Put that pizza down! Bin those takeaway menus, resist the urge to boot up the Dominos app and do something that your ears, and waistline, will thank you for: spend your money on a brilliant Bluetooth speaker instead.

For about the same price as your Saturday night takeout, you could get yourself a JBL Go 4 for just £27 at Amazon this Prime Day, down from its original price of £40. That's a saving of around 33 per cent on the best pocket-sized Bluetooth speaker on the market.

It doesn't taste particularly good (although we haven't actually tried), but it does sound the business.

Best JBL Go 4 Bluetooth speaker deal

It's remarkable how much performance JBL has managed to wring out of the soap-sized Go 4. It's handsome, well-equipped, durable and, for its size, remarkably talented sonically

The Go 4's IP67 rating means that dust and limited submersion in water will leave no lasting damage, and the general robustness of construction here is truly admirable.

Battery life is up to roughly 7 hours of standard playtime, with two more hours via Playtime Boost.

Playtime Boost will suck out most of the bass from the speaker's presentation, but that aside, the Go 5 sounds remarkably good considering its size and price. Thanks in part to its 45mm driver and that hollow-contour logo, the fifth-gen model is the meatiest, most robust sounding Go that we've yet heard, with a fuller, more powerful reproduction than its fourth-gen predecessor.

As our review stated, the fifth-gen speaker is tuned "to have an innate understanding of how your music should sound. Nothing here is overdone or overly coloured, but it shares its bigger siblings’ ability to go with the flow as we bounce around tracks and genres".

If your budget is limited, the Go 4 is our go-to recommendation – ditch the late night curry and pick one up on Amazon.

MORE:

Prime Day 2026 Live: all the top TV, soundbar and projector deals handpicked by our home cinema experts

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Discounts galore! These are the best Amazon Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

As a deals writer, I spend my days hunting down the best savings on What Hi-Fi? recommended products, whether that's the latest home cinema release, hi-fi separate or other AV tech.

For Prime Day, though, I didn't have to hunt very hard – we've been flooded with savings, and luckily, most of them have been rather good.

So to celebrate, I've put together a little visual collection of some of the best Prime Day deals so far from the worlds of hi-fi and home cinema.

As always, these are all deals on products that we have tested and rated ourselves, and our expert reviewers have given them at least four stars – or, in some cases, five stars and maybe even a What Hi-Fi? Award.

I'll go into detail down below, but for now, feast your eyes on these great Prime Day savings.

The LG C5 won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards at our most recent ceremony, thanks to its excellent picture quality and incredible gaming specs. There are LG C5 deals on virtually every size, but we've highlighted the 42-inch model as it gives you an Award-winning LG OLED TV for only £623.

The Dali Oberon 5 are a bit long in the tooth now, but they're still remarkably accomplished floorstanders for anyone getting into hi-fi or working on a budget. This is the first decent discount we've seen on the speakers – our Editor-in-Chief has been waiting half a decade.

The Award-winning Hisense AX5125H gave us quite the shock when we tested it – despite its low price tag, the soundbar system produced a room-filling, sofa-shaking, exuberant sound with amazing scale and a convincing Dolby Atmos effect. Get it quick, as it was also on offer during Black Friday last year and promptly sold out.

The JBL Charge 6 is our current Product of the Year in the wireless speaker category, thanks to its expansive, detailed and clear sound from a portable design. It hasn't been this low in price since Black Friday and is the top Bluetooth speaker deal we'd recommend this Prime Day.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 may have been replaced by their successor, the XM6, but they had a long reign as one of our favourite wireless over-ear headphones and are still an excellent choice to this day – especially at this new lowest price.

If you're looking for more budget headphones, then it doesn't get much cheaper than the Earfun Air. They're only £23, and are five-star earbuds that still offer great value.

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Prime Day 2026 Live: all the top TV, soundbar and projector deals handpicked by our home cinema experts

Prime Day 2026 Live: the best headphone, speaker and vinyl deals picked by our hi-fi experts

Amazon Prime Day 2026 is officially in full swing, and if you've been on the hunt for one of the best Bluetooth speakers at a dropdown price, now is the time to strike.

For just £100 at Amazon, the five-star JBL Charge 6 can be yours for a mega £70 off its official RRP, making this the joint-lowest we've ever seen the class-leading speaker sink. The last time, in case you're interested, was during Black Friday of last year.

Either way, the Charge 6 demands your attention. At around the £100 mark it's by far the best in the business – if we had to recommend one Bluetooth speaker deal this Prime Day, it would be this one.

The JBL Charge 6 holds the top spot amongst the best Bluetooth speakers we've ever tested, a position that was previously held by its longstanding predecessor, the outstanding Charge 5.

If you're looking for an excellent all-round performer that has all the bases covered, the Charge 6 reigns supreme. The sixth-gen model took what we loved about the Charge 5 and improved upon it, so much so we rewarded it with a What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year Award for its troubles.

When it comes to the Charge 6, you get an even more waterproof, dustproof and drop-proof model boasting an IP68 rating, beefier bumper guards and a handy carry-handle for portability.

The audio has been upped, too. To quote from our review: "The Charge 6 certainly sounds more powerful, but that muscle and authority are heard throughout the frequency range, not just in the lower end. The sound is clearer and more detailed than before, with vocals given extra solidity and textural depth; the highs soar with punch but clarity."

Plus, the 'AI Sound Boost' is on hand to analyse the speaker's sound in real time to optimise its output and ensure that you're getting the punchiest and most powerful sound, at all times and in all places.

On top of all this, there's plenty of features to boast about, too. There's Auracast audio sharing, 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio via USB-C, and a hefty 24 hours of juice, plus four extra with Playtime Boost, as well as doubling up as a power bank for your smartphone or portable device.

With a barnstorming £70 off at Amazon, you could secure yourself one of the best Bluetooth speakers we've ever tested at its joint-lowest price. If you're happy having it in a natty white finish, of course.

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Prime Day 2026 Live: all the top TV, soundbar and projector deals handpicked by our home cinema experts

Prime Day 2026 Live: the best headphone, speaker and vinyl deals picked by our hi-fi experts

Amazon Prime Day has barely even started yet, and already this might be the best hi-fi deal you're going to find all week. The JBL SA550 Classic stereo amplifier has absolutely plummeted from from £1749 to an unbelievably low £499 at Peter Tyson, meaning you could save £1250 on some proper hi-fi pedigree.

We'll repeat that. £1250. It boggles the mind.

You'll have to head over to Peter Tyson to take advantage, but that doesn't matter! We're looking for the best deals across all major retailers during the Prime Day period, so don't think that we're restricting ourselves to Amazon-only.

Best JBL SA550 Classic early Prime Day deal

The JBL SA550 Classic integrated amplifier blends stylish retro appeal with great build quality and, at this level, a stunning low price. The amp feels solid to the touch, while the front panel's brushed fascia contrasts neatly with its exterior wooden panels to add an air of luxurious desirability.

Its power output is rated at 90W into 8 ohms, with the amp favouring Class G amplification and twin internal power supplies for greater efficiency.

In terms of connectivity, the JBL amp offers aux and headphone inputs at the front, while the back panel houses a set of speaker terminals, four analogue inputs (including a moving magnet phono stage for a turntable), and three digital inputs, which feed the amp’s ESS ES9038K2M DAC chip.

There's also Bluetooth connectivity with support for aptX Adaptive if you have a compatible source.

It's not like JBL is giving away a white elephant here, either. During testing, we found the SA550 Classic incredibly easy to get along with thanks to its smooth, cohesive and weighty delivery. To quote from our review: "thanks to the amp’s smooth nature, high frequencies never come close to sounding uncomfortable, even with particularly poor recordings."

It's capable of being a lot of fun, too. A track such as Empire State Of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys goes hard thanks to the JBL's enthusiastic reproduction of the track’s thumping bassline, and despite sounding a little fat, it still does more than enough to capture the song's propulsive energy.

We thought the JBL was a good shout at its full asking price, but now it's crashed down to £499 at Peter Tyson, we think it demands an even closer look. More than £1000 off? Bafflingly outrageous value. Has the best Prime Day discount just arrived, and it wasn't even on Amazon? Quite possibly.

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Discounts galore! These are the best early Amazon Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

These are the best stereo amplifiers you can buy

Ah, the humble soundbar. You might not think from first glance that they are anything special. After all, their unassuming designs are usually built to blend into your living room in front of your TV virtually unnoticed.

But these compact champions can play a crucial part in your home cinema setup. If you have the right model, your TV’s (almost certainly) lacklustre audio can be upgraded to deliver immersive yet detailed sound with clear voices.

As with any piece of home cinema kit, there is a huge variety when it comes to quality and price. If you are looking on the more affordable end of the spectrum (take the Creative Stage Pro, for instance), you will rarely find Dolby Atmos support. For those who have bigger budgets, you will find more premium models with the specifications to match.

So which models are worth your time? We have tested oodles of bars over the years since the category emerged in the 2000s, so we know which soundbars are genuinely good sonic performers.

With Amazon Prime Day almost upon us (it officially runs from the 23rd to the 26th June), we have already spotted some stellar bargains on top-performing soundbars. All the models below have been thoroughly tested by our experts, and have achieved either a four or five-star rating.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Samsung HW-Q990F

Check out the best soundbars

These are the best budget bars on the market

In a sea of monochrome black and greige dominating the market, JBL’s Gen Z-friendly wireless headphones stand out by a mile.

Available in a variety of stylish colours – including the bright orange of our review sample – the JBL Live 780NC over-ears offer a playful and youthful contender that still ticks all the right boxes in this heaving market: good design, good sound, good price.

Price

Sandwiched between JBL’s premium Tour series and its more budget Tune range, the Live series of wireless headphones occupy a mid-range price bracket where there is a scarcity of five-star offerings.

At £170 / $250 / AU$300, the Live 780NC are a little over half the price of popular premium wireless over-ear headphones from Sony, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins and Sennheiser, but sit above the stupendously talented and budget Sony WH-CH720N, which can now be found for as little as £75 / $100 / AU$148.

The five-star Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT are available for £129 (around $199 / AU$269), but lack any active noise cancelling, while other headphones at this price – from Philips and Soundcore – haven’t quite made their mark. Plenty of opportunity for JBL to stand out, then.

Build & design

Whereas many affordable headphones around this price can feel rather plasticky and cheap in hand – understandably so to keep costs down – the JBL Live 780NC feel anything but. The materials are light enough to ensure the headphones are comfortable to wear, but also feel pleasantly smooth and high quality to the touch.

There is a mixture of materials and finishes here that could easily have looked and felt garish in less capable hands, but the sheen of the outer earcups and hinges blend with the matte finish of the headband and earcup housings in a subtle, stylish way.

The mix of plastic, metal and silicone here is certainly more premium feeling than the cheaper Sonys and the JBLs look more svelte than the functional Austrian Audios. We particularly like the knurled finish encircling the outer earcups – it’s a nice detail you normally wouldn’t see at this price.

If the orange finish of our review sample is too extrovert for you, there are more subdued green and blue hues, along with sandy, lilac and the standard black and white colours.

The headband feels sturdy, the leatherette earcups are comfortable with ample padding, and the clamping pressure is nicely judged. We perhaps would have liked a little more padding in the headband, but they don’t cause any discernible fatigue over long listening periods.

The metal sliders are nice to use, and there’s enough flex in the earcups to get a comfortable and secure fit for most of our review team.

You can fold the 780NC up into a ball or lay them flat around your neck, and they come with a soft, if somewhat thin, carry pouch.

You get a mix of physical buttons on the earcups – for power, ANC modes and volume – that are within easy reach, while tapping on the shiny outer cups lets you control music playback, calls and voice assistant. We found them all responsive in use, and you can further customise the touch and button controls in the JBL Headphones App.

One small quirk to remember is that the headphones will go into standby mode after a certain period of inactivity (you can choose the time in the app) if you forget to slide the power button to the ‘off’ position. To reconnect the pairing to your phone or device, simply turn it off and back on.

Features

Don’t worry too much if you forget to power-off the cans, though, as their battery life is massive. With active noise cancelling turned on, you get 50 hours, which extends to a whopping 80 hours with ANC turned off. We didn’t even have to glance at the battery level in the app throughout our testing period, and only charged the headphones out of habit after a week or so. A five-minute charge gives you four hours of juice, which meant we were always topped up.

Even more premium headphones such as the Sony and Bose models can only manage 30 hours with ANC activated, with Sennheiser’s Momentum 5 Wireless the only model to beat the JBL at 57 hours, while the HDB 630 goes further at 60 hours. The cheaper Sony 720N can only muster 35 hours with ANC on.

For wireless connections, the JBL headphones run on Bluetooth 6.0 and feature Auracast sharing and LE Audio, as well as the higher-quality LDAC codec when used with a compatible source device. If you prefer a wired connection, JBL provides a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable in the box, so you can connect them to a 3.5mm-toting laptop or music player and enjoy a lossless performance. Just remember to power the JBLs on when listening in wired mode.

The headphones feature Multipoint Bluetooth, which allows you to easily switch between two connected devices, and they have proximity sensors to automatically stop playing audio when you take the headphones off your ears.

Head into the JBL Headphone app, and you’ll find a bunch of features and customisation options that you can tweak to your heart’s desire. Along with adjusting the various ANC modes, you can prioritise audio quality or video (the latter to reduce lip-sync issues), enable spatial audio modes, and there’s even a nifty ‘relax mode’ with nature sounds you can mix to create an ambient background for when you need to focus on writing, for example.

There are preset EQ modes as well as a 10-band equaliser to save your own tuning, and there’s a separate Personi-Fi portal that personalises the sound to your tastes further.

A neat party trick is that if you have one of JBL’s latest Bluetooth speakers, such as the Flip 7 or Go 5, you can use the Auracast button to beam music from the speaker to the Live 780NC headphones, with both playing in tandem.

There are plenty of more useful features to explore in the app, and you can also turn most settings off if you don’t want them.

ANC & call quality

The main settings you should explore are for noise cancelling. There are sliders available for the noise cancelling and ‘ambient aware’ modes, allowing you to choose the intensity of the noise cancelling or how much of the outside world you want to let in. You can also let JBL’s six microphones and real-time adjustment take over with the Adaptive ANC mode, which automatically adjusts the noise-cancelling levels to your surrounding environment.

The Live 780NC’s ANC quality is decent, cutting out much of the low-level deep rumbles of passing cars, train engines and exhaust fans. The noise-cancelling effect tends to focus more on those low-frequency noises, as we can still hear a fair bit of higher engine whines, train announcements and the chatter of people around us. These noises that sit in the mid and high frequency ranges are gently softened, but we’re still aware of them in full ANC mode.

It’s not the end of the world, and there is enough damping of the rumbly surrounding noises that the JBLs’ effect feels adequate at this level.

Call quality is decent for this level, too, with voices coming through with enough clarity, detail and solidity to be heard, although there is a slight hard, mechanical edge to the caller’s voice. Dual beamforming mics and an intelligent noise-cancelling algorithm mean voices should be distinctly heard even in windy, busy surroundings, and we found that surrounding noises didn’t intrude much upon our calls.

One neat thing about the JBL headphones is that, in the app, you can tweak the tone of your and the callers’ voices, as well as choose how much of your own voice you can hear in a call. We prefer keeping the voice settings on ‘natural’, but it’s worth exploring these settings if you’re in particularly noisy environments.

Sound

If we could use one word to describe the Live 780NC’s sound, it would be ‘comfortable’. The headphones’ character is easy to listen to, with a smoothness across the frequency range that is appealing from the moment you slip them on. There are no bright or hard edges at the top; the midrange is focused and detailed; the bass is plump.

Any spikiness at the top being smoothed off means you can listen to many hours of shredding guitars and heavy metal screaming without your ears getting fatigued, as we found by spending a long weekend getting reacquainted with Avenged Sevenfold’s back catalogue on Tidal.

This trade-off does mean that some of the crystal-clear high notes of the delicate piano in Birdy’s Shelter or the ferociously brash and dynamic upheavals of Fontaines DC’s Starburster are a little subdued.

There is enough detail on the bones and satisfying solidity underpinning each note to ensure the music doesn’t get neutered, though. Music flows well through them, with the personality and intent of each track – from A7X to Doechii to Hozier – coming through with plenty of expression in the mix.

Voices come through with ample personality when listening to podcasts and are easy to follow in the soundstage without ever sounding muddled.

There is a richness to the 780NC’s sound that feels as though it’s covered in a layer of thick syrup – but in a good way. It leaves us in a pleasant environment where you’re engulfed in the rich, layered textures, and that smoothness doesn’t work our sonic muscles too hard. The JBL cans have a more refined way with detail than the cheaper Sony 720N, but are less analytical than the Austrian Audios.

The headphones’ bass levels are overly enthusiastic, but you can tone them down a touch using the EQ settings. Basslines are not unsubtle or unwieldy though; they plunge deep and there’s enough bounce in their step as we play through our usual test tracks from Massive Attack's Paradise Circus to Dr Dre and Hans Zimmer soundtracks.

Overall, the 780NC have a good amount of rhythmic talent and dynamic expression to keep us listening throughout. The lower mids and bass frequencies simply could do with a leaner diet to give us cleaner, subtler layers with more satisfying punch.

Go wired and, while they retain the same rich, smooth character, everything sounds a little tidier around the edges, with subtler dynamics, greater solidity and more detail unearthed. The instruments in Khruangbin's Maria Tambien are etched more clearly and with crisper, sweeter highs, even if the bass notes are just as dominating.

Verdict

The JBL Live 780NC aren’t too expensive, aren’t too budget – they’re in that ‘Goldilocks zone’ that, while not perfect, comes very close to delivering everything in a good-sounding, well-designed, feature-packed package.

While not gaining the full five stars when it comes to sound, they’re an attractive pair we have no trouble recommending at this mid-price arena that is starved of exciting contenders. If you’re after a comfortable pair of headphones that you could spend hours with, these playful but capable JBL Live 780NC are worth your attention.

Review published: 16th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT

Also consider the Sony WH-CH720N

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

Temperatures might have dropped, but so have prices, with yet more products enjoying their lowest prices and five-star savings over the past seven days.

With less than a week to go until the World Cup starts on Thursday, there are only a few days left should you wish to get some home cinema equipment delivered and installed before Mexico and South Africa kick off to launch the festival of footie.

Luckily, the retailers have saved some of their best deals until now. There are great savings on brand new 2026 OLEDs, Award-winning 4K projectors, and Dolby Atmos soundbars, so you can kit out your home cinema any way you see fit.

Not that hi-fi has been left out – there is also a great value deal on some five-star Sony headphones.

All of these products have been tried and tested by our expert review team, and must earn at least four stars to get our sought-after recommendation. We’ll go into more detail on each product below.

The LG C6 is our favourite TV of the year so far, with its new processor resulting in brighter, richer and more refined pictures than the C5. Use the code LG20PERCENT to get this deal price.

The Epson EH-TW7100 was one of our 2024 Award winners, and still holds up thanks to its excellent contrast-handling and good connectivity options. A brilliantly well-judged and affordable 4K projector.

The Sony WH-CH520 headphones are the top budget choice from our pick of the best wireless headphones, thanks to their balanced and engaging sound, extensive control app, and whopping 50-hour battery life.

The 48-inch LG C5’s bright, detailed picture makes it a great choice for the World Cup, while the flawless gaming specifications and strong app support make it a great all-rounder. Use the code KICKOFF100 to get 46 per cent off our testing price.

It’s hard not to like the five-star JBL Bar 300MK2. It’s powerful and bassy, produces clear dialogue and has a rather convincing Dolby Atmos effect for a solo soundbar.

We have seen the TCL C6KS cheaper before, but even at full price, the Mini LED is one of the biggest bargains in television. For a shade under £400, you get excellent brightness and contrast, comprehensive HDR support, and plenty of features.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

There have been quite a few candidates vying for the ‘most exciting pair of hi-fi speakers making their grand public debut’ award at this year’s High End Vienna showcase.

Bowers & Wilkins treating the world to the fifth iteration of its 800 Series Diamond range is no small thing, whereas Ruark’s resurrection of its Talisman-R floorstanders is similarly big news but at a significantly lower price point.

