It’s official – Apple’s first foldable smartphone is here. The “compact, pocketable” new model is called the iPhone Duo, and the US tech giant claims it offers both the thinnest and largest iPhone display ever made when open.

The smartphone opens like a passport, with the outer display measuring 5.4 inches and the inner display coming in at 7.6 inches. With the outer display, you get 90 per cent of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro, which was also just announced at the Apple event this evening.

In both orientations, the screens sport an identical aspect ratio to help transitions between screens feel more seamless, whether it is open or closed.

John Ternus, Apple’s freshly appointed CEO, says: “iPhone Duo is the most transformational change to iPhone since the original.”

The speakers for the Duo are placed on the top and bottom of the phone to deliver spatial audio.

Under the hood, you will find the A20 Pro chip, which is also included in the new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. According to Apple, this upgrade means that it can deliver up to 35 per cent “better sustained performance” than the iPhone 17 Pro. On top of that, the phone is powered by iOS 27. This means that the controls are moved to the side of the screen to free up some space.

There’s some pretty nifty technology in terms of the screen, too. The nano-texture finish supposedly “minimises glare for an unparalleled viewing experience.” The first layer of the screen is glass, and below that is the folding display panel featuring custom adhesives that allow the layers to glide past one another “like the pages of a book” to relieve tension from bending.

It also has a 48MP Fusion Main camera, a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, and an integrated optical-quality x2 Telephoto.

For brightness, Apple says you can get up to 3000 nits of peak outdoor brightness. That comfortably outdoes the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 2600 nits, but is on par with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra's offering of 3000 nits.

The hinge in the middle is made of titanium and engineered from more than 100 components to create a “smooth, satisfying feel”. Inside the body, there are also support ribs to add extra stiffness.

If you’re worried about scuffing your fresh screen, there is a Ceramic Shield on the back of the phone and a Ceramic Shield 2 on the front that Apple says has three times better scratch resistance than the previous generation.

In terms of battery, there’s a bit of variation depending on which screen you use more. You can get up to 31 hours of video playback with the inner display, up to 44 hours of video playback with the outer, and up to 24 hours of usage per charge when both are used equally.

It’s the most expensive of the phones announced at Apple’s event as, for US buyers, the Duo will set you back an eye-watering $1999 / £1999 (roughly AU$2770) for 256GB.

That puts it in the same ballpark as the Samsung Z Fold 8 Ultra, which launched at £1899 / $2099 / AU$2999. We haven't had any time with the Duo, but with a promising set of specifications it should make for strong competition. Hopefully we'll get one in for testing soon. Watch this space.

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I've just reviewed the five-star Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, so here are my immediate impressions of its biggest rival yet: the iPhone Duo

I'm excited for Apple's newly announced AirPods 5 – but one major issue has me scratching my head

Here is our review of the iPhone 17 Pro

Apple has launched the next generation of its standard wireless earbuds, the AirPods 5.

As before, it comes in two model variants without eartips, with the big news being that both models now feature active noise cancellation. The more expensive AirPods 5 feature on-stem volume control, longer battery life with ANC on, and a wireless charging case.

They're an update on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC that launched two years ago on September 2024, and feature improvements to sound quality, ANC and the transparency mode, plus live translation capability.

The AirPods 5 will cost £119 / $129, while the AirPods 5 with wireless charging case will cost £139 / $149 – both go on sale on 18th September, with pre-orders starting today.

The AirPods 5 see an updated open-ear design, with a new multi-port acoustic architecture and next-generation adaptive EQ to improve sound quality. Apple says the new AirPods 5 deliver "richer, more detailed sound across a wider range of ear geometries", as well as making personalised spatial audio more immersive and dynamic.

Combined with improved "computational audio algorithms" Apple claims the improved ANC quality offers 50 per cent more noise reduction than the previous generation to deliver what Apple has called "the best ANC in an open ear design". The transparency mode has also been improved to be more "natural", says Apple.

Apple says the new AirPods 5 are "more durable than ever", with an increased IP57 rating for dealing with rain, sweat and dust ingress.

The AirPods 5 can be used hands-free in conjunction with the new, more conversational Siri AI, and both models will now also feature live translation, which was previously a feature reserved for the flagship Pro 3 and Pro 2 models.

In terms of battery life, the standard AirPods 5 offer four hours with ANC enabled on a single charge, with up to 20 hours with the included standard USB-C charging case.

The more premium AirPods 5 with wireless charging case offer five hours of on-ear battery with ANC on, and 22 hours with the charging case. This step-up model also features the on-stem volume controls – another feature borrowed from the AirPods Pro 3. The wireless charging case means it will work with Qi and Apple Watch chargers, while the standard AirPods 5 is restricted to wired USB-C charging only.

Both AirPods 5 will also support the usual iOS-focused features, such as spatial audio, conversation awareness, adaptive audio and Find My features.

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Check out our guide to the best wireless earbuds we've tested and rated

Apple has announced the iPhone 18 range with three new models: the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and its first foldable, the iPhone Duo.

That's right, as expected, the standard iPhone 18 model is nowhere to be seen. Rumours say it will launch next year.

iPhone Duo

The iPhone Duo opens like a paperback book, and is about the size of a passport. When open, it's the slimmest iPhone ever, and it has an asymmetrical shape with two rounded corners that could split opinion.

Both screens have the same aspect ratio, which should help content look its best across both. As was rumoured, the exterior screen is a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the cover screen is 5.4 inches.

Perhaps mindful of how other foldables have broken in the past, Apple made a big deal about how durable it is. It features support rifts in the central support plank, for example. It's also rated IP68 water- and dust-resistant.

The control buttons move to the side vertically for easier reach, and the screen reacts depending on how you're using it. Partially close it, for example, and iOS moves the tappable buttons away from the seam, where they're harder to press.

The iPhone Duo comes in two colours: Star White and Night Sky. And it boasts an impressive battery life of 31 hours using the internal screen, and 44 hours using the cover screen.

As expected, Apple's first foldable is certainly pricey. It starts at £1999 / $1999 / AU3499 for the 256GB model, rising to £3199 / $3199 / AU$5899 for the flagship 2GB variant. It isn't available until 23rd October, with pre-orders starting on 16th October.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

For the Pro models, Apple says it has upgraded four key areas: intelligence, performance, battery and camera. The screens are the same as those in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, but don't dismay – there are usually some improvements to audio and video that Apple omits to mention during the launch, so stay tuned for our reviews.

These phones are powered by the new A20 chipset, which Apple claims is 20 per cent faster with 40 per cent faster graphics performance. The transistors in the new architecture are smaller and more densely packed, while Apple says its supercores are desktop-class. It also boasts better thermal management, which helps the battery life.

Speaking of which, both models last longer than their predecessors. The iPhone 18 Pro has the same battery life as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while the 18 Pro Max has the largest increase in battery life of any iPhone. The Pro lasts 36 hours of video playback, and the Pro Max 45 hours. For general use, the Pro lasts 24 hours and the Pro Max 30 hours.

As rumoured, both models have a new variable aperture which adjusts automatically to let in more light as required. This will create a better depth of field and more stunning portraits. You can now record timelapse in 4K Dolby Vision HDR, and Pro Controls lets you manually adjust the aperture between four presets.

The Dynamic Island is now smaller, and can show three live activities at once.

Siri AI is more advanced, being more personal and capable, and works across apps. The new Siri app lets you dive back into old conversations, and Siri is built into the camera. You can also customise Siri's voice. But Siri AI isn't available in the EU for now.

The Pros have a subtle new design, and a new burgundy colour scheme.

The Pro starts at £1199 / $1199 and the Pro Max £1299 / $1299. There's a new 2TB model for power users.

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Sky has announced a major overhaul of its Sky Go streaming app for Sky Stream and Sky Glass subscribers. It features a redesigned user interface, improved navigation options, and upgraded streaming quality on smartphones and tablets.

The app sports a new look inspired by Sky OS, with a matching colour scheme and similar navigation options, allowing users to explore the Best of Sky, Movies, TV shows, Sport and Kids directly from tabs on the home screen.

Sky has replaced the Downloads tab with My Library, which brings shows, movies and sports from your Playlist, recently watched media and downloaded content, together in one convenient place.

You'll also find new movie and TV show pages with more information (including cast and crew details, Rotten Tomatoes scores, and related recommendations), and the ability to save, record or download.

Sky is also improving the interoperability between Stream/Glass and Go with Continue Watching. This essentially allows you to switch between watching on your TV and your phone or tablet seamlessly.

As the name suggests, you can start watching something on your TV and then continue where you left off on your mobile device, and vice versa.

Remote recording is also new, and means users will be able to set a series, film or sporting event to record on their phone while they're on the go, and have it ready and waiting for them when they return home.

However, the biggest upgrade here is that Sky Go is getting a picture upgrade, going from 720p to 1080p, otherwise known as full HD. Sky notes that you'll need a supported device and a strong connection to stream in 1080p, but this should give users a noticeable picture upgrade when streaming on the go.

Finally, a new dedicated Sky Sports section is being added, which highlights live events, upcoming events and anything users have saved to watch later. Furthermore, you will be able to follow your Premier League team and save it in the My Library tab for easy access to matches and content.

The new version of Sky Go will be rolling out to iOS and Android devices soon, and Sky has confirmed that a desktop version for laptops is also in the works.

