Did you hear? What Hi-Fi? has turned 50! That’s right, we are more than halfway to retirement and our 'shouting-at-the-sky whenever something mildly perturbs us' era!

Yes, last night the team and I donned our glad rags and joined the crème de la crème of the hi-fi and AV industry at the What Hi-Fi? Awards to raise a glass to this year’s Product of the Year winners and our publication reaching such a critical milestone.

And what a ride it’s been over the past five decades. The arrival of multiple new formats, ranging from the humble CD and DVD to SACD and Blu-ray; the eventual domination of streaming; magazine cover disasters; the arrival and rapid decline of 3D TV; more than a few weird and wonderful speakers; numerous office (and publisher) changes…

We dealt with all of it, usually with a “sponsored” trip to the pub when things were particularly grim, or we were out of ideas for the next cover.

But yesterday, as the band packed up and the team stood diligently at the bar making sure the last guests were looked after, we couldn’t help but start reminiscing about our personal memories of the brand.

Given how much we enjoyed them, we thought we’d continue the fun by sharing them here with you, our awesome readers, who have supported us and are the real reason we reached the big five-O.

Thanks for everything!

It's all about the music

Having worked at What Hi-Fi? for more than 20 years, I'm happy to say that there have been many highlights. Seeing and hearing incredible products before anyone else in the world, working with brilliant and inspirational people, and travelling to far-flung locations to report from shows and factory floors – the job has some great perks.

But arguably my overriding memory is of enjoying time spent in the office, albeit in the legendary What Hi-Fi? test rooms. As a 20-something enjoying my first “proper job” in journalism, I knew I’d landed on my feet when I could tell my friends I spent my days listening to music on incredible speakers or watching films on a projector with a surround-sound system. “That doesn’t sound like work,” would be the general gist of the replies, and it was hard to argue.

The unavoidable days when work doesn’t feel quite so much fun can always be rectified by sitting down on the trusty What Hi-Fi? sofa (don’t worry, it hasn’t been the same one since I started), shutting the test room door, and blasting some of my favourite tunes on the reference system. Lest we forget, it’s all about the music.

Watching cartoons on a £38k system

I may not have worked at What Hi-Fi? quite as long as some of my colleagues, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look back with wistful nostalgia at my time so far. One memory that stands out is when I was only a few months into the job and didn’t have much first-hand experience with top-notch home cinema kit.

After excitedly buying the Blu-ray of Arcane just before starting at What Hi-Fi? (irritatingly, the 4K Blu-ray was released a few months after), I was desperate to watch my favourite TV show in the AV test room.

At the time, we were using the glorious PMC Twenty5.23 speaker package and Marantz Cinema 30 AV receiver as our reference system, which gave me a memorable taste of what was to come. That was paired with the Sony Bravia Projector 8 and Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray player.

Before then, I had only seen the show on my laptop (thankfully, those days are behind me), so watching on a system worth around £38,000 was quite the experience. I remember being absolutely blown away by the scale of the sound, the crispness of the image, and the sheer size of the projector screen. It was like seeing the show for the first time all over again, and it made me fall properly in love with home cinema.

GWAR-ful music

I’m a relative newbie to What Hi-Fi?. But as a kid, I grew up in a household where a copy of the mag was always on the coffee table – which meant I had some pretty unreasonable requests in my annual letter to Santa over the years.

But if you were to press me for my favourite memory, it’s one from when I had just started at the brand and been let loose at a launch event. Picking up my little lanyard, which for the first time had my new job title and What Hi-Fi? as the publication, it was a moment of pride.

I remember taking particular care with my notes – in part because it was my job and I knew it was going in the mag, but mainly because Dad had already booked a call to hear all about it that evening. Sadly, I didn’t do him proud, and may have been a wee bit naughty during the listening session.

I won’t name the brand as it took them a while to forgive me (apparently there’s a limit to even the most zen of Danes’ patience). But I will confirm it was launching a particularly swanky noise maker that treaded a fine line between the hi-fi and luxury markets.

And as a result, the event was crammed with an atypical mix of audio and luxury-homes press. For those out of the game, that’s as close to a real-life Breakfast Club moment as journalism gets.

To make matters worse, while the AV crowd and I had been quizzing the engineers, the lifestyle press had decided to go to the listening room and enjoy some free champers in the comfy chairs. This meant that by the time I got in, the room was packed, and I was forced to stand at the back, far from the sweet spot.

I’m not proud to admit it, but I may have acted out a little bit.

Come the usual request from the man running the demo at the front for tracks to listen to, I put my hand up and, when called, in a calm and collected voice said, “GWAR.” I expected a chuckle and for him to move on, but he wasn’t familiar with their work and proceeded to run through the top tracks on their Tidal profile, asking which I’d like.

“Sick Of You?, Saddam A Go-Go? Stripper Christmas Summer Weekend? [Censored] An Animal?

Heads turned, tuts echoed through the halls – all while my predecessor Simon Lucas barely kept it together, snickering away on my right. And that was all before they started playing the track. You’ve never seen people in high heels and boating shoes move so fast. But hey, at least it freed up the sweet spot, right?

Rockaoke!

As with most things in life, it’s all about the people. There’s not much point, in my opinion, in spending the majority of your time with human beings you struggle to tolerate – even if you’re being paid to do so. And, if you look down the list of colleagues I have shared desk space, listening rooms, hotel bars and Awards evenings with, you will find a vanishingly small number whom I would not greet with open arms and the offer of a pint. That is hugely valuable.

To go along with being decent people, they all – to a man and (a gratifying number of) woman – have taken their role as the guardians of the integrity of What Hi-Fi? incredibly seriously.

The way we test, the traditional separation of church and state – or editorial and advertising in our case – has always been followed diligently and with serious intent. Without that, after all, our readers would no longer trust us to provide useful product reviews; without those, there would be no What Hi-Fi?.

As for personal highlights, I’m not allowed out into the wild much, so most of those have come from inside the What Hi-Fi? tent. There was, though, the launch party of whathifi.com (a website? Whatever next?!), where I had to sing a Beatles track with a full live backing band in front of 200 people. It was near the start of the evening, and I had a mere half-bottle of beer inside me when I was called up to sing (not enough Dutch courage by quite some margin); that stands out as both a terrifying yet, in the end, hugely fun memory.

It’s the listening and learning sessions though, with Ketan, Kash, Tom, Simon, Dom and all the Andrews (so many Andrews…) that stand out the most over the years.

Quite a few of us have left the What Hi-Fi? fold at some point, only to return a few years later. This seems to be a long-term gig for many of our staff; which is saying a lot.

As I say: it’s the people.

Hi-fi journalism can be in-tents!

Having only been at What Hi-Fi? for under a year, I must admit to feeling somewhat underqualified for misty-eyed reminiscing. But even in that short time, now I come to think of it, there has been no shortage of weird and wonderful moments. So many, in fact, that choosing just one took considerable effort.

As I’m sure many others on the team will echo, the people are what make What Hi-Fi?. Joining such a passionate, fun and hard-working crew has been a highlight, in itself, but to avoid rehashing what others might say, I’m going for a memory that is mine and mine alone.

Just a few months into my time at What Hi-Fi?, during the peak of an incendiary summer, I wrote a news story about a small camping radio from Roberts called the SolarDAB99. As the sun blazed beyond the office window, I couldn’t help but daydream about taking the product on an overnight expedition. It could even make an interesting article... So, after getting the okay from our Audio and Hi-Fi Editor, Kashfia Kabir – who I can’t help thinking was somewhat bemused by my scheme – I embarked on an adventure.

Logistically, it wasn't my finest hour: a train to the middle of nowhere, a brutal cycle even deeper into the sticks, and a frantic struggle to pitch an unfortunately undersized tent. Then, of course, I had to do the whole thing in reverse to make it back to London for work the next morning. Nonetheless, my prevailing feeling throughout the experience – one which I’ve encountered many times since – was of faint disbelief that I get to do this for work.

Conversations with industry legends

What Hi-Fi? has always been about the products. In my almost three decades of working at the brand, I must have seen and heard thousands. Thankfully, I still get a buzz from new ones, particularly those that tread a different design path.

However, products come and go pretty regularly. Even class leaders rarely last more than a handful of years without some sort of revision. There are honourable exceptions, of course: Cyrus’s recently discontinued CDi and Rega’s range of Planar turntables come to mind. But, in general, products are transitory, and easily ignored after something better comes our way.

It’s the industry people I’ve met over my time that have made the biggest impact. The highlight of this job is the direct access it gives to most of the top engineers in the Hi-Fi and Home Cinema industry. I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of the legends and enjoy their experience.

My fondest memories include spending a day with Ken Ishiwata (Marantz) as he argued that the latest high-res DAC chips were no match for the original 16-bit Philips converters he had squirrelled away. Karl-Heinz Fink (Fink Audio Consulting and Epos Loudspeakers) explaining speaker design is a masterclass in itself, while time spent with the likes of Tetsuya Itani (Panasonic), Eric Kingdon (Sony), John Dawson (Arcam) and Roy Gandy (Rega) has left me with many moments I treasure.

Spend a few hours with someone as obsessive as Touraj Moghaddam (Roksan/Vertere) or Steve Sells (Naim Audio), and it is hard not to be convinced by their methods and overwhelmed by their natural enthusiasm. That they usually make excellent products helps.

There are so many others I could mention, but you get the idea. The products are important, but the people devoted to pushing the standards are the real stars.

Back-to-back TV trips in incredible cities

I’m fast approaching my fifth year on the What Hi-Fi? Team, which – if my maths works out – is a tenth of What Hi-Fi?’s lifetime; we are 50 now, after all…

As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun, and narrowing down a single highlight is easier said than done, and that’s not just because the years are starting to blur into one.

During my tenure, I’ve grown to love OLED TVs and AVRs, tested projectors that I could only dream of owning, and visited corners of the Earth I never thought I’d see; and I’m sticking with that last point for my favourite memory.

From Las Vegas to Tokyo, Copenhagen to San Francisco, and more days spent in Berlin than I care to think about, I’m incredibly privileged and grateful to get to these incredible destinations to see the latest and greatest AV products.

However, there’s one literal adventure in AV which tops them all, and it came from two amazing trips merging into one.

Late in 2023, I was invited on two back-to-back TV trips on the other side of the world; the first was a jaunt to Qingdao, China, to visit Hisense’s head office, factory and R&D centre, followed immediately by a flight to Seoul, South Korea, to get a sneak peek at Samsung’s then all-new TV range headlined by the five-star S95D.

Spending the best part of two weeks in Asia, and being the furthest from home I’ve ever been, was a truly special experience from both an AV enthusiast and a personal perspective.

Getting behind-the-scenes access to new TVs from two of the world's biggest manufacturers was incredible, and spending time in these jaw-dropping cities – sampling new cuisines (a special shoutout to Korean BBQ) and taking in these vast, Blade Runner-esque city skylines – was the cherry on top.

With 2027 fast approaching and new TVs inbound, I’m already looking forward to seeing what’s coming and where I’ll head next.

My first time in the fabled What Hi-Fi? test room

I've only been at What Hi-Fi? a year – a mere blink of an eye compared to the decades-long service of several of our seasoned staff – but it's already proved to be a memorable year with many options I could choose from. But my favourite memory also happens to be one of my earliest, when I was first invited to the magazine’s legendary AV testing room to see some reviewing in action.

Senior staff writer Lewis Empson had kindly volunteered to show me the ropes. And by ropes, he meant the Sony Bravia Projector 7, a native 4K home cinema projector with an eye-watering price tag of £6999 that he happened to be testing that day.

Peering into the test room for the first time, it was, quite simply, a home cinema fan’s dream. There was the current reference system set up – including an Award-winning sound system, AV receiver, 4K Blu-ray player and more – as well as several other TVs and speakers, a projector screen, sound-absorbing acoustic panels and, importantly, a comfy sofa. Of particular interest to me was a certain bookcase in the corner, which was jammed from floor to ceiling with 4K Blu-rays.

​Lewis began our testing with the Times Square scene from The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with the alternate New York’s lighting in the night sky ideal for testing contrast. Now I’d long been interested in projectors, but I’d rarely been given the chance to see one in action outside of the cinema – and especially one at this price level. And while I was attempting to be analytical, I was mostly just blown away at getting to experience a set-up of this scale. And this was part of work!

