Some albums are considered tough to listen to, but Zaireeka by The Flaming Lips might just be the most challenging of the lot.

While Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music assaults your ears with jagged shards of noise, and Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica often sounds like a work of musical absurdity, Zaireeka is a logistical challenge first and a sonic one second.

Originally released in 1997, Zaireeka is the kind of exercise in wilful experimentation that only a band as eccentric as The Flaming Lips could get away with: it comes split across four discs that you must listen to simultaneously to hear the songs fully.

At the time, and for many years afterwards, wrangling four separate hi-fi systems into the same room in order to listen to Zaireeka as intended just wasn’t practical for most people.

When I bought my copy as a skint but pretentious student in 2005, I had no idea how I was going to play it. I considered it more of a musical investment for the future.

As the popularity of iPods and speaker docks grew, listening to Zaireeka became more feasible, but I still only ever owned one of each at a time. And while the advent of multi-room music systems removed most of the technological barriers, logistical and financial ones still remained.

When the Sonos Play was launched earlier this year I decided the time had finally come. Could four of these wireless speakers allow me to realise a 20-year-old dream and listen to Zaireeka for the first time?

Not suitable for children

So why the Sonos Play? Technically any four Sonos speakers would do the job because they all allow you to play a different track on each one simultaneously. But while using the top-of-the-range Era 300 might seem like the obvious choice for my little sonic experiment, the Play made most sense for more practical reasons.

Before The Flaming Lips recorded Zaireeka, the band conducted a proof-of-concept experiment that involved playing up to 50 unique cassette tapes on the stereos of as many parked cars, giving them complete freedom over the positioning of each giant four-wheeled speaker. I needed the same flexibility just on a much smaller scale, so the battery-powered Play meant I wouldn’t be limited by my plug sockets when placing each one.

The Play is also compact enough that I can easily accommodate four of them in what an estate agent would euphemistically call my ‘cosy’ living room, but with three Class H amps, two tweeters, a mid-woofer driver, and dual passive radiators inside each one, they still punch above their weight (which, at 1.3kg, is fairly heavy for a portable speaker).

The most difficult part of the setup process was getting Sonos’s Mac app to recognise my laptop’s music library, which includes MP3 versions of Zaireeka’s four discs, but with the help of a very useful YouTube video I eventually had it ready to go.

(The album is on Spotify but unless you have four separate accounts, plus four separate devices to log into them on, you’ll only be able to play one ‘disc’ at a time.)

Zaireeka’s artwork includes a warning: “This recording contains frequencies not normally heard on commercial recordings and on rare occasion has caused the listener to become disoriented. These extremely high and low frequencies can cause a person to become disoriented, confused or nauseated. DO NOT listen repeatedly at high volume. Make sure infants are out of listening range. Zaireeka should not be listened to while driving.”

Having removed all newborns from the vicinity and made sure I was at home rather than behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta, I placed a speaker at each corner of my living-room rug and parked myself in the middle.

Sonos’s smartphone app isn’t the most intuitive but it didn’t take long to get the first track of each disc cued-up on a different speaker, and the volume on each one set to the same level.

Ideally you want to start them all at exactly the same time, but the app only offers that function for grouped speakers that are playing the same song, so I staggered the start points slightly, hit play on each one from the Your System screen, and a couple of seconds later my quartet of wireless speakers burst into life.

A hi-fi seance

There is no ‘correct’ way to listen to Zaireeka, no ‘correct’ way to organise the speakers, and no ‘correct’ place to position yourself among them, but it quickly became clear that disc one was where most of what could be considered lead vocals and drums would be coming from, so I decided to rearrange the speakers slightly.

I positioned one at each of the four main points of a compass and sat facing ‘musical north’. To the uninitiated it would've looked like I was taking part in some sort of hi-fi seance, but it gave the whole thing a focal point that seemed to work pretty well for a first listen.

Over the next 45 minutes Zaireeka envelops me in an ever-changing sonic cocoon. Ghostly vocals swell from all sides during Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand; on Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now) the bass moves from one speaker to another like a game of pass the parcel; at the start of Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair a rocket takes flight and I feel like I might ascend into the sky with it; a quartet of organs tessellate beautifully towards the end of The Train Runs Over the Camel, But Is Derailed by the Gnat; and at one point during A Machine In India I’m completely engulfed by the sound of a buzzing swarm of insects.

When track six, How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos), comes around, I finally understand what that warning on the front cover was all about. The song includes sounds so high-pitched that I almost start to wonder whether the noise is actually coming from inside my brain. I’ve never heard anything like it on any other record, probably because it’s genuinely unpleasant.

The final track is the closest thing on Zaireeka to a conventional song, but in every other sense it’s still pretty bonkers. A spoken-word vocal tells an odd little story about pet dogs and giant plastic insects, before it bursts into a whole chorus of Wayne Coynes singing the song’s title, The Big Ol’ Bug Is the New Baby Now, from all four speakers at once.

The slight differences in timing give it the feeling of a mass crowd singalong, before the album ends by trapping you in the middle of a pack of ferociously barking dogs.

Hard of hearing

Over the following few days I listened to Zaireeka about half a dozen more times, experimenting with different speaker layouts and listening positions, including placing them at different heights and moving around the room as it played. One time I didn’t synchronise the discs particularly well and some parts sounded a bit wonky, but these choices and variations are all part of the reason this album exists in the first place.

In the liner notes Wayne Coyne says his intention was to make songs that would sound different every time you played them. “I wanted to abandon song structure but not abandon the song,” he writes – and Zaireeka succeeds in doing that pretty well.

The tracks on it are more abstract than the band’s most famous songs; there’s nothing here as immediate as Do You Realize? or Race for the Prize. But I haven’t paid attention to an album like I did with this one in a long time. Everything about it requires some element of active participation rather than just passive consumption.

It’s still not exactly easy to listen to. My quartet of Play speakers removed most of the previous obstacles, but if I hadn’t been able to borrow them from Sonos in order to write this feature, a financial one would still remain. To buy them would have cost me £1136 in total – that's a lot of money for playing just one album.

But this is a one-off musical proposition that I waited over two decades to experience. Sure, some of the tracks from the record can be heard as standard stereo mixes on The Soft Bulletin Companion, but that completely misses the point.

Listening to Zaireeka is supposed to be more difficult than the other albums in your collection – and that’s exactly what makes it so uniquely unforgettable.

MORE:

I went to a listening session held in total darkness, and I'll never hear this classic album the same way again

I listened to David Bowie in a 360-degree show, and now I've seen what spatial audio can do

Interview with The Flaming Lips: the band that filled a record with blood

We ask a lot of our stereo speakers. By our reckoning, a great home set-up should be, among many things, clear and expressive, powerful yet capable of nuanced dynamics, and characterful without imposing excessive tonal colouration.

A speaker designer’s core task is to balance these often juxtaposed requirements and strike just the right balance between them.

To see which models we think fit the bill, you can check out our list of the best hi-fi speakers that we've tested, covering all budgets and types.

That alone is no small task, but many hi-fi manufacturers also build monitors for use in recording studios, where the role of the speaker is somewhat more forensic; less about enjoyment, more about analysis and finding faults.

But studio speakers still require enough character to keep artists from feeling too self-conscious while listening back to their performances.

While pondering what was beginning to seem like the fairly herculean task of speaker design, we decided to talk to leading speaker manufacturers, to find out how their approaches differ when it comes to designing professional studio and home hi-fi speakers.

"PMC’s hi-fi loudspeakers are generally passive, which reflects the more traditional approach of the home-audio market. This gives customers the freedom to choose their own amplification, source equipment and cables, and to build a system that suits their room, budget and personal preferences. PMC also offers active domestic models, bringing the benefits of closely matched amplification to home listeners.

"Appearance is another practical difference. Hi-fi models are designed to sit comfortably in the home and are available in elegant, furniture-quality finishes. Studio monitors tend to be more functional and durable, often with matte-black cabinets suited to professional installation.

"Despite these differences, neither range is designed to sound clinical or matter of fact. PMC loudspeakers combine exceptional accuracy with a natural sense of ease, a wide and immersive sound field, and ultra-low distortion. That makes long sessions enjoyable, whether someone is creating a hit record or film score, or listening to the finished result at home.

"This consistency from studio to living room is a key part of PMC’s reputation: the music can be enjoyed by the listener with the same energy, emotion, and intent as those heard by the people who created it."

"Our objectives are always the same: to make the best performing, flattest frequency response, lowest distortion speaker that we can, whether we are doing it for hi-fi or professional use.

"Of course, there are certain situations, such as a large format studio monitor, where you wouldn’t want to put the port on the side or the back of the speaker, in case the studio wanted to mount it in a wall.

"The addition or omission of a grille also varies between our professional and domestic ranges. Generally, people don’t want grilles in professional contexts, while, on the domestic side of things, they’ll demand it. It can be quite tricky to design a grill that protects the drive units, has minimal impact on the acoustic performance of the speaker and looks good, too.

"The other difference is finishes. Our pro customers are generally more accepting of a functional, painted finish. All our consumer models, on the other hand, are available in a range of different veneers. We are open to discussing specific requirements with all of our customers."

"For any kind of speakers, whether a home listening hi-fi system or in a studio, room acoustics play a major role in sound quality. Genelec loudspeakers feature room response controls via rear-panel DIP switches, allowing users to compensate for the effects of placement and room acoustics.

"For those seeking an even higher level of adaptation, our SAM models add a measurement microphone and DSP-based room correction (via GLM software) that measures the in-room response at the listening position and applies correction filters offering highly precise adjustment to the listening environment.

"One thing worth flagging: the line between 'studio monitor' and 'domestic hi-fi speaker' is genuinely blurry at this point. Our flagship models like the 8381A, 8380A or The Ones are marketed for both use cases, since the underlying technology doesn't change between them.

"Whether in a control room or a living room, the goal stays the same: a listening experience that remains faithful to the original recording, with reliable performance for decades."

"Aside from that, there are some specific design requirements for each use case that result in different practical designs. For instance, a near-field studio monitor needs all drivers to be close together, so a tall design with drivers spread out, as is common in domestic products, would not work.

"Part of this consideration also lies in the expected SPL output. A near-field studio monitor typically does not need as loud an output as a domestic speaker or a far-field studio monitor designed for larger rooms. Again, these are design considerations based on the use case, more than inherent technical differences between studios and living rooms.

"Another perhaps more obvious difference is that generally studio monitors are treated as workhorses, so the look and feel of the finish matters less – as long as it is sturdy. For this reason generally more care has been put into the look and feel of domestic cabinets, as home users tend to value this aspect more, and are often not satisfied with a simple black box."

MORE:

What are studio headphones and should you buy a pair?

I heard a Dolby Atmos mix in a professional recording studio – and it’s changed my view of spatial audio

Our pick of the best speakers 2026

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

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

Focal Aria X No3 deal: better than Prime Day

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

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

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

How does that all translate to the test room?

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

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

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

MORE:

The best floorstanding speakers around

Advice on how to choose the best floorstanding speakers

Also consider the Fyne Audio F502S review

A new Sonos product is just weeks away. CEO Tom Conrad announced the September launch in the firm's third quarter earnings call. And while he stopped short of revealing the device itself, he did hint that it will be focussed around AI.

Noting that "conversational computing and predictive intelligence are moving into the home," he bigged up Sonos' 20 years' experience in solving the issues this brings, which he defined as "sound, form, systemness, and intelligence."

(If anyone knows what "systemness" is, we'd love to know.)

Unsurprisingly, he said Sonos is uniquely well placed to take advantage of the AI boom thanks to its ecosystem of multi-room-enabled speakers, which encompasses soundbars, home speakers and portable models.

While all AI models will soon offer the same abilities, he thinks what will differentiate systems is "what surrounds the [AI] model in a real home: the hardware that can converse with quality across every room, the system that already knows the shape of a home and the way a family lives in it, the connectivity to reach the speakers, services, and devices that turn a request into coordinated action.

"That’s the operating environment for AI in the home, and Sonos has spent twenty years building it."

So, we can hazard a guess that we'll see a new speaker, but the biggest changes will likely be on the inside, pivoting the Sonos platform to encompass more AI abilities.

Sonos' most recent launch was the Play earlier this year, a portable speaker that earned four stars. It recently launched its new mobile app in beta, in an attempt to win back customers frustrated at the notorious botched app launch of 2024.

That disastrous move introduced bugs while removing certain existing features, and ultimately led to the then-CEO stepping down. Since then, Sonos has been on a major charm offensive to win back customers' trust, even cancelling its rumoured set-top box in order to prioritise fixing existing problems.

A move to AI does bring big opportunities for Sonos, but also a fair amount of risk. Will customers weary of having been put through the wringer over the last couple of years really want a whole new direction and focus for the platform? Or will they just want a bit of stability following all the chaos?

It all depends on what exactly Sonos is offering.

We'll bring you any rumours concerning the launch in the run-up to September.

MORE:

Sonos Play vs Move 2: what are the differences?

The best multi-room systems

And the best Sonos alternatives for the naysayers

The LS Luxe is the latest active wireless speaker system to emerge from KEF’s hi-fi oven. And, from what we have heard from our testing, it’s undoubtedly one of the finest.

KEF had previously laid down a benchmark with the outstanding LS50 Wireless II in the early 2020s. The Luxe builds upon that Award-winning legacy in some style. For us, it’s five stars all around.

That is provided you get the best out of the LS Luxe, of course. This is an outstanding system with serious ability, and while KEF’s latest is capable of putting up with less-than ideal sources, stands and situations, you’ll want to pamper it as much as possible if you want to see just how stellar your five-star system can be.

With that in mind, this is how you coax the maximum performance from the mighty KEF LS Luxe.

Get a pair of S-Luxe speaker stands

The £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375 asking price for the LS Luxe is not mere pocket change, so we understand that would-be buyers might be put off at the prospect of having to part with a further £800 / $800 for a pair of dedicated S-Luxe stands. The LS Luxe is an unfussy, fairly forgiving wireless speaker system, so surely your own stands will do?

To some extent, they will. We spent a good chunk of time listening to the Luxe sitting atop our own Custom Design FS104 Signature stands, and there is no question that the resultant performance remained an enjoyable one. This is a talented system, after all.

Clarity, punch, dynamism and control remained in ample supply, and we don’t doubt that we could quite happily have lived with the Luxe perched upon our in-house plinths.

The thing is, KEF’s latest system is so good, you’ll want to get the best out of it. To do that, you’ll want the S-Luxe stands. £800 / $800 is not a small sum, but the dedicated plinths allow the Luxe to soar to new heights across practically every area of sonic performance, all while matching the speakers’ aesthetics and providing stability by screwing into each cabinet’s base.

Yes, you could put standard petrol in a Ferrari, but it’s a Ferrari. It needs premium, dude. Premium!

Use the app to fine-tune your listening

For getting the most out of your shiny new KEF system, you will need to download the accompanying KEF Connect app.

Naturally, this is the place from which you’ll find the streaming services you want, do a bit of EQ tinkering and check your general settings. But the depth of tweakery on offer allows you to really get into the nitty-gritty of optimising your system’s performance.

For a start, we’d strongly urge you to check out the app’s calibration settings.

KEF’s ‘Room EQ’ digital signal processing helps you fine-tune your sound to your listening space. It’s worth spending a bit of time with the app’s calibration parameters, wherein you can adjust your Luxe’s sonic output depending on factors such as room size, the distance you have placed your speakers from your wall, and how damped your listening space is.

You can also choose the level of depth you want to go into when tinkering with your settings, with a ‘Basic’ mode for more casual changes sitting alongside an ‘Expert’ mode for listeners who want to dig into the minutiae of their experience.

Either way, you should notice a big difference.

Use the interconnect cable

We know it’s not particularly attractive to look at, but if you want to get the best sound from the LS Luxe, the provided interconnect cable is a must.

The Luxe is capable of accepting PCM files up to 24-bit/384kHz, but if you are using a wireless connection between your speakers, this is downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz. Connecting the master and slave speakers using the included cable, however, pushes playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

It’s totally worth it in our book. Wires have always been a more efficient means of transmission than wireless methods, and the sonic dividends you’ll reap from having that interconnect are significant. Everything sounds crisper, cleaner and more defined, with more punch and authority than a wireless connection can provide.

And the cable is literally included in the box. Aesthetics aside, you’ve got nothing to lose. And, if you also end up picking up a pair of S-Luxe plinths, they are designed so that you can hide your cables away at the rear of each stand.

Get the right look for your space

This isn’t a design that will suit everyone.

The speakers themselves, designed by Ross Lovegrove, continue the distinctive aesthetic language of Lovegrove’s previous collaborations, with smooth, edgeless cabinets that have elicited mixed responses in our offices. Some of us like their looks; others are less keen; some have found that the aesthetic has grown on them over time.

The point is, the LS Luxe is designed to be an artistic statement, as well as a musical one. With that in mind, you’ll want to make sure that the speakers will fit in with your listening space. You could find that they stick out like a sore thumb if you try to place them in your panelled reading room or Victorian boudoir. Whatever a boudoir is.

Our advice? Find a physical retailer and go to see the LS Luxe for yourself. Partly to figure out if the design will fit with your space, partly because you may be able to hear them for yourself, and partly because you’ll be able to appreciate the different finishes on offer.

From what we have seen, the shiny, luxurious texture of our silvery ‘Dusk Titanium’ test sample is very different from the matte finish of the ‘Mineral White’ option or the rather foreboding visage of the ‘Eclipse Black’ colourway.

These things make a big difference, especially as this is going to be a purchase that you may well be planning to keep for years or even decades.

Experiment with positioning

Thanks in part to its signature Uni-Q driver array, the LS Luxe is impressively unfussy about placement. The Uni-Q array has always been a winner when it comes to producing a supremely well-integrated, consistent sound that times brilliantly – and with the LS Luxe, it's the same old story.

Naturally, we experimented with positioning when testing KEF’s latest; and you should too.

Not all listening spaces are born equal, however, and while we found that our test sample performed around its best with the speakers firing straight ahead on their dedicated stands sitting roughly 30cm from the back wall of our smaller 3m x 4m x 7m listening room, that won’t be the case for everyone.

It’s always worth seeing what works for you in your listening room to optimise the performance you receive, even with a system as unfussy as this one. Moving a little closer or further to or from your back wall will affect the resultant bass output, while you might find that you prefer the way the speakers sound when they are angled slightly towards you.

We advise you not to use the Luxe on a desktop unless you really have to. The speakers will perform admirably when plonked on a desk or table, but you’re simply not going to get close to revealing the limits of their considerable abilities.

To us, it just seems like a bit of a waste.

MORE:

Read our KEF LSX II LT review

And our KEF Coda W review

Our guide to the best speakers we have tested and recommend across all budgets and types

Picking a pair of floorstanding speakers is quite the challenge. We have rated the latest efforts from PMC, Fyne Audio, and ProAc all rather highly as of late, and there are some impressive options from Q Acoustics and Acoustic Energy to be mindful of, too.

With an overwhelming influence of British audio brands present on our list of the best floorstanding speakers, I have been searching further afield to scope out some alternative options. And one of my most recent voyages took me all the way to Mississauga, Canada.

This city, 28km southwest of Toronto, is home to speaker manufacturer Paradigm, as well as its sister brands Martin Logan and Anthem. Paradigm's latest speaker release is its Premier v2 range, and as the name may suggest, it’s a successor to the brand's original Premier speaker range.

Along with a fascinating factory tour and some interesting discussions with key members of the Paradigm team, I had a chance to listen to the top-of-the-range floorstanding speakers from this newly updated series.

The Premier 820F v2, as you’re about to find out, made a strong first impression, but with this much competition in the market, can it displace some of the British stalwarts on our list?

Price

Paradigm has shared pricing for its Premier V2 range in the US, but UK pricing is currently unconfirmed. What I can say, though, is that the Premier 820F floorstanders I heard cost $1300 per speaker, so that's around £980 based on current currency conversion, or $2600 (around £1960) for a pair.

That puts these speakers in the mid-range of the hi-fi speaker market and in direct competition with the Award-winning Fyne Audio F502S (£2300 / $2800 / AU$3000) floorstanding speakers.

The PMC Prodigy 5 also loom large as 2024 Award-winners, priced at £1995 / $2510 / AU$3399.

Paradigm also sells another, slightly smaller, set of floorstanders in this range – the Premier 720F v2 – as well as two pairs of standmount speakers (the 120B v2 and 220B v2), alongside two centre channel options: the 520LCR (which can be used as either a centre, left or right channel) and the dedicated 620C v2 centre channel speaker.

With Premier in the name, it should come as no surprise that this series is destined for use in home theatre rooms in a 5.1 surround sound (or larger) arrangement.

Build quality

The Premier 820F v2 are a sensibly styled pair of speakers and, in many ways, they look and feel a touch more premium than their price tag may suggest.

At the core of the design is the vortex-like spiral waveguide, which has become a staple on the company’s other, more premium speaker ranges. It looks good, and it serves a purpose, which we’ll divulge shortly.

These speakers sport clean, sharp lines with prominent, protruding metal-spiked feet on the bottom edge of each speaker, which look pleasingly industrial and help to reduce unwanted vibrations.

I saw these speakers in both walnut and black-walnut finishes, and found them eye-catching yet not too distracting for those who want speakers to blend into their listening space. Paradigm will also offer these speakers in a piano-black option for fans of high-gloss finishes (and dusting).

Features

Paradigm has loaded the Premier 820F v2 speakers with a helping of trickle-down speaker technology from its more premium ranges.

These include combined aluminium, magnesium and ceramic (‘AL-MAC’) tweeters, alongside an aluminium and magnesium (‘AL-MAC’) midrange driver, which are designed to produce lifelike and natural-sounding vocals and instruments.

The phase-aligning waveguide (the vortex-style one that I mentioned above) plays a key role in focusing sound towards the listener without having to worry about awkward room layouts.

Paradigm has also outfitted these three-way floorstanders with its 7-inch Carbon X bass drivers, which, alongside the high-volume enclosure, move a considerable amount of air to produce “visceral, controlled bass and expansive soundstaging”.

The inclusion of a rear-facing port also aids bass. These speakers weren't placed too far into the room, and as you can see from the photographs I took in Paradigm's home theatre room, they're not all that far from the corner of the room.

Despite this, the bass doesn't feel boomy or overblown, as we'll continue to find out in the sound section below.