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Read our full Sky Stream review

As well as our Sky Glass Air review

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Audio-Technica is no stranger to wired over-ear headphones, but the Japanese company is expanding into unknown territory with its first-ever pair of open-backed wireless headphones: the ATH-AL5NC.

The beating heart of the ATH-AL5NC is a set of 53mm dynamic drivers that, says Audio-Technica, create a "detailed soundstage" made more natural and open by virtue of the headphones' open-backed design.

Being a pair of open-backs, the ATH-AL5NC don't offer full-fat active noise cancelling, instead offering a 'noise reduction' toggle to help reduce background noise and ambient sounds.

Audio-Technica is going big on battery life for the ATH-AL5NC, promising a hefty 75 hours of playback with noise reduction switched off and around 50 hours with it turned on.

If you run out of juice, a 15-minute quick charge promises to deliver up to eight hours of playtime, and if charging isn’t an option, users can switch to a wired connection via the included 3.5mm-ended cable.

The new over-ears also feature a 'Sound Leakage Reduction' mode, aiming, as you might have guessed, to reduce the amount of sound leakage coming out of the open-backed cans.

To toggle that mode and personalise your overall listening experience, you can control the new headphones via the A-T Connect app. You also get a low-latency mode for reducing audio lag during gaming and video calls.

Bluetooth Multipoint lets you connect to two devices at once, with standard Bluetooth AAC and SBC codecs alongside LDAC for streaming 24-bit/96kHz audio from compatible sources.

The Audio-Technica AT-AL5NC are available now in a single black finish, priced at £219 / $279 / AU$499. That could be a canny pricing ploy, as there aren't many great mid-range headphones available at that kind of money.

If anything, the AT-AL5NC are going up against the slightly more premium Grado GW100x (£249 / $275 / AU$440), which also blend Bluetooth powers with an open-backed design.

Could Audio-Technica be about to grab hold of an understocked corner of the wireless headphones market? We're intrigued to find out.

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We're rather fond of Marantz's Melody (MCR) compact systems that combine CD player, radio, amplification and network streaming into one stylish box. Previous models in the range – such as the M-CR610 and M-CR603 – nabbed What Hi-Fi? Award wins for their user-friendly design, breadth of features and enjoyable sound.

The new Marantz MCR 60n DAB aims to keep that same compact concept going, but is now a much more elevated affair, with plenty of new features, a classy design, and a new price.

The MCR 60n DAB continues to feature a CD player, DAB/FM radio, Bluetooth and AirPlay 2, and it is now joined by a moving magnet phono stage owing to turntables’ continuing popularity.

The system is powered by Marantz's HEOS streaming platform, which brings with it support for popular music streaming apps, which include Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and Spotify Connect. There is also an optical input and a 3.5mm headphone output.

Hi-res streaming support has been extended to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD 11.2 MHz, while low-latency LE Audio and two-way Bluetooth is also on board. It's Roon Ready, too.

For seamless TV audio playback, it now boasts an HDMI eARC input, which supports 7.1 channels and Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital Plus decoding via built-in DSP, and can play up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM audio.

These are substantial feature gains over the previous model, the four-star M-CR612 (also called Melody X) that we reviewed in 2019. The HEOS platform and app has been updated since, with Marantz saying the onboarding set-up process should be even better than before.

The sound quality has been improved, too. There is an updated power supply for higher and more stable current delivery, while the power rating has been increased to 65W per channel (into 4 ohms) from a previous 50W. Marantz says the extra headroom will result in better power delivery and better sound quality overall from the Class D amplifier. Additionally, there are new custom components in the circuitry to further help deliver a clean, powerful and low-noise performance.

The bottom chassis of the unit features an additional plate to help reduce vibrations coming from the CD mechanism, while the feet have a high density structure and felt cushioning to also help with damping and deliver a more stable bass performance.

The MCR 60n DAB can also be used as a preamp or with active speakers thanks to fixed and variable outputs, while the subwoofer output now has adjustable crossover filters in 10Hz increments from 30Hz to 250Hz.

The unit is also compatible with Dirac Live Room Correction, although you'll need to buy a license separately to make full use of the calibration software.

A new feature is the ability to save four 'Smart Selects' that store your favourite sound configuration for a certain source. For instance, you may want to employ different volume and tone settings and a Dirac-calibrated profile for when watching TV/movie content compared with listening to music via streaming or from radio, and this lets you choose your pre-set sound profiles accordingly.

These can be easily accessed from the button on the unit itself, or by using the updated remote control.

The design of the MCR 60n DAB is inspired by the Marantz Model M1, with a more minimal and luxurious design than before, but it retains the same compact footprint.

The Marantz MCR 60n DAB will be available for £800 / €900 / AU$1,700 from 15th September. This DAB version is for the European and Australian markets and is available in Champagne Gold and Black finishes, while the non-DAB version will be available for $1000 in the black finish only.

That's a substantial jump in price over the previous M-CR612, which we tested at £630 in 2019, while older MCR units tended to cost £500. With all the new features and proposed improvements for the MCR 60n DAB, we're hoping it will be more than justified.

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Read our Marantz M-CR612/Melody X review

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"Abbey Road Studios is the home of music,” says Andy Kerr from Bowers & Wilkins. “It's the heartland. It's the place where it all begins.”

There’s a very good reason that this humble studio in a leafy enclave of north west London is mentioned in the same breath as such legendary music venues as the Royal Albert Hall and New York's Apollo Theatre: its history.

Everyone knows of the studio’s legendary recording sessions by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder and many more. But fewer people know that this is where the concept of stereo sound was born (it was patented here by engineer Alan Blumlein in 1931, though back then it was known as ‘Binaural Sound’). As Kerr says, this was the “beginning of the whole concept of what we call high fidelity stereo sound reproduction.”

Without Abbey Road, the music industry as we know it wouldn’t exist.

So it’s difficult to overstate Abbey Road’s importance in shaping the modern music world. But perhaps more important than that are the experiences the studio has created, and the emotions these have given rise to.

Listening to music recorded here, “it's soulful, it's emotional,” Kerr says. They’re “recordings that change the way you feel that day when you listen to them – and we're very proud to be involved in it.”

Connecting to the music

Bowers & Wilkins speakers have been at the heart of Abbey Road for over 45 years. Founder John Bowers demoed the first model – the original 801 – himself in 1980. So enraptured were the engineers that the speaker stayed, only being replaced as newer 800 Series models improved on the original.

Pleasing Abbey Road's notoriously particular engineers is no mean feat – these people are at the very top of their game – so to do so consistently for nearly half a decade takes some doing.

Models earning pride of place in Abbey Road over the years include the original 801, the 801 Matrix in 1987, followed by the Nautilus 801, 801 D3, and currently the 801 D4 – last year, Bowers & Wilkins released a limited edition Abbey Road Edition 801 D4, celebrating a longstanding partnership spanning over 45 years.

These are speakers that don’t just play the music, they reveal it as closely to the artist’s vision as it’s possible to be. “Listening to the speaker, it’s everything that the recording is,” says Kerr. “It’s rewarding, or engaging, or uplifting, or maybe even depressing, if that's the recording. It makes you feel emotive. It just absolutely connects.”

Or as one recent visitor to the studio puts it more simply: "You can hear so much... It's just unbelievable."

So it’s hardly surprising that Bowers & Wilkins' speakers have been a fixture of Abbey Road for so long. Here’s to the next half century of great music!

From the studio to home

Seeing behind the scenes at Abbey Road is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of us – Abbey Road is still a working studio and so isn’t open to the general public. But with a Bowers & Wilkins speaker, discerning listeners can bring home that spine-tingling studio-quality sound.

The flagship 801 D5 loudspeaker costs £43,000 per pair, and brings a range of enhancements over the previous model: the design has been refined, it has a stiffer enclosure to reduce the unwanted impact of vibrations and resonances, and a new plinth design. It also comes in a range of new finishes with more durable paint, including Dark Walnut (inspired by the limited production 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition), Stealth Black, Warm White and Light Walnut.

Don’t forget to pair them with an amp that’s up to the job (like the Marantz Model 10).

Those on a more modest budget (or with less space to spare) will be well served by the 702 S3 loudspeakers. While these are a lighter-touch alternative to the 800 Series Diamond, they benefit from Bowers & Wilkins’ ‘cascading technology’ – the principle of taking technology from flagship models and applying learning and design advancement to other form factors. Hence the 702 S3 are able to offer many of the same core technologies as the 800 Series Diamond, but at £5750 they’re a fraction of the price.

Available in Gloss Black, Mocha and White, or signature options Datuk Gloss and Midnight Blue Metallic, the 702 S3 make Bowers & Wilkins’ world-class sound technology and renowned craftsmanship more accessible but without compromise.

IFA has closed its doors for another year. Europe's biggest tech trade show always sees all manner of devices launch, including plenty of relevant products in the audio and home cinema realms. And this year was no different.

We've hand-picked the most interesting products for our best-in-show report, which you can see below.

We haven't tested them – it's impossible on a very busy and extremely noisy show floor – but they appeared the most exciting and interesting of the tech on display. So in no particular order...

Xgimi Aura 3 Max

The Aura 3 ultra-short-throw projector features the world's first Dual Iris optical system in a UST projector. This delivers a native contrast ratio of up to 8000:1, meaning deeper blacks, brighter whites and a picture with more depth.