Then there’s JBL. The US giant has added twin peaks (sigh) to its five-strong Summit range, with the range-topping Everest and K2 loudspeakers joining the established Summit Makalu, Pumori, and five-star Ama models.

If you want to know what the K2 and Everest are all about, one word springs to mind: big. Both stretch the bounds of both physical size and required cost, with the mighty K2 costing a mere $100,000 and the colossal Everest pushing the needle at a whopping $160,000 per pair.

Big speakers at big prices from one of the biggest names in audio. You know where this is headed – we had to go and give them a listen.

We have already heard the baby of JBL’s Summit range, the effervescent and richly talented Summit Ama standmounts, so as the iPad is unleashed and the test tunes queued up, we’re quietly hoping for those enviable qualities of punch and dynamism to have translated all the way up to the snowy peak of JBL’s mountain-themed roster.

With Mark Levinson’s 626 preamplifier and 631 monoblock stereo amp in tow, it’s time to call in the sherpas and start our trek up that most famous of famous peaks.

As Pete Belsasco’s Deeper blasts out across our reasonably spacious demonstration room, it’s clear that much of the punch and power, not to mention the poise and balance of the five-star Ama, does seem to have translated to these rather more bank-busting pair of Summit range-toppers.

Harman’s engineers quite candidly confess that they would have liked a narrower space in which to work in order to stop sound from dissipating before it reached each side wall, so our usual disclaimer about less-than-ideal test conditions must once again apply here. Show us an ideal demonstration room at a hi-fi show and we’ll show you a talking unicorn.

Deeper is a smooth, jazzy number designed simply to get things started with something relatively undemanding; a move over to Fink’s Trouble’s What You Are In grants a better showcase of what well over $100,000 can get you.

These are big, bold speakers, yet we do sense an admirable feeling of intimacy and closeness to Fink’s acoustic performance as he croons away during a live recording of his aforementioned sampler. What impresses us as we listen more and more is how the Everest seem to switch gears, moving from small-scale sincerity to more dramatic and demanding fare without painting everything with the same broad brush.

JBL is keen to show the depths to which the Everest are capable of sinking, so we turn to the Sound of Silence performed courtesy of Geoff Castellucci’s deep, rumbling baritone.

Thanks in part to those whopping cabinets and JBL’s three-in-one ‘Phase Coherent Manifold’ – wherein a trio of compression drivers are aligned in a balanced symmetrical configuration and mounted to an HDI geometry horn – Castellucci’s ultra-deep pipes plunge to below the basement depths, yet we sense that the speakers’ control and articulation at these extreme low reaches is enough to keep everything sounding remarkably intact.

The Everest come across as powerful and weighty, too, as you might expect from loudspeakers of this size and price. Our demo team want us to “have some fun”, and so Adriatique and Delhia de France’s pulsating rave tune The Future is Unknown kicks things up a gear – bass drum thumps land with proper wallop, vocals feel precise and well spotlighted, while assorted musical decorations are rarely lost amidst the clamour.

Midrange tones don’t appear to be put in the shade by any overpowering bass, either. If anything, those all-important middle frequencies punch through with remarkable gusto, an enthusiasm which sometimes threatens to tip over into hardness or over-eagerness.

Take that minor reservation with a very large heap of salt, though – these are very large speakers playing very loudly in a modest, poorly conditioned space, and such quirks are almost inevitable. Our overall impression is of a pair of speakers that blend fun and muscularity with considerable nuance and restraint, resulting in a demo that, while short, appeals as much to the heart as it does to the head.

The Summit Everest are JBL’s range-toppers in terms of both price and, from the little that we have heard, performance. As we are told during our sampler, the brand’s engineers were told: “don’t worry about the cost, don’t worry about the components, just make them sound as good as you can.”

Such money-no-object speakers don’t come around often, and while we imagine it can be tempting for designers and engineers to throw their cash around without the same care and attention reserved for more modestly priced models, we rarely had a sense of the Everest sounding like a throwaway indulgence. Proper sound is what we expected and, from what we hear, proper sound is what they deliver.

Are they worth their Olympian price tag? We’d need a lot more testing time to find that out.

We wonder if JBL gives out free samples…

MORE:

High End Vienna 2026: all the news and what to expect from Europe’s biggest hi-fi show

I’ve had a first listen to Bowers & Wilkins’ new flagship 800 Series Diamond speakers – and now I’m desperate to hear more

“It’s about bringing people closer to the detail, depth and emotion that great audio can unlock.” An evening in KEF’s Ultimate Experience Room

All focus might be on the imminent World Cup right now, but there’s another rather special event just around the corner.

Father’s Day is on Sunday 21st June, so before life is consumed by World Cup fever, it might be an idea to get ahead on the gift buying.

Luckily, there are lots of great audio products available to choose from. Whether your Dad is a vinyl purist, a frequent commuter or hasn’t updated his hi-fi since 1998, you can skip the socks this year as our handpicked, five-star gear will guarantee a Father’s Day win.

We have tried and tested all the products below ourselves, so we can guarantee that even if you know nothing about home audio, they will make for a very happy father on the 21st June.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 won Product of the Year in the wireless headphones category at our most recent Awards ceremony, and are still our best overall pick of the best headphones. If Dad regularly spends his time on trains, planes or buses, then the excellent noise-cancelling, exceptional detail and comfortable fit make these a go-to option.

Rugged, IP68 water-resistant and sonically skilful, the JBL Flip 7 is the perfect companion for a dad who loves tinkering in the shed or hosting a backyard BBQ. The Flip 7 is so good that it received a What Hi-Fi? Award and is our portable pick of the best Bluetooth speakers.

Fine-sounding and fuss-free, the Audio Technica AT-LP5x is a great choice for the dad who has crates of dusty records in his loft and wants an easy setup. It can also rip records to digital files thanks to a USB output.

If your Dad is still listening to the tinny built-in speakers of his TV, a Sonos soundbar will be revelatory. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) offers panoramic Dolby Atmos from a compact chassis, making World Cup matches or late-night action flicks incredibly immersive.

If Dad listens to music or plays games at his desk, then the Ruark MR1 Mk3 desktop speakers are a great fit. They deliver a powerful, punchy and dynamic sound that will put most standard computer speakers to shame.

For the dad who takes his listening seriously but is always on the move, the iFi Go Link Max portable DAC will transform his listening experience at an affordable price. It may be small, but your dad will notice extra helpings of detail, dynamic contrast and punch.

If your dad has a classic analogue hi-fi system but wants to bring it into the streaming age, the WiiM Pro Plus will add Spotify Connect, Tidal, Qobuz and AirPlay 2 compatibility and much more; and rather well, we might add, given that we gave the Pro Plus five stars and it is our budget pick of the best music streamers.

You don’t need to break the bank for premium sound. If your dad has yet to make the jump to Bluetooth or requires a replacement, the Sony WF-C510 offer great sound with minimal fuss.

Or if your dad is an audio enthusiast, then the Award-winning Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X are some of the finest and most comfortable wired headphones we have heard at this price. Whether for work or pleasure, they come highly recommended.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars

JBL is expanding its mountain-themed Summit range of high-end hi-fi speakers with two new models: the next-generation Everest and K2 loudspeakers.

The two new models join the Summit Makalu, Pumori, and the five-star Ama to round out the five-strong series, a line-up that, says, JBL, "represents the most technically accomplished loudspeakers" the brand has ever produced for domestic use.

As their name suggests, the new 3.5-way Everest are designed to be the peak of the Summit series, acting as the successor to four iterations of JBL's Project Everest loudspeakers. At the heart of each new speaker is a new mid-to-high frequency array consisting of three JBL 5cm dual-diaphragm drivers mated to a large 'Sonoglass' horn, as well as twin 25cm mid-bass drivers and dual 38cm differential drive woofers.

The K2, meanwhile, are billed as JBL's "most accomplished 15-inch 3-way floorstanding loudspeakers", with each housing three 4cm dual-diaphragm drivers, a 25cm differential drive mid-bass driver and a 38cm woofer, all aimed at providing outstanding dynamic precision and emotional immediacy.

The two new models share a host of JBL's most advanced speaker technologies, including 'MultiCap' crossover networks with minimised electrostatic resistance for improved power handling and lower distortion, as well as multi-braced, curved-wall cabinets designed to reduce internal standing waves within each speaker.

JBL's own 'IsoAcoustic' isolation feet seek to further preserve sonic purity and promote a tighter bass performance by decoupling each speaker from floor vibrations.

According to David Tovissi, Vice President of Harman Luxury Audio: “With Summit Everest and Summit K2, we are honouring four generations of legendary engineering while introducing technologies that move the state of the art forward. These are reference loudspeakers built for listeners who refuse to compromise and who recognise what it means to own the very best."

The new Summit Everest and Summit K2 are available in either gloss black and platinum or ebony wood and gold finishes. The Everest will set you back $160,000 per pair, whereas the K2 are a little more 'affordable' at a mere $100,000 per pair.

Both will be showcased at this year's High End Vienna showcase (4th to 7th of July), so if you've got tickets, it's worth digging out your crampons and seeking out JBL's latest mountainous marvels.

MORE:

Read our recent JBL Summit Ama review

When should you stop feeding your hi-fi addiction?

10 of the best Nick Cave songs to test your hi-fi system

Adding a soundbar to your home cinema setup is all about elevating the audio to deliver a more immersive experience. So if you’re looking to upgrade your sub-par TV speakers, then this deal on JBL's five-star ’bar could be just what you’re after.

For just £249 at Amazon, the JBL Bar 300MK2 has dropped to its lowest-ever price meaning you can grab Dolby Atmos sound for much, much less.

If you lack space or budget for a multi-channel speaker system, this compact Dolby Atmos soundbar is one we’re happy to recommend.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 may not quite reach the same heights as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) in the entry-level Dolby Atmos category, but it still produces a bombastic yet detailed sound for movies. Plus, it will also cost you £110 less than its rival (currently at £359 at Amazon).

The JBL Bar 300MK2 is a great example of how a mid-range soundbar can push its compact dimensions to the limit. It measures 5 x 94 x 10cm, so is perfectly suited to partner a 48- or 55-inch TV – but, of course, it also fits nicely under a 65-inch.

Where this Dolby Atmos soundbar really comes into play is in being able to produce room-filling sound despite its size and accessible pricing. Our expert testers say in its review: “Straight out of the box, the JBL soundbar provides an immersive sound experience that is, as you would hope, a massive improvement on almost any TV’s audio.”

They add, when viewing and listening to Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning: “It packs a punch in terms of bass, too, which gives these action-heavy moments an extra level of excitement. When the helicopter flies overhead, we can feel the thrum of the chopping in the soles of our feet.”

While it doesn’t feature upward-firing drivers, the JBL offers virtualised Dolby Atmos as well as DTS Virtual:X. There are two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and an output that can also receive sound from your TV via eARC. While there is no 4K/120Hz support, the HDMI passthrough does support Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

Ultimately, JBL’s weightier, more bombastic, more room-filling sound might be why you grab the Bar 300MK2 over the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). But it might also just be the price, now that it’s down to an excellent £249 at Amazon.

MORE:

This is our full JBL Bar 300MK2 review

Check out the Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

We’ve always rather liked Tribit’s Stormbox Micro line of Bluetooth speakers. Tribit isn’t an established name in the same vein as Sony or JBL, yet it has produced a couple of charming, affordable portable speakers which, especially the Micro 2, exhibit real talent in the midrange frequencies. Plus, “Stormbox” sounds like it was named by Thor.

The problem with making a good budget Bluetooth speaker is that you’ve got to follow it up while meeting the challenge of newer, more capable rivals.

It’s no secret that JBL is the name ruling the Bluetooth speaker roost, and with the pocket-sized Go 5 recently earning a glowing five-star appraisal, the third-gen Stormbox Micro is going to have to work even harder than its predecessors if it doesn’t want to be out-muscled by the ever-advancing competition.

Price

You can get your hands on a Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 for around £63 / $65 / AU$130 approx, the same price at which the outgoing second-gen model started life.

At this more budget-friendly end of the cost ladder, the five-star JBL Go 5 clocks in at around £40 / $50 / AU$59 at the time of writing, and if you want to go even cheaper, you can get an older Go 4 for as low as £25 / $30 during sales events.

If you seek something a little more premium, the JBL Flip 7 tends to sit at roughly £110 / $150 / AU$170 at the time of writing, but again, it tends to enjoy decent discounts when the time is right.

Build

Build-wise, the Stormbox Micro 3 hasn’t deviated hugely from its five-star predecessor. Its flat, coaster-like design remains generally unchanged, with the top half of the speaker dominated by a woven textured grille and the bottom half clad in rubber to give you plenty of non-slip grip.

Large, bold volume buttons flank a circular play/pause toggle, which can also be used to summon Siri if held down for a few seconds. Those big, bold buttons do give the Tribit a clean and simple interface, but during our tests at least, we do find that they require quite a forceful press to elicit a response.

Backlit buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, toggling XBoom and managing stereo mode/party mode are neatly housed on the speaker’s thin front-end, and thankfully, don’t require the same levels of brutish force for us to get them to cooperate.

View it from the top-down, and the new Stormbox is a bit chunkier than its outgoing ancestor, though the difference is slight – you’ll still manage to slide it into a backpack, perch it on the side of your bathtub (it’s waterproof, don’t worry!) or hold it in the palm of your hand without too much trouble. Thankfully, portability is still the name of the game here.

That said, we would’ve liked some kind of carry loop for taking the Tribit on your travels, such as you’d find adorning the side of the JBL Go 4 or larger Bose SoundLink Plus, although the Stormbox Micro 3 does have an elastic rubber strap at its base which Tribit bills as being attachable to bikes, bags and the like.

Forget the elastic strap, though, because what that base also has is magnetic powers. Yes, you can stick the Stormbox to pretty much any magnetic metallic surface you can find, and the novelty never wears off as we spend our time roving our office looking for places to stick our test sample. On the side of the fridge, attached to our boardroom whiteboard, stuck to a metal pillar outside… oh, the fun you can have.

Let’s return to the more technical side for a moment. Within, the Tribit boasts 13 watts of power driving a 48mm driver and dual coaxial passive radiators for producing what the brand describes as "crisp clarity and deep, punchy bass". More on that in a moment.

Features

Credit where it's due, Tribit has really bolstered the battery life for its third-gen Stormbox Micro. The Micro 2 gave you a very admirable 12 hours of playtime on a single charge, but that’s been doubled to a whopping 24 hours, a figure which trounces the roughly 10 hours of the JBL Go 5 and the 16 or so hours of the more expensive JBL Flip 7.

A big bonus for the Tribit and, we envisage, a major part of its potential appeal.

Speaking of battery, the Micro 3 also doubles as a powerbank, meaning you can juice up your smartphone on the go via USB-C – akin to the charging feature you’d find on the likes of the chunky JBL Charge 6. To have charging capabilities on a speaker this small is not something we’ve often seen, so kudos to Tribit for implementing it with the Micro 3.

Elsewhere, the third-gen speaker boasts an impressive IP68 water and dustproof rating, keeping it in line with the major class leaders at this price. Splash it with water or give it a quick soak in the sink, and that water-repellent body does a fine job of keeping those precious insides dry and working as they should.

Tribit has also granted support for True Wireless Stereo pairing with its latest Stormbox Micro, but note that this can only be done with two models of the same generation, so you won’t be able to dig out your old Stormbox Micro 2 and form a stereo pair with the new third-gen model.

Many of the above features can be managed and monitored by the Tribit app which, while not the most in-depth platform you’ll ever come across, is clearly laid out and easy to navigate thanks to its bold, uncluttered menus.

A nine-band customisable equaliser is nice to have as well, or you can select one of Tribit’s seven genre-led presets if you want the legwork done for you.

Sound

Judged on its own terms, the Stormbox Micro 3 is a reasonably capable performer. It’s quite a personable little speaker, and the sound that it produces does have some appeal, especially if you feed it tunes that play to its relative strengths.

The midrange where the outgoing Stormbox Micro 2 excelled, and as we listen to a slice of Nick Cave’s Into My Arms, we discern that those particular talents haven’t entirely skipped a generation. Cave’s voice is fairly rich and full, with the Tribit spotlighting the Aussie crooner nicely as his emotive sincerity shines through.

Tribit’s promise of a fulsome lower end also rings reasonably true, evidenced by the depth of the opening bass plucks on Noisettes’ Never Forget You. Depth and grip go hand in hand, giving adequate shape and texture to what can be, in the care of lesser speakers, amorphous rumbly tones.

At this price, the Stormbox Micro 3 has enough organisational ability to stop music falling over itself or feeling as jumbled as a load of socks flying around inside a tumble drier.

Detail levels across the frequency range – piercing highs, sweet mids and deep lows – are decent for a speaker of this size, even if we do notice some occasional hardness in the upper reaches, such as when we play Rosalía’s complex, operatic Berghain.

The Micro 3 is a decent Bluetooth speaker, then, but it’s simply not a class leading one, a fact that is spotlighted when put up against the JBL Go 5. Practically everything that the Stormbox Micro 3 can do, the JBL can do at least as well, and that’s a real issue when it comes to recommending the former.

After all, why would you buy a Tribit at around £63 / $65 / AU$130 when you could pick up an equally talented Go 5 for cheaper at £40 / $50 / AU$59?

The Go 5 may be smaller in size and price, but sonically, it matches the Micro 3, even when playing at the highest volumes or pushed to challenge tricky tunes such as Berghain or Tool’s Forty Six & 2.

In fact, the JBL often outshines the Tribit, with its more adept rhythmic and dynamic handling bringing out the underpinning beats of Muse’s Madness with more confidence and skill than the slightly sluggish Stormbox.

JBL’s diminutive class leader is just as clear and detailed, too, and that’s again a problem when you consider the price disparity between the two. Switching back and forth between both while playing Debussy’s Sarabande, we find that we prefer the more rounded, punchy sound of the outstanding JBL.

We do like the Stormbox, but if we’re being honest, we like the JBL Go 5 quite a lot more.

Verdict

We had high hopes for the Stormbox Micro 3, especially considering that the two speakers which preceded it both earned five-star ratings. This is by no means a bad effort, and still feels in some ways like an improvement over its predecessors thanks to its bolstered feature set and solid sound.

Sadly for Tribit, the world has moved on. The JBL Go 5 is currently our top pick if you’re after an ultra-portable, ultra-budget Bluetooth speaker, and when it costs a good deal less than the Stormbox Micro 3 but sounds noticeably better, it makes Tribit’s effort a much tougher sell.

Review published: 29th May 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Build 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the JBL Go 5

Also consider the JBL Flip 7

Best Bluetooth speakers tried and tested for every budget

We're in the home run in the lead-up to the World Cup – and that means retailers are ramping up the deals on products that can upgrade your home viewing experience.

With only a few weeks to go and payday weekend upon us, now really is the time to bite the bullet if you're thinking of upgrading your living room setup for the upcoming games.

There's been some stellar savings over the last few weeks, so to help you out, we've rounded up the biggest discounts we've seen.

There's a real mix on offer here – portable projectors, Award-winning OLED TVs, Dolby Atmos soundbars and big-screen Mini LEDs – all of which offer tremendous value for money right now.

As always, we've reviewed and rated all of the products below, with our expert testing team giving them the hard-earned What Hi-Fi? recommendation.

If you want a really big screen or are looking to watch the World Cup outside, then the Samsung The Freestyle (2nd Gen) might be for you. You can get £50 off with the code 'RSTV50' and then claim 15 per cent cashback from Samsung to get this deal price. Full T&Cs can be found here.

If you're likely to be watching the World Cup in a bright room, then consider the 65-inch Samsung QN90F. The Mini LED's seriously high brightness and remarkable anti-glare filter are transformative in bright rooms, with a punchy, detailed picture and outstanding backlight control to boot.

If you have a smaller living room or are after OLED on a budget, then the Samsung S90F is one of the best 48-inch TVs we've tested. To get the lowest price, use the code 'RSTV100' at checkout to drop the price to £849, then claim 10 per cent back directly from Samsung. Full T&Cs can be found here.