Finally, the industrial-styled feet I touched on earlier also have a special role. They are officially called "Outrigger Shock-Mount Isolation Feet", and they work by physically decoupling the speaker from the floor to control vibrations and resonance.

Inside each foot is a system of springs and an isolation layer, which Paradigm says will achieve “cleaner, more detailed soundstage and tighter bass across any surface”.

Sound

Paradigm’s goal here was to produce speakers that prioritise the original artist’s intent, and that became quickly evident during my demo session.

I must reiterate that this hands-on review doesn’t reflect our final judgement. We’ll need to test these speakers in our dedicated listening room with our reference amplifier and the appropriate comparisons as we do with all What Hi-Fi? reviews, to attach a final star rating.

Paradigm paired these speakers with an amplifier from its sister company, Anthem, for this testing, with music being streamed on Tidal via the Control4 wireless home automation system.

With that in mind, these speakers ticked a plethora of boxes during my listening session, which took place in Paradigm’s sound-treated home theatre space. Aside from a few specially selected tracks, I was also given free rein to stream tracks to the speakers for quite some time.

Paradigm suggested a live rendition of Trouble's What You're In by Fink, which exposed the 820F v2’s strengths immediately. The sense of space revealed here was superb; this recording takes place in the Union Chapel, London, before a live audience, and the Paradigm speakers did a stellar job of recreating the ambience of the venue with this track.

I also felt that the speakers balanced warmth and crispness nicely, with a full-bodied and textured approach to vocalist Fin Greenall's lyrics.

Despite sounding crisp and detailed, the speakers didn’t verge into sounding too revealing or analytical, which also meant that they really drew me in – especially during this track.

I then switched to Taylor Swift’s The 1 (I know; I couldn’t help myself). This is still a fairly slow and stripped-back track, all things considered, but it certainly has more elements compared with the previous track.

The track is underpinned by a melodic piano and simplistic looping percussion, both of which had plenty of texture and depth when being played through the Premier 820F v2.

Swift’s vocals were equally textured, especially during the harmonised sections of the track, and without sounding reductive, these speakers just sounded very listenable and enjoyable. The comforting, warm sound and oodles of detail certainly helped, as I'm sure did the comfy leather recliner I was sitting in.

Finally, I tried Alaska by Maggie Rogers on these speakers, which once again adds more elements compared with the previous track. Here, I got a sense of how the speakers handle the low end – and Paradigm’s mission statement seems to ring true.

The size of these cabinets and the larger bass drivers did their job in delivering a controlled and punchy dose of low end, which juxtaposed Rogers’ sweet and crisp vocals that lean towards the higher frequencies on this track.

Early verdict

We’ll need to properly test these speakers on our side of the pond to draw up any sort of final verdict, but my initial run-in with the Premier 820F v2 left me feeling quite positive.

While I am most interested in trying them in a surround-sound arrangement alongside some cinematic content, this musical demonstration of the stereo pair proved to me that these floorstanders are worth keeping an eye on.

MORE:

Read our full Fyne Audio F502S review

As well as our PMC Prodigy 5 review

And check out our picks for the best floorstanding speakers

Q Acoustics’ new 3040c floorstanding speaker completes the brand’s most affordable 3000c speaker range, two years after the first model launched.

A step down from its 3050c sibling, it promises to bring the “performance, design, and technological advances” of the 3000c series to a floorstanding form factor.

Like other models in the 3000c series, it features Q Acoustics’ C3 driver platform. C3 (‘C-cubed’) stands for Continuous Curved Cone, and combines the powerful bass response of a traditional straight cone with the superior midrange clarity and high-frequency control of a flared cone. This makes for a “controlled bass performance, expressive midrange and smoother integration with the high-frequency driver,” according to Q Acoustics.

But it also takes technology from the brand’s flagship Concept series. Its tweeter has a floating design that is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated from the baffle, reducing internal pressure and midrange vibrations. Combined with the vented inner chamber, it should create ultra-low distortion and less colouring, as well as a lower crossover point and seamless transition between drivers.

Point to Point (P2P) bracing on internal areas of the cabinet creates a more focused stereo image and wider soundstage, while Helmholtz Pressure Equaliser (HPE) tubes nullify internal pressure to improve the frequency response.

Like the 3050c, it has a solid aluminium stabiliser design, with top-adjustable spikes for making it level. And it benefits from the 5000 series’ low-profile terminal panel with recessed binding posts that let you place it closer to a wall in order to maximise floorspace in smaller rooms.

The speaker cabinet features Q Acoustics’ signature curved profile, with no visible joints or bolts for a streamlined, minimalist look. And it comes in four finishes: Satin Black, Satin White, Pink Oak or Claro Walnut.

The 3040c is out now in the UK; it comes to the US in October. At £599 / $1099 (AU$TBC), it's priced just below the 3050c (which costs £749 / $1199).

MORE:

Read our Q Acoustics 3000c series hands-on review

And our Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 with Q SUB100 review

The best floorstanding speakers around

KEF has a new pair of active wireless speakers. The LS Luxe sits above the Award-winning LS50 Wireless II, and its distinctive aesthetics are the brainchild of renowned designer Ross Lovegrove, the man behind KEF’s ultra-high-end Muon speaker, Muo Bluetooth speaker, and (rather disappointing) Mu wireless headphones.

We have already given our verdict, so check out our exclusive KEF LS Luxe review to see what we make of it.

The LS Luxe speaker system is touted as KEF’s “most ambitious creation to date”, with numerous proprietary technologies helping it “set a new definition for wireless hi-fi”. Bold claims, but then these active speakers with network streaming do offer a lot of impressive technology.

One such example is a 12th-generation 6.5-inch Uni-Q driver array supported by KEF's 'Metamaterial Absorption Technology' (MAT). Uni-Q has been at the heart of KEF’s speakers for years – this driver array puts the tweeter at the acoustic centre of the woofer, meaning more even sound dispersion, with a wider sweet spot and minimal distortion.

The MAT technology claims to absorb 99 per cent of unwanted rear sound from the tweeter for clearer highs, and, because the Uni-Q assembly is mechanically decoupled with a flexible chassis, it isolates vibrations for greater sonic integrity.

LS Luxe also has the same Velocity Control Technology (VECO) as the Award-winning XIO soundbar, making it the first speaker to feature the tech. VECO – recipient of our recent Innovation Of The Year Award – is a closed-loop system whose velocity sensor monitors the Uni-Q driver in real time, so the amplifier can instantly correct any movement inconsistencies to improve the bass and reduce distortion.

We’re not done with the acronyms quite yet. KEF’s 'Music Integrity Engine' (MIE) promises more detail, accuracy and better tonality even at lower volumes, and uses finely tuned digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms to maintain definition.

Each speaker has a 100W Class A/B and 280W Class D current-drive amplifier inside, to deliver “high output with lower distortion for pure, dynamic sound”.

KEF’s W2 wireless platform brings native support for streaming services such as Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer and more, as well as QPlay, AirPlay and Google Cast. You can also stream from a local NAS drive or music server.

KEF’s new system is capable of handling PCM files up to 24-bit/384kHz alongside DSD128. If you’re using a wireless connection between your speakers, files are downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz, whereas connecting the speakers using the included interconnect cable pushes playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

In terms of wired connections, you get HDMI eARC, analogue, optical and coaxial inputs, letting you hook up a TV, CD player or games console. Each speaker also has a subwoofer output for beefing up the low end.

The KEF Connect app lets you fine-tune the sound to match your environment and preferences, while Advanced Room EQ DSP will analyse your surroundings and optimise the sound accordingly.

KEF is making a big deal of the Luxe’s design, describing it as “a functional work of art that captivates the senses and enriches its environment”. In fairness, it does look quite distinctive.

Its rounded, low-diffraction form, robust materials, flexible decoupling chassis and advanced bulk moulding compound should make it sound even better than the LS50 Wireless II, claims KEF, with greater clarity and deeper bass.

The KEF LS Luxe comes in three finishes: Dusk Titanium, Eclipse Black or Mineral White, and it costs £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375 per pair. You can also buy dedicated S-Luxe floor speaker stands for £800 / $800 / AU$1230 per pair.

We have reviewed the LS Luxe, and awarded it five stars across the board. Read our exclusive KEF LS Luxe review for the full picture.

MORE:

Read our exclusive KEF LS Luxe review

Check out the KEF LS50 Wireless II review

Hi-fi in 2076? How engineers envisage the next 50 years of music listening

KEF is to active speaker systems what Spain is to international football at the moment.

From the Award-winning LSX II active wireless stereo system to the Bluetooth-ready Coda W active standmounts, the brand’s blending of features and performance is where KEF has really shone over the past few years.

Acting as a step-up from the fiercely talented (and multiple Award-winning) LS50 Wireless II, the new KEF LS Luxe once again integrates amplification and streaming into a compact stereo system, incorporating all of KEF’s know-how into what is a decidedly more premium standmount package than the company has made before.

At £3500 / $4000 / AU$6375, we’re moving into more high-end territory compared with the £2199 / $2999 / AU$4295 LS50 Wireless II, with KEF claiming that the LS Luxe is the result of six years of research and development. Given how well the product performs, that time has been extremely well spent.

Build & design

“A presence designed to hold the room before a single note is played.”

That’s how KEF has described the LS Luxe’s looks, and while subjective tastes are likely to dictate exactly how you feel about the cabinets’ distinctive styling, there’s no question that the speakers themselves are capable of drawing the eye before they even have a chance to grab you by the ears.

The cabinet exteriors have been designed in collaboration with Ross Lovegrove, the Welsh designer with whom KEF previously joined forces when crafting the mighty Muon floorstanders, the portable Muo Bluetooth speaker, and the distinctive Mu headphones/earbuds range.

The LS Luxe very much continues the distinctive design language of Lovegrove’s previous collaborations, typified by their rounded, edgeless cabinets which, when sporting their ‘Dusk Titanium’ finish, positively gleam thanks to their luxuriously polished exteriors. That pebble-like speaker design will not be for everyone, and it may depend on which of the three finishes – Eclipse Black, Dusk Titanium or Mineral White – you choose.

What’s less up for debate is the tangible high quality of the speakers’ construction.

Pick up each speaker and you’ll feel how weighty and substantial they are, with everything about the LS Luxe – from the finish of their curved shells to the seamless integration of the driver array and front baffle – speaking of a product constructed with genuine care.

That design isn’t just for show, either. That curved form aims to improve performance by reducing the build-up of internal standing waves within the cabinet, whereas the use of durable ‘Bulk Moulding Compound’ (BMC) composite material reduces the need for excessive internal bracing, allowing for greater internal volume within the speakers to aid their low-frequency performance.

Turn the speakers around and you’ll see an equally distinctively designed aluminium heatsink, which is crafted to provide a greater surface area to more efficiently dissipate heat generated by the active electronics within. A flared reflex port also sits at the rear of each unit, designed using KEF’s ‘Flexible Port Technology’ where the port’s walls use a flexible material to reduce internal resonances.

At the heart of each speaker is KEF’s 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array, where the tweeter sits in the middle of the mid/bass unit in pursuit of more even sonic dispersion, better integration and improved time alignment. KEF’s now-familiar Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which absorbs rearward sound from the back of the tweeter dome, is also incorporated in pursuit of a cleaner, purer sound.

In terms of power, 280 watts of Class D amplification are directed to powering the mid/bass unit, while 100 watts of Class A/B amplification drives the tweeter.

That Uni-Q driver assembly is mechanically decoupled from the cabinet to reduce panel vibrations. Incorporated within the driver assembly is a decoupling chassis that damps the vibrations of the motor system, preventing them from feeding into the cabinet panels. The aim is to improve clarity and reduce distortion.

KEF has included a suitably premium-feeling remote control with the LS Luxe, as well as a speaker interconnect cable to optimise performance and an HDMI cable for use with your TV or home cinema set-up. Two power cables are also included, with both speakers requiring mains power – something to bear in mind when setting up your system.

What you don’t get included in the LS Luxe’s standard sale price are dedicated stands. If you want to get hold of a pair, KEF sells a set of S-Luxe stands for £800 / $800 / AU$1230 which you’ll have to put together yourself and screw into the base of each speaker.

That’s a considerable outlay on top of an already premium purchase, but our testing found that these stands help to optimise performance, secure the speakers in place and, thanks to their complementary aesthetic, and help them look their best. In other words, we feel that these stands would be money well spent.

Features

The KEF LS Luxe offers a suitably well-stocked connectivity suite to go with the system’s premium outlay.

KEF has been generous with the array of physical connectivity options on offer. Around the back of the primary speaker unit, you’ll find HDMI eARC, 3.5mm analogue, optical and coaxial inputs, while each of the two speakers has a dedicated output for adding a single subwoofer or a pair if necessary.

On the streaming side, the system uses KEF’s W2 Wireless Platform, which we’ve already experienced in the brand’s established LS wireless range. This grants access to popular streaming services such as Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect and Deezer, along with internet radio.

There’s also the further convenience of AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast and Bluetooth 5.3, while UPnP compatibility means you can stream hi-res music from a connected external NAS drive. Roon Ready support is slated to arrive in 2027.

Hi-res file support depends on how you choose to set up and listen, with KEF’s new system capable of handling PCM files up to 24-bit/384kHz alongside DSD128. If you’re using a wireless connection between your speakers, those higher resolution files are internally downsampled to 24-bit/96kHz, whereas connecting the master and slave speakers using the included interconnect cable pushes playback up to 24-bit/192kHz.

Further technologies seek to enhance the LS Luxe’s performance beyond mere hardware. This is the first speaker product to feature KEF’s ‘Velocity Control Technology’, as seen in the brand’s five-star XIO soundbar, where the speed of cone movement is measured, and any differences between that and the expected value are compensated for in real time. The result is lower distortion levels.

Additionally, a proprietary ‘Music Integrity Engine’ tech uses digital signal processing algorithms to maintain accuracy and tonality no matter the volume at which the LS Luxe is played.

For getting the most out of your shiny new set-up, you’ll want to download the comprehensive and easy-to-use KEF Connect app, from which you’ll be able to control and set up your speakers. You can tweak the sound yourself using a customisable equaliser, while KEF’s ‘Room EQ’ digital signal processing helps you fine-tune your sound to your listening space.

It’s worth spending a bit of time with the app’s calibration settings, as, while the LS Luxe isn’t a prima donna in terms of positioning, you’ll certainly notice a difference when you tinker with the app’s various parameters, such as room size, the distance you’ve placed your speakers from your wall, and how damped your listening space is.

Sound

We decide to give our review sample the best chance possible to showcase its talents by screwing each speaker tightly to their dedicated S-Luxe stands, using the provided inter-speaker cable for the highest transmission rate possible (24-bit/192kHz), and kicking off with some hi-res wireless streaming via Tidal.

Naturally, we experiment with positioning, and find that they perform best with the speakers firing straight ahead and sitting roughly 30cm from the back wall of our 3m x 4m x 7m listening room.

Thanks in part to that updated Uni-Q driver array, the LS Luxe is gratifyingly unfussy about placement, producing a supremely well-integrated sound that remains consistent no matter our listening position.

What we discover is a wireless system with poise, control and, dare we say it, genuine grace. Like a fine wine or one of those acclaimed French arthouse movies, the KEF LS Luxe needs a little time for its true spectrum of talents to be appreciated.

The LS Luxe does not reach out and grab us by our lapels; instead, it reproduces our music with an even-handed, mature yet authoritative nature that slowly but inevitably places us under its bewitching spell.

This is a sonic signature we’ve heard before, from the more affordable LSX II and LSX II LT stereo systems and the established LS50 Wireless II. But the Luxe piles on extra helpings of detail and precision to that confident, articulate presentation we’ve experienced from KEF in recent years.

Listen to Massive Attack’s Atlas Air, and you’ll get a clear indication that for clarity, textural detail and overall scale, the LS Luxe is considerably ahead of the LS50 Wireless II, anchored by a taut, authoritative bass reproduction that sinks low without sagging like a bulldog’s floppy jowls.

While what we’re dealing with is a standmount speaker system, the scale and authority showcased belie the Luxe’s compact form. We load up Hans Zimmer’s Why Do We Fall? from the Dark Knight Rises soundtrack, and our reward is a rendition that soars with so much power, scope and grandeur that it’s hard to resist the urge to don our cape and cowl and go out looking for bad guys to bring to justice.

Punch and panache live side by side, with the LS Luxe knitting music together so expertly that even truly demanding tracks can’t catch it napping. Whether it's the gale-force hurricane of Slipknot’s Before I Forget, the magisterial grandeur of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture or the carefully curated strangeness of Yosi Horiko’s Bubbles, the Luxe barely breaks a sweat.

Interlocking rhythms are expressive and nimble, while dynamic ebbs and flows are communicated confidently without sounding artificial or overdone.

We use our Cyrus CDi player connected to the optical input to test the internal DAC, and again, that core character is firmly intact as we spin Jeff Buckley’s Grace, and the LS Luxe excels at revealing the intimacy, delicacy and emotion of the seminal record. We also connect the Luxe to the Cyrus using a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable, and we continue to receive a high standard of performance.

While most of our listening is done using the S-Luxe stands, we also place the speakers on our tried-and-tested FS104 Signature plinths, and while the performance remains impressive, it isn’t as crisp and dynamic. The speakers themselves are just about compact enough to be placed on a desk, but at this premium price, they’re best suited to being listened to on stands.

Switching to Bluetooth will also result in an inevitable drop-off in clarity and precision, but the LS Luxe still retains its even, mature nature when playing through this less-than-ideal streaming medium. They do their best to shine, but it’s clear that we’re placing a limit on the system’s considerable abilities.

Verdict

The LS Luxe feels like another milestone in KEF’s recent history of providing outstanding wireless stereo speaker systems.

Yes, it’s a good deal more expensive than the LS50 Wireless II, and no, that distinctive curved design won’t be for everyone – but in terms of performance, this is a mightily impressive addition to KEF’s catalogue.

If you’re willing to pay that premium price – and fork out a bit extra for some dedicated stands to get the best out of them – then slick performance and outstanding sound will be your reward.

Review published: 30th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF LS50 Wireless II

Also consider the KEF LSX II

Best active speakers: our experts pick the top pairs with integrated amplifiers

The Bang & Olufsen A1 (2nd Gen) has been high in our estimations for quite some time, occupying a comfortable position in our best smart speakers list. It’s a handsome devil, too, and we think that spending a little extra on aesthetic charm to accompany talented sound is worthwhile.

But, right now, you don’t have to worry about forking out on good looks, because the Beosound A1 has fallen to just £179 at Peter Tyson. That’s not the cheapest we’ve ever seen the speaker – it dropped to £169 last December – but with a reduction of £120, it’s still a serious saving.

Admittedly, the Beosound A1 (3rd Gen) is now on the market, but it will cost you more and doesn’t feature Alexa integration. For those reasons alone, we would recommend the five-star 2nd Gen, especially at this price.

Portable Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes and sizes. It just so happens that we rather like the look of the Beosound A1 (2nd Gen), but that’s far from all that has won us over about this speaker.

Competition for small portable speakers is tough, with companies like JBL and Tribit making serious offerings, but B&O’s prioritisation of luxury and style carves the company a unique position in the market.

Admittedly, the Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) isn’t the newest model, with the 3rd Gen now available, but it won five-stars, compared to the 3rd Gen’s four stars, at review.

That rating was achieved in part by the 2nd Gen’s multi-talented performance, which sees the attractive, solidly constructed unit providing a pleasingly comfortable and authoritative performance “that you’d be happy to listen to all day”.

In our full review, our expert testers said: “Bang & Olufsen has succeeded in maintaining its trademark sound profile in this diminutive and affordable proposition – no small feat considering Bluetooth speakers of this size and price can easily come off heavy through the mids and harsh in the treble in an effort to offer volume and clout.”

But the Beosound A1’s virtues don’t end there.

Alongside Bluetooth 5.1 with AAC, the speaker also supports Qualcomm's aptX Adaptive codec, allowing high-quality streaming. The Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) also contains a three microphone array for clear voice assistant operation and hands-free calling.

What’s more, when it comes to battery life, an impressive 18 hours can stretch all the way to 48 hours when listening at conservative volumes.

A handy strap is also included with the speaker, meaning you can take this handsome, portable unit wherever you go.

So, if you’re on the hunt for a Bluetooth speaker that is convenient to use, includes Alexa, sounds great and has a sleek design, the Beosound A1 is a strong choice, even more so now that it’s available for just £179 at Peter Tyson.

MORE

Read our full Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) review

Take a look at the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy

Check out our best B&O speakers: portable, hi-fi and wireless

Quad has announced the release of two new speakers as part of its Elegan Series: the standmountable Elegan 1 and the floorstanding Elegan 2.

According to the company, the Elegan Series are “spiritual successors” to its L Series speakers, which gained popularity in the early 2000s.

The Elegan 1 are priced at £749 / $995 / AU$1699 per pair, while the Elegan 2 cost £1499 / $1995 / AU$3499. Both speakers are built around the company's woven Kevlar driver technology, which sees the speakers’ cones formed from lattice-woven Kevlar.

Quad claims that using Kevlar, which has a high tensile strength and light weight, allows the speaker cone to deliver “precise pistonic behaviour over a wider bandwidth, reducing unwanted resonance and improving midrange clarity”.

The Elegan 1 is a two-way design, pairing a 16.5cm Kevlar mid/bass driver with a 25mm fabric-dome tweeter. Quad says the Elegan 1 speakers are best suited for smaller rooms and near to mid-field listening.

The Elegan 2, on the other hand, is a three-way design, which uses dual 16.5cm bass drivers alongside a 12.5cm midrange driver and the same 25mm fabric-dome tweeter. All drivers other than the tweeter use woven Kevlar cones, and the midrange driver is housed within its own internal chamber, which Quad says ensures “clarity and expression” across the midrange.

Both models feature high-frequency waveguides, which the company claims “optimises dispersion and supports a smooth transition into the midrange”.

The speakers also employ high density cabinet walls, internal bracing and damping materials to control panel resonance. Quad says that the speakers’ structural integrity is reflected by their “significant weight”, with each Elegan 1 speaker weighing 8.9kg, while the Elegan 2 weigh 27.8kg per speaker.