The RGB Triple Laser light engine also delivers up to 5700 ISO lumens, bringing brightness to the fore and making the picture clearer even on a sunny day.

Gaming features include 4K/120, VRR and ALLM, and it supports all the major HDR formats. Xgimi's X-Vision AI Image Processor optimises picture quality while anti-RBE tech minimises the rainbow effect that can occur with laser projection.

It's also ideal if you're short of space, throwing out a 120-inch picture when placed just 8 inches away from the wall. And if you do have more space, the image size can go up to 200 inches.

Its Google TV OS supports all the main streaming apps, and there's a built-in 80W Harman Kardon sound system, eliminating the need for a separate audio system. It's the complete package.

Beyerdynamic Aventho Y

Most wireless headphones struggle to last 50 hours before needing a recharge, but the Aventho Y go for a marathon 90 hours on a single charge. Now that's impressive.

Music is, of course, the focus, but this pair is seriously adaptable. You can add a boom mic and low-latency USB-C dongle for calls and games, for instance, and the interchangeable velour earpads should keep you comfortable for every one of those 90 hours.

But it's for music that they look seriously impressive. The Beyerdynamic app comes with customisable EQ profiles, genre-based sound presets and firmware updates, so the cans constantly improve over time. And with a user-swappable battery and parts, they will last you for years to come. There's also active noice cancellation onboard to keep the real world at bay.

AWOL LuxVision

The nights might be drawing in, but daytime movie sessions can still suffer from that pesky sunshine coming through the window. The AWOL LuxVision banishes this nuisance with an RGB triple laser engine delivering 5500 ISO lumens and 110 per cent Rec.2020 for clear visuals even in direct sunlight.

This ultra short throw model is versatile in terms of placement, thanks to its one-touch optical image shift, and quick to set up, with auto keystone and auto alignment. 4K/120 makes it suitable for gamers too, while RBE reduction ensures pure visuals across all formats. Flawless visuals, whatever the weather.

Canvas L

Billed as "the world's first audiophile soundbar," the Canvas L from Canvas HiFi combines a Danish design aesthetic with hi-fi-style engineering. Right up our street, in other words.

It promises "natural musicality, deep controlled bass and immersive three-dimensional sound," which should liven up your movies and music alike.

Inside is BACCH 3D+ processing and custom-made Scan-Speak drivers, and it's been tuned by renowned Danish audio engineer Benno Baun Meldgaard.

The aim was to create a genuinely audiophile speaker in a home cinema environment. Every acoustic element – including the cabinet construction, amplification, driver design and DSP processing – was engineered to deliver the kind of sound usually associated with hi-fi loudspeakers.

Earfun Wave Pro X

Winner of the 2026 Red Dot Design Award, the EarFun Wave Pro X offer a spacious acoustic chamber, with earcups whose geometry is inspired by the shape of the human ear, and that are angled at 12 degrees for a more natural fit. Breathable protein leather cushions and a woven fabric headband add to the comfort.

The cans are powered by DCAA (Dual-Coaxial Acoustic Architecture) technology, with a 40mm DLC driver and a 10mm LCP driver on a precisely aligned coaxial axis. This improves phase consistency between drivers, creating a "natural, detailed, and immersive sound experience". The headphones are also Hi-Res Audio certified.

The ANC intelligently analyses the surrounding environment and responds accordingly, blocking out just the right amount of noise, while beamforming keeps calls loud and clear. They also support Hybrid ANC in AUX wired mode, and support aptX Lossless, LDAC, and USB Audio.

With an impressive 90 hours of battery life, including 10 hours from a 15-minute charge, these cans are ones to watch.

Edifier XR6

The Edifier XR6 is no ordinary speaker – it's a professional-grade active studio monitor, suitable for home studios and pro recording environments. But it's priced much more accessibly than some of its rivals.

The tri-amped three-way architecture (with a 1.25-inch aluminium dome tweeter, 4-inch aluminium mid-range driver, and 6.5-inch aluminium woofer) lets each driver operate within its optimal frequency range for better clarity and transient response and less distortion. End-to-end 24-bit/192kHz DSP processing, active crossover, and automatic room calibration ensure accurate monitoring across different acoustic environments.

Resonance is minimised by the die-cast aluminium cabinet, and it's small enough to sit on a desk. With pro connectivity options like balanced XLR and TRS, AES/EBU digital input/output with daisy-chain capability, and an RCA input for consumer audio devices, it's ideal for both pros and enthusiasts alike.

TCL Q85K

Co-engineered by hi-fi doyens Bang & Olufsen, the Q85K brings Dolby Atmos to your home TV, with a peak output of 1180W through True-Sound Tri-Band Drivers and a Dual-Driver Force-Cancelling Subwoofer.

With the sound precisely distributed across the True-Sound Tri-Band Drivers, and lows, mids and highs separated, it minimises frequency crossover masking for a detailed and balanced high-fidelity sound.

Low frequencies are handled by the Dual-Driver Force-Cancelling Subwoofer. By counteracting internal mechanical vibrations while maximising the active acoustic area, bass is deepened, and the inward-taping 'floating' base design further minimises resonance.

It uses B&O's knowhow across both its hardware and software. There's the Beosonic Emotion Equalizer visual UI to fine-tune the audio depending on different moods, while the 360° Panoramic Soundscape combines Dolby Atmos decoding with B&O acoustic tuning to create an immersive soundscape with precise instrument separation and clear vocals.

At long last, Sony has announced sequels to two of its best-value wireless headphones: the five-star WH-CH520 and the Award-winning WH-CH720N.

The new budget WH-CH530 follow on from the entry-level WH-CH520 Bluetooth on-ears, while the affordable WH-CH730N are the sequel to the multiple-Award-winning WH-CH720N noise-cancelling over-ears.

Both sets come with a number of upgrades and tweaks to the firm's five-star formula, though only one has had an aesthetic refresh.

The WH-CH730N has had an external redesign, ditching the rough-and-ready aesthetic of its predecessors in place of a smoother, more premium design that doesn't look entirely dissimilar to the more expensive Sonos Ace.

Better still, the new noise-cancelling cans fold away; something their rather rigid predecessors couldn't do, much to our reviewers' annoyance.

The WH-CH530's design hasn't deviated much from the WH-CH520's, opting for similarly small rounded earcups, an on-ear fit and a reasonably compact form factor.

Internally, the actual hardware that the two new sets pack hasn't changed much, with both pairs housing the same drive units as before. That means both the WH-CH720N and WH-CH530 come with 30mm dynamic drivers.

Despite the lack of hardware changes, Sony claims both sets offer a major sonic boost over their predecessors, thanks to work it has done improving their digital signal processing and algorithms. Sony's established DSEE signal processing is also on board for cleaning up lower-quality files.

The WH-CH730N boast a titanic 75 hours of battery life with noise cancelling switched off, a figure that quite frankly puts the 50-hour lifespan of the WH-CH720N firmly in the shade.

The WH-CH530 aren't doing badly either, serving up 55 hours of battery life. That's a five-hour improvement over the 50 hours offered by their predecessors. A three-minute quick charge of the WH-CH730N will grant around an hour of playback, while the same charging time will grant 90 minutes of listening on the cheaper WH-CH530.

Both new pairs tease clearer voice calls thanks to AI noise reduction algorithms that spotlight human speech and dampen the clamour of the outside world. The noise-cancelling WH-CH730N also tout improved noise cancelling thanks to Sony's 'Dual Noise Sensor' technology and an array of beamforming microphones.

The WH-CH530 are available now in a choice of Black, Cobalt, White, Pink, Coral, and Mint, priced at £50 / AU$99.95 – which is the same price as their predecessors' original price tag. The WH-CH730N are also available now in a range of Black, White, Pink, Blue, and Oat colourways, priced at £110 / AU$229.95. That's a small advance on the original £99 asking price of the current WH-CH720N in the UK, but a decrease of AU$20 in Australia.

Price rises aside, we can't wait to try out both of Sony's latest over-ears. The WH-CH520 and CH720N have been holding steady on our list of the best wireless headphones ever since they debuted, and we're expecting their respective sequels to elevate their performance to even greater heights.

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No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Sony is bringing back one of its best-selling pairs of wireless headphones ever.

The WH-1000XM4C are a revised version of the original WH-1000XM4, which launched back in 2020.

That original XM4 was the longest-running pair of headphones in Sony’s 1000X series so far, and remained on sale for five years after their arrival.

In that time, not only did they become repeat What Hi-Fi? Awards-winners, the headphones also secured a place in the What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame, where only products that make a long-lasting impression on our test team are included. This makes the arrival of the WH-1000XM4C all the more exciting.

So, “what’s changed?” we hear you ask.

The biggest change is to the battery. The reason the original XM4 reached end of life is that its battery was not compliant with the EU battery regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which stipulates that portable batteries need to be able to be removed by the end user.

• Why I think Sony’s new WH-1000XM4C headphones are a brilliant but risky gamble

This law comes into effect in February 2027, so for the XM4 to stage a comeback, the battery needed to change. The only downside is that it is smaller than the one used previously and doesn’t provide quite as much juice as the original.

This means battery life has dropped from 30 hours with ANC on for the original XM4 to 27 hours for the WH-1000XM4C.

Sony claims the design and finish of the headphones are identical, apart from a slight tweak to the Sony logo and the introduction of a letter ‘L’ and ‘R’ inside each respective earcup. The software driving the headphones is the same, too.

