When testing entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbars, there’s one Award-winning model that all new entrants must compete with: the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
Since it burst onto the scene in 2021, the five-star soundbar has blown away the competition with its refined delivery of both movie soundtracks and stereo music.
We have been waiting patiently for a new model for ages now, and the time has finally come.
The Sonos Beam Ultra isn’t a replacement for the Beam Gen 2, but an upgraded model that will sit above it, and the big news is that, unlike its sibling, the Ultra sports dedicated up-firing speakers to aid in its delivery of Dolby Atmos sound.
In fact, the Beam Ultra has nine drivers in total – four more than the Beam Gen 2. These are arranged in what Sonos says is a 7.1.2-channel configuration.
The Ultra is launching on 29th September for £699 / $699 / AU$1099. That price puts it between the Beam Gen 2 (£449 / $449 / AU$649) and the also Award-winning Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799).
As with both of those sibling soundbars, the Beam Ultra can be upgraded through the addition of surrounds and/or a subwoofer, and you can easily jump from out-loud to personal listening if you also have a pair of Sonos’s Ace or new Ace Ultra headphones.
This is all great stuff on paper, but how does the Beam Ultra actually sound? We got a chance to hear it during a demo session in Berlin, and it certainly sounds promising.
(Image credit: Future)
Of course, we will save our final verdict until we get the bar into our acoustically treated test room for extensive, comparative testing, but these are our first impressions.
The demo kicked off with a Dolby Atmos mix of Harry Styles’ Ready, Steady, Go!. Harry’s vocals were clear, direct and expressive, immediately drawing us into the track.
The instrumentals were well placed around the soundfield, too, with the guitar plucking featured in the mid-section delivered with a strong sense of precision.
Next, we got a taste of how the soundbar performs with movies. Watching the scene in Sinners when Sammie summons spirits from the past, present and future, the up-firing drivers worked their magic and the sound could be felt well above the TV screen.
When the track I Lied To You reached its crescendo, it created a room-filling experience that was very impressive considering the size of the bar.
From our first listen, the bass was not the deepest, but the soundbar delivered refined and detailed lower frequencies that gave the demo scenes a strong foundation.
In terms of design, the bar is impressively lightweight and has a compact footprint. There are perforated grilles at the top of the soundbar for the up-firing drivers, and these look quite stylish. On the lip of the Beam Ultra you will find volume and Bluetooth controls, as well as play and pause 'buttons'.
As mentioned, we will of course wait until we have fully reviewed the new bar in our dedicated test room before we deliver our final verdict, but during this initial listening session, the Beam Ultra made all the right noises.
The big question is whether it's the perfect halfway house between the Beam Gen 2 and Arc Ultra or a soundbar stranded in no man's land between two awesome Award-winners. We should be in a position to answer that question very soon.
Sonos has finally launched a new version of its Award-winning Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar.
The new Beam Ultra was unveiled at a pre-launch press event today and sits in the same family as the more premium Arc Ultra, which came out in 2024.
The “mid-size soundbar” boasts a 7.1.2-channel configuration. This includes two up-firing drivers.
The up-firing drivers are a key upgrade over the older Beam Gen 2, which didn't feature them.
Despite the upgrade, there is still no DTS:X support. The omission isn't a huge surprise, as none of the company’s soundbars features it, but it is a bit of a shame for those wanting comprehensive surround sound options.
When asked whether Sonos would add DTS:X in the future, Senior Director of Product Development at Sonos, Brandon Holley told us: "The door isn't closed for us, but just in terms of delivering the value that we think our customers are specifically asking for, that's what Beam Ultra has today."
The Beam Ultra also features a redesigned centre channel and four levels of AI Speech Enhancement to help it deliver clearer dialogue.
There’s also a Night Sound setting if you don’t want to disturb the neighbours, which should compress the bar's dynamic range. Once again, the firm's Trueplay calibration is on hand to fine-tune the sound to your space.
You can also link the Beam Ultra with other Sonos products to create a multi-room listening experience, including the newly announced Sonos Ace Ultra over-ear headphones.
(Image credit: Sonos)
Holley added that the firm has worked to ensure the Beam Ultra delivers better audio with music, telling us: "We treat music as important as we do home theatre performance, and so we want it to sound great musically as a soundbar as well."
That's something we found to be true with Sonos' previous models, so we are hopeful it will be the same with the new addition.
The Beam Ultra will be available in two finishes (black and white) and you can mount the bar to your wall or simply place it in front of your TV. We don't have its full dimensions yet, but Holley told us that the Beam Ultra has been intentionally designed not to block the TV screen, even if it is sitting on the surface.
So, how much will the new soundbar set you back? In the UK, the Beam Ultra will launch at £699 (around $946 / AU$1320). That means it sits between the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799 and £449 / $449 / AU$649, respectively. The base Beam Gen 2 will remain on sale, sitting below the Ultra in Sonos' range.
We haven't managed to get the Beam Ultra into our test room yet, but we should have a chance to get up close with it very soon at the IFA trade show in Berlin. Watch this space.
Another month, another set of home cinema products to review. We have been treated to a variety of models, from 4K projectors to Dolby Atmos soundbars.
But all of that needs to be tested with the very best movies and TV shows. We've got quite the range in our monthly Now Showing column for you, including old-school horror and one major new release that we can't wait to get into the test room.
Without further ado, here are our current top picks for testing.
X the Unknown (1956)
Words by Robyn Quick
If you’re a horror fan, then the cult classic X the Unknown is certainly one to add to your list. Released way back in 1956, it uncovers the cause of a string of mysterious deaths on a military base in rural Scotland. The culprit? A sentient blob simply called 'X'.
Its oozing presence is surprisingly disturbing as it terrorises the nearby sleepy town. The blob’s powers extend to burning and melting skin, which makes for unsettling viewing via the movie's tangible practical effects.
Hammer has just released a 70th anniversary collector's edition of the film in 4K, and it's a brilliant restoration. The crisp and detailed picture looks like it could have been shot yesterday, even in black and white.
There’s no Dolby Atmos, but the 5.1 mix is still a good test of your sound system to hear how it handles the dramatic soundtrack filled with brassy stings.
I might be the last person in the country to do so, but I finally made my own personal pilgrimage to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Honestly, Odysseus got home quicker than I managed to pop down to my local cinema to see 2026’s biggest release.
Well, second biggest, but I wasn’t in the mood for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
What else is there to say about one of the most discussed films in recent memory? The first feature-length movie ever to be shot exclusively using IMAX cameras, Nolan’s epic has all of the sweeping scope and fantastical spectacle you’d hope for from an adaptation of what is arguably Western literature’s most definitive tale, all while keeping the narrative grounded in its very human roots.
Ok, you won’t get the full benefit of IMAX if you’re just watching at your local picture house, but there’s still so much to be said for immersing yourself in that half-mythical world with a decent-sized screen and a full-blooded surround sound system, if only to enjoy Ludwig Göransson’s enchanting, earthy and often eerie masterwork of a score.
Odysseus took a total of 20 years to get back from the Trojan War. The least you can do is drive 15 minutes to the cinema to watch The Odyssey.
Like seeing craggy Ithaca once again, it’s totally worth it.
Once a surprise breakout and now a critical darling and recipient of more than a few controversial Emmys in the comedy category, the stress-inducing culinary show The Bear struggled after its first two stellar seasons, with the third and fourth helpings suffering from meandering plotlines, distracting celebrity cameos and a lack of focus.
There’s clearly been a conscious decision to change things for this fifth and final serving, however. The first change is visual, with the show shifting to a widescreen look shot with anamorphic lenses. There’s a plot reason, however – gone are the tight, claustrophobic close-ups of Carmy’s chaotic reign, and in is a wider, more teamwork-oriented framing as the kitchen staff start to bond under Sydney’s more measured leadership.
Hans Zimmer is yet another welcome addition, making a rare crossover to the world of television with a jittery, peppery score that is perfect for the stressful goings-on of a high-end Chicago kitchen on a spectacularly busy night. And while there’s still no Atmos support, the clinking of cutlery and a season-long rainstorm give the surrounds a surprising amount of work this time around.
The third big change? The Bear’s final season all takes place over one particularly dramatic and stormy day. It may be better off binged as, in true The Bear fashion, we have a few aimless early episodes.
However, it all builds to one truly captivating, satisfying and occasionally nail-biting final service, as pretty much every character gets to wrap up their character arc and showcase five seasons of growth. Chef’s kiss.