The Quad Elegan 1 and Elegan 2 speakers are now available in deep matte black or walnut wood veneers, priced at £749 and £1499 per pair, respectively.

MORE

Read our Quad 3 review

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If you've been eyeing a pair of Monitor Audio's statement Hyphn floorstanding speakers, your choice of potential finishes just got a lot more extensive.

That's because Monitor has announced that the Hyphn are now available in over 200 custom colourways. Customers can select from a variety of Matte, Gloss and Metallic finishes across a range of over 200 colours, with each custom-finished Hyphn cabinet painted and assembled by hand in the UK.

For those unfamiliar with the Hyphn, the heavyweight floorstanders were built to commemorate Monitor's 50th birthday. Each speaker boasts a total of 11 drive units in total, including a micro pleated diaphragm tweeter surrounded by six midrange units and four bass drivers.

The cabinets, which you can daub in practically any colour you like, are formed using mineral and acrylic stone and then precision milled, resulting in what Monitor Audio describes as a totally rigid structure "that provides the perfect platform from which the drive units can operate".

The three original Hyphn finishes – Matte Heritage Green, Matte Black, and Pure Satin White – remain available. The Hyphn will set you back £70,000 / €82,500 / $92,500 per pair for the standard paint editions, while adding a custom finish will bump that up to £80,250 / €92,500 / €102,500 per pair.

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We had hardly finished writing about a whopping £50 reduction on the JBL Xtreme 5, when we noticed that its predecessor, the Xtreme 4, had just returned to its all-time lowest price of £179 at Richer Sounds.

Both speakers won five-stars at review, and are solid contenders for anyone looking to harness the heatwave, or simply beat the post World Cup blues with some outdoor listening.

With a £100 discount available for members of Richer Sounds’ VIP Club (worry not, sign-up is free), this is the perfect opportunity for anyone looking to step into the world of JBL’s outdoor speakers without breaking the bank.

Best JBL Xtreme 4 deal

The Xtreme 4 boasts a clear, detailed and weighty sound, all packed into a robust speaker that will handle the elements as well as your music.

The speaker has the cylindrical shape of other models in the Xtreme range and a tough, wrap-around grille made from a combination of recycled plastic and fabric. Earning its ‘Xtreme’ nomenclature, the speaker is both waterproof and dustproof.

The JBL has a power of 100W when mains powered, which falls to 80W when using the built-in battery. We felt that the gains in power and scale were hearable when plugging the speaker in, but the sonic character of the speaker stayed consistent even when unplugged.

Across our music library we found the Xtreme 4 sounded “wonderfully clear and consistent” with low frequencies that were “poised and punchy” without lacking weight, and “crisp” highs.

Listening to Brazil by Declan McKenna, we said: “The JBL entertains us from the off. It captures the playful electric guitar and percussion, and delivers the song with plenty of energy. When the bassline kicks in it sounds weighty and goes deep, but there’s detail and texture and you can hear the difference in weight between each note.”

In terms of features, Bluetooth 5.3 and Auracast are both available. For Bluetooth 6, you’ll need to upgrade to the more expensive Xtreme 5, but this speaker will still pair with other compatible JBL units via Auracast.

With 24 hours of battery life, plus the option to stretch that to 30 hours thanks to the speaker’s Playtime Boost feature, running out of charge shouldn’t be too much of a worry with this speaker.

AI sound boost is also available, which helps the speaker maintain sound quality at loud volumes and prevent distortion. When we pushed the JBL hard during testing, we found that it remained “composed and controlled” even when we cranked it past 11.

If you are looking for a great JBL wireless speaker, but don’t want to fork out on the Xtreme 5, this speaker could be yours for just £179 as a Richer Sounds VIP Club member.

MORE

Fancying an alternative? Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

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

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

The World Cup is over, and that's left a lot of us with a gaping hole in our summer schedule. What are you supposed to do without wall-to-wall football to keep you entertained into the wee hours of the morning?

Well, you could go out and touch some grass, as the kids say, and there's never been a better time to do so. The footie's over, the weather's great, and JBL's five-star Xtreme 5 Bluetooth speaker has dropped to its lowest-ever price, making it the ideal companion for those out-of-the-house adventures.

We've previously seen the Xtreme 5 fall to £300, but now that it's currently £279 at Amazon – a saving of £51 – that figure has been well and truly beaten. Result!

Best JBL Xtreme 5 deal

It hasn't been around for long, but Xtreme 5 has gained a reputation as a robust, rugged speaker with a clear, detailed and musical sound, all housed in a super-durable build and backed by more features than you can shake a stick at.

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 with 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 slightly hazy and cluttered in comparison.

As we wrote in our review: "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."

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 a £51 saving at Amazon will almost certainly help you beat those post-World Cup blues.

MORE:

Seeking an alternative? Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Want something cheaper? Check out the JBL Charge 6

Discover our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for every budget

Last year, we gave Monitor Audio’s Bronze 50 7G standmounter speakers a five-star review, singing their praises for clear sound and punchy presentation. Consequently, when the floorstanding speakers from the same range, the Bronze 300 7G, arrived at our testing facility, we found ourselves waiting with bated breath to see if they could carry the Bronze 50’s flame.

Priced at £1000 / $1400 / AUS$2199, these floorstanders situate themselves at the top end of an increasingly competitive price bracket. Rivals include the Award-winning Fyne Audio F501E, which deliver punchy bass and cohesive presentation, and the recently five-star-rated Dali Sonik 5 that impressed us with expressive dynamics from a compact size.

Through experience, we know that a competitive market can sometimes lead to exciting progress in audio. “Iron sharpens iron,” as the famous proverb goes. But the real question is, will these Monitor Audio Bronze 300 7G speakers manage to rise to the challenge?

Build & design

The Bronze 300 7G are large speakers, standing at 100.5 x 26.9 x 39.2cm. But thanks to their tasteful design, they look sleek and sit comfortably in our listening room, avoiding the dominant appearance of similarly sized rivals, such as the Fyne F501E.

The MDF cabinets are wrapped in a satin vinyl finish that is available in three colours: black, white and walnut. Our black test pair have a pleasingly well-constructed feel, and their real wood front ply panels contribute to an overall sense of solidity and understated style.

Care is taken with the internal bracing, which is strategically placed between the drivers and the back of the enclosures to improve structural rigidity.

The speakers also feature Monitor Audio’s proprietary rear-firing HiVe II ports, positioned at the top and bottom of each cabinet, which are lined with grooves to reduce port turbulence, preventing chuffing sounds.

Spikes can be screwed into the speakers’ robust metal feet, and height can be adjusted by spinning the circular rubber pads that the spikes screw into. Assembling these parts is simple, and we find that they hold firm throughout testing.

The Bronze 300 7G floorstanders are a two-and-a-half-way design, and see the lower driver solely dedicated to handling bass in order to augment the low frequency output of the midrange driver above it.

The bass and midrange drivers are both 15cm in diameter, while the higher frequencies are looked after by one of the company’s trademark 25mm gold dome tweeters. All of the driver diaphragms are made from the company’s C-CAM (ceramic-coated aluminium magnesium) material, which it claims is lightweight and rigid.

The drivers are linked through a bi-wired crossover, and the resultant sensitivity is 88dB/w/m, with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms – fairly typical figures for a pair of floorstanders of this type.

The minimum impedance of 4.4 ohms suggests these speakers will work best with a beefier amplifier, which is typical for floorstanders of this type.

Compatibility

When it comes to positioning, these floorstanding speakers are more or less par for the course.

Monitor Audio recommends placing the Bronze 300 7G in an isosceles triangle arrangement, with a gap of 20-36cm from the back of the speaker to the rear wall.

In our 3 x 4 x 7m (hwd) test room, we settle at the top end of that range, as that achieves our preferred tonal balance, gives an expansive stereo image and avoids a dominant, ponderous low end.

When it comes to partnering electronics, we find the Bronze 300 7G work better with the smoother, more relaxed Arcam A15+ stereo amplifier than they do with the somewhat more front-footed Naim Nait XS 3 integrated. In the case of the latter, the speakers edge towards a slightly relentless presentation.

Sound

Monitor Audio suggests giving the Bronze 300 7G a minimum of 50 hours to settle, and, indeed, we find that their sound improves drastically after a few days of playing, shifting from a somewhat clinical and lean sound to a more pleasantly balanced, texturally detailed presentation.

Listening to The Bill Evans Trio’s rendition of My Foolish Heart, cymbals sit atop the mix for a sparkling, well-proportioned shine, while the brushed snare swells from beat to beat with satisfying texture.

Separation is the Bronze 300 7G's forte, and across our music library, the speakers reveal individual instrumental parts with striking clarity. Listening to the Minnesota Orchestra’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s I. Non allegro, instrumental tones arrive defined and crystal clear. Even in dense orchestral arrangements, we have little trouble picking out individual parts.

These are a responsive pair of speakers, too, and they don’t miss a beat when it comes to transients. Throughout Leonard Cohen’s Steer Your Way, the plucked acoustic guitar is presented with a crispness that leaves us feeling as though we are sitting right in front of the guitarist’s fingers.

Although their low frequency performance is leaner than certain rivals, we enjoy the speakers’ agile bass handling, which allows their natural midrange to shine. Vocal lines take centre stage, and Cohen’s lyrics arrive with all the depth and melancholic passion we expect from the godfather of gloom, without blurring or exaggeration.

In the treble frequencies, these speakers bring recordings to life with a vivaciousness that keeps us on our toes, without becoming shrill or domineering. If poorly partnered, they can veer towards a fatiguing sound, but careful system matching will avoid this, highlighting their many strengths.

One of those strengths is the Bronze 300 7G’s stereo imaging, which we find to be layered and stable. While listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s Song For Kathy, we are confronted by a striking sense of focus, as if Paul Simon were sitting between the two speakers in our test room.

As we move around the room, we are pleased to find that the image remains distinct, within the expected constraints of a conventional driver array, which suggests that these speakers have well-controlled dispersion characteristics and good integration between the drivers.

Tonally, these Bronze 300 7G are balanced, with nothing unpleasantly standing out, but we feel they are somewhat lacking in natural warmth. During Song For Kathy, we would have preferred some more richness in the lower notes of the delicate acoustic guitar.

Across the genres we play during testing – from Rachmaninoff to D’Angelo’s Spanish Joint – we are in no doubt as to the Bronze 300 7G's many strengths. They routinely turn in a capable performance that brims with insight.

However, we don’t think these speakers are necessarily the most entertaining listen available at this price, with rivals such as the Dali Sonik 5 delivering music with greater enthusiasm and rhythmic drive.

Verdict

The Monitor Audio Bronze 300 7G pair an aesthetically classy, well-constructed design with a sound that is balanced and impressively detailed, to provide an enjoyable listening experience that shines during dense arrangements. But the standards of the class are so high that even an accomplished pair of floorstanders such as this doesn’t quite make the top grade.

Review published: 16th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Fyne Audio F501E

Also consider the Dali Sonik 5

Best floorstanding speakers: budget to premium models tested by our experts

A good pair of floorstanding speakers come with virtues aplenty: extended bass, thanks to larger enclosures and extra woofers, no need for an additional subwoofer and a sense of scale and authority that most bookshelf speakers can’t rival.

Best of all, finding a quality option in the £700-£1000 price bracket has recently become easier, with numerous brands developing their entry-level offerings.

Last year, our favourite was the Fyne Audio F501E, which came out on top as 2025’s Product Of The Year at the What Hi-Fi? Awards. It would be sensible, then, to pick up a pair and go forth with unwavering confidence in your choice. Well… not so fast!

Fantastic speakers though the F501E are, they have recently come up against tough competition from Dali’s Sonik 5 speakers. Designed to replace the company’s Award-winning Oberon 5, the Sonik 5 have a sound that gives speakers north of their price a serious run for their money, as do the Fynes.

So, which should you go for? Let’s get stuck into it.

Dali Sonik 5 vs Fyne Audio F501E: price

The Sonik 5 cost £899 / $1800 / AUS$1749, while the F501E are available for £999 / $1299 / AU$1999. So, right off the bat, there’s a £100 disparity between the speakers. But considering the larger size of the F501E, you quite literally get more speaker for your money.

But, because the F501E have been on the market for longer than the Sonik 5, we think they are more likely to see a discount during big sales events. Indeed, we have seen discounts of as much as £100 this year, which, when they strike, bring the speakers down to the same price for UK customers, making this a draw.

**Winner: draw**

Dali Sonik 5 vs Fyne Audio F501E: build & design

The Sonik 5 are smaller than the F501E in all dimensions. Standing at just 83cm, compared with the Fynes’ 98cm, these speakers have a significantly smaller footprint and will fit into most listening spaces with ease.

Admittedly, due to their diminutive height, some thought is necessary when it comes to positioning the speakers, especially if you are planning on sitting close to them, which, from our test room’s sofa, leaves the tweeters well below ear height.

The Sonik 5 are available in four finishes: natural oak, white, walnut or black ash. Each of the finishes has a fairly unobtrusive look, which we think is particularly well exemplified by our walnut test pair.

The cabinets’ high-grade laminate looks convincingly wood-like, with a pleasant, natural feel. Overall, these speakers have a subtly refined air.

That impression of refinement is only enhanced by the build quality. Although they are not heavy speakers, they are appropriately solid and well-constructed, and the included magnetic grilles connect firmly and complement the speakers visually.

Inside the cabinets, the Dalis employ a two-way design, using a 29mm soft-dome tweeter and two 13cm mid/bass drivers made from the company’s trademark mix of fine-grain paper pulp reinforced with wood fibres. A flared reflex port at the back of the speakers optimises airflow to reinforce bass.

Due to their reflex port, the Sonik 5 sound best when placed slightly away from the wall, so we wouldn’t recommend tucking them in too tight.

The Fynes, too, are sturdily built, and are now available in a walnut finish alongside the original black option. While their basic aesthetic does leave a somewhat monolithic impression, costs saved on aesthetic tweaks have afforded the inclusion of Fyne’s proprietary Isoflare driver technology within their entry range for the first time.

The IsoFlare design, which sees a 19mm titanium-dome tweeter mounted at the centre of a 12.5cm multi-fibre mid/bass woofer, is said to result in improved sound dispersion and integration between drivers.

Unlike the Dalis, the F501E use a two-and-a-half-way design, and the lower 15cm multi-fibre driver is tuned by a downward facing port in a configuration that the company calls Basstrax. Here, the port fires onto an upward facing cone to disperse low frequencies evenly across 360 degrees, making these speakers adaptable to different placements.

Fyne has also used a fluted surround to the mid/bass driver which it claims terminates the cone more effectively, for reduced distortion and improved clarity.

In terms of design, choosing between these speakers will depend heavily on buyers’ tastes and listening spaces. Both speakers have serious strengths: the Dalis take the lead for aesthetic charm, while Fyne’s Isoflare design works wonders in terms of stereo imaging.

As these speakers excel in different areas, at this stage, it’s neck and neck.

**Winner: Draw**

Dali Sonik 5 vs Fyne Audio F501E: compatibility

The petite Sonik 5 are unlikely to dominate most listening spaces, while the Fynes will need a bit more room to sit comfortably.

The Fyne’s Basstrax system does a lot to make the speakers less fussy about placement, though. In our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) test room, we find they sound best when positioned about 70cm away from the wall, but they don’t prove too particular about being placed closer.

The Dalis are somewhat more choosy about placement and need to come further into our test room – 80cm from the wall – to avoid bass dominance. Additionally, due to their compact height, we suggest tilting the Dalis slightly upwards when listening close, so that the tweeter axis lines up with your ears.

For stereo imaging, we think the Fynes sound best angled slightly in, while the Dalis perform better when facing straight out into the room. Thanks to their Isoflare design, the Fyne’s have a more precise stereo image than the Dalis, which remains stable as we move around the test room.

The Fynes have a slightly higher sensitivity of 90dB/w/m compared with the Dalis 88dB/w/m, and a claimed impedance of 8 ohms rather than 6 ohms. Both speakers work well with a range of amplifiers, from Arcam’s A5+ (50 watts per channel) and Naim Nait XS3 (70 watts per channel) to PMC’s Cor (95 watts per channel).

**Winner: Fyne Audio F501E**

Dali Sonik 5 vs Fyne Audio F501E: sound

The Sonik 5 are a highly talented pair of speakers. We are impressed by how much they do with their humble dimensions, with punchy bass, intricate dynamic tracking and a stable soundstage.

Across the frequency range, textures are presented with finesse. The Dalis’ midrange, in particular, wrings every last drop of emotion from vocal parts, with palpable humanity and warmth across genres.

Basslines are tight and well-textured, contributing to the Sonik 5s’ propulsive rhythmic drive. Thanks to the dynamic precision of these speakers, which brings out the fine details in decaying notes, percussive hits and basslines alike, their neat low frequency performance doesn’t diminish their rhythmic power.

In our review, we say that the Sonik 5 have a “layered soundstage, which retains focus and precision, even in dense arrangements”. Width is no issue for these speakers, either, and they can be positioned quite some distance apart before holes begin to appear in the stereo image.

The F501E won 2025’s Product Of The Year at the What Hi-Fi? Awards, so there isn’t much question about their sound quality.

The sophisticated and muscular sound of these speakers impresses us right away, with an ability to effectively convey a variety of sonic worlds, from “the majesty of a full blown orchestra” to A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory.

Speaking of low end, the Fynes have no trouble generating authority and punch on command. But they are also highly proficient in terms of treble, managing to handle “less than perfect recordings” with grace, “avoiding edge and undue harshness”, thanks to their balanced tonality.

Bass is taut and tuneful for price-standards, but while they might be capable of delivering more bass than the Dalis, we find that the Dalis reveal textures and dynamic subtleties in low frequencies that the Fynes sacrifice to their more powerful sound.

Nonetheless, the alignment of the drivers’ acoustic centres contributes to a well-integrated sound, with a stereo image that remains stable even as we move off axis. Improved driver integration also lends the Fynes’ midrange a crisp and forthright tonality that lets vocal lines shine through with emotional sincerity.

We find that the F501Es, a highly expressive pair of speakers, “track rhythms with determination while communicating changes in musical momentum in a natural and convincing manner.” They are rhythmically sure-footed and composed, but the Dalis take the lead here, with their snappy, more powerful sense of rhythmic drive.

While they may not be able to dive as deep as the Fynes in terms of bass, the Sonik 5 creep ahead in terms of textural detail, while also providing emotive dynamics with more than enough punch.

**Winner: Dali Sonik 5**

Dali Sonik 5 vs Fyne Audio F501E: verdict

Talk about a clash of titans. Both of these speakers boast performances that competitors will have difficulty matching. The Fyne F501E is the current What Hi-Fi? Award winner, so it’s something of a shock to see them beaten by the Sonik 5.

That’s not to say the Fynes aren’t excellent speakers in their own right. If you have the space to accommodate these towers, they are a rewarding listen with more extended bass than the Dalis and an exceptionally well-integrated sound.

But for a more precise performance, propulsive rhythmic drive and unobtrusive looks we recommend the Dali Sonik 5.

**Overall winner: Dali Sonik 5**

MORE

Read our Dali Sonik 5 review

And our Fyne Audio F501E review

How to choose the right speakers and get the best sound

Then, why not check out our guide to the best floorstanding speakers you can buy for every budget

Rejoice, Sonos fans! After months, even years, of turmoil and trouble, Sonos is making serious steps towards fixing the app that, after a disastrous redesign in 2024, threatened the company's future and forced its then-CEO to step down.

Now, Sonos is doing everything it can to repair the damage. We reported in June that CEO Tom Conrad had written on Reddit detailing some of the changes set to come to the platform, promising that the Sonos team had spent "hundreds of hours" watching people use the app to find its weak spots.

Now, Sonos is ready to put it all into practice, making the new version available in public beta form for Android and iOS users. Any customer with app version 87 can switch on 'Enable Improved Navigation' in their Settings to access the Beta as Sonos collects feedback over the next few months.

That new beta iteration touts some promising upgrades, including improved navigation, more intuitive system tab controls and an overhauled volume tuning system, as well as what Sonos terms 'Quality-of-life fixes' across Now Playing, playlists and iPad views.

The new changes are currently rolling out in their beta form as part of an opt-in public test phase, with changes set broadly to become the default once feedback has been gathered. This could be in the autumn, but no definitive date has been given.

Has Sonos learned from the mistakes of its past? You can switch to the updated version of the app in your settings and judge for yourself.

MORE:

Which Sonos speaker should you buy?

Check out our recent Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker review

Sonos Play vs HomePod 2: which should you buy?

Active speakers – speakers with built-in amplification directly powering the drive units – have become more and more popular these days. Their space-saving form negates the need for separate boxes for amplifiers and trailing cables, reducing clutter and making for neater systems.

Most active speakers these days also come with built-in DAC and digital inputs, sometimes a phono stage, and more often than not hi-res network streaming or at least Bluetooth included for ultimate all-in-one convenience. Acoustic Energy bucks this trend by keeping its new AE Active speakers purely analogue.

This new model builds on the five-star, Award-winning AE1 Active speakers we tested back in 2018 and have highly recommended since, and features updated acoustic technology and refined design for a new generation.

Build & design

The Acoustic Energy AE Active are a fully active two-way design, with 50W of Class A/B amplification powering each drive unit. That’s a total power output of 200W, with the amplifiers being refined in this new generation to improve dynamic capability. Each speaker has its own mains plug for power, with the revised amps fed by high-quality linear power supplies to ensure a consistent, low-noise performance throughout the frequency range.

The 40-year-old Acoustic Energy brand continues its tradition of using metal drivers in its new active speakers. The 27mm aluminium dome tweeter has a new rear chamber for reducing distortion at certain frequencies in the crossover region, and is combined with a dedicated waveguide to deliver a wide soundstage.

These speakers use the same 12.5cm mid/bass driver that was developed for the recent AE1 40th Anniversary passive speakers. This is a “pure-piston” ceramic/aluminium cone that is low in mass but very stiff, and has been engineered to minimise cone flex and distortion.

The analogue filters have been improved to minimise any phase disturbances. There is a rear-facing bass slot port that has also been updated, while internally the cabinet has had extensive bracing and internal damping panels to further improve performance.

The cabinets themselves have been subtly refined, with a neater trim around the drivers that overall looks rather smart and subtly elegant. The speakers are available in three finishes: high gloss black or white, and a new natural walnut wood veneer. Our sample’s wood veneer finish feels lovely to the touch, with a smooth texture and high quality finish throughout.