​We then moved on to Civil War and an excellent road trip montage, which involves a particularly striking forest fire that, on this projector, was burning with an intensity I didn’t think possible. And for a moment, time stood still, and I experienced a bit of movie magic – I forgot I was at work, that I was meant to be testing, or that I’d seen the film before, and instead found myself absorbed in the movie and reminded why I joined this industry in the first place.

Ultimate guide to TV testing

One of my first big writing tasks after graduating from Editorial Assistant to fully fledged reviewer was helping put together our Ultimate Guide to televisions spin-off magazine. The year? 2003.

Now I know you’re probably thinking – ”favourite memory? Are you sure?” – after all, I was stuck in a cramped warehouse with a fellow reviewer (who just happened to be future What Hi-Fi? Editor, Dominic Dawes), for what felt like an eternity surrounded by boxes and doing nothing but unboxing CRTs, plasmas and the LCD TVs, reviewing them, moving them around for our photographer and boxing them back up. We were well into double figures by the time it came to an end (and I have the chiropractor bills to prove it).

It felt a bit like being thrown in at the deep end, but I’m pleased to say the crash course in testing helped mould me into the Deputy Editor I am today. Good times.

The Audition: Harbeths With A Side Of PlayStation

My favourite What Hi-Fi? memory actually predates my time at What Hi-Fi?. Way back in early 2007, I was a chocolate salesman (yes, really), making zero use of my journalism degree and passion for hi-fi and home cinema, which I’d inherited from my dad.

Knowing this about me, a friend of mine called to say he’d spotted an ad for a staff writer position at What Hi-Fi?, and that I should throw my hat into the ring.

Well, I did precisely that, somehow made it to the interview stage, and even more bafflingly made it to the final two. My rival and I were then invited to spend a day (different days, thank heavens) at What Hi-Fi?’s Teddington offices, doing some testing and writing, and generally being auditioned.

This was, of course, a terrifying prospect, but the day itself was brilliant. I spent the morning with Technical Editor Ketan Bharadia, listening to Metallica on a pair of Harbeth HL Compact 7ES-3 speakers (my bucket list speakers to this day), then I joined the entire team for a liquid lunch at The Anglers next door (I politely declined the second offered pint), before writing a mock review of the Harbeths after that.

The very best was yet to come, though. Once the day was officially over, then-Deputy Editor Andy Kerr suggested we head down to the AV test room (a magnificently huge space with a 12-foot projector screen, Classé amplification and a Mordaunt-Short Performance 6 speaker package), where the team was unboxing a pre-release PlayStation 3 ahead of its review.

What followed was a couple of hours of the best gaming experience of my life, with the projector-sized images of Resistance: Fall Of Man forever etched in my memory.

Leaving What Hi-Fi? Towers at 7pm or so that evening, I knew I was desperate to turn that day into every day, chocolate be damned. Thankfully, I was given that chance, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2023

There isn’t much that encapsulates the phrase “thrown in at the deep end” quite like attending the Bristol Hi-Fi Show just two weeks into your time at What Hi-Fi?. I know colleagues who have joined the team just before Black Friday – no walk in the park – but nothing quite prepares you for the idiosyncratic world of intense hi-fi enthusiasm like a major audio expo.

It isn't a place to be if you’re a novice, let alone one wearing a branded What Hi-Fi? T-shirt. A punter asked me if KEF were attending the show that year. I, at the time, had no clue what KEF was. I thought it was a person. I feigned partial deafness and hurried away.

Looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If the current theories on language acquisition are to be believed, you only learn by immersion, and what could be more immersive than room after room of speakers, amplifiers and turntables? Plus, it meant spending time with (almost) the whole What Hi-Fi? Team – AV and audio – a rarity in this age of hybrid working.

Turns out, they’re quite a nice bunch. Oh, and I’ve since found out that KEF is a British audio brand. The more you know.

The magic of magazine making

I was lucky enough to join What Hi-Fi? in the days when magazine was still king, and the team was based in our old offices in Teddington. As my first job in journalism, it was a glorious place to be – busy, buzzing, full of paper everywhere – a far cry from the minimal hot-desking environment of most offices now – with stacks of magazines and printed layouts of the next issue with corrections and notes written in red pen.

It was also full of people going about the very intense but very exciting job of making magazines. And while I’ve been to some amazing press trips (Vegas, Japan, Southend) and had some fantastic experiences over the past 14 years, really, the best time has been simply that: making the magazine.

Our mag editor Jonny will find this insane, but my favourite memories are of our monthly press week in that Teddington office: the week when the current magazine issue had to go to the printers with very strict deadlines. There were often quite stressful days, and often very late nights, but as a young reviewer, watching the editor, production editor, sub-editor and the designers go about that intense but exciting (and rewarding!) work of putting the magazine together was quite special.

There was a crackling energy in the air (likely stress and too much caffeine, Jonny will say) – but it was amazing watching the production team go back and forth about punctuation, layouts, images and more – essentially, pulling together to make sure the pages were the absolute best they could be. And in between the stress and hard work, there were also moments of levity; you were never quite sure if the jokes the art editor was cracking were because things were going really well or because we were too close to the wire.

On the best press weeks, it was both.

MORE:

Check out the What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame

What Hi-Fi? Awards winners 2026

We're celebrating our 50th Anniversary!

Greetings from What Hi-Fi? Towers, where the team have been revelling – and are now recovering – from our annual Awards evening.

As usual, it was a glamorous affair, with many in the AV industry turning up to celebrate our 111 Award winners and to find out our Product of the Year picks for each of the 24 categories.

And speaking of Product of the Year, the recipient of the Award in the AV receiver category is back to its lowest price. But it's joined by several other Award winners and five-star products, so we're rather spoilt for choice on the deals front this week.

These are all products we've tried and tested, and all have been compared to the market leaders to see where they rank. We only recommend the best, and all the products below have earned five stars.

So why not take a look...

The Sony Bravia Projector 8 is by no means cheap, but it's the projector we'd buy if money were no object. It's as brilliant as it is pricey, with excellent contrast and detail, stunning black depth and two HDMI 2.1 sockets. Save £1000 with the code BLACK1000.

If you're getting into vinyl for the first time or just after an easy-to-use budget turntable, the Sony PS-LX5BT is a great choice thanks to its fully automatic operation, Bluetooth connectivity and an easy setup. There are cheaper turntables available, but spending the extra money will reward you with a noticeable improvement in sonic performance.

The AWOL Vision Aetherion Max is the best UST projector we've ever had in our test room, offering outstanding picture quality, solid built-in audio, and an impressive feature set. Ideal if you're short on space or want a living room projector, especially with £1000 off.

Sitting as our overall pick of the best AV receivers we've tested and our 2026 AV Receiver Product of the Year, our expert testers can't recommend the Sony TA-AN1000 enough. With a spacious presentation, precise, detailed sound, and impressive dynamics, this AV receiver is great value at this discounted price.

The KEF LSX II LT takes much of what we loved about the KEF LSX II wireless all-in-one system and puts it into a much more streamlined, affordable package. This includes a cohesive, effortlessly balanced sound and full, well-formed bass, now at a great price.

The TCL C8L has outstanding picture quality that is hard to beat. Add in a great gaming performance and a £400 discount, and you've got a TV that's superb value.

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Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

It has been a momentous year for What Hi-Fi?. Just a couple of issues ago, we celebrated our 50th birthday with a special blockbuster edition. And this month we have our annual Awards issue, highlighting the very best hi-fi and home entertainment products you can buy.

The What Hi-Fi? Awards aren’t quite as old as the magazine itself – although they aren’t too far behind. This year is the 44th year and counting that we have bestowed sought-after gongs on top products. The format has changed a little over the years, but the principle remains: to give our readers the best chance of finding the perfect piece of equipment, at an appropriate budget.

For obvious reasons, this is always our biggest seller of the year: it is, after all, a magazine you will (I trust) be returning to again and again, looking for inspiration. I can assure you that a huge amount of hard work has gone into creating it, and we hope you enjoy this special bumper issue.

That's not all, of course, as usual, you can also count on us to bring you reviews of the very latest hi-fi and AV products in our First Tests section.

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

Welcome to the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026

It is time once again for our bumper What Hi-Fi? Awards issue of the magazine. In the last year we have thoroughly tested all the latest hi-fi and AV kit, as well as revisiting the cream of the crop in each Awards category to see which products are deserving of the top honours.

Our team of dedicated reviewers has spent the last year thoroughly testing all the latest hi-fi and AV kit, and then considerable time and effort in coming up with this collection of the last year's products to be crowned What Hi-Fi? Best Buy Award winners. Every Award winner you read about in the pages of the magazine is a winner in its particular category; so you can be sure that you are getting superb value for money and a top-performing product when you decide to buy.

And then, as unveiled recently at the swanky Awards ceremony in London, we also detail the products we deemed deserving of the prestigious Product of the Year trophy.

As has been the What Hi-Fi? way since 1976, our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can be sure of buying what's right for you.

This year, that rigorous testing resulted in no fewer than 111 winning products across 24 hand-picked categories.

We take our role in this extremely seriously; and the fact that we are still able to perform this service almost 50 years after the What Hi-Fi? brand began shows that the industry does as well.

Whether you're looking for a great new TV, an upgrade to your stereo set-up, a home cinema projector or soundbar, or the best wireless speaker or noise cancelling earbuds (and all points in between), this should be your go-to source for hi-fi and AV kit.

Every recipient of a What Hi-Fi? Award is a class-leading product, deserving of our praise at different levels of budget and spanning the entire home entertainment technology spectrum. You can be absolutely sure that each one will be worth your time and investment.

So pick up this month's What Hi-Fi? magazine, settle back and read about all of our Award winners in this special, bumper issue.

This really is a fantastic issue of the magazine, so don't miss it! It's out now!

First with reviews

As always, our First Tests section is where you'll find our famously in-depth, impartial and expert reviews of all the latest AV and hi-fi kit.

First up this month is the Rega Planar 6 RS Edition turntable. Just as the firm did with the Rega Planar 3 RS Edition, this 'Rega Special' package upgrades the standard Planar in question with tech and build quality from the next tier up (in this case combining the talents of the Planar 6/Nd7 with the next-rung-up Planar 8). Is it good? Read more in this month's mag (spoiler: it's our Product of the Year in the turntables category!)

Elsewhere we have reviews of Astell & Kern's latest portable music player, the PD5; a fantastic home cinema package using Dali's new Sonik speakers to great effect, the Dali Sonik 5 5.1; and the Award-winning, 48-inch version of the LG C6 OLED TV.

But that's not all. We also have expert, in-depth reviews of the Apple iPhone 18 Pro, Topping DX1 II DAC, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 in-ears and Technics EAH-A1000 over-ears.

Find out more about all these products in this month's special Awards issue of What Hi-Fi?

Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of wireless headphones to a home theatre speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.

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

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

The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 Product of the Year and special category winners have been revealed!

Yes, after months upon months of arduous comparative testing in our dedicated viewing and listening rooms, 24 products have risen to the top and been crowned the crème de la crème of AV hardware at this year’s black-tie ceremony in London.

And what a year it was, with numerous incumbent winners being dethroned and more than a few surprise upsets.

You can see the full list of winners below.

Check out the full Product of the Year winners list

• Best TV: Samsung S99H
• Best soundbar: Samsung HW-Q990H
• Best standmount speakers: Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2
• Best floorstanding speakers: Dali Sonik 5
• Best turntable: Rega Planar 6 RS Edition
• Best wireless speakers: JBL Charge 6
• Best wired headphones: Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X
• Best Blu-ray players: Panasonic DP-UB820EB
• Best projectors: Sony VPL-XW5000ES
• Best music streamers: Bluesound Node Icon
• Best CD players: Arcam CD25
• Best radios: Ruark Audio R1S
• Best speaker packages: Dali Sonik 5 5.1
• Best tablets: Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M4)
• Best stereo amplifiers: Arcam A15+
• Best home cinema amplifiers: Sony TA-AN1000
• Best wireless headphones: Sennheiser HDB 630
• Best TV and video streamers: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation)
• Best DACs: Chord Mojo 2
• Best smartphones: Apple iPhone 18 Pro
• Best portable music players: Astell & Kern PD5
• Best music systems: NAD C 3050 (with MDC2 BluOS-D module)
• Best streaming services: Tidal
• Best accessories: Ortofon MC X30

It was a particularly special event this year, as not only did we reveal the winners, but we also celebrated What Hi-Fi? turning 50.

