold 8 Ultra review

Ah, a good, affordable OLED TV. The white whale for many a cinephile, finding a TV that does the technology justice without breaking the bank has long been something of a pipe dream.

However, Samsung's latest entry-level model makes a solid case. The S85H is a neat entry point to the world of OLED, and is also one of the cheapest new options – especially now the 55-inch model is down to £1199 at Richer Sounds.

This is the lowest price we've seen so far, dropping from the previous low of £1259 we spotted only three weeks ago.

Make sure to use the code TRADE100, and you can save an extra £100 on one of the brightest entry-level OLEDs available.

The S85H sits in the same family as the S99H, which we declared to be the best OLED Samsung has ever produced. A very fine pedigree indeed.

However, with the S99H costing over a £1000 more at the time of writing, the S85H has a much more palatable price and is a good entry point if you're upgrading to OLED for the first time.

Brightness is particularly good for an entry-level OLED, which will be a boon if you're watching in a room with lots 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," our Samsung S85H review reads. "The setting sun offers a wider range of reds and oranges that show up as pure white on its rival."

Upon further comparison with the B6, we found that the colours of the S85H were a tad bombastic, but it was the TV we were drawn to during a screening of F1: The Movie thanks to the picture’s solidity and three-dimensionality.

The specification is also impressive for the price, with Samsung's ever-reliable Tizen platform packed with apps including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV and more. The latest-gen version is easy to navigate too, with a content bar that automatically curates based on your watching habits.

There's plenty of gaming features too, with four full-spec HDMI 2.1 inputs (even some OLED flagships only have two), each capable of carrying a 4K/120Hz signal, as well as VRR and ALLM.

HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG are all supported on the HDR front, with only Dolby Vision missing. That's hardly surprising, however – the format is absent from all Samsung TVs, including pricier flagships such as the S99H.

The audio, however, lets the S85H down. The 2.0 channel, 20W, Dolby Atmos system offers a reasonable sense of direction and separation, but the lack of bass is immediately apparent. You'll want to invest in a soundbar or sound system for movie watching, but for normal daytime viewing the Samsung should suffice on its own.

If you've got a bit more of a budget, we'd recommend looking at mid-range OLED options such as the LG C6 and Samsung S90F for a little more nuance, extra finesse, and a more natural picture overall.

But if you're very much looking at entry-level, the Samsung S85H is one of the top options right now. It's a brand-new 2026 OLED that's a cut above most similarly-priced rivals, and is now 20 per cent off 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

An Award-winning TV hitting a new lowest price is a cause for celebration, right?

And not just any Award-winning TV, but our Product of the Year and go-to reference TV, the Sony Bravia 8 II, is now £1949 at Richer Sounds (for the 65-inch model).

So what's not to like? Well, a recent Bravia TV software update has caused problems on several Sony TV models, including our very own TV & AV Editor's Bravia 8 II.

If you purchase the Bravia 8 II, we recommend not updating the system software until the issues are resolved, especially if you plan to use external sources and a sound system connected via eARC. Issues range from audio dropout to lip-sync to Dolby Vision content refusing to play.

However, if you're not planning on connecting any HDMI-equipped sources or you're fine with holding fire on that update, you'll have a wonderfully cinematic TV on your hands.

Use the code TRADE250 to save £250 and get this new low price.

The Bravia 8 II is one of the best TVs money can buy, and delivers an epic cinematic picture, backed up by great sound quality.

"A truly exceptional TV" is how we describe it in our Sony Bravia 8 II review. "Its combination of sizzling brightness, vibrant colours through all degrees of light, terrific shadow detail and razor-like sharpness combine to produce an image with regularly astonishing dynamism, depth and realism."

The Sony Bravia 8 II has been our reference TV since its release for several reasons.

Thanks to its QD-OLED panel, Sony's processing and a custom heatsink, its brightness is a real highlight and makes colourful content such as the Spider-Verse movies dazzle, while still delivering a supremely authentic picture.

The Bravia 8 II also looks stunningly cinematic straight out of the box, as Sony's presets are just that good and don't require any tinkering – we recommend Dolby Vision Dark for Dolby Vision content, or Professional for everything else.

All of these elements also work well with Sony's new AI processing helping to make the image exceptionally three-dimensional.

The Bravia 8 II is also one of the best TVs we've ever heard, thanks to Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ setup.

It's balanced, weighty, dynamic, and even manages to sound impressively spacious too.

We'd still recommend a dedicated audio system if possible to do that amazing picture justice, but by flatscreen TV standards, the Sony is very impressive.

As a flagship OLED, the Bravia 8 II is also packed out feature-wise. There's support for Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG HDR formats, as well as Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced certification.

For gamers, there's support for 4K/20Hz, VRR and ALLM, as well as a Dolby Vision Game mode. There are only two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets, however, one of which doubles as an eARC port, so you may have to switch cables if you have several high-speed gaming consoles.

The Sony Bravia 8 II is a phenomenal TV now at a phenomenal price of £1949 at Richer Sounds. We'd just caution against updating your software for the time being.

MORE:

Read our full 55-inch Sony Bravia 8 II review

Also consider reading our Samsung S99H review

We rate the best gaming TVs available right now for all budgets

It's official: Sonos is having a sale!

We're big fans of several of the premium audio brand's products, many of which are now seeing discounts – including the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra at £849, the five-star Sonos Era 300 down to £359 and the petite powerhouse Sonos Ray at £179.

All great products that we felt were worth the money even at full price. The only issue? We've seen all these products cheaper before, and with Black Friday on the horizon, it may only be a couple of months before they crash to these prices once again.

The one exception? The Sonos Era 100 SL, the one product we recommend that has returned to its former low of £149 at Amazon.

While this particular model lacks a microphone for voice control, it still packs a big, open sound and a vast amount of streaming and playback features.

The Sonos Era 100 SL is part of a range that includes the Era 300 mentioned above. The Era 300 is more room-filling and might be a better choice for a larger space, but the 100 SL packs a whole host of streaming features into one compact, easy-to-use model – and is currently more than £200 cheaper.

We haven't tested the SL model, but Sonos assures us it's identical to the five-star Sonos Era 100, except for the lack of a microphone. The majority of our review still applies, therefore, including our glowing findings on the Era 100's crisp, winning sound.

"The Era 100 takes everything we liked about the Sonos One – crisp and detailed, spacious sound, deep bass – and cranks it up a dozen notches," our Sonos Era 100 review reads. "It sounds so much bigger, more spacious, more detailed and deeper in the bass, while still retaining a great handle on timing, dynamics and its even tonal balance.

"The spread of sound you get from what is still a fairly compact speaker is really impressive. The delivery is powerful, with voices projected out into our listening room with confidence."

Even without voice control, the Era 100 SL is still stacked with features. You can stream wirelessly to the Era 100 SL via the Sonos S2 app, Apple AirPlay 2, or Spotify Connect, with Bluetooth 5.0 also available. We've used and reviewed plenty of Bluetooth speakers over the years, and we found pairing with our smartphones to be particularly fuss-free in this case.

It also helps that the app is rather easy to use, simple to navigate for tech pros and novices alike.

If you're already in the Sonos ecosystem, then an Era 100 SL will be particularly appealing. Two Era 100 SLs can be used as a stereo pair, or they can be used as rear speakers if you have the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), Arc, or Ray soundbar or plan to purchase one in the sale.

If you can live without voice control, the Sonos Era 100 SL is an excellent, affordable entry point to a Sonos set-up, with versatility and an array of features that few rivals can match. A charming, capable and feature-rich wireless speaker experience, which can be all yours for £149 at Amazon.

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Which Sonos speaker should you buy? Find out here

The best multi-room systems around

Check out the best Sonos alternatives

Looking for a speaker that can handle the elements? And we mean all the elements?

Then we’ve got you sorted. At the time of writing, here in the UK we have just emerged from a fifth heatwave and are looking at some long-awaited thunderstorms and showers.

And there’s one speaker we would choose to get us through these weather extremes: the JBL Xtreme 4, now at a new lowest price of £169 at Richer Sounds.

With an IP67 water- and dust-proof rating, the rugged Bluetooth speaker lives up to the ‘Xtreme’ part of its name. But the biggest reason we are fans of the Xtreme 4 is the sound, which is clear, detailed and refined.