The standmounts have a fairly compact footprint and look most at home on dedicated speaker stands, although they could be placed on a large, sturdy desk if you are using them as nearfield monitors. You’ll just need to make sure both speakers are within reach of a mains power socket.

Features

The AE Active speakers eschew any digital or streaming elements entirely. Acoustic Energy says it experimented with modern features such as wireless streaming, switch mode power supplies, Class D amplification and DSP, but ultimately didn’t want to compromise the pure audio performance. The AE Active have a fully analogue signal path that avoids any digital processing entirely in the quest to preserve the original audio file’s integrity.

As such, you get two analogue inputs: a pair of balanced XLR inputs and a pair of stereo RCA inputs.

On one hand, this purist approach is commendable, but it’s a little old-fashioned and won’t appeal to everyone, particularly those looking for an easy solution. There’s a reason most active speakers these days – such as the KEF Coda W, Fyne Cubitt 5 and Cambridge Audio L/R S – come with Bluetooth and a variety of digital inputs to work with modern sources including TVs and laptops.

On the other hand, this pared-down approach does keep the Acoustic Energy rather flexible and future-proof. The speakers have integrated volume control, which means you can directly plug in a source such as a CD player or hi-res music streamer. You can also plug in a preamp or an external DAC to widen the connectivity, and it allows for a potential upgrade path down the line.

On the back panel on both units, you’ll find bass and treble controls to fine-tune the sound to the room they’re in, especially if dealing with less-than-ideal placements. One new feature is the auto on/off switch that lets you choose between leaving the speakers on permanently or activating standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity.

That the active speakers come with built-in volume control is great news – this means they don’t require a separate preamp with volume control to function, such as the more premium ATC SCM20ASL active speakers do.

The only real complaint we have is with the placement and design of the volume controls. The dials are placed on the speakers’ back panel – this might be fine if the speakers are within reach on a desk, but it’s not practical if they’re on stands and you’re on your sofa. No, there is no remote control included here.

The bigger issue is that there are independent volume controls for each unit, with no clear markings on the dials. This means there is more chance of the volume not being perfectly level and balanced between the units, as you have to set them individually. We would much prefer it if there was one volume control that controlled both speakers’ levels.

A preamp or source with volume control comes in handy here, such as the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music streamer we used throughout testing, so you can take the guesswork out of it.

Sound

Placed on stands and with the Naim Uniti Atom HE streamer playing a variety of radio, WAV and hi-res FLAC songs, the AE Active don’t take long to show their talents.

The control they have over every note is astounding at this level. The piano notes in Alicia Keys’ Fallin’ sound tremendously composed and land with solidity and confidence. Each note starts and stops with unerring punctuality, with the rhythm of every song we play being marshalled with a kind of military precision that is hugely impressive.

The amount and quality of bass coming from these not-particularly-large cabinets is also impressive, and we had a blast playing tracks with intense basslines just to hear what these AE Actives can do. There is real muscle and impact to the basslines of Major Lazer’s Pon de Floor, but there’s agility and texture here too. It’s all pulled taut and has the immediacy that is inherent in active speaker designs.

The busy arrangement and high-octane energy of the track are handled with ease by the speakers, too, with every note sounding crisp and positioned accurately in the soundstage – but without ever losing the party vibe.

Dynamically, the AE Actives are fantastic. The snappy transient response of these active speakers means sudden shifts in quiet-to-loud moments are brilliantly and speedily communicated, while slow-burning moments – such as Clint Mansell’s instrumental Moon soundtrack – sound fluid and retain their sense of tension.

Play Kate Bush’s Watching You Without Me and the AE Active reveal high notes with the right mix of clarity, headroom and bite, but without any undue brightness or sharpness. The overall sound from these active speakers is rather clean and with low-distortion throughout the frequencies, which also means we can enjoy listening at high volumes without hardness or woolliness creeping in.

The stereo imaging is similarly focused and composed, with voices showing off just how well integrated the AE Actives' drivers are. The speakers have no problem revealing the different voices, intonations and personalities in Eminem’s Stan. From The Unthanks’ delicate, nuanced vocals on Mount The Air to Eminem’s rapid-fire, ferocious rapping on Godzilla, the AE Actives reveal the character and intensity of every song with a good amount of detail and nuance.

The Acoustic Energy speakers are just about transparent enough that you are aware of the distinct recording qualities of albums from different eras, but they don’t make too much of a fuss over the quality of each track. The overall sound could perhaps be a little more fluid and airy-sounding, and they may struggle to fill very large rooms. When listening in our larger 3m x 7m x 5m (hwd) test room, the AE Actives sound a touch dynamically restrained, but they come to life in our smaller 3m x 4m x 7m room, with a bit of breathing room from the back wall to balance the bass performance.

We swap to a price-equivalent separates amplifier and speaker pairing of the Arcam A5+ and Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2 (both current Award-winners in their respective categories), and find this offers a more relaxed and wider soundstage. They sound rather soft in the bass, though, and don’t go as deep either. Overall, they can’t match the speed, precision and agility of the AE Active speaker.

Verdict

The Acoustic Energy AE Active are a niche product in today’s audio landscape, but they are a tremendously talented and capable pair of active speakers. They are a viable alternative to a traditional separates pairing at this price, and could well be the last chain in your hi-fi system you’ll have to update. Highly recommended.

Review published: 14th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 3

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF Coda W

Also consider the ATC SCM20ASL

Best active speakers: our experts pick the top pairs with integrated amplifiers

Bose has been conspicuously absent from the premium wireless multi-room speaker space of late.

Denon has recently unveiled its revamped Home 2 series of versatile smart speakers, Apple has plenty of iOS fans enjoying the talents of its HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini, and Sonos continues to cling to its multi-room supremacy courtesy of the established Era 100 and Era 300. Bose, conversely, has tended to focus on the portable end of the market in the past couple of years – until now.

Most of the above contenders are locked into their brand’s own dedicated ecosystem, and most have been designed to co-operate with their extended family of connected siblings. Brands these days aren’t just offering you products – they’re pledging a way of life.

That’s certainly the impression we get from Bose and its new Lifestyle range. The US brand launched the Ultra Speaker wireless speaker alongside a Dolby Atmos soundbar and a new subwoofer, teasing a “reimagined approach to home audio" from a new range of products clearly designed to work alongside one another and tie you into a particular ecosystem.

That begs a very important question: what is Bose’s Lifestyle Ultra Speaker offering that the likes of Sonos and Apple don’t already have covered?

Price

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker’s price differs depending on the finish. The speaker currently sits at £300 / $299 / AU$550 if you go for the standard Black or White Smoke colourways, but if you want to push the boat out and go for Driftwood Sand, that’ll be a hefty increase to £349 / $349.

You can pick up the Award-winning Sonos Era 300 for £359 / $359 / AU$649, offering stern competition for Bose straight out of the gate. You can also get yourself a still-excellent HomePod 2 for £299 / $299 / AU$479 if you’re into the Apple way of life.

Build & design

Bose’s new wireless speaker might be closer to the Sonos Era 300 price-wise, but in terms of its size and shape, it’s more akin to the form of the cheaper and smaller Era 100.

If that shorthand comparison doesn’t help you out much, then imagine a speaker that stands about as tall as an average notebook, with a curved, fabric-covered front panel. It’s a compact and neat design, and while the hourglass configuration of the larger Era 300 may catch more admiring (or quizzical) glances, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker fulfils its brief as a subtle sentinel capable of blending into your audio or cinema set-up.

Bose tends to make its products to a high standard, and the Ultra Speaker is no exception – this is a product that feels built to last.

At the top of the unit are a series of touch-capacitive controls, including volume, a play/pause toggle and a Bluetooth pairing button. We understand that some users feel that touch controls grant a sleeker, more premium appeal, but we find the buttons’ lack of feedback here – be it physical or auditory – undermines the experience somewhat.

Knowing that the speaker has actually registered an action with an accompanying small sound or click would be much more useful than simply having to guess, especially with tricky tasks such as trying to perform a connection reset. You get a chime when toggling the microphone on and off, but that’s about it.

Taking care of sonic duties are a trio of drivers – a 25mm tweeter and a 7.6cm mid/bass driver alongside a 3.8cm up-firing driver – designed to disperse sound evenly around your listening space. Bose doesn't disclose the specific power rating, but we do know that the drivers are powered by Class D amplification.

Like its soundbar and subwoofer siblings, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker uses Bose’s ‘CleanBass’ technology, which combines a rear-firing bass port with digital signal processing to deliver “deep, tight bass”. We’ll get to that later on.

Features

The Ultra Speaker is built, at least in part, to play ball with the rest of the members of its new Lifestyle product family. The speaker can be used on its own or in a pair for stereo playback, or you can add them as surround channels when used with the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar. Do be aware that the speakers aren’t backwards compatible with any of Bose’s older soundbars.

Stereo pairing is a nice asset to have, if you can get it to work. While getting our two test samples to play ball with each other works reasonably well most of the time, the resultant sound is often so out of sync that it becomes unlistenable. We’re not the only ones to have experienced this issue, so let’s hope that Bose will come to the rescue via a firmware update soon.

Stereo pairing bugs aside, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker has ample streaming connectivity. Connecting to your wi-fi network gives you access to streaming features such as Google Cast, Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect, as well as the Alexa Plus voice assistant which you can connect via the app. Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect aren’t available at launch, but we're told both will be arriving via a firmware update down the line. It’s worth noting that there’s no ethernet port for a wired connection to your home network.

If you want a multi-room set-up, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is accommodating in this regard. You can use the Bose app to create a stereo system or integrate other Lifestyle products, such as the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, into a neat home cinema system, or use the likes of AirPlay or Google Cast to integrate other compatible devices into your set-up.

You can stream using Bluetooth 5.3, too, with the standard AAC and SBC codecs supported. There’s no sign of higher-quality aptX or LDAC codecs here, which might be disappointing for some. An auxiliary 3.5mm input is available around the back of the unit if you want a physical connection to your audio source.

If you’re wondering how you control your new Bose speaker, then yes, there’s an app for that. You could go all Medieval and use the on-unit controls, but if you want to really get the most out of the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, you’ll need the official Bose app.

We might have had issues when it comes to the stereo pairing process, but the Bose app is a good one. It’s a logical, uncluttered and orderly platform that we find very easy to navigate thanks to its big, bold menus and helpful set-up guides.

Sound

We’ll get a quick caveat of our assessment of the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speakers’ sonic capabilities out of the way by confessing that we have to do a bit of tinkering before we get it sounding how we want. The balance you pick will often depend on the characteristics of your listening space and your personal preferences, but we feel the need to increase the bass levels in the EQ settings in order to compensate for what would otherwise be a rather thin reproduction.

Bolstering the lower end does grant, to our ears, a more balanced feel to the speaker’s sound, allowing our test sample to more capably reveal its particular talents.

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker’s reproduction is clear and composed, with a sound that rarely grates the ear. Notes are well-defined upon arrival, even if the Bose can sound like it overemphasises those all-important leading edges just a tad.

Instruments are crisp and sharp as they land, but the Ultra Speaker could conceivably add more body to that initial bite. The rival Sonos Era 300 is far better in this regard, reproducing instrumental textures – swooning strings, twinkling pianos – with a more natural weightiness that simply outshines the comparative thinness of its Bose rival.

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is capable of granting tracks a sense of dimensionality thanks to its upward-firing driver. The Bose speaker doesn’t officially support Dolby Atmos, with its ‘TrueSpatial’ technology taking care of spatial processing. This analyses the dimensions of the room in which the speaker is positioned and then optimises your audio to suit your listening space for a more immersive soundstage.

You can adjust the height channel in the app, and you’ll certainly notice the change as you move the in-app slider from 0-10, depending on how much height effect you want from the speaker.

When working to full effect, the resultant soundstage is admirably wide-reaching for a speaker of this size and type, but again, it’s simply outshone by the stunningly cinematic reproduction of the Dolby Atmos-powered Era 300, which renders spatial audio in a more convincing, wide-reaching and immersive manner.

The Era 300 is more convincing in other areas, too. Via Bluetooth or AirPlay, Sonos’ speaker excels across small and large scale dynamic shifts, putting the Bose rival’s somewhat flattened presentation in the shade.

Listen to the first minute of Lana Del Rey’s First Light and you’ll hear what we mean. The introduction of punchy drums and powerful brass land with more authority and power via the Era 300, contrasting starkly with the track’s quiet, enigmatic opening. The track propels itself forward with more vigour via the Sonos, with a purposeful momentum that we don’t find when switching back to the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker.

All isn’t entirely lost for Bose. The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker keeps its taut lower-end reproduction nicely in check, even if we have to boost it a bit to hear it properly, with ‘CleanBass’ tech working nicely with that rear port to deliver upon Bose’s promise of decent low-frequency control.

Bass is reasonably well-integrated with the rest of the frequencies, and rarely do we feel as though those lower registers sound disjointed or overly separated from the rest of our music.

Verdict

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker does not come cheap. Bose has positioned it as a committedly premium wireless smart speaker, and that’s put it up against some serious competition.

Sadly, Bose’s otherwise game contender doesn’t do enough to justify its considerable outlay, especially when there are more convincing alternatives available at this level. If you’re after a speaker that gives you great spatial audio, an impressive spread of features and better sound overall, we recommend that you pick the five-star Sonos Era 300 instead.

Review published: 13th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Build 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Era 300

Also consider the Apple HomePod 2

Best wireless speakers: tried and tested by our expert team

It's summer party season, and while we hope you're managing to find some shade, it's definitely sunny enough for an outdoor party or garden get-together.

But if you're planning a shindig, you will need some music. Enter the Bose SoundLink Max, now £299 at Amazon: a powerful, premium Bluetooth speaker that is more than up to the job.

With outstanding battery life and buckets of likeable sound, our expert testers saw fit to put the SoundLink Max on our best outdoor speakers list.

The Bose SoundLink Max will do a mightily impressive job delivering a soundtrack for park picnics or your latest garden gathering.

With a water and dust-proof IP67 rating, the SoundLink Max should be able to withstand rain or shine. It's tactile and rugged, wrapped in a silicone casing and with a carry-handle ideal for frequent movement.

But most importantly, the sound is befitting that of a premium Bluetooth speaker.

"The Soundlink Max shouldn’t have any issues getting the party started – thanks, in the main, to its lively, punchy delivery," our Bose SoundLink Max review reads. "It’s in its element rocking along to Guns N’ Roses Welcome To The Jungle.

"The wireless speaker’s expressive midrange enthusiastically sprays out Axl Rose’s wailing lead vocal, while every thwack of the band’s drum kit is dispatched with force and vigour. There's an energy to the band’s performance that is easy to tap into and makes for a hugely enjoyable listen."

The sound is a tad bassy straight out of the box, however, so we recommend turning this down to minus five or six – and then you're good to go.

With a claimed range of 30ft and an impressive 20 hours of battery life, this is a Bluetooth speaker that can go big and go all day.

There’s also aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec support, Google Fast Pair for Android users and Bluetooth multipoint for connecting two devices at once for easy switching. The SoundLink Max can also double as a power bank, ideal if you're out at the park all day.

The JBL Xtreme 5 is also available at a similar price, and one we'd recommend considering too. It's a bit bulkier than the SoundLink Max, but it does have a great sense of scale and sonic presence.

But if you're turning to music to get you through this heatwave, the Bose SoundLink Max is still an excellent pick, especially with £100 off at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our full Bose SoundLink Max review

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

And the best speakers: budget to premium models tested by our expert reviewers

Danish hi-fi firm Dynaudio is exiting the US market just a few months short of its 50th anniversary.

According to a press release, Dynaudio has chosen "to focus its future market development efforts on Europe and Asia as part of its long-term business strategy."

As a result, it will "cease operations of its commercial activities in North America and permanently shut down its U.S. subsidiary in the fall of 2026."

Dynaudio cites "ongoing economic challenges and market uncertainty" for its withdrawal, despite sales having grown in the region. US president Donald Trump recently repeated his claim that Greenland should be controlled by the US and not Denmark – it's not known if tensions between the two countries played a part in Dynaudio's decision.

Dynaudio says it is committed to ensuring a "smooth transition" for customers and business partners in the region, and will soon share a plan for continuity of product support and customer service.

We've contacted Dynaudio for more information and will update this story if we hear back.

Founded in 1977 in Skanderborg, Denmark, Dynaudio makes a range of speakers for the consumer, studio, car audio and custom install markets. In 2022 it revamped its Focus active range, and about 18 months ago announced a premium concept soundbar – the Symphony Opus One – which it demonstrated at the recent High End Vienna show. It has previously made speakers for Volvo, Volkswagen and Bugatti cars.

MORE:

The best speakers around

The best bookshelf speakers

And the best budget speakers

The size of the average UK living room is now just a third of what it was in the 1970s, according to a survey by LABC (a UK representative body for local council building inspectors). Of course, as living space constricts, so does the amount of room being allocated to hi-fi set-ups.

That’s where speakers like the Dali Sonik 5 come into play. With a compact design and a price of £899 / $1800 / AUS$1749 – just shy of the current Award-winning Fyne Audio F501E at £999 / $1299 / AU$1999 – these Dali floorstanders strike a pleasing balance between convenience, cost and quality.

The new series of Sonik speakers replace the discontinued and much-loved Oberon range, making the Sonik 5 the successor to the five-star Oberon 5. A tough act to follow, given the multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards under its predecessor’s belt.

On inspection, the apple doesn’t seem to have fallen far from the tree between these models, with similar dimensions and driver configuration. But the question is, will these new floorstanders throw down the gauntlet or leave us reminiscing about the good ol’ days?

Build

The Dali Sonik 5 are compact two-way towers, with fairly diminutive dimensions of 82.6 × 16.2 × 27cm (hwd). Their petite size means these speakers never dominate visually and will fit seamlessly into most spaces.

The internally braced MDF cabinets are clad in high-grade laminate and come in four finishes: natural oak, white, walnut and black ash. On our test pair, the walnut finish looks convincingly wood-like and complements the clean front panel cosmetics well, making it look notably more modern than the Oberon 5.

In terms of drive units, there are two 13cm mid/bass drivers loaded with a rear port, and a 29mm soft dome tweeter. The mid/bass diaphragms use Dali’s trademark mix of fine-grain paper pulp reinforced with wood fibres, which the company claims provides rigidity, good damping and light weight.

The drive units employ Dali’s patented SMC (Soft Magnetic Composite) technology in the motor system to reduce distortion, which should help with optimising detail, transparency and dynamics.

All three drivers are linked through a single-wired two-way crossover, resulting in a sensitivity of 88dB/w/m and nominal impedance of 6 ohms – identical to the Oberon 5. These are typical figures, and shouldn’t cause any problems when paired with decent, price-compatible amplifiers. That said, Dali recommends pairing it with an amplifier with a power rating of 30-150 watts.

Compatibility

In terms of positioning, we find the Sonik 5 sound best facing straight ahead, with a gap of at least 0.8m from our testing room’s rear wall. When angled in, the sound is a little narrower and brighter than we would like. Positioned too close to the wall, the bass starts to dominate.

If you are listening at close range – say, closer than two metres – then it’s likely that the tweeter will be well below your ear height. In which case, we recommend tilting the speakers slightly upwards, so that the tweeter axis lines up with your ears. If your listening position is further away from the speakers, this becomes less of an issue.

In terms of partnering electronics, we found the Dali speakers coped well with similarly priced separates. We got good results from both five-star Arcam A15+ and Naim Nait XS 3 stereo amplifiers.

For the bulk of this test, we were streaming hi-res tracks using the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition music streamer, or playing compact discs from the Cyrus CDi CD player.

Sound

After giving the Sonik 5 a few days to settle in, we find ourselves thoroughly impressed by their performance. With an intricate and highly musical sound, these speakers are versatile, proving themselves a serious contender across genres.

Listening to Nude by Radiohead, we enjoy powerful but pleasingly tight bass for the speakers’ small size, vivid textural details across the frequency range, and a musical presentation that conveys each of the instruments with good separation, allowing their individual tonal qualities to shine through. At a similar price, the larger Fyne F501E produce deeper bass, but sacrifice a degree of precision in the process.

While listening to Johnny Cash’s I Won’t Back Down, backing harmonies have a pleasant, airy quality, while Cash’s voice holds its own in its chesty, elderly bass. Most impressively, his vocal remains crystalline, occupying centre stage with an eerily lifelike presence.

Dynamically, the Sonik 5 are responsive. We find that the decay of certain notes, dynamic swells and subtle ebbs in volume are all conveyed with a faithfulness that outperforms both the Oberon 5 and the Fyne F501E. No mean feat.

Dali’s speakers are not traditionally shy when it comes to treble, but with such refined textures and an ability to sparkle without veering into shrill territory, the manufacturer’s boldness has, once again, earned our respect.

Their midrange is another highlight, evoking palpable humanity and emotion from voices as varied as Tom Jones and Martha Wainwright. We enjoy the texture and natural warmth that the Sonik 5 reveal in vocal performances across our music collection.

Rhythmically, these speakers are highly adaptive, with the capacity to maintain a musical sense of momentum, even when faced with the raucous rhythms of Elvis Costello’s 20% Amnesia. But they cope just as well with the subtle undercurrents of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, Pt. III – Pursuance.

These Dalis work well with classical recordings, too. Listening to Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, the cello’s delicate texture is preserved even when it plays incredibly quietly, as it does for extended periods in the piece. When the symphony swells to its dramatic climax, the scale and depth of field conveyed by the Sonik 5 leave us feeling the music to our very core.

The Sonik 5 maintain a stable stereo image, which by price standards is precise and well focused. Symphony No. 3 allows the speakers’ stereo image to shine, highlighting their layered soundstage, which retains focus and precision, even in dense arrangements.

Verdict

With a pleasingly compact size and excellent sound, we think the Dali Sonik 5 will make a superb addition to any home set-up, especially if you’re working with small spaces.

Provided you are willing to take some time to set them up carefully, these floorstanding speakers have plenty to offer, with a sound that transcends their dimensions.