If you want a good OLED for the lowest possible price, you're not going to do much better than the 42-inch LG C5. A 10 per cent discount is applied at checkout, giving you an Award-winning OLED TV for only £656.

The Sony Bravia 8 was our TV Product of the Year in 2024, and still holds up now thanks to its balanced, immersive picture, great motion handling and good built-in audio. Bear in mind the 8A variant doesn't include a backlit remote and offers fewer free months and credits for Sony Pictures Core than the regular 8 model.

The Sony Bravia 8 II, however, is our current TV Product of the Year and our testing benchmark thanks to its exceptionally bright, vibrant and three-dimensional picture quality. You can secure an extra £100 off at Richer Sounds by using the code 'RSTV100' at checkout.

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 is a unique proposition, as the detachable surrounds can be taken into another room to act as a wireless speaker – so you won't miss any of the action. The package also includes a main soundbar and subwoofer, which together create an exciting, reasonably detailed sound.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is our pick of the best soundbar overall for most people, thanks to its precise, spacious and three-dimensional sound. Available now with £200 off with this limited-time deal.

The TCL Q6C doesn't have the biggest discount, but it was already phenomenally priced and incredible value. The Mini LED offers excellent picture quality for the money, as well as a good gaming performance and solid features all around.

And now you're all set for kick off...

MORE:

And the best OLED TVs for all budgets

Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars

And here's the best projectors: budget, 4K and ultra-short-throw

Picture the scene: you're watching the England game, and you pop to the kitchen just for a minute – and completely miss a goal.

No one wants this tragic situation, but let us suggest a solution: the JBL Bar 1000MK2.

This unique Dolby Atmos soundbar features two detachable surrounds, which can be taken into another room to use as a wireless speaker.

So you'll be able to check the oven or get another drink without missing any of the action!

And it's currently at a new lowest price. The JBL Bar 1000MK2 soundbar system is now available for £749 at Peter Tyson, a solid 25 per cent saving.

The big selling point of the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is, of course, the wireless speakers, which can be taken to another room while the sound from your TV continues to play. The accompanying app lets you choose whether you'd like a stereo or mono downmix for these speakers while you're on the move.

However, the speakers can be used as regular surrounds, of course, or attached magnetically to the main soundbar to avoid clutter.

And let's not forget the 1000MK2's performance as a soundbar. We found the Dolby Atmos system delivers an exciting and reasonably detailed sound whatever the set-up, but it was most effective when using the two wireless speakers as surrounds.

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

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

The Bar 1000MK2 has four HDMI sockets, made up of three inputs and an eARC output. There is no 4K/120Hz support for the gamers out there, but the HDMI passthrough supports signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

If you're serious about sound, you might want to consider the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, which delivers a more immersive overall audio experience and is currently on sale for £799. However, it does lack the Bar 1000MK2's wireless speaker party trick.

If you can't bear to miss a single minute of this year's World Cup, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is the soundbar system for you. It delivers an exciting sound sure to make you feel like you're pitchside yourself, and the clever, versatile design means the action continues into other rooms. Now 25 per cent off at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

Here is our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

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

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

As always, the Memorial Day sales have started early, and deals are already bursting onto the scene at several retailers.

If you're planning a BBQ for the big day, we've found some excellent deals on some of the best Bluetooth speakers, capable of lighting up any garden party.

We've also included some great wireless headphones to keep you entertained if you're travelling, exercising or just out and about.

If you're preparing to stay in for a summer of sport, especially with the US hosting the FIFA World Cup, then there's no shortage of deals on big, bright, five-star TVs and expansive soundbars.

Check out the deals below!

If you're after a new TV for the soccer, then the LG C5 is one of our top recommendations. This OLED TV won a What Hi-Fi? Award for its punchy, crisp image and excellent contrast, and is now available with some heavy discounts.

The Fire TV Stick is a sales staple, and this latest 4K Max model is Amazon's best yet. Fuss-free, effective and with support for all HDR formats, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd generation) is an easy recommendation.

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 Bluetooth speaker may be tiny, but the sound makes a big impact. Perfect for a Memorial Day BBQ, the Micro 2 is highly portable and IP67-rated waterproof and dustproof.

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) remains the best Dolby Atmos soundbar at its price, and produces an impressively spacious movie sound that works just as well with music. An affordable, all-in-one device perfect for summer sports and beyond.

The 1000x series has been Sony's flagship wireless series for a decade, and the Sony WH-1000XM6 are our top overall recommendation for the best headphones thanks to their exceptional insight, great sense of dynamism, and superb ANC.

If you're after a large budget TV, then the TCL QM7K (also known as the TCL C7K) is our top choice. With 1008 dimming zones and expansive Quantum Dot colour, the TCL QM7K offers explosive brightness and contrast and is superb value even at full price.

If you're after noise-cancellation in your wireless earbuds, then the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are for you. They deliver the brand's typically excellent noise-cancelling, plus a punchy, full-bodied sound, and secure, comfortable fit which makes them excellent all-rounders.

If you want impressive sound and awesome portability from your next Bluetooth speaker, then the JBL Flip 7 is more than up to the task. Its IP68-rated build should survive any environment you use it in, and it's still nicely portable thanks to its burrito-like shape and carabiner clip. The Flip 7 also offers superb clarity and sonic precision, and punchy bass for its size.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless earbuds you can buy

And the best OLED TVs for all budgets

Interested in vinyl? Here are the best turntables we have tested

It may seem like JBL unleashes a never-ending stream of products every year, and this is partly true.

Just this year, the American brand – which is also celebrating its 80th anniversary this year – has launched the Xtreme 5 and the Go 5 Bluetooth speakers, along with a new Live 4 wireless earbuds range, and the over-ear 780NC and on-ear 680NC noise-cancelling headphones – all in a variety of snazzy new colours.

There's also a brand-new JBL Sound Curve tuning announced for the flagship Tour One M3 headphones, which refines the sound quality to be more balanced and forgiving – and less bass-focused – to adapt to listeners wearing the headphones for longer and prevent them from getting fatigued.

And that's before we even get to the hugely popular Party Box speakers – not a core What Hi-Fi? category, but a big deal for JBL, which dominates 90 per cent of that particular market.

World domination – for the portables and headphones market in particular – is clearly on the brand's mind. I spoke to Jurjen Amsterdam, Harman Lifestyle's director of product marketing (EMEA) at JBL's HQ in Amsterdam (no relation), about the recent launches, anticipating trends, their target demographic, and market domination plans.

Despite the sheer number of products, there is method behind the launch madness. Jurjen Amsterdam says: "We try to manage product lines on a two year cycle. So last year we did the Charge 6 and Flip 7; this year it's Xtreme 5 and Go 5 for portables."

"Next year, most likely, it's going to be two other models... it looks like a lot, but it's always a two-year cycle."

It's an aggressive strategy that points to the brand's ambitions, but even then, JBL seems cautious about simply making products for the sake of it. The product cycle isn't necessary like clockwork, and it relies on the latest technology available, too – and the team also has to decide what not to include. For example, the interval between the JBL Charge 5 and Charge 6 was a good four years (albeit both available in April of those years), and new technologies such as Auracast sharing made way for the whole line-up to be refreshed.

Conversely, the new JBL Sound Curve – an adaptation of parent company Harman's target frequency curve – is currently only reserved for the Tour One M3 to signify their premium status, and hasn't been trickled down to the mid-priced Live range headphones/earbuds to ensure a clean delineation between the ranges.

The regular product cycle also allows JBL to keep its pulse on the ground and adapt to their target audience, as well as keep up with the demands of customers, who "expect us [JBL] to drive the competition and come up with new things".

Fresh new colours of green and orange standout against a sea of greige, black and even blue of its rivals, with some noting that the particular shade of orange chosen by JBL for the Live 780NC/680NC headphones matches the latest iPhone 17's orange finish.

That's not by accident. The product team (which also includes marketing and commercial working in a "triangle") tries to "forsee trends long enough in advance", says Jurjen. "Design trends, technology trends – all the colours that you see in the Live series, they don't have this colour just because we like them. This is part of a longer trend that we're trying to watch in terms of colours."

Despite the proliferation of JBL products, the brand doesn't like making products just for the sake of it.

"No – we don't want to make products because we can. We want to make products because we want to address a certain need from end consumers."

For the Live range, what JBL really wanted to focus on is "lifestyle", and the target demographic is aimed towards "Gen Z and up" – he drills down further to say 15 to around 30s is the target age range.

"It's most likely the price that people want to spend on a [pair of] headphones that will decide whether they go for a Live series or a Tour series."

Not everyone can splash out for the €349 for the Tour flagships, he says, and the gap between the budget Tune range and the Tour is quite a big one. This is where the middle-ground Live comes in: "This is the ultimate compromise of great quality, great noise cancelling, super comfortable and looks really nice," declares Jurjen.

The styling is an important part of the Live headphones and earbuds.

"Of course, a lot of people will buy the black finish," he says, "but we also want to give people the opportunity to buy in white, in blue, in green, in orange, in purple..." As we speak, Jurjen points to the younger influencers around us at the launch who are relishing wearing the colourful headphones and taking photos, as evidence of the brand's target demographic crowd that is "young, energetic, social" and likes sharing music.

"It literally fits the JBL brand – it's the core of the JBL target audience."

Even JBL's Headphones app opens to a montage of faces that run the gamut of identities. It's welcoming, diverse and youthful, but without ever trying too hard. You'd never guess the brand was pushing 80.

Passing the new Live 780NC over-ear headphones – which I decided to nab in its bright orange finish – to my colleagues in the What Hi-Fi? office, the general consensus seems to be that the colourful shade and styling stands out from the sea of plain, rather functional designs we see from other brands, even premium models from Sony and Bose.

Whether JBL's new mid-range model can reach the heights of five-star sound quality their more illustrious rivals achieve remains to be seen, of course. But it's an area what JBL is absolutely gunning for.

"In headphones, we would love to dominate."

Jurjen puts the headphones market into context. "Headphones is way bigger than all of the other things that we do put together. This is a 4 billion market in Europe. If we add portable audio, party box, gaming, wireless speakers, soundbars – if we add that all together, it's still less than headphones."

"In headphones, we're at 10-11 per cent market share. Of course we would like to grow that."

The headphones market is exceptionally tricky as there are over 300 brands vying for a piece of the pie. It's a big market dominated by one key player (Apple, particularly in wireless earbuds, with Sony and Bose in over-ears) that a lot of people spend a lot of money on.

"So we know, even this target audience we're aiming for, we know they have money to spend – because we see that they spend money on some of the higher range models."

"But the aim is to create credibility," he says. "Sony is a great example of that – you get five star reviews a couple of years in a row, nobody thought that Bose would ever lose that position. Sony now has that position. We believe that we equally have a good quality product."

I ask Jurjen if there's any particular trend that surprised him for this current cycle of products, that consumers were clamouring for?

"No. Not really; it's all about audio quality. It's all about design. It's all about wearing comfort." Ultimately, he says, the Live headphones and earbuds are a "very good alternative to what's out there in the market".

We certainly hope that's the case, as we still find there is a general dearth of really great recommendations in this £100-£200 mid-price range. We're currently testing the Live 780NC wireless headphones (£170), so stay tuned for a full review in due course.

MORE:

Two years on, I'm still waiting for this gaping hole in the wireless headphone market to be plugged

Read our JBL Tour One M3 review

The JBL Live 4 earbuds have a better case, new high fidelity drivers and enhanced noise cancellation

With just under a month to go until a certain World Cup, TV manufacturers are looking to join in the football fever.

We've seen the lowest prices yet on some of our favourite OLEDs, including on Award-winners such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and the LG C5.

Not wanting to be left out, audio brands are joining in the discounts as well, particularly with Bluetooth speakers ready for summer garden gatherings. The JBL Xtreme 5, only reviewed two days ago, is already nearly ten per cent off.

As always, all of these products have been rated and reviewed by our expert testing team, and have been given a big thumbs up – and maybe even a What Hi-Fi? Award.

Take a look at the offers underneath, and we'll go into a bit more detail below.

The JBL Xtreme 5 had a high bar to reach, as previous Xtreme speakers had scooped up What Hi-Fi? Awards for their robust build, yet clean and detailed sound. Luckily, the Xtreme 5 received a full five stars only days ago, with a more powerful, clearer performance that made it the best-sounding Xtreme yet.

The Sony Bravia 8 II won our TV Product of the Year Award at our most recent ceremony, and is still our benchmark TV. The motion processing and OLED screen of the Bravia 8 II will make it an ideal World Cup TV, but it's stunningly authentic for movies too.

AirPods need no introduction, but the AirPods 4 with ANC are notable for introducing noise-cancelling to an open (no tips) design and making it work. iOS users will also find plenty of exclusive flagship features and snappy user-friendliness.

The KEF XIO is, quite simply, the best-sounding Dolby Atmos soundbar we have heard. It's also discounted for the first time, but bear in mind it's a cashback offer you'll have to claim back from KEF. Full T&Cs can be found here.

We're spoilt for choice with premium Bluetooth speakers this week. The Bose SoundLink Max wraps up excellent sound quality and an enjoyable experience in this attractive, outdoor-friendly package.

If you have a smaller room or are looking to upgrade to OLED on a budget, then this saving on the 48-inch LG C5 is for you. It's got flawless gaming specifications, excellent app support and is a whopping £618 off with the code 'HUGMAY8'.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless earbuds you can buy

And the best OLED TVs for all budgets

Interested in vinyl? Here are the best turntables we have tested

Planning to spend some time outside if the UK weather decides to cooperate?

Whether you're having a summer BBQ, watching the World Cup in your garden or just heading to the local park, we're sure you'll want some great music to accompany the (hopefully) sunny weather.

And JBL have your back. The American audio giant has dominated the What Hi-Fi? Awards in the wireless audio category recently, and have brought out some new models just in time for summer.

And one is already on sale – the ink is barely dry from our five-star review of the JBL Xtreme 5, but it's already down to £300 at Amazon!

Nearly ten per cent off a new release product is not too shabby – especially one as good as the JBL Xtreme 5. The Xtreme series has gained a reputation as robust, rugged speakers with clear and detailed sound, and the Xtreme 5 is no exception.

"Play Run by Stephen Fretwell, and there’s more separation around the individual elements, so you can hear what each one brings to the music," our JBL Xtreme 5 review reads.

"You can inspect around the edges of that crisply defined percussion and piano, but the whole presentation remains cohesive, and the track remains confidently knitted together with the lead vocal at the centre. It’s still a hugely musical listen and captures the slow, gentle rhythmic flow and rise and fall of the track."

An increase in power from its predecessor (the Xtreme 5 offers a claimed 130W when mains powered, 90W when running off the built-in battery) is immediately obvious, bringing a greater sense of scale and size compared to the Xtreme 4.

In short, the high volume levels will easily go loud enough to power a summer party (or annoy the neighbours, depending on your mood).

Bass weight is impressive without overpowering the rest of the track, and JBL's speaker is so clear it makes the Xtreme 4 sound hazy and cluttered in comparison.

The Xtreme 5 is a tad chunkier than its predecessor, but it comes with a carry strap that easily attaches to the floating loops. There are also light strips on the front that are perfect for parties, as is the built-in bottle opener.

When it comes to features, there's Bluetooth 6 and Auracast, the latter of which allows you to connect multiple compatible JBL speakers together. There's also lossless audio up to 24-bit/48kHz through a wired connection and Playtime Boost, which extends the battery life from 24 hours to 28 hours, though with a rather drastic impact on sound quality.

If you want one of the most powerful and best-sounding Bluetooth speakers around, then the JBL Xtreme 5 is the speaker for you. It'll handle any outdoor gathering you throw at it, and is already £30 off at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Want something cheaper? Check out the JBL Charge 6

Our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for every budget

The best soundbars deliver room-filling sound and elevate any TV or movie-watching experience. But if you want even more room-filling sound, then you'll want one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

With that in mind, let me suggest the JBL Bar 300MK2, which has just been discounted down to $350 at Amazon. That's an impressive $100 off its launch price, making it one of the best bargains in the world of soundbars at the moment.

And despite being a budget Dolby Atmos soundbar, it actually rivals the superior and more expensive Sonos Beam Gen 2. Get it now with 22 per cent off.

Soundbars are an excellent alternative for anyone looking to upgrade their TV's middling audio quality without taking up tons of space or costing as much as a multi-speaker system.

And, for those looking for an even more immersive experience, investing in a Dolby Atmos soundbar is the way to go, as it can create a precise yet expansive soundstage that is a huge improvement on your TV's sound.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 is a great example of why, with its wide soundstage and clear dialogue that will outperform the vast majority of TVs when it comes to audio.

When watching Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning during testing, the thrum of the helicopter rotor blades stretches into the room to a point just above the listening position. It doesn't go beyond where we are sitting, but we add that it "does an excellent job of filling the room between us and the screen."

The soundbar still manages to keep voices clear and precise, as each frequency slots into place and does not overwhelm the overall sound.

It's worth noting that while the JBL model still scores an impressive five stars, it does not quite beat the class-leading Sonos Beam Gen 2. But the Sonos model is sporting a more expensive price tag, with the best price being $499 from Amazon at the moment.

So, if you are looking for a top-notch Atmos soundbar and are on a budget, the JBL Bar 300MK2 is an excellent pick, especially at $350 from Amazon.

MORE:

This is our full JBL Bar 300MK2 review

Check out the Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

It's official: we're entering summer festival season – even if the UK weather hasn't quite realised it yet.

And while there's no Glastonbury this year, there are still plenty of options to enjoy, whether you're heading to the iconic Isle of Wight Festival, Reading and Leeds or one of the other many music celebrations across the country.

Or maybe you're looking to enjoy the festival vibes from the comfort of your own home? We've got some outdoor projectors perfect for creating your own mini festival in your garden, as well as some of our favourite sound systems and Bluetooth speakers to enjoy the tunes in the best quality possible.

Either way, these are all products that we've tried and tested ourselves, and all come with the seal of approval from our expert reviews team. If you're not lucky enough to go to a festival this year, these What Hi-Fi? favourites will at least make it feel like you're actually there.

If you're looking for an outdoor projector, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air is our top overall pick. Its built-in battery, speakers and wi-fi mean you just fire up the Google TV operating system and start watching – no other equipment needed. The picture is a step above most other projectors at that size, too.

If you are heading to a festival, then the JBL Go 4 may well be the speaker of choice. It's small, waterproof and can be bought for only £30, making it ideal festival fodder that can be easily carried around and has a good chance of surviving UK weather. But most importantly, it sounds very impressive for its price, and can also work as an inexpensive upgrade to outdoor projector speakers.

If you're looking for a budget soundbar to hear the festival performances in all their glory, may we present the Creative Stage Pro. The soundbar and subwoofer combo delivers a surprisingly cinematic audio and shines when it comes to music as well, and is compact enough to take outside if you're able to plug it in.

If you want an outdoor projector on a budget, then the Xgimi Vibe One is the, well, one we recommend. You'll have to account for the battery only lasting a maximum of 1.2 hours, but this is a great value portable projector with a detailed, punchy image for the money.

If you want a step up in sound from the Go 4 but still want portability, then the JBL Flip 7 is admirably up to the task. Its IP68-rated build should fend off almost anything a festival throws at it, and it's still nicely portable thanks to its burrito-like shape and carabiner clip. The Flip 7 also offers superb clarity and sonic precision, and punchy bass for its size.

If you're after a soundbar system on a budget, the Hisense AX5125H knocked our socks off during testing. Despite its low price, the Dolby Atmos system is a cohesive and impressive performer, with a dedicated Music preset also.

To truly feel like you're at a festival, you'd be hard-pressed to do better than the Sony Bravia 8 II. Our current TV Product of the Year, the QD-OLED is stunning right out of the box and one of the best-sounding TVs you can buy.

If you're serious about sound, then the Bose SoundLink Max offers a lively, punchy delivery with an expressive midrange. Its IP67 rating and 20 hours of battery life mean it should survive a festival weekend, too.