This means the 40mm driver of the original carries over to XM4C, as does the DSEE Extreme processing engine and the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1. While ANC performance should remain virtually identical to the original, Sony has been able to upgrade other elements of the new headphones.

The main change has been to the sound – Sony has tweaked the tuning of the headphones so it’s more akin to its most recent WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 models. It’s claiming richer and clearer vocals, greater separation and a more immersive listen, plus greater dynamics and punchier bass.

Through Sony’s Headphones Connect app, you can now access a ten-band equaliser and a dedicated Gaming EQ setting, which wasn’t available for the original.

The WH-1000XM4C have Multipoint Bluetooth and still feature Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup technology, which helps with phone calls.

In addition to the standard black and silver (which is a slightly lighter shade than before) finishes, there’s also a new lavender option which brings a splash of colour to the range. Sony hasn’t confirmed whether a Midnight Blue option will be available, as was introduced for the original model.

The WH-1000XM4C cost £219 / $300 / AU$449.95 and go on sale this month. You might be wondering what this means for the WH-1000XM5, which at the time of writing are still on sale. Their battery does not conform to the EU regulation, so they will go end of life before February 2027, and the WH-1000XM4C will continue in their place.

What do you think? Are you excited to see the XM4 return? Let us know by clicking on our poll and leave a comment below! We'll hopefully be getting a sample soon, so stay tuned for our full review!

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LG has announced UK availability and pricing for its 2026 xboom speaker range, which was first unveiled at CES 2026.

The xboom Series takes aim at competitors like JBL, Bose and Sony, with an expansive selection of Bluetooth speakers, spanning from compact outdoor portables to room-filling “party speakers”. LG says that all speakers in the series have been tuned by former Black Eyed Peas member, will.i.am.

UK availability and pricing is as follows:

LG xboom Mini: a compact, ultra-portable speaker with an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. Available now for £40 / $70.

LG xboom Rock: an ultra durable, pocket-sized speaker encased in a shock-resistant, IP67 water-and-dust-proof chassis. Available now for £60 / $80.

LG xboom Blast: a plus-sized speaker which LG claims is “built for long adventures”. With 35 hours of playback, 220 watts of power, four drive units and three passive radiators, LG promises that the xboom Blast will deliver an "expansive soundscape” in any environment. Available now for £450 / $500.

LG xboom Stage 501: a “party ready” speaker, offering up to 25 hours of playback and 220 watts of power for “a bold, room-filling sound” from a five-sided cabinet. Available now for £500 / $500.

Aside from the speakers already released, LG says that the range-topping LG xboom Power 5000 and LG xboom Power 9000 speakers are also set to become available at the start of October, with pricing to be confirmed ahead of release.

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British manufacturer Majority has expanded its home audio range with four new products designed for listeners “who want modern music streaming but also want to use their CD collection”.

The new products include the Fitzwilliam trio – which includes the Fitzwilliam CD, Fitzwilliam Amp and Fitzwilliam CD Amp – and the Quadriga Maxi all-in-one system, which combines streaming with a built-in CD player and speakers.

According to Majority, the Fitzwilliam trio has been designed to “let customers choose the right starting point for the equipment they already own, from adding connected sources to an established system, to powering passive speakers”.

First up is the Fitzwilliam CD. This is a slot-loading CD player, which offers support for CD, CD-R and CD-RW formats.

Far from being limited to physical music, the Fitzwilliam CD also features wireless listening and streaming options via Bluetooth 5.2, Spotify Lossless, Amazon Music and Deezer, as well as USB MP3 playback and internet radio. There's even support for DAB, DAB+ and FM radio.

Another analogue source can be connected via stereo RCA inputs, while stereo RCA, optical and coaxial outputs offer a variety of analogue and digital options.

The Fitzwilliam CD’s front panel features an 8cm colour display, showing the station, track and menu information. Users can control the unit wirelessly by remote, through the OKTIV app, or manually using the front-panel buttons.

Alongside the Fitzwilliam CD, the Fitzwilliam Amp provides 100 watts per channel of Class-D power via its Texas Instruments amplifier. Streaming and radio options are built in, with support for Spotify Connect with Spotify Lossless, Amazon Music, Deezer, internet radio and podcasts.

DAB, DAB+ and FM radio are also included, alongside Bluetooth support and MP3 playback from USB drives up to 128GB.

The amplifier has optical and coaxial digital inputs alongside a standard stereo RCA connection. For further listening versatility, outputs include stereo passive speaker outs, stereo RCA pre-amplifier outputs and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

According to Majority, preset EQ modes and customisable ‘My EQ’ controls allow bass, treble and loudness to be adjusted “to suit the room and speakers”.

Last but not least is the Fitzwilliam CD Amp, which pairs a tray-loading CD player with 100 watts per channel of Class D power from a Texas Instruments amplifier.

Like the Fitzwilliam CD, the Fitzwilliam CD Amp supports CD, CD-R and CD-RW, alongside Spotify Lossless, Amazon Music, Deezer, Bluetooth, USB MP3, internet radio, podcasts, DAB/DAB+ and FM.

The Fitzwilliam CD Amp accepts digital and analogue sources thanks to its stereo RCA, optical and coaxial inputs. Outputs include stereo speaker, stereo RCA pre-amplifier, and 3.5mm headphone connections.

The CD Amp has an 8cm colour display screen and can be controlled using built-in physical controls, a remote, or the OKTIV app.

What if you want everything combined in a single box? That's where the Quadriga Maxi comes in. Boasting 200 watts of total power, the 2.1-channel system combines two 7.6cm full-range drivers with a built-in 13cm bass woofer for “room-filling listening without separate equipment”.

The Quadriga Maxi features a slot-loading CD player, with CD, CD-R, CD-RW and MP3 CD support, alongside Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Deezer, internet radio, podcasts, DAB/DAB+, FM, Bluetooth 5.2 and USB MP3 playback.

The all-in-one system includes optical, stereo RCA and 3.5mm aux inputs. For simple navigation of its extensive feature set, an 11cm colour display is provided, alongside wireless control options via remote and the OKTIV app.

The Fitzwilliam range and Quadriga Maxi are available now. Pricing is as follows:

- Fitzwilliam CD - £180 / €199
- Fitzwilliam Amp - £200 / €229
- Fitzwilliam CD Amp - £230 / €269
- Quadriga Maxi - £350 / €399

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Esoteric has launched the N-01XE, its latest music streamer which promises to blend an "exquisite metal construction" with high-grade components for an "authentic, emotionally engaging sound".

At its heart, the N-01XE incorporates Esoteric's Master Sound Discrete DAC, boasting the brand's second-generation 'G2' architecture for what it teases as a "breathtakingly powerful" and dynamic performance.

The DAC chip itself uses a dual-mono configuration with independent power transformers for left and right channels, contributing to what Esoteric describes as "a smooth, natural, and remarkably analogue-like sound".

The Discrete DAC G2 has been built using high-precision 'MELF' resistors and Esoteric's board-mounting technologies for a more powerful, musical and dynamic audio signature.

Further, Esoteric's own 'Network Engine G4' promises "top-of-the-line" processing power thanks to its powerful CPU and dedicated linear power supply, a configuration that aims to reduce distortion and contribute to the new player's "smooth, richly detailed" character.

The N-01XE is capable of supporting mega-hi-res files up to 48-bit/768kHz PCM alongside DSD512. In pursuit of digital-to-analogue conversion that matches the characteristics of both DSD and PCM files, dedicated digital processing algorithms have been independently developed for each format.

The new unit boasts a wide-ranging connectivity suite, including coaxial, optical and USB-C digital inputs alongside RCA and XLR analogue outputs. The N-01XE is Roon Ready, while wi-fi connectivity grants access to the likes of Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and Spotify.

On the outside, the network player's multi-layer chassis is built to prevent interference between the various circuit components, while a semi-floating top panel has been designed to contribute to the streamer's sonic openness. A set of isolation feet provides a stable foundation for the N-01XE's "focused, open soundstage".

The Esoteric N-01XE is available now, priced at £22,999 / $28,000 / €26,500. We've previously tested Esoteric's N-05XE streaming preamp (£13,000 / $13,000 / AU$17,000) and was mightily impressed with its excellent sound quality and superb engineering, so we imagine the new N-01XE sets an even higher bar.

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Telecommunications giant VodafoneThree has announced Vodafone TV, a set-top streaming box designed to bring streaming, live TV and gaming together on a single device.

The "small but powerful plug-in hub" gives you access to live TV channels via Freely and includes Netflix and HBO Max.

Catch-up apps such as BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Channel 4 are also available, and customers can add subscriptions to Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, and more on a 30-day rolling basis.

• Quiz! I made a TV tech crossword to test your knowledge - can you get 100%?

Vodafone TV comes with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as 4K picture resolution. The device runs on Android TV, powered by 3GB of RAM with 32GB of storage available.

In addition, 302 cloud games are available to stream for no extra cost, and further apps can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

The interface includes AI smart search, Google Assistant and personalised recommendations, while a companion smartphone app also lets users continue watching on the go.

Consumer Director at VodafoneThree, Rob Winterschladen, said: “Vodafone TV is so much more than TV, it’s a family entertainment platform that brings together live TV, On Demand, streaming, gaming, music and all the apps on the Google Play Store."

The Vodafone TV will face stiff competition from our current video streamer Product of the Year, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation), as well as fellow TV subscription Sky Stream.