Review published: 8th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Fyne Audio F501E

Also consider the Dali Oberon 5

Best floorstanding speakers 2026: budget to premium models tested by our experts

Marshall has updated two of its long-running home-based Bluetooth speakers with the launch of the Acton IV and Stanmore IV models.

Building upon the existing Acton and Stanmore models, the fourth-generation speakers feature upgraded tweeters and waveguides, updated connectivity and a refreshed design.

The updated tweeters and waveguides on both models aim to deliver “a wider, more evenly dispersed and expansive soundstage.” Both home speakers have a similar configuration of two tweeters and a woofer, with the bigger Stanmore IV model featuring a larger woofer driver.

The bass ports on both models have been redesigned for improved airflow, which should result in “cleaner and more powerful” bass performance. Marshall says the cables have also been repositioned to allow the speakers to be placed “flush against a wall without affecting audio quality”.

Along with Bluetooth and higher-quality LDAC codec support for streaming from mobile devices, both speakers feature a 3.5mm auxiliary and new RCA stereo inputs. The latter lets you connect a variety of audio sources, for instance, a turntable with a built-in phono stage such as the Sony PS-LX3BT.

The Acton IV and Stanmore IV both feature a ‘Dynamic Loudness’ setting, which automatically rebalances bass and treble frequencies in order to preserve “clarity, richness and warmth” at any volume. Improved limiters in the new models also promise to deliver a “cleaner” sound when playing at high volumes.

Although the classic look of the popular guitar amp-inspired home speakers has been preserved, their retro brass control panel sees physical improvements to the controls. On-board controls include tonal adjustments and a "media jog" that lets you play/pause/skip songs. A brand new ‘M-button’ also allows users to easily switch between EQ settings and Spotify Tap options.

For further customisation, the dedicated Marshall app allows users to adjust EQ presets and “optimise audio” with placement compensation settings. Notably, built-in Auracast technology means that Acton IV and Stanmore IV can be connected to each other for multi-speaker listening.

To integrate older-generation Acton III and Stanmore III models into a multi-speaker set-up, you will need to purchase Marshall’s streaming hub, called Heddon, to bridge the gap between generations. This is available for £180 on its own, and is free of charge when buying two or more eligible Marshall home speakers.

According to Simona Berbec, Product Manager at Marshall Group: "These always-in-place speakers... [are] chosen time and again for their iconic design, premium build quality, rich, powerful sound, and intuitive tactile controls. With our fourth generation, the focus has been on protecting and strengthening these core qualities, building on what people love rather than reinventing it.”

The Marshall Acton IV and Stanmore IV speakers, priced at £260 / $300 and £350 / $400 respectively, are available to buy from today in black or cream finishes.

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Marshall's guitar amp-inspired Stockwell III is a small, portable speaker with a big battery life

Marshall is bringing big party speaker vibes to a smaller but still powerful form

Best Bluetooth speakers 2026: tried and tested for every budget

Bowers & Wilkins’ original 801 speaker was launched back in 1979. At the time, these odd-looking three-way designs were the very best speakers the brand could make. They were aimed primarily at the quality studio market, alongside those who wanted no-compromise speakers at home.

Over time, further 800 series models were added, allowing the lineup to appeal to a wider range of users rather than just the studio world that the originals prioritised.

The new flagship B&W 800 Series Diamond D5 range, introduced at the High End Vienna 2026 show in early June, holds to the same principles as the original, pushing the company’s technology and performance standards as far as currently possible.

We are lucky enough to be invited to the company’s impressive R&D facility in Southwater, West Sussex. It is a large facility, around 2750 square metres of floor space, where the brand’s engineers develop new technologies and products.

We are here to listen to the new 800 Series Diamond D5 series of speakers in its entirety, from the two-way 805 D5 (£10,000 / $15,000) to the mighty, range-topping 801 D5 floorstander (£43,000 / $65,000). The plan is to compare them with the previous-generation models and hear the changes.

It proves an eye-opening experience.

D5: Delving into the differences

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be too much to separate the two generations. The new D5 models look a little smarter in their updated finishes (stealth black, dark walnut, light walnut or warm white) and have neater detailing.

The floorstanding models in the range have more elegantly shaped plinths, too. But the overall look is much the same – and that is deliberate. This is entirely a case of ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’.

Those distinctive curved cabinets with midrange pods (on the larger models) and tweeter-on-top have long been part of the recipe for solid engineering reasons. Bowers & Wilkins isn’t a company that changes things without a good reason.

Delve into the details, however, and it becomes clear that the engineers have hardly been twiddling their thumbs over the past few years. Just about every part of the new range, it seems, has been revised.

The D5 cabinets are more rigid thanks to improved bracing and the use of more aluminium in their construction. Even the plinths on the floorstanders have been reworked to improve resonance control, rigidity and their appearance.

There are revised motor systems for the mid/bass and bass drivers, and tweaks to the tweeter unit for improved transparency. Add updated crossovers that use better-quality parts and improved internal wiring, and it is safe to say that the engineers haven’t just posted this one in.

Listening to 10 pairs of speakers: new-gen D5 compared with older D4 series

The benefits of their work are obvious once we start listening to the speakers. The idea is to listen to every product in the new range up against its D4 predecessor. That is ten different pairs of speakers to listen to in around a couple of hours.

Given the short time of our demo, and our unfamiliarity with the listening room and reference system, take the following as our first impressions of the new speakers, rather than anything more concrete.

The Bowers & Wilkins reference system is an intriguing mix of old and new. The source is a high-end Denon DP-S1 CD transport from the early nineties, feeding a two-box MSB Platinum Diamond DAC IV/Diamond Power Base. Amplification duties are carried out by a two-box Gryphon Commander preamplifier feeding a pair of 225-watt Class A Apex monoblocs.

Given the number of speakers we need to hear in the short time we have, we swap between three songs: Harry Belafonte’s A Fool For You, Garden Song from Phoebe Bridgers and Agnes Obel’s The Curse. Of course, it would have been nice to include small- and large-scale classical, some jazz, rock and hip-hop tracks, but we don’t have that luxury in our demo time.

805 D5 vs 805 D4

We start with the baby of the range, a pair of previous-generation 805 D4 standmounters. We reviewed these back in 2022, and listening to them again reminds us just how capable they are.

They still sound detailed and articulate with a lovely top-to-bottom cohesion. We are impressed by the 805’s expansive soundstaging and ability to focus voices and instruments so precisely.

There didn’t seem to be much leeway for the new D5 version to improve on matters; yet it took no more than a few seconds to realise that things were clearly better. Note, there is no notable change in character or tonal balance, with the new generation model clearly cut from the same cloth.

The new one moves ahead in terms of transparency and detail resolution; it just sounds cleaner, clearer and more precise. Any shortcomings in the source material are more apparent, so be aware of this if your music collection isn’t packed with high-quality audiophile recordings.

The 805 D5’s presentation is more up-front and seems louder even though there are no significant changes in speaker sensitivity between the generations. Dynamics are significantly more expressive, and the new model conveys contrasts with more authority.

The presentation is obviously more spacious, and the sense of image height is improved. Downsides? We can’t think of any at the moment.

804 D5 vs 804 D4

We move to the 804 D4 next. These are compact floorstanders that barely take up any more space than their smaller siblings on stands. The addition of a dedicated bass driver and larger cabinet volume makes itself felt with greater authority in the sound.

However, we are missing the 805 D5’s resolution and clarity. The smaller model sounds so much more insightful and expressive – as does the new D5 version of the 804.

Bowers & Wilkins engineers have worked hard on the 804 D5 to bring its performance more in line with the bigger floorstanding models in the range, with their separate midrange assembly. There is now a dedicated aluminium midrange enclosure hidden in the 804’s cabinet, and that gives these speakers a major uplift in sound quality.

The 804 D5 builds on the performance of its junior sibling, exhibiting even more scale to the presentation. However, we find there is now greater heft to the sound and an improvement to outright resolution over the 805 thanks to the dedicated midrange unit.

We think they sound even better than the previous generation 803 model we hear next. The 804 D5 just sound clearer and more insightful to our ears, even though the older speaker scores points for its authority and scale.

The advantages of the 803’s separate midrange enclosure are there to be heard in terms of dispersion. Still, overall, in most medium-sized rooms, we would go for the 804 D5.

803 D5 vs 803 D4

The status quo is restored when we move to the latest version of the 803. The D5 version gives us all the precision and transparency of the smaller model, but we also enjoy the benefits of its more elaborate enclosure arrangement.

This is the first model in the range that enjoys all of the company’s extensive suite of technologies, and the merits are obvious.

The combination of new mesh over the established diamond dome tweeter plus the separate midrange ‘head’ gives us a wonderfully expansive presentation. It is truly room-filling and is delivered with an excellent scale.

We love the precision of the stereo imaging and enjoy the lovely sense of height, with the sound seemingly coming from well above the speakers on appropriate recordings.

801 D5 and 802 D5 vs D4

Moving to the larger models in the range mirrors the improvements between generations that we have heard up to now. As we move to the 802 and 801 D5 floorstanders, we are impressed with the consistency of character between the various models, and the gains of muscularity and low-end reach.

Listening to the top-of-the-range 801 D5 gives us a full dose of what the new range has to offer. Transparency and resolution levels are exceptional, allowing us to hear deep into the mix of each recording.

These speakers dig deep into the bass to the extent that we feel the low-frequency notes as much as we hear them. The speaker’s composure at high volume levels is impressive, with no hint of hardening or dynamic compression. If you like your music loud, you will love these.

Rhythmically, the range as a whole sounds surefooted. We aren’t sure that they will necessarily be the kind of performers that force you out of your seat when listening to dance tunes, but we need more listening time in the more familiar surroundings of our dedicated test rooms to confirm.

Early verdict

We admit, we are surprised. Given the similarity of the two generations, we were under the impression that there would be small, incremental performance changes between the D4 and D5 ranges, at best.

While there remains a consistency of character between the two generations, it is fair to say that the latest 800 Series Diamond D5 speakers are an appreciable step ahead of their direct predecessors. Provided you feed them a good enough signal, there seems little to complain about here.

We're looking forward to giving the B&W 800 D5 series the full, thorough What Hi-Fi? review treatment once we get final samples into our test rooms in due course. Stay tuned.

MORE:

10 of the most exciting hi-fi products we saw at High End Vienna 2026

Read the previous-generation Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 review

5 game-changing iPod docks that shaped the modern wireless speaker market

We've already looked at the impact that Apple, especially the iPod, had on the audio world over the past 50 years, ushering in portable music listening and speaker docks that eventually led to the wireless/Bluetooth speakers of today.

But when looking back at the history of hi-fi – especially as we're celebrating 50 years of What Hi-Fi? this year – it's usually the 'glory' days of hi-fi, i.e. the '70s and '80s, that we pore over, ogling vintage turntables, the first few CD players, affordable speakers and hefty stereo amplifiers.

What we don't do often enough is to look at the more recent history of the 2000s; it may feel recent, but there is so much technology peppered through the mid-00s that just doesn't exist anymore.

Case in point: iPod docks. It's easy to forget just how rife the things were after the introduction of the Apple iPod. iPod speaker docks and systems came in a variety of shapes and styles, from cheap and cheerful to premium and approaching hi-fi quality. There was something about that post-Y2K era, in the dawn of a new millennium, that allowed audio brands to experiment and be creative with their speaker dock designs.

You had simple, discreet (all Apple-white, of course) models rubbing shoulders with beefy one-box speakers that experimented with all kinds of curves and unique silhouettes, while a surprisingly tall iPod dock speaker existed alongside a valve-based system.

The iPod dock is now extinct, and the original 30-pin connector with it, but it paved the way for the modern Bluetooth/wireless speakers that we use to stream music from our smartphone every day. Here, we've paid tribute to the five iPod speaker docks that stood out to us in that short-lived but exciting era.

1. Bose SoundDock (2004)

£249
4 stars

The original Bose SoundDock was one of the very first speaker systems dedicated to the iPod. Launched in 2004, it catered to all varieties of the iPod with the 30-pin connector in a compact unit, with a credit card-sized remote letting you control playback and volume. It was a slick system. The cons against it were the slightly loose cradle fit, and no aux-in for non-iPod MP3 players.

We praised its impressive musical credentials, calling it "terrific" thanks to its solid, full-bodied sound, with clear, natural vocal delivery. It had none of the thinness blighting poorer-quality rivals; a lively, punchy rhythm, good bass and detail levels completed the set.

This being the 2000s, we did call the white-and-grey, SoundDock "ultra-stylish" and it was the "most sophisticated" iPod dock around.

That was, until...

2. Monitor Audio i-deck (2005)

£250
5 stars

Monitor Audio launched the i-deck in 2005 and swiftly nabbed five stars and a Product of the Year win at that year's What Hi-Fi? Awards. It was the first iPod speaker dock system that truly impressed us in terms of sound quality. We said "it gives you the looks, flexibility and sound quality of a good hi-fi micro system" and praised its "tremendous" sound quality that went loud with composure and offered a healthy-size soundstage.

"Tunes race along with infectious energy and plenty of enjoyment," we said as the i-deck won yet another group test. A drop by £50 in 2006 further cemented its status as a great sound-per-pound value buy, even as new models from Altec Lansing, Jamo and Apple's own iPod Hi-Fi tried to get in on the action.

The i-deck featured swappable bezels to fit the different styles of iPods around at the time, and even came with a 3.5mm mini-jack input to plug in other MP3 players. It's not the most compact system as it involves three boxes, but the beauty is that you can upgrade those speakers for a better pair too.

We also have to give props to Monitor Audio for making one of the most eye-catching designs – the 'tulip' shaped i-deck 100 from 2011 (£200, 5 stars) – which looks more sci-fi than its earlier efforts.

3. JBL OnBeat Xtreme (2012)

£400
5 stars

JBL is ubiquitous with the best Bluetooth speakers these days, so it should be no surprise that the brand had a whole range of iPod dock speakers. In fact, in November 2012, JBL was the very first brand to launch iPod docks with the new Lightning connector – the OnBeat Micro and Venue LT – when Apple ditched its long-lived 30-pin connection.

Before then, the JBL OnBeat Xtreme snagged the best iPod speaker dock Award in 2012. The OnBeat Xtreme could play music from your portable player in two ways: docking it, or be wirelessly streaming over Bluetooth. It brought non-Apple players into the fold, expanding its versatility and becoming a viable replacement for ageing hi-fi microsystems.

The 'crossed-arms' design was eye-catching, with a solid, appealing build quality for the relatively high price. It sounded great – a fun presentation, ample low-frequency heft (impressive, given the relatively small drivers), and plenty of detail in the clear highs and sweet midrange.

There’s certainly no shortage of low-frequency heft here – impressive, given the OnBeat’s relatively small drivers. Instruments get plenty of breathing space and dynamically it's plenty enjoyable. It can go loud enough to be at neighbour-baiting levels, although the midrange could harden up at this point.

The OnBeat Xtreme was so good it not only was the What Hi-Fi? team's office speaker in the old Teddington office for a good few years, but it also beat a legendary icon...

4. Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin (2007)

£400
5 stars

This is the big one. If it wasn't for the iPod, we wouldn't have the now-iconic blimp-shaped Zeppelin speaker dock. When we first reviewed it in the February 2008 issue, it didn't appear in our usual "First Tests" section at the start of the magazine – it appeared in our dedicated "Temptation" section that was reserved for pricier, "most desirable" high-end models.

That's how much of a novelty the premium, luxuriously built Zeppelin was in comparison to the other humdrum iPod docks of the day. It gave permission for other brands to aim higher – the JBL OnBeat Xtreme (above) and NAD Viso 1 both launched at £500 after the B&W.

The distinctive curved, elongated shape isn't just for style points; it helps minimise the cabinet around each driver unit, which improves dispersion. The drivers underneath were ones used by B&W loudspeakers: a 13cm Kevlar bass driver powered by a 50W digital amp is flanked on either side by 9cm midrange drivers and 25mm metal dome tweeters, each powered by 25W amps.

The resultant sound exceeded all our expectations. "You'll be amazed at the Zeppelin's pace, scale, weight, rhythmic ability and timing," we enthused in our five-star review. Its sense of attack and energy was "thrilling", with our only complaint being that it didn't image as well as rivals with widely spaced speakers.

It was also a tactile joy to use, and its combination of style, build quality and sound left us "smitten".

The Zeppelin gave birth the smaller, less expensive Zeppelin Mini a couple of years later, while you can buy a fully hi-res wireless version of the Zeppelin Pro Edition these days.

5. Fatman iTube Carbon v2.0 (2008)

£350
5 stars

If you don't remember Fatman Audio, you're not alone. The brand specialised in combining iPod docks with valve-based systems, and rather successfully, too. The year after the Zeppelin launched to rave reviews, the Fatman iTube Carbon v2.0 got put in a Group Test with the iconic speaker dock in the September 2008 issue... and won.

The iTube Carbon was far from a discreet-looking iPod dock. "Alongside the Zeppelin's sleek, Manhattan-skyscraper aesthetics it does look like a bit of a shanty town," we said, and not everyone was enamoured of a multi-box system that required separate speakers. You could buy the system sans speakers for £100 and provide your own pair, though.

Despite the inelegance, the Fatman was praised for being the best-sounding iPod speaker dock – it had an "endlessly listenable sound". The warm, eloquent valve characteristics gave songs like Steely Dan's Any Major Dude Will Tell You low-end weight and substance, while percussion and vocals were polished and bright enough. The Carbon "integrates and separates the differing elements confidently" and "excels when it comes to stereo focus and imaging" – the benefit of having separate speakers.

The first iteration of this unit was marred by build and reliability issues, even as we praised the the rich musical insight and "stunning" sound for this price; this v2.0 model addressed our concerns and smartened up the cosmetics considerably, and featured a 3.5mm socket alongside RCA stereo inputs.

Versatile, great-sounding and a unique valve-dock design – the Fatman may not be as fondly remembered as more famous iPod docks, but its spark burned bright at the height of the iPod dock's popularity.

Apple's stronghold over the audio world with the iPod and its 30-pin connector faded when it switched to the smaller Lightning connector. Adoption for the new connector was slow, as having to completely re-haul current audio products proved a pain for many brands.

The introduction of wireless AirPlay and rising popularity of Bluetooth around the same time carved a path towards today's wireless speakers that ditch the dock and feature streaming via Bluetooth, AirPlay, Google Cast and more – proving you don't have to be dependant on the whims of one (giant) tech brand.

But if it were not for the iPod, we wouldn't have such daring, creative, fun and, yes, silly designs that were affordable, compact, and made music available for all.

Below, you'll find a gallery of the variety of iPod docks and speaker systems we tested in the 2000s/2010s, straight from the pages of our What Hi-Fi? magazine archive. You can click on the arrow sign in the bottom-left corner to read the full-size text on each image.

MORE:

We look back at the very first CD players tested by What Hi-Fi? and the advent of this innovative digital format

Engineers from KEF, Cambridge, Cyrus and more highlight the biggest technological game-changers in hi-fi during What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime

Why the time is right for a new Sony Walkman

Amazon's summer Prime Day event has been and gone, but it seems no one told JBL.

One of the firm's star products, the JBL Charge 6, is now even cheaper than on Prime Day, dropping to a new low of £96 at Amazon.

This isn't just any Bluetooth speaker, though – this is our Product of the Year Bluetooth speaker, which beat out some tough competition to claim the top spot.

And just in time, too – its powerful, clear and energetic sound will make it perfect for garden parties and outdoor gatherings, especially with another heatwave on the horizon.

If you're looking for the best Bluetooth speakers, then the JBL Charge 6 is top of our list.

The Charge 6 is the successor to, you guessed it, the Charge 5, which was itself outstanding and our go-to recommendation during its lifetime.

The Charge 6 manages to improve on the five-star Charge 5, starting with a more waterproof, dustproof and drop-proof IP68 rating, beefier bumper guards and a handy carry-handle for portability.

But it's the audio improvements that excite us most. The Charge 6 features a newly developed woofer, but the benefits extend beyond bass.

"The same familial sound between the two Charge generations remains, but the Charge 6 is that bit more energetic and rhythmically driven, with a newfound sense of clarity going hand-in-hand with the added dose of power and punch," our JBL Charge 6 review reads. "This is a sound that goes far beyond the confines of its portable dimensions; we’re always struck by just how mature the sound balance is, even as you push the volume up."

There's a new 'AI Sound Boost' too that analyses the sound in real time to ensure that the sound is always as punchy, exciting, and clean.

There's also a hefty 24 hours of power should you wish to party all day, with an extra four hours available in Playtime Boost mode. Audio aficionados will be glad to hear that 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio is available via USB-C, while there's also support for Auracast audio sharing and the ability to charge your phone.

While several Prime Day deals have gone back up, the JBL Charge 6 has the rare distinction of going down. And honestly, it couldn't have happened to a much better product – it's one of the best Bluetooth speakers we've ever tested, and well worth the £96 at Amazon if you're happy with the black colour.

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Sonus Faber has unveiled the third generation of its premium Olympica loudspeaker range, which features new acoustic technology taken from the Italian audio brand's flagship Suprema speaker system, alongside cosmetic refinements. The five-strong range consists of two floorstanders, a standmount speaker, a centre channel and slim on-wall unit.

All speakers in the new range feature the Camelia midrange that was first developed for the Suprema system. Inspired by the shape of the camelia flower, this non-circular driver is made from fibre materials and features a fabric surround, and its distinct, irregular shape is designed to reduce the unwanted resonances found in more conventional drivers.

It is left unpainted too, and promises "exceptional clarity, transparency, and vocal realism."

All speakers feature a silk dome tweeter, while the 16.5cm woofers in the floorstanders (three for the Olympica V, two for the Olympica III) are new for the third-generation and feature an 'organic basket' with a honeycomb structure.

This helps to maximise airflow around the woofers while providing exceptional mechanical stability, for tighter, cleaner bass reproduction. Coupled with an advanced aluminium phase plug and new damping ring technology, this should result in greater dynamics and clarity too.

Additionally, the two floorstanders – Olympica V and Olympica III – feature a cork lining in the closed tweeter and midrange housing, which absorbs unwanted energy and reflections within the chamber to further aid the natural quality and transparency of the midrange performance.