A new entry-level addition to Samsung’s S26 range of premium smartphones has arrived – meet the S26 FE.
The new model sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s slightly bigger than the 6.3in screen used in its more expensive sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S26.
In terms of peak brightness, the S26 FE can go up to 1900 nits, and when we had a chance to get up close with pre-production models during Samsung’s launch event, its display seemed colourful yet balanced while watching test footage under bright lighting.
This is most likely helped by the Samsung Vision Booster, a technology that improves screen visibility and colour reproduction.
We'll have to see the phone under natural outdoor lighting to see how it truly performs, but we are hoping its well-sized screen and solid specs could make it a promising contender for movie lovers on the go.
Its camera setup includes a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom on the back of the phone. At the front, you will spot a 12MP selfie camera at the top.
The S26 FE also offers 45W charging, which the brand claims can get your phone to 70 per cent in half an hour. You can get up to 28 hours of video playback from a single charge, which is only two hours less than the S26.
The processor has been given a boost, offering Exynos 2500. That’s still not on par with the more premium Exynos 2600 found in the standard S26, but it is an upgrade from the previous FE iteration. On top of that, the new model also runs on Android 17 and offers seven generations of updates.
(Image credit: Future)
The phone weighs in at 193g and, based on our first impression, it seems impressively lightweight and well-built.
The S26 FE will set you back £699 for the 128GB model, £799 for 256GB of storage and £949 for the top 512GB handset. This is slightly higher than the previous S25 FE, which started at £649 for the cheapest model, but that could be down to the RAM crisis, which has hiked up smartphone prices across the board.
There are three colours to choose from: Pistachio, Graphite and Blueberry.
When we reviewed the top-of-the-range Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, we were dazzled by its feature-packed software experience and contrast-rich picture. If the S26 FE can offer a chunk of that five-star performance for a fraction of the price, then it could be a great contender for film fans on the move.
Sony has announced the newest addition to its budget line of smartphones – enter the Sony Xperia 10 VIII.
It offers a handful of upgrades over its predecessor, the Xperia 10 VII, and follows on from the Award-winning Xperia 10 VI.
The new model boasts a claimed peak brightness that is double that of the previous smartphone to deliver “improved visibility even outdoors”, although Sony has not disclosed the exact figures.
The Japanese brand also claims that the stereo speaker system (made up of the earpiece and a bottom-firing speaker) features “revised tuning”, which will supposedly deliver “improved volume and sound quality”.
Sony says that volume is boosted by 15 per cent and these speakers can also output 30 per cent stronger bass than the previous model.
There are still a fair few similarities with its older sibling, though. Like the VII model, it runs on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 with 8GB of RAM, and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery that Sony claims can last for up to two days.
Resolution and size have also stayed the same, with a 6.1-inch screen with a 2340 x 1080 OLED display.
The camera set-up is familiar too, with the 10 VIII sporting a 50-megapixel main and 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens on the back, as well as an 8-megapixel selfie camera.
We are glad to see that the 3.5 mm aux jack has stuck around, and cements Sony as one of the best for audio features in the smartphone market.
You can choose from three colour finishes for the Xperia VIII: Frozen White, Frosted Grey and Misted Lilac.
The Xperia 10 VIII is launching at £549 in the UK, making it £150 more expensive than its predecessor.
That would feel more warranted if there were more hefty upgrades, but it’s a hard sell considering it has the same chipset and camera. That said, the ongoing RAM crisis is likely the cause, with smartphone prices rising across the board.
We're eager to find out if Sony has delivered another five-star budget portable AV machine, so stay tuned for our full review.
Bose has released the most premium addition to its home cinema roster – the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar – and it is aiming to take on all-comers at this elevated price. The US brand claims that it can offer “a listening experience that shatters any perceived limits of a soundbar-only set-up”.
Those are some big expectations to meet, but can it outperform the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra? Let’s just say that our current front-runner has been left untroubled by its latest competitor.
Price
(Image credit: Bose)
The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is priced at £1000 / $1099 / AU$1800, which places it firmly against the Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799).
The Sonos rival is not only a five-star product, but it’s also the current class-leader, having picked up a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2025 for its troubles. If you want the best Dolby Atmos soundbar we’ve tested at this level, the Sonos is the one to beat.
Another close rival is the Sony Theatre Bar 9, which started life more expensive than the Bose when it launched a couple of years ago, but has dropped from £1399 / $1400 / AU$1795 to around the £999 mark if you shop around.
There is the option to upgrade the Bose soundbar to a 7.1.4-channel system by adding a pair of wireless speakers (£300 / $299 / AU$545 each) and one subwoofer (£900 / $899 / AU$1295). We reviewed the former (the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker) in July this year as a standalone wireless speaker, where it received a three-star rating.
Here, though, we are looking at the bar on its own.
Design
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The Bose bar has a premium-feeling design befitting its price thanks to a stylish glass top and textured-knit fabric (available in either a black or white smoke finish).
Built into the glass top is a dial to adjust volume, which allows you to control music playback and volume via a combination of tapping and sliding your finger around the inner edge clockwise (volume up) or anti-clockwise (volume down).
Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar tech specs
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Connectivity HDMI eARC, Bluetooth 5.3, wi-fi
Format support Dolby Atmos
Streaming? Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
Dimensions (hwd) 7 x 109 x 12 cm
Weight 7kg
That all makes it stand out from the crowd, as we have seen our fair share of non-descript black plastic rectangles pass through the test room.
As you would hope from a premium soundbar, there are a variety of drive units packed into the body. The nine drive units include one full-range 6cm up-firing driver at either end of the bar, which fires sound up at 90 degrees to add height and immersion to movie soundtracks. Note that this means the bar isn’t suited to being under a shelf with a TV above, as this will block the sound.
Across the front of the bar are four full-range ‘racetrack’ drivers that measure around 75mm wide, and two of Bose’s 20cm PhaseGuide drivers, which use special processing to fill in any gaps in the soundfield. There’s also a 25mm centre tweeter for dialogue.
On the rear, you’ll find two of Bose’s QuietPorts, which work with the company’s CleanBass technology and internal digital signal processing (DSP). The brand claims this can deliver low frequencies in a deep, controlled way with minimal distortion.
The bar looks at home next to our 55-inch screen, although it would fit equally as well with a 65- or 75-inch model.
Features
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
There’s no remote control in the box, so you will find yourself relying on the Bose app a fair bit. It offers an intuitive and simple overall experience, letting us set up the bar without much of a fuss.
From here, you can adjust the volume, input, and you can calibrate the soundbar to your space. This is done via the built-in microphones in the bar, and takes just a few minutes. During the process, the soundbar outputs a few test tones to adjust to the space. The soundbar’s presentation improves in scale and clarity once we go through the calibration process, so this is something well worth doing.
In terms of physical connectivity, you are limited to an Ethernet and a single, eARC-compatible HDMI socket. It’s a shame Bose hasn’t seen fit to include any additional HDMI inputs, as it limits the flexibility of your set-up, but this criticism can (and is) also aimed at the Sonos Arc Ultra.
Wi-fi is onboard, and streaming comes via Google Cast, Apple AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect. The soundbar also supports Bluetooth 5.3. Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect are not supported by the soundbar (or Lifestyle Ultra Speaker) yet, but we have been assured that these are in the pipeline.
There are no preset modes for movies or music, but you can manually adjust the centre, surround and height channels on the app.
Sound
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Let’s start with the positives. The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar offers a nicely balanced sound that makes for easy listening.
When watching F1: The Movie, the bassy revving of engines as cars zoom around the race track does not stand out from the rest of the frequencies and blends seamlessly. There is a decent amount of weight and power in the Ultra’s bass performance, and it gives the soundtrack a firm foundation.
Dialogue is clean and relatively clear, as we can hear every word during the tense racing scene at the start of the film, even through the crackling headsets of the pit crew.
There is a fairly good sense of detail as we continue with the scene, as the beeping of the vehicle tracker and the scuffle of the pit crew are clear without being distracting. It’s certainly an improvement on the vast majority of TV speakers, and longer listening periods do not make for a fatiguing experience.
However, the Bose soundbar is not without its flaws. The synth-heavy soundtrack and revving engine should grow into an exciting crescendo. But the Bose bar’s timid handling of dynamics results in a flat performance that doesn’t create a sense of anticipation.