Pricing is yet to be announced, but Vodafone TV will be available from October to new and existing customers with a home broadband, 5G Broadband or mobile plan.

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Xgimi has announced the Aura 3 series, which it claims is the world’s first 4K/120Hz UST projector lineup.

The series consists of two models: the flagship Aura 3 Max and the step-down Aura 3 Pro.

Both projectors will support 4K/120Hz gaming with VRR and ALLM, and they each boast an RGB Triple Laser light engine, a claimed 8000:1 native contrast ratio, and Dynamic Dual Iris Technology for "unprecedented contrast, depth and detail".

Xgimi claims a 200-inch maximum projection size, with a 120-inch image possible from just eight inches away from the wall.

There's also Google TV built in, as well as support for HDR in the HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. The projector is IMAX Enhanced certified as well.

Rather surprisingly, two pairs of 3D glasses are included for any remaining 3D fans out there, while audio is supplied by an 80W Harman Kardon speaker system with Dolby Atmos support.

Xgimi claims the Aura 3 Max can deliver brightness of up to 5700 ISO lumens, while the Aura 3 Pro tops out at 4100 ISO lumens. Prices are $2399 (around £1775 / AU$3335) and $2199 (around £1626 / AU$3057), respectively.

UST projectors have generally had to compromise on refresh rates at 4K, so the Aura 3 series will be particularly appealing to gamers looking for a TV replacement.

The AURA 3 Series will launch on Kickstarter on October 20th in the US, with pre-orders now open from Xgimi directly. Customers can unlock an extra $200 off by placing a $50 deposit.

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Roku has announced its first-ever OLED TVs: the Roku Pro Series OLED TV and Roku Pro Series LX OLED TV.

However, rather than just the panel tech, it's the aggressive pricing that has caught our attention.

Prices start at $999 (around £740/ AU$1389) for the 55-inch Pro Series OLED and $1299 (around £962/ AU$180) for the Pro Series LX OLED.

The Roku Pro Series OLED is available in 55- and 65-inch sizes, and comes with a 120Hz panel with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG. Gaming features include ALLM, VRR, and FreeSync Premium, and it also supports Dolby Atmos.

The step-up Roku Pro Series LX OLED TV adds a 144Hz refresh rate, a Roku Voice Remote Pro, an advanced polariser to cut reflections and "a brighter picture and even wider range of colors".

Both TVs will run on the popular Roku platform. We've found the operating system to be simple to use but a little basic, but the use of adverts, such as automatic startup ads, has proved controversial before.

“OLED technology has been locked behind premium price tags, forcing many customers to choose between the display they want or a price that works for them,” said Chris Larson, Vice President, Retail Strategy, Roku. “We see a clear opportunity to change that equation. With the new Roku Pro Series OLED and LX OLED TVs, we’re removing that cost barrier and making a top-tier viewing experience genuinely accessible.”

Cheap, good OLED TVs have long been elusive. The only other 55-inch OLED TV we've tested around this price was the three-star Toshiba XF9F at £799. If the Pro Series OLED can deliver, it could be the closest thing to an "affordable" OLED around at this size – even the aggressively priced LG B6 is sitting at £899 right now.

The Roku Pro Series OLED is available now in the US at Amazon, with the Pro Series LX releasing in October.

We've reached out to Roku about UK availability and will update this page if we hear back.

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Beyerdynamic has announced a new affordable pair of wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation at IFA 2026, called the Aventho Y.

According to Beyerdynamic, these closed-back, foldable headphones use 45mm dynamic drivers to deliver “Beyerdynamic’s renowned sound" and have been “designed for long-term ownership”.

The headphones are designed to be comfortable and durable, with components that can be replaced individually. These include a user-replaceable battery, magnetic earpads, aluminium sliders and stainless steel hinges.

The Aventho Y’s ANC system uses two built-in microphones to detect and filter out environmental sounds, reducing “background noise to a minimum”. A ‘Transparency Mode’ is also available, which lets sounds in so you can stay aware of your surroundings.

The headphones support Bluetooth 6.0 with multipoint connectivity, meaning that you can easily switch between two connected devices. Notably, the headphones only support standard AAC and SBC codecs.

In terms of battery life, Beyerdynamic quotes an impressive 60 hours with ANC switched on, which extends to 90 hours with ANC disabled. A full charge takes one hour, but just five minutes of fast charging will provide up to six hours of playback.

That comfortably beats Beyerdynamic's own Aventho 300 (50 hours with ANC on) and the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless (57 hours with ANC on), although both these models are double the price of the Aventho Y.

Through the Beyerdynamic app, users can customise the sound thanks to a 5-band EQ and genre-based sound presets, as well as receive firmware updates and manage automatic power settings.

According to Andreas Rapp, CEO of Beyerdynamic: "The Aventho Y was developed around a simple idea: audio isn't just something people hear – it's something they use every day to focus, recharge, connect and express themselves. We wanted to create a headphone that delivers the performance people expect from Beyerdynamic while giving them the freedom to make it their own – in both the sound they hear and the style they choose.”

The headphones come with a USB-C charging cable and a soft carry bag. Optional accessories, such as ultra-soft black or grey earpads, a low-latency USB-C dongle and a detachable boom microphone, can be purchased separately for those that want to further customise the Aventho Y's use case with music, gaming, videos and more.

The Beyerdynamic Aventho Y will be available in four colours – Liquid Black, Blue Fusion, Soft Jade and Peach Blush – and are set to cost £129 / €149 / $150.

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Anker has announced four additions to its Soundcore range, including the Space 2 Pro over-ear wireless headphones, Liberty Buds 2 wireless earbuds and Aeroclip 2 Pro and Aeroclip 2 open earbuds.

We only have limited details, but here’s what we know about the upcoming releases so far.

All of the new products use Anker’s latest 'Thus' chip. The new silicon is a compute-in-memory audio chip, which is designed to run AI calculations within its own memory, rather than splitting processing across several components, for improved efficiency and processing speed.

The new Space 2 Pro over-ear wireless headphones are the follow-up to the Soundcore Space 2, which our reviewers gave a two-star rating earlier this year, citing poor dynamics and detail compared with more talented competition at the price. The Space 2 Pro are £70 / $70 more expensive than the previous model and will cost £200 / $200, so we are hoping Anker has taken note of our reviewers' points.

Outside of this, Anker confirmed the Space 2 Pro have an optimised headband and “soft, skin-friendly ear cushions” for “pressure-free wear”. The headphones have a battery life of 60 hours (30 hours with ANC switched on), which is less than the Space 2, but a significant figure nonetheless.

Personalised audio will also be available in the form of HearID 5.0, which tests users’ hearing in order to provide a tailored sound curve.

Further features confirmed by Anker include adaptive ANC and enhanced call clarity, which are both delivered by eight sensors working in tandem with the AI chip.

Similarly, Anker claims the Liberty Buds 2 deliver “crystal clear calls in noisy environments”, thanks to an eight-sensor array working alongside the Thus chip. The company also says the new earbuds “block out chaos instantly”, using a six-sensor, full-band ANC system.

The Liberty Buds 2 weigh just 4.7g and also feature HearID 5.0 for personalised listening. For the drivers, we are told, the wireless earbuds use a 9.2mm wool paper diaphragm for “high dynamic detail”.

Anker hasn’t yet confirmed the Liberty Buds 2’s battery life.

According to the company, the AeroClip 2 Pro open buds are an “AI note-taker for every need”, thanks to the Thus chip, which captures online meetings and calls and “transcribes, summarises, answers and syncs your workflow.”

“Crystal clear calls” are yet again promised, this time courtesy of four high signal-to-noise ratio MEMS microphones and two bone conduction sensors, paired with built-in AI noise extraction.

The AeroClip 2 Pro use an 11.3mm dual diaphragm driver with ‘AdaptiveTune’ (Anker’s adaptive ANC option), which the company says provides “immersive sound in any environment”.

The open design features no silicon eartips, but promise “comfortable, secure all-day wear thanks to their C-shaped bridge.

A standard AeroClip 2 model will also be available. All we know about the product so far is that it will also use the Thus chip for clear calls and will have an eight-hour battery life.

The Space 2 Pro, Liberty Buds 2 and AeroClip 2 are set to launch on 22nd September, with retail availability in the UK, US and EU. The launch date of the AeroClip 2 Pro is yet to be announced, and Anker says that the product will only be available in the US. Full pricing is as follows:

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro: £200 / $200 / €200

Anker Soundcore Liberty Buds 2: £130 / $130 / (EU pricing TBC)

Anker Soundcore AeroClip 2 Pro: $230 (US only)

Anker Soundcore AeroClip 2: £160 / $170 / €180

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Read our Rotel Michi Q5 CD player review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

The best Bluetooth speakers around

What is Auracast? Find out here

The best outdoor speakers to buy before the weather turns

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

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

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

Turntables that make vinyl replay a doddle

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

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

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

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

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

Premium soundbars round-up

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

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

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

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

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

Budget stereo amplifier head-to-head

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

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

Floorstanders group test

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

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

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

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

First with reviews

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

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

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

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

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

High-end and mightily tempting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Read our Canvas HiFi Canvas 65 review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Check out our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here are the best soundbars we recommend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Read our original Sonos Ace review

And our five-star Sony WH-1000XM6 review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Era 300

Also consider the Apple HomePod 2

Best wireless speakers: tried and tested by our expert team

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE

Read our full Dali Sonik 1 review

And our Dali Kupid review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VALVES vs SOLID-STATE
Join the classic debate!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the full statement from Naim below:

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

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

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

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

MORE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Read our original Naim Uniti Star review

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

Naim Uniti Nova PE is the brand's most powerful streaming player yet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Check out our pick of the best speakers for all budgets, tested by our expert reviewers

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

A few weeks ago, Sony announced that its next-generation PlayStation console will ditch physical discs, which has (quite rightly) sent gamers and cinephiles alike into a frenzy.