For a speaker that can handle the elements as well as your music, the JBL Xtreme 4 is a top choice.

With a tough, wrap-around grille made from a combination of recycled plastic and fabric, the Xtreme 4 is waterproof and dustproof.

Beneath the rugged exterior, however, is also a hugely engaging and entertaining Bluetooth speaker.

“For such a chunky speaker it produces a fantastically refined sound,” our JBL Xtreme 4 review reads. “If you’re not used to the range it might even come as quite a surprise, but it really does work to the JBL’s benefit.

“It produces a wonderfully clear and consistent sound across tracks. Low frequencies are poised and punchy but don’t lack weight. Highs are crisp enough so they don’t feel rolled off.”

Do note that the Xtreme 4 has a power of 100W when mains powered, which drops to 80W when using the built-in battery. There are definite gains in scale and power when plugged in, but the speaker’s sonic character remains consistent even when unplugged.

The Xtreme 4 is similarly bulked out when it comes to features – Bluetooth 5.3 and Auracast are both on offer, while there are 24 hours of battery life available, stretching to 30 hours if you turn on Playtime Boost. The Xtreme 4 can also niftily function as a power bank if required.

If you want an even more invincible Bluetooth speaker, then the newer JBL Xtreme 5 adds drop-proof to its list of credentials, as well as a greater sonic presence and a newfound sense of clarity. You are, however, looking at £279 for the Xtreme 5 right now, so you’ll have to weigh up the extra £110 cost.

If you’re after value, the Xtreme 4 is the clear winner. So, for a great-sounding Bluetooth speaker that will survive both a rainy autumn and a scorching summer, check out the Award winner for £169 at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Fancying an alternative? Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Feeling loyal to JBL? Take a look at the JBL Charge 6

Check out our best Bluetooth speakers 2026: tried and tested for every budget

Starting your student journey this September? Or is someone you know about to fly the nest for the first time?

Leaving home does indeed mean ensuring you have the essentials, which, at least in our eyes, includes a TV.

We're well aware that a student budget and lifestyle don't quite align with a premium OLED, but we can recommend a model at a fraction of the price that still delivers a surprisingly capable 4K picture: the Samsung U8000F.

The 43-inch model will be big enough to satisfy a student living room or dorm but still small enough to slot into a family car, and is a great value all-rounder for nights off and move nights.

The Samsung U8000F is one of the most affordable TVs we currently recommend, but that doesn't mean it skimps on any of the key areas.

The 4K LCD panel boasts three forms of HDR, with HDR10, HLG and HDR10+ all supported. Dolby Vision is missing, but not even the premium Samsung sets support this format.

All the usual streaming and catch-up TV apps are included on Samsung's Tizen smart platform, so there'll be no shortage of options for downtime from studying.

For gamers, there's Samsung's dedicated Gaming Hub screen, as well as support for ALLM and VRR.

There's also a nice matte-black bezel design, and while the set is a bit chunky at the back, the U8000F has an overall understated and modern look.

And the all-important picture quality? Impressive, considering the low price.

"Pictures enjoy a relatively balanced look, where colours all seem to exist in exactly the same tonal universe for whatever movie or TV show you’re watching," our Samsung U8000F review reads.

"In other words, no tones look either unduly exaggerated or relatively washed out versus the rest. This sort of consistency is crucial to delivering an immersive and compelling picture – and, happily, it holds up well across all three of the main picture presets we recommend: Standard, Movie and Filmmaker Mode."

Motion handling is impressive at this level too, with panning shots, action and general motion looking as good as we’ve ever seen from a budget TV.

However, as a budget LCD set, there's the occasional backlight clouding in and a lack of three-dimensional "pop" compared to pricier, more advanced sets. The picture is far more balanced and immersive than that of your average budget TV, though, and more than up to the task as a university dorm-room companion.

The 43-inch Samsung U8000F isn’t the most dynamic picture performer, but it's a top choice and great value at this price of £229 at AO.com. It's an impressive all-rounder that punches above its weight and likely the right price level if you're after a TV that will have to withstand a student house.

MORE:

Read our review of the TCL 43P7K

Also consider the Sharp 43GM6345K

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

In our 50-year lifetime, several products have won a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award.

But very few products have won five What Hi-Fi? Awards, including two Product of the Year gongs for good measure.

That’s just how good the Grado SR325x are – and they still hold up astonishingly well in 2026. Only now they are available a bit cheaper: the cans are available for £199 at Peter Tyson, a £131 saving and the lowest price we’ve seen.

If you’re sick of Bluetooth headphones disconnecting and are looking for the quality and convenience of wired cans, then these Grados are among the best you can buy.

The Grado SR325x are class leaders at this price point, and indeed have taken the wired headphones spot on our best headphones buying guide.

“We switch to Lana Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over The Country Club set and love the Grados’ ability to convey the texture and attitude in her voice,” our Grado SR325x review reads. “The excellent insight generates a lovely sense of atmosphere and we find ourselves getting lost in the music rather than focusing on analysing the SR325x’s performance. The newfound sense of refinement makes it easier to relax when listening too.”

You’ll have to bear in mind the SR325x are open-backed headphones, so they are best reserved for listening at home, as they are quite leaky. This open-backed design does mean that they are wonderfully expressive dynamically, with agile and tuneful lows, so it’s a trade-off we’re willing to make.

To get the most out of the SR325x, you’ll want a good DAC such as the Chord Mojo 2 or a decent audio source such as a portable music player. With a high-quality pairing, you’ll hear the full scale of the SR325x’s talents, including a fast, sparky yet authoritative signature.

The retro design might not be for everyone, but the SR325x are rugged and durable, with the majority of the attention clearly focused inside on the sound quality.

If you’re looking for true audio greatness from your headphones, then the Grado SR325x are a very easy recommendation. They may lack some of the high-tech features of Bluetooth headphones, but they more than deliver where it counts – sound – and are now under £200 at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

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Read our guide to the best wired headphones

Read our Austrian Audio Hi-X55 review

Closed-back vs open-back headphones: which design is better for you?

For a projector to be worth a £10,000+ price tag, it has to be pretty good.

Luckily, the Sony Bravia Projector 8 is indeed good. Not just good, but brilliant – its exceptional contrast, sharp details and two HDMI 2.1 sockets earned it not just five stars but a What Hi-Fi? Award too.

There's also a huge price drop to match the huge price. You can get the Projector 8 for £11,499 at Richer Sounds, saving you a whopping £4500 from our test price.

Is that still gut-wrenchingly expensive? Yes, but if you have pockets deep enough, it's a projector that's absolutely worth the money. Bear in mind you'll have to be a Richer Sounds VIP member to get this deal, but it's absolutely free to sign up.

The Sony Bravia Projector 8 is not the most expensive projector we've reviewed – the Sony Bravia Projector 9 costs twice as much – but it was our high-end projector choice at the most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards.

The Projector 8 is more compact and lighter than its main competitors, such as the JVC DLA-NZ800, weighing just 14kg (as opposed to JVC's 23kg) and measuring 21 x 46 x 52cm.

It also comes with an incredibly functional remote, featuring shortcut buttons to access crucial settings such as lens adjustments and picture modes, as well as a backlight for operating the projector in dark home cinema rooms.

One of the big draws of the Bravia Projector 8 is the Bravia XR processor. It comes with a whole host of clever technology, including XR Dynamic Tone Mapping, XR Deep Black, XR Triluminous Pro, XR Clear Image and Motionflow, which together help expand colour volume and enhance the accuracy of the laser output.

Its two HDMI 2.1 sockets also support 4K/120Hz signals with Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which will please PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and gaming PC owners. Sony also claims an input lag of 12ms with 4K/120Hz sources too, making it ideal for fast-paced multiplayer games.

And the all-important picture quality? Mesmerising, with excellent black levels for a projector and expert contrast handling.

"Firing up Oppenheimer, we’re immediately struck by how crisp and detailed the picture appears," our Sony Bravia Projector 8 review reads. "Sony’s penchant for delivering effective three-dimensional-looking images is clearly on show, with a panning shot of a watchtower in the New Mexico desert looking particularly striking."