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Given that this is a Dolby Atmos soundbar, there is not a great sense of scale, either. Watching Blade Runner 2049 when Joi experiences rain for the first time, the width of the sound does not extend much further than the length of our 55-inch Samsung S90H TV screen. The limited sense of height doesn’t make for an immersive experience, either: the rain should be heard overhead, but instead the drops are locked to the screen.
In an attempt to fix this, we go into the app’s audio settings and turn the height and surround channels to their maximum levels. This helps to create a wider sense of space, but the increase in scale information isn’t as obvious as it should be.
Later, as the holographic adverts pop up on the street, the Bose fails to locate individual sounds with any great focus compared with a class-leading rival such as the Sonos Arc Ultra.
We switch to Tidal via Bluetooth to test the Bose’s musical chops. Compared with the Arc Ultra, there isn't a great deal of detail with Yiso Horikawa’s Bubbles. This track starts with a series of bouncing balls of all types, resulting in a cacophony of textures that make for a stern audio test. The Bose struggles here, lacking the insight and precision to differentiate the range of sounds.
Verdict
(Image credit: Bose)
The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar offers a premium-looking design that stands out from the crowd. Its audio performance may be undemanding to listen to, but at such a premium price, that is not enough to earn our recommendation. We also demand punch, dynamism and immersion, and in these regards the Bose is sadly lacking.
When a rival such as the Sonos Arc Ultra achieves so much more for the same price, it’s clear that the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is no more than an also-ran in this particular race.
If you try to book Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in glorious IMAX 70mm as a last-minute trip to the pictures, you'll most likely be disappointed. Take a look at the BFI IMAX's booking page for the film, and you will see that showings are fully booked until the end of September.
There are other ways to watch it in the cinema (including Dolby Vision or standard IMAX), but our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, rated his experience with IMAX 70mm highly, going so far as to report:
“Perhaps surprisingly, I’m not usually one to make the effort for IMAX, but with The Odyssey being the first movie to be shot entirely in 65mm, I felt a trip to the Science Museum’s IMAX screen was justified [...] I wasn’t wrong: while the movie itself sits in around 7/10 territory for me, as a cinematic experience, it was a clear 10/10.”
So if you want the best experience possible, IMAX 70mm is the way to go, and you are currently out of luck.
But as a silver lining, if you have been holding out to watch the film from the comfort of your own home, there is some good news. The Odyssey will be released on 4K Blu-ray and digital on the same day: the 17th of November.
That date is just for US viewers, so those of us in the UK and Australia will have to hang on a little longer to find out when we can watch the epic at home.
It’s rare for a film to be released on physical media at the same time as digital, and I’m pleased to see Nolan and his team take this approach. Increasingly, movies are pushed onto streaming platforms quickly after their cinema release or skip theatre showings entirely. Hopefully it's the start of a new trend.
The only minor downside is that Universal has not confirmed what aspect ratio it will be released in for either format. The only inkling we got came from Flatpanels HD, which reported that it will be available in 1.78.1 for the 4K Blu-ray. That’s a little shorter than the IMAX 70mm ratio, so you are not quite getting the full picture.
In terms of sound, Flatpanels also states that early reports hint that DTS-HD 5.1 surround sound is on the cards. That makes sense considering Nolan tends to avoid Dolby Atmos, with the 4K Blu-ray releases of Oppenheimer and Tenet both featuring DTS-HD 5.1.
You can sign up to be notified about pre-order of The Odyssey for the 4K Blu-ray, although the design is yet to be unveiled.
Everyone on the What Hi-Fi? team knows that I am an absolute sucker for animation. Whether that’s the endearing adventures of Wallace And Gromit or the beautiful offerings from Studio Ghibli, there is an animated film for every mood.
A few of my favourites have made it into our AV room as test discs for the latest home cinema kit, including Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and the motion capture extravaganza Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes.
And there’s one brilliant animated film that has just celebrated a special milestone, and I decided to revisit it to mark the occasion.
Kubo And The Two Strings is the fourth feature from Laika Studios, best known for its adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, and it just turned 10 this year.
Apart from having a spunky teen as its titular character, the two films could not be more different. Set in Ancient Japan, Kubo is searching for his late father’s mystical suit of armour. With the help of his companions Monkey and Beetle and his magical musical powers, he must vanquish evil spirits hell-bent on foiling his plans.
Like all of Laika’s films, Kubo is created using stop-motion animation, where the filmmakers incrementally change the position of physical objects between frames.
This hard work certainly pays off, as every frame is packed with creativity and beauty. Its colourful aesthetic makes for a great test of brightness and vibrancy for your TV or projector.
It’s not afraid to go dark, either. When the evil twin spirits catch up with Kubo in a spooky forest, the atmospheric shadows of the trees and the swooping of their black capes challenge your system’s ability to portray dark detail. Without the right handling, the spine-tingling scene can be tinged with a black crush or disappointing greys.
The score is also an excellent test of your sound system. Dario Marianelli’s soundtrack incorporates instruments from Japan such as the stringed shamisen, which Kubo plays in the film, as well as more traditional Western instruments. Kubo shows off to the townspeople his talents for controlling the world around him with his shamisen, and the score calls for careful handling of dynamics to capture the energy of the scene.
After re-watching the film for the first time in a while, I will now be reaching for it more often when in the test room. It might not offer the same realism as live-action movies, but the stunning colours and expressive soundtrack still mean it holds its own among our test discs.
Laika’s much-anticipated new release, Wildwood, is coming to cinemas at the end of the year, and I will certainly be watching to see if it can reach the same glorious heights as Kubo.
If you are an audiophile who craves excellent sound quality by streaming standards, then you will have at least heard of Qobuz. The French platform launched in 2007, and calls itself the “artist-first, independent streaming platform for music lovers who care”.
The landscape of music streaming has been rapidly changing even in the last few years, so what better way to understand how Qobuz is moving with the times than to talk to the company's Managing Director Dan Mackta?
Mackta is clearly a huge music fan first and foremost. He explains that he played in punk bands as a kid and was a college radio DJ (keep reading to see which albums and artists he has on repeat at the moment).
We speak to him via video call from his home in Staten Island (featuring his sleepy dog snoozing at his feet) in order to understand how the streaming industry is changing.
The AI conundrum
We begin with a burning topic in the streaming industry at the moment: the rise of AI music. Qobuz has made its stance clear, and Mackta, of course, holds the same opinions.
He says: “My belief is that music is something that can only work if it's an intentional creation of one human being experienced by another human.”
Qobuz released its AI Charter back in February, which states that “AI can be a value amplifier, never a substitute for human judgment.” Mackta says that the AI music tags are coming soon. He explained: “The idea is that if an artist uses an AI tool built into their workstation for mastering or mixing, but with music that was created by humans, then that’s not going to get detected.”
Mackta added that “somebody working with one of these tools and typing in ‘make me 1000 birthday songs with different names in’ as a prompt that uses generative AI from the beginning – that’s the biggest issue.”
He summarises the whole AI situation pretty perfectly with: “I can’t think of any other word for it other than [that it's] a bummer.”
Qobuz is far from the only streaming service to clamp down on AI music, with Deezer and Tidal both releasing their own policies. Every platform is taking its own approach, and Mackta says that Qobuz's "whole policy is meant to be somewhat flexible as things develop”.
The new generation
(Image credit: Qobuz)
When the platform was founded, Mackta says the brand was known “as the audiophile's service”.
He says: "That was our core and median age, which is 35-plus. It was mostly dudes in their fifties and sixties calling our customer service and asking how to turn on their computer. We were happy to be really well respected in that niche.”
What is on Mackta's playlist right now?
(Image credit: Devo / Futurismo)
Devo, Nitrous Nightmare (Halloween Live)
“This was proto-Devo when they were pretty raw, recorded in 1975.”
Various Artists, Unearthed African Recordings, Volume 1
“So much of the music that came out of Africa in the ’60s and ’70s can only be found on tape. This new label has released dozens of albums by locating this material, restoring, digitising and remastering it.”
But, around two years ago, things really started to shift. Mackta attributes this to the idea that “people in general are waking up to the idea of being more aware of who they are spending their money with. That’s just a cultural thing that has started to really take more hold in recent years and is driven by Gen Z”.