Both floorstanders are three-way designs, with the larger Olympica V promising "expansive scale, powerful dynamics and full-range performance" that is ideally suited to larger rooms. The step-down Olympica III floorstander aims to bring that sound to "room-friendly proportions" for a wider range of spaces, while the Olympica I is a compact two-way standmount speaker that brings the range's sound signature to a smaller rooms while still offering "exceptional imaging, clarity, and emotional engagement."

All three speakers feature a silk dome tweeter and have a ported design.

“What has always defined Sonus Faber is our belief that beauty and performance should never be separated,” says Jim Mollica, president of Luxury Audio at Bose, who are the new owners of Sonus Faber. “While others prioritise one or the other, Olympica G3 unites refined Italian design and handcrafted attention to detail with advanced acoustic innovation to bring listeners closer to the music.”

The three-way Centre channel is designed to deliver articulate dialogue for use within in a home cinema surround system, while the slimline two-way Wall speaker is designed to be more discreetly integrated in on-wall systems.

The Olympica G3 features hallmarks of the brand's luxury craftsmanship, such as the lute-shaped cabinet design, which now features a herringbone real wood veneer – taken from the celebrated Stradivari floorstanders – and aluminium accents for an elevated look.

The range comes in Walnut or Wengè finishes, and is available to buy now. Sonus Faber's hand-crafted speakers are firmly on the high-end side, and the new Olympica G3 is no different, although it's a far cry from the £470,000 / $850,000 price tag of the reference Suprema floorstanders.

Prices are as follows:

Olympica G3 V floorstanders: £25,000 / $30,000
Olympica G3 III floorstanders: £20,000 / $24,000
Olympica G3 I standmounts: £10,000 / $13,000
Olympica G3 Centre: £9300 / $10,500
Olympica G3 Wall: £6500 / $8000

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Focal's latest high-end floorstanders are "an ode to the art of listening at home”

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Focal has revealed the Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanding speakers.

An evolution of the brand's established Scala Utopia Evo, these new 'M' edition floorstanders are defined by two core innovations: the inclusion of Focal's new 'PRISM' tweeter and a new 'M-profile' W midrange driver.

That PRISM tweeter was first introduced recently in Focal's high-end Diva Alta Utopia wireless speaker system and now makes its way to the three-way Scala Evo M towers. This unit uses a combination of composite materials to strike the ideal balance between lightness and damping – Focals says it achieves an even higher level of rigidity than the beryllium tweeter used in previous generations.

The new M-profile W midrange unit is derived from the Utopia Main professional monitor range, with a structure that teases "exceptional rigidity" and ultra-low distortion. Focal claims this should result in a mid-frequency response that is "more transparent, precise and natural" than before.

The W woofer has also been completely redesigned, and uses a dual-ferrite motor that promises "powerful, deep, controlled bass."

Further technologies that have appeared in other high-end Focal speakers aim to add "balance and coherence" to the new floorstanders.

Focal's 'TMD' driver suspension limits cone deformation and reduces resultant distortion, while the proprietary 'Optimum Phase Crossover' technology diminishes phase issues and enhances the speakers' ability to adapt their tonal balance according to the size and type of the room in which they're placed.

The three-way towers employ Focal's 'Focus Time' configuration, which is an articulated spine structure that arcs the speakers' design towards the listener, aiding with time alignment with the various drivers in play.

The overall aim of the Scala Utopia Evo M is to deliver "even more faithful and dynamic reproduction, capable of revealing the full richness of the most demanding recordings."

Available in five high-gloss lacquer or natural wood finishes, the new Focal Scala Utopia Evo M floorstanders are available now, priced at €40,000 / $46,000 per pair (UK price to be confirmed).

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Here at What Hi-Fi?, we are lucky to test the latest and greatest in speakers, systems and all things hi-fi.

Sometimes, though, it’s the older products that are the best. Take the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41; these powered speakers, currently reduced from £529 to £279 at Peter Tyson, were first reviewed in 2022. Since then they have racked up a rather impressive What Hi-Fi? Award tally with four gongs to their name.

Four years on, they are now excellent value thanks to some hefty price drops – and they still sit in our best budget hi-fi speakers as our powered option of choice.

It’s perfectly possible to spend more than a grand on powered speakers, of course, but for those on a budget, the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 offer a compact, great-sounding system for nearly a quarter of the cost, thanks to recent discounts.

Essentially, the Elacs are flexible, fuss-free standmount speakers with top-notch sound quality and Bluetooth connectivity for easy music playback.

Set-up is simple, with all the amplification built into one speaker and a supplied cable to connect it to its passive sibling.

There’s no wi-fi support for internet streaming, though we found the aptX Bluetooth connection works seamlessly, and there are also optical and USB wired inputs for an external music source.

There’s even a built-in switchable moving-magnet phono stage should you wish to hook up a turntable, and an HDMI ARC socket means the Elacs can double as TV speakers also!

We find the digital inputs offer the best sound, but whatever way you listen, the Elacs deliver. Each speaker comes with a 10cm mid/bass unit and a 19mm soft-dome tweeter, which together result in a clear, balanced and insightful performance.

“There’s a good level of detail here and the ability to organise that information into a cohesive and musical whole,” our Elac Debut Connex DCB41 review reads. “As we listen to a range of music from Sorrows Away by folk group The Unthanks to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, it becomes clear that this is a surprisingly capable performer.”

Our only qualms are with the phono stage which lacks dynamic expression, though it’s fine for occasional use.

After four years and four What Hi-Fi? Awards, the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 show no signs of losing their appeal. If you’re after an entry point to speaker systems or just a good bargain, then the DCB41 for £279 at Peter Tyson have proved to be long-term favourites.

If you have a bit more of a budget or are keen on extra features, then we recommend these alternatives too:

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Here’s our full Elac Debut Connex DCB41 review

Want streaming smarts included? Check out our KEF LSX II LT review

These are the best all-in-one systems you can buy

Canadian manufacturer, PSB Speakers, has launched two new all-in-one wireless speakers as part of its iQ series. The range includes the iQ1, priced at £899 / €999 / $999, and the iQ2, available for £1299 / €1399 / $1499. At this price point, the speaker systems fall into competitive territory, rivalling the five-star KEF LSX II and Award-winning LSX II LT.

Both the iQ1 and iQ2 use the established BluOS streaming platform to give users access to popular music streaming services such as Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal, as well as internet radio stations such as TuneIn, while also allowing hi-res streaming from connected hard drives.

Other streaming methods include Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Bluetooth aptX HD. In both models, the internal DAC can natively handle hi-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM.

Wired connections for both models include a pair of RCA stereo inputs, HDMI eARC for connecting to a TV, optical, USB-A and USB-C audio inputs, and a subwoofer output. The speakers also feature a built-in moving-magnet phono stage for connecting a turntable directly.

PSB says the iQ1 and iQ2 systems have been designed to “fit comfortably into everyday spaces”, with humble dimensions of just 14.5 x 24.6 x 19.2cm per speaker.

Both speakers feature fully active designs and DSP crossovers, with tuned bass ports providing “deeper, more powerful bass”.

Their similarities don’t end there. The iQ1 and iQ2 have identical total power outputs of 270 watts via Class D amplification, and they even share the same drivers, employing a 1.9cm aluminium-dome tweeter paired with a 10cm propylene mid/bass driver.

Each speaker has a 90-watt amplifier dedicated to each woofer, but they differ in the way they drive their tweeters; the iQ1’s tweeters share a two-channel amplifier, delivering 45 watts to each unit, while the iQ2’s tweeters are fed by independent 45W amplifiers.

They also differ in how the left and right speakers connect: the iQ1 uses a wired speaker cable; the iQ2 employs a low-latency wireless link.

The iQ series can be controlled using the BluOS Controller app, which is compatible with Android, iOS, macOS and Windows, or via a touch panel on the primary speaker.

Both iQ speaker systems are available now, and the iQ1 comes in in black or white vinyl finishes. The more premium iQ2 comes in black, white, ember red, boreal green, granite grey, and sandstone beige, while a walnut veneer finish costs an extra £100 / €100 / $100.

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Tangent’s new Spectrum II X5 Active BT speakers promise a “balanced, dynamic and natural soundstage”

Most hi-fi enthusiasts have heard of the BBC-designed LS3/5A speakers. This tiny monitor was introduced in 1975 and has built a cult following thanks to its natural way with vocals and terrific stereo imaging. Given its small size and age, it will come as no surprise that it has limitations too, with restricted large-scale dynamics, an inability to play loud and limited bass reach, the most obvious.

The BBC also designed a bigger, more ambitious option, the LS5/9. It was released eight years after the LS3/5A and was intended to serve as a critical-listening monitor in modestly sized studios where the company’s bigger models just wouldn’t work. Its job was to allow the sound engineers to optimise all aspects of the broadcast/recording from microphone placement to overall sonic balance.

The BBC is a broadcaster rather than a speaker manufacturer, so as with its other designs, the LS5/9 is made under license by third-party companies such as Graham Audio. The Devon-based speaker manufacturer proudly proclaims its official licence on the packaging of these speakers.

Given that there are unofficial versions of this LS5/9 on the market, that seal of approval, at the very least, is a statement that the company has stayed faithful to the original design.

Design & build

The LS5/9 is a medium-sized, two-way monitor. It stands 46cm tall and has an internal volume of 28 litres, compared to the mere 5 litres of its smaller sibling. The front-ported cabinet follows the BBC’s favoured thin-wall construction method.

In this monitor, the enclosure’s panels are made of 9mm birch plywood and then heavily damped to move any resonances away from the all-important midrange region. Most current designs take the opposite approach, using thick panels that are more rigid but have resonances higher up the frequency range into areas where our hearing is more sensitive.

The LS5/9 is available in two standard hand-matched real wood veneers – cherry and oak – and three more premium options: ebony, rosewood and walnut. In a nod to modernity, Graham Audio has included magnetically mounted grilles for neatness.

Overall build quality is excellent. The oak veneer on our review sample looks lovely, while fit and finish are as good as the price point demands.

It isn’t possible to buy the original LS5/9 mid/bass unit, so Graham Audio, in partnership with Volt Loudspeakers, developed a new driver that complies with the BBC’s specifications. This 20cm polypropylene unit uses a rigid die-cast aluminium frame and has what is claimed to be a ‘massive’ motor assembly. Each driver is hand-assembled and tested by Volt.

OEM driver supplier, Audax, still manufactures the LS5/9’s official tweeter, and that’s what Graham Audio uses. This is an unusually large 34mm soft dome that is protected by a fearsome-looking metal grille.

Its output level is factory-set, but it can be tweaked to match your listening environment using exposed connections on the front panel. This involves moving a soldered wire between the three options (-1dB, 0dB (level) and +1dB), so it isn’t a particularly convenient thing to do. In most cases, we suspect that people will leave well alone.

The LS5/9’s crossover is relatively complex in design. It uses high-grade polypropylene capacitors and, unusually, a tapped autotransformer to equalise the tweeter level. The result is a sensitivity of 87dB/W/m and a nominal impedance of 8 ohms – pretty standard numbers for a speaker of this type.

Compatibility

Indeed, these speakers don’t prove particularly hard to drive. We try a range of amplifiers from Arcam’s A15+ and the Cyrus 40 AMP to our reference Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power without issue.

Our main sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and the Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC feeding a Cyrus Phono Signature/ PSX-R2 phono stage.

It pays to take care over speaker positioning. In our 3 x 7 x 5m listening room, the LS5/9 sound best around 70cm out into the room, angled in towards the listening position, though their controlled lows make a closer-to-wall position acceptable.

Once optimised, they provide a relatively broad listening sweetspot and their presentation remains impressively consistent as we move around the room. This trait points to great integration between the drive units and a well-calibrated crossover design.

These monitors are voiced to perform best with the grilles on, and they will sound a little bright and forward if you don’t use them this way. Aim to have the tweeter around ear height for the most balanced results.

Sound

Note, despite the age of the basic design, the LS5/9 speakers are highly revealing. If there are any shortcomings in your amplifier, source or the recording you play, they won’t be shy about telling you.

If you are at all familiar with the much more forgiving LS3/5A, that might come as a bit of a shock. Remember, the LS5/9 were designed as proper critical-monitoring speakers, and the LS3/5A were not; the ability to dissect recordings and highlight flaws further up the chain is the bigger speaker’s raison d'être.

Given their intended purpose in life, it comes as no surprise that the LS5/9 are even-handed and essentially neutral. They’re not massive boxes, so we wouldn’t expect seismic bass from them, and we don’t get it. But the lows they do produce are taut, articulate and dovetail seamlessly with the midrange.

As we play Kendrick Lamar’s Humble, it is hard not to admire the LS5/9’s insight into low-end subtleties and their ability to play loud without stress. Bear in mind the design’s age, it is even more impressive. The BBC’s original specifications stipulate 100dB monitoring levels, so the ability to play at high levels was baked in from the beginning.

Their midrange is another highlight. It is beautifully natural, conveying the likes of Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight with the passion and body they deserve. We love the unforced character of these speakers and the way they deliver so much detail without sounding artificially etched or aggressive.

Sure, that tweeter isn’t shy about revealing hard edges or brightness in recordings, but given a good enough signal, it remains decently refined and insightful.

Stereo imaging is another strength. As we listen to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, it is hard not to be impressed by the sense of dimensionality and scale. Instruments are placed with precision and refuse to blur as things get busier. We don’t find the soundstage especially spacious, though we do like the convincing way image depth is layered.

Good as these monitors are, there are areas where the age of the design shows. While they excel at conveying low-level dynamics, the kind that communicate the feelings in lyrics or the subtle change of intensity of instruments, they don’t deal with larger dynamic contrasts with as much conviction. The very best alternatives at this price have a broader dynamic reach and convey sonic authority better.

We would also like the LS5/9 to deliver rhythmic drive with a bit more verve and precision. Their analytical approach to music replay has plenty of appeal, but it would be nice if a song like Michael Jackson’s Black Or White was rendered with a greater sense of propulsion.

Verdict

The LS5/9 are a piece of hi-fi history, and should be judged as such. We wouldn’t expect a classic car from the ’80s to be better than current designs in every aspect, and nor would we expect that from any piece of hi-fi.

The shock is just how excellent these speakers sound by current standards. Feed them a good enough signal and their superb midrange, insight and finesse shine through. They sound authentic in a way that still eludes most price rivals, and while there are aspects of their performance that fall slightly behind the very best at this price, these aren’t enough to dull our enthusiasm.

The LS5/9 design is a testament to the quality of the BBC’s engineers of the time, as well as an indication that speaker design hasn’t progressed over the decades as much as we would like to think. Graham Audio has done a great job bringing it to life.

Review published: 29th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

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Fyne Audio has impressed us before. Across the nine years that the company has been producing speakers, we have awarded five stars to varied products such as the high-end F701SP standmounts, the compact Vintage Five, and the F501E floorstanders, which are current What Hi-Fi? Award winners.

With the release of the entry-level F5E standmount speakers (tested at £399 / $699 / AU$895), Fyne’s proprietary IsoFlare technology only recently became available at a more affordable price. At that point, however, the company still hadn’t made an entrance into the growing market for active, Bluetooth-enabled stereo speakers.

Enter the Cubitt 5. With a good spread of connectivity options, Fyne’s first active speakers do an awful lot for their desk-friendly proportions. How will they measure up against more established rivals?

Price

Currently available at £549 / $749 / AU$1495, the Fyne Audio Cubitt 5 sit in between two strong five-star rivals.

Those are the smaller, Award-winning Ruark MR1 Mk3 (£399 / $579 / AU$899), which we praised for their punchy sound and good quality phono stage, and the larger KEF Coda W (£799 / $1000 / AU$1450), with their elegant build quality and excellent dynamic handling.

Build & design

The first thing we notice about the 26cm-tall Cubitt 5 is their rather stylish design, featuring curved edges and a sleek chrome surround to the main driver. With a minimal, modern look and shoebox-sized dimensions, they make an unobtrusive addition to our test room.

We are also struck by how these speakers look just as comfortable on speaker stands as they do sitting on our desk.

Our test pair arrived in Olive Green, but the Cubitt 5 are also available in Midnight Black, Pearl Titanium, Pebble Grey and Arctic White finishes. Our pair look well finished and feel solidly constructed, with a reassuring but easily transportable weight of approximately 4kg per speaker.

Despite their robust and satisfyingly minimal design, we are somewhat disappointed to find that the speakers feature no onboard controls. Although the included remote is a handy addition while listening from a distance, in a desktop setting, where the speakers are close to hand, it becomes frustrating to have to find the remote every time we want to change source or volume.

In contrast to the sturdy speakers, the black plastic remote feels somewhat insubstantial, but nonetheless does its job well, allowing for easy switching between sources, volume adjustment and activating standby mode. In a thoughtful touch from Fyne, the remote can also be stored in a small metal holder attached to the back of the right speaker so you don’t lose it.

But let’s get into the nitty gritty. Taking a closer look at their fully active design, we find that each of the enclosures houses two 60W Class D amplifiers, one dedicated to each drive unit.

The speaker’s IsoFlare driver array sees a 19mm titanium dome tweeter mounted at the centre of a 12.5cm multi-fibre mid/bass unit to improve sound dispersion and integration between drivers. IsoFlare positions the drivers’ acoustic centres (the point at which the drive unit appears to generate sound) on the same axis, rather than above one another as they would be in a conventional design.

As with Fyne’s other IsoFlare products, the mid/bass driver’s rubber surround exhibits the company’s patented fluting, which it claims damps down energy from the driver more effectively, reducing distortion and improving clarity. The speakers also employ a front-firing bass port to reinforce the low end.

Similar to active speakers such as the KEF Coda W, the Cubitt 5 feature one master speaker housing power connection, amplification, DAC and connections, with a wired connection to the other speaker. A 3m cable comes included in the box, but Fyne also offers a longer 8m version, which is available to purchase for £39.99 / €44.99 / $49.99.

Pleasingly, all inputs are clearly labelled, making the Cubitt 5 an accessible option for music fans of all technical abilities. On the front panel, however, we begin to feel that the minimalist design, which includes just a single LED that turns red during standby, doesn’t provide us with enough information.

Without any visual indication of volume, we found it all too easy to return from a break after listening at high levels, and get unexpectedly blasted away when we turn them back on. Similarly, when switching between sources, we would have liked some way of knowing which source was currently selected.

Features

The Cubitt 5 are equipped for wireless playback via Bluetooth 5.0, which supports the standard AAC and higher-quality aptX HD codecs.

In terms of wired connections, the speakers house stereo RCA analogue inputs, an optical input that handles hi-res files up to 24-bit/96kHz PCM, and an HDMI eARC input for hooking up to a television, and an integrated moving magnet phono stage for use with a record player.

Our first pair of test speakers had issues with clipping when using the analogue RCA inputs. Fyne sent us another sample though, which performed without a hitch – so we’ll give these speakers the benefit of the doubt.

We find that the Cubitt 5’s Bluetooth connection works well with both our Macbook and smartphone, entering pairing mode easily with one click of the remote and maintaining a stable connection throughout testing. The speakers remember their last connection, so you can pick up where you left off when switching between devices.

Further reflecting their versatile design, the built-in moving magnet phono stage means these speakers can be connected to a turntable without the need for any extra boxes – ideal for vinyl enthusiasts with limited space. A phono ground output is also included on the primary speaker’s rear panel.

For those wanting to extend the speakers’ already impressively controlled and punchy bass, a subwoofer output is also available.

Unlike some of their rivals, the Cubitt 5 do not offer any kind of tonal equalisation or the option of a control app. Fortunately, though, the speakers are sufficiently well balanced and simple to use that these omissions don’t feel like a major issue.

Sound

The Fyne Cubitt 5 sound best placed against our listening room’s rear wall, mounted on speaker stands. It is worth noting, however, that they also cope remarkably well on a desktop, resisting both low-frequency blurring and excessive desk vibration better than most rivals.

Across every input, the speakers deliver an impressively taut sound, with a vibrant, airy top end. Bass performance is at once impactful and satisfyingly neat, considering the constraints of their size.

We are immediately impressed by their textural fidelity, with the acoustic guitars of Adrienne Lenker’s Sadness As A Gift showcasing their animated and vivid presentation.

Equally propulsive and contextually sensitive, the Cubitt 5’s rhythmic drive is nothing short of impressive for their price. When listening to Fcukers’ I Like It Like That, we are immediately struck by the manner in which powerful hits of synthesised sub bass drive the song relentlessly forward without ever compromising the gossamer quality of the lead vocals.

Notably, the Cubitt 5 hold their own at high volume, staying composed even when pushed hard.

The Cubitt 5’s soundstage is impressively stable. Listening to David Bowie’s Blackstar, we note the speakers’ precise stereo presentation, with instruments sitting firmly in their places across the left/right axis.

Moving the speakers further apart, we find they are capable of significant width before any central holes begin to appear in the stereo image. With an unexaggerated sense of depth, the Cubitt 5 allow Lazarus’s smooth, layered drums to sit comfortably behind Bowie’s pained vocal.

Moving further away from the speakers, we find they retain a satisfying sense of spatial reality, even as we walk around the room.

Dynamically, the Cubitt 5 are highly responsive. Listening to Talk Talk’s The Rainbow, transitions between delicate piano chords and the brash roar of a distorted harmonica are reproduced with equivalent ease. Similarly, large jumps in volume during Radiohead’s Palo Alto are delivered with an impact that seems to sit comfortably within the speakers’ ability.

The Cubitt 5’s MM phono stage sounds pleasantly detailed and energetic when we tried it with the Rega Planar 3 RS Edition, and will be fine for most users. However, if vinyl is your main source, we think it would be worth upgrading to a standalone phono stage for an extra touch of dynamic sensitivity.

An additional word of caution: we do note that the Cubitt 5 produce a slightly higher level of hiss than their rivals, which is apparent when no music is playing, but which isn’t, ultimately, loud enough to bother us during playback.

Compared to the smaller Ruark MR1 Mk3, we feel that the Cubitt 5 offer superior bass handling in terms of agility and grip, and a more faithful, if slightly less energetic, sound signature.

With a responsibly vivacious presentation, these speakers provide an honourable, if not entirely threatening, challenge to more expensive active designs such as the KEF Coda W. However, given the price difference between the two, we are happy to accept any compromises.

Verdict

With the Cubitt 5, Fyne Audio is an accomplished addition to the growing market for active speakers with Bluetooth. Their compact proportions, ease of use and feature set make them an ideal addition to a home audio set-up, especially if you have limited space.