The Sony Bravia Projector 8 certainly isn't cheap, but it is a blockbuster projector that will make an excellent centrepiece of any home cinema. Now available with a £4500 saving at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our review of the JVC DLA-NZ800

Also consider the Sony VPL-XW7000ES

Best projectors: budget, 4K and ultra-short-throw

If you’ve been eyeing up a convenient, streaming-centric wireless speaker system to blast tunes in your home, Samsung is unlikely to be the first brand you think of. After all, there are established brands and products from the likes of Sonos, KEF’s excellent wireless speaker systems such as the LSX LT II or even wallet-friendly alternatives such as the WiiM Sound. Allow the Samsung Music Studio 7 to make its case for a spot in your home.

And now it’s possible to place one, two or more in your home thanks to a AU$300 discount at Samsung direct as part of its 48-hour-only Secret Sale. This isn’t the first Samsung Secret Sale to ever exist, and in previous examples there have been huge savings on TVs and soundbars (some of which are also available this time around), but it is the first time I’ve seen the new speaker model on sale. If you’re a hi-fi fan on a budget and are looking for a simple, convenient and fuss-free speaker, the Music Studio 7 could be the one.

The Music Studio 7 launched in April this year, alongside the Music Studio 5, after an official unveiling at CES 2026. Samsung hasn’t had a huge stake in the wireless speaker market, it must be said, other than with its slightly disappointing Music Frame. But you can bet we were still keen to see and hear if and how the company could improve upon that previous effort.

Well, my colleague Jez Ford has recently published his Australian review of the Music Studio 7 and, to put it simply, he loves it. And while he admitted its AU$749 RRP could be considered “a low price” given its talents, I’m of the opinion that it’s a little high considering the Award-winning Apple HomePod 2 is available for AU$549 RRP, while the excellent and versatile Sonos Era 300 retails for the same AU$749. That’s big competition.

Which is why a AU$300 saving on the Music Studio 7 makes it much easier to recommend, especially since you’ll get the absolute best performance if you own two and set them up as a stereo pair.

The Music Studio 7 — and smaller Music Studio 5, which is also on sale — benefits from tech developed at the company’s Audio Lab in California — which is also where the company’s award-winning soundbars have been developed. While Samsung hasn’t explicitly said which technologies they are, we reckon some “patented Immersive Waveguide technology” is highly likely. This proprietary tech claims to “deliver uniform directivity, spanning from 1kHz up to an ultra high-frequency of 35kHz”.

It can conceivably be compared to the Sonos Era 300 and Apple HomePod in both size and feature set. While it can function perfectly fine as a standalone unit, its multi-driver setup only reveals its true power when you wirelessly pair two together. It is possible to group up to 10 Samsung audio devices together, though we haven’t had first-hand experience of such a configuration.

It supports Dolby Atmos thanks to dedicated upward-firing and side-firing drivers, along with Samsung’s own Eclipsa Audio spatial audio format, which it developed in collaboration with Google — though we would note that there’s just not a whole lot of Eclipsa Audio content out there right now.

In our Samsung Music Studio 7 review, we found the speaker really did perform at its best with a second unit (which is why the AU$300 saving is so enticing, as it lets you pick up a pair for under AU$900) and when connected via HDMI, with audio coming from a TV source or media-streaming device.

Streaming initially presented a few issues, but we later found that ‘grouping’ the speakers, rather than just ‘pairing’, produced better results. When grouped, both speakers operate in stereo mode individually. When paired, each speaker adopts either a left or right channel configuration. And after switching, we found that turning on the ‘Space Fit Pro’ automatic calibration setting produced a noticeable, positive effect. As Jez notes, it “filled in exactly the midbass we had been missing from vocals and presented all that material with a warmer heart”.

When connected via HDMI, though, and with Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace’ album playing, Jez found “the stereo combination had an unerring ability to handle the highest dynamic peaks at the end… without any hint of congestion”.

And as for its spatial audio prowess, we said the Music Studio 7 pair “had a genuinely immersive experience, even hearing stuff from behind, when there was nothing there”.

Of course, you don’t just have to play music through them (despite the name), as the HDMI input means they can be used instead of a TV soundbar. In this mode, we found using a pair “did seem to genuinely push crowd sound around us in the opening live number” in A Star Is Born. It “emerged absolutely massive, the guitar solo clearly panned left, and bass content rather too much, even if loaded up for effect on this opening”.

While you’re certainly not short of options for mains-powered wireless streaming speakers, Samsung’s latest entry is absolutely worth considering as a noteworthy contender against Audio Pro, Sonos and even as a most cost-effective alternative to the likes of KEF, especially if you already own Samsung AV gear.

With a significant discount applied when you use the code SECRETAUG, a duo becomes considerably more attractive.

You’ll need to hurry, though — this 48-hour sale ends this Wednesday (August 19) at 10am AEST.

MORE:

View more of the best wireless speakers

I thought Bluetooth would ruin my vinyl experience – these KEF speakers proved me wrong

View our top Father's Day gift ideas

If you're a fan of home cinema, you'll likely have heard a thing or two about Dolby Vision 2.

The tech was unveiled roughly a year ago and is the latest iteration of Dolby's dynamic HDR format. After a long wait, it is now finally rolling out across Europe, America and Asia-Pacific.

You'll need a supported TV from launch partner Hisense to access Dolby Vision 2, however – and we know just the one. Our TV experts put the Hisense UR9 through its paces earlier this year, and were highly impressed by the controlled backlight performance and rich cinematic HDR picture on the RGB Mini LED TV.

But we were even more impressed by the recent price cut – you can now pick up the 65-inch UR9 for £2099 at Sevenoaks with the code GDTV200, saving you a whopping £900 off the price we tested it at only three months ago.

Dolby Vision 2 comes with several perks over its predecessor, including a new image engine to enhance new and existing content, a new content recognition system for a more authentic image, and an intensity slider. We haven't tested the new format yet, but our TV experts will be looking at it soon.

The Hisense UR9 will even support the premium Dolby Vision 2 Max, which adds an extra layer of picture enhancements for home cinema enthusiasts. Be aware that iQIYI is the only current Dolby Vision 2 content partner operating in the UK, though we expect more services to join as the format grows.

The other big draw of the Hisense UR9 is its RGB Mini LED display, new technology which uses red, green and blue Mini LEDs in the backlight for greater brightness and more precise colour reproduction.

While we felt it fell short of OLED in several categories, the result was one of the best backlight TVs we have tested, with none of the flickering or shifting that we sometimes see in Mini LED sets.

“Black depth is consistently strong, shadow detail is excellent and subtle blooming is tightly controlled,” our Hisense UR9 review reads. “There’s also impressive richness and stability to colours, especially reds, which look wonderfully pure and saturated without drifting into pink or magenta tones.”

The panel is far from the only impressive feature, however, with three gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports that support a whopping 4K/170Hz (including 4K/120Hz for consoles), VRR and ALLM. There is also a DisplayPort connection for PC gamers, a rarity in modern TVs.

All four current HDR formats are supported too, namely HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG.

All the major apps are included on Hisense's fast and responsive VIDAA platform, though do note that the Apple TV app lacks access to the Apple TV store.

There's also a lot to enjoy about the Devialet-tuned 4.1.2-channel speaker system, with a surprisingly expansive and full-bodied presentation. There are built-in up-firing drivers too, with support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

If you're keen to see some of the latest developments in home cinema, the Hisense UR9 may well be the TV for you. With a remarkably watchable RGB Mini LED display, incoming Dolby Vision 2 support and now a £900 discount at Sevenoaks, there's a lot going for the Hisense UR9.

MORE:

Also consider the Sony Bravia 8 II, LG G6 and Sony Bravia 9

Here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

Time really is flying by — Father's Day in Australia is now just days away, landing this Sunday, September 6 meaning your time really is running out to secure your father, or father figure, a gift to show him how much he means to you.

We're not the first, and we won't be the last, to say point out socks, a mug or a foolproof skincare set simply won't cut it in 2026, so we've put together a comprehensive list of expert- and dad-approved AV gifts covering everything from hi-fi to home cinema.