As part of that, we had some extra special categories alongside our standard Outstanding Contribution, Temptation, Readers’ Award, Hall of Fame and Innovation trophies.

These included special Golden Anniversary Readers’ Award, Golden Anniversary Hall of Fame Hi-Fi and Audio Award, and Golden Anniversary Hall of Fame TV and Home Cinema Award.

The Golden Anniversary Readers Award let you pick your favourite from all the previous Readers' Award winners.

Meanwhile, the Hi-Fi and Audio and Home Cinema Golden Anniversary winners were chosen by our experts from a shortlist of past Hall of Fame winners, cementing their places in What Hi-Fi? Awards history.

You can see the full list of special category winners below.

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 special category winners

• Outstanding Contribution winner: Heinz Lichtenegger
• Readers' Award winner: iFi Go Link 2
• Temptation winner: Marten Parker Duo Diamond Edition
• Hall of Fame winner: ATC SCM50
• Innovation winner: Sony Bravia Theatre Trio
• Golden Anniversary Readers' Award winner: Ruark Audio R610
• Golden Anniversary Hi-Fi and Audio winner: NAD 3020 (1978)
• Golden Anniversary TV and Home Cinema winner: Pioneer Kuro (2008)

A massive congratulations to all of our winners!

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Check out the What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame

These are the best speakers we’ve reviewed

We rank the best TVs money can buy

This past month has been an early Christmas present for movie fans, with a huge range of hotly anticipated films hitting the big screen. That includes the surrealist Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as the morally dubious Chris Hansen, as well as Martin McDonagh’s stressful comedy thriller Wild Horse Nine.

I’ve been dashing to my local cinema to see as many of these releases as I can, and the latest film that caught my eye was Godzilla Minus Zero. I loved the previous instalment of the Japanese blockbuster (Godzilla Minus One), so within days of the new release being out, I found myself back in the cinema, clutching an extra-large fizzy drink, as per.

The experience was perfect in a lot of ways. Seeing Godzilla on the big screen felt genuinely intimidating, with his massive frame dwarfing military tanks and villages. There is another creature sharing the stage this time round (don’t worry, you won’t find spoilers here), which only adds to the sense of peril.

And, while the expertly crafted visual effects left me awestruck, there was one aspect of my experience that left me a little disappointed – the sound. In my screening, the volume level felt a little too timid, and that detracted from the drama of the film.

When Godzilla first lets out his mighty roar and fires the deadly heat ray, I was hoping to feel blown away by the sheer power of the beast. But there was no floor-shaking bass or massive dynamic shift to be heard. It all left me feeling a little disappointed.

It wasn’t just action scenes that had a less direct impact. During a discussion between a few American soldiers and Dr Noda at a military base, I struggled to catch several lines of dialogue from the Yanks and was grateful for the subtitles with the Japanese characters.

As is my immediate reaction after finishing a film, I hopped onto Letterboxd to read other people’s thoughts. One user said that it was “the loudest [...] movie I’ve ever seen”, and joked that they had to do “circular diaphragm breathing to calm down”. It was clear at this point that we had experienced the film pretty differently.

That said, I would personally prefer to have the sound a touch too quiet than too loud, as the latter can quickly make for an overwhelming and rather grating experience.

Of course, the volume level of each cinema is massively varied because of the different acoustic designs and decisions by the cinema. But a search online also shows that screenings across the UK can range from being much too quiet to deafeningly loud.

During a screening of Wildwood (an incredible stop-motion animated film that is well worth a watch), one user on Reddit commented: “10 minutes in, my eardrums were already buzzing at how loud the cinema was.” Suffice to say, that does not sound like the most fun cinema trip.

So now we want to hear from you, our trusted readers. Have you have noticed this too? Have you experienced volume issues at your local cinema? Has your viewing experience been made less enjoyable when a film was too quiet or too loud?

You can comment below with your experiences; we can’t wait to hear about them.

MORE:

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Check out the best TVs

And here are the best surround sound systems

Haven't you heard? It's Black Friday!

Well, at least according to most retailers, who started their Black Friday sales a whole month early.

We had our trepidations, but we have seen some genuinely good hi-fi and home cinema deals pop up over the last week.

You can see several new lowest prices below, including on Award-winners such as the TCL P8L and Sony VPL-XW5000ES.

All of the products below have earned five stars, after rigorous testing by our expert review teams. We only recommend the best, and this week has seen particularly great offerings.

Take a look for yourself...

Thanks to its good quality built-in phono stage, Bluetooth connectivity and ease of use, the Sony PS-LX3BT is an excellent beginner's turntable. It sounds great too, so it's very easy to recommend, especially at this new low price.

The Sony Bravia Trio was already a five-star system, with the three-piece speaker design resulting in a bigger, more immersive soundstage than a regular soundbar. However, we found that adding the Rear 9 speakers and Sub 8 immersed us even further, with Atmos effects even more precisely placed.

Fancy an Award-winning 65-inch TV for only £699? The TCL P8L was already a performance-per-pound champ thanks to its balanced, authentic picture and strong gaming specs, and it's even better value with £50 off. It's our budget TV of choice for the upcoming GTA 6...

If you want a 4K home cinema projector on the more affordable end, we recommend the Sony VPL-XW5000ES. It caused quite a stir at launch as the cheapest truly native 4K laser projector, and it's won five What Hi-Fi? Awards since for its gorgeously cinematic and detailed pictures. Use the code BLACK200 to get this deal price.

The Arcam AVR5 lacks some of the functionality and usability of the competition, but goes all-in on sound with agility, rhythm and a dynamically authoritative performance. It will give your movies the full, clear delivery they deserve, and is at a new lowest price.

The JBL Synthesis SDR-38 has undeniably impressive sonic chops, with wonderfully clear, detailed sound and a weighty, responsive low end. You'll have to be signed up for Richer Sounds’ (free) VIP Membership, but you'll save a massive £4301.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

Welcome to the latest entry in our regular Pick of the Month column, where we offer a summary of all the latest hi-fi and home cinema hardware to earn a five-star rating from our reviewers.

Regular readers may have noticed it’s a slightly longer list than normal, with a staggering 17 products arriving. That’s not because we’ve suddenly started going easier on the products – our near half-century-honed reviewing process is as rigorous as ever.

It’s because the list follows our latest Awards reveal, which sees our reviewers run a giant AV battle royale to identify the absolute best of the best, hence the bumper-sized list. It’s also why if you see the team out and about in the wild, don't worry, they're fine – well, fine-ish. They’ve just not seen daylight for a while, after being locked in our review rooms for months on end.

With that out of the way, here are our latest Pick of the Month recommendations!

Sony Bravia Theatre Trio + Rear 9 and Sub 9

What happens when you add wireless satellite speakers and a subwoofer to Sony’s five-star Bravia Theatre Trio? Movie magic, that’s what.

Expensive, yes, but the additions turn Sony’s already impressive, dissected soundbar into a full surround sound system capable of truly immersive results, without the need for cables or giant floorstanders.

As we said in our full review, the combined package is “a spectacularly immersive wireless home cinema system that's the best alternative to a traditional Dolby Atmos speaker package we've tested.”

Five stars

Read our full Sony Bravia Theatre Trio + Rear 9 and Sub 9 review

Sony Xperia 10 VIII

Apple iPhones have long been our recommended handsets for enjoying movies and music on the go. But there’s no denying you have to pay a premium for them compared to most Android phones. Enter the Xperia 10 VIII.

Yes, the name is a bit of a mouthful, and yes, Sony isn’t the first name most people think of for smartphones anymore. But for the money, you’ll struggle to find a better-sounding handset or one with anywhere near as impressive a display. Hence our glowing recommendation:

“Sony’s latest budget handset delivers a picture performance that rivals other smartphones that cost hundreds of pounds more, and it’s no slouch when it comes to audio either.”

Five stars

Read our full Sony Xperia 10 VIII

Sony WH-CH530

If you’re after a great value pair of affordable wireless headphones to go with the Xperia 10 VIII, or just love a good bargain, we’d also strongly recommend looking at the Sony WH-CH530.

The new wireless over-ears are the entry-level option in Sony’s current lineup. But despite their budget status, they still deliver a class-leading performance, offering a surprisingly balanced and entertaining sound and significantly improved battery life over their predecessors, the WH-CH520.

In fact, the only drawback is that they still don’t have ANC or a foldable design. But when they cost less than a family takeaway, what do you expect? As we said in our full review: “The WH-CH530 have an expressive, entertaining sound that shines particularly bright at their bargain price.”

Five stars

Read our full Sony WH-CH530 review

Sony WH-CH730N

If ANC is an absolute must and you can’t stretch beyond £100 for your next set of cans, then good news: Sony’s step-up CH730N are also an absolutely fantastic-sounding pair of wireless over-ears that won’t break the bank.

Though most will take the ANC as the primary benefit, it's actually their improved sound that cinched the deal and let them win a What Hi-Fi? Award, as well as a five-star rating.

We said as much in our full review, where we reported: “Not much comes close to the Sony WH-CH730N at this affordable level. With their entertaining sound and bountiful feature set, this is the best budget ANC headphones you can buy.”

If you want the best bang for your buck possible, though they cost more than the CH520, these are our new sound-for-pound champions. Highly recommended.

Five stars

Read our full Sony WH-CH730N review

Sony WH-1000XM4C

At first glance, the Sony WH-1000XM4C aren’t that exciting. Why should you care about a re-release of the original Sony WH-1000XM4 when there are newer options with more modern hardware at the same mid-range price, after all?

Well, after testing them, it’s not just the extra letter on the serial number that’s changed. Though they look like a basic re-release with a lower price, Sony has made subtle changes to the headphones, improving their already solid audio and ANC performance. This makes them the best option at their current price and our new mid-range recommendation.

Hence our glowing verdict and their What Hi-Fi Award win: “The WH-1000XM4C don’t reinvent the wheel, but this was never their intention. They bring a much-loved wireless headphone design back to life and add small sonic improvements to sweeten the deal. Musical, comfortable, portable and with solid ANC – what more could you wish for?”

Five stars

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM4C review

Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M4)

The Apple iPad has long been our reviewers’ chosen travel companion when flying across continents to cover the latest AV launches. But it’s not because of its productivity services – quite the opposite. It’s because they’re great for watching movies on.

That legacy continues with the latest Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M4), which passed through our review rooms last month. Though its LCD screen can’t match the perfect blacks of the OLED panel seen on its Pro sibling, it still offers a wonderfully cinematic picture as well as above-average audio, at a more palatable (but still far from cheap) price. Hence its Award win and our glowing verdict:

“Just as its predecessor was, the new iPad Air 13-inch is a superb big-screen tablet for films and TV, with natural, engaging picture quality and sound that belies its slim design.”

Our only word of warning is, if you own a previous generation iPad Air, we’d urge you to avoid upgrading – the improvements are noticeable, but in our opinion don’t justify the extra expense.

Five stars

Read our full Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M4) review

Apple iPhone 18 Pro

The iPhone 18 Pro may not have the fancy folding screen seen on its Duo sibling, but it’s still a fantastic portable media player.

The upgrades are all incremental, but they add up to make the new Pro model feel like a valid upgrade, especially for people still using an iPhone 16 handset or older.

Key improvements include a slightly punchier picture, disarmingly effective spatial audio performance and holistically engaging sound, especially with headphones. As we said in our review:

“The big upgrades lie elsewhere, but the iPhone 18 Pro is still a small improvement over its predecessor for movies and music, and a stunning portable AV device in its own right.”

But like the new iPad, if you upgraded last year, we’d recommend holding off on getting one – the iPhone 17 Pro remains competitive, and you’ll be better off waiting a bit longer for a more pronounced upgrade before parting with your cash.

Five stars

Read our full Apple iPhone 18 Pro review

TCL P8L (65P8L-UK)

If you look at our best Mini LED TV buying guide, you’ll notice a lot of impressive sets with the tech. But the P8L is the only one to impress us enough to win an Award this year.

Though it’s firmly in mid-range territory, the P8L is one of this year’s best bang-for-your-buck options, thanks to its focus on delivering a balanced, authentic picture, rather than just showing off how bright it can go – which, despite our best efforts, is still all the rage amongst TV makers.