The best soundbar for most people, if your budget can stretch, is the Sonos Arc Ultra for its clean, precise and three-dimensional sound. It's almost as well-suited to music as it is to movies, too, making it a terrific all-rounder.

MORE:

IP ratings explained: how waterproof are your headphones?

See our best budget Bluetooth speakers list

Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars

If you were browsing the best Bluetooth speakers, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all the speaker brands got together and decided that the only two shape options were either a pill or a disc. Come on, JBL and Sonos, let’s mix it up a bit.

One speaker, at least, to buck the trend is the four-star Pure Classic Aura, which is shaped more like a traditional radio. It features an elegant wood look which adds warmth and character to any living space, and it even includes ambient strip lighting – because why not?

If you’re already dreaming of having one in your kitchen or living room, you’ll be glad to hear that its price has been slashed from £119 to just £82 at Amazon.

Best Pure Bluetooth speaker deal

Most Bluetooth speakers are designed to be chucked in a bag or on a back seat to accompany you on your travels; take, for example, the Award-winning JBL Flip 7 or the eminently likeable Bose SoundLink Flex.

The Pure Classic Aura, however, is designed to be plonked onto your desk or kitchen worktop, even if its lightweight build and removable rubber carry strap mean you can move it easily between rooms and/or residences. An IPX2 rating, meanwhile, means it should survive being briefly sprayed with water if you’re a touch careless with your kitchen tap.

Its party piece is the collection of small circular LEDs on the rear panel that shine a variety of colours (both static and dynamic), creating an attractive halo of coloured light behind the speaker that work best when it's placed near a rear wall.

Bluetooth 5.3 support offers the only means of connection besides a 3.5mm auxiliary input, while the built-in battery pack offers 30 hours of playback on a single charge.

Pure didn’t forget to make a speaker that sounds the part. Thanks to its 40-watt output, the Classic Aura is happy to go loud when you push the volume dial, serving up an impressively wide, open soundstage with pleasing detailed and nuance, particularly through. Dynamics are nicely handled, too, with the classy speaker conveying shifts in intensity and volume when required.

All in all, the Classic Aura has serious substance to go with all of that style. Check it out and its new deal price at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our Pure Classic Aura review

Also consider the JBL Flip 7

Best Bluetooth speakers tried and tested for every budget

Just when you thought JBL couldn’t make its Xtreme portable Bluetooth speaker any more, er, extreme, it goes and blesses us with a fifth-generation model. And this one is not only waterproof and dust-proof – it is now drop-proof too.

The JBL Xtreme 5 can also put on a bit of a show thanks to new colourful, customisable edge lighting, which emits from two strips placed on the front of the speaker.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll discover there’s a lot more going on here than just a light show and a newfound sense of invincibility.

Price

The good news for prospective buyers is that the price of the JBL Xtreme 5 hasn’t really changed massively compared with its predecessor. It costs £330 / €350 / $400, while the Award-winning Xtreme 4 started life at £330 / €330 / $380 although it can be found significantly cheaper now, given it launched back in 2024.

It has a close rival in the shape of the five-star Bose SoundLink Max. This, too, originally launched in 2024 for £399 / €400 / $399, but at the time of writing, it can also regularly be found for less than its JBL counterpart.

Design and build

Like a bodybuilder who has bulked up for their first show of the season, the Xtreme has been beefed up by JBL for this latest incarnation.

Placed next to the previous version, the Xtreme 5 comes across as much more of a unit. The changes in proportions are immediately noticeable, and you could almost be forgiven for thinking this was actually a new step-up model.

Compared with the Xtreme 4, the Xtreme 5 is more than 1.5cm taller, just over one centimetre deeper, and nearly five centimetres wider. These figures don’t look like a lot on paper, but see the two together in reality and the difference in stature is obvious.

The 5 is also nearly one kilogram heavier, which you can feel as soon as you pick it up by the carry strap (which you’ll be pleased to know still includes a bottle opener as part of its design).

Speaking of the strap, the floating loops on top of the speaker have more clearance on the new model, making it slightly easier to attach than on its predecessor.

A couple of other design tweaks also enhance the Xtreme 5's broad chest. The built-in stand, which uses rubber bumpers along the front and back edges for stability, has increased in size, while the rubberised ‘fins’, which are dotted around the edges of each end of the speaker, are more robust to offer greater protection should it roll off your picnic bench.

The passive bass radiators at either end of the speaker are also bigger, which means the sense of theatre they offer as they pulse in time with your favourite tunes has a bit more visual impact.

And that’s before your eyes are attracted to those light strips on the front of the Bluetooth speaker. You can change their colour, the pattern they display, or you can turn them off completely.

The control buttons, which used to simply to sit directly on top of the speaker’s ruggedised fabric, have changed position slightly. They are now mounted on a large matte-finished panel on the top of the speaker (together with power, Bluetooth pairing, and Auracast buttons), which we think also adds to its perceived bulk.

Features

But it’s not just at the surface level where changes have been made – there has been a significant overhaul to the driver configuration of the Xtreme 5. Where previous generations used twin tweeters and twin woofers, the new speaker keeps the tweeters but ditches the woofers in favour of a single ‘racetrack’ driver positioned behind the JBL logo.

JBL claims the new driver can better handle the increased power of the new model, a by-product of which is that it can deliver more mid/bass than its predecessor.

The total power output of the Xtreme 5 is a claimed 130W when mains powered, 90W when running off the built-in battery. This compares with figures of 100W and 70W for the Xtreme 4.

The speaker supports Bluetooth 6 and Auracast – the latter allows you to pair two Xtreme 5s together to use in stereo, or to connect multiple compatible JBL speakers together, should you want music blasting throughout your house.

Charging the JBL Xtreme 5 is done through the USB-C connection on the back, and the speaker can power your smartphone or tablet through the same socket. It also supports lossless audio up to 24-bit/48kHz through a wired connection – although for most people that’s a nice to have feature, rather than an essential.

JBL has included a couple of technologies designed to aid sound quality. AI Sound Boost is always on and uses an algorithm to clean up low frequencies and reduce distortion; while Smart EQ analyses what you’re listening to in real time and can adjust the speaker’s delivery to suit, say, if you’re listening to music or a podcast.

In addition to helping you access the six different edge-lighting themes and alter the colours you see displayed, the JBL Portable app also allows you to access a new seven-band equaliser, should you want to tweak the out-of-the-box sound.

You can also form a stereo pair through the app and turn on Playtime Boost, which tweaks the sound so you can extend the battery life by four hours (as standard, you should be good for 24 hours of uninterrupted playtime).

We would steer clear of this particular feature unless you’re really desperate. It dramatically reduces the bass output of the speaker and makes the overall sound leaner and more compressed.

Sound

Avoid that setting, though, and the JBL Xtreme 5 does not disappoint.

Play Ed Sheeran’s Shivers and you can immediately hear that increase in power. As the track bursts into life during those first few seconds, you get a much greater sense of scale and size compared with the Xtreme 4.

You’re not buying a Bluetooth speaker for its stereo imaging, more for its spread of sound, and the JBL takes filling our modestly sized test room in its stride. Take the speaker outdoors and crank it up, though, and things get even more impressive.

The speaker laps up high volume levels and can easily go loud enough to power a summer party or annoy the neighbours, depending on your mood.

There’s plenty of bass weight – even with the Xtreme 5 firing out into the great wilderness, the track’s deep, probing bassline makes its presence felt. Impressively, though, it doesn’t overpower the rest of the track – Sheeran’s expressive vocals still take centre stage.

The other thing that strikes us about the JBL is how much clearer it sounds than its predecessor. It makes the Xtreme 4 sound hazy and cluttered in comparison.

Play Run by Stephen Fretwell, and there’s more separation around the individual elements, so you can hear what each one brings to the music.

You can inspect around the edges of that crisply defined percussion and piano, but the whole presentation remains cohesive, and the track remains confidently knitted together with the lead vocal at the centre. It’s still a hugely musical listen and captures the slow, gentle rhythmic flow and rise and fall of the track.

We switch between battery and mains power, and can hear a small injection of punch and solidity when we tap into that bigger power figure. It’s not a huge jump, though, and we think you’ll be satisfied whichever way you decide to use the speaker.

Verdict

Just when we were starting to wonder how JBL could improve things with yet another generation of Xtreme, it goes and beats what came before.

The Xtreme 5 is a beefier design than previous versions. Not only does it have greater sonic presence, but it also has a newfound sense of clarity, which elevates sound quality to a new level. And that’s bad news for its closest rivals. Bravo, JBL.

Review published: 13th May 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 4
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Want something cheaper? Check out the JBL Charge 6

Our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for every budget

With any luck, everyone knows by now that even the best-sounding TVs sound pretty rubbish by home cinema standards.

But we don't all have the space, budget or patience for a full system comprising an AV receiver, speaker package and the cables required to wire everything up.

In truth, even the super-popular soundbar systems that typically combine a bar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds (the Samsung HW-Q990H, for example) are “too many boxes” for many people.

So, what’s the solution for those who’ve forked out for a gorgeous, premium TV and want equally gorgeous sound without all of the boxes and/or cables?

The premium solo soundbar, that’s what. In fact, that’s exactly the problem that the soundbar was originally designed to solve.

These days, a premium soundbar is a very sophisticated bit of kit that typically combines svelte styling with effective Dolby Atmos processing for movies and games, plus music streaming, simple operation, and the option to add additional speakers further down the line.

Here, we’re pitching four such soundbars against one another.

The benchmark is the Sonos Arc Ultra – the successor to the multi-Award-winning Arc and now an Award-winner in its own right.

This is a soundbar that really nails the confluence of simplicity and sound quality, and, being a Sonos product, the Arc Ultra also functions as a multi-room speaker for music.

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 have met before, albeit in slightly different circumstances, with the Sony priced much higher.

These days, you can usually get it for the same price as the Sonos, making the head-to-head far hotter, especially as the Bar 9 has features that the Arc Ultra does not, such as DTS:X support and HDMI passthrough.

This isn’t a head-to-head test, though: two newer soundbars are looking to disrupt the Sonos vs Sony scuffle.

The first of those is the very fancy LG Sound Suite H7. As the name suggests, this is a component in LG’s new Sound Suite family of speakers, but it’s also a Sonos Arc Ultra-rivalling soundbar in its own right.

Finally, but most unusually, we have the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which, as you may have spotted, isn’t really a solo soundbar.

However, we’ve decided to include it here as the ability to connect the surround speakers to the main bar means it can function as a solo bar – albeit one that also comes with a subwoofer.

Which of these premium soundbars deserves the spot beneath your lovely TV? Let Dolby Atmos battle commence!

Picking a winner

Each of these premium soundbars proves that you don’t need a stack of separates and a room full of speakers to get genuinely enjoyable cinematic sound from your TV.

Of course, they all tackle that challenge in slightly different ways.

The JBL leans into flexibility and sheer spectacle, the LG focuses on design and cutting-edge tech, the Sony majors on immersion and detail, and the Sonos aims to blend simplicity, sophistication and sonic excellence into one sleek package.

4. LG Sound Suite H7

All four are good products in their own right, but there is a clear hierarchy here, and in fourth place is the LG Sound Suite H7.

The H7 is certainly an interesting proposition. Its styling is refreshingly different from the norm, and those who own a compatible LG TV will appreciate the way it integrates visually and functionally with the screen. It’s also packed with features, including Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which will be a real boon if you decide to expand your system in the future.

There’s no denying, either, that the H7 sounds impressive out of the blocks. It goes loud, delivers plenty of bass weight and throws effects around the room enthusiastically enough to create a decent sense of scale.

Ultimately, though, it lacks the refinement and subtlety of the best soundbars here. Dynamics are a little blunt, detail levels aren’t especially high, and there’s a hardness to its delivery that can become fatiguing over longer listening sessions. Dolby Atmos effects are present, but they don’t knit together cohesively enough to fully convince.

It’s a decent soundbar, then, but against this level of competition, decent simply isn’t enough.

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 review

3. JBL Bar 1000MK2

Third place goes to the JBL Bar 1000MK2 – and this one is perhaps the trickiest to judge.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a solo soundbar at all, thanks to the inclusion of a wireless subwoofer and detachable surround speakers. But because those surrounds can be physically attached to the main unit, we felt it deserved a place in this test – and we’re glad we included it.

There’s no question that the JBL delivers the biggest and most overtly cinematic presentation here. With the surrounds deployed, it creates an impressively expansive soundfield, and the dedicated subwoofer gives action scenes a level of low-end heft that the true solo bars simply can’t match.

It’s a hugely entertaining listen, too, with a bold, energetic character that makes blockbuster movies enormous fun.

The problem is that it’s not the most nuanced or controlled performer on test. Bass can occasionally become overbearing, subtle details are sometimes overshadowed by sheer bombast, and musicality isn’t really its strong suit. In stereo music playback, particularly, the Sonos and Sony sound noticeably more balanced, cohesive and sophisticated.

If your priority is maximum home cinema impact with minimum hassle, the JBL remains a very appealing option. But as an all-round premium soundbar package, it falls short of the class leaders.

Read the full JBL Bar 1000MK2 review

2. Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Which brings us to the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9.

When this soundbar first launched, its pricing made it difficult to recommend wholeheartedly, but now that it can regularly be found for around the same money as the Sonos Arc Ultra, it becomes a much stronger proposition.

And it really is an excellent soundbar. Sony has managed to produce an impressively spacious and immersive presentation from a single bar, with Dolby Atmos effects projected with remarkable precision. Its sense of verticality is particularly convincing, and it fills a room with sound more effectively than almost any rival.

It’s detailed and dynamic, too, with crisp dialogue, excellent placement of effects and plenty of punch when movie soundtracks demand it. The inclusion of HDMI passthrough and DTS:X support also gives it a useful edge in the features department.

Ultimately, though, while the Sony is deeply impressive, it doesn’t quite achieve the same all-round balance and naturalness as the Sonos. There are moments where its presentation becomes just a touch forward or forceful, and while it sounds spectacular with movies, it’s not quite as consistently musical or cohesive across all content types.

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

1. Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra nails the brief.

It delivers Dolby Atmos with scale, precision and convincing height effects, but it never loses sight of subtlety or cohesion in the pursuit of spectacle. Dialogue is crystal clear, effects are expertly placed, and there’s an openness and spaciousness to the presentation that makes movie soundtracks utterly engrossing.

Crucially, it’s also the most musical soundbar here. Whether you’re watching films, gaming or simply streaming music, the Sonos sounds balanced, expressive and refined in a way that its rivals can’t quite match.

The lack of HDMI passthrough will be an annoyance for some, and the Sonos app isn’t quite back to its slick best yet, but many buyers are unlikely to bother with the app after initial setup and the superb performance of the Arc Ultra far outweighs those relatively minor niggles.

The Sonos Arc Ultra will surely be beaten one day – but today isn’t that day.

Read the full Sonos Arc Ultra review

JBL's wireless earbuds might not hold the same kind of sway as Sony or Bose's, but they usually perform well – our JBL Live Pro 2 review was five stars, and three years after launching, they still feature on our list of best wireless earbuds. So a new pair is big news.

The JBL Live 4 series promise improvements all round – a better case giving you more options, new drivers for better sound quality, and improved noise cancellation. You also get more colours to choose from. All of which sounds good to us.

The JBL Live 4 comes in three wearing styles: Buds, Beam and Flex. Buds are a standard wireless earbud design; Beam is a stem design with ear tips; and Flex is a stem design that sits in the outer ear for a more relaxed fit.

The new drivers promise clearer sound and deeper bass, while "new, enhanced algorithms" should enhance the active noise cancellation, though there's no word on by how much.

The Smart Charging Case from the JBL Live Beam 3 returns, and it has some improvements. The screen is bigger, with a new user interface, and it lets you swipe to check notifications, skip songs and change the equaliser (EQ) settings. You can also add your most used features to the home screen for easy access. And you can personalise it with background themes or a picture.

Calls should be clear thanks to the new AI-trained algorithm that should cancel out more background noise to prioritise voices.

Of course, it'll all hinge on how these earbuds sound, and here JBL has a strong track record.

All JBL Live 4 models are available now for £180 (around $245 / AU$340). The JBL Live Beam 4 and Live Flex 4 come in Black, Blue, Green, Silver, Orange, Purple and Sand finishes, while the JBL Live Buds 4 come in Black, Blue, Silver and Sand.

The JBL Live 780NC and Live 680NC that we covered previously are also out today, costing £180 (around $240 / AU$340) and £130 (around $175 / AU$240) respectively.

MORE:

JBL’s smart case for wireless earbuds is fun – but I don't think Apple's AirPods need one

Here are 8 mistakes to avoid with your wireless earbuds

Read our JBL Live Pro 2 TWS review

With JBL stealing almost all the headlines in our best Bluetooth speakers guide, you'd be forgiven for thinking there's little point in looking at other brands.

But when a 42 per cent discount appears on the four-star Sony ULT Field 1, we think everyone should take notice. The price drop at EE brings it down to an incredibly tempting £69.

So, why should you give it a go? In short: "There's plenty to like about what the Sony speaker offers in terms of detail, propulsion and, if you so choose, its ample helpings of muscular bass." That's what we said in our review.

At this price, it's well worth a look, especially considering the best-in-class, the JBL Charge 6, costs £170.

Best Sony ULT Field 1 deal

The Sony ULT Field 1 is actually a really interesting beast. It often gets forgotten amidst a wave of five-star JBLs, such as the Flip 6 and the Award-winning Flip 7, but the Field 1 is something of a wildcard that, if it's up your street, can actually represent a very attractive proposition on paper.

There are two ways of listening to Sony's slimline speaker: with the bass-boosting 'Power Sound' profile switched on or off. If you switch it on, you'll get a punchy, powerful sound anchored by a considerably weighty lower-end reproduction which goes beyond what you might expect from a unit of this size.

Switch it off and the ULT Field 1 becomes leaner, tauter and nimbler, making tracks feel sharper, freer and capable of clipping along with a sprightly sense of propulsion and rhythmic drive. Neither profile is perfect, but the Sony is notable for teasing out more detail than its JBL Flip 6 rival, and that's not something to be sniffed out.

The Field 1 scores highly in other areas, too. Battery life is a respectable 12 hours if you're reasonable with your listening volume, while an IP67 rating is more than enough to keep the Sony speaker protected from the sand and the sea. Hands-free calling is also available, while stereo pairing is on hand for getting twin Field 1s firing together.

As an intriguing, super-discounted alternative to the class leaders, the Sony ULT Field 1 is worth an audition. Get it for £69 at EE.

MORE:

Read our Sony ULT Field 1 review

Check out the best wireless speakers: tried and tested by our expert team

And the best Bluetooth speakers, too

For What Hi-Fi? readers at least, playing music directly from your smartphone may be the most cardinal of all cardinal sins. To take your music and subject it to being squeezed through your iPhone’s tinny little speakers is, to some at least, the equivalent of cooking a dry-aged steak in a microwave and then slathering it in a small mountain of ketchup.

This, in part, is why the JBL Go 5 exists. The fifth generation of JBL’s very affordable Bluetooth speaker is built to be almost as portable as your smartphone itself, but with boosted sonic capabilities that won’t leave your music sounding as though it’s been put through the metaphorical microwave.

The first JBL Go came out back in 2018, and since then, JBL has been steadily refining the line by adding more features, tweaking the dinky design and refining that all-important sonic output. The Go 4 was the former high water mark, but 2026’s new model is now on the scene – and, from what we’ve heard, this fifth-generation model might be the best Go yet.

Price

You can all breathe a sigh of relief because, while the world’s financial markets may be in turmoil, some things are blessedly immune from inflation. The JBL Go 5 clocks in at the same price as its predecessor, once again costing a wallet-friendly £40 / $50 / AU$59 at the time of writing.

If you want something cheaper, your best bet is probably to plump for a now-discounted JBL Go 4, which can sink as low as £28 / $30.

There are a few comparable speakers knocking around at this near-entry-level price point. The five-star Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 tends to hover around the £45 / $46 mark; and you can now grab its less successful successor, the Stormbox Micro 3 for around £63 / $65.