Collaborations with other brands have also shown the brand’s passion for music. The most notable is its partnership with Rough Trade, where Qobuz subscribers can access discounts at Rough Trade stores. On top of that, the two brands team up to host and co-produce live events.
“It’s done what I hoped it would do, which is to become a sort of signal to music people that we are legit,” Mackta says, adding that, although the streaming service is continuing to grow, “authenticity is what we are aiming for”.
There are some exciting developments on the horizon for Qobuz. Dolby Atmos integration is being discussed, with Mackta saying "we are in active talks with [Dolby] about trying to figure out ways to do it faster and sooner". We will be keeping a keen eye out for this, as well as any more changes that are coming to the streaming service.
Valerion is a brand best known for its projector offerings, but a problem that projector owners must wrestle with is how to get the best sound to accompany that big picture.
The company has launched its own answer to the issue – a five-piece Dolby Atmos system in a box that connects to your projector via a single dongle. And, while this wireless solution is primarily designed to hook up to a projector, it can also be used with your TV.
So, can the Thunderbeat live up to its name and deliver a room-filling, emotion-inducing audio performance?
Price
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The Valerion Thunderbeat 4.1.2 is available for £639 / $799 / AU$1799, placing it around the mid-range in the sound system category. For that price, you get four satellite speakers (two fronts and two rears) and a subwoofer.
There is also the option to add a wireless central speaker, taking the whole package up to £899 / $1098 / AU$1949. For reasons that will become clear soon, we recommend sticking to the cheaper option and leaving out the central speaker.
At this price, the system is up against soundbar-based Atmos systems such as the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 (£499 / $798 / AU$1199) and last year’s Samsung HW-Q990F (which you can consistently find for around £749 / $873 / AU$1395).
Design
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
As mentioned, the system is all connected via a compact dongle that fits into the palm of your hand. You can plug it into your TV or projector via HDMI eARC, making for an easy-to-connect system that doesn’t require a confusing jumble of wires to snake around your home. All you need to worry about is the power supply for each speaker.
Valerion Thunderbeat 4.1.2 tech specs
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Audio formats Dolby Atmos, DTS:X
Connectivity x 1 HDMI eARC, USB, aux jack
Subwoofer dimensions (hwd) 48 x 15 x 31 cm
Satellite speaker dimensions (hwd) 23 x 14 x 13 cm
Subwoofer weight 7kg
Speaker weight 2kg
The design of the speakers doesn’t feel particularly premium, instead taking a more basic approach. The black plastic boxes don’t feel as well-made as those of the Sony Theatre System 6, nor do they sport the more interesting angular build of the Samsung Q990F.
Inside each surround speaker is one 10cm full-range front-firing driver, an upfiring 50mm full-range driver, and a 38mm tweeter. Each speaker measures a reasonably large 23 x 14 x 13cm (hwd), and weighs 2kg.
The speakers can be wall-mounted or placed on floor stands, and we opt for the latter. The front speakers are best positioned either side of the TV, and we find that putting them as close to our TV screen as possible achieves the best combination of focus and openness.
The surrounds sit behind or to the sides of the listener, and angling them slightly towards us in our test room delivers the best performance.
Also included in the package is the subwoofer, which is relatively small and narrow. That means it can be placed fairly discreetly next to a wall if you are short on space. There is a single 16.5cm woofer inside, and it’s powered by 120W of amplification. As a package, Valerion claims the system delivers a total power output of 840W.
Features
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The speakers are designed to automatically pair with the dongle, but we needed to manually pair one of the speakers to get the system working smoothly. Doing this is a fairly simple matter of temporarily connecting the speaker to the dongle via the USB cable.
Each piece of kit has a light to indicate if the system is fully connected. If you don’t want said lights to bother you while you’re watching movies, there is the option to dim them via the remote.
The system doesn’t feature wi-fi streaming, but you can connect to it via Bluetooth, which of course allows you to send any music you fancy from your phone and hear it through the Valerion speakers.
There is no companion app to control the system, so you must rely on the physical remote control, but this features a useful built-in screen on top to show your current selections. From here, you can control power and volume, EQ modes, and input.
There's no automatic, mic-based calibration, and manual adjustments are limited. You can adjust the system's bass and treble, and the volume of the surrounds in comparison with the fronts, but you can't adjust each speaker individually, and there’s no test tone for accurate manual calibration.
When most rivals offer generally pretty precise, automatic calibration, the lack of it here feels like an oversight.
In terms of surround sound support, the Valerion offers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
Sound
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Once we start listening to the Valerion Thunderbeat 4.1.2 system, we are met with a pleasant movie experience. There is a selection of sound modes to choose from, but after a good amount of testing, we opt for Movie mode, which delivers the best balance between openness and precision.
The sound is big and meaty. In Blade Runner 2049, as Officer K drives through the dystopian cityscape, the Valerion delivers the weight of the epic soundtrack, and there’s good tonal balance and integration.
But there’s not the big punch at the start of each note that we hear with rival systems, and the intricate details in the score are missing. The broad strokes are there, but the subtleties are not.
Later in the film when Ryan Gosling’s protagonist is interrogated, there is enough distinctive character to differentiate Officer K and the interviewer, but we have heard these voices delivered with greater subtlety by rival systems.
Other systems in the category such as the Bravia System 6 and the Q990F use their speakers to create a seamless, enveloping dome of sound around the listener. The Valerion system, on the other hand, feels more like four speakers that produce a much more localised performance.
When watching Top Gun: Maverick, as the titular pilot’s jet zooms from one side of the screen to the other, the sound fails to pan seamlessly. Surround effects aren't passed smoothly from one speaker to the next, and it does not deliver the immersive experience we are hoping for.
The speakers do render height effects fairly well when the plane heads to higher ground, but each channel produces something more akin to a pillar of sound than a section of a dome that fully encompasses the listener, which is what the best in this class can achieve.
We test out the system’s Mapping setting. This spreads the sound across the four speakers more evenly, delivering a wider soundfield but also sacrificing too much of the system’s sonic precision for our tastes.
When watching the genre-melding medley in Sinners, for example, the Mapping feature delivers a greater sense of scale as the camera swoops around the room, but the exactness of individual voices and instruments is less clear compared to when the feature is switched off.
The best rivals are able to combine scale and accuracy, but the Valerion forces you to choose one or the other, and we ultimately choose the latter and switch Mapping off. It’s simply too vague.
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Big leaps in dynamics are handled well, though. Continuing with Sinners, as a snake appears suddenly in front of the Smoke and Stack twins, the jump from ominously quiet to a loud screech is portrayed effectively.
But more subtle or gradual dynamic changes are handled with less skill. When the villainous vampire Remmick sings Rocky Road To Dublin with his new troupe, the build-up in dynamics is not delivered with much tension and so does not feel as exciting as it should.
When playing music, we recommend, perhaps predictably, the Valerion’s Music preset. This narrows the sound and makes it more direct, and the mix shifts to all-channel stereo.
The bass is not as prevalent here as it is with movies, but it remains well balanced with the rest of the frequencies. There still isn't enough punchiness with each beat, though, and it is not the most rhythmic system we have heard.
When playing Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles, the start of the track is portrayed with a pleasing delicacy, but the build to the chorus does not have the soft subtlety we are listening for. Styles’ vocals are clear in the mix, but there’s also a bit of sibilance that makes for a slightly distracting performance.
It’s worth noting that there is the option to upgrade the Valerion system to a 5.1.2-channel configuration with a centre speaker. This seems appealing on paper, but this centre speaker is a significant sonic mismatch with the system’s other speakers. There’s a noticeable shift in both character and quality as audio moves from one of the front satellites to the centre, which is harsher, less dynamic and less detailed.
Considering how much of a movie’s sound is mixed for the centre channel, including most of the all-important dialogue, it’s clear that adding this extra speaker is a net negative. We therefore chose to review the centre-less 4.1.2-channel system. It may not be perfect, but it is the Valerion at its best.
Verdict
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The Valerion Thunderbeat 4.1.2 is an improvement on the majority of TV speakers and a pleasant performer overall. But there are more immersive, integrated Dolby Atmos sound systems on the market that you can get for the same (if not less) money.
In 2026, this ultimately feels like quite a basic solution in terms of both features and sound quality. It’s decent, but you can do better if you spend your money elsewhere.
I’m always on the hunt for ways to find new music, but I have found myself listening to the same few albums on repeat these last few weeks. Maybe it’s because the ease of streaming has made me complacent, or that the endless options at my fingertips are simply too overwhelming.