Add to this solid gaming specifications, including 4K/144Hz, excellent app support and good, by TV standards, sound, and it becomes an easy recommendation. Hence its Award win and our verdict: “The P8L nails the basics to deliver a satisfyingly authentic movie and TV show experience.”

Our only word of caution is for generalists looking to put it in a bright room. The set isn’t the brightest Mini LED we’ve seen, and it's incredibly prone to reflections. But if you’re a serious movie fan who plans to watch most things in a properly light-controlled room, or are willing to close the curtains, that shouldn’t be a deal breaker.

Five stars

Read our full TCL P8L (65P8L-UK) review

42-inch and 48-inch LG C6

We’ve lambasted the lack of innovation happening on smaller OLEDs for quite some time. But, based on our time with the 42-inch LG C6 and 48-inch C6, we can safely say our complaints have been heard and addressed – at least by LG.

The 42-inch LG C6 is a palpable improvement on the outgoing 42-inch LG C5. Though it has nearly the same specifications, the addition of a new CPU and tweaks to its tuning has paid off in spades, with it offering a crisp, three-dimensional image that is more than enough OLED for any gamer or cinephile who’s short on space – or lucky enough to be able to afford an OLED for their bedroom TV.

But it’s the 48-inch model that really caught our eye. Though LG won’t confirm it, the set’s performance was so good that we suspect it may feature a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel – which would be a first for the C-series. As we said in our review:

“If our theory is correct, it’s likely the cheapest way to acquire an RGB Tandem OLED TV, and if it’s not, then we’d really like to know how LG has pumped the brightness and vibrancy up to this extent.”

Five-stars

Read our 42-inch LG C6 review

Read our 48-inch LG C6 review

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP

The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP is the latest compact full-fat 5.1 surround sound package from the iconic British firm.

Succeeding the base Diamond 12 HCP, a package we’ve long recommended, the "i" variant had big shoes to fill. And while at first glance they’re very similar, with the updates being limited to the speakers’ tuning, rather than a holistic redesign, the results are still excellent.

Capable of delivering a surround sound experience that’s genuinely cohesive and immersive, the small but mighty package is our new recommendation at its level – and a What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 trophy winner.

As we said in our full review: “Wharfedale’s Diamond speaker series offers exceptional value for money, and the 12.1i HCP’s detailed, cohesive and dynamic sound is further proof.”

Five stars

Read our full Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP review

PMC MB2 SE

If you like your high-end speakers to be on the giant side, to the point they look a bit like a Doctor Who monster, then good news! Not only do PMC’s MB2 SE look the part, but they also sound great.

Though they are technically standmounts, the speakers are huge, measuring in at 87cm tall. Packed with hardware, they aim to offer a modern twist on the firm’s iconic original MB1 monitor – which appeared in 1993 only a couple of years after PMC was founded.

When partnered with suitably high-end equipment – in our case Naim’s ND 555/555 PS DR music streamer and Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart MC record player feeding a Burmester 088/911 Mk III pre/power amplifier – the results are sublime.

As we said in our review: “The MB2 SE’s blend of muscle and finesse is truly addictive. If you have the space and appropriate system, these monster PMC monitors demand to be heard.”

Five stars

Read our full PMC MB2 SE review

Rega Planar 6 RS Edition

The Rega Planar 6 RS Edition combines the best elements of the more premium five-star Planar 8 with the firm’s Award-winning Planar 6. Highlights include the more premium spinner’s RB880 tonearm and plinth design.

And while bashing two products together, even five-star ones, often creates a Frankenstein’s monster, we can confirm that isn’t the case here. During our checks, the Planar 6 RS Edition proved to be a solid upgrade on the base model, delivering more precise, authoritative, and expressive audio. In fact, it was so good, we gave it a Best Buy Award and couldn’t think of anything worth mentioning in the cons section of our review.

As we said in our full review: “Rega’s ‘RS’ spin on a more premium model is a thrilling success: it looks great, it sounds great, and it’s great value – what’s not to love?”

Five stars

Read our full Rega Planar 6 RS Edition review

Atacama Moseco 6.2

We all love a good stand or cable review – you tell us as much whenever we publish one. So you’ll be delighted to hear we finished reviewing the Atacama Moseco 6.2 – which are a follow-up to the long-recommended, multi-award-winning Moseco 6 – last month.

After weeks of testing, we’re pleased to confirm they live up to the name, being well built, offering multiple plate sizes and, most importantly, enough stability to make your standmounts shine. An easy five out of five all around, as we said in our review, where we concluded:

“Not only will these stands accommodate a wide range of standmount speakers, but their sturdy, thoughtful design provides a stable foundation to bring the best of your speakers’ clarity and expression to light.”

Five stars

Read our full Atacama Moseco 6.2 review

Astell & Kern PD5

The truth is, most of us use our smartphone as our main portable music player. And while there are lots of dedicated players around claiming to deliver better audio, based on testing, most don’t. And even if they do, they don’t justify the extra outlay or space in your pocket.

But, as demonstrated by the P5, a successor to the retired, multi-Award-winning Astell & Kern A&norma SR35, there are still a few diamonds in the rough for the category. A departure from both a hardware and design perspective, the P5 delivered excellent results during testing, offering a spacious, pristine presentation and class-leading clarity and resolution you simply won’t find on most phones.

Hence its Award win, and our glowing verdict: “Thanks to its refined, articulate sound and impressive versatility, the PD5 is another class-leading hi-res music player from Astell & Kern.”

Five stars

Read our full Astell & Kern PD5 review

Sennheiser CX 80U

Wired earbuds are back in vogue, with everyone from Zendaya to our senior staff writer, Lewis Empson, being caught by the paparazzi rocking them recently.

So it makes sense that the wired headphone heavyweight would want to get in on the action. Enter its latest, catchily named, CX 80U: a pair of affordable wired earbuds designed to give cable newbies and oldies looking to reattach the cord a cost-effective way to enjoy their music.

And, as evidenced by their place on this list and Best Buy trophy win, they’re well worth considering if you’re after a pair of cabled in-ears. During testing, the CX 80U delivered a rich, solid sound full of detail and excellent dynamics. As we said in our review:

“They sound big, dynamic and surprisingly sophisticated. If you want to go wired on a budget, this is a pair we heartily recommend."

Five stars

Read our Sennheiser CX 80U review

Dali Sonik 5 5.1

Featuring not one, but two sets of five-star stereo speakers, we had high hopes for the Dali Sonik 5 5.1 surround sound package when it arrived in our review rooms last month.

Featuring the firm’s new Sonik 5 floorstanders, Sonik 1 standmounts, Sonik Cinema centre speaker and the long-serving Sub E-9 F subwoofer seen in past Dali packages, it is a very compelling system. And after weeks of testing, one we can confirm sounds so good, we decided it deserved a What Hi-Fi? Award and five-star rating. As we said in our review:

“Few speaker packages offer such a comprehensive blend of talents, and the fact that the Sonik 5 does so at this price only adds to the achievement. At this level, it’s among the very best we’ve heard – and it gives packages in the class above a serious run for their money.”

Five stars

Read our full Dali Sonik 5 5.1 review

Arcam CD25

Like wired headphones and vinyl before it, CDs are also gaining traction with younger listeners right now – our distinctly Gen Z staff writer, Ioan Hazell, even inked a piece explaining why he's fallen in love with the format, mere weeks ago.

And that spike in popularity has resulted in a wealth of new players arriving, including the premium Arcam CD25, which landed in our listening rooms in October. While it may be a bit more than most newbies to the format will want to pay, it’s actually the mid-tier option in Arcam’s line, sitting just above the Award-winning CD5.

Its price also puts it in direct competition with the Cyrus CDi, which has won back-to-back What Hi-Fi? Awards since 2014. Thankfully, after testing it, we’re happy to confirm it’s not only really good to listen to; it’s so good, it dethroned the Cyrus and nabbed this year’s Best Buy trophy.

As our reviewers said in their verdict: “Its breathtaking clarity and awesome sense of musicality are worth the entry fee alone.”

Five stars

Read our full Arcam CD25 review

MORE:

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

Our picks of the best speakers

We rank the best TVs money can buy

With the clocks moving back, summer long gone, and our What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners all announced, we find ourselves suddenly in the penultimate month of the year. Where does the time go, and so on?

But being in the waning months of 2026 doesn't mean there isn't a lack of new launches and exciting products. Rega surprised us all by announcing a new budget turntable last month (which we now have in our test rooms), while Rotel's new premium CD player is waiting in the wings. Who says physical media is dead?

On the home cinema side, we have a soundbar system with novel battery-powered surround speakers and a high-end UST projector that goes up against one of our newly minted Award winners.

As always, if you have any questions about the products we're testing, drop us a comment below or email us at whathifi@futurenet.com, and we'll do our best to get back to you with an answer.

Rega Replay

Rega made a splash when it unveiled its newest budget turntable: the Replay. Priced at £259 and sporting an all-new minimal design, the Rega Replay sits below the Award-winning Planar 1 (£329) and goes up against another formidable Award-winner, the Pro-Ject Primary E (£249), which has ruled the budget turntable roost for the best part of a decade.

The Replay borrows many elements from the Planar 1 – the phenolic resin platter, the RB110 tonearm, and the Carbon MM cartridge fitted as standard – but it features a skeletal MDF-core plinth. The Replay is designed to be as plug-and-play and fuss-free as possible and aimed at those completely new to vinyl. We're looking forward to finding out how quick the set-up really is once we get it out of the box, and how it will perform against its more established rivals.

Rotel Michi Prestige Q430

Rotel's new Michi Prestige range aims to bring the brand's more high-end technology and performance standards to more (relatively) accessible prices, and we've already been impressed with the newly crowned 2026 Award winner, the Michi Prestige X430 integrated stereo amplifier.

Now we turn our attention to the partnering CD player, the Q430 (£3599 / $3999 / AU$5499), which features a glass-fronted display, front-loading CD mechanism, an eight-channel 32-bit ESS Sabre ES9028PRO DAC, and has power and internal components that are engineered for optimum performance and reduced noise and distortion.

With physical media – especially CDs – enjoying a boom in popularity, we're excited to give this a spin.

JBL Bar 1300MK2

JBL’s higher-end soundbar systems are designed for those who want a fully enveloping Dolby Atmos surround system without permanently positioned surround speakers. Instead, the battery-powered surround speakers can be docked at either end of the bar and then placed behind your listening position only when you want the full home cinema effect.

This flagship Bar 1300MK2 model (£1400) is considered an 11.1.4-channel system by JBL, which also claims a pretty massive total system power of 2470W.

Samsung Music Studio 7

Samsung's new Music Studio wireless speakers look rather smart with their compact and minimalist lifestyle-friendly designs. We have the bigger and pricier Music Studio 7 (£449) in for review, which boasts Dolby Atmos support and room-filling sound from its 3.1.1-channel driver configuration and 150W of Class D power.

It also features Tidal/Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth, while an HDMI eARC input makes them ideal for TV speakers (you can pair two together for stereo sound). It can also be used with compatible Samsung TVs thanks to Q-Symphony integration. Rivals include the Sonos Era 300, Apple HomePod 2 and newer competition from the JBL Cove X1, but will Samsung's distinct style make it stand out from the crowd?

Hisense L9Q

Hisense has an excellent track record where UST projectors are concerned, so we have high hopes for this flagship L9Q model, priced at £3499.

With its 4K resolution, a claimed 5000 ANSI lumens of brightness, support for all HDR formats and a sound system tuned by Devialet, the L9Q has all of the ingredients to be a roaring success. But how will it fare against the Award-winning AWOL Vision Aetherion Max?

MORE:

What's your favourite physical music format of all time? Tell us why

Bose has bought Skullcandy, but is it going to be good for its headphones business?

Move over Mini LED, 111-inch OLED TVs could be on the way – and they might be more affordable than you think

Last week there was a steady stream of interesting hi-fi and home cinema news, including new arrivals from two names with plenty of two-channel pedigree: JBL and Musical Fidelity.

We also spent time testing a very capable pre-power amp pairing from Audio Research, and Apple launched an OLED-equipped iPad Mini with a sonic surprise.

While we have your attention, there are only a handful of days to go until we announce our Product Of The Year winners from the What Hi-Fi? Awards, so keep November 12th in your diaries when you’ll be able to see all the results live on the website.