Build & design

Unlike a former child star losing their chocolate box looks once they hit their troubled adolescence, the Go is just as cute as it has ever been. It’s a tiny bit larger than the fourth-gen Go, but the slight increase in size is perceptible only if you place the two generations next to each other.

Once again, we’re dealing with a very small, square(ish) speaker that is only slightly bigger than a pack of cards or a bar of soap.

Times have changed, however, so there are a few extra aesthetic developments beyond mere size. The Go 5’s front-mounted ‘JBL’ lettering logo has been rather cleverly hollowed out, so there should be less impediment to the sound from the driver reaching your ears.

Plus, JBL has added lighting to the party, which you can customise and switch on/off via the JBL Portable app. Twin strips of white lights run parallel across the top and bottom of the main speaker face, with four stock light themes – ‘Bounce’, ‘Loop’, ‘Switch’ and ‘Freeze’ – from which to choose.

Is it strictly necessary? No, of course not. Is it a fun touch for an ultra-portable speaker aimed at people who don’t want their portable audio taking things too seriously? Yeah, we’d say so.

Elsewhere, it’s much the same as before, and that doesn’t raise many complaints from us. Rubberised edging surrounds practically the entire unit, with large play/pause and volume controls housed at the top of the speaker and the power, Bluetooth pairing and Auracast icons spread vertically down the left hand side, all of which are easy to use and responsive to the touch.

At the bottom, JBL’s signature diagonally slanted ridges have been replaced by a rubberised bulge, but we don’t find that has much of a negative effect on how much the speaker grips to horizontal surfaces.

At the top right of the unit is a handy, non-adjustable carry loop, one that we find remains durable and robust no matter how many times we spin it around on an outstretched finger.

In fact, the entirety of the Go 5 just feels so well made that we’d bet a small chunk of cash that, barring a nuclear apocalypse or the battery running dry, it will last for many years to come. That IP68 rating means that an aggressive outdoor hosing leaves no lasting impression, and as our test sample(s) accompany us from the bottom of a backpack to the end of the garden, they take everything cheerily in their stride.

Features

Considering how small and cheap the Go 5 is, you’re not exactly starved of features. If you have the latest Flip 7 or Charge 6 speakers, many of the same features have been carried over to the fifth-gen Go, and there are even a few new tricks that are exclusive to the smallest member of the portable JBL family.

Check this out for a party piece: the Go 5 is capable of ‘AirTouch’ stereo pairing, and it really is exactly as described. Get two Go speakers together, tap them together end to end and, almost unfailingly, they’ll emit a chime of approval and form a stereo pair. You can also do this in the provided app, but what sort of fun is that?

Stereo pairing is easier than ever to set up and use, and the technology seems to have been improved since we tried it last. Our JBL Go 4 review griped that we would have liked slightly better sound synchronisation between our two speakers when playing in stereo, but we don’t now detect a noticeable delay from one speaker to the other when music is being shared by two speakers.

There’s a lot more packed into the teeny tiny Go 5. Auracast Bluetooth compatibility is back, bringing the Go 5 in line with the current JBL Flip 7, Charge 6 and new Xtreme 5 models and letting you connect multiple compatible JBL speakers together either via the on-unit button or via the JBL Portable app.

Battery life has been bolstered just a little, with the Go 5 squeezing out roughly eight hours of standard playtime, with an additional two hours via Playtime Boost. This is an increase over its predecessor’s seven hours of standard time and maximum of nine with Playtime Boost.

Do be aware that Playtime Boost should be seen as a ‘last resort’ option, as this feature will suck out most of the bass from your speaker’s output and make things sound unbalanced and rather thin. More of a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ kind of a thing if you desperately need to extend your power use.

Sound

JBL’s palm-sized Go 5 promises improved audio with a fuller, deeper bass than its antecedent, thanks in part to its 45mm driver and that hollow-contour logo working in tandem to “level up sound output and performance”.

“Level up” is a rather nice way to put it, and as we flit between the older-generation model and 2026’s fresh-from-the-oven fifth-gen iteration, it’s clear that this is the most sonically capable Go yet.

The Go 4 was a wonderful sonic surprise, but its successor does enough to trump it, treating us to a fuller, meatier reproduction that simply sounds more rich and engaging than its predecessor. There’s unquestionably more depth in the bass, too, though not to the extent that the lower end unnaturally dwarfs the rest of the frequencies and threatens to throw the entire reproduction off balance.

The Go 5 doesn’t try to do too much – instead, it gives us a hearty and surprisingly musical upgrade on anything that our tinny smartphone speakers could hope to muster. Relatively simple tunes, such Muse’s Madness, sound clean, composed and impressively clear through the midrange, while Turnstile’s crunchy rock anthem SLOWDIVE is dispatched with confidence and muscle as we shift things up a gear.

This is a speaker that can fit in the palm of your hand, yet it’s genuinely remarkable just how punchy and effusive the Go 5 is capable of sounding. Ludwig Goransson’s POSTERITY brims with energy when played via the JBL, and while this isn’t a speaker that will grant such a layered composition a huge amount of space, the feeling of rhythmic intent and cinematic drama comes through with real gusto.

Like almost all of the more recent JBL portables we’ve tested, the Go 5 is tuned to have an innate understanding of how your music should sound. Again, nothing here is overdone or overly coloured, but it shares its bigger siblings’ ability to go with the flow as we bounce around tracks and genres.

Is Nick Cave’s Avalanche the most well-organised and cinematic rendition you’ll ever hear? Of course not. Does the Go 5 capture the essential character of what Cave is trying to convey? Absolutely it does. Will bigger speakers offer more textural detail when playing Hans Zimmer’s The Battle? Undoubtedly. Do we ever feel as though the Go 5 is failing to communicate the inherent drama of the piece? No. In all honesty, we don’t.

The good news keeps coming, as the Go 5 steps in line with its latest-gen JBL counterparts by supporting 24-bit/48kHz lossless playback via USB-C. Hold down the speaker’s ‘play’ button as you plug in a USB-C cable and a happy sound will inform you that you’re now in wired playback mode.

We test lossless playback with Tidal playing on a connected iPhone 15, and find that our music sounds a touch clearer, crisper and more detailed when going wired compared with Bluetooth.

Just be aware that JBL doesn't tend to supply an in-box USB-C charging cable any more (as is increasingly standard for most brands, in a bid to minimise electronic waste), but we imagine most users will have a spare one knocking around these days, so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Verdict

Laurel resting doesn’t seem to be JBL’s thing at the moment, especially when it comes to its strong line of portable Bluetooth speakers.

The Go 5 is the best Go yet, thanks to its handsome feature-set, stylish portable design and, for a speaker of its size and price, excellent audio quality. If you’re still playing your music through your phone’s speakers, it may be time to consider upgrading to one of JBL’s pocket-sized dynamos, because the Go 5 really is the real deal.

Review published: 8th May 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Read the JBL Go 4 review

Also consider the Tribit Micro Stormbox 2

Check out the best Bluetooth speakers we've tested

Right around this time last year, I was packing for a rare holiday abroad, and I thought it would be a great idea to pack a little Bluetooth speaker.

With my Sonos Roam having failed a few months earlier, I had to buy something with my own money.

On a near-zero budget, I of course headed over to our list of best budget Bluetooth speakers and ordered the cheapest option – the JBL Go 4.

My, what a brilliant little speaker it is! Despite the super-low cost of just £30ish and the pocketable dimensions, the Go 4 sounds clean, controlled and surprisingly weighty. It goes much louder than I expected, too.

Needless to say, the Go 4 was a hit on our holiday, and it’s had plenty of use since, particularly in the garden, where it hangs handily off one of the utensil pegs of my barbecue.

I’ve recommended it to lots of people, too, including my dad, who also bought one and thinks it's brilliant.

Quite incredibly, though, I recently found a Bluetooth speaker that makes the JBL look expensive. That speaker is the smallest model in Ikea’s (yes, that Ikea) Vappeby range, and it costs just £10.

A tenner for a Bluetooth speaker from a reputable brand? That’s nuts. So nuts, I just had to buy one.

Unboxing

The Vappeby doesn’t hide its cheapness particularly well.

Thicker and more cube-like than the JBL, it has a hard plastic finish and no branding. A bit “My First Speaker”, but not without charm – the perforated front is neat, and the striped strap is really rather fetching.

And it looks cheap because it is cheap, which is perfectly fair enough.

The little Vappeby is waterproof, too, which is pretty generous for a speaker costing only a tenner, and it charges via USB-C – although it’s worth noting that you don’t get a cable with it, let alone a full charger.

Charging isn’t something you’ll need to do often, at least, because Ikea claims a fully charged Vappeby will play music at 50 per cent volume for 80 hours. Impressive stuff.

Sound quality

The problem, though, is that even just 20 minutes of listening to the Vappeby is too long.

Even the sound effects that play when you power the speaker on or put it into pairing mode are shrill and tinny.

Play some actual music and the rendition is small, thin and congested. Voices are reedy and sibilant, while instruments blur together into a bright, indistinct mix.

I kid you not, listening to music via my iPhone’s built-in speakers is actually preferable overall to listening via the Vappeby.

The little Ikea isn’t a complete bust: it goes fairly loud for a dinky speaker, and even at full volume it still has some headroom left to deliver some dynamic range.

A £30 benchmark

But it’s completely demolished by the Go 4 in every way. JBL’s even smaller speaker is coherent, smooth, relatively bassy, detailed and natural-sounding. It’s actually a joy to listen to, which the Vappeby decidedly is not.

And that’s the problem for the Ikea speaker: it’s a really unpleasant listen.

It might seem that I’m being harsh on a little speaker that costs just £10, but why would you want to spend £10 to make your music sound even worse than it does coming out of your phone?

You wouldn’t, is my guess. So don’t buy the Ikea Vappeby, is my advice. Save a little more and buy the JBL Go 4 instead – you won’t regret it.

MORE:

Check out our full JBL Go 4 review

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

A bank holiday weekend is upon us here in the UK, which leaves plenty of time to check out the latest deals.

It also lines up nicely with payday, so now could be the time for you to pull the trigger on the high-ticket item you’ve been eyeing up.

So whether you’re after a Bluetooth speaker to spend your long weekend in the sun or looking forward to staying in with a new soundbar system, we’ve got something for everyone.

As ever, all products have been reviewed and rated by our expert testers, so you can be sure these are good purchases even at full price.

Not sure where to start? Let us help…

If you want a beefy, rugged outdoor speaker, look no further than the JBL Xtreme 4. The Award-winning Bluetooth speaker has a great discount right now at Richer Sounds, as you can save £150 by signing up to its VIP club (which is completely free).

The Dali Oberon 5 5.1 Speaker Package has earned a What Hi-Fi? Award an incredible six times and is back to its Black Friday price with £200 off. Surround sound with direction and heft doesn't get much better than this.

If your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, then a soundbar system is a good compromise. And budget systems don’t get much better than the Hisense AX5125H, which offers amazing weight, scale and a convincing Dolby Atmos for a price less than some solo soundbars.

If you want luxury and audiophile credentials in your wireless headphones, you won’t do much better than the Focal Bathys. A classy design and a 24-bit/192kHz USB-DAC mode are two highlights out of a feature set that includes two different levels of ANC, a transparency mode, aptX Adaptive support and 30 hours of battery life included too.

For a mid-range wireless speaker that’s great value, look no further than the Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII. It has been succeeded by the newer, pricier Audio Pro C20 W, but it still has great clarity with clean and tight bass.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless earbuds you can buy

And the best OLED TVs for all budgets

Interested in vinyl? Here are the best turntables we have tested

Famed American brand JBL has been making all sorts of audio products for its impressive 80-year lifespan.

In that time, an absolute raft of speakers, amplifiers and portables have been served up by one of the most dominant and productive names in audio, with JBL growing from making domestic loudspeakers to pouring out a host of hi-fi, headphones and portable speakers to become one of the most respected brands of its type in the world. Chances are, you own at least a JBL Bluetooth speaker – or you know somebody who does.

Yet across almost all categories of consumer audio, competition has rarely been so fierce. Apple continues to dominate the wireless earbuds space, whereas myriad novice brands are using aggressively priced, feature-laden offerings to upset the market and undermine the established order.

It’s a scary, ever-changing world out there, so how does JBL reflect on 80 years in the business, and how does it plan to ensure that it makes it to at least 80 more?

To find out, we headed to the company’s Los Angeles headquarters to speak to Sharon Peng, Senior Vice President of Harman, and Mikael Herje, Director of Global Headphones, to talk about the past, present and future of JBL.

Ahead of the curve: JBL’s audio philosophy

To understand JBL’s sonic philosophy, it’s useful to have a little historical context. When James B. Lansing (hence ‘JBL’) started speaker and driver production in 1946, he did so at a pivotal moment in audio history wherein loudspeakers were becoming more ingrained into both the public and private listening spheres.

In 1946, JBL produced the D130 driver, the company’s first mass-produced loudspeaker unit which was used in cinemas, hi-fi systems, guitar amplifiers and even concert systems. By the 1960s and 1970s, it was producing the likes of the C38 Baron, a compact enclosure for domestic use, and the L100-A, the iconic ‘Quadrex’ grille-fronted speaker designed to bring modern acoustic engineering into the home.

At the same time, JBL speakers were soundtracking some of the biggest events in musical history. The 1969 Woodstock festival, perhaps the most famous live music event of all time, used JBL speaker components to power the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who, while 1974’s Cal Jam festival saw JBL part of the loudest sound system ever assembled at the time.

JBL’s sound, therefore, was informed by both home and large-scale use, with two very different use cases – public and private – feeding into one unified sonic philosophy. Music had to sound, according to JBL, energetic and alive, but it also had to retain the clarity and intimacy of the original recording. Straddling that particular line has been integral to 80 years of the company’s sonic philosophy.

The famous Harman Curve, meanwhile, continues to be the anchor point for the tuning of JBL’s audio output.

The curve essentially offers a specific target frequency response, based on Harman’s own series of controlled tests. And, for example, with the newly adjusted JBL Tour One M3 flagship over-ears, the brand has added around 3-5dB to the 4-8kHz range and refined the low-to-mid range for a “cleaner, more natural soundstage”.

The Harman Curve continues to guide audio production, but it isn’t the only way of ensuring consistent audio quality. “We have a core panel of people with all different kinds of backgrounds,” says Sharon Peng, including R&D sites in China, Denmark and a large engineering team in Northridge, Los Angeles.

These 40-strong panels are trained to listen to each JBL product critically, ensuring consistent, in-depth feedback during the research and development stages of production.

Competing with giants

It’s a tough question, but somebody has to ask it: how does JBL plan to compete with its heavyweight rivals? Especially in those product areas which are so heavily dominated by certain, seemingly immovable brands. For Bluetooth speakers, it is, perhaps, not such a problem – JBL is easily the market leader in both the US and Europe, with a 34 per cent volume share of the market in 2019.

In other categories, though, it’s trickier to carve out such success. A US study from 2022 found that Apple or Apple-owned brand Beats accounts for roughly 50 per cent of all wireless headphones/earbuds sold in the US, with JBL holding firm with around 11 per cent. That’s a strong showing, no doubt – but it could be stronger.

How? According to Mikael Herje, the answer still lies not only in JBL’s commitment to constantly improving its sound, but in the brand’s versatility. In terms of headphones, “We lead with a headphone that fits everyone, but also on the universal play part – you can connect to any device from any source – that’s kind of unique to us.”

JBL has to offer something unique to the market, all while staying true to its own audio philosophy. For Sharon Peng, that philosophy is expressed in three words: “It’s powerful, it’s dynamic, it’s energetic. For each category, we’re trying to set the bar higher.”

A willingness to adapt to the market doesn’t hurt, either. Changes in the Harman Curve showcased on the tweaked Tour One M3 came about due to changes in users’ listening habits.

With listeners wearing products longer than before, the desire to produce a more forgiving sonic signature became important in order to prevent user fatigue. So the brand aimed for a more balanced sonic signature with less emphasis on bass reproduction.

An exciting new space

Spatial audio is set to be an important thread in JBL's future.

The company’s Harman-owned headquarters feature entire rooms dedicated to the development and refinement of spatial technology, including a bespoke mixing studio and an immersive demonstration room which uses a multi-speaker array to showcase JBL’s development in this exploding area.

We are treated to a demonstration in partnership with Flux’s ‘SPAT’ technology, a creative engine which helps sound engineers design, perform, and deliver immersive audio for live events. And it’s hard not to be impressed by both a bespoke demonstration video and a rendition of Elton John’s Rocket Man as it bounces around the in-built speaker array above, in front of and behind our heads.

JBL is going big on spatial audio – which it sometimes refers to as ‘immersive audio’ – as a means of taking sound beyond the limits of mere audio resolution. According to Sharon Peng, spatial audio “stimulates more areas of the brain than traditional stereo”, boosting the music’s emotional impact and placing the listener “in a believable environment”.

Headphones and earbuds such as the JBL Tour Pro 3 and JBL Tour One M3 have already implemented spatial sound within their specification lists, with JBL keen to push the tech further into the future.

For Mikael Herje, spatial audio isn’t for everyone, but its implementation in certain areas is only going to grow as time goes on. For gamers, for instance, “the spatial feature is very important for the gamer to feel like they’re immersed in the situation. Our R&D team is doing some advanced research, focusing on gaming headphones and our premium sector of the Tour series [of wireless headphones].”

80 more years?

80 years is an impressive milestone for any company, but you can bet that JBL will want to be celebrating quite a few more anniversaries in the future. The world of audio has changed profoundly since James B. Lansing helped develop JBL’s first mass-production drive unit back in 1946, and you can guarantee that it will change even more as technological innovations continue at an increasingly frightening pace.

Where, then, does JBL fit into that future? And, more importantly, how does it plan to shape it? For Harman CTO Armin Prommersberger, AI and cross-platform integration are going to be integral to near-future development.

Harman’s CTO sees a world of audio that is far more connected, with a smart ecosystem of devices communicating and communicating across speakers, headphones, mobile devices and even car audio.

What about that AI? For Prommersberger, it’s a big deal: “The future speaker analyses what you’re playing, how loud you like it, and then adjusts it in real time,” meaning hardware can push beyond physical limitations to create a sound that is more attuned to the user’s individual needs.

JBL has already used its real-time ‘Sound Boost’ audio processing technology that uses AI algorithms to maximise speaker performance for the likes of the Charge 6 and Flip 7 portables, with the same tech now coming to the upcoming Xtreme 5 and Go 5, too.

Sharon Peng agrees that AI is already taking JBL’s sound beyond the limits of physical hardware: “With AI, you can go to the limit to get better sound. We have AI for voice clarity for the soundbars, so you will hear much clearer voice communication. Dynamically, we’re using an AI model to enhance the human voice.”

Whatever happens, keeping the consumer in mind remains a core priority, with both Peng and Herje emphasising the need to keep that signature JBL sonic philosophy at the heart of every product, be it a pair of £100 wireless earbuds or a high-end set of hi-fi speakers.

“The thing is, our standard is the same, but there is a limitation on the physical side depending on hardware,” says Peng. “But in our mind, the standard is the same".

“It has to be consistently repeatable across all the production levels. All of those design principles and system optimisation need to converge. We want to make sure we reach a certain level, subject to materials.”

80 years is a long time to be in the game, and in that time, JBL has produced some legendary products, from its legendary JBL L100 icons to its ever-dominant series of Bluetooth speakers. Whatever the future holds, we're excited to see what the next 80 years has in store for JBL.

MORE:

Read our recent JBL Summit Ama review

Going for a run? We've rounded up some of the best snug-fitting, sweatproof sports earbuds to accompany you

These are the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy

Looking for a big speaker to use on the go? There’s one in particular that we love to recommend with a dazzling five-star review and a What Hi-Fi? Award to really seal the deal.

And right now, it has dropped in price to just £179 at Richer Sounds – the cheapest we’ve ever seen it!

At first glance, it will look like this brilliant speaker will set you back £329; but there’s a simple trick that will secure you £150 off. All you have to do is sign up to Richer Sounds’ VIP Club, which is totally free and very quick to do.