Many of our picks are certified What Hi-Fi? Award winners, so you can rest assured that your dad will be beaming like a cheshire cat when he opens it. We’ve also deliberately turned to Amazon for many of our choices, primarily for the super-speedy delivery via Prime. Read on for our selection of the best Father's Day gifts for Aussie audiophile dads.

Father's Day hi-fi gift ideas

Father's Day home cinema gift ideas

Father's Day headphone gift ideas

Father's Day portable speaker gift ideas

With temperatures set to reach highs of 38 degrees, we are definitely in the grip of yet another heatwave.

While we certainly recommend keeping yourself safe and avoiding extreme heat, it’s the perfect time to enjoy some music outside once temperatures are at sensible levels.

And I have found some tempting deals on two of our favourite outdoor Bluetooth speakers.

First up is the Bose SoundLink Max, a rugged, five-star wireless speaker with powerful, tight bass. It is currently back to its lowest price of £299 at Amazon.

However, it has just been pipped by the JBL Xtreme 5, now £279 at Amazon. This new model came out only earlier this year, and we’ve been raving about its impressive sense of scale and excellent clarity.

Both speakers are five-star performers, so whichever speaker you buy will offer fantastic sound for your money.

Visually, the two are quite different – the Bose is the more subtle and understated of the two, a ruggedised, rubberised rectangle complete with a carry handle. It’s practical and highly tactile.

The JBL, while admittedly bulky, is the more modern-looking of the two, with a cylindrical design complete with wraparound, ruggedised grille and passive radiators. There are also floating loops for the straps, and customisable edge lighting that will certainly appeal to partiers.

With an IP68 water- and dustproof rating, the JBL just pips the Bose’s IP67 score, but both should be able to withstand heavy downpours and outdoor use. The JBL is somewhat heavier at 2.9kg, so the 2.1kg Bose might be a better choice if you’re likely to be on the move often.

There is plenty of battery life on both for a day of music – 24 hours from the JBL and 20 from the Bose – and both can be used as power banks for your smartphone or other device.

And the all-important sound? The two sound different, but both are superb. The Bose offers a more meaty, powerful sound – we describ it as a “lively, punchy delivery” in our Bose SoundLink Max review.

The JBL, on the other hand, produces a more clean-cut, precise and detailed delivery. Our JBL Xtreme 5 review praises the separation around the individual instruments, while saying the speaker also offers an impressive sense of scale.

Whichever speaker you opt for, you’re in for a five-star treat – but with the JBL cheaper at £279 at Amazon next to the Bose’s £299 price tag, the JBL may well be the more appealing package.

MORE:

Want something cheaper? Check out the JBL Charge 6

Our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for every budget

Our pick of the best wireless speakers tried and tested by our expert team

After several months of anticipation and speculation, RGB Mini LED TVs are starting to hit the market.

The panel technology promises better colour accuracy, improved brightness and better contrast than a regular Mini LED display – and now one of the more affordable RGB Mini LED options, the Sony Bravia 7 II, just got another price cut.

The 55-inch model is now down to £1699 at Smart Home Sounds with the code SONYRGB15.

We put Sony's spin on RGB Mini LED to the test only last month and found the Bravia 7 II to be indeed one of the best backlit TVs we've ever tested, with excellent depth and vibrant natural colours.

RGB Mini LED, or True RGB as Sony markets it, is next-gen panel technology that uses independent red, green and blue LEDs rather than filtering a blue LCD layer, to try to counteract some of the shortcomings of backlit TVs.

And after some rigorous testing, our TV experts did find the Bravia 7 II rectified many of the weaknesses that come with traditional Mini LED.

"The general sense of nuance and sophistication extends to how the Bravia 7 II manages its backlight, our Sony Bravia 7 II review reads. "When this TV is in its element, it becomes possible to forget that this is a backlit TV, as the RGB Mini LED system doesn’t distract or detract from the experience.

"This extends to general blooming control, which is extremely impressive by prevailing standards. In a shot from Oppenheimer in which the nuclear bomb testing site is lit up at night by a series of spotlights, we find that the halos of light that we’ve seen time and time again on other backlit TVs have been strictly confined. There is still a very faint amount of blooming, but this is leagues ahead of other LCD TVs that we’ve recently tested."

Colours are presented with punch and saturation without veering into overblown territory, while Sony's usual excellent picture processing results in impressive motion handling and a tangible sense of three-dimensional solidity.

However, the Bravia 7 II is still a backlit TV, and still falls behind OLED when it comes to contrast, black levels and viewing angles. So we'd also recommend looking at similarly-priced OLED rivals such as the LG C6 or Sony's own excellent Bravia 8 II.

The Bravia 7 II can go toe-to-toe when it comes to features, however. Gamers can enjoy four HDMI sockets with ALLM, two of which have full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets with 4K/120Hz gameplay and VRR.

The Bravia 7 II also supports HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision – though HDR10+ is missing – and the built-in Google TV has all the major domestic and international streaming services.

Sony's usually impressive built-in audio is also lacking this time around – there's a good sense of clarity and detail, but the sound system seems to struggle dynamically. Nothing a good soundbar can't fix, however.

We'd still recommend considering an OLED TV, but if you're after a backlit set, then the Sony Bravia 7 II is one of the best we've tested. It's also one of the more affordable ways to get your hands on brand new RGB Mini LED technology, especially with 15 per cent off at Smart Home Sounds.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C6

Read our TCL C8K review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

For the best-value noise-cancelling buds around, it has to be the Sony WF-C710N. The outstanding buds took home the What Hi-Fi? Award for best wireless earbuds in the £70-£150 range, and in truth, nothing has really come close to beating them in this particular price bracket.

£100 or so is a good price, but a £31 discount knocking them down to just £69 at Amazon is an absolute steal, and one you shouldn't miss. £69, by the way, matches the lowest we've seen the WF-C710N drop so far, and that was during Amazon Prime Day.

The Sony WF-C710N are the follow-ups to the Sony-C700N, which were themselves Award winners and even previous Product of the Year title holders thanks to their potent blend of performance, features and overall value.

The WF-C710N made a number of meaningful improvements to their class-leading antecedents, most notably to battery life and noise cancellation. Including the case, the WF-C710N has an impressive 30 hours of battery life and roughly 8.5 hours from the earbuds, both with ANC switched on.

Speaking of ANC, that's another area where the WF-C710N really excel. The buds' 'Dual Noise Sensors' extract further layers of noise, especially in the lower mid and bass frequencies, to keep the bustling outside world at bay.

Soundwise, the WF-C710N really excel, with the mid-range buds standing head and shoulders above the competition for this price level.

As our review reads: "Playing Mombasa from the Inception OST, the track immediately makes big bold, powerful strides. There’s a weight, solidity and fullness in the bass which makes the WF-C700N sound lightweight and a little top-heavy. The Sonys deliver the song with a real sense of intensity, and you can feel the drama unfolding – you don’t need to see the movie to get a feeling that something serious is going down."

Bluetooth 5.3 is on the menu, along with SBC and AAC audio codecs, which are pretty standard at this level. Auto pause and wearer detection are also included, so your music will automatically stop when you remove an earbud.

If you're after a midrange pair of buds, you'll struggle to do better – or get some for cheaper – than the Sony WF-C710N. They're attractive, comfortable wireless earbuds that give your music plenty of gusto, making them an absolute steal for £69 at Amazon.

MORE:

I’m excited by the latest Sony wireless headphones rumours – but I have one major worry

Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C510: which budget Sony buds are better?

Check out our list of the best wireless earbuds

Are reflections overpowering your TV? Is daytime viewing washing out the picture?

Then we have a solution. Traditionally, brightness is an area where OLEDs struggle, but not the LG G5.

Thanks to a Primary RGB Tandem panel, the G5 offers a truly striking brightness that was a generational leap forward for OLEDs on release.

And it's now available with a rather hefty discount – the code LG200JL brings the price down to £1799 at John Lewis. You can then claim a further 10 per cent cashback from LG, which brings the final total to £1619. Full Ts&Cs can be found here.

The reason for the LG G5's incredible brightness is a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel, which stacks four OLED layers to boost brightness and colour volume.

And after testing with Top Gun: Maverick, the difference is pretty much night and day.