Join us for a quick recap of all the key stories that you need to know about…

JBL launched a retro-inspired flagship

Anyone familiar with JBL’s loudspeakers will know its Classic Series takes inspiration from designs that featured in the 1970s, and its new flagship, the L150 Classic, delivers more of the same.

Priced at $9999 and wrapped in walnut veneer, the pinnacle of this range is a three-way floorstander which combines a 15-inch woofer, a 6.5-inch mid-range driver, and a 1-inch titanium dome tweeter.

Read the full story:

JBL's new flagship Classic Series speakers are for "serious music listeners"

Musical Fidelity unveiled a new CD player

This week we saw another reason to get excited about CD players again. Musical Fidelity surprised us by taking the wraps off its B1xcd spinner, which can be yours for a very respectable £549 / $799.

It sits neatly between two five-star favourites of ours, the Marantz CD 70 and Arcam CD5, which is great to see. There’s been a dearth of new models in recent years, so it’s nice to finally see the numbers get a bit of a bump.

Read the full story:

Musical Fidelity makes a 'B-line' for Arcam's Award-winner with its new CD player

Apple’s mega iPad Mini announcement

Apple dropped the most high-tech iteration of its ultra-portable to date. The 8th Gen iPad Mini gets several picture and sound upgrades, not least a brand new screen and an all-new speaker system.

The fact that it's only the second iPad model to get an OLED display is big news, but so too is the Acoustic Display speaker set-up. It includes specially designed under-display woofers and custom tweeters, and we can’t wait to hear (and see) how it performs.

Read the full story:

Apple's pitching its all-new iPad Mini as the perfect tablet for cinephiles

We tested a talented Audio Research pairing

It’s always exciting to see high-end hi-fi in our test rooms, and last week we published our thoughts on a capable two-box amplifier from Audio Research.

In our LS-2/S-200 review, we described the pre/power pairing as “a capable and commanding amplifier duo”, with the LS-2 pre-amplifier stealing the show. We said, “it is everything we would hope for in a high-quality valve preamp”.

Read the full story:

Check out our Audio Research LS-2/S-200 review

MORE:

Philips' durable portable radio is built to survive the apocalypse – or at least a wet weekend camping trip

This feature-packed hi-res music streamer's new DAC promises a "natural and analogue-like" sound

Amazon launches its "most capable Echo Dot" alongside the camera-toting Echo Studio smart speaker

Once you have been in the home cinema game for a while, it can be easy to forget about what brought you there in the first place.

Although it is one of the most dedicated groups of fans that you can come across, you can find yourself forgetting the initial sense of wonder that came with hearing an incredible sound system or seeing a film with a projector outside of the cinema for the first time.

I remember watching Arcane on the Award-winning Sony Bravia Projector 8 (which launched at a staggering £15,999 / $15999 / AU$21999) back in 2024 when I joined the What Hi-Fi? team, and being absolutely awestruck by the level of detail and contrast that the premium projector offers.

While other systems can still give me that feeling of wonder, it is not as frequent as when I first started the job.

But this old husk was reminded of the brilliance of home cinema when I attended a grassroots cinema club last week. Run by movie fan Will Mead, Midweek Cinema hosts movie screenings in various pubs across London primarily at the start of the week.

The club has also just been given access to the newly reopened Plaza Camden, which was thought to have closed its doors as a cinema back in February. But the venue is being given a new lease of life, and Midweek Cinema now operates from a 72-seater cinema screen for some of the week.

I got the chance to attend one of the screenings, kicking off with A Panic at Needle Park. I’ll be the first to admit that it was not a film that I had heard of, but I quickly learnt that it stars Al Pacino in his first major role. The movie follows Bobby (Pacino) and Helen (Kitty Winn), who fall in love, but their addiction to heroin forces them go to any means necessary to get high.

Tucked away in the ground floor of a cosy pub in West London, the small but passionate audience was treated to a bowl of popcorn each before the film began. Everyone is encouraged to talk to each other if they would like before and after the film as well, and plenty of regulars turned up.

Will’s setup includes the Hisense C2 Ultra projector, a pop-up foldable screen and a portable PA system for the audio. Now, that's not the reference-style system we'd expect to see in our home cinema room; there's no AVR or surround sound system involved, and (understandably) 4K discs aren't always the priority.

But that didn't matter quite as much here, as the system serves as a way for people to connect and enjoy films together, and ultimately that's what I think home cinema should be all about.

In fact, the four-star Hisense C2 Ultra's middling black levels and somewhat flat colours didn't distract, or even really cross my mind. The versatility, easy set-up and punchy high brightness that this projector boasts were perfect for this situation, making it an ideal choice for Will.

As the lights went off and the crowd settled, the magic of seeing a film with others was all that mattered. Sure, it wasn’t on a premium projector, and the sound wasn't coming from a £10,000 system, but sharing a movie with a group was really touching.

No gatekeeping, no competitive specs comparison; just watching a film with fellow movie nerds. I’ll certainly be testing my next projector and sound system with a renewed passion.

MORE:

How a film lover made his own affordable movie club

These are the best projectors

And check out the best soundbars

Happy Halloween!

The biggest shock you'll get this Halloween? Retailers have started their Black Friday sales already. That's a whole month before the big day itself.

Which works out just fine for us, as it means we get plenty of deals on great hi-fi and home cinema products before November even starts.

Sony is running a sale and we're seeing new lows on several of their top soundbar systems, while the Award-winning LG C6 42-inch continues to drop.

It's not just about the new kids on the block, however – several old favourites are also back to their lowest price.

As always, these are all products we've reviewed and rated ourselves. Our expert testing teams put every product through its paces, and we'll only recommend those that receive four stars or more.

Now on with the treats...

The newly Award-winning Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 offers superbly punchy, weighty bass and impressively enveloping Dolby Atmos sound. If you don't mind a few cables, this is the best mid-range soundbar system you can buy.

The LG C6 recently won four What Hi-Fi? Awards, including one for this 42-inch model. Don't let the relatively small size put you off, however – it's a crisp, three-dimensional and contrast-rich TV that still offers a cinematic spectacle. Get £50 off at checkout for a new lowest price.

Thanks to its good quality built-in phono stage, Bluetooth connectivity and ease of use, the Sony PS-LX3BT is an excellent beginner's turntable. It sounds great too, so it's very easy to recommend, especially at this new low price.

The three-piece speaker design of the Sony Bravia Trio results in a bigger, more immersive soundstage than a regular soundbar, as well as a convincing Dolby Atmos effect. If your funds can stretch a bit further, the Bravia Trio is also included in the Award-winning Sony Bravia Theatre Trio + Rear 9 and Sub 9 package, now only £1999 at Sevenoaks.

The Sonus Faber Omnia lives up to its Latin name ('omnia' means 'everything') with a clear, lively, wide-open sound, extensive features and truly beautiful craftsmanship. £600 off this all-in-one system is not to be ignored – this is the lowest price we've seen.

The Marantz CD6007 may have been superseded recently by the Marantz CD 70, but the multiple Award-winner is a bit of a legend here at What Hi-Fi? thanks to its dramatic presentation and excellent build. Now back to its lowest price.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

Some people, including us here at What Hi-Fi?, make a lot of noise about speakers. Less frequently, however, will you find a huddle of audiophiles extolling the virtues of speaker stands. But if you’ve got a pair of standmounter speakers, a good set of supports is essential to get the best from their performance.

Atacama has ruled the roost when it comes to manufacturing such products, with its Moseco 6 stands winning consecutive What Hi-Fi? Awards – for almost a decade, no less – as our favourite speaker stands.

As such, when the company launched a follow-up model, the Moseco 6.2, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on a pair to see whether they would be able to better their Award-winning siblings.

The new stands see several upgrades over their predecessor, including larger, re-designed bamboo plinths and rear column, an increased overall height, higher weight capacity and plenty more options for customisation.

But the key question remains. Will these stands give our speakers their best shot at sonic success?

Price

The Moseco 6.2 are currently priced at £200 per pair in the UK, with official pricing yet to be announced in other territories. This price covers a standard Satin Black finish and a standard 130 x 170mm top plate. Larger top plates are available for £40 each, echoing a feature we liked about the company’s Nexxus 600 Essential stands.

At the time of writing, the Moseco 6.2’s formidable predecessors, the Moseco 6, remain widely available for a price of around £159 / $300 / AU$619, but they do not offer the same amount of customisation as the newer model.

Build & compatibility

Manufactured in the UK, Atacama’s Moseco 6.2 stands will accommodate a wide variety of speakers, owing to a range of top plate options. Our test pair arrived with a step-up 160 x 220mm top plate, which is large enough to comfortably accommodate all but the very bulkiest of standmount speakers.

If you go for one of the larger options, the standard plate doesn’t have to go to waste, and can be repurposed by bolting it to the underside of the plinth for extra mass-loading.

The stands have a basic but style-conscious design which includes a Satin Black top plate and twin support tubes (both metal), which pair with a curved bamboo plinth. If Satin Black just isn’t your style, a diamond white finish costs an extra £10, while a dark-finish bamboo plinth can be yours for an additional £15.

The standard support columns have a diameter of 50.6mm and can be filled with suitable damping material such as dry sand or Atacama’s own Atabites, which are high-density, zinc-coated steel micro-discs, for extra mass.

Atabites do not come as standard, but you can get your hands on a 7kg tub for £35. For a pleasing touch of extra personalisation, the support columns can be upgraded to include cable-management (£40) or replaced with wider, 76.2mm alternatives (£30 each).

It is worth noting that the Moseco 6.2 Series come in four different heights, ranging from 56cm to 100cm, meaning that however you listen, there is likely a suitable option available. The Moseco 6.2 are 10mm taller than their predecessor, standing at a height of 66cm (including spikes and gel pads).

The stands can support up to 15kg each, which increases the weight carrying capabilities of the previous generation’s standard set-up. As such, they will accommodate most standmounters, from light options like the KEF LS50 Meta all the way up to heavier speakers such as the PMC Prophecy 1.

Overall, we think these stands feel sturdy and secure, with a high-quality build. Spikes are included, but spike shoes cost an extra £50 (for two packs of four shoes) and come in satin black and nickel finishes. To add an element of decoupling between the speakers and the stand, the top plate features a square gel pad in each corner, minimising contact between the stand and the speaker’s base.

Performance

We tested these stands with a range of speakers, including the Epos ES-7N (£1890 / $2195 / AU$4995), KEF LS50 Meta (£1299 / $1600 / 2500) and Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2 (£649 / $1199 / AU$1580). For a music source, we played locally stored music and streamed tunes from Tidal using our Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition streamer and Naim Nait XS 3 amplifier.

With the Epos ES-7N speakers placed on the Moseco 6.2 stands, our music arrives sounding clear, dynamic and spacious. When we listen to Madeleine Peyroux’s The Things I’ve Seen Today, these stands allow the speakers to render basslines with a well-defined, full-bodied sound. Peryoux’s vocals come across rich and contoured, while, in the higher frequencies, expressive vocal cracks and breaths are convincingly rendered, adding an airy, lifelike quality.

Rhythms clip along nicely, too. During Creedence Clearwater Revival’s rendition of Midnight Special, the simple central groove drives the song forwards, while drum fills hit with precision and force. Across the speakers we try, these positive results remain consistent.

When we switch each pair of speakers to the older Moseco 6 stands, we notice a slight loss of dynamic acuity, detail and spaciousness. Placing the Epos ES-7N on the Moseco 6 and listening to The Things I’ve Seen Today, the dynamic intricacies of clean, electric guitars feel somewhat less apparent and vocals lose a degree of clarity and naturalness.

Switching to Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.1 in F Minor for a classical reference, we get less of a sense of the acoustic space in which the piece was recorded than we did while using the Moseco 6.2.

Verdict

The Atacama Moseco 6.2 stands offer meaningful sonic gains over their predecessors, and their customisable design adds a further feather to their cap.

Not only will these stands accommodate a wide range of standmount speakers, but their sturdy, thoughtful design provides a stable foundation to bring the best of your speakers’ clarity and expression to light.

Review published: 30th October 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

MORE:

Also consider the Atacama Moseco 6

Best speaker stands: budget and premium models tested

After all the excitement of our What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 announcement, you might be forgiven for thinking that things might start to calm down in the world of AV, but it was just the opposite last week.