While we would have liked to see on-board controls and a visual volume display included, these speakers nonetheless deliver an enjoyable and immersive listening experience for the price.

Review published: 26th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 4

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Best active speakers 2026: our experts pick the top pairs with integrated amplifiers

Prime Day 2026 is almost coming to an end, so if you're seeking a pair of standmounts this summer, the clock is very much ticking.

We've got a sun-soaked deal for you, and it comes in the shape of the very personable Q Acoustics 5010, which have fallen to £349 at various retailers including Amazon, Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson. While that's a drop of £50 from their original £399 test price, various retailers have listed the 5010 at a more hefty £499, making this a more substantial saving of around £150.

Q Acoustics 5010 Prime Day standmount speaker deal

Q Acoustics' 5000 series has been a roaring success, producing the likes of the Award-winning 5050 floorstanders and the also-outstanding 5040 towers. We've been mightily impressed, and while the 5010 standmounts aren't quite in the same league are their larger cousins, they still evidence much of the same characteristics that made the 5050 and 5040 so special.

The build quality is certainly there. The 5010 are well-made speakers, from their signature rounded-off edges to the quality of the single set of terminals housed at each speaker’s rear.

The 25mm tweeter is based on the same design as found in Q Acoustics’ Concept series, wherein the driver is decoupled from the baffle to stop vibrations from the mid/bass unit affecting the sound.

The driver’s inner chamber, meanwhile, has been vented to reduce distortion and promote a cleaner, clearer signature.

Get them up and firing and you'll hear what Q Acoustics was aiming for. As we said in our review, the 5010 are "a deeply impressive pair of standmounts. They produce an immensely cohesive sound, making our music so organised and well integrated that even the Award-winning Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 come across as slightly ill-disciplined by comparison".

Detail levels are immensely strong, with a clean-natural personality that makes mid-range elements such as pianos, guitars and vocals really shine.

The 5010 match those instrumental elements with robustness and power, complemented by ample bass weight that gives tracks enough lower-end oomph.

They're not as snappy or emotionally engaging as, say, the Dali Oberon 1, but we know that the 5010's given sonic signature will have its fans, especially at this significantly discounted price.

Check them out at Amazon, Richer Sounds, Peter Tyson or Sevenoaks.

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Wasn’t it Joni Mitchell who said, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”?

We can be fairly certain she wasn’t talking about Prime Day deals back in 1970, but with a reduction like this on a decent pair of floorstanding speakers, we are feeling inclined to heed her advice, anyway.

The B&W 603 S3 are currently at a Prime Day discount of £500, available for £1499 from Sevenoaks, Peter Tyson and Richer Sounds.

Whats more, you can pick up a 3m run of QED XT25 Speaker Cable (worth £70) for free by signing up to Rewards by Sevenoaks. Blessedly, sign-up is completely free.

In previous sales, these speakers have sold out fast, so we recommend acting quickly if this sounds like the bargain for you.

The 603 S3 are the largest and most costly speakers in Bowers & Wilkins’ 600 series. They use a titanium-dome tweeter, B&W’s custom 15cm Continuum midrange cone, and a pair of 16.5cm paper bass drivers to deliver a “robust” and “full” sound.

With a more powerful motor assembly for their midrange driver, which uses a vibration-suppressing foam in pursuit of purer, clearer sound, the 603 S3 have seen tech trickle down from B&W’s more expensive 700 series.

It is worth noting that these are some formidably proportioned speakers. Measuring 102cm tall, they are ideal for anyone looking to fill a room with an attractive, if bulky speaker set-up.

Thankfully, we feel the B&Ws warrant the space they take up. In our review of the 603 S3, we say that the drive and power of these speakers would “please anyone looking for their music to enjoy a whole load of weight and muscle”.

Throughout testing, they provided detail and nuance, while also contributing clarity, focus and robust bass. These speakers showed no shortage of authority and control.

However, we awarded the 603 S3 four stars at review, due to the superior dynamism of the similarly priced PMC Prodigy 5.

But the Prodigy 5 are still selling for £1995 – and that, to our mind, puts the Bowers & Wilkins ahead as a significantly more affordable option.

If you’re looking for a large set of speakers with a similarly substantial sound, the 603 S3 just might be the pair for you. They are available for £1499 from Sevenoaks, Peter Tyson and Richer Sounds.

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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.

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Having resisted for almost two decades, I finally took the plunge recently and tried living with a turntable as part of our special Vinyl Week.

I expected to enjoy the experiment. What I didn't expect was to fall completely in love with it.

Within days, I found myself eagerly browsing record shops, keeping an eye out for bargains on eBay and looking for excuses to put an album on.

More surprisingly, my family got into it, too. The simple ritual of choosing a record, putting it on the platter and dropping the needle proved far more engaging than scrolling endlessly through Spotify.

There was just one problem: because my main living room system is the Sony HT-A9, I needed a Bluetooth turntable that could sit at the back of the room without cables trailing across the floor.

The Pro-Ject T1 EVO BT fit the bill perfectly, but while the setup worked, I quickly discovered that the HT-A9 only supports compressed Bluetooth audio.

The result was a noticeable compromise in sound quality. I loved the vinyl experience, but I knew I wasn't hearing what the turntable was capable of.

Rather than abandon the whole project, I decided to build a minimalist hi-fi system that could coexist with my existing home cinema setup.

The turntable's location was already approved by my wife, so moving it wasn't an option: whatever I chose had to work wirelessly, fit neatly into our living room and, ideally, sound fantastic.

After much research and consultation with my esteemed colleagues Kashfia Kabir and Ketan Bharadia, I settled on the KEF Coda W active speakers – and they've been brilliant.

They're not quite as eye-catching as the models in KEF's LS range, but they're very handsome in their own right and, crucially for me, compact enough to slot into the existing bookcase in our living room. More importantly, they sound superb.

For relatively compact speakers, they produce a surprisingly big, confident and weighty sound. That's partly down to the hefty 100W of amplification power per channel. They're also detailed without sounding analytical, tonally balanced without sounding dull, and wonderfully fluid with music.

Crucially, they also support the aptX HD-quality Bluetooth streams sent by the Pro-Ject turntable, and the improvement was immediately obvious.

The speakers impressed me so much, in fact, that they inspired the next stage of the project.

Wanting to get more use from them, I borrowed a WiiM Pro Plus streamer from our hi-fi team and connected it to the Coda W via optical. The result is what I now consider to be a near-perfect modern hi-fi system: a Bluetooth turntable for vinyl, a streamer for everything else and a pair of active speakers that require no separate amplifier.

It's compact, easy to use, living-room friendly and, most importantly, it sounds terrific.

Unfortunately, the KEF Coda W speakers aren't discounted for Amazon Prime Day, nor have I spotted any worthwhile deals elsewhere. That's not especially surprising given how new they are.

Even so, I'd argue they're excellent value at their £799 asking price. There's a reason we awarded them five stars in our KEF Coda W review.

Prime Day is often about chasing the biggest discount, but sometimes the best products to buy are the ones that aren't on sale. The KEF Coda W is just one very personal example.

If you do fancy recreating my minimalist hi-fi setup, though, the good news is that both the Pro-Ject T1 EVO BT turntable and WiiM Pro Plus streamer are currently available at reduced prices:

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.

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If you’re just getting into hi-fi, or short on cash, but still want a stellar pair of floorstanding speakers capable of punching above their sonic weight, then we have good news.

After years of belligerently selling at full price, you can currently pick up the Dali Oberon 5 for £499 at Peter Tyson. That’s a solid £299 saving on their regular price, and the lowest currently available; the next best deal we’ve seen is on Amazon, which is selling the Oberon 5 for £599.

Why the Oberon 5 when they’re so long in the tooth? It's a fair question, as the speakers last won a What Hi-Fi? Award all the way back in 2020, and are currently being replaced by Dali’s new Sonik 5.

The answer is simple: they still sound great and are incredibly competitive performers at their new, lower price. In fact, they were so good that eagle-eyed regular readers will know I had them shortlisted to replace the Q Acoustics 3030i in my home system for many years.

They only got dethroned after I heard the Acoustic Energy AE309 Mk2, which has since replaced them as the top entry on my letter to Santa. However, with them selling for £1199, that’s a big step-up in price. And for those looking for an entry-level, sub-£500 set of speakers, the Oberon 5 is a fantastic option.

As we say in our review:

“Overall, these speakers manage to sound notably larger than they are. The Q Acoustics 3050i dig even more deeply into the bass, but lack the sheer expressiveness of these Dalis, particularly through the mid and higher frequencies.”

As we said in our review, they offer buyers an unfussy, fun-sounding set of floorstanders that will match nicely with a variety of amps – including the Technics SA-C600 system I have in my lounge and the newer, Award-winning Arcam A5+ from last year.

That’s why, if you’re shopping at that level during Prime Day, I’d wholeheartedly recommend considering grabbing a pair at their current price while stocks last. With the Sonik 5 now out, they won’t be around much longer if you don’t.

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Searching for floorstanders this Prime Day week? You're in luck!

The Q Acoustics 5050 are some of the finest mid-price floorstanders you're likely to find, and while their makers took a risk in reinventing its new 5000 range at a shifted price point and a new sonic signature, it paid off handsomely. That What Hi-Fi? Award wasn't given for nothing, you know.

They've just got a lot more affordable for Prime Day, too, but not at Amazon. The Q Acoustics 5050 are down to £999 at Sevenoaks, Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson, knocking £300 off what was already a very competitive price and representing the lowest we've yet seen for the five-star floorstanders.

We've been suitably enamoured of the Q Acoustics 5050 for a while now, so much so that they're still our mid-range pick on our list of the best floorstanding speakers.

As a member of the 5000 range, the 5050 shares a lot in common design-wise with the Award-winning Q Acoustics 5040. The main difference is larger twin mid/bass drivers (15cm vs. 12.5cm) and a larger cabinet making the 5050 a better choice for bigger listening spaces.

Despite the increase in size, there’s no sign of overreaching for the Q Acoustics towers. As we wrote in our review: “There is no questioning the clarity and insight on offer. Like their junior siblings, these speakers dig up plenty of detail.

“They can delve into complex productions such as Steve Reich’s Music For 18 Musicians and deliver clear insights. They never sound confused and manage to keep hold of a multitude of instrumental strands without losing track of the musical whole. That is not an easy thing to do.”

The 5050 are particularly impressive with bass, remaining composed and unstressed even at high volume. In short, they offer some of the most controlled and articulate bass we have heard from a tower at this level.

The 5050 do need some care with partnering, though, especially as their presentation can be a touch forward. While the 5050 will provide a decent sound with budget amplifiers, we recommend looking at more talented options – Arcam’s A5 and A5+ or the Cambridge Audio XA81 are good starting points.

Partner those with a decent source such as the Arcam CD5 CD player or Rega Planar 3 record player and you have a heck of a system on your hands.

Smartly finished and a delightful listen, the Q Acoustics 5050 offer grace and power at a really competitive price. With £300 off at Sevenoaks, Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson, they're more tempting than ever before.

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Danish hi-fi brand Tangent overhauled its Spectrum speaker range only a few months ago, but now it has a new addition: the Tangent Spectrum II X5 Active BT.

These are active speakers, featuring two 50W Class D amplifiers, so you don't need an external amp. The 130mm cellulose‑pulp mid/bass driver and 25mm soft‑dome tweeter combine to deliver a soundstage that is described as “balanced, dynamic and natural”, with precise bass, expressive vocals and refined, transparent highs.

But that’s not the only improvement. The feature set has been beefed up, offering Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD for better-quality wireless playback, and a built-in moving magnet phono input for hooking up a turntable. You can use these speakers for your TV audio too, thanks to the HDMI ARC port, while you also get optical, coaxial and hi-res USB Audio inputs, plus a subwoofer output for adding more bass.

As you would expect from Tangent, the aesthetic is best described as clean and minimalist, i.e. very Scandi. They come in black or white, one of which should, no doubt, match your interior style.

The Spectrum II X5 Active BT are out now for £499 (around $660 / AU$940) per pair.

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It was Jane Austen who once wrote: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man (or woman) in possession of a good chunk of cash must be in want of a Bluetooth speaker.” Okay, we might have tweaked that quotation just a little, but she would probably have written something similar had Bluetooth been around in the 1800s.

Thankfully, we can’t think of many product categories that enjoy more major discounts during Amazon Prime Day than Bluetooth speakers. Perhaps wireless headphones and wireless earbuds are also in the running, but if you’re in the market for belting bargains, Bluetooth speakers are where it’s at.

We are already seeing major discounts on some of our favourite models during the early Prime Day sales, and we predict that even more drops will come flooding in as things really kick into gear. Don’t worry, we’ll keep updating this page, and our Prime Day hubs, to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

The best early Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

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French audio manufacturer Triangle has unveiled three passive speakers as part of its new Solstice range. Building on the legacy of the Esprit series, the Solstice lineup features the Solstice 8 floorstanders, the Solstice 3 standmounters, and the home-cinema-oriented Solstice C3 center channel.

The new Solstice speakers aim to offer a "natural and deeply lifelike sound reproduction" that will appeal to demanding audiophiles and first-time hi-fi buyers alike.

Priced at £1999 / €1999 / $2799 per pair, the Solstice 8 floorstanders feature a three-way design. This configuration combines Triangle’s new 25mm horn-loaded tweeter with a 16cm driver and a pair of 16cm woofers. To enhance low-end performance, the speakers also include a concealed bass port, which has been neatly integrated into their base.

The Solstice 3 standmounts, costing £999 / €999 / $1349 per pair, are a two-way design intended to create an “open and precise sound”. The speakers pair a 16mm mid/bass driver with the same 25mm tweeter and inconspicuous bass port design found in the Solstice 8.

In our five-star review of Triangle’s Esprit Comete Ez, we emphasised the speakers’ need for solid stands. Triangle appears to have taken note, because the Solstice 3 have been specifically designed for use with the company’s S05 stands, which are available separately for those willing to fork out £279 for a pair.

To complete the range, the Solstice C3 centre channel “ensures perfect sound consistency within home cinema set-ups” according to Triangle. Priced at £579 / €575 / $750, the C3’s sealed enclosure houses a two-way design, featuring dual 16cm midrange drivers and the signature 25mm tweeter.

You might have noticed that all of the Solstice speakers employ Triangle’s visually striking new horn-loaded tweeter. By including an injection moulded phase plug and barrel-shaped cut out at the base of the horn, Triangle claims the new design delivers a more consistent frequency response and better integration with the midrange drivers.

The cabinet for each speaker has new internal reinforcement to reduce unwanted resonances from affecting the signal, in pursuit of improving the "acoustic neutrality" of the speaker.

Starting from today, Triangle’s new Solstice speakers are available in teak, birch, white and ash black finishes.

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The year is 1998, and Mission is on a roll. Its entry-level 700 speaker range is already a success. Rather than basking in the glory, the company rams home its advantage with a new step-up option, in the form of the elegant 77 series.

It is a four-strong range, and the smart 771 standmounter is the starter model. They cost £170 (around $255), which puts them up against tough competition such as Mordaunt Short’s MS20i and Tannoy’s mighty Mercury M2, but are good enough to hold their own.

The 771 stands just 31cm high and is barely wide enough to enclose its 13 cm mid/bass unit. This makes them the kind of speakers that could slip into even the smallest of rooms without intruding.

Mission’s driver engineering is cutting-edge for the time, particularly the use of an Aerogel cone for the mid/bass driver. Aerogel combines Kevlar and carbon fibres in an acrylic polymer to create a light, rigid and well-damped diaphragm. The promise is of greater detail, stronger dynamics and improved transparency than more traditional materials.

Rather than use a conventional dustcap at the centre, the 771’s mid/bass has a solid metal phase plug. This conical component improves the mid/bass driver’s off-axis performance and smooths the top end of its frequency response.

The 771’s tweeter is the same soft-dome unit as used in the rest of the 77 range. Rather than being mounted rigidly, as is conventional, it is isolated from any front baffle vibrations (generated by the mid/bass unit) through a clever leaf-spring arrangement.

It also helps that the drive units are positioned so close to each other. The bigger driver cuts into the tweeter’s faceplate, improving the alignment of their acoustic centres, so aiding the 771’s integration and dispersion characteristics.

Even Mission's slim proportions hide a chunky 38mm thick MDF front baffle, with rounded-off edges to reduce diffraction effects. The rest of the cabinet is made of 15mm particleboard.

In 2026, the use of real-wood veneers isn’t particularly common below the £1000 mark, so it comes as a surprise to find that they were standard on a budget offering made decades ago.

There are three finish options: graphite black, rosewood or the cherry of our sample. We even like the textured leather look of the front baffle. It all adds up to a classier-looking speaker than is normally found at this level.

Our samples are the 771e, a mild update introduced a couple of years after the original and sold for £200 (around $300). The differences between the two generations are mild and amount to a few component swaps in the crossover and an extra set of speaker terminals to allow bi-wiring.

The 771e speakers' claimed sensitivity of 87dB/W/m and nominal 8-ohm impedance are both par for the course, and won’t worry any decent price-comparable amplifier.

These Missions were budget speakers, so it makes sense to partner them with appropriately priced electronics. Something such as the Marantz PM 6007 integrated amplifier, fed by its matching CD6007 CD player or the Cambridge Audio MXN10 music streamer, would work a treat. Chuck in a Rega Planar 1 turntable and you have the makings of a very fine (and affordable) system.

A used pair of Mission 771e currently costs £60 – £110 (around $90-$165) depending on condition. For that kind of price, they are a no-brainer.

As we play Lenny Kravitz’s Are You Gonna Go My Way, it is hard not to get caught up in the energy of the music. These speakers deliver rhythms with unusual verve, capturing the music’s hard-charging nature superbly.

They are small, though, so don’t expect lots of bass. The lows they do produce are decently taut and agile. In comparison with Dali’s Oberon 1, a close modern equivalent in terms of size and price (adjusted for inflation), it is surprising just how much more solid and authoritative the little Oberons sound with basslines.

They also trump the Missions in terms of clarity, detail resolution and the rendering of dynamic contrasts. The Dali’s superiority in these respects is obvious and a clear indication of how far affordable speakers have come in the past quarter of a century.

Yet, as we go back to the Missions, it is still easy to fall under their spell. The 771e may be limited in certain aspects of performance, but there are fundamentals they get spot on. Alongside their excellent timing, we have seamless integration between the drivers, and an open and articulate midrange.

Voices are well projected and expressive, so that we really understand Michael Jackson’s anger in They Don’t Care About Us.

While the level of detail is no longer anything special, they have an appealingly cohesive way of organising the information they do resolve. Each sound and instrument fits naturally into place, and the piece of music as a whole makes sense. This applies as much to the dense electronica of Radiohead’s 15 Step as it does to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.

The 771e was the product of a company at the height of its powers. Mission’s attention to cosmetics was second to none, while the inclusion of clever technologies and engineering showed real ambition.

Modern alternatives have certainly pulled ahead in terms of clarity, authority and dynamic punch, but the Mission 771e’s blend of musical cohesion and rhythmic prowess still holds plenty of appeal, particularly at the prices these speakers now command. They are well worth a punt if you find a pair in good condition.

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Google's long-awaited new smart speaker is finally here. The Google Home Speaker is being marketed as a new era for the tech giant's roster of AI-powered products.

Highlights include a new app, improved hardware and the inclusion of the Gemini smart assistant to take on the brainpower of Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri.

We first covered the Home at the back-end of 2025, but Google has only just revealed the date when buyers will be able to get their hands on it.

The smart speaker will officially launch on June 25th, while you can pre-order now for £100 / $100 if you've got an itchy trigger finger and want to guarantee a new Home for your home.

Am I set to become one of those keen beans desperate to test out what the Home can do? Pre-ordering might be a step too far, and the need to pay £8 / $10 per month for a Google Home Premium subscription sours the deal somewhat, but I'll readily admit that I'm fascinated by Google's re-entry into one of audio's most fast-moving markets.

The current problem for Google is that it has been badly left behind by the current market. While Amazon and Apple surged ahead by offering a host of products – be they in-house or made by licensed third parties – Google fell badly behind.

Our list of the best Google Assistant speakers has become increasingly thin as time has gone on. The JBL Authentics 300 and Authentics 500 are the most recent speakers to house Google Assistant in one form or another, and they came out almost two years ago.

Alexa, on the other hand, has gone from strength to strength, not only through licensed Apple products such as the Echo Dot (5th Gen) and the Echo Dot Max, but through third-party speakers integrating one of the best smart assistants into their respective feature sets.

Just look at the Sonos Era 300, the Sonos Play, the upcoming Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker or the new Denon Home multi-room range as proof of just how keen major brands are to have Alexa on board.

Google has recognised the need for a big swing to get itself back in the game, and while there's no guarantee of a home run, the integration of fully-fledged Gemini powers does point to a serious shift for the brand.

Whatever your views on AI, Gemini is a seriously powerful tool to pack into a smart speaker, and one that could genuinely tempt users away from the safety of Apple or Amazon.

The flipside of that, of course, is that Google might have focused more on headline-grabbing AI integration than it has on audio quality.

A smart speaker is still a speaker, after all, so that promise of 360-degree audio and a "uniform sound that you can hear from every direction" needs to be delivered upon.

Amazon recently dropped the ball with its mediocre-sounding Echo Dot Max, but Apple's HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini remain five-star sonic powerhouses. Plus, new models will surely arrive at some point, something which Google should have factored into their calculations when producing the new Home Speaker.

I'm fascinated to see whether Google can still compete in the smart speaker arena. This is a corner of the market which has become something of a duopoly between Amazon and Apple, but the revamped Home Speaker, complete with Gemini powers, could turn that two-horse race into a triple-threat standoff.

That monthly subscription price will be off-putting to some, while Google hasn't yet forged a reputation for itself as a purveyor of the finest audio quality around, but who knows? Maybe the Home Speaker is about to change all that.

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When French audiophile, engineer and speaker designer Jean-Marie Lière approached me about a review of the Microphase Audio Design Tower 3 Signature, I was intrigued, having seen the brand at Sydney hi-fi shows but not yet having had a chance to listen at more leisure to the company’s speakers. But the overall aesthetic certainly piqued my interest. I was also excited about the chance to sit down with Jean-Marie, who explained his history and the early days of M.A.D. to me. That, and having had the opportunity to review the latest floorstanding model, means M.A.D. is now a company I’ll be keeping a close eye on in the future.