The only minor caveat is that this deal is exclusive to the Black Camo model. You can pick up the Black model for just £219 at Amazon, but that’s a chunky £40 more.

The JBL Xtreme 4 is has won not one, but two What Hi-Fi? Awards with its impressive sonic clarity and precision, and tight, weighty bass. If you’re looking for an entertaining Bluetooth speaker that delivers a big dose of refinement, you won’t go far wrong with this option.

And, as you can probably tell from the pictures, this is also an outdoor speaker that is built to withstand the elements with the credentials to match, including an IP67-rated water- and dust-proof build.

That beefy build is not just for protection; it also houses two 70mm woofers and two 20mm tweeters. Yes, the JBL Xtreme 4 may look beefy and rugged, but the sound quality on offer is anything but.

In fact, our expert testers say: “For such a chunky speaker it produces a fantastically refined sound. It produces a wonderfully clear and consistent sound across tracks: low frequencies are poised and punchy but don’t lack weight, (whereas) highs are crisp enough so they don’t feel rolled off.”

New features for this model include AI Sound Boost, an always-on technology that aims to maintain sound quality at loud volumes and prevent distortion. Auracast is another headline feature, letting users pair two Xtreme 4 speakers together in stereo or connect multiple compatible JBLs in a chain.

Battery life stands at a solid 24 hours and can even stretch to 30 hours with the Playtime Boost feature, though at the cost of some weight and solidity from the bass.

While the JBL Xtreme 5 launched in April, we have yet to give it a full review. And the newer version will also cost you £300 at Amazon. But we are more than happy to recommend the Xtreme 4, an outstanding speaker from JBL at an outstanding price right now, just £179 at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our full JBL Xtreme 4 review

Check out the best Bluetooth speakers tried and tested for every budget

And the best outdoor speakers: portable, wireless, waterproof models tried and tested

If you’re shopping for one of the best soundbars in the affordable Dolby Atmos category, both the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 and the JBL Bar 300MK2 deserve a place on your shortlist.

Both models aim to deliver immersive, room-filling sound without the need for a full surround speaker package. They also arrive at roughly the same point in the market, sitting just below more premium options such as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

Look a little closer, though, and the two soundbars take quite different approaches. The Harman Kardon offers true up-firing Atmos drivers and a more complex channel layout, while the JBL focuses on virtual Atmos processing and a punchy, cinematic presentation.

We have thoroughly reviewed both soundbars, and below we compare them across price, design, features, and sound quality, to help you decide which deserves the coveted spot under your TV.

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: price

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 was £430 / $560 / AU$800 when we reviewed it, but UK pricing has crept slightly higher and now typically sits around £449.

That puts it directly in line with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and one of the most formidable rivals in this part of the market.

The JBL Bar 300MK2, meanwhile, arrives at a more accessible £350 / $450 / AU$549, with prices of £349 widely available in the UK at the time of writing. That undercuts both the Enchant 900 and the Sonos Beam while still offering Dolby Atmos support and a substantial specification sheet.

Given the price gap, the JBL offers a more budget-friendly route into Atmos soundbars without sacrificing too much capability.

** Winner: JBL Bar 300MK2 **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: design and build

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 has a sleek, minimalist aesthetic that feels appropriately premium for the price. The top panel is wrapped in fabric, and divided by a strip of black metal, giving the bar a refined, modern look.

It’s relatively compact and weighs 3.5kg, making it easy to place in front of most TVs. Wall-mounting brackets are included in the box, and the supplied remote has a similarly polished feel.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 takes a simpler approach. The unit is finished in black with rounded edges and a plastic front grille, with minimal physical controls that sit flush on the top panel.

The JBL is slightly wider but also slimmer and, at 2.9kg, lighter than the Harman Kardon.

One advantage for some buyers will be the inclusion of an LED display on the front, which clearly shows volume and input changes – something that rivals such as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) lack.

Overall, both soundbars feel solidly built and thoughtfully designed for their price bracket. The Harman Kardon has a more premium finish, while the JBL’s display adds a touch of useful practicality.

** Winner: Draw **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: features

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 uses a 5.1.4-channel configuration powered by nine drivers, including two up-firing units, promising bona fide Dolby Atmos height effects. Harman Kardon also employs its MultiBeam technology to widen the soundstage without needing extra speakers.

Connectivity includes HDMI eARC, an additional HDMI input, optical and Bluetooth 5.3. The soundbar itself can also be controlled through the Harman Kardon One app, which allows room calibration, EQ adjustment and access to streaming services such as Tidal, Amazon Music and Qobuz. Spotify Connect is also supported.

One limitation, though, is that the soundbar does not support DTS:X, though it can accept a DTS HD Master Audio signal and apply its processing to create a more immersive, three-dimensional effect.

If you want to expand your system later, the bar can also be wirelessly paired with other Harman Kardon products, such as the Enchant Sub and Enchant Speaker, allowing you to add a subwoofer or rear surrounds.

The JBL Bar 300MK2, in contrast, uses a simpler 5.0 speaker arrangement, made up of five mid/bass racetrack drivers and four tweeters. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X, but height effects are virtualised, rather than delivered through dedicated upward-firing drivers.

Connectivity includes HDMI eARC, one HDMI input and Bluetooth 5.3. The JBL One app provides room calibration and access to the same core streaming services, including Tidal, Amazon Music and Qobuz, alongside Spotify Connect.

Interestingly, JBL keeps things simple when it comes to sound modes. There are no preset listening profiles, such as a night mode or dialogue enhancer, although treble and bass can be adjusted via JBL’s app.

While the JBL offers strong streaming support and a straightforward setup, the Harman Kardon’s true Atmos drivers and more advanced channel configuration give it the edge, on paper at least.

** Winner: Harman Kardon Enchant 900 **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: sound

Sound performance ultimately carries the most weight – and here the two bars present noticeably different sonic characters.

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 delivers a large, energetic presentation. When playing Dune Part Two, the soundstage spreads convincingly into the room, creating an immersive experience that easily surpasses typical TV speakers.

Dialogue remains clear even during chaotic scenes, and the soundbar handles dynamic shifts well. However, the bass can sound a little soft and “blobby” in demanding moments such as the Chapter 2 bass stress test from Blade Runner 2049. The treble can also become slightly coarse when pushed hard.

In contrast, the JBL Bar 300MK2, despite lacking up-firing drivers, produces an impressively immersive presentation for its size and price. During Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the sound stretches convincingly across the room and along the ceiling, creating a believable sense of Atmos height.

Bass performance is particularly impressive as well. The bar delivers a punchy, floor-shaking low end that adds excitement to action scenes while remaining largely controlled. In fact, the Enchant 900’s own review notes that the cheaper JBL delivers tighter, more controlled bass in demanding scenes. Dialogue also cuts clearly through the mix, helped by the JBL’s forward midrange.

Where the JBL falls slightly short, though, is musical subtlety. When playing Aurora’s My Name, dense sections of the track can become slightly congested, with the bar struggling to keep overlapping elements fully separated.

Even so, its lively, room-filling character makes it hugely engaging with films and TV. With a five-star sound score compared with the Harman Kardon’s four in our respective reviews, the JBL ultimately proves the stronger performer, despite its virtualised Atmos effect.

** Winner: JBL Bar 300MK2 **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: verdict

Both of these soundbars represent solid ways to upgrade your TV’s audio without moving to a full surround system.

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 impresses with its spacious presentation and proper Dolby Atmos drivers, and it offers a more technically ambitious setup on paper. However, its bass performance and slightly coarse treble hold it back from true class-leading status.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 may rely on virtual Atmos processing, but it delivers a more exciting and controlled performance overall. Its punchy bass, engaging presentation and lower price make it a compelling choice.

If you want the more advanced Atmos hardware and potential system expandability, the Harman Kardon is worth considering. But if outright sound quality and value are your priorities, the JBL Bar 300MK2 is the soundbar we would pick.

** Overall winner: JBL Bar 300MK2 **

If you’re getting into hi-fi for the first time, it can be a very daunting – and expensive – prospect.

Luckily, What Hi-Fi? is here to help. We have rounded up some of the very best entry-level and budget hi-fi products around, so you can get a full setup without breaking the bank.

There’s a mix of everything here, whether you prefer a turntable, CD player or music streamer as your source or if you would rather go all in on a microsystem.

And as always, these are all products we have reviewed and rated ourselves. We don’t give free passes just for being at the budget end, so each product below represents tremendous value for money and boasts impressive performance despite a low price.

Take a look at our selection below – and keep scrolling to see why we like some of these products so much.

If you need a bit more of an explainer on some of the products above, we’re happy to oblige.

The Triangle AIO Twin is a talented, versatile and great-sounding all-in-one system, meaning that amplification, connectivity, streaming and more all fit into one speaker-shaped package. They may cost a bit more than the other items on this list, but they will save you from having to buy several different boxes, and they are currently on sale, too.

The Dali Kupid bookshelf speakers are a great choice if you’re starting small, offering dynamic, detailed and punchy sound out of a space-friendly compact form.

While you might not guess from the name, the WiiM Pro Plus is in fact a music streamer – our favourite budget music streamer to be precise. You would have to pay far more to do better than this charming black box, which offers a poised and accomplished sound, a surprisingly well-executed control app and simple setup and operation.

The Sony PS-LX3BT is a relatively new release, but it has quickly become one of our favourite budget Bluetooth turntables. With its robust, well-organised sound, built-in phono stage and Bluetooth connectivity, it’s an affordable and effective entry point into vinyl.

If you're not fussed about Bluetooth, then the Pro-Ject Primary E has nailed the purist entry-level turntable market. Easy to set up and use with an enjoyable presentation, the Primary E will be remembered as a beloved first turntable by many.

The Marantz CD6007 CD player offers class-leading insight, a dramatic presentation and an excellent build and finish. It’s no spring chicken, but this is still the best affordable CD player out there.

The Rega Fono MM was our go-to recommendation for the best phono preamplifier for some time, and the revised Rega Fono MM Mk5 remains our favourite affordable option thanks to a cohesive, lively and musical performance.

The Onkyo GX-30ARC are powered desktop speakers that do a little bit of everything, including Bluetooth, with a moving-magnet phono stage and HDMI ARC. All within a compact, affordable package.

For a stand-out budget amplifier, you'd be remiss to overlook the Rotel A8. It's a fuss-free, well-built product that sets an enviable standard for sound quality at this level.

MORE:

Need expert advice? Here's how to build the perfect hi-fi system

Our pick of the best hi-fi systems

Our pick of the very best speakers

Phone speakers have improved over the years, moving from completely terrible to tolerable to, in some cases, even enjoyable.

However, they still sound tinny and distorted compared with a dedicated Bluetooth speaker, which is why I have been looking for a quick, low-cost replacement for my phone speakers. The JBL Go 4 for £28 at Amazon caught my eye.

It packs more wallop and musicality than my measly built-in phone speakers could hope to achieve, and, thanks to its small size, it’s just as portable as any mobile.

The JBL Go 4 was clearly designed with portability in mind. Our test team described the speaker as similar in size to a bar of soap, making it the perfect compact companion to take to the park, a BBQ or whatever holiday destination you travel to this summer.

It's just as durable as it is portable, too – the IP67 rating means it is waterproof enough to use in the shower and rugged enough to handle the strains of the outdoors. Our review sample was certainly put through its paces and showed no signs of wear and tear despite being sprayed with a hose and dropped on various surfaces.

And the all-important sound? When compared with phone audio, there’s simply no contest.

“In a straight sonic competition with the best that your phone can handle, and quite a few larger Bluetooth competitors, the Go 4 is supreme,” our JBL Go 4 review reads.

“We’re still so impressed by how the JBL's taut bass, restrained trebles and smooth mids combine to craft a marvellously coherent sonic picture.”

To top it all off, battery life is a solid seven hours – rising to nine if you use the Playtime Boost feature – while Auracast compatibility lets you pair two Go 4s together in stereo or hook up multiple compatible JBL speakers.

Bluetooth Multipoint lets you connect the Go 4 to two sources simultaneously, and there is also app support with a five-band customisable equaliser.

For a pocket-sized upgrade to your phone speakers, it won't get much better than this – especially for only £28 at Amazon.

If you are willing to shell out a tad extra for more openness and refinement, we also recommend these tried and tested alternatives below:

MORE:

See our best budget Bluetooth speakers list

Check out 28 of the best tracks for testing bass

IP ratings explained: how waterproof are your headphones?

Spatial audio can be a divisive issue for hi-fi and audio fans.

The burgeoning technology has gained huge traction over the past few years, with various forms of surround tech – Dolby Atmos being perhaps the most prominent – seeking to redefine the listening experience by going beyond traditional two-channel stereo and placing musical elements more precisely across an immersive, three-dimensional space.

Sometimes the effect is thrilling. Sometimes it leaves your music feeling pulled apart and strained; or else simply lacking the intended effect of giving songs or movies that truly cinematic, all-surrounding feel.

Multiple factors, such as the quality of the product you’re using and the signal processing tech used to render that spatial experience, naturally have a profound effect on how much you’re going to get from the experience. A pair of cheap wireless headphones is going to struggle to replicate the full effect of a multi-channel surround system, for instance.

Speaking of which. As part of JBL's 80-year anniversary celebrations, I recently went on a tour of the famous Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The site has played host to the likes of Michael Jackson and Fleetwood Mac, with multiple recording studios helping to birth hit after heady hit.

It’s a fantastic facility for lovers of musical history, but one room in particular grabbed me by the ears. Studio 4 is Larrabee’s dedicated Dolby studio, designed to mix songs specifically in Dolby Atmos by placing sounds, or ‘objects’, across a three-dimensional spatial field rather than simply rendering them across left and right stereo channels.

This is a properly dedicated facility, a specialist space designed to make spatial audio shine. If you’re not going to become a prostrated convert here, in all likelihood you’re not going to become one at all.

The setup in this room includes Augspurger cabinets as the main monitor system, as well as Meyer Sound Ultra X20 surrounds and Meyer Sound Ultra X23 overheads. If you want the full equipment list, you can find it on Larrabee's official website.

The demonstration I receive is brief, but it’s enough to leave a lasting impression. Breezy indie-funk hit Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man pumps out through the multi-speaker system, with the monitors at the front handling the bulk of the cargo as those sprinkled musical elements – bass guitars, backing vocals, the occasional one-off musical effect – bounce and fly behind and above me courtesy of the on-wall monitors dotted around the room.

The rendition is one of the most impressive implementation of Dolby Atmos I have heard. Forget soundbars and wireless headphones – this is the technology being used as the engineers intended. And that really shows in how precisely each sonic element is placed within its particular location.

Feel It Still doesn’t sound simply like a spatialised or processed rendition, but rather a wholesale reinvention of a familiar track that shines anew and grants the tune an entirely new aspect. Not only does everything sound distinct, but the spatial effect seems to transform the listener’s perspective. For perhaps the first time, I am hearing music not as an observer but, it feels, like an active participant.

It’s a strange sensation, but a thrilling one. As musical strands fly and float around their various locations across the soundstage, the boundary between music and listener seems far more permeable than when listening from a fixed source.

Perhaps it’s the nature of being in the middle of the storm, perhaps it’s the multi-thousand dollar equipment in play, but this feels like Dolby Atmos doing what it's supposed to do – dropping you into the heart of the music itself.

Spatial performances can often sound confused, muddled or simply incapable of producing the intended ‘immersive’ effect, but Larrabee’s facility seems capable of genuinely fooling the ear into believing that sounds are emanating from their intended location.

Sometimes, the effect is even exaggerated, so that distant echoes appear to be emanating from a space far beyond the confines of what is still a modestly sized listening space. For instance, when an instrument is supposed to sound ‘distant’, it really does appear as though it could be coming from another room entirely.

Okay, not everyone can afford to rent out one of the most renowned recording studios in the United States, but what Studio 4 at Larrabee does demonstrate is just what this controversial tech is capable of when it’s really firing.

So many renderings of spatial audio tech are aiming for something they don't really achieve, like a sketch artist trying to remember a painting from scratch. At Studio 4, however, this is a canvas being drawn exactly as the artist intended, with all of those particular elements appearing exactly where they are supposed to.

Spatial audio isn’t going anywhere, with many manufacturers (and quite a few sound engineers) doubling down on the technology. JBL’s SVP of Global Engineering, Sharon Peng, seems to think so, describing spatial audio as “more than surround sound”, and as something which is “dynamic, adaptive and emotional”.

The phrase “future of audio” was even uttered during our guided tour – though not by Sharon herself, we should point out.

The lesson here is that spatial audio can, in the right hands, be genuinely transformative. It’s still got a way to go if the tech is to trickle down into mind blowing headphones implantation, but the idea of immersive sound elevating music beyond the gains wrought by strides in audio resolution does seem to have some credibility.

Before, I wasn’t entirely convinced that that could be the case; now, I’m in danger of becoming a genuine convert. I just need to move to LA…

MORE:

Read our recent JBL Summit Ama review

14 of the best spatial audio tracks in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music

Check out the best wireless headphones we've reviewed

Most of the time we recommend only five-star products, but this half-price deal is too good to miss. The JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds have been discounted to just £138 at Amazon.

To get this super-low price, just make sure you tick the checkbox next to ‘Apply voucher’ on the product page. When you add the buds to your basket, you’ll see the reduced price at checkout.

The four-star performers may not feature among our very best wireless earbuds, but they still have a whole lot to commend them.

Our verdict is that “they boast plenty of useful features and back this up with a solid, engaging sound”. What more can you ask for at this crazy low price?

We gave them a four-star rating when we originally reviewed them in November 2024, feeling they weren't quite as impressive as their five-star Sony WF-1000XM5 rivals, but with this discount they are well worth considering.

The flagship JBL Tour Pro 3 uses a hybrid dual-driver system in each earbud, with improved drive units promising greater clarity and depth alongside more powerful bass reproduction and vivid vocal detail.

For going the extra sonic mile, the Tour Pro 3 offers support for the hi-res LDAC codec with compatible source devices. Read more about it in our JBL Tour Pro 3 review.

Central to the new JBLs’ identity is that distinctive smart case, first seen in the Tour Pro 2 earbuds and making its return for the third-gen model.

Not only does the case feature a 30 per cent larger screen and more customisation and useful control options than ever before, but it also acts as a wireless audio transmitter from USB or analogue sources such as in-flight entertainment systems –similar to B&W's Pi8 and Pi6 earbuds.

The Tour Pro 3 grant standard active noise cancelling (ANC) as well as JBL’s customisable True Adaptive Noise Cancellation technology, which measures and monitors environmental changes and then adapts your ANC experience accordingly.

The swanky new earbuds offer an impressive 44 potential hours of playtime (11 hours from the buds plus 33 hours from the case), although naturally that drops when ANC is switched on.

The features don’t stop there. JBL’s take on spatial audio with head tracking is on board; voice-tracking algorithms promise exceptional clarity when making hands-free calls; while Auracast capabilities let you share your audio with other Auracast-compatible devices (such as the JBL Xtreme 4).

The JBL app offers full EQ customisation, ANC-mode toggling, an ear-tip fit test, and a handy ‘find my earbuds’ function, plus a whole raft of customisation options for your smart charging case. Want a picture of your precious pup as your case’s wallpaper? This is the place to do it.

If you have been waiting for these earbuds to drop in price or are simply looking to invest in some of the best wireless buds around, then now is the time to act on this Amazon deal.

MORE:

Read the JBL Tour Pro 3 review

13 of the best classic funk and soul tracks to test your system

These are the best wireless earbuds on the market right now

It’s fair to say the quality of JBL’s flagship wireless headphones has been increasing gradually over the years, even if they haven’t been quite able to match their biggest rivals in the space such as Sony, Bose and Bowers & Wilkins.

We’ve already tested JBL’s current Tour One M3 over-ear flagships and deemed them solid four-star performers. And JBL will be hoping its latest move will go one step further in catching up with the competition.

So what has happened, exactly?

There’s been an interesting development, which looks like it’s ushering in a new direction for sound quality from the brand’s top headphones, starting with the Tour One M3.