In the build-up to Halloween, it was only right that we had a shock audio announcement from one of the biggest brands in headphone land.

Don’t worry, though, it wasn’t something to be terrified of; it’s just one that raised more than a couple of eyebrows in the What Hi-Fi? office.

We also had a handful of high-end hi-fi announcements from some major players in the field, which have whetted our appetite in terms of testing - we can’t wait to see them in the flesh.

Join us for a quick recap of all the key news that you need to know about…

Bose snapped up Skullcandy

Bose has been flashing the cash. In a move that we didn’t see coming, the audio company has bought the colourful headphone brand Skullcandy for an undisclosed amount.

They’ve collaborated on wireless headphones before, so it’s not exactly a new relationship. Still, Skullcandy will undoubtedly give it access to a different demographic of users and areas of the market where it doesn’t have such a big presence.

Skullcandy will remain a separate brand in a Bose portfolio which has expanded significantly in the past couple of years. It acquired hi-fi brands McIntosh, Sonus Faber and Sumiko back in 2024 and is turning into quite the audio powerhouse.

Read the full story:

Bose acquires fellow headphone maker Skullcandy in time for Halloween – but will it be a trick or treat?

Technics launched a new turntable

The launch of a new Technics turntable is always big news, and although the new SL-1210MKX is aimed more at DJs than discerning audiophiles, it’s still based on a classic deck with a cult following.

The new direct-drive model has been blessed with a revamped chassis and noise-isolation feet to help reduce the effects of external vibrations, plus a ±4% pitch modulation range, which allows for finer adjustments on the fly.

Other features include a quieter reset switch, which Technics says was inspired by earlier SL-1200 models, and a coreless direct-drive motor with adjustable start-up torque and brake speed.

Read the full story:

Technics’ new turntable was designed with help from DJs and sound engineers

Nagra has the power (amp)

Nagra knows a thing about audio electronics, and we were excited to see the Swiss brand take the wraps off a new stereo power amplifier this week. The Amp II-S has been designed to be a natural partner for the company’s Preamp II-S, with the two making an impressive-looking pairing.

The new amp produces 120 watts of Class A/B power per channel into 8 ohms, with the first 10 watts operating as purely Class A. Take a look at the front and you’ll see Nagra’s ‘Modulometer’, a precise analogue audio level meter inspired by the company’s IV-S reel-to-reel recorder from 1971.

Read the full story:

Nagra’s high-end amplifier packs reference-level tech to deliver “effortless musicality”

Esoteric served up a high-end two-box CD player

You know thighs are serious when your CD player has its own optional power supply. And that’s exactly what you’re getting with Esoteric’s new two-box offering. The Grandioso K1XE is the company’s flagship SACD player, but it has launched alongside the optional Grandioso PS1 XE external power supply.

The flagship spinner is fitted with Esoteric’s in-house DAC design and ‘VRDS-ATLAS’ transport mechanism, while the PS1XE uses four independently aligned power transformers and optimised filter circuits designed to improve the DAC’s performance.

Read the full story:

Esoteric’s high-end CD player is filled with flagship tech to give your discs the royal treatment

Triangle unveiled “retro-chic” stereo speakers

Looking for a speaker that combines “retro-chic styling with contemporary acoustic design”? Triangle would like you to take a look at its new Borea Series BR05 standmounters. They’re impressive-looking units that use a 21cm mid/bass driver and 25mm silk dome tweeter plus phase plug.

They’re bi-wirable and designed with two front-facing bass ports to allow for more flexible positioning. The Triangles even come with stands that tilt the speakers back by eight degrees to improve their soundstage.

Read the full story:

Triangle’s new standmount speakers have “retro-chic” styling and bulky drivers

MORE:

Sony could be burying 4K Blu-ray for good as rumours swirl about its last dedicated player

Audio-Technica bills its luxury wired cans as “the pinnacle of closed-back headphone craftsmanship”

Grado’s latest Signature Line headphones promise a “full-bodied, musical presentation” at an “accessible” price

It's been a week since we announced the 2026 What Hi-Fi? Awards, but we're still seeing new deals on several winners.

This week sees a new low on the Samsung HW-Q990H courtesy of a huge cashback offer, as well as a repeat winner, the Triangle AIO, returning to its lowest price.

That's not all though – there are several excellent discounts on former Award winners and five-star favourites also, with three TV deals that are definitely worth considering.

As always, these are all products that have been tried and tested by our expert review teams. Only products that have earned four stars or above get our coveted recommendation – and everything below has received the full five-stars.

Take a look for yourself:

You'll want to properly partner the Q Acoustics 5050, but if you do, you'll be rewarded with a pleasing rhythmic drive and strong dynamics with particularly impressive bass. They're one of our top picks in the mid-range and come with a free Fell Audio cable too.

The Sony Bravia 8 II may have missed out on an Award this time around, but the former Product of the Year winner is still a fantastic buy, especially with this discount. Use the code SHSTV200 and then claim £100 cashback from Sony to get this deal price – full cashback details are here.

The Samsung HW-Q990H is a new Award winner, supplanting its predecessor, the HW-Q990F. Despite looking largely the same, this new model adds more nuance, detail and scale. Claim a whopping £400 cashback from Samsung to get the full saving – full details here.

We declared the TCL C7L to be ridiculously good value at full price, so it's even better with £120 off. Tick the voucher box to get this saving, and you'll get all the features of a premium Mini LED TV for only £1079.

The LG G6 is a five-star flagship OLED TV from LG, and comes with a punchy picture, flawless gaming specifications and excellent app support. If that wasn't enough to tempt you, you can get £841 off by using the code TV200 and then claiming 10 per cent cashback from LG – full T&Cs here.

The Triangle AIO Twin has hung into its Awards spot for another year, with its superb performance, competitive price and easy setup proving tough to beat. Get it at its lowest price of £599, but only in maple, blue or black finish.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

After reviewing Merlin’s excellent new Tarantula speaker cable earlier this year, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a listen to the partnering interconnect.

Having spent some time in its company, we’re glad we did. While the Tarantula RCA may not be the pinnacle of performance for interconnects at its price, it is still fine value and is based on solid engineering principles.

Build & design

The Merlin Tarantula RCA uses a four-core, opposing pair geometry (normally found in balanced designs) rather than a basic coaxial two-conductor build, as most rivals do. Merlin’s approach should lead to reduced noise levels and improved sound.

Each of the 99.99% pure oxygen-free copper conductors is wrapped in an XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) dielectric, which is generally recognised as offering lower losses than the more common PVC alternative.

That conductor core is shielded with a combination of an aluminium/Mylar foil and tinned-copper braid to minimise the effect of external electrical noise. The shield is connected at the source end, making the cable directional. The Tarantula RCA’s correct signal orientation is indicated by the blue bands at the source end, but also by the direction of the writing on the outer sheath.

Any internal vibrations are damped by what Merlin describes as ‘natural fillers’. Dealing with such mechanical issues may seem trivial, but the company claims it makes a significant difference when signal levels are small. Finally, the cable is hand-terminated with in-house RCA plugs that feature silver-plated contacts and PTFE insulation.

The Tarantula RCA makes a great first impression as we unpack it. It feels nicely made, and the RCA plugs are finished to a high standard. There is an XLR version of this cable available for those who need a balanced lead.

We try these Merlin interconnects in a range of systems from a Cyrus CDi CD player, Arcam A15+ amplifier and Epos ES-7N speakers to a Naim ND 555/555 PS DR streamer feeding PMC’s Cor integrated and driving a pair of ATC SCM50.

Our main cable comparison is the similarly-priced Chord Company ClearwayX ARAY Analogue RCA, a multiple Award-winning interconnect that has been the benchmark for a number of years now.

Sound

There are many people who don’t think cables make a difference, but that hasn’t been our experience. Even the best of the breed can’t improve the signal, but in our opinion they do preserve its integrity better. While we don’t feel that the Tarantula RCA is quite a class leader, it isn’t far off.

The character of this Merlin interconnect cable remains consistent as we swap it between our systems. By general price standards, it helps them deliver a clear, clean and balanced sound.

As we listen to Arvo Pärt’s Passio, we can’t help but be impressed by the scale of the presentation. There is certainly a greater sense of space compared with using the Chord ClearwayX, and the results are more tonally even.

The Tarantula RCA is a well-balanced design that doesn’t lend undue emphasis to any particular part of the frequency range. It is refined too; our systems’ highs retain plenty of bite but, once given a little time to settle, the Merlin cable avoids introducing any hint of harshness or edge, even with aggressive recordings.

We are impressed with our system’s midrange clarity and the unforced way the choir in this choral piece is reproduced when using the Tarantula RCA interconnect. There is a natural sense of dynamic flow and the ability to keep track of low-level instrumental strands, even when the music becomes dense.

The good news continues when we switch genres to Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope set. Here, we find our systems have plenty of punch and decent rhythmic drive. The song’s rich bassline has plenty of heft and decent agility while Jackson’s voice comes through with attitude intact.

Swapping the Merlin for its Chord Company rival reveals a little more midrange verve and greater grip over the lows. There is a slightly improved sense of musical momentum, too. Add these qualities together, and it is enough for the ClearwayX to remain our cable of choice at this level.

Verdict

That said, there remains much to like about the Tarantula RCA interconnect.

Merlin has designed a balanced and unfussy interconnect that will work well in a wide range of systems. Partner it with the excellent Tarantula speaker cable, and you will have a lovely consistency of sonic character through the system’s signal path. This interconnect is a solid effort that shouldn’t be ignored.

Review published: 22nd October 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

MORE:

Also read our Chord Company ClearwayX ARAY Analogue RCA review

Our pick of the best audio cables for a range of budgets

Sitting in the red plush seats of a big cinema screening as the lights go dark with your snack of choice perched in the cup rest; that’s the ideal evening activity for so many film fans.

But going to the cinema has got more and more expensive, making it harder to afford on a regular basis. Plus, it can feel like a bit of an isolating experience if you go on your own and don’t have a mate to chat about the movie afterwards.

That’s why film clubs are popping up all over the UK in an attempt to solve both of these issues. Will Mead is the founder of one in London, and set up Midweek Cinema just over three months ago.

Although it’s a new addition to the scene, the club has already amassed thousands of followers on Instagram and a loyal WhatsApp community group.

Like many of us, Will loves going to the pictures, especially the Prince Charles Cinema in central London. But he said that after finishing a film, there was not necessarily a space where you could easily socialise before or after.

“I just thought there could be something more,” Will says. That prompted him to set up his own club where attendees can talk to others after the screening at an affordable price.

He continues: “I always try to put some music on before and afterwards, and then people chat about the film.”

As you might expect from the name, the showings are usually held on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and a single ticket currently costs £10.50.

Finding the right equipment

To set up a film club, however, you have to have the right kit. “My mission was to get as close to a cinema experience in a non-cinematic environment,” says Will.

Will uses the Hisense C2 Ultra, which is a portable 4K projector with a handy built-in stand. He says: “I think it’s the best projector for what I’m doing,” especially considering it weighs just over 6kg.

You might think that the projector would be the hardest part of the setup, but it was the screen that actually posed the biggest challenge. Will needed a screen that could be folded so he could take it from venue to venue, but it still needed to be big enough and height-adjustable so everyone in the audience can see.

Light is also a strong consideration – but ambient light-rejecting screens present their own problems. “As far as I know, there’s not a foldable ambient light-rejecting screen on the market because they are so delicate.” Some can be folded “in a very precise way”, but he says he “needs something that can roll up and fold fairly quickly”.

Will notes that he ended up going for a “non-name brand” that was both foldable and height adjustable, as the latter was the most important consideration. “If you’ve got 20 or 30 people in the room, some of them won’t be able to see the bottom of the image in the second or third row,” he explains.

For the audio setup, he opts for a portable PA system that could fit into his bag so it was easy to take on the road.

Working with a range of venues presented its own problems too. “The audio in each room is really different, right?” Will says. “The surfaces are made out of different things, there’s a different amount of people each time, and the room requires quite a lot of setting up.”

Choosing the films

Before you can even think about showing films, there’s the admin of licensing to get sorted.

“If you want to show anything in public to an audience, you need a license. You need the right permissions from the distributor; that could be Warner Brothers or a very small distribution group,” says Will.