That’s why I ventured to a listening bar in central London last week in a bid to find my new favourite artist or "earworm". If you’ve never found yourself in one, here’s what to expect.
Listening bars, or hi-fi bars, are dedicated spaces designed for enjoying curated music (usually on vinyl) on a high-quality sound system while relaxing with a drink in your hand.
It's not about a specific genre or style – the music will depend on DJ on the night. It's also not about requests. Instead, the focus is on listening to the selections of a music lover through some great speakers. (That doesn’t mean you cannot go up to the DJ to ask what they are playing, of course.)
On my most recent visit, however, I started to wonder whether we'd drifted away from the original definition. Most obviously, few people there seemed to be paying attention to the music, and at certain points I couldn't even hear the track over the noise of the room.
There was no denying the bar looked the part, sporting the brown wood and leather-clad seating that has become synonymous with these venues. I just couldn't help but feel that it had become a little style over substance – excellent Instagram fodder but without the genuine desire to really enjoy the music.
Back to basics
Hi-fi bars were born from the Japanese jazz kissa cafes that popped up in the late 1920s. This was in the days before home audio systems, so they became somewhere to collectively listen to music with a quiet appreciation.
This idea was reborn when pioneering spaces, such as Spiritland in King's Cross, London, decided to once again make a great-sounding system, and the music being played, the real focus of the venue.
And the idea arrived at an ideal moment. People are again craving that shared experience around music, since streaming platforms and portable audio have made listening more of an individual affair. I just hope the idea doesn't become commoditised.
Thankfully, there are still plenty of hi-fi bars that put the music at the forefront of the experience, and I have been to my fair share. But it does mean you have to be a little more selective.
If a bar has a detailed description of the system, from the amplification to the turntables and speakers, for instance, that should be a good indication that they really do care about delivering an "audiophile" experience.
Some venues, such as the long-standing Shelter in Tokyo, offer a carefully acoustically treated space to listen and others, such as Jazu in Deptford, London, encourage you to get up and dance to their curated setlist, played through their bespoke sound system. And both approaches definitely work for me.
With an increasingly long list of listening bars across the UK, it’s encouraging to see the concept reach more and more people. We just hope that everyone remembers to keep the music, and the system, at the heart of the venue – and we don't end up with listening bars where nobody is actually listening.
If you enter our AV test room, you will find a vast selection of 4K Blu-rays lining the shelves. That includes many new discs, but there is also a healthy collection of older movies that have had a 4K restoration. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, for instance, has quickly become a go-to for testing both sound and picture quality.
But how do these 4K restorations actually happen? To answer that question, I headed to Silver Salt Restoration, which has restored countless titles. These range from Hammer Horror films, including The Curse of Frankenstein, to the 1995 TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Preparing the film
(Image credit: Future)
The journey starts with me making my way to the studio's headquarters, which are hidden along a side street in West London, nestled between a row of offices. This is where the restoration magic happens, and I took a tour of the studio to see how a reel of old film becomes a gloriously bright 4K movie.
I'm greeted by Marie, who works with the original negative of the film being restored. She gets the reel onto a specialised bench for inspection (pictured, above), where she carefully examines it frame by frame to find any damage.
There are a whole host of ways the film can be damaged, and Marie shows me just a few. These include custom stamps at the top of frames, missing sprockets, or scratches and rips across the film. Not to mention the fact that the reels have been sat in an archive for decades, so they can also be damaged by mould.
To my untrained eye, it seemed like a lost cause. But Marie and the team managed to restore the film so thoroughly that you would never guess it was found in such a sorry state.
After the damage is noted, Marie puts the reel through a special cleaning machine which winds the film around a series of little buffers to remove the surface dirt. If the film is particularly damaged by mould, she will hand-clean the reel to destroy the spores as best she can.
A Scanner Darkly
(Image credit: Future)
Next, I meet Silver Salt MD, Mark, who is clearly very proud of the two scanning machines next to us, which he shows off with a smile.
One includes a wet-gate, which is a particularly impressive piece of kit. If there’s a scratch on the base of the film, it can fill the hole with fluid to remove the imperfections.
The films are scanned in 6K, then downscaled to 4K. That turns the negatives into a raw DPX file, a digital format commonly used to transfer film images.
The artists at work
We move to a dimly lit office, with every screen displaying a frame of film that is at least 40 years old. Head of Restoration, Anthony, demonstrates how the scanned film gets divided among different members of the team, who remove more imperfections.
There are countless different computer software programs involved. He shows us one that highlights flecks of dirt in the image, and another that highlights tiny scratches. But the entire process calls for the human eye to painstakingly remove them piece by piece.
After all, the software cannot always tell the difference between the texture of a white sequined dress and snow, and might pick out the edge of a trouser leg as a stray bit of dust.
“Despite what people may think, we spend most of our time putting back in rather than removing dirt”, notes Anthony.
Processing damage is one of the most difficult things to remove, Anthony tells me. He shows one film that previously had a yellow staining for about 15 frames but, after the team got their hands on it, it's now imperceptible.
As the rest of the team gather around the screen to admire the work, they joke, “Whenever you have worked on something, you’re always looking at the frame like this,” before leaning in closer to the screen with a grin.
They must also stabilise the image, then carefully watch each frame in quarters to make sure nothing has been missed. Once this part of the process is complete, they are left with an image that is incredibly detailed and clean.
Adding some colour
(Image credit: Future)
The final part of the process is colour grading, handled by Ray. He’s worked on all the Hammer Horror films handled by Silver Salt so far, and that’s just to name a few. He tells me he is retiring this year so his current project, a 4K restoration of the 1958 Dracula, is his "swansong”.
“I think people are really going to like it,” he smiles.
Over time, colours often fade in the original film, so it’s Ray’s job to restore films to their full potential. We get a glimpse of Dracula, which was originally made in Technicolor. The raw footage is somewhat muted and grey, and it doesn’t immediately draw the eye.
But Ray gives the footage a beautifully rich look, breathing new life into each frame. Part of his process is considering what the sets would have looked like at the time. In Dracula, for instance, he brings out the opulent reds in the velvet curtains and the crisp detail of a leafy bush that had fallen victim to black crush.
After playing around with different colours and bringing out the contrast, highlights and shadow, the grading is complete.
The final result feels like magic. What came into the studio as a worn film reel, left forgotten for decades, is now set to delight a new generation of audiences with its beautifully restored colours and crisp detail.
The newly restored Dracula is coming to cinemas and 4K Blu-ray in October. After getting a glimpse into the work that goes on behind the scenes, I'm excited to see the final result on the big screen.
Marantz is adding a series of brand-new receivers to its home cinema collection with "a range of ground-breaking advancements in sound quality and feature sets".
That consists of the Cinema 50 Series 2, Cinema 60 Series 2, Cinema 60 DAB Series 2 and Cinema 70s Series 2. The brand claims these models “introduce meaningful advancements in sound quality, connectivity, gaming compatibility and installation flexibility”.
Inside each model is a 32-bit, eight-channel DAC which, according to Marantz, delivers dedicated simultaneous high-resolution conversion across every channel.
The flagship Cinema 50 Series 2 has nine channels of amplification, and 11.4 channels of processing.
It also offers a Dolby Atmos Channel Expander feature, which uses all available speakers when playing channel-based Atmos content. If you struggle to hear dialogue clearly, the Cinema 50’s Centre Bi-Amp Mode offers a solution – you can add a compatible centre speaker alongside the standard front left and right speakers.
Marantz says the Cinema 60 DAB Series 2 and the Cinema 60 Series 2 “bring many of the platform’s latest innovations [...] to a wider audience" and, for those short on space, the Cinema 70s Series 2 offers a slimline design.
All three offer seven channels of amplification, but the Cinema 60 models deliver 100W of power per channel, whereas the Cinema 70s is limited to 50W.
The Marantz Cinema 70s Series 2 offers the most compact build in the new line-up. (Image credit: Marantz)
You can choose to include Dirac Live Room Correction, though it will cost extra with all models except the flagship. The company says that gives the receivers “tighter bass” and a “significantly larger sweet spot”.
Marantz's HEOS multi-room streaming platform is also on offer, as well as Bluetooth. A future firmware update is on the cards to add low-latency Bluetooth LE Audio to “dramatically reduce wireless listening delay with compatible headphones and mobile devices”, according to the company.