JBL has tweaked what it calls its sound curve, which is a given target response that its headphones have been designed to meet.

According to JBL, users can expect “a sound that is clearer, more balanced, and truer to the artist”. It also claims that the updates will be “setting a new benchmark for precision and clarity”.

So, how do you get the new, improved audio quality? The sound curve change is available as a firmware update for the over-ears from today, 23rd April.

"The way people listen has fundamentally shifted with better hardware, higher-quality content and smarter streaming, making today's ears more discerning than ever.

"We are always striving to push the boundaries of sound performance and saw this as the perfect moment to refine the JBL sound curve for our premium headphones,” says Carsten Olesen, President of Consumer Audio at Harman.

With the change coming as a result of a firmware update rather than a hardware update, it will be interesting to hear how the sonic character changes and if it is indeed for the better.

JBL is also updating the interface of the Smart Tx transmitter, which is an accessory for the Tour One M3 over-ears and the interface of the charging case for its flagship Tour Pro 3 earbuds. They share many similar features and functions.

It’s promising a new menu system with horizontal and vertical scrolling, better graphics, larger icons and more intuitive layouts designed to make for a smoother user experience.

Last, but by no means least, the headphones and earbuds are also getting a new green finish (see above), complete with copper accents. It has been “Inspired by heritage British motorsport and modern luxury trends” and looks particularly striking in the images we’ve seen so far.

The new finish will be available from mid-May in select retailers and from JBL’s website, with pricing for the JBL Tour Pro 3 at £279.99 / €299.99, the JBL Tour One M3 £329.99 / €349.99, and the JBL Tour One M3 with Smart TX £379.99 / €399.99.

MORE:

Read our JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx review

And our JBL Tour Pro 3 review

Portable hi-fi has progressed so much, I'd choose it over a traditional system

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

It's April, which means several things: it's officially spring, the sun is (mostly) out and we're in peak marathon season.

But whether you're taking part in a full-on race, running in the local park or just getting a few steps in on the treadmill, you're likely to want a little musical motivation to help you on your way.

And that's where sports headphones come in – earbuds that excel during exercise due to their snug fit, sweatproof credentials or strong noise cancellation.

We've rounded up a few of our favourites below, which have all been reviewed and rated by our expert testing team – quite literally put through their paces, if you will.

So without further ado, here are some earbuds set to get both the music and adrenaline flowing.

There's quite a mix of earbuds, including several What Hi-Fi? favourites. All of the above models are great for running, though each have their own unique strengths.

The Sony WF-C710N are great all-rounders, hitting the sweet spot between a low price and great performance. They're very comfortable for extended runs, boast responsive touch controls and have a solid eight and a half hours of battery life. They're also the cheapest ANC headphones we recommend, should you wish to block outside distractions.

If you take your ANC seriously, however, you might want to consider the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen). Noise cancelling is typically excellent as we'd expect from Bose buds, but the premium pair will also work well as everyday buds thanks to high comfort levels, six hours of battery life and aptX Adaptive support. They're also now at their lowest ever price of £249.

For a proper sports-focused design, you might want to opt for the stylish Beats Fit Pro. The innovative wingtip design provides a snug, secure fit no matter how bumpy your run gets, with six hours of battery life and an IPX4 waterproof rating to boot.

For a mid-range option, the five-star JBL Live Pro 2 TWS pack in great sound quality and plenty of useful features without having to stretch to premium prices. They have a solid IPX5 water resistance, ANC and a user-friendly control app to optimise your audio.

We're sure the Apple AirPods Pro 3 need no introduction. Especially for anyone with an iOS device, the AirPods Pro 3 are bursting with features, including a new heart rate sensor to track health and workout stats. Sound is spacious, powerful and dynamic, and the IP57 water and dust resistance rating is the highest on this list.

Finally, the Sony Linkbuds Fit offer in-ear tips which nestle under the ear’s inner ridge for security and stability when running. Together with a small size and weight they really do make for an easy fit, and are stuffed with features such as noise cancellation, head tracking and customisation via the Sony Connect app. Get them now at the lowest price we've seen.

MORE:

7 crucial things to consider before buying running headphones

We tested the best running headphones and wireless earbuds

Check out the best wireless earbuds: top pairs tested by our reviewers

By JBL’s own reckoning, the Summit Ama is the best standmounter it knows how to make. Let that sink in a little. JBL was founded back in 1946, and the decades of knowledge gained by making all sorts of speakers for use at home, in cinemas and concert venues, and for recording studios around the world, has led here. Few, if any, rival speaker manufacturers come close to this depth and breadth of experience

The Summit Ama is the smallest and only non-floorstanding option in JBL’s trio of Summit high-end speakers. All three are named after Himalayan mountains (the others are called the Summit Pumori and Summit Makalu). They all sit below the company’s well-established range-topping Everest DD67000 (£79,999 / $82,500) and K2 S9900 (£49,998 / $68,000) tower models in price and size.

Design & build

The Summit range’s technical highlight is undoubtedly the horn-loaded compression tweeter. JBL has decades of experience making such drivers, and the engineering in the D2815K unit used here in the Ama is impressive.

It uses dual 38mm annular Teonex diaphragms, two motor systems and is loaded by the company’s HDI (High Definition Imaging) horn.

The HDI horn is made of Sonoglass, a fibreglass-based material, and is carefully shaped to ensure that high frequencies disperse in a controlled way, both horizontally and vertically. The horn’s unusual profile also aims to reduce the distortions that are traditionally inherent in such designs.

Below the tweeter sits a 20cm triple-layer carbon fibre/cellulose hybrid composite mid/bass unit. This driver’s diaphragm sandwiches a closed-cell foam core between the carbon fibre/cellulose layers to achieve the balance of stiffness, low mass and internal damping that JBL’s engineers required.

The mid/bass’s motor system uses a ferrite magnet and has a cast aluminium chassis for rigidity. This driver is claimed to deliver high sound pressure levels with low distortion and good power handling. Its low-end output is tuned by a large, flared rear-facing port that sits just above the chunky set of biwire terminals on the back panel.

The Summit Ama’s two drivers are integrated by a carefully calibrated crossover network that swaps traditional large value capacitors for multiple smaller ones; a choice that reduces ESR ( internal resistance) and is claimed to result in lower distortion, increased power handling and better dynamics.

Physically, this JBL is a chunky design, standing almost 48cm tall and around 31cm wide. The cabinet depth is pretty substantial at 34cm, and when mounted on their dedicated supports, the speakers will certainly dominate in most typical small rooms in the UK.

Build quality is excellent. The Ama’s cabinets feel rock solid and nicely damped. They are substantial at just over 26kg each, so they need care in installation. There are two finish options, black or ebony veneer, both in high gloss. The overall effect may be a touch brutish for some tastes, but there is no denying the care taken in fit and finish.

Those aluminium stands are substantial affairs with twin pillars and isolating IsoAcoustics soft feet rather than the spikes we normally see. Some thought has been given to cable management to keep things tidy, which is something we wish more manufacturers would take seriously. The Summit Ama bolt onto the stand to keep things secure.

Compatibility

JBL quotes the Summit Ama’s sensitivity at 84dB/W/m and its nominal impedance as 4 ohms, which suggests that a high-quality amplifier with plenty of power is probably the way to go. Our experience reinforces this idea. We get great results with our 180-watt-per-channel Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier combination.

There is no point in spending so much on a pair of speakers if the partnering system is in any way compromised. Our sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and a Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart record player feeding the aforementioned Burmester pre/power or a PMC Cor high-end integrated. Cables are premium options from Chord Cables and Vertere Acoustics.

The Summit Ama prove relatively unfussy about positioning in our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) test room. They need a bit of space to breathe, so don’t be tempted to put them close to a wall or corner, as you’ll never really hear just how good they can sound.

After a bit of experimentation, we end up with them around 90cm into the room with just a little angling towards the listening position. It is worth taking some time to optimise the toe-in angle, as getting the best balance between solid stereo image focus and good soundstage width requires a little work.

Sound

Once properly set up, these speakers generate a huge sound that belies their relatively modest (by price standards) size. We are listening to 65daysofstatic’s Heat Death Infinity Splitter and are stunned by the wall of sound these JBLs produce. They sound bold and confident, generating a sense of solidity and authority that’s rare among high-end standmounters in our experience.

They sound earthy and physical, maybe lacking a touch of spaciousness some rivals produce, but compensating with a brawny, outgoing character that’s so easy to love. This muscular presentation is built on the foundations laid by the speaker’s weighty yet still pleasingly articulate bass performance. These standmounters delve deep and true at low frequencies, delivering a fullness and power in the bass that is unusual for a speaker of this size.

We find we’re listening much louder than usual. That’s because these JBLs retain their smoothness, refinement and composure even when pushed hard. Their highs may not be the sweetest we’ve heard, but there is no trace of unwanted tizz or edge, and the level of resolution is excellent.

Dynamics, both high and low level, are delivered with conviction. Not many alternatives are as good at resolving dynamic contrasts, and even fewer remain as interesting to listen to at low volumes. These JBL standmounts remain an entertaining proposition right down to whisper volumes, though it has to be said, they actively encourage the listener to turn the wick up.

All the work on optimising the horn shape works well. The Summit Ama’s sound remains surprisingly consistent as we move away from our main listening position. Their expansive imaging stays decently stable over an unusually wide listening area. We have no complaints about focus or the way these speakers layer the soundstage.

As we work through our most demanding test recordings (The Dark Knight OST by Hans Zimmer, Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring), we can’t help but be impressed by the Summit Ama’s sonic unflappability. Their ability to retain control through the musical drama is excellent, as is the way they dig up so much information yet manage to organise it in a cohesive and musical way.

Tonally, we find they err on the side of richness; they sound pleasantly full-bodied and robust. This character trait gives voices and instruments an appealing palpability. We love the way they render instrumental textures and the skill with which they convey Nina Simone’s emotion in Sinnerman.

They are sure-footed rhythmically and convey musical momentum well. These speakers want you to have a good time with appropriate music, but feed them with Olafur Arnald’s Found Songs, and they are equally capable of getting introspective.

Verdict

The Summit Ama are one of the costliest standmounters we’ve ever reviewed, but their breadth of talents is hugely impressive. That they can rock should be no surprise to anyone familiar with the brand’s heritage, but it's their blend of insight, dynamic expression and finesse that marks them out as something special.

If you view your hi-fi as an analysis tool to dissect recording and production quality, there are alternatives which will serve you better. However, if you just want to have fun and get lost in the music, these JBL standmounters should be right at the top of your shopping list.

Review published: 20th April 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our ATC SCM 50 review

Also consider the Magico A1

Best speakers: budget to premium models tested by our expert reviewers

"A smart display case, an avalanche of customisable features and easy-going, smooth sound". That's the verdict we gave the JBL Live Beam 3 alongside a respectable four-star rating.

Being able to bag all this for £150 is impressive, but I'm here to tell you that Amazon has slashed the price of the Live Beam 3 to just £99. The 34 per cent discount sees the friendly wireless in-ears drop back to their lowest-ever price.

The Live Beam 3 is proof that buds don't have to be boring. If you like the sound of clever and fun buds that don't cost the earth, then this deal on JBL's budget offering could be just for you.

One of the most notable features of the Live Beam 3 is its smart display case. While it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, it features an interactive 1.45-inch touchscreen display where you can access volume and playback controls, different sound and ANC modes and various other options, without firing up the JBL Headphones app on a smartphone.

The build quality is decent for wireless buds at this price, and the IP55 rating means they have some protection against dust and water ingress.

They are also supplied with four sizes of eartips, ensuring a comfortable fit for most ear canals. During testing, most of our review team had no issue with the Live Beam 3’s comfort and fit.

Wireless connectivity is provided via Bluetooth 5.3, while Bluetooth multipoint is present for switching seamlessly between multiple audio sources.

You can listen to your favourite audio for long periods too, thanks to a battery life that extends to a whopping 48 hours with the charging case. And that’s with ANC turned on, too.

Soundwise, the JBLs are easy-going, smooth and fluid. When we tested them last year, we found “there’s liveliness and punch, a good helping of detail and a full-bodied approach that’s very appealing to listen to for hours”.

The Award-winning Sony WF-C700N rivals offer more in the way of precision and dynamics, but this doesn’t detract from how enjoyable the Live Beam 3 are to listen to.

Plus, for £51 off, they represent even better value. So, if you’re after a great deal on a feature-packed, friendly pair of wireless earbuds, we encourage you to check out the JBL Live Beam 3 for £99 at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our in-depth JBL Live Beam 3 review

Also consider the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

The best wireless earbuds you can buy

We are well into April, and not only is the weather looking up, but so too is the scope for finding tempting TV, AV and hi-fi deals.

And we've tracked down a superb selection this week, which includes a sprinkling of five-star products from some of the biggest names in the business, including Bowers & Wilkins, Samsung, TCL, Technics, and many more.

See below for the full list and rundown of why some of these products should be on your shopping list.

Also, stay tuned for more deals next week…

We think you'll agree there's something for everyone here.

The Samsung HW-QS700F Dolby Atmos soundbar delivers a great feature set, including HDMI connectivity and a compact wireless subwoofer. It also produces a punchy sound and impressive bass performance that's above what many rivals around this money can offer. And with a mammoth £361 discount, you're saving a small fortune too!

If you're looking for a convenient stand-alone music streamer solution that doesn't cost the earth, there's money to be saved on Cambridge Audio's excellent MXN10. It's compact enough to slip into any hi-fi system and offers a control app which makes it easy to set up and a breeze to use. With £100 off, it's all you could really wish for from a product of this type at this kind of price.

Alternatively, if you want to stream music but also have a pile of CDs you want to keep hold of and enjoy, then we seriously suggest taking a closer look at the Technics SL-G700M2. It's a versatile product with an eye-catching £500 off. Build quality is excellent, you're provided with extensive connectivity options, a thorough feature set and a sound that delivers excitement in spades, whether streaming from your service of choice or spinning your favourite CDs.

Deals on Award-winning floorstanding speakers can be hard to come by, which is why we just had to highlight a £100 saving on the excellent Fyne Audio F501E. They are seriously talented performers for the money that deliver a focused, expressive and fun presentation no matter the music played through them.

We've also got two TVS for you at different ends of the price spectrum. The 50-inch TCL C6KS is an absolute bargain for the money. Its specs look great on paper, and it backs this up with five-star picture quality, with its excellent brightness and contrast being two particular highlights.

Those looking for a more premium set might be tempted by the 65-inch version of Samsung's QN90F flatscreen. As an alternative to OLED, this Mini LED set puts forward quite a convincing case, aided by a sizeable £600 discount. It offers a punchy, detailed picture and impressive gaming specs.

MORE:

Our pick of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy

And the best music streamers out there

Need something to listen to? Here are the best music streaming services we've tested

The sun is shining and it's time to take our tunes outdoors, so what could be better than investing in one of the best Bluetooth speakers on the market? Especially, one that's dropped in price.

Right now, the five-star JBL Charge 6 can be yours for just £104 at Amazon. One caveat, though, the discount only applies to the White model.

It's not quite the lowest price we've ever seen, dropping to £100 during Black Friday. But at only £4 away, it's impressively close. Unsurprisingly, this discount is a popular one and Amazon states there's only '8 left in stock' at the time of writing, though there's reportedly 'more on the way'.

The JBL Charge 6 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers we've ever tested, taking the top spot only from its longstanding predecessor, the Charge 5.

An excellent all-round performer that covers all the bases, it took what the Charge 5 started and ran with it. And it did so with such grace that we gave it a What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year Award in 2025.

With credentials like these and a five-star review to boot, it should come as no surprise that we're happy to recommend this impressive speakers, especially when it's at a discounted price.

With the Charge 6, you get an even more waterproof, dustproof and drop-proof model than its predecessor, boasting an IP68 rating, beefier bumper guards and a handy carry-handle for portability.

But, what really impressed us was the upgrade in sonic ability. To quote from our expert testers' review: "The Charge 6 certainly sounds more powerful, but that muscle and authority are heard throughout the frequency range, not just in the lower end. The sound is clearer and more detailed than before, with vocals given extra solidity and textural depth; the highs soar with punch but clarity."

Internally, the Charge 6 features a 20m tweeter and newly developed woofer that strives for deeper more powerful bass than the old model. Throw in the 'AI Sound Boost' to analyse the speaker's sound in real time and you've got yourself an impressive offering.

And that's before we've even gotten to the features. Onboard, there's Auracast audio sharing, 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio via USB-C, and a hefty 24 hours of juice, plus four extra with Playtime Boost, as well as doubling up as a power bank for your smartphone or portable device.

Ultimately, we reached this verdict: "With a more powerful and clearer sound, the infectiously energetic Charge 6 is a terrific evolution of JBL’s superb portable speaker."

If you're happy with swooping up the White model, then you can grab it for just £104 at Amazon. There's only '8 left in stock' though, so you'll have to be quick. If your heart is set on another colour, they're still on a discount but will cost you £18-£25 more, depending on what you're after.

MORE:

Read our full JBL Charge 6 review

Best Bluetooth speakers: tried and tested for every budget

Best outdoor speakers: portable, wireless, waterproof models tried and tested

With better weather on the horizon, maybe you're turning your attention to investing in one of the best outdoor speakers. I'm certainly ready to enjoy some outdoor parties and BBQs.

If that's you, we would highly recommend the JBL Xtreme 4, which is not only our 'best large' pick but can now be snapped up for just $299.95 at Amazon.

The popular Bluetooth speaker is likely to return to full price once the summer is in full swing, which is why taking advantage of the current $80 saving right now makes so much sense.

The JBL Xtreme 4 is the winner of back-to-back What Hi-Fi? Awards, which should be a clear sign that we're quite the fan of this robust Bluetooth speaker.

The all-around credentials of JBL's Xtreme 4 makes it almost impossible not to recommend. And at this discounted price, it's hard to find better.

The Xtreme 4 is the Xtreme 3, but (how to put this?) more extreme… It's roughly the same design we have come to know and love from JBL, robust and rugged, but with some tweaks that are worth talking about.

Take the 24 hours of battery life (compared with the Xtreme 3's 15 hours) or the option to stretch that even further to 30 hours, thanks to the new Playtime Boost feature. Plus, the AI Sound Boost is another new feature of the Xtreme 4. This always-on technology is there to help the speaker maintain sound quality at loud volumes and prevent distortion.

As far as new features go, though, Auracast is the big one. It allows users to pair two Xtreme 4s together in stereo or to connect multiple compatible JBL speakers in a chain.

And it sounds great. In our review, our expert testers say: “For such a chunky speaker, it produces a fantastically refined sound. It produces a wonderfully clear and consistent sound across tracks: low frequencies are poised and punchy but don’t lack weight, [whereas] highs are crisp enough so they don’t feel rolled off.”

If you're looking to secure yourself an outstanding Bluetooth speaker from JBL, the Xtreme 4 is a great option – especially now its price has dropped to just $299.95 at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our full JBL Xtreme 4 review

Best Bluetooth speakers tried and tested for every budget

Best outdoor speakers: portable, wireless, waterproof models tried and tested

Amongst the best Bluetooth speakers we've ever tested is the five-star JBL Flip 7. And while you might see the odd drop in price now and again, we haven't seen a deal as good as this since Black Friday.

Right now, you can grab it for just £80 at Amazon, a whopping £50 discount on a speaker that offers clear, precise and enjoyable sound. But, you'll have to be quick!

It may look like £90 at first glance, but be sure to tick the box that says 'apply £10 voucher' before you add it to your basket and you can secure this unbeatable price.

The JBL Flip 7 is a five-star speaker, a What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and our top pick amongst the best Bluetooth speakers in terms of portability.

If you find the size or price of the JBL Charge 6 a little too much, this is a mighty alternative that's smaller, slimmer and less expensive. But, like the Charge 6, the Flip 7 also goes big on features.

There's a meaty 14 hours of battery life available on a single charge, ramped up with an extra two with Playtime Boost. Plus, Auracast functionality, the new sharing technology which lets you pair two Flip 7s together in stereo or hook up multiple units via the JBL Portable app.