“Whatever film you want to put on, you have to find the distributor and see if you can get that permission,” he adds.

Once that’s done, Will can get to work choosing what films to show. “I do it based on what I think would be cool to watch,” he smiles.

“If you start looking at the box office or how many headlines it’s been in, it’s not so much fun, and you’re not choosing it for the right reasons.” That approach has resulted in a varied and eclectic selection of films that will come as a delight to even the most niche of cinephiles.

Some of his back catalogue ranges from the classic Taxi Driver to Gummo (a 1996 experimental sketch-comedy drama). And there are still plenty of movies that Will wants to show, including the 1980 release Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate.

Will explains that it is “super long”, but its history is what makes it especially interesting. “It came after The Deer Hunter [also directed by Cimino], which won loads of awards. He basically got given a blank cheque to make the film, and it is arguably what killed that era of film where they were giving loads of opportunities to young directors like Francis Ford Coppola,” he says.

Will tells us that he has recently been given access to the newly reopened Plaza Camden, which was thought to have closed its doors as a cinema back in February. But the venue is being given a new lease of life, and Midweek Cinema will be able to operate from a 72-seater cinema screen for some of the week.

“The aim is to show more things there, but keep the travelling cinema aspect,” Will says. “I’m called Midweek Cinema,” he continues, “but because of this, I’ll be able to do Fridays and Saturdays because pubs are very busy on those days.”

It's still early days for Will, but it seems that this new screen is the start of a bold new chapter for London’s latest film club.

MORE:

Check out our review of the Hisense C2 Ultra

These are the best projectors

And here is how to set up a projector screen

Last week was a big one for hi-fi and home cinema announcements, not least because we revealed the What Hi-Fi? Award winners for 2026.

But we also saw some big announcements from key brands too, with Apple, Cambridge Audio, NAD, Naim and Rega all launching products that we can’t wait to get into our test rooms.

Join us for a quick recap of all the key stories that you need to know about…

We announced 111 Award winners

After weeks of blood, sweat and tears, our team of expert reviewers took the wraps off the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026. We released the names of no fewer than 111 winning products across 24 hand-picked categories.

From turntables to TVs, speaker packages to stereo amplifiers, every single one is a worthy winner. All that’s left now is to announce the very best of the best, i.e. our Product of the Year winners for each category, at our special Awards night on the 12th November…

Read the full story:

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

Apple finally made the announcement we’d been waiting for

After what felt like years of waiting, Apple finally unveiled the latest iteration of its Apple TV 4K streaming box.

It’s promising big upgrades for picture and sound with the addition of a brand new video decoder and the ability to create a wireless four-speaker surround system using HomePod speakers.

Speaking of which, Apple also took the opportunity to announce the HomePod Mini 2. The latest version of its dinky smart speaker comes with a more powerful processor and is available in a range of new colours too.

Read the full story:

Apple finally unveils a new Apple TV 4K streamer – and it comes with major surround sound, picture and Siri AI upgrades

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

Cambridge Audio dropped a new deck

Turntables haven’t been a huge part of Cambridge Audio’s hi-fi offering in recent years, but last week the company took the wraps off a new £329 / $499 player, Spira.

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

It’s available in a range of colourful finishes to match the company’s L/R S active speakers, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one.

Read the full story:

Cambridge Audio’s new Spira turntable is “built to grow alongside” your record collection

Naim unveiled a huge all-in-one system

We’re huge fans of Naim’s Mu-so range of wireless music systems, so we were excited to see its brand new addition, the Mu-so Utopia, in the flesh for the first time last week.

As we said in our news story, “it combines Naim-powered amplification with trickle-down technology taken from Focal’s high-end series of Utopia loudspeakers”. It’s packed with streaming smarts, hi-res audio support and HDMI eARC, and you can read more in our hands-on review.

Read the full story:

Naim’s high-end all-in-one system boasts Dolby Atmos support alongside HDMI eARC and an expansive streaming suite

Hands on: Naim Mu-so Utopia review

Rega launched a new entry-level record player

Rega knows how to make a decent record player, so we were excited to see it launch a brand new entry-level deck boasting an all-new design. The Replay is a plug-and-play design and is attractively priced at just £259.

It features some of the core elements of its five-star Planar 1, including the platter and tonearm, but with a new minimalist plinth. Needless to say, this is another turntable our review team has its eye on, so stay tuned for our verdict.

Read the full story:

Rega’s new budget turntable wants to “remove all the paranoia and confusion” for vinyl newbies with a minimal plug-and-play design

NAD’s new matching hi-fi separates caught our eye

The sight of new electronics from a big hi-fi brand always gets us excited, so we were extremely pleased to see a press release for the C 359S streaming amp (£1099) and C 569 CD player (£749) appear in our inbox.

The C 359S brings streaming smarts to a traditional Class A/B amplifier design via Bluesound’s BluOS platform, while the C 569 uses NAD's Dynamic Digital Headroom (DDH) and QRONO d2a technologies in an attempt to bring out more detail and depth from your CD collection.

Read the full story:

Modern Classics: NAD unveils a new streaming amplifier and CD player in its Classic Series

MORE:

Our pick of the best CD players you can buy

And the best stereo amplifiers

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

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

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

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

East Of Eden (2026 –)

Words by Ioan Hazell

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

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

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

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

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

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma (2026)

Words by Alastair Stevenson

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

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

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

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

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

Stream Camp Miasma on MUBI

Pre-order Camp Miasma on 4k Blu-ray

Pearl (2022)

Words by Robyn Quick

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

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

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

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

Buy Pearl on 4K Blu-ray from HMV

Stream Pearl on Apple TV

The Social Network

Words by Lewis Empson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stream The Social Network on Apple TV

MORE:

Check out our list of the best 4K Blu-ray players

These are the best TVs you can buy right now

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, too

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

Hi-fi and home cinema fans, assemble! We’ve just revealed the Best Buy winners for the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026, in partnership with Richer Sounds.

That’s right, after months of rigorous comparative testing in our dedicated testing rooms, our reviewers have crowned our first set of winners.

• See all the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners

There are 111 winners across 24 categories, covering everything from affordable surround sound systems to high-end stereo amplifiers, budget turntables to premium televisions.

And if that wasn’t enough to get you excited, this is only the beginning of this year’s fun. As always, from this list of Best Buy winners will come our overall Products of the Year. We’ll crown these ultimate winners at our Awards ceremony, and simultaneously online, on 12th November.

We’ll also reveal the winners of our special categories at the event. These include the Outstanding Contribution winner, Readers’ Award, Innovation of the Year, and Hall of Fame.

Finally, as part of our 50th birthday celebrations, we also have three extra Golden Anniversary trophies this year, making the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 one of our biggest and most exciting to date.

You can follow along on our website and social media channels, where we’ll post all the winners as they’re announced.

Check out the full winners list

• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best TV winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best soundbar winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best standmount speakers winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best floorstanding speakers winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best turntable winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best wireless speakers winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best wired headphones winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best Blu-ray players winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best projectors winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best music streamers winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best CD players winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best radios winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best speaker packages winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best tablets winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best stereo amplifiers winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best wireless headphones winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best TV and video streamers winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best DACs winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best smartphones winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best portable music players winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best music systems winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best streaming services winners
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 best accessories winners

• Check out our best phono stages buying guide

We are one day away from announcing the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 Best Buy winners. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the majority of last week, our team of experts was locked in our review rooms, crossing the Ts and dotting the Is for this year’s testing.

But as the final round of this year’s hi-fi and home cinema battle royale played out, a couple of news stories broke that any discerning music or movie fan should be aware of.

Amazon ran a sales event – it wasn’t great

Last week Amazon ran a Prime Big Deal Days event on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our team of experts searched high and low for the top AV deals and, sadly, outside of a couple of exceptions, it was slim pickings, especially for hi-fi fans.

Thankfully, we have another big sale rapidly approaching, in the shape of Black Friday, which is set to happen at the end of November. As always, if there’s a specific product you’re looking to buy, let us know, and we’ll keep a particularly keen eye out for good deals on it.

Read the full story: I test hi-fi for a living and recommend audiophiles skip the Prime Day sales and upgrade during Black Friday instead

Magico launched entry-level, high-end speakers

Yes, the phrases entry-level and high-end sound a bit weird next to each other, but that’s exactly what Magico’s A3 2027 floorstanders are. Featuring a new chassis, upgraded drivers and a redesigned crossover, the A3 2027 is a refined version of the A3, which first launched all the way back in 2017. Despite being set to retail for £28,998 per pair (around $38,000 / AU$55,000), the A3 2027 still sit at the lower end of the high-end audio firm’s range of floorstanders.

Read the full story: Magico's A3 2027 refines every part of the original A3 speaker, with a new cabinet, drivers and crossover – but costs over twice as much

We found a diamond in the rough 5.1 surround sound package

2026 has been a tough year for home cinema fans on a tight budget, with not one but two of the more affordable packages we long recommended in our best surround sound systems guide going to the audio farm in the sky.

Thankfully, last week, we finally found a replacement for one of them in the shape of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP. Built around the firm’s entry-level Diamond 12.1i standmount speakers, the £999 package delivers a nicely cohesive and entertaining performance. As we said in our review:

“Wharfedale’s Diamond speaker series offers exceptional value for money, and the 12.1i HCP’s detailed, cohesive and dynamic sound is further proof.”

Read our full Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i HCP review

Rega strikes turntable gold (again)

Last week we finally finished reviewing the Rega Planar 6 RS Edition, a turntable we’ve been excited about for quite some time.

The idea’s simple: take the Award-winning Planar 6 turntable as a starting point and then add elements from the next-tier-up Planar 8 model.

What’s the result? A sublime LP spinner capable of delivering a wonderfully expressive, but precise and authoritative, sound. As we said in our review:

“Rega’s ‘RS’ spin on a more premium model is a thrilling success: it looks great, it sounds great, and it’s great value – what’s not to love?”

Read our full Rega Planar 6 RS Edition review

MORE:
These are the best turntables we’ve tested

We rank the best floorstanding speakers

Our picks of the best surround sound speaker packages

Yes, Amazon Prime Day (or Prime Big Deal Days) has been and gone.

But that doesn't mean the deals have ended. Some are still live, new ones have sprung out of the woodwork, and some old classics are stubbornly clinging to their lowest prices.

Now that Prime Day is over, we're firmly on the road to Black Friday and peak shopping season, so we're going to see plenty of great deals over the coming weeks.

This week, we've got a trifecta of five-star TVs, an Award-winning soundbar system back to its lowest price and long-running headphones seeing a new low now that their successor is available.

As always, these are all products our team of experts have reviewed and rated themselves. We've been giving buying advice for 50 years, and we only recommend the best.

Let's take a look:

We only tested the 48-inch LG C6 last week, but we've already spotted a tasty discount. It's a stellar set and a night-and-day upgrade over the older C5, with significantly higher peak brightness, more balanced colours and better colour volume. Use the code GDTV50 to save £50 and then claim 10 per cent cashback from LG to get this deal price – cashback deals are here.

Prime Day may have ended, but this Amazon device deal is still going strong, perhaps due to the imminent arrival of the Amazon Alexa Tablet. The Fire HD 8 64GB was already incredible value at full price, so it's an absolute steal with 48 per cent off. The 32GB model is also available for £50 at Currys if you don't mind collecting it yourself.

Our TV and AV editor has long named the Sony Bravia 8 II as the best OLED around, but it's now been pipped by the Samsung S99H. It might be the best TV we've ever tested, thanks to its dazzlingly bright highlights, awesome contrast and excellent three-dimensional depth. Use the promo code RSTV100 and then claim £150 back from Samsung to get this price – full details here.

The Hisense AX125H is an Award-winner and perhaps the biggest Dolby Atmos bargain around, offering an immersive, fun and enthralling experience for under £200. If you're short on cash, this is the system to get.

The Sony WH-CH720N is a What Hi-Fi? favourite, routinely getting a recommendation during the sales and winning one of our coveted Awards. It's now at its lowest ever price, but only in pink. Its successor, the five-star Sony WH-CH730N, is now available and features several sonic upgrades, but will set you back nearly twice as much.