"What is immediately striking is how bright the new Primary RGB Tandem TV looks next to a conventional OLED," our LG G5 review reads. "We’re talking levels that, in cases where peak-brightness highlights are on show, such as when Maverick engages the scramjet of the Darkstar hypersonic aircraft, we are compelled to shield our eyes from the blazing brightness.

"Feed it some content that is specifically mastered to target a higher brightness, such as the 4K Blu-ray release of The Matrix or Pan, and it becomes apparent that the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED is truly a technical marvel."

Brightness isn't the only strength of the G5, however. Colour volume is indeed impressive, with stunning colour graduations during a viewing of Pan, while the LG set refused to stutter or judder during Top Gun dogfights.

As is customary with most LG OLEDs, the G5 features a pretty much flawless gaming specification. Four HDMI 2.1 sockets are on board, all with ALLM, VRR and Dolby Vision Gaming. Refresh rates even go all the way up to 4K/165Hz if you have a powerful enough PC, while the more console-friendly 4K/120Hz is also supported.

Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4 are just some of the services available on the rather all-encompassing WebOS, while game streaming is also possible over the Xbox app.

We preferred the Cinema audio preset over the Standard setting due to its wider, louder and punchier sound. However, you'll want a good soundbar or sound system to truly do your movies justice.

It's worth noting that the G5's successor, the aptly named LG G6, is now available and can go even brighter. We'd also recommend considering the Sony Bravia 8 II, which offers a more considered and cinematically authentic picture. Both TVs are hanging around the £2400 mark for the 65-inch models at the time of writing, however, so the G5 offers the best value right now.

If you want spectacle and dazzling brightness, the LG G5 may well be the flagship OLED for you. It's got a stacked feature set and is now available with quite the discount for £1619 at John Lewis.

MORE:

Also consider the Samsung S95F

And the best TVs for any budget

Or why not splash out on the best OLED TVs?

If you're seeking the blissful convenience of an all-in-one speaker system, all without forking out a fortune, the Triangle AIO Twin should be pretty high on your shortlist.

While the AIO Twin might look like a regular pair of speakers, this is a fully fledged music system that combines speakers, amplification, streaming and connectivity into one handsomely built package. A package that won a 2025 What Hi-Fi? Award, we might add.

We were already bowled over by the system's incredible value when it launched at £699 – but it can now be snagged for £599 at Richer Sounds, a super saving of £100.

Thanks to its flexible nature, the Triangle AIO Twin has pretty much every connection you might need, including Ethernet and wi-fi streaming, Bluetooth 5.0, optical and 3.5mm aux inputs, and a pair of RCA connections that you can toggle between line-level and phono inputs. That means the AIO Twin can double as speakers for your TV, or be used alongside a moving-magnet turntable if you're building a neat and simple vinyl system from scratch.

Triangle's AIO app supports all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, Qobuz, as well as internet radio and files on your network, while audio support goes up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM files.

Don't think you're going to be sold short on sound, either. As we wrote in our five-star Triangle AIO Twin review: “This system is incredibly fun to listen to. It’s an enthusiastic performer, happy to tackle any music genre and recording quality, and simply wants you to enjoy the music being played.”

The AIO Twin is balanced across the frequencies, with an admirable level of control, precision and subtlety, and bass performance that is surprisingly taut and shapely for such compact speaker cabinets.

The main downside is the phono stage; we recommend that vinyl lovers get an external phono stage to plug into the AIO Twin to make the most of their records.

Overall, though, the Triangle AIO Twin is incredible value for money, offering an entire hi-fi system in one easy-to-use package. There's a reason it has won a What Hi-Fi? Award for the past two years – and now it can be yours with a handy £100 off at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

This listening bar experience made me question whether the trend has gone too far

Want something flashier? Also consider the five-star KEF LS Luxe

Best active speakers: budget to premium

What is the point of a soundbar? To reduce the number of speakers, right?

Well, it looks as if no one told the Sony Bravia Trio. The system comes with a soundbar and two satellites, but they're not rear-channel speakers – but very much front-facing.

Essentially, the Trio has split its soundbar into three parts, resulting in a huge, immersive soundstage while still remaining cohesive.

It's one of the finest Dolby Atmos systems you can currently buy – and it's just had its first discount, dropping to £1799 at Smart Home Sounds with the code SONYTRIO10.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio consists of two stylish, cylindrical satellite speakers, as well as a rather narrow central soundbar.

We found the Bravia Trio is fairly unfussy with its placement, whether wall-mounted or not, though we would have liked a display.

There are also several notable features other than the three-piece design – Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology creates up to 24 'phantom' speakers around the room, which bolster the real ones to create a larger, more immersive soundstage.

Set-up and calibration are also top-notch, thanks to the excellent Bravia Connect app and built-in microphones, as well as a dedicated USB-C calibration microphone.

Connectivity is solid too, with an HDMI eARC connection for your TV, plus an HDMI input with support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM passthrough. Wireless support also includes Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect.

And the all-important sound quality? Sony has certainly succeeded in its aim of creating a larger and more spacious soundstage.

"Compared with even the best conventional soundbars, the Trio sounds huge," our Sony Bravia Trio review reads. "Effects stretch much further to the left and right, dialogue remains firmly anchored to the screen, and there's a greater sense of sound being projected out into the room rather than simply originating from beneath the TV."

The system sounds wider than a traditional soundbar but also taller, with an impressive Dolby Atmos performance that frequently extends overhead announcements and environmental effects above the listening position.

Yet all the while, the Bravia Trio is cohesive, never sounding like three physically separate speakers but instead a single, unified wall of sound.

If you're after a premium Dolby Atmos system and have the budget to stretch this far, the Sony Bravia Trio is one of the most compelling options on the market right now. Its innovative speaker setup takes the strengths of both the soundbar and system approach while avoiding most of their weaknesses, and it's available now for £1799 at Smart Home Sounds.

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF XIO

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990H

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Arcam's new AV receivers go on sale within weeks, which means hefty discounts on its old models. And when we say hefty, we mean hefty – there's £3300 off the AVR31, which drops down to just £2499 at Peter Tyson.

It may have picked up its What Hi-Fi? Award back in 2023, but it's still a brilliant performing product – one of the best AV receivers we've ever tested, in fact. At this price, it's a steal.

The Arcam AVR31 is a five-star product that boasts a sleek build and clean, open sound.

When it comes to sonic performance, the AVR31 prompted our expert testers to say: "If future-proofed features are equally as important to you as having the very best sound quality, and your pockets are deep enough, then the AVR31 is an ideal choice to make your home cinema sing."

But be warned, it's not for amateurs. In order to hear it at its best, you'll have to know what you're doing, so this is really for enthusiasts, or for those willing to learn. But at least your pockets now don't have to be anywhere near as deep as before.

With seven channels of power amplification and up to 16 channels of decoding, the AVR31 is capable of processing audio for systems with configurations up to 9.1.6.

It boasts wide-ranging audio format support, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced and Auro-3D, as well as Dolby Virtual Height, DTS Neural:X and DTS Virtual:X for systems without height speakers.

And there's nothing lacking from the AVR31's connectivity spec sheet either with seven HDMI 2.1 inputs and three outputs, all capable of handling 8K video signals at 60fps and 4K at 120fps with support for VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. One of the outputs also supports eARC.

Physical connections at the rear also include six digital (four coaxials, two opticals) and six analogue (RCA) inputs, as well as optical and analogue outputs and and pre-amp outputs.

There’s an aerial connector for an FM/DAB tuner, a USB port and trigger outputs with IR extenders for two zones, along with an RS-232 serial connector and an Ethernet port. Users can also stream content wirelessly with AirPlay 2, Bluetooth aptX HD, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Roon and Tidal Connect.

The AVR31 is certainly a high-end pick delivering modern AVR functionality, paired with a distinguished sound. Will it be topped by the incoming AVA35? Most probably (though you'll have to wait for our review to find out). But given that that model costs £5999 / $7000 / AU$13,995, the AVR31 for £2499 at Peter Tyson suddenly looks like even more stunning value.

MORE:

Read our full Arcam AVR31 review

Check out the best AV receivers: the top home cinema amplifiers we've tested

And find out how to choose and set up your amplifier

Do your headphones constantly run out of power at the worst times? Maybe you're left with no entertainment on a flight? No escape from workout noises at the gym?