Seeing this as an opportunity to one-up its arch-nemesis, which has dominated the home console market for years now, Xbox has announced a new feature that will give physical discs a lifeline – for now, at least...

Announced at Gamescom 2026, Xbox's new "disc to digital" initiative will let gamers acquire digital licenses for the physical games they own, essentially bundling the best aspects of physical and digital media into one.

Inserting a supported Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One game (Xbox says that thousands of titles are supported and more will be added over time) will prompt users to "claim a digital entitlement", essentially adding a digital version of their game to their library.

This allows them to fire up the game even when the disc isn't in the console, and it unlocks the ability to play the game practically anywhere, whether that's a friend's console that you're logged into, Xbox's Play Anywhere feature, or even the Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Crucially, though, users will still benefit from owning a physical copy of the game: Xbox says that this is an "important step toward a future where players can have greater confidence that the games they buy remain with them for years to come".

In other words, if you own a physical copy, your purchased titles can't suddenly disappear from your library – which is what happened when Sony removed hundreds of purchased films from PlayStation users' libraries recently.

Furthermore, you can still sell your disc or lend it to a friend without worry, as the digital license is transferable.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, in an interview with BBC News, stated that it will allow users to experience a best of both worlds approach, and claimed that "it's really a breakthrough in how we think about physical and digital media".

The feature will come to Xbox Insiders (the gaming firm's Beta software testers) on 31st August, with a wider rollout to all users expected down the line.

While this looks like a positive change on paper, it also suggests Xbox may follow Sony's lead and opt for an all-digital approach for its next consoles, though that remains speculation for now.

Xbox could be preparing its users by allowing them to digitise their existing physical library in readiness for a discless Xbox launching in the coming years, but only time will tell if that is the outcome.

MORE:

Read our full Xbox Series X review

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

A new entry-level addition to Samsung’s S26 range of premium smartphones has arrived – meet the S26 FE.

The new model sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s slightly bigger than the 6.3in screen used in its more expensive sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S26.

In terms of peak brightness, the S26 FE can go up to 1900 nits, and when we had a chance to get up close with pre-production models during Samsung’s launch event, its display seemed colourful yet balanced while watching test footage under bright lighting.

This is most likely helped by the Samsung Vision Booster, a technology that improves screen visibility and colour reproduction.

We'll have to see the phone under natural outdoor lighting to see how it truly performs, but we are hoping its well-sized screen and solid specs could make it a promising contender for movie lovers on the go.

Its camera setup includes a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom on the back of the phone. At the front, you will spot a 12MP selfie camera at the top.

The S26 FE also offers 45W charging, which the brand claims can get your phone to 70 per cent in half an hour. You can get up to 28 hours of video playback from a single charge, which is only two hours less than the S26.

The processor has been given a boost, offering Exynos 2500. That’s still not on par with the more premium Exynos 2600 found in the standard S26, but it is an upgrade from the previous FE iteration. On top of that, the new model also runs on Android 17 and offers seven generations of updates.

The phone weighs in at 193g and, based on our first impression, it seems impressively lightweight and well-built.

The S26 FE will set you back £699 for the 128GB model, £799 for 256GB of storage and £949 for the top 512GB handset. This is slightly higher than the previous S25 FE, which started at £649 for the cheapest model, but that could be down to the RAM crisis, which has hiked up smartphone prices across the board.

There are three colours to choose from: Pistachio, Graphite and Blueberry.

When we reviewed the top-of-the-range Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, we were dazzled by its feature-packed software experience and contrast-rich picture. If the S26 FE can offer a chunk of that five-star performance for a fraction of the price, then it could be a great contender for film fans on the move.

MORE:

Check out the best smartphones for every budget

Read our full Samsung S26 Ultra review

Sony’s latest budget smartphone claims to double the brightness of its predecessor

The only certain things in life are death, taxes, and an annual iPhone event in September.

Sure enough, Apple has just announced an event for 9th September. I wonder what that could be about?

Actually, I’m doing Apple a disservice there, because this event, which has the tagline ‘Surprise And Shine’, is expected to be a little different to previous years.

That’s because rumours suggest that it won’t feature the ‘standard’ iPhone 18, which most in-the-know types currently think is set for a launch in spring next year.

Instead, the 9th September event is tipped to focus on the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and [drumroll] Apple’s first foldable phone.

As AV nerds, we are of course very excited to see the foldable iPhone, which rumours suggest could be called the iPhone Ultra.

If it can combine the awesomely cinematic picture tuning of Apple’s existing iPhones with a near-tablet-sized screen and a movie-friendly aspect ratio, it could well be the ultimate phone for movies on the move.

What about AirPods, HomePods and the Apple TV?

But what else might we see at the event? August has been chock-full of rumours about new Apple devices, including the AirPods 5 (one version with ANC, the other without), the controversial AirPods with camera, a new HomePod Mini and HomePod 3, and even the long-overdue Apple TV 4K replacement.

Will any of those appear on 9th September? Personally, I’m not convinced.

To me, it feels like the wrong time to launch the AirPods with a camera, given the current controversy around camera-enabled glasses. I can’t see Apple wading into those murky waters at this stage.

The AirPods 5 look very much ready to go, but they also look like a fairly iterative update to the AirPods 4, which would likely leave them a bit forgotten if they were announced at the same event as the fancy new Pro and Ultra iPhones.

The rumoured new HomePod and HomePod Mini, on the other hand, feel like announcements that are too big to risk being overshadowed by the foldable phone.

My guess is that the new AirPods and HomePods will be announced at a dedicated event in October, where we might also finally see the new Apple TV 4K, which could have some clever new synergy with the HomePods.

As ever with Apple, though, this is really just rumour-fuelled guesswork. Thankfully, we don't have long to wait to find out what's actually coming, as 9th September isn't far away.

Apple will be streaming the event live at Apple.com. Kick-off time is 6pm in the UK, 10am in the US (PT), and 3am on 10th September in Australia.

MORE:

Here's everything we know so far about the iPhone 18, the new foldable iPhone, and the new Apple TV 4K

Here are the best smartphones and best wireless headphones you can buy right now

Yamaha has expanded its streaming-capable hi-fi lineup with the unveiling of two new products: the WXA-70A streaming amplifier and the WXC-70A network music streamer.

Both fresh-faced additions aim to build on the legacy of the 10-year-old WXA- & WXC-50, with Yamaha promising a potent blend of compact streaming convenience and engineering which delivers "a level of musical satisfaction that approaches full-size hi-fi components".

The WXA-70A streaming amp boasts 70 watts of Class D amplification per channel into 8 ohms. At the heart of both new models is an ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M DAC working in tandem with Yamaha’s high-precision internal processing and stable output architecture, designed to offer "expressive bass" alongside a natural, energetic tone.

Both products employ high-precision internal digital signal processing and clock-rebuilding 'ASRC' technology, designed to help maintain "clarity, timing accuracy and spatial precision". Yamaha’s proprietary 'YPAO' room calibration tech, meanwhile, seeks to optimise playback depending on your given listening environment.

The WXA-70A and WXC-70A are well-equipped with connections, offering optical, line-level and auxiliary inputs, as well as HDMI eARC for integration within a TV or home cinema set-up. For boosting your bass, a dedicated subwoofer output is provided on both, with the WXC-70A streamer also offering optical and coaxial outputs.

On the streaming side, both are powered by Yamaha's 'MusicCast' streaming platform and app, granting support for AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify, Qobuz and Tidal Connect, as well as multi-room audio and Roon Ready certification.

The larger WXA-70A and more compact WXC-70A are housed in a rigid aluminium enclosure that promises to be a vibration-resistant structure, which further helps to give each model a "cleaner and more expressive sound".

The Yamaha WXA-70A streaming amp is priced at £1199 / $1300 / AU$1999, while the WXC-70A streamer will set you back £859 / $1000 / AU$1599 with both models set to be available from November.

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High-performance preamplifiers that pack streaming smarts have become a bit of a burgeoning hi-fi category in recent years.

And McIntosh has a new offering which not only delivers both but also packages them using the company’s trademark design cues.

The CS7500 features a signature black glass front panel, illuminated logo and precision rotary knobs, plus an elevated chassis and custom-machined brushed end caps.

It’s also an amplifier of two halves, boasting a mirror-polished stainless steel lower chassis, partnered with a hairline-brushed black titanium stainless steel upper chassis.

And it wouldn’t be a McIntosh without a splash of colour from its iconic blue meters, which peer out of the front of the amplifier like a pair of demonic eyes.

The CS7500 offers a broad range of connections as you’d expect and includes six analogue inputs, including two balanced, three unbalanced, and a dedicated phono stage for connecting a turntable.

You also have seven digital audio inputs, which all take advantage of the CS7500’s Quad Balanced, 8-channel, 32-bit digital-to-analogue converter (DAC). The USB Type-B socket on the rear of the preamp supports native DSD512 files and DXD up to 384kHz, while its coaxial and optical inputs support playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

You can also extract audio from your TV thanks to its HDMI ARC socket.