The TCL C8L earned five stars from our expert TV reviewers only days ago, so a 20 per cent discount is very welcome indeed. Use the code TCL20PERCENT to nab a Mini LED TV with outstandingly bright, colourful picture quality, advanced local dimming and great gaming performance.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

It's finally October, and despite the unseasonably warm and sunny start to the month, everyone at What Hi-Fi? is gearing up for a cosy autumn. After a manic September where we listened to dozens of new products for our annual What Hi-Fi? Awards, we're now just a week away from announcing the 2026 Best Buy winners – tune in next Tuesday, 13th October, to find out!

We have plenty of reviews coming up in the meantime, from an affordable set of wired in-ears to £20,000 Italian floorstanders. We're also testing JBL's Sonos-rivalling wireless speakers, a successor to an Award-winning hi-res music player, and trying the best combination of rear surrounds and subwoofer to complete the five-star Sony Bravia Theatre Trio system.

As ever, if you have any questions about the products we're testing, drop us a comment below or email us at whathifi@futurenet.com, and we'll do our best to swiftly answer. For now, enjoy a little peek into the hi-fi and home cinema products we've got in our test rooms this month.

Sonus Faber Olympica III G3

Sonus Faber makes some beautiful speakers. Especially at the high-end level, the Italian hi-fi brand's speakers are hand-crafted with utmost care – and the new Olympica III G3 is no exception. These floorstanding speakers feature acoustic technology derived from the flagship Suprema system – such as the irregular-shaped, unpainted Camelia midrange driver that promises "exceptional clarity, transparency, and vocal realism".

These are the third-generation versions of the Olympica range, and the floorstanders we have in for testing cost a pretty penny at £20,000 / $24,000 per pair. Landing firmly in the 'Temptation' category, we can't wait to hear if they live up to expectations.

Sennheiser CX 80U

Wired earbuds are booming in popularity, and they have evolved from their 3.5mm versions to feature a USB-C connection, so they can be plugged into any modern smartphone, laptop, tablet or games console with a USB-C input.

We have Sennheiser's CX 80U wired in-ear headphones in for testing, whose USB-C connection offers low-latency, lossless music playback, with the internal DAC supporting native files up to 24-bit/96kHz.

Costing just £35 / $40, can this affordable Sennheiser model take on the long-running, Award-winning SoundMagic E11C or five-star E80D in-ears?

Astell & Kern PD5

Astell & Kern's A&norma SR35 has been another favourite of ours, nabbing a What Hi-Fi? Award for the best portable music player three years in a row since its release in 2023. We have its successor, the Astell & Kern PD5, in our hands right now, and have been putting it through the paces and comparing it with our old favourite.

Along with a price jump to £899, the premium PD5 sports a simplified redesign, boasts eight hours longer battery life and double the number of DACs compared with its predecessor, and promises to deliver even better sound than before.

It's decked out with exhaustive file compatibility – up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM, native DSD256, aptX and LDAC for wireless – and you can download Tidal and Qobuz onto the compact player, too. Will it continue to lead the field, despite the rise in price? We shall soon find out.

JBL Cove X1

JBL has been dominating the portable Bluetooth speaker category with its Go, Flip, Charge and Xtreme models, but now it has set its sights on the wireless multi-room home speaker category. That's right, JBL is taking on Sonos with its new Cove wireless speaker range, with the flagship of the range – the Cove X1 – in our test rooms right now.

The Cove X1 features six drivers and supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio, with support for AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Bluetooth and all the popular music streaming services. JBL boasts easy connectivity and quick set-up as the things that set the Cove apart from its rivals. Costing £430 / $450 / AU$650, the Cove X1 goes directly up against the five-star Sonos Era 300 (£499 / $449 / AU$749) – we can't wait to hear how it performs.

Dali Sonik 5 5.1 speaker package

Dali’s new Sonik range has been something of a revelation in hi-fi terms, with both the Sonik 1 and Sonik 5 having scored five-star ratings as stereo pairs. One would expect, therefore, that a 5.1 speaker package that features both speakers would be similarly impressive.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the two speakers will work together harmoniously, and there’s always a chance that the centre (the Sonik Cinema) or subwoofer (the E-9F) could upset the balance, which is why we’re testing the system as a whole (costing £2199 in total) this month.

Sony Bravia Theatre Trio + Rear 9 and Sub 9

When we tested Sony’s Bravia Theatre Trio, which is essentially a soundbar deconstructed into centre, left and right speakers, we also gave it a try with the optional Rear 9 speakers and Sub 8 subwoofer. We found this full system to be close to perfect for its purpose and price, but theorised that a swap from the Sub 8 to the Sub 9 would solve the last remaining imperfections.

Well, this month, we’re putting that theory to the test…

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Read our PMC MB2 SE review

Counterfeit vinyl is a massive problem for us all, for this very simple reason

Ask The Reader: what's the first record you play when you christen a new turntable?

It's been another busy week in the world of hi-fi and home cinema. We know it can be a struggle to stay on top of all of the news, reviews and big announcements, but don’t worry, we have rounded up all the key happenings below, in our weekly Rewind news digest!

Technics had a major new product announcement

We had one big Technics announcement last week, and it wasn’t a turntable! Following a successful attempt at premium wireless earbuds courtesy of the EAH-AZ100, the brand has turned its attention to wireless headphones and launched the EAH-A1000.

We’ve had them in our test room and in our Technics EAH-A1000 review said the “comfortable design and smooth, detailed sound result in a classy, appealing pair of premium headphones”. Our Hi-Fi and Audio Editor Kashfia Kabir also sat down for a chat with the acoustic team behind the headphones to discuss the driver technology used inside them.

Read our full Technics EAH-A1000 review

Read the full story: "This is the headphone we set out to create from the very beginning" – a closer look at the development of the new driver technology inside the premium Technics EAH-A1000 wireless headphones

Bose brings back wired headphones

Wired earbuds are back. Well, that’s the rumour and it appears to be gaining traction with one of the biggest brands in earbuds getting involved in the action.

As you’d expect from Bose, the aptly named Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds aren’t just a simple pair of in-ears, they also have the company’s ANC tech onboard, which will hopefully stop the drone of everyday life ruining your favourite playlists. They connect via USB-C with playback output fixed at 24-bit/48kHz.

And at £99 / $99 / AU$170, Bose seems to have picked a particularly neat pricepoint – we’re looking forward to getting a pair in our test rooms to see how they stack up in what has recently been a wireless world.

Read the full story: Bose’s new Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds aim to “set a new standard for what wired earbuds can be”

Amazon dropped a new Fire Stick

Amazon’s Fire Sticks have built a reputation for offering streaming convenience for not a lot of cash and the retail giant recently unveiled its most recent offering, the new Fire TV Stick 4K. Amazon is promising “crisp 4K resolution and a fast experience” and its arrival sees the old Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and Fire TV Stick 4K Select go to that big electronics recycle bin in the sky.

The streaming stick also supports 1080p and 720p resolution at up to 60 frames per second, comes with 8 GB internal storage, a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, and supports both Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. Disappointingly, there’s no Dolby Vision or Atmos support on the list of specifications.

Read the full story: Amazon’s new Fire Stick promises to be faster and slimmer – but its pricing has us scratching our heads

Panasonic unveiled a couple of micro machines

There was a time when micro hi-fi systems ruled the world. Well, maybe not the world but possibly a few living rooms and bedrooms. And last week Panasonic delivered not one blast from the past but two. The SC-PMX112 and SC-PM302 cost £270 and £120 respectively and come with TFT colour displays and speakers for a simple, all-in-one solution.

The PM302 offers 60W of power, CD and USB playback plus Bluetooth, DAB+ and FM radio. The PMX112 adds dual-band wi-fi, Spotify Connect and internet radio to the mix. We’ve still got a soft spot for systems like this – the Denon D-M41DAB is a long-time favourite of ours and a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award winner – so we can’t wait to see how both Panasonics stack up.

Read the full story: Little or large? Panasonic launches two new micro hi-fi systems, including a mini-me for smaller spaces and budgets

MORE:

Here's our pick of the best hi-fi systems you can buy

And the best wireless headphones for every budget

Yes, Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale isn't technically until Tuesday, 6th October, but the savings have already started.

All the usual Amazon devices are at rock-bottom prices already, and we've also seen some healthy drops on several projectors too.

Not to be outdone, we're also seeing discounts at other retailers on everything from dissected soundbars to RGB Mini LED TVs.

Whatever product you're after, all the models covered below have been tried and tested by our expert review team. Everything below has earned at least four stars and comes recommended by the What Hi-Fi? team.

Take a look below:

We've only tested the KEF Kube 12 subwoofer as part of the Award-winning KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 Speaker System, but we were big fans of how the system handled bass. It's bulky but brilliant, so this £200 discount is well worth considering if you have the space. It's also available at Peter Tyson with a free Fell Audio 3-metre subwoofer cable.

The AWOL Vision Aetherion Max is great value for what it offers, with outstanding picture quality, good built-in audio and an impressive feature set to match. You'll have to be quick, though, as only a certain number of units are available at this price!

The three-piece speaker design of the Sony Bravia Trio results in a bigger, more immersive soundstage than a regular soundbar, and delivers convincing Dolby Atmos effects. You can also claim an extra £200 cashback from Sony – full Ts and Cs are here.

The Soundcore Nebula P1 boasts the best sound we have heard from a coffee table projector at this price, and the clever, compact design makes it highly practical. You'll need to be a Prime member to access this deal, but it's a highly compelling choice with nifty detachable speakers.

Alexa devices are a Prime Day staple now, and the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is dutifully back down to its lowest price, whether you're a Prime member or not. The small speaker is packed with smart home features, but we're more impressed by the surprisingly expansive sound that you get for the money.

The Sony Bravia 7 II is one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested, with its RGB Mini LED panel producing vibrant, natural and balanced colours. To get this deal price, use the code GDTV50 to save £50 and then claim £150 cashback from Sony – full details are here.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

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

Believe it or not, Prime Day started out as a single day of deals back in 2015.

Nowadays, Prime Day not only covers several days, but is also held several times a year – and Prime Big Deal Days, or 'October Prime Day' will be upon us momentarily.

However, in true Prime Day fashion, the deals have started early. All the usual suspects are here, including rock-bottom pricing on Amazon's own devices, but we've also spotted a slew of savings on terrific projectors and earbuds.

We've sifted through the clutter to find the best products that we've tried and tested ourselves. Everything below has been given the thumbs up by our expert review team, having earned at least four stars or more – and perhaps even a What Hi-Fi? Award.

We're sure to see even more deals on the actual event itself – but here is some of the best on offer now:

Alexa devices are a Prime Day staple now, and the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is dutifully back down to its lowest price, whether you're a Prime member or not. The Alexa functionality is stuffed with features, but we're more impressed with the sound quality, which has come a long way over the last decade.

Our favourite outdoor projector, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air is another regular in the Amazon sales. It's incredibly easy to set up, well-built and offers picture and sound quality that's a cut above the competition, though you'll need a Prime membership to access this deal.

It's not a Prime Day sale without a good Fire TV Stick deal. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation) is our video streamer Product of the Year thanks to its solid value, decent picture quality and flawless app support.

The AWOL Vision Aetherion Max is great value for what it offers, with outstanding picture quality, good built-in audio and an impressive feature set to match. Now at its lowest price, it's quite the steal given just how good it looks. There are limited units at this price, so you'll want to claim this before they're gone.

The Amazon Ember QLED with Fire TV offers a sharp and detailed picture with minimal fuss, as well as audio that defies expectations. It’s a good value TV that just became a great one thanks to a truly hefty discount.

The Xgimi Mogo 4 packs big entertainment into one dinky package. Its compact, lightweight design and easy set-up make it highly portable, but its sharp and punchy picture quality is its most welcome feature.

The Earfun Air are the cheapest five-star headphones we recommend, and we still recommend them six years after our first review. We've seen them this cheap outside of Prime Day, but at just over £20 they're well worth picking up if you're already a Prime member.

The Soundcore Nebula P1 boasts the best sound we have heard from a coffee table projector at this price, and its clever, compact design makes it highly practical. The picture performance isn't quite at the same level, but it's still a compelling choice overall if you're a Prime member.

The Award-winning Sony WF-C710N offer a great sense of musicality, fulsome, controlled bass and 30 hours of battery life. You don't have to be a Prime member to get this deal, and you can save £10 when bought with another qualifying item.

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17 of the best podcasts for music lovers

Tidal vs Spotify: which streaming service is best for you?