Well, our experts have found a solution. The Sony WH-CH520, now only £25 at Amazon, have a whopping 50-hour battery life, which is perfect for long travel periods, weekends away or just hectic everyday lives.

They're five-star headphones too, with the best sound quality we've heard at this price. So whether you need a full-on replacement, a low-cost option for your child as they head to university or just a cheap backup pair, the WH-CH520 have an all-around appeal.

You'll need to make sure you tick the voucher code to get this price, which is only available on the black model.

It's hard to nail the basics at the budget end of the market, which makes the WH-CH520 all the more impressive – Sony has proven it's just as good at making affordable wireless headphones as premium ones.

As you might expect, the WH-CH520 aren't exactly glamorous, but they are well made, solid and robust. They're also lightweight at 147g, ideal for taking on travels or long gym sessions.

On top of the 50-hour battery life, which even many premium headphones don't reach, the WH-CH520 offer Bluetooth 5.2, physical on-cup playback buttons, and compatibility with Sony's Headphones Connect control app, which offers EQ presets and custom adjustment. Not bad for the price of a drinks round.

However, it's the sound that really sets the WH-CH520 apart from other headphones at this price.

"The Sony WH-CH520 don’t take long to establish themselves as a nicely balanced, quite informative and enjoyable listen," our Sony WH-CH520 review reads, which then goes on to detail the solid, deep and controlled low-end and informative midrange.

If you do have a bit more budget, the step-up Sony WH-CH720N add active noise-cancelling and improved sound quality for £40 more. However, you won't be disappointed by the WH-CH520, especially at this price.

If you want impressive battery life at the best possible price, it's hard to argue with the value of the Sony WH-CH520. Whether for yourself or as a gift, the WH-CH520 won't let you down when it comes to battery life and is now available at its lowest price of £25 at Amazon.

MORE:

Want noise-cancelling? Also consider the next-model-up Sony WH-CH720N

Prefer in-ears? Here are the best wireless earbuds you can buy

Our expert pick of the best over-ear headphones: wired and wireless over-ears for every budget

If you’re brand new to the grand old art of vinyl collecting but don’t know where to start when it comes to turntables, then this is very much the deal for you.

We've only reviewed the five-star Sony PS-LX3BT earlier this year, but you can already get it for £233 at Sevenoaks and Amazon, a saving of £66 on its original £299 asking price. And let's face it, the only thing better than a great-value Bluetooth turntable is a great-value Bluetooth turntable on a discount.

The Sony PS-LX3BT is ideal for vinyl novices. It's easy to set up, simple to operate, can be used in multiple different ways and, perhaps most importantly of all, it's supremely affordable, especially with that aforementioned discount knocking the price down by over £60. Lovely.

Being a budget Bluetooth turntable, the Sony LS-PX3BT can be connected up to a classic hi-fi system, but you can also hook it up to a Bluetooth speaker or a pair of Bluetooth headphones if that’s how you want to enjoy your record collection.

You’ll get better audio quality if you go the traditional route, and there's even a built-in phono stage if your stereo amplifier doesn’t have one, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity and accessibility afforded by having Bluetooth on board.

Adding to that simplicity is the fact that the PS-LX3BT is a fully automatic deck, meaning you only have to press a button and the machine will spring into life, moving the arm into place and lowering itself down onto your record. When it reaches the end of the record, the arm lifts automatically and returns to its starting position.

If you do want to pair with a Bluetooth speaker or pair of headphones, all you have to do is press the large pairing button on the top of the deck, and your turntable should connect automatically to the speaker or headphones in question.

Admittedly, this is a turntable that doesn’t exactly ooze glamour, but it does exactly what it says on the tin, and at this level, that's what matters most.

In our Sony PS-LX3BT review, we proclaimed: “We’re taken with just how composed, controlled and well-organised the Sony sounds, marvelling at the effortless cohesion and solidity it brings to the entirety of Michael Jackson’s Bad album.”

It’s a musical-sounding deck, and one that can entertain with any genre of vinyl placed on its platter, from the pop perfection of Michael Jackson to the classic rock of Fleetwood Mac.

Over Bluetooth, the Sony still sounds impressive, delivering music full of life and character, making it a great all-round recommendation for anyone looking to scratch that vinyl itch for the very first time.

The fact that you can now pick one up for £233 at Sevenoaks and Amazon should be music to your ears.

MORE:

Want the next step up? Read our full Sony PS-LX5BT review

Sony PS-LX3BT vs PS-LX5BT: what are the differences?

These are the best Bluetooth turntables we've tested

If you're looking to upgrade your sound system, then there are currently more options than ever.

Soundbars, soundbar packages, 5.1 systems... the choice is yours.

But one of JBL's latest releases, the JBL Bar 1000 Mk2, offers the best of both worlds when it comes to soundbars. The Bar 1000MK2 features detachable surrounds, meaning they can connect to the main soundbar to save space or function as a fully-fledged multi-speaker package, with rear satellites.

And this is where things get really innovative – the surround speakers can also be taken to another room, where they can continue playing either in mono or stereo. Ideal for not missing any of the action!

To top it all off, the Bar 1000Mk2 is back to its lowest price. Get it from Amazon now for £719, a good £281 off the £1000 price we tested at.

While the wireless speaker party trick might be the biggest draw of the JBL Bar 1000MK2, we're happy to report that the all-important sound quality is also up to scratch.

The Dolby Atmos system delivers an exciting and reasonably detailed sound at all times, but our expert testers found it performs best when using the two wireless speakers as surrounds.

"Switching to Blade Runner 2049, we also get a sense of the JBL’s ability to create a wide soundfield," our JBL Bar 1000MK2 review reads. "We watch as raindrops fall around Officer K and his digital companion Joi, and feel the downpour just behind the listening position.

"This track also shows off the soundbar’s sense of movement, as drones whizz past the viewer with an energy that will have you double-checking you are not sat next to a Replicant."

We also found the surround speakers to be lightweight enough to carry between rooms, and it was easy to switch between stereo and mono using the accompanying app.

The JBL Bar 1000 Mk2 is also a rare case of four HDMI ports. There's no 120Hz support for high-frame-rate gaming, but the HDMI passthrough can handle signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

If you are an audiophile who is serious about sound, you might want to consider the Sonos Arc Ultra, which offers a more immersive overall experience. However, it currently retails for a pricier £899 and lacks the detachable surrounds.

If you want the benefit of surround speakers but want somewhere tidy to keep them – or perhaps you're often popping to the kitchen during your TV watching – then the JBL Bar 1000MK2 may well be the ideal solution for you. And it's now back to its Prime Day pricing of £719 at Amazon.

MORE:

Here is our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

Check out our thoughts on the step-down JBL Bar 300MK2

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

Are you an iPhone or iOS user? Statistically, a good many of you are. And if you're after a new pair of earphones, then the convenience and intuitive features of AirPods make a lot of sense.

However, there's one AirPods model our expert testers recommend above all others – the excellent AirPods Pro 3.

The combination of enjoyable sound quality, effective noise-cancelling, comfortable wear and futuristic live translation feature will make them an invaluable travel companion wherever you go, and we have a feeling you'll be using them long after.

To top it all off, the Pro 3 are now at a new lowest price – £174 at Amazon, 21 per cent down from the £219 launch price!

We weren’t sure how Apple was going to top the performance of the AirPods Pro 2, but somehow it has. More evolution than revolution for sure, but these small improvements all add up to a glowing five-star rating.

This is not just in the fancy features that grab the headlines, but in the core categories such as sound quality. The Pro 3 offer the familiar well-balanced presentation of the Pro 2, but improvements abound.

"It only takes a few minutes of comparisons to discover that the AirPods Pro 3 take a sonic step forward in every way, too," our AirPods Pro 3 review reads. "The Pro 3 sound clearer and more detailed; they are more spacious-sounding and more dynamic, too."

Noise cancelling is also a step above what came before, thanks to new ultra-low noise microphones, advanced computational audio, and new foam-infused eartips.