As the brand name implies, Microphase Audio Design places a strong focus on phase coherence. Indeed, Jean-Marie revealed to me that in his early days of speaker design — which he joked predated my own accumulated life years by quite a margin, back in the 1970s — he was inspired by the design principles of Elipson. He said that Elipson (founded by fellow Frenchman Joseph Léon) had “mastered phase”, and he hoped to replicate their achievement but without adopting the iconic spherical shape of Léon’s speaker designs. He ultimately wanted to produce a speaker that was even smaller than Elipson designs, and one that could be more affordable and accessible to a wider audience.

His first design was the small SAT (satellite) monitor, launched in the mid-80s, which turned out to be a critical and commercial success in France, Belgium, Germany and Scandinavia. And, true to his word, Jean-Marie managed to design the SAT to be incredibly small, just 200 x 200 x 150mm. Newer versions of the original SAT now exist today in both passive and active forms, with the MK3.3 being the most recent. This is relevant also to the floorstanders here, because the latest SAT is itself integrated into the design of the Tower 3 Signature.

While it can certainly be argued he achieved his goal, Jean-Marie admits his thinking could have been conceived as “mad”. Whether by chance or a deliberate choice, that mad way of thinking now inspires not only the name of Jean-Marie’s company (abbreviated to M.A.D.), but also his willingness to try new things when designing speakers.

EQUIPMENT

The Tower 3 Signature certainly adopts this way of thinking, as it maintains the company’s design ethos of employing a strikingly narrow baffle at just 192mm wide. While it’s not uncommon these days for speakers to be supermodel thin, the 192mm width of the Tower 3 Signature is exceptional, and requires an extended plinth of 250mm width to ensure stability while also providing “M.A.D. looks!”. Such a narrow design ensures it’s easy to accommodate in living rooms of all shapes and sizes, but it’s not just for an easy fit. The minimal width can also help to minimise baffle-step diffraction effects that can colour the midrange and smear imaging on wider fronts.

The Tower 3s aren’t especially tall, either, at 1200mm height — which includes the plinth — while their depth comes in at a manageable 440mm, again including the plinth.

As previously mentioned, the Tower 3 incorporates the SAT MK3.3, albeit in an inverted alignment, and with its 17cm bass driver being replaced with a larger 31cm alternative sourced from SB Acoustics. This sits at the base of the cabinet and fires out to the side. Clearly, Jean-Marie opted for a side-firing design owing to the slim cabinet size, but also for the sonic benefits. Side-firing woofers like this can integrate bass more smoothly into the room, as they rely on boundary reflections rather than direct radiation, reducing placement sensitivity compared to front-firing (which demands precise positioning) or rear-firing (which can boom or null in corners).

The concept of side-firing drivers isn’t new, and while he’s not necessarily credited with inventing it, they were popularised in the 1970s by Roy Allison, a former vice president of engineering and manufacturing at Acoustic Research. Allison oversaw production of many of the company’s now-legendary loudspeakers, including the AR-9. That model, known for its impressive bass output, featured opposed 12-inch side-firing woofers (one on each side) to aid vibration cancellation and room coupling. While the Tower 3 Signature uses just a single side-firing woofer, it clearly traces a history back to Allison’s boundary-friendly philosophy.

The 130mm paper-cone midrange driver continues Jean-Marie’s longstanding partnership with French speaker driver manufacturer Audax, which has been producing his custom designs since the first SAT speaker. Here it’s placed in a stepped baffle configuration to physically time-align the drivers’ acoustic centres, ensuring wavefronts from tweeter and midrange arrive simultaneously for that goal of better phase coherence and thereby a more coherent soundstage. So the Audax midrange should align perfectly with the Signature’s AMT ribbon tweeter from German company Mundorf. This AMT tweeter is a variant of Oscar Heil’s Air Motion Transformer design that has been in use since the 1970s, with a pleated diaphragm of folded ridges that increase efficiency and greatly reduce the front–back diaphragm movement compared with a typical 25mm dome tweeter.

Around the back a small reflex port is tuned to optimise the side woofer’s output, while dual speaker binding posts enable bi-amped or bi-wired modes if you wish. The crossover is a 3-way design splitting at 150Hz (12dB/octave) and 4kHz (6dB/octave), prioritising gentle slopes for natural driver integration. Microphase Audio Design lists the frequency response of the Tower 3 Signature floorstanders as 40Hz–25kHz ±2.5dB; the 40Hz lower limit should satisfy most listeners, although those looking for extra low-end oomph may want to consider adding a subwoofer. Efficiency is rated at 90dB/1W/1m, nominal impedance 4 ohms. I used the Marantz Model 50 to hand for this review — rated at 100W into 4 ohms — and as you’ll find out in the listening sessions section, it proved to be more than up to the task of driving the Tower 3 speakers.

The cabinetry deserves special mention too. The Finnish marine-grade birch plywood feels very solid and, with each speaker weighing around 25kg, they stay planted in place. This holds true whether you stand them on hard flooring or carpet, as they don’t require spikes — the plinth alone ensures they don’t move an inch. The cabinets are treated with a polyurethane coating, which not only gives them a distinctively clear and ever so slightly shiny finish, but also resists fingerprints far better than gloss. Though various components have been sourced internationally, final assembly takes place right here in Australia.

LISTENING SESSIONS

Connected to the Marantz Model 50 integrated amplifier and partnering CD 50n CD player/streamer, I first played one of my current favourite songs from American singer-songwriter Slayyyter called ‘Dance…’ — a synth-pop dancefloor number with a thumping bass-line intro.

This immediately showcased the Tower 3 Signature’s ability to deliver deep, tight, and controlled bass, with each thump of the drum pad landing with real confidence. Almost equally striking was the pinpoint stereo imaging — Slayyyter’s vocals sat dead centre, natural and clear, while the subtle echo effect on her words conveyed genuine airiness without a hint of muddiness.

For this initial test, I positioned the side-firing woofers facing outwards, each about 60cm from the nearest sidewall. Curious about the alternative, I then swapped them so the woofers faced inwards — and as soon as the same track restarted, the bass completely took over the sound. In my smaller listening room, the speakers were clearly too close together, creating too much bass buildup; however, in larger rooms, inward-facing woofers can work together for stronger central bass reinforcement. What this test also proved is that side-firing woofer designs open up more placement experimentation compared to front-firing designs.

While the speakers have a small rear port and internal padding to tame resonances, I kept experimenting with rear-wall distance. Keeping the 60cm sidewall spacing (woofers outward), I moved them from 20cm to 30cm from the rear wall and noticed a noticeably larger, more open presentation.

I also experimented with toe-in. While the Tower 3 Signature’s narrow baffle and phase-aligned drivers should theoretically disperse sound evenly for a wide sweet spot, I found angling them inwards towards my listening position by about 20° sounded better to my ears — vocals locked more precisely dead-centre, and the soundstage gained better depth and focus without narrowing excessively.

Switching to Tool’s ‘Chocolate Chip Trip’ from the Fear Inoculum album confirmed the Tower 3 Signature’s effortless handling of complex arrangements. Danny Carey’s polyrhythmic drums retained tight punch and separation, while the layered synths and atmospheric effects floated naturally in a remarkably open soundstage. The single side-firing woofer once again proved key to the overall delivery, pumping out articulate bass that supported the mix rather than dominating it.

Jessie Ware’s latest single ‘Ride’ — which offers a cheeky nod to Ennio Morricone — elevated the vocal performance even further. Ware’s sultry, emotive vocals were an undeniable highlight — rich, textured, and so viscerally real they gave me chills. Her voice was suspended perfectly in the soundstage, with the midrange and tweeter delivering on their promise of phase coherence. The overall presentation felt expansive and refined, with basslines driving the groove tautly rather than overwhelmingly. That single side-firing woofer keeps the low-end in check with sophisticated control.

Hayley Williams’ ‘Simmer’ then let them stretch their rhythmic legs — the side-firing woofers locked in with the song’s catchy groove, delivering taut kick-drum punches that had my foot tapping relentlessly. I completely forgot I was reviewing and just enjoyed the music.

CONCLUSION

As introductions to new brands go, things couldn’t have gone better with the Microphase Audio Design Tower 3 Signature. The amount of love and passion that has gone into their design and build is evident from the get go. They combine superb driver integration with fantastic build quality, forgiving placement, and genuine musical engagement. You simply must give them a listen.

LAB TEST

The overall in-room frequency response, as measured by Newport Test Labs and shown in Graph 1 for the Microphase Audio Design Tower 3 Signature loudspeakers, is extremely linear and extended such that between 60Hz and 8kHz, which is far and away the most important region of the audio band for music reproduction, the response is constrained within 2.5dB, which is to say the measured frequency response is 60Hz–8kHz ±1.25dB. Looking at the more typically reported ±3dB envelope, the frequency response is 54Hz to 20kHz ±3.0dB, which is an exceptionally fine response by anyone’s standards.

Newport Test Labs measured the high-frequency response of the Microphase Audio Design loudspeakers using a gating technique that replicates what would be measured in an anechoic chamber, and fortuitously allows far more precise frequency and level measurements to be plotted than the in-room measurement of Graph 1. It transpired that the response measured 15 degrees off-axis horizontally was slightly flatter (more linear) than the on-axis response, with a slightly lifted extreme-treble response and, since this off-axis angle will be the listening position for most listeners, we’ve elected to show this response in Graph 2. You can see there’s a very slight roll-off that commences at 4.5kHz, but it levels off at around 10kHz and extends at the same level out to around 33kHz, after which it rolls off very rapidly.

The peaks and dips in the response that are visible on this trace are so high in frequency, so little in level variation and of such high Q that they would not be audible to the human ear. If Newport Test Labs had smoothed this trace via post-processing (as most manufacturers do), these minor irregularities would have disappeared; the trace shown is raw and completely unsmoothed.

The impedance of the Microphase Audio Design Tower appears to show that the cabinet is acting as if it’s a sealed enclosure, so there’s obviously something interesting going on here that’s no doubt the explanation for the impressively extended bass response, given the cabinet volume and the bass driver’s Sd and Vmax. The impedance remains below 8 ohms between 72Hz and 550Hz, and from 4kHz to beyond 40kHz, but never drops below 4 ohms, so we’d allocate this design a nominal impedance of 4 ohms.

Newport Test Labs measured the sensitivity of the Microphase Audio Design Towers using its standard stringent measurement technique, and reported efficiency as being 87dBSPL at a distance of one metre with an input voltage of 2.83Veq., which puts it numerically at the average for most home hi-fi loudspeakers, but it will sound slightly louder in A–B comparisons due to Newport Test Labs’ methodology resulting in lower SPL levels. Overall, this is a very well-designed, electrically efficient loudspeaker system that delivers extended bass, superbly flat midrange and smoothly tailored high frequencies.

Focal has a new flagship active wireless speaker system, and you'd better start saving it you want to get your hands on one.

The new Focal Diva Alta Utopia sits at the summit of the brand's Diva Utopia range, which is made in collaboration with sister-brand Naim Audio. As with the rest of the range, the new system offers built-in amplification alongside wireless streaming powers in a pair of floorstanding speakers – and it's the largest, most powerful and most expensive model yet.

We reviewed the first of the range, the five-star Diva Utopia system in late 2024, and found it a very impressive offering.

Focal pledges that this new flagship Alta Utopia system is "aimed at the most demanding audiophiles looking for an exceptional system", taking the ingredients of the established lineup and elevating them to new heights.

The Diva Alta Utopia features a new generation of the brand's 'Prism' tweeter, a 27mm unit which combines multiple materials for "the perfect balance between lightness, damping and rigidity".

That tweeter is complemented by a reinforced 13cm 'M-profile' midrange driver, with carbon reinforcement and a sealed enclosure that aims to offer a detailed, natural sounding mid-frequency reproduction.

Four 20.5cm woofers in each tower tease a deep and articulate bass, while a 16.5cm 'W' mid/bass driver uses a cone with two sheets of glass on either side of a central foam body, which, says Focal, grants the ideal blend of lightness, rigidity and damping.

The active system packs a huge 600 watts of Class A/B power per speaker, which is distributed over four dedicated amplifiers to provide what Focal says is an "exceptionally wide" sound with "no dynamic compression".

Thanks to the implementation of Naim's Pulse streaming platform, the flagship system can accept high-resolution files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM. The Diva Alta Utopia uses Focal's 'Ultra Wideband' technology to ensure 24-bit/192kHz wireless support between the speakers, and a hi-res connecting cable is also provided.

'Focal Time Management' tech is integrated, wherein the speakers' drivers are arranged in a curved arc to obtain a more consistent and realistic sound image at all times. This design is in keeping with Focal's Utopia series of passive speakers.

Streaming support is extensive, with UPnP compatibility allowing you to stream digital files across a home network from a NAS unit, and the system is compatible with the most popular platforms, such as Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz. AirPlay 2 and Google Cast are also on board, while aptX Adaptive codec support allows for 24-bit Bluetooth playback from a compatible source.

For physical connections, the primary loudspeaker houses HDMI eARC, optical, USB-C and RCA line-level inputs, and an ethernet port if you prefer a wired connection to the internet. Those physical connections are mounted to a curved heat sink, designed for maximised thermal dissipation, while an aluminium base aims for optimised airflow and better ventilation.

The Focal Diva Alta Utopia is available now, in five distinct finishes: Grey Felt, Ivory Felt, Black High Gloss, Off White High Gloss, and Dune High Gloss.

The price? A rather hefty £165,000 / $199,999 / €190,000 for the felt finishes and £175,000 / $210,000 / €199,990 for high gloss. That's considerably higher than the original Diva Utopia we tested at £29,999 / $39,999 / AU$59,999 per pair.

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At last, Sonos is making some real progress fixing its mobile app. A major refresh is due this week, which should make it a lot more intuitive to use.

If you're late to the party, let us fill you in.

Back in April 2024, Sonos redesigned its app to coincide with the launch of the Ace, its first pair of wireless headphones. It was a disaster – the new app was buggy, and lacked a lot of the old one's features. (It didn't help that the headphones weren't much cop either.)

Since then Sonos has been on a mission to restore the app and win back customer trust. This week's refresh could go some way to doing so.

The improvements are aimed at making the app easier to use. It's "Not a new app, but a new way of navigating Sonos inside the app you already have," CEO Tom Conrad wrote on Reddit.

From spending "hundreds of hours" watching people use the Sonos app, his team found out what the sticking points are: too many content cards, swipe-up gestures to switch speaker orientation, close boxes in place of back buttons, and custom interface elements that feel out of place on an iOS or Android device.

So what takes their place?

We can look forward to more straightforward navigation, with three tabs (Home, System, Search) replacing the hidden gestures and content cards on both iOS and Android. There's a new volume interface, a "core mechanism that is easier to grab and fine tune" along with buttons to press to alter it and a new way of synchronising it across a group of rooms.

You'll get more control over how your players are listed and displayed, and there are dozens of smaller fixes like the ability to swipe to delete a track in a playlist, and a refreshed Now Playing screen.

The update will roll out to beta testers this week (you can sign up here), but they will have to enable it from within the settings menu. Even once it's rolled out wider, it will only be available as an opt-in toggle, so you can turn it off if you don't like it. Sonos will continue to polish it before making it the default.

Conrad says this is the way Sonos will work from now on, as "this is the beginning of a different way of working here at Sonos, where what gets built, and in what order, is shaped by the conversations here and with all our customers."

Maybe it's learned from its mistakes after all.

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Wharfedale has revamped its top-of-the-range Elysian series of loudspeakers.

The Elysian Series R now replaces all of the five established models in the range, including the five-star Elysian 4 floorstanders, promising "elevated engineering and an even more captivating musical performance".

The new line-up consists of the Elysian 1R two-way standmounts, the Elysian 2R three-way standmounts, the Elysian 3R and 4R three-way floorstanders, and the Elysian CR centre channel.

Wharfedale describes the new R range as an evolution of the previous Elysian speakers rather than a full-scale reinvention, with components revisited and refined to deliver "greater accuracy, transparency and musical realism".

The Elysian R range deploys enhanced 'Air Motion Transfer' (AMT) tweeters, designed for greater sonic resolution and accuracy alongside ultra-low distortion. The AMT tweeters have been updated with a new "ultra-light" pleated diaphragm, with an "enlarged, high-specification design" combined with the acoustically damped rear chamber. This should result in a more open and effortless quality to the high frequency performance.

Apart from the smaller Elysian 1R, all of the new speakers house a 15cm midrange driver with a cone constructed using a woven glass fibre matrix, which Wharfedale promises results in "astonishing realism and tonal accuracy".

Depending on the model, either an 18cm or 22cm glass fibre matrix bass driver is used, which has also been refined alongside the motor system, in pursuit of better depth and control at the lower end of the frequency range.

Wharfedale's the Slot-Loaded Profiled Port returns to work alongside the bass drivers, while the brand has refined other areas of the speakers throughout. These include revised crossovers to improve transparency, and components and circuit board layouts chosen for the shortest signal path and less electromagnetic interference.

For the cabinets, all five Elysian R models feature Wharfedale’s latest Panel Resonance Optimisation System (PROS), whereby a multi-layer construction of woods of differing density is accompanied by strategic bracing for enhanced structural integrity and reduced panel resonance.

All five Wharfedale Elysian R Series speakers will be available from late June in a choice of matt black, matt grey or piano lacquered walnut wood veneer finishes. Prices are as follows:

- Elysian 1R standmounts: £3499 / $5995 / AU$7999 per pair (stands £399)
- Elysian 2R standmounts: £4999 / $8495 / AU$11,999 per pair (stands £449)
- Elysian 3R floorstanders: £5999 / $9995 / AU$13,999 per pair
- Elysian 4R floorstanders: £6999 / $11,995 / AU$15,999 per pair
- Elysian CR centre channel: £3499 / $5995 / AU$7999 (stand £449)

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Not everybody has time to watch all of the 2026 World Cup's games. Tragic, we know. But why should we be the only ones juggling commitments? If you are looking for a wireless speaker that can stream music, be used with a turntable and also double up for as a soundbar for your TV during this summer of sport, Audio Pro might have your back.

We are big fans of the Audio Pro C20 W wireless speaker, so much so that we gave it a five-star review and a What Hi-Fi? Award win. Great for listening to music and even used as a soundbar alternative for your TV, the C20 W is an enjoyable all-rounder. And now, it has a whopping discount of over £90.

This deal applies to the C20 W's black, grey, and walnut models, which are currently available for the discounted price of £359 for Richer Sounds VIP members. Even better, VIP membership sign-up is free.

The Audio Pro C20 W had some living up to do if it wanted to rival the original Audio Pro C20, which we described as being "as multi-faceted as Inspector Gadget and as polymathic as Stephen Fry". Naturally, after such high praise, we were hoping the new model wouldn't have deviated detrimentally from its predecessor.

Thankfully, Audio Pro answered our prayers. The C20 W bears a striking resemblance to the C20 – the only obvious visual change being a silver, rather than black, back panel. The main drivers are also the same between models, with the C20 W featuring a single 16.5cm woofer flanked by twin 25mm tweeters, all powered by a total output power of 190W.

There were, however, significant changes in the Audio Pro C20 W's updated app, which allows easy control of the speaker's extensive wireless connectivity options.

Google Cast and Airplay 2 are both enabled for wireless playback up to 24bit/96kHz hi-res files, and the speaker supports Bluetooth 5.0. Users can also access Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, as well as Audio Pro's own multi-room offering if you want to add more speakers.

In terms of physical connections, RCA stereo inputs, a moving magnet phono stage, an optical input for digital sources, and HDMI ARC for hooking up to the TV have all been included. The C20 W also features a subwoofer output, just in case you are hankering for some extra bass.

So, with all that in mind, how does the speaker actually sound?

We found the C20 W to have a clear and detailed sound, with "tight, well-defined bass reproduction". What's more, the speaker's "well-integrated midrange" was a highlight for us, sounding "cohesive enough to be a part of the ensemble but distinct enough to shine on its own terms", perfect for picking out commentary above the roaring crowd.

For a wireless speaker, this is an impressively versatile buy, especially considering the savings you'll make by picking it up for just £359 from Richer Sounds.

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For those putting together a budget hi-fi system, the Award-winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 floorstanders have long been our go-to recommendation.

Until now. They've now been replaced by the updated Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i, which we gave a full five stars to just over a week ago.

And these new Wharfedale floorstanders remain a class leader at this sub-£500 price, and are an excellent buy for hi-fi newbies or anyone shopping on a budget.

That price just got a little bit better, too. We may have only just reviewed them, but the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i are now down to £469 at Richer Sounds.

The 12.3i is the replacement of the original Wharfedale Diamond 12.3, which won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards over the years – including at our most recent ceremony – and remained the class leaders at their price until they ceased production last year.

The new Diamond 12.3i floorstanders have a rather tall order to live up to then. Luckily, they're more than up to the task, with a change of port and internal damping resulting in a more exciting and dramatic listen than the original 12.3.

"The new “i” models are certainly bigger and bolder-sounding. Play a dramatic piece of music, such as the Indiana Jones theme by John Williams, and there is no denying that these new Diamonds produce more dramatic results," our Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i review reads.

"Dynamic shifts are a little more vivid, with the new-gen model going from quiet to loud and back again with greater conviction. The bass also kicks harder and, perhaps surprisingly given the identical specifications, seemingly a little deeper," we said.

Like their predecessors, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i are reasonably sized for floorstanders at 97.5cm tall and just 18cm wide. They'll fit into most rooms without dominating and will benefit most from having space to breathe away from the wall.

The 12.3i also carries over a 2½ way design where the upper 13cm driver handles the midrange and bass, with the lower one adding a bit of muscle at the lowest frequencies. The cone material on the drivers is made of a mix of polypropylene and mica, for a nice balance of stiffness, damping and light weight.

The tweeter is an old favourite: a 25mm coated woven polyester soft dome that has appeared in various Diamond 12 models and has always impressed us with its detail and refinement.

If you're looking for reasonably-priced hi-fi floorstanders, the talented Wharfedale 12.3i are a superb buy. The build quality is top-notch for the relatively modest price tag, they're smooth and even-handed sonically, and now are an even better bargain with £30 off at Richer Sounds.

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