There’s good news for gamers too. All the new models support 1440p video passthrough as well as AMD FreeSync compatibility, which should result in tear-free visuals and smooth gameplay when paired with a PC or gaming console. HDMI 2.1 support is also available, although there’s no word on the number of ports. The older Cinema 50 model sports six HDMI inputs and three HDMI outputs, so we’re hopeful the fresh flagship receiver will follow in its footsteps.
The majority of the models will be available in August, while the Cinema 70 Series 2 comes out in September. It's worth noting that the Cinema 60 Series 2 is available only in the US and Australia for $2000 / AU$2500, but the Cinema 60 DAB Series 2 is only on the cards for UK buyers at £1250.
The cheapest of the bunch is the Cinema 70s Series 2, coming in at £950 / $1500 / AU$1800.
Finally, the flagship receiver launches at £1850 / $3000 / AU$3500, pitting it against the five-star Arcam AVR5 which holds the crown as the top mid-range model in our best AV receivers guide. It will be tough to beat its agile and rhythmic sound, but Marantz's strong history and promising specifications could spell trouble for the current champion.
Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey has caused quite the stir and is already one of the most talked-about films of the year. Whether that’s because it’s the first film to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras, or translator Emily Wilson’s damning review of Nolan’s interpretation of the classic text.
While I have booked to see the epic on an IMAX 70mm screen in September, I just could not wait to watch so I headed to my local cinema in the meantime. Despite the smaller aspect ratio, I was still blown away by the beautiful visuals and emotive score.
But there was one element that detracted from the whole experience for me: it is a very loud movie. The volume level during one particular scene made this startlingly clear (mild spoiler ahead). When Odysseus and his men attack a huge cyclops, the foghorn-like scream that the giant emits made me cover my ears.
Now, that could be attributed to a variety of different factors, from my cinema’s volume levels or the sound mixing, but I am not alone in my experience. One user on Reddit said, “I was expecting a masterpiece, and yet all I could focus on was the fact my head felt like it would explode”. Others also commented that their smartwatches detected unsafe noise levels.
It has not been the case for everyone, but for me these loud moments did pull me out of the film a little. It was especially jarring when, in one moment, I was straining to hear what the characters were saying and the next getting blasted by that ear-splitting roar.
That’s why I’m excited to get it into the test room once it comes out on 4K Blu-ray so I can control the volume levels myself. Of course, I still want to experience the thrill of the shift in dynamics, but not to such an extreme extent.
Nolan is also infamous for making films with muffled dialogue, with releases such as Tenet and Oppenheimer leaving some viewers stumped on what characters are actually saying. That irritating habit popped up again in The Odyssey, so the dialogue-boosting feature on a TV or soundbar’s audio system should bring voices to the front of the experience. And if that doesn’t solve the problem, there’s always the option of subtitles.
Don’t get me wrong, seeing Nolan’s epic on the big screen is a thrill that I wouldn’t miss. But having more control of the dynamics should let me enjoy the film differently.
Every hi-fi or AV product that sits in your living room had to start somewhere. Some are brand-spanking new, while others have been around for more than 100 years.
Behind each product are years of experimentation and innovation. But where did their journeys start? We have picked a few of our favourite firsts, and challenge you to a battle of wits.
Plenty of technologies now used in the home were first developed for businesses, but we will be focusing on when they first became commercially available. There’s no prize for a spotless score sheet, but you can picture a thankful round of applause.
There are more streaming services than ever before here in the UK. From the big hitters such as Netflix and Apple TV to more niche offerings including Shudder (for the horror lovers) and Crunchyroll (for anime fans).
The most notable recent addition to the gang is HBO Max, which made its long-awaited journey across the pond in March this year. It offers a selection of sumptuous film and TV offerings, including The Pitt, House of the Dragon and One Battle After Another.
Apart from wanting to binge all this tempting content, there’s another reason I am excited that HBO Max has launched in the UK – its accessibility features.
In the US iteration of the platform, HBO Max offers a variety of films and TV shows with on-screen ASL (American Sign Language) translation. Those include the likes of Barbie, Wuthering Heights and The Pitt.
It also released Sinners in BASL (Black American Sign Language), making it the first major streaming platform to stream a film interpreted in the dialect. It is far from the only streaming service to offer signed translation, but HBO Max takes a more tailored approach than most, by casting interpreters who match the character’s identity.
Why does sign language matter?
“So what’s the point of having sign language if you already have subtitles?”, you might be asking.
We spoke to Natasha Robinson, Inclusion Policy Advisor at RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), to understand why this is not the case. She says that BSL (British Sign Language) is “a distinct language with its own grammar, structure and visual cues that convey meaning, emotion and tone.”
Robinson continues: “Some deaf BSL users may struggle to follow subtitles, especially when speech and sound are very fast or complicated.” She adds that streaming services should offer both BSL interpretation and subtitles wherever possible to give “the deaf community greater choice and access”.
In the UK, major streaming services with more than 500,000 users (also called Tier 1) will soon have to make sure that five per cent of their content is signed.
The full Access Code is still under consultation but, once it is in place, Tier 1 platforms will have four years to meet the quota. And, with HBO Max estimating six million users by the end of the year, the streaming service will most likely be included in that group.
Playing the waiting game
At the moment, HBO Max offers ASL only in the US; a BSL (British Sign Language) catalogue is yet to be released.
We asked HBO Max about its plans, and a representative told us it is working through accessibility offering and requirements with various UK regulators and bodies “to seek guidance on best practice and the best way to work with and support the deaf community”.
That certainly sounds promising. But, while the upcoming legislation is a great start, there is still a long way to go. Robinson says that the five per cent target should be seen as a starting point and that streaming platforms “should aim to make as much content as possible fully accessible”.
Robinson adds: “As everyone has different preferences, it is important that services offer a wide range of accessible content.”
It’s not yet clear when HBO Max’s BSL content will be released. But if it offers the same tailored approach as its US counterpart, then it could be a key player for streaming accessibility.
Earlier this month, we asked you which movie soundtracks you use to test your sound system at home.
Plenty of you sent us your number one picks, from old favourites to new releases that have quickly climbed to the top of your list. There were a range of different genres and styles, with some making an appearance more than others.
And it will soon become apparent that there is one composer that crops up again and again…
Sci-fi is a winner
There was one genre that got more recommendations than any other, and that’s science fiction. It’s hardly a surprise given the opportunity for otherworldly soundtracks that are written to transport you to another world.
Reader Andrew Rollins sent in a double recommendation, and outlined two staples of the genre. That includes Dune: Part One, depicting the origins of Paul Atreides as the world around him falls into political ruin. Hans Zimmer delivers a mesmerising score that adds a unique, powerful feeling to each scene.
Using a combination of synthesisers, oriental timbres and choral voices, Zimmer creates a textured listening experience that is a joy to behold with the right equipment. The bass is often low and rumbling, which requires competent handling of the low end without sounding blobby or out of control. But it also challenges your system’s Dolby Atmos presentation. When Atreides is challenged by the Bene Geserit with the Pain Box, for instance, his visions of fire and whispered voices should swirl around the listener in a vortex of sound.
Andrew also suggested the Interstellar score, which we have used many a time in our test room. Good ol’ Zimmer is the composer of this famous soundtrack as well, offering an ethereal and atmospheric score that will leave you with goosebumps by the end. Switch on the track Cornfield Chase and your system’s handling of dynamics will be properly challenged.
Some timeless classics are on the roster
Sometimes, you can’t beat the golden oldies. Quite literally, as Goldfinger was suggested by user AndyC405. He notes that the original “with Shirley Bassey is a great test for any bright system”, and we can’t help but agree.
This entry to the James Bond canon begins with a series of high-pitched brass notes that can easily sound too shrill and harsh on the ears. It calls for a system that can portray both the subtlety of the soft aspects of the score, as well as the power of the invigorating crescendo without sounding disorganised and overwhelming.
Another classic film soundtrack to get a shoutout was Gladiator, thanks to Instagram follower Jacob Edwards. It’s another great display of Hans Zimmer’s composing talents, and the collaboration with Lisa Gerrard (also known for her work on Whale Rider and The Insider) adds to the score’s complexities.
There are too many moments to choose from in this adventure epic, with the delicacy of Earth and Now We Are Free offering a brilliant challenge to any sound system’s soft side.