We tested them on a flight, and the Pro 3 are excellent at isolating you from the outside world, whether that's the rumble of the engine, announcements from the pilot or general chit-chat. They're comparable to the top performers for the money, and in a more natural way compared to the more intense ANC offered by the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).

There's been a design change too, with a slightly angled body and new eartips. These aim to fit a wider range of ear shapes and sizes than before. We found them to be light and comfortable, with five sizes of eartips so you can find your perfect fit.

There are also the usual Apple futuristic features – this includes Live Translation and a built-in heart monitor, as well as the usual snappy user experience with iOS devices.

The Apple AirPods 3 will more than suffice as talented, portable travel buds, but their all-around abilities will make them a great purchase whatever you buy them for – especially if you have an iPhone. Now at a new low of £174 at Amazon.

MORE:

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

The AirPods Pro 3 reminded me of one key thing when it comes to wireless earbuds

Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Sony WF-1000XM6: which wireless earbuds should you buy?

April might be the cruellest month, but August has got to be the slowest. The biggest sporting events are behind us, the novelty of a heatwave has long since worn off, and big sales like Amazon Prime Day are now a distant memory.

But what's this? A pair of excellent floorstanding speakers that are now even cheaper than during Amazon's recent sale? The Focal Aria Evo X No3 are now just £2679 at Peter Tyson – £10 cheaper than they were at Prime Day, and a whopping £820 off their RRP. Come here August – all is forgiven.

Focal Aria X No3 deal: better than Prime Day

Measuring in at 115cm tall, the Focal Aria Evo X No3 floorstanders aren't exactly dinky, so you'll need plenty of room to get them sounding their best.

Their considerable height also means that their tweeter axis is quite high, so to ensure their presentation retains the optimal focus and balance, it’s best that your listening height doesn’t fall too far below the tweeter.

The speakers' three-way design consists of Focal's favoured inverted metal tweeter, along with a 16.5cm Flax midrange and a trio of 16.5cm Flax bass drivers. Focal promises that the Flax diaphragms offer a great balance of low weight, rigidity and self-damping.

How does that all translate to the test room?

During our time with the Aria Evo X No3, we found them to be ideal for listeners who value “refinement, composure and unfussiness above all else”. While tracking rhythms and teasing out genuine excitement could be a little better, the Aria Evo X No3 provide plenty of detail, and their midrange is “among the more charming and articulate floorstanders” at this premium price.

As we concluded: "The Focal Aria Evo X No3 are a pleasant and undemanding listen; one that is detailed but never ruthless in exposing a recording. If you are after unfussy but still capable floorstanders you could do a lot worse than to give these a listen. They might be exactly what you are looking for".

Now that you can pick them up at their lowest-ever price at Peter Tyson, they could well be the speakers for you.

MORE:

The best floorstanding speakers around

Advice on how to choose the best floorstanding speakers

Also consider the Fyne Audio F502S review

OLED TV prices have steadily dropped over time and are becoming increasingly affordable as time goes on.

However, the quest for a truly great, cheap OLED TV for the entry-level market has been ongoing for more than a decade.

Luckily, if you are a movie fan looking for one of the cheapest ways to get a new OLED, we have some good news. We have just reviewed the Samsung S85H, which has a punchy, immersive and nicely three-dimensional picture that our expert testers found to be a cut above most of its entry-level rivals.

And it is already available at a discount: the code SAMS10PERCENT brings the price down to £1259 at Richer Sounds, a good £241 off the price we tested at.

The S85H is from the same range as the Samsung S99H, which we declared to be the finest OLED the Korean conglomerate has produced.

However, if your budget doesn’t stretch to the S99H’s £2000+ price tag and you are dipping your toes into the OLED water for the first time, the S85H is a solid entry point, particularly if you’re keen on brightness.

“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,” our Samsung S85H review reads. “The setting sun offers a wider range of reds and oranges that show up as pure white on its rival.”

Reds are a bit overbaked compared with the more subdued B6, but we still prefer the S85H for the picture’s solidity and three-dimensionality.

Specifications are also very competitive for the price, including Samsung’s app-packed Tizen smart platform. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV and all the other usual services are present and running correctly.

Gamers are well catered for too, with four full-spec HDMI 2.1 inputs capable of carrying a 4K/120Hz signal, as well as VRR and ALLM.

The only major omission on that front is Dolby Vision Gaming – but that’s hardly surprising as Samsung has long left out Dolby’s HDR standard. HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG are all supported, however.

The biggest letdown of the S85H comes with the audio. The 2.0 channel, 20W, Dolby Atmos system noticeably lacks bass. The speakers do offer a reasonable sense of direction and separation, but you will probably want a soundbar or sound system for movie watching.

If your budget doesn’t stretch to the mid-range, then the Samsung S85H is one of the top options to get a brand-new 2026 OLED. It’s a cut above most entry-level rivals where it matters most – picture quality – and is now available with £241 off at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Bravia 7 II

Also consider the LG C6

Read our Samsung S90F review

We would always recommend going for the biggest TV your space and budget allows – but for some of us, that will only be a 42-inch TV. If that’s the case for you, then we have found a great deal for you – £120 off the Samsung S90F.

This TV has dropped to just £629 at Richer Sounds. That’s £20 cheaper than at Amazon. Bargain.

Samsung S90F 42-inch deal

Cards on the table: we haven’t reviewed this exact model. But the 48-inch S90F earned five stars, so we have high expectations of the 42-incher.

True, it has feet rather than a pedestal stand like its bigger brother. And smaller screens tend to have a lower HDR brightness than their larger equivalents. On the plus side, the smaller panel size should mean a higher pixel density, and hence a slightly sharper image.

The 42-inch model is as well equipped for gamers as the 48-incher, with four HDMI 2.1 ports, and a host of gaming features such as AMD FreeSync Premium, HGiG, AI Auto Game Mode, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Game Motion Plus and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR).

We found the 48-inch S90F’s picture a bit red at first, and the motion a bit too smooth, but tweaking the settings helps. Overall, picture quality is superb, with realistic skin tones and solid detail levels across both the light and dark parts of the image.

Contrast might be a touch heavy-handed, leading to some black crush, but “the overall image is wonderfully three-dimensional and immersive”, we concluded.

The 42-incher has only 40W of sound output, compared with the 48-incher’s 60W. We found the latter’s speakers weak and plagued by distortion at higher volumes – hardly surprising, given that most small TVs sound terrible. So we wouldn’t expect much of the 42-incher’s audio.

But if you can put that £120 saving towards one of the best budget soundbars, you should be richly rewarded.

MORE:

Read our Samsung S90F review (48 inch)

I test OLED TVs for a living – and trust me, different sizes perform differently

We rate the best small TVs around

As What Hi-Fi?'s resident deals writer, I am tasked with keeping abreast of the prices of several of the top products our experts recommend.

Especially products that are as good as the LG C6. LG’s latest step-down OLED is one of our favourite products of the year so far, thanks to a new processor that has squeezed out a brighter, richer and more refined performance.

And it has just hit a new lowest price courtesy of John Lewis. The 65-inch C6 can now be yours for £1889 if you use the discount code LGOLED1007, which will save you 10 per cent at checkout.

This is the first time the 65-inch LG C6 has broken through the £2000 barrier, saving you £611 off the £2500 price we tested it at only a few months ago. It’s even cheaper than it was at the Prime Day sales last month – you can see the full breakdown below:

65-inch LG C6 Price History

Price (£)

date

LG C6 65-inch

Price Data

Timestamp (date)	LG C6 65-inch (£)
1	2500
2	2166
3	2079
4	2099
5	2034
6	1889

However, a new lower price is hardly the biggest draw of the LG C6 – the star of the show may well be the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor. We don’t often get excited about processor upgrades, but this chip blesses the C6 with a brighter, richer and more refined picture than the C5, which itself was a five-star performer.

“Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious,” our LG C6 review reads. “Highlights are more intense, colours have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality.”

Upscaling and remastering have been enhanced as well, while shading subtlety has also been improved.

As is customary with LG TVs, gaming specifications are flawless. Console gamers can enjoy a silky-smooth 4K/120Hz, while PC owners can go all the way up to 4K/165Hz on all four HDMI inputs. VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming are also included.

All the major streaming services are present and accounted for in the app-packed LG WebOS, with all apps well optimised and playing content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos where applicable.