On the output front, you have two pairs of balanced and unbalanced variable outputs, plus a fixed unbalanced output for connecting different power amp configurations.

The second set of balanced and unbalanced outputs can also be dedicated to a single subwoofer or pair of stereo subwoofers should your room require a bit more boom.

Streaming support extends to Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect with Spotify Lossless, TIDAL Connect with TIDAL Max, AirPlay, Google Cast, and Roon. There’s also Apple AirPlay and Google Cast for playing music stored on local devices plus Bluetooth aptX HD and aptX Adaptive.

As you’d expect, the McIntosh CS7500 will have a suitably premium price tag of $12,500 / $17,750 CAD when it goes on sale on the 28th August through authorised McIntosh dealers.

MORE:

Our pick of the best music streamers you can buy

And the best stereo amplifiers for every budget

And the best hi-fi systems

Sony has announced the newest addition to its budget line of smartphones – enter the Sony Xperia 10 VIII.

It offers a handful of upgrades over its predecessor, the Xperia 10 VII, and follows on from the Award-winning Xperia 10 VI.

The new model boasts a claimed peak brightness that is double that of the previous smartphone to deliver “improved visibility even outdoors”, although Sony has not disclosed the exact figures.

The Japanese brand also claims that the stereo speaker system (made up of the earpiece and a bottom-firing speaker) features “revised tuning”, which will supposedly deliver “improved volume and sound quality”.

Sony says that volume is boosted by 15 per cent and these speakers can also output 30 per cent stronger bass than the previous model.

There are still a fair few similarities with its older sibling, though. Like the VII model, it runs on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 with 8GB of RAM, and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery that Sony claims can last for up to two days.

Resolution and size have also stayed the same, with a 6.1-inch screen with a 2340 x 1080 OLED display.

The camera set-up is familiar too, with the 10 VIII sporting a 50-megapixel main and 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens on the back, as well as an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

We are glad to see that the 3.5 mm aux jack has stuck around, and cements Sony as one of the best for audio features in the smartphone market.

You can choose from three colour finishes for the Xperia VIII: Frozen White, Frosted Grey and Misted Lilac.

The Xperia 10 VIII is launching at £549 in the UK, making it £150 more expensive than its predecessor.

That would feel more warranted if there were more hefty upgrades, but it’s a hard sell considering it has the same chipset and camera. That said, the ongoing RAM crisis is likely the cause, with smartphone prices rising across the board.

We're eager to find out if Sony has delivered another five-star budget portable AV machine, so stay tuned for our full review.

MORE:

Check out our review of the Sony Xperia 10 VI

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There has been much talk recently about the rumoured upcoming release of AirPods with built-in cameras, but a new report from Bloomberg’s chief correspondent for Apple, Mark Gurman, suggests that the most imminent generation of AirPods might be a touch more familiar than anticipated.

According to Gurman’s report, Apple is preparing to launch the 5th generation of the standard AirPods next month. This will be an update on the current AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, which were released in 2024.

The AirPods 5 is set to consist of the same two models – one with ANC and one without.

The report suggests that the AirPods 5 could arrive in early September, coinciding with Apple’s annual iPhone launch event, which is predicted to see several new products including the iPhone 18 series, a new Apple Watch and the first folding iPhone Fold (or iPhone Ultra).

Apple expanded its standard non-Pro AirPods range in 2024 to include the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. These are the brand's most affordable wireless earbuds and don't come with eartips like the flagship Pro models do, and they were a marked improvement over the AirPods 3 and featured ANC in the 'open' design for the first time.

We awarded the AirPods 4 with ANC a four-star review for their “impressive ANC”, “powerful sound” and an “extensive feature set that borrows from the flagship model”, while criticising poor battery life, earbuds shape that still didn't fit everyone in our review team, and a sound that could do with “a greater dose of dynamic subtlety, solidity and punch".

Given the expected similarities between the upcoming release and the previous generation, we are hoping that Apple will have taken note of these areas and improve the standard AirPods even further.

Will they adopt more of the flagship AirPods Pro 3's features, will the prices for the AirPods 5 change or remain the same, or will Apple make any surprise overhauls of its popular earbuds? In such a competitive market as wireless earbuds, it will be interesting to see if Apple makes any substantial changes to stay ahead, or if the updates will be incremental between the generations. We shall find out soon enough, if the launch rumours are true.

What features or improvements would you like to see in the AirPods 5? Let us know in the comments.

MORE:

Read our Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review

Also read our Apple AirPods Pro 3 review

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

FiiO has unveiled the EA13, a full-size vacuum tube amplifier designed to bring the allure of classic valve amplification in a modern, feature-heavy design.

The FiiO EA13 houses six tubes and Class A push-pull circuitry, delivering 28 watts per channel at 8 ohms, with circuitry designed to "preserve both the smallest details and the scale of a performance".

Digging deeper into the amplification, the new model houses two Sylvania NOS PCF80 preamplifier tubes, selected for their "refined, transparent presentation" and an "open, natural soundstage". Accompanying the aforementioned pair are four JJ Electronmic EL34 power tubes to round out that six-tube configuration.

Key to the new amplifier's performance is a low-noise output transformer, built to suppress unwanted vibrations while improving electromagnetic shielding and stability. The result, says FiiO, is a ​tauter, fuller bass reproduction wedded to a refined treble and improved dynamic handling.

On the connections side, four RCA line-level inputs are available. Like most valve amplifier designs, there are 4 ohm and 8 ohm speaker outputs depending on the nominal impedance of your speaker. For personal listening, a 6.35mm single-ended headphone output is found at the front of the unit.

The EA13 has been designed to house classic valve engineering within a modern chassis. The amplifier has a CNC-machined aluminium front panel which has been sandblasted for a more tactile finish, while a solid metal body has been built to offer electromagnetic shielding.

To complete the vintage hi-fi look, the EA13 houses two mechanical VU meters front and centre, flanked by backlit volume and input selector knobs.

The FiiO EA13 amplifier is out now, priced at £769 / $769 / €665.

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Eversolo has launched two multitasking network music streamers, the DMP-A8 Gen 2 and DMP-A8 Master Gen 2. These pack in network streaming, high-resolution DAC, analogue preamplifier and a host of connectivity, with near-identical features and a refreshed design across both products.

How do you tell them apart? Well, the Master Gen 2 model now has a custom top-loading CD player built-in, meaning you can play your physical CD collection along with your digital music library files and streamed playlists from just one multi-tasking box.

The DMP-A8 Gen 2 and DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 otherwise share plenty of the same streaming and connectivity features. They have full network streaming abilities (wi-fi and wired), including DLNA compatibility so you can stream stored digital files from a connected NAS drive.

There's support for popular and niche music streaming services, while Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect and Bluetooth are on the menu.

As before, both Eversolo models pair an AK4191EQ digital processor with an AK4499EX DAC for greater precision, with support for hi-res music files up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512.

Updates include a more powerful and faster eight-core processing platform, 8GB of memory and 64GB of internal storage. As we found with the Eversolo DMP-A10, there is an awful lot that an Eversolo streamer and its interface can can do, so the increased processing power in the new streamers will no doubt be welcome, ensuring the interface remains responsive while handling hi-res files, large libraries and switching between various sources.

You can also install an optional internal SSD with up to 8TB of storage on both models, so you can save and access your digital music downloads locally.

Both also function as preamplifiers, thanks to an analogue-domain volume control and a fully balanced analogue output stage. This means you can connect either product to a power amplifier or a pair of active speakers and use the Eversolo as control; or you can use either one purely as a network streamer when connected to an integrated amplifier.

Physical connections include AES/EBU, optical and coaxial digital, along with balanced XLR and RCA line-level analogue connections. There are also USB Type-B and HDMI ARC/eARC inputs, and a dedicated subwoofer output with adjustable crossover settings.

Along with the integrated CD player, the Master Gen 2 features a more sophisticated clocking system than the standard DMP-A8 Gen 2 and adds a 10MHz external clock input, allowing those with "more advanced digital systems the option of connecting the Eversolo to a compatible external clock and using a shared precision timing reference across their digital audio equipment."

The aluminium chassis has been redesigned for both second generations, with a larger 8.6-inch touchscreen display that shows off playback information, album artwork, all sources and apps, as well as display options which include VU meters and spectrum analysers.

Both Eversolo models also feature Eversolo's 'evotune Pro' room correction system, and a 20-band parametric EQ that you can fine-tune to your heart's content.

The Eversolo DMP-A8 Gen 2 is available now and costs £1949 / $1980 / AU$3299, while the DMP-A8 Master Edition Gen 2 will cost you a little more at £2489 / $2590 / AU$4299.

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Ever heard of gallium nitride (GaN)? It sounds like a material from a galaxy far, far away or a dietary supplement used by Wolverine, but it’s actually a type of semiconductor material and an alternative to conventional silicon.

Going for it is the fact that it allows for higher switching frequencies and it can handle power and heat more efficiently. It can also be packaged much smaller too.

The material is already used in some home hi-fi electronics, but the Burmester and Porsche application is claimed to be the first use of the tech in an in-car environment.

Working together with the University of Stuttgart, Porsche has adapted GaN tech for use in the Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound System.