But The Battle is by far the most exciting to listen to, and calls for precision and punch from your audio equipment to capture the tension of the scene. As the Romans square up for a clash against the Germanic tribes and the horses charge into battle, the strings attack every note with ferocity and the brass instruments add to the sense of pressure. It’s a great track to behold, and makes for gripping listening even on its own.
A What Hi-Fi? Team addition
Go on then, we’ll stick our oar in. One of our most popular soundtracks in the test room recently is Sinners, a vampire horror that will have you quaking in your boots. The film revolves around young protagonist Sammie's connection to music, and the power it gives him to summon spirits.
This makes it a brilliant disc to test your sound system. One scene we always turn to is when Sammie first calls spirits from the past, present and future by singing I Lied To You at the newly opened juke joint.
The beautifully emotive vocals from Miles Caton as Sammie sound natural and full of subtle inflections on the right system, and the crowd's murmurings should wrap around the listener. As the spirits join the party and dance in harmony, your system's sense of precision is tested as the camera swoops around the space in one long shot.
Listen on your own system
Want all of these recommendations and more in one place? There’s good news, because we have made a Spotify playlist so they are only a few clicks away.
Feel free to save it to your collection, or you can transfer them to your streaming platform of choice. Thanks to everyone for contributing to this month’s Ask The Reader, and we appreciate all of your entries even if they were not featured this time around.
Our monthly Now Showing hasn’t gone anywhere, though, as we have still been beavering away in our test room to review the latest AV products. Each month, we take a look at the best movies and TV shows we have been using to test, as well as new releases that we cannot wait to use.
This can range from a film that puts your sound system’s Dolby Atmos presentation through its paces or challenges a projector screen’s black depth. Let’s take a look at the team’s top picks!
Ponies (2026-)
Words by Joe Svetlik
Cold War thrillers tend to be more po-faced than a Kremlin spokesman, so Ponies is a welcome addition to the genre. Ponies stands for Persons Of No Interest – CIA-speak for the wives of two Moscow-based US spies who die in mysterious circumstances. The men, of course, are Persons Of Interest, but their better halves? Given that neither Russia nor the US used female operatives at the time (in the series, at least), this gives the Ponies scope to fly under the radar and investigate their husbands’ deaths.
If that all sounds a bit gritty, trust me, it isn’t. The pairing of Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones) and Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus) lends the show plenty of humour – the former uptight and controlling, the latter a bohemian with an exaggeratedly carefree sashay. And they’re ably supported by Adrian Lester (Hustle) and Artjom Gilz (Das Boot).
The production is dripping with period charm, even down to being filmed in the 3:2 aspect ratio to mimic the feel of a pre-widescreen broadcast – that means vertical black bars either side of the picture, but it’s worth it to add to the vintage aesthetic.
The Russian accents are thick, the tension even thicker. And any series in which a touring Elton John accidentally disrupts a KGB murder plot has to be worth a look.
House Of The Dragon (Season 3)
Words by Lewis Empson
Game Of Thrones has had its ups and downs. While I still resent the ending of the main show over eight years later, the franchise as a whole has been steadily rebuilding since.
House Of The Dragon, a prequel series set roughly 200 years before the main show, has been fundamental in the franchise’s revival, and its explosive third season is broadcasting weekly right now.
After a somewhat weak ending to season two, I was immediately sucked into the third series' action-packed, bloody and emotional first two episodes. And while the pace has since slowed, the show has also tapped into the political-thriller elements of the original to great effect.
As ever with Game Of Thrones, this series also looks and sounds fantastic. Establishing shots of stunning natural vistas and sprawling naval battles are both dazzling in 4K, and with many sequences in dingy and dark castle corridors and chambers, this also happens to be a fairly thorough TV stress test. Shadow detail will be put to the test, and having watched all of this season so far on an OLED TV, I’ve certainly reaped the contrast and black depth benefits.
Your TV’s motion and sound capabilities will also be put to the test by swooping dragons as they launch screeching fire-breathing attacks on warring factions.
I also have an expert tip for watching House Of The Dragon in its best picture and sound quality. My advice is to skip Sky and Now and instead use HBO Max. If your budget allows, the top subscription tier unlocks 4K Dolby Vision streaming and Dolby Atmos audio, which makes the viewing experience a whole lot better.
If you’re already a Sky or Now subscriber, chances are that you already have access to HBO Max and can upgrade your account to access these features.
F1 The Movie (2025)
Words by Robyn Quick
Fast cars, roaring engines and juicy drama: that’s what you expect from a film about Formula 1. Joseph Kosinski’s F1 The Movie delivers on all of this, and it has quickly become a go-to in our test room since the 4K Blu-ray was released in November last year.
It’s one of my current favourites for testing both sound and picture quality and, when using the right system, the film makes for tense viewing.
During fast-paced racing scenes when the vehicles zoom around the course, you should be able to feel the cars move around the soundfield with a good Dolby Atmos audio system. This also calls for an excellent sense of precision, as the crowd calls out and announcements boom from off-screen.
On top of that, the myriad of races in the film are a great way to challenge your system’s motion handling. They must move naturally without looking too juddery or too smooth, which can be a tough balance to strike for premium and budget systems alike.
Widow's Bay (2026-)
Words by Tom Parsons
I came to Widow’s Bay late, mostly because in the remorseless tidal wave of new content, it simply didn’t stand out. The other evening, though, I decided to give it a go, and it’s actually well up there as one of my favourite shows of the year.
The story, about a small, somewhat backwards island community that badly needs an influx of tourists but also might – or might not – be cursed, is brilliantly paced. Fairly gentle but consistently gripping, it's an easy watch that's somehow impossible to stop watching.
The comedy-horror combo is really hard to get right, but creator Katie Dippold and director Hiro Murai (he of Atlanta fame) have absolutely nailed it, with most of the humour coming from the Fargo-like characters, dialogue and setting, and the horror elements used sparingly and effectively.
Apple TV shows tend to have higher production values (and have higher bitrates) than those of rival streaming services, and while that’s not super-evident in the intentionally grainy, Twin Peaks-style aesthetic, it’s abundantly clear in the sound design, which is excellent.
This isn’t a show with loads of jump scares; it’s one where subtle sound effects (often footsteps) are used to create tension and creepiness, and if you’ve got a good Dolby Atmos system, they’re placed brilliantly effectively.
Even if you’re not a horror fan, Widow’s Bay is an absolute must-watch.
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
Words by Tom Parsons
When the sad news of Sam Neill’s passing was announced, I could have chosen to watch in his memory Jurassic Park, Hunt For The Wilderpeople or Event Horizon, all of which I know and love. Instead, I decided to try In The Mouth Of Madness, which The Guardian boldly proclaimed to be the legendary actor’s best role.
Well, I’m not quite sure about that assessment, but he does play the role of an insurance investigator driven mad by a horror author’s writings with fabulous gusto.
The film is utterly bonkers, exactly as you'd expect from an early-'90s John Carpenter horror steeped in H.P. Lovecraft, but it's schlocky, gleeful fun. There are some great, gory, practical effects, too – one sequence weirdly reminded me of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, but The Thing is, less surprisingly, visible in there.
Not a movie to watch if you’re looking for fancy production values or a serious home cinema demonstration, but a lot of fun if weird horror from the last millennium is up your street.
Home Cinema Week is in full swing, and so far it has been a joy to delve into topics from 4K projectors to dissecting the definition of home cinema itself.
But we shouldn’t forget the story of how we got to the point of being able to have home cinema systems in our houses. That’s right, we are going way back to the early days of cinema.
I have found the perfect place to venture down this nerdy rabbit hole. Hidden in a residential corner of Kennington in London, there is a rather grand red-brick building with a story to tell.
The building used to be part of Lambeth Workhouse, with notable residents such as a young Charlie Chaplin throughout the late 1800s. It had a life as a hospital, but now it has taken its latest form as the Cinema Museum.
Founded in 1984, the museum is run by volunteers. It acts as a treasure trove to remember and celebrate the history of cinema. There are artefacts and memorabilia everywhere you look, from 100-year-old film cameras to cardboard cut-outs of Lara Croft.
(Image credit: Future)
On the top floor is a small cinema featuring plush velvet seats and disused signage, which is still used for screenings throughout the year.
The museum is open on selected dates every month, so I bagged myself a ticket to a tour led by our guide Andy. He tells me that much of the collection was rescued from rubbish bins back in the 1970s in Scotland, when many picture palaces were being demolished at an alarming rate.