Talking of Dolby Vision, there is broad HDR support with HDR10 and HLG also supported – but be aware that HDR10+ is missing.

Audio is where LG OLEDs have traditionally tripped up, but we are delighted to report some improvements this time around. The overall delivery is more open and immersive than the C5, and while it won’t beat a dedicated sound system, the C6 actually sounds pretty good for a TV in its class.

A £611 saving already is not to be sniffed at – especially for an OLED as accomplished as the LG C6. For one of the year’s best TVs, consider the LG C6 for £1889 at John Lewis.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C5

Read our impressions of the LG G6

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

While we have zero trouble spruiking the benefits of the best TVs to enjoy movies and TV shows for a more cinematic experience only a projector will do.

Of course, the more you spend the more cinema-like experience you'll achieve, but if your budget is limited, the Xgimi Vibe One is a mighty-fine choice. It's the cheapest projector we've ever tested, and it's now cheaper still thanks to a 29% discount at Amazon — now AU$427.49.

Amazon has already slashed the price to AU$474.99, and at the time of publishing there's the option to apply an extra 10% saving at the checkout, which you absolutely should do.

Despite the low price, you get an awful lot of projector for your money. We did find we needed to adjust the sharpness and contrast levels from their out-the-box settings when we tested the dinky projector, but once that was done, we were wholly satisfied with the image it projected.

As our reviewer Robyn Quick said in their review, "we unearthed a more natural image that portrays the green trees around an army staging post with more balanced, yet still striking, colours", once those settings were tweaked.

The Vibe One also proved capable with darker content: "In the opening of Alien: Romulus, as a ship floats through the depths of space, the projector presents the dark abyss with an impressively deep black by budget projector standards."

What's perhaps most impressive about the Xgimi Vibe One is that it holds up well in bright conditions, making it a versatile option for daytime use too, not just movie nights curled up on the sofa.

As for specs, the Vibe One doesn't support 4K content, instead topping out at a native resolution of 1080p. It can project an image up to 150 inches in size, with a claimed 250 ISO lumens of brightness.

A single HDMI port means you can connect external source devices such as a Blu-ray player or games console, while Google TV provides native access to Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

Coming in at 1.4kg on the scales, you should have little trouble putting the Vibe One in a bag to take with you wherever you want to go. Do note though that we found that the projector only offered just under an hour of battery life in Standard brightness mode. If you plan to use the Vibe One outside, you'll likely want to consider an extension cable so you can watch a full movie uninterrupted.

You'll need to temper your expectations where sound is concerned, as the 3W speakers are reasonably loud but lack impact and detail. Fortunately, you can wirelessly connect to a Bluetooth speaker to handle sound duties.

The Xgimi Vibe One delivers a surprisingly detailed and cinematic image that outperforms expectations at this price. While its battery life is limited and the built-in audio falls short, it remains outstanding value for a projector — portable or not.

We are currently entering our third heatwave of the year, and like us, we are sure you’re doing what you can to get through it. If that involves taking your evening movie viewing outside once the temperature is slightly cooler, then we have just the deal for you.

The Xgimi Mogo 4 received four stars in our review, and has now dropped to just £379 at Amazon. That’s a discount of £130, or 26 per cent – a hot deal for the hot weather.

Xgimi Mogo 4 deal: save £130

The Xgimi Mogo 4 is a dinky little thing, about the size of a water bottle. The projector folds out from the stand, and packs the Google TV platform. That means you get Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, ITVX and Disney+, but not Channel 4 On Demand or BBC iPlayer, which are sizeable omissions.

You can access those missing apps using Google Cast, but that’s considerably less convenient than native app support.

Bluetooth and wi-fi come as standard, while HDR support is limited to HDR10. There are a host of different picture presets to choose from, as well as the ability to tweak your own.

It can’t match a dedicated home cinema projector – and we wouldn’t expect it to – but the picture quality is still impressive. Tree branches are crisp against the background, and black levels impressively deep. Vibrancy can be a bit heavy-handed at times, but that’s to compensate for outdoor viewing conditions – though it is something to note if you will use it indoors as well.

Still, for £379 at Amazon, the Xgimi Mogo 4 is a great buy, and one of the better ways to survive a heatwave.

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Read our full Xgimi Mogo 4 review

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It had been a while since a flagship Denon AVR had graced our test rooms, but recently we righted that wrong. And the AVC-A1H was worth the wait.

Because while it’s undoubtedly expensive, its stacked feature set and phenomenally cinematic sound make it worth every penny. And now that it has fallen to £4999 at Sevenoaks (a discount of £1300), it’s more compelling than ever.

Denon AVC-A1H deal

The Denon AVC-A1H earned five stars from us. And that’s despite its significant heft; this thing weighs a whopping 32kg, and will take up most of your AV rack.

It might not tear up the rulebook when it comes to aesthetics, but its utilitarian design certainly gets the job done. And the metal, backlit remote is a welcome change from the plastic models we have become accustomed to.

It is one of the most extensively equipped AVRs we have had the pleasure of testing. Its 15 channels of amplification can support speaker configurations up to 9.4.6, plus you can split the amplification channels across two additional zones, and power other speakers in your home from just one amp.

It houses Denon’s most premium components, including the brand’s most powerful transformers, 10 two-channel ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chips, a high-spec DSP processing engine, and gold-plated speaker terminals.

You get multiple wired connections to play with, and compatibility with plenty of AV formats (including all four HDR formats and numerous immersive audio formats) plus the main music streaming services.

And the sound? “Simply incredible” was our verdict.

Watching F1: The Movie, we noted that it “makes light work of creating a hugely spacious and totally immersive sound, with every aspect of the scene bursting with three-dimensional energy.

“Everything from the clattering of gravel hitting the tarmac and the screech of tyres as cars spin out, to the crackling of fireworks and a swooping helicopter sounds superbly crisp.”

Even quiet dialogue comes across sounding natural, while the bass is superb. This AV receiver is the real deal, and for £4999 at Sevenoaks, it’s now more tempting than ever.

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AV receivers vs AV separates: which gives the better home cinema experience?

It's Home Cinema Week here at What Hi-Fi?, and to celebrate we've had a bevvy of themed reviews on speaker packages, AV receivers and more.

One of the most notable of those, however, might be the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max projector, now reduced to £3199 at Amazon.

It may not be cheap by UST standards, but considering the specifications involved and the overall performance, it really is a bit of a bargain.

And given how overall impressive it is, from its design to its features to the all-important picture and sound quality, it's sneaked right to the top of our list of UST favourites.

If you had any doubts about the abilities of the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max, here's a snippet from our recent review.

"The Aetherion Max’s picture quality isn’t just a big improvement over the already more than decent LTV-3500 that marks our only previous interaction with an AWOL Vision projector; it’s actually arguably the best picture quality we’ve ever seen from any UST projector. Or, at least, a UST projector selling for anything like as little as the Aetherion Max does," our AWOL Vision Aetherion Max review reads.

The projector is fantastically bright and contrast-rich even in ambient light, but it's in dark rooms that the Aetherion Max really shows how outstanding it is. Colours look even more vibrant, but crucially remain natural, balanced and full of subtle nuances and blends.

Its HDR Standard mode also somehow manages to deliver some of the deepest, most convincing blacks we’ve seen from any 3000-nit or brighter projector, all of which adds up to an endlessly watchable and immersive experience.

The Aetherion Max’s front-mounted speakers, too, are far better than you get built into most projectors, getting loud enough to create a cinematic presence even in large rooms but still retaining detail at high volumes. More bass than most projectors achieve is also on offer, though this does result in some straining under pressure.

Not to be outdone, the feature set is just as impressive. Its DLP optics are illuminated by a triple laser lighting system, for starters, with a claimed 3300 lumens of brightness and an image size of up to 200 inches.

Gamers are extremely well supported, with three HDMI ports that support VRR and reach 240Hz with Full HD (but not 4K) sources.

There's also support for all four current HDR standards, including the premium HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats, a rarity in the projector world.

Given just how much is packed into the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max and how well it performs, its £3499 launch price was a bit of a miracle. And now our favourite UST is even cheaper, with a £300 discount at Amazon.

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