The brilliant burrito-shaped speaker also has an IP68 rating, which means it's dust-proof and waterproof against prolonged submersion in fresh water, improving upon the Flip 6's IP67 certification. There's also wired listening for the first time, supporting up to 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio playback via a USB-C cable.

Sonically, this is the best Flip we've ever heard. It's bassier than before, with a smoother, more refined profile than the more hard-edged Flip 6 can manage.

This led our expert testers to say: "We know this is still a fairly compact portable Bluetooth speaker, but judged on such terms, the Flip 7 evidences what you might call genuine musicality. The subtleties of Jeff Buckley’s guitar playing on So Real are communicated with a deadly combination of accuracy and flair, complemented by bringing authenticity and clarity to dear old Jeff’s vocal stylings as he flits and flows from sultry whispers to his enthralling angelic wail."

Adding: "Hearty improvements to build quality, features and usability make the Flip 7 a more rounded performer than ever before, while sonic advances see it stride well clear of the competition."

And while we haven't seen a price this low since the mega Black Friday sales, somehow it's back. So, if you fancy grabbing JBL's mighty burrito, the Black model can be yours for just £80 at Amazon. Just don't forget to click that coupon!

MORE:

Read our full JBL Flip 7 review

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

And the best outdoor speakers: portable, wireless, waterproof models tried and tested

Two of JBL’s stalwart Bluetooth speakers are getting a major refresh.

The new JBL Xtreme 5 follows on from the Award-winning Xtreme 4 we tested back in the summer of 2024. The other end of the size (and price) spectrum is covered by the JBL Go 5, the box-fresh successor to the dinky five-star Go 4.

Both Bluetooth speakers tease upgraded sound and a refreshed look as part of their next-generation revamp, as well as new features and improved usability.

The far larger of the two, the boombox-esque JBL Xtreme 5, teases 10 per cent deeper bass and louder sound than the previous generation model, with a revamped acoustic design consisting of dual tweeters and a subwoofer in pursuit of “powerful sound” and minimised distortion.

The palm-sized Go 5, meanwhile, also teases improved audio with deeper bass than its antecedent, in part thanks to a new hollow contour logo which is designed to “level up sound output and performance”.

New features are on the horizon for 2026, too. Both speakers make use of AI-powered ‘SmartEQ Mode’ which automatically optimises your sound settings for music or speech if, say, you’re listening to music and then switch over to a podcast.

The titchy JBL Go 5, meanwhile, makes use of new ‘AirTouch’ tech, which allows for stereo pairing simply by touching two Go 5 speakers together. Now that does sound clever.

As we have seen with the Award-winning Flip 7, the two new additions to JBL's line-up grant USB-C audio for lossless playback up to 24-bit/96kHz.

The JBL Xtreme 5 teases around 24 hours of playtime on a single charge, with an additional four hours courtesy of ‘Playtime Boost’, which is roughly the same as the numbers boasted by the fourth-gen model. The Go 5, conversely, promises around eight hours of playtime with an additional two hours via Playtime Boost, a small increase over its predecessor.

As is the case with pretty much all newer JBL Bluetooth speakers, the fifth-gen arrivals support Auracast Bluetooth tech, essentially allowing you to pair multiple speakers together in stereo or hook up multiple compatible JBL units, either via an on-unit button or through the provided JBL app.

On the outside, the new speakers have enjoyed something of a design refresh, with both now sporting ambient edge lighting which can be customised across multiple modes. In terms of durability, the Xtreme 5 boasts an IP68 water and dustproof rating, as does the Go 5.

According to Carsten Olesen, President of Consumer Audio at Harman: “JBL is known for its portable speakers, and we are always looking for ways to improve and evolve them. First we brought in AI Sound Boost for clearer, louder sound for less distortion in your playback, and now with the introduction of Smart EQ Mode on Xtreme 5, we continue to develop innovative ways to deliver the best possible listening experience.”

The JBL Xtreme 5 will be available in black, blue and camo finishes from April 2026, priced at £330 / €350. The JBL Go 5 will be available in seven colours from April 2026, priced at £40 / €50.

Those are the same sorts of figures for the Xtreme 5 and Go 5 as their outgoing predecessors – nice!

MORE:

Read our recent Sonos Play review

I've heard Denon's new range of multi-room wireless speakers – and Sonos should be worried

Best Bluetooth speakers tried and tested for every budget

Another week, another bucketload of deals.

Amazon's sale may well have ended, but several other retailers are still offering spring savings across the board.

Highlights include over £1000 off the retro-inspired JBL SA550 Classic amp, as well as the huge 83-inch LG C5 for half price (when you tick the voucher box).

Once again, these are all products we've rated and reviewed ourselves, so they all come with the What Hi-Fi? seal of approval.

Some of these deals really do have to be seen to be believed – so take a look for yourselves, below.

The Amazon Big Spring Sale has kicked into full gear, with the second day themed around Easter essentials.

Why are headphones included in this theme? We're not quite sure, but we're very much for it.

• See the whole Amazon Big Spring Sale

This has led to several tasty deals, including savings on Award-winners such as the Technics EAH-AZ100 and the Sony WF-C510.

So if, like us, you view headphones as an essential, then check out the deals below:

Sonos is in need of a win at the moment. The US giant isn’t in quite the same desperate need as poor old Tottenham Hotspur are at the time of writing, but it’s hard to escape the fact that the past couple of years have been a little rough for one of audio’s most recognisable names.

The company’s much-covered app update was infamously poorly received, while patchy form on the audio front – from the middling debut of the Ace over-ear headphones to the disappointing Roam 2 Bluetooth speaker – struggled to win us back around.

Now entering this tricky landscape is the Sonos Play. The brand describes the Play as a “compact portable smart speaker”, with the new model blending streaming smarts with voice control, Bluetooth powers and a built-in battery to cover as many bases as possible in a bid to give Sonos that much-needed win.

There’s a lot on the Play’s shoulders, then: the ‘Play’ name is a throwback to Sonos’ older line of superb speakers, so is this the speaker that puts Sonos back on the right track?

Price

The Sonos Play comes with a premium price tag. Still, at £299 / $299 / AU$499, it’s a good chunk cheaper than its larger Move 2 counterpart was at launch (£449 / $449 / AU$799), hovering around the same sort of territory as the Apple HomePod 2 smart speaker (£299 / $299 / AU$479) and its WiiM Sound rival (£299 / $299 / approx AU$499).

If you’re after something that’s focused purely on portability, the Award-winning, Bluetooth-only JBL Charge 6 can be yours for at most £170 / $199 / AU$200, although it doesn’t have the same extensive arsenal of features as the Sonos or its smart speaker counterparts.

Closer to the Play’s price, you can also get the much larger JBL Xtreme 4 Bluetooth portable for around £230 / $299 / AU$329.

Build & design

The Play is something of a middle child for Sonos’ established range of portable and semi-portable wireless speakers.

It’s larger than the Toblerone-esque tubes of the slimline Sonos Roam and Roam 2, and puts us in mind of a scaled-down version of the rather bulky, wide-fronted Sonos Move 2. If you’re not so familiar with the established Sonos range, imagine a decent-sized hardcover book or a scaled-down bathroom bin and you’re most of the way there.

Either way, this is a Sonos product through and through, and in general, that’s a good thing. Sonos is not known for its slipshod approach to product design, and while you might find that it tends to err on the side of rather understated, utilitarian aesthetics when designing its speakers, this is unquestionably a well made product

The speaker is weighty in-hand (1.3kg is hardly feather-light for a portable unit), with the main body comprising a wrap-around grille topped by a rubberised top section, which feeds into another rubber strip running along the backside.

That rubber top hosts four physical buttons – two for volume, one for muting/unmuting your voice assistant and a play/pause toggle – while the spine houses a Bluetooth pairing control, a microphone toggle and a large power button. You’re also furnished with a removable, but sadly not adjustable, “utility loop", which you can hook around your finger for easier carrying.

A small LED display at the front gives you various status indicators, though we’d echo our sentiments from previous Sonos models that having a larger light would make this easier to see from afar.

The Play is designed to be portable, so there’s mettle and grit hiding beneath that rather unassuming facade. The speaker boasts a very solid IP67 rating to keep it protected from dust ingress and submersion in water, with garden hose splashes and a quick dunk in our office sink seeing the Play prove its all-terrain credentials with relative ease.

Two finishes are available – black or white – though we’d mention that, while our black sample shows little signs of the rigours to which we subject it during our tests, we wonder if its pristine all-white counterpart might be more susceptible to showing stains and scuffs after a time. If you plan on taking your speaker on outdoor adventures rather than keeping it cooped up inside or going as far as the back garden, the black option might be the one to pick.

Features

It’s best to think of the Sonos Play in the same way you might regard the established Move 2: a portable speaker that can also plug into the mains and slot into your home wi-fi network and, if you wish, integrate within your Sonos multi-room system.

As such, the Play offers Bluetooth 5.3 for when you’re roaming about and just need a quick and simple wireless connection from your smartphone, with pairing swift and stable during our tests.

It also has a very healthy 24 hours of battery life from a single charge. That’s a decent number, matching the standard lifespan of the JBL Charge 6 and the Sonos Move 2, and easily outstripping the 10 or so hours you’ll get from the smaller Roam 2.

Wi-fi compatibility offers you a more comprehensive streaming suite than most standard Bluetooth speaker rivals, with the Play granting support for the likes of Spotify Connect, Apple Music, Tidal via the Sonos app, as well as AirPlay 2. There’s no playing ball with higher quality Bluetooth codecs such as aptX HD or LDAC here, but the Sonos Play is capable of streaming files up to 24-bit/48kHz from most mainstream streaming services over wi-fi.

This being a Sonos speaker, multi-room capabilities act as a major feather in the Play’s proverbial cap. Grouping the speaker together with compatible Sonos devices, such as other Plays, the larger Move 2 or the slimline Sonos Roam 2, is a simple process – you can use the app to drag devices into your preferred group, a process which we find simple, intuitive and easy to navigate.

That simple process is done via the Sonos app, which, when it works well, is in-depth, easy to use and impressively comprehensive. Our problem is that too many times during our testing, the app suffers from usability glitches, often refusing to perform basic functions without explanation. We attempt to link Absolute Radio to our Sonos account, for instance, and only on the third attempt do we achieve a successful pairing – our first two tries are thwarted by an unhelpful error message. We hope these kinks are smoothed out with a firmware update.

Charging is performed using a supplied charging dock with USB-C cable, but there’s no power adapter in the box, so you’ll need to buy one separately (£19 / $19) from Sonos if you don’t already have one. There’s a USB-C port at the back of the speaker, either for charging or to connect an external audio source like a music player or turntable via a line-in adapter.

On the subject of charging, you can use the Play like a portable power bank by simply plugging a USB-C cable and keeping your smartphone juiced up on the go.

There are further tricks to be found to make usability easier, too. You can connect twin Sonos Plays via the app or simply by using Bluetooth – pressing the play/pause button for around two seconds on your Sonos Play will group it together with the speaker that’s currently playing Bluetooth audio. That’s a handy bonus if you’ve taken a few Plays out on your adventures and need a quick and effective way of getting stereo sound without wi-fi or app access.

Speaking of twins, you even get dual voice assistant support for your Sonos speaker, with Sonos’ own voice assistant sitting alongside Amazon’s ever-clever Alexa AI. You’ll need to set up and confirm permission to use Alexa via the separate Amazon app, but once that’s done, she’s easy to summon with a quick call of “Hello Alexa”.

Sound

Sonos never divulges the power rating of its speakers, but we know that the Play sports three Class H amplifiers powering two angled tweeters and a mid-woofer driver, as well as dual force-cancelling passive radiators which aim for deep bass and minimised vibrations.

The resultant sound is impressive in many respects. The Play covers the sonic basics admirably, and while that might sound like damning with faint praise, it’s no guarantee that a speaker of this size and type can put music together as convincingly and cohesively as our test sample manages.

As we pump out a recording of Ramin Djawadi’s The King’s Arrival from the soundtrack to Game Of Thrones, the Play gives the composition an appropriately regal feel – poised, clear, controlled, and with ample muscle to spare, it’s a powerful and convincing opening salvo.

Unlike Game Of Thrones, which really went downhill as its run came to a close, the Sonos Play doesn’t suffer a disastrous drop off when we switch to something completely different. Massive Attack’s Atlas Air gives the Play a new challenge, with the speaker striking a fine balance between weighty punch and composed control as it tackles the track with a professional, capable precision.

There’s ample bass muscle, but the Play’s clear, controlled character and disciplined signature stops that lower end from spilling out all over the place – instead, it sounds taut and punchy, evidenced by the Play firmly handles those opening drum thumps on Michael Jackson’s iconic Billie Jean.

How does the Play stack up against its key rivals? When placed side by side with Apple’s five-star HomePod 2 and with both speakers playing via AirPlay, it’s clear that the Sonos Play’s clear, punchy yet precise sound contrasts with the airier and more free-flowing temperament of the HomePod 2.

The mains-powered HomePod 2 is also a little more nuanced in how it handles instrumental timbres, granting more subtlety and texture to instruments – rich violin strokes, tumbling drum fills, tinkling pianos – making for a more natural listen than the ever-so-slightly mechanical Play.

We also find that the Sonos can tend to paint music with the same brush. Capable and controlled as it sounds, we do sometimes feel as though the speaker isn’t that flexible in its delivery – whether it’s The King’s Arrival or Elvis Costello’s Veronica, everything tends to sound a little uniform no matter the genre.

Veronica is a thin, zippy recording with a character all of its own, but some of that inherent leanness is lost as the Sonos just slightly imposes its own style on Costello’s bittersweet ditty when we listen over Bluetooth.

The five-star, cheaper JBL Charge 6 may sound harder and less forgiving when also playing via Bluetooth, but it brings out the essence of various musical styles – be it Costello, Chappell Roan or Chris Cornell – with greater expressiveness and insight.

Still, our overall impressions of the Play remain positive. Whether pumping out some Gorillaz in the garden or streaming a slice of Stevie Wonder in the sitting room, its clear, confident and controlled sound is rarely a chore to listen to. We’d like it to bend and flex to accommodate different musical styles and genres more readily, but sonically, this remains an admirable effort.

Verdict

The Sonos Play has a lot going for it. It’s hugely versatile and undeniably talented, while its ability to bridge the gap between home and outdoor use potentially saves the need for buying two separate speakers. In that regard, the Play is more than capable of justifying its reasonably lofty price tag.

If you simply need a dedicated specialist – be it a purely portable pal or a static wireless smart speaker – more sonically talented rivals are available. That said, if you’re seeking a do-it-all speaker that’s as happy slotting into your multi-room set-up as it is being taken down to the seaside, the Play makes a good deal of sense.

Review published: 26th March 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Apple HomePod 2

Also consider the Sonos Move 2

Read our JBL Charge 6 review

Check out our top tips to get the most out of the new Sonos Play wireless speaker

Sonos Play vs Apple HomePod 2: which wireless speaker is better?

Best Bluetooth speakers 2026: tried and tested for every budget

Amazon's Big Spring Sale is here, offering savings on several springtime categories, whether you're a Prime member or not.

One of the more exciting spring-themed deals, especially for us at What Hi-Fi?, is the humble Bluetooth speaker, which is perfect as the weather warms up for cook-outs, outdoor gatherings and trips to the park.

And we have the ideal speaker on offer for you. The JBL Charge 6, our wireless speaker Product of the year, is currently going for $150 at Amazon.

That's a solid $49 off the price we tested at and a 25 per cent discount. However, Amazon is only listing 11 in stock at the time of writing – we'd get in quick to get the Charge 6 at this price.

In case you hadn't realized, we're big fans of the JBL Charge 6. Not only did it nab our Product of Year gong at our latest Awards ceremony, but it's also our overall pick of the best Bluetooth speakers and best outdoor speakers.

It succeeds the JBL Charge 5, which was itself one of the most enduringly impressive Bluetooth speakers we've ever tested. The Charge 6 adds several meaningful improvements, including a jump from an IP67 rating to IP68 to ensure it's even more waterproof, dustproof and drop-proof than before.

Not that the all-important sound quality has been left out – internally, the Charge 6 features a 20m tweeter and a newly developed woofer that aims for deeper, more powerful bass than the Charge 5.

An innovative algorithm-driven ‘AI Sound Boost’ also processes audio in real time, optimizing speaker output for consistently powerful and exciting sound with reduced distortion.

Our expert testing team found that this all came together to produce Award-winning sound.

"The Charge 6 certainly sounds more powerful, but that muscle and authority is heard throughout the frequency range, not just in the lower end," our JBL Charge 6 review reads. "The sound is clearer and more detailed than before, with vocals given extra solidity and textural depth; the highs soar with punch but clarity."

The perks don't end there, however. JBL has packed in several cutting-edge features, including Auracast audio sharing and 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio via USB-C.

There's also 24 hours of battery life on board, with the Playtime Boost mode stretching this to 28 hours at the cost of some sound quality. The Charge 6 can even double as a power bank for your smartphone or other device.

Despite a somewhat rugged exterior, the JBL Charge 6 sounds balanced, subtle and controlled, and also boasts useful design tweaks and stacks of features. It's hugely fun to listen to, and highly recommended with $49 off at Amazon.

MORE:

JBL Charge 6 vs Charge 5: which Bluetooth speaker is better?

JBL Flip 7 vs JBL Charge 6: which Bluetooth speaker is best for you?

Also consider the JBL Flip 7

Every so often a deal comes along that leaves us with our jaws on the floor. The JBL SA550 Classic down to just £649 at Peter Tyson is one of those deals.

To put things in context, we tested the four-star amplifier at £1749 and praised its smooth and rich sound, good detail, hugely likeable presentation, and attractive retro-inspired design.

Now at almost a third of that RRP, the SA550 Classic is one of the best amplifier deals we've seen since Black Friday.

JBL SA550 Classic deal

The JBL SA550 Classic integrated amplifier blends stylish retro appeal with great build quality and, at this level, a stunning low price.

The amp feels solid to the touch, while the front panel's brushed fascia contrasts neatly with its exterior wooden panels to add an air of luxurious desirability.

Its power output is rated at 90W into 8 ohms, with the amp favouring Class G amplification and twin internal power supplies for greater efficiency.

In terms of connectivity, the JBL amp offers aux and headphone inputs at the front, while the back panel houses a set of speaker terminals, four analogue inputs (including a moving magnet phono stage for a turntable), and three digital inputs, which feed the amp’s ESS ES9038K2M DAC chip.

There's also Bluetooth connectivity with support for aptX Adaptive if you have a compatible source.

It's not like JBL is giving away a white elephant here, either. During testing, we found the SA550 Classic incredibly easy to get along with thanks to its smooth, cohesive and weighty delivery.

To quote from our review: "Thanks to the amp’s smooth nature, high frequencies never come close to sounding uncomfortable, even with particularly poor recordings."

It's capable of being a lot of fun, too. A track such as Empire State Of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys goes hard thanks to the JBL's enthusiastic reproduction of the track’s thumping bass line, and despite sounding a little fat, it still does more than enough to capture the song's propulsive energy.

We thought the JBL was a good shout at its full asking price, but now it's crashed down to £649 at Peter Tyson, we think it demands an even closer look.

More than £1000 off? Bafflingly outrageous value.

Oh, and if you fancy a source to go with your amp, you can grab the JBL CD350 Classic CD Player for £299 at Peter Tyson while you're at it.

MORE:

Our pick of the best stereo amplifiers for all budgets

We've built an affordable, all-purpose hi-fi system for vinyl, streaming and even headphone fans

We asked hi-fi engineers what makes a music streamer sound great – and it's about much more than just chipsets

There may not have been an Amazon sale this week – but there were some great savings all the same.

We've got quite a mix of deals for you this week, from soundbars to turntables to projectors. And there are even a few Award winners thrown in too: the Chord Mojo 2 and Sony Bravia 8 II (a good week for sequels then).

As ever, these are all products we've rated and reviewed. They've all been tested against their competition in the market, and we only recommend the best.

So without further ado, here are the deals.