Here, it uses a chip based on the material to take care of the voltage conversion needed for the 400W subwoofer amplifier.

Because less energy is required and less heat is generated, you don’t need as much cooling, which means you can use smaller heat sinks – Porsche claims it can make them 20 per cent lighter and also make passive components smaller, thus reducing the size and weight of your amplifier.

One of the biggest challenges for car audio engineers is always the system packaging and being able to make the most of the available space in the car, and this seems to be a convenient way of adding extra versatility without sacrificing performance.

Because less aluminium is used, less heat is generated during the manufacturing process, which has the knock-on effect of reducing CO₂ emissions during amplifier production, so it’s good news from an eco perspective, too.

There's no word on which cars will be the first to feature the tech, but Porsche has confirmed that gallium nitride for Burmester High-End Sound will enter series production and make its debut "in a future Porsche vehicle in 2027".

MORE:

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

And our Burmester High-End Surround Sound System (2020 Porsche 911) review

Porsche is bringing Dolby Atmos audio to its in-car hi-fis, but there’s a catch

Sport-centric audio brand Shokz has announced its latest pair of bone conduction headphones, the OpenRun Air 2.

Built for runners, sports-ready headphones use an open design whereby the drivers sit outside of the ear rather than burrowing into the ear canal, so you're always aware of your surroundings. Over-ear hooks and a wraparound stability band keep the headphones in place. Think of the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, and you're in the right area.

The new OpenRun Air 2 deploy Shokz's 'PremiumPitch' technology, which is designed to offer greater extension to higher frequencies while delivering clearer mids and a deeper bass signature.

The drivers feature a metallic dual-coil design that again aims to deliver clear vocals and a defined low-frequency signature within a balanced, clear sonic experience.

The OpenRun Air 2 are IP67 rated, so sweat and rain shouldn't be a problem. Battery life clocks in at 10 hours on a single charge, with a five-minute boost delivering around two hours of playback in a pinch.

Further features include Bluetooth Multipoint for fast switching between devices, four preset equaliser modes, customisable physical buttons, and a 'Find My Headphone' feature whereby the Shokz will play a loud tone if you've misplaced them.

The Shokz OpenRun Air 2 are available in the US in Black or Ice Blue colourways, priced at $130, with buyers able to choose between Standard and Mini band sizes. We'll keep you updated on future availability in other territories.

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Read our Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review

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FiiO has unveiled a new cassette player, but it's not the one the brand was originally planning to launch. Confused? Let us explain.

As the company explained in a post on X, plans were initially in place to launch the new CP15 cassette player, but this has now been delayed due to challenges with getting the new ultra-thin loading mechanism to work.

Instead, FiiO has switched things around and teased the CP11, another portable cassette player that will fill the gap left by the CP15. FiiO has a history in this category, cashing in on the retro revival with its CM13 cassette player, which we tried out a few years ago, and its portable DM13 CD player.

According to FiiO, the new CP11 will feature "an all-new ultra-thin mechanism" and a "higher-quality magnetic head," along with a brushless motor, an overhauled circuit design, and Bluetooth functionality for beaming your music wirelessly to compatible headphones or earbuds.

Photos revealed on X show at least three available colours – red, beige cream, and a light turquoise blue – though there could be more beyond the provided images.

As for its official release, FiiO has said "the end of 2026", but no specific price or date has been given just yet. When we get further information, we'll be sure to share it with you.

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A new pair of Beats wireless headphones is on the way, according to a fresh leak.

The upcoming Beats 360 have been teased before in various formats. But the latest glimpse of the premium over-ears all but confirms the headphones are on the way.

The latest leak stemmed from MacRumours, which discovered a Beats codename in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 software update

This isn't the first time that the 360 have prematurely broken cover. Leaked product listings have already been discovered in the past few weeks, whereas multiple Reddit users found the headphones listed on major retailers, including Amazon, before they were subsequently removed.

The mooted cans have also shown up on US Federal Communications Commission documents, and were even given to various global football stars to wear during the World Cup.

Thanks to these continuing accidental (and not-so-accidental) reveals, we do know quite a bit about the upcoming wireless cans. No release date has been officially revealed yet, but now-redacted listings suggest the 360 are a more lifestyle-oriented pair of wireless headphones designed as much for workouts and leisure wear as for work and commuting.

MacRumours reveals further specifications from previously unearthed product listings, including personalised spatial audio, active noise cancelling, AI-powered voice calls, "all-day battery life" (no official figures have broken cover just yet) and easy integration with both Apple and Android devices.

What about price? This is still a decidedly premium pair of wireless headphones, with prices expected to hover around the $300 mark. That's a lot less than big-hitters such as the Sony WH-1000XM6 ($450) and AirPods Max 2 ($550), and a little more affordable than the Beats Studio Pro we reviewed at $350 way back in 2023.

Colour options include Pink, Black, Sky, and Cloud, with Volt (AKA yellow) and Navy potentially on the menu as well.

With so many recent leaks and so much information about the Beats 360 readily available online – not always released by accident – a proper launch seems imminent.

Will we see the Beats 360 arrive before the end of 2026? We wouldn't be surprised if they did. Apple's launch event is coming in September, which could be the perfect time to launch the 360 alongside the also-teased Apple HomePod Mini 2 and HomePod 3.

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Read our review of the Sony WH-1000XM6

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Japanese high-end audio manufacturer, Esoteric, has launched a new turntable, the T-01, which includes a contactless magnetic drive system for “uncompromising precision, energy, and realism”.

The T-01 turntable costs £41,999 / $50,000 and includes features from the company’s flagship record player, the Grandioso T1, such as a triple-layer aluminium and MDF cabinet construction and 10MHz external clock synchronisation. The turntable’s clock sync is compatible with the G-01XD and G-05 Master Clock, too.

The turntable also features a Magne-Float platter, which uses magnetic repulsion to reduce the effective mass of the platter from 13kg to 4kg, thereby minimising spindle bearing friction.

The patented drive system, which the company calls “Esoteric MagneDrive” was first used in its Grandioso T1 record player. Esoteric says that the system achieves “extraordinary rotational silence, stability and high-torque performance, revealing music with uncompromising precision, energy and realism”.

According to Esoteric, the “MagneDrive” system was more than five years in the making. It sees a soft Iron induction wheel surrounding the lower part of the aluminium platter, which spins in response to the rotation of a magnetic driver mounted on the drive motor. Consequently, there is no direct physical contact between the platter and motor assembly, keeping the platter isolated from the motor's vibrations.

The turntable has rotational speeds of 33⅓ and 45 RPM, and features a +/- 12 per cent speed adjustment option (in 0.1 per cent increments).

The T-01 consists of a main unit and a power supply unit, which Esoteric says will enhance “sound isolation”.

The turntable will be available with or without a tonearm, priced £38,999 / $46,000 without tonearm and £41,999 / $50,000 with the tonearm included.

Shipping begins in September.

MORE

Read our full Esoteric F-01/PS-01F review

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We're expecting to see a new Apple TV 4K in the coming weeks, and now comes word it should have a new Siri remote control.

Source code embedded in Apple's desktop operating system macOS 26.7 contains references to "ATVRemote1,5", which is thought to be a new Siri remote, MacRumors notes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously mentioned a new Siri remote.

So what could it do differently?

Unfortunately, the code offers no details. But with Siri AI rumoured to come as part of tvOS 27, it would make sense to offer a new and improved remote control for interacting with Apple's personal assistant.

Could we see a dedicated source button? A built-in speaker for Find My functionality? New ways to interact with Siri and its new AI powers?

The next Apple TV is rumoured to have a new processor (possibly the A18 Pro or A19 Pro), which would be an upgrade on the current model's A15 Bionic (the same as used in the iPhone 13 from 2021). A new processor would make the device run faster with more RAM, with improved ray-tracing and better graphics rendering for games.

It's also thought to have Apple's N1 chip which offers both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth.

The current Apple TV 4K launched all the way back in 2022, so an upgrade is long overdue (just ask our senior staff writer Lewis Empson – see 1, 2, 3). The new model is expected to launch in either September (possibly alongside the iPhone 18 range) or October.

MORE:

Check out our full Apple TV 4K (2022) review

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R.E.M.’s sophomore album, Reckoning, is about to get a sonic upgrade.

The 1984 American rock classic is set to be released on 180-gram vinyl, with audio sourced from the album’s original master tapes, on 18th September. The reissue comes as the latest addition to Intercope-Capitol Records Definitive Sound Series.

The original co-producers of the album, Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, were personally involved with the release, which was mastered by Grammy-award winning engineer, Chris Bellman.

According to a post shared by R.E.M on Instagram, the involvement of the original engineers “helped ensure that every decision remained faithful to the warmth, dynamics, balance and distinctive character of the original 1984 recording.”

Upon hearing the upgraded masters, Dixon commented that he was “hearing details within the recording that had escaped him on previous vinyl editions”.

When it was released in April, 1984, Reckoning found widespread critical acclaim. One of the album’s songs, So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry), secured R.E.M. their first ever spot in the Billboard Hot 100.

As part of Interscope-Capitol Records’ Definitive Sound Series, the band’s debut EP, Chronic Town, and debut album, Murmur, have also been reissued as limited editions. Both releases have since sold out.

The Definitive Sound Series edition of Reckoning is available to pre-order now and will be limited to 5000 numbered copies – so move fast if you want to hear So. Central Rain like never before.

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