Despite it being in the peak of one of the recent UK heatwaves, with everyone glugging from water bottles every few seconds, the volunteers conducted their tour with unrelenting enthusiasm and curiosity.
Really, there is too much to talk about – and I don’t want to spoil all the amazing finds for those of you who want to attend. So, just to whet your appetite, here are my three favourite spots at the museum.
The Latham Loop
(Image credit: Future)
One thing that is immediately made clear is that the early days of cinema were not for the faint of heart. It was an incredibly dangerous career, with experiments with new technology leading to numerous deaths and injuries.
Perhaps the most well-known cause of these incidents was the material used for the projector film itself. Early filmmakers tried out a whole bunch of materials, Andy says, from paper to celluloid.
The latter was more durable and flexible than paper, but it was also highly flammable, and the heat from the lamp light source only fanned the flames (so to speak).
That meant that there were countless fatalities during many screenings in the early days of cinema, including the audience members and staff. One of the most infamous examples of this comes from the Paris Bazar fire in 1897, which killed more than 100 people.
On top of that flammability, the celluloid would frequently be pulled and jolted through the projector, which led to rips that left the film unusable. That meant that films could never be very long, as longer lengths risked more of the film being damaged. A small yet essential innovation then made filmmaking a little easier. Enter the Latham Loop, which is – you guessed it – a small loop in the film strip that reduces the tension and pulling of the celluloid.
It’s still used today, and the film cameras scattered around the museum each feature that all-important loop. Keep your eye out for it the next time you have the chance to see a film projector in real life…
The birth of cinema sound
(Image credit: Future)
We take audio for granted now, but in the early days of cinema, it was an almost impossible dream.
The Cinema Museum houses a variety of ways that sound was delivered with picture, including vinyl, which had the sound recorded separately and was used until the early 1930s. Andy tells us that this caused its own problems, as the distributors would sometimes send the wrong record with the film. On top of that, the disc would have to be perfectly synced up with the projector, which would certainly be quite a skill to master.
Also on display is a 10-inch record used in the Hepworth Vivaphone. The ultimately unsuccessful audio attempt was made up of a gramophone record that the actors lip-synched along to, meaning you had to make sure the record matched the image.
This was all quite a challenge for cinema managers, and there was a fair bit of pushback as it was expensive and complex to integrate these methods into the cinema itself.
Compared with modern sound systems, where we can adjust voice-sync with the touch of a button, we certainly have it easy.
Frankenstein’s lab
(Image credit: Future)
There aren’t a huge amount of movie props around the museum – the focus is more on the behind-the-scenes of the cinema; but this bizarre-looking item sits between both categories.
The strange octopus-like item in the image above is actually a mercury arc rectifier, and its job on early film sets was to convert an AC to a DC current.
When it was being used, it would have a little bit of liquid mercury at the bottom, which would have produced a bright blue light. Sadly, I didn't get to see this in action as it is long out of commission, but it would have looked like something from another planet.
The director of the 1931 Frankenstein movie iteration, James Whale, clearly thought the same, as he spotted it behind the camera during filming and asked for it to be added to the set of the crazed scientist’s laboratory.
The scary-looking piece of kit would not have made a huge impact on screen as it was filmed in black and white, but it still played a key part in movie history. Thank you for your service, strange mechanical Kraken.
If you are looking to delve into the history of cinema with knowledgeable guides and early movie-making kit, the Cinema Museum makes for a fascinating visit. And who knows? It might give you a newfound appreciation for your fast-working AV setup.
Welcome to Home Cinema Week 2026 – our annual celebration of all things (you guessed it) home cinema. That covers everything from projectors to AVRs, and all sorts of products and topics in between.
This celebration is extra special for us, as it is What Hi-Fi?'s 50th birthday this year. Home cinema has played a massive part in our journey, as we have been reviewing a range of categories since they emerged many moons ago. We have seen trends come and go, but our quest to find the best kit on the market has never changed.
We have got a whole host of exciting content coming throughout the week to mark the occasion. That includes a look back at the first types of television technology to hit the shelves, reviews of premium AV kit, and a behind-the-scenes peek at our testing facility.
On top of that, we take a tour of London's only cinema museum, discuss the best ways to store your Blu-rays, and decide whether 8K TVs have well and truly died.
Keep an eye on our Instagram, TikTok and YouTube pages as well, where we are posting extra content to celebrate.
We will keep this page updated with all published articles throughout the week, so you can stay on top of the latest content. We have certainly enjoyed getting even more stuck into the wild and wonderful world of home cinema than usual, and hope you will too.
Day 1
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Day one of Home Cinema Week gave us a five-star projector review, a home cinema setup made from Award-winning products, and an ode to the music from a particularly popular director's films.
You can find all of our Home Cinema Week 2026 day one articles below:
We had a bumper crop of home cinema content on day two, including a review of a new Q Acoustics speaker package, a behind the scenes look at London's hidden cinema museum, and a piece questioning what actually counts as home cinema.
Another big day of AV content, including a review of Denon's powerhouse flagship AVR, a selection of recommended portable systems for when you want to take home cinema out of the home, and a comparison of Dolby Digital and DTS.
Day four brought with it a tour of our test room and reference home cinema system (complete with a video!), a review of the best UST projector we've ever tested, a trip through the What Hi-Fi? archives at the defining TV formats of the millennium so far, and much more...
The latest projector to enter our test room is not quite like anything we have seen before. It’s the “world’s first mobile theatre system”, sporting four Dolby Atmos satellite speakers that are housed in the projector’s body.
It can also deliver a 4K picture, with a claimed brightness of up to 3500 ISO lumens. You can push the screen size as big as 300 inches, and it is built around a DLP optical system illuminated by a triple-laser lighting system.
That is all wrapped up in a package weighing a rather hefty 33kg with a set of wheels on the bottom.
That all means that, in theory, you should be able to take everything you need for a movie night in an all-in-one system. It doesn’t come cheap, and will set you back £4499 / $4999 / AU$8999.
Does it deliver on its promises? After we reviewed the product in our test room, it became clear that there are two aspects in which the X1 Pro excels, and two that hold it back from greatness. Let’s dig into it.
Nifty speaker design
(Image credit: Soundcore)
The 7.1.4-channel speaker system is arguably the most exciting element of the projector. Each of the four satellite speakers can be placed around the space. They offer a compact yet practical build, with the fronts measuring 8 cm across and the rears coming in at 6 cm wide.
They also include little stands on the bottom with a rubber foot that folds out, making for a sturdy base. On top of that, you can charge them when they are inside the projector, or you can use their individual USB ports to give them some juice.
There’s also a subwoofer inside the projector’s body, which features two drive units, each measuring 13cm in diameter.
It’s a first to see such an elaborate speaker set-up for a portable projector in our test room, and is a draw if you are looking for an entire home cinema system in a box.
Rich, punchy picture
As well as the clever sound and speaker design, the X1 Pro delivers a punchy image performance that makes for pleasant viewing.
When watching Thunderbolts, we note in our review: “The villain’s brightly coloured costume stands out against the background, which makes for an engaging experience.”
Edges of characters and items are crisp and clean, and there is little noise in textures, contributing to an overall picture that feels sharp without tipping into being over-etched. It could do with an extra level of detail considering the price point, but it is still clear enough to see strands of hair and creases in clothes.
When we move to a brighter environment than our dark test room, a fair bit of detail and punch is lost, of course. But this set-up would be watchable with a bright movie when watching outside with the sun still up.
But image looks unsubtle
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
While it delivers an engaging image, the X1 Pro is not the most subtle of projectors. Its colours look a little over-emphasised, and they verge on unnatural. This becomes clear when watching Civil War as an army chopper lands on lush grass, where the foliage appears a tad too vivid to look realistic.
There is also an issue with the projector’s black depth. During Sinners as Michael B Jordan’s Stack has a terse conversation in a low-lit barn, we found that it “delivers the dark background with a fair bit of banding that verges on grey at points”.
Shadow detail leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to darker skin tones, and it is hard to make out the subtle differences in textures in these areas.
Disappointing sound performance
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Unfortunately, while we like the compact speaker design, the sound performance itself rather lets the package down.
The sound is certainly more room-filling than the majority of portable projectors that come with built-in speakers, but we expect a more immersive performance from the 7.1.4-channel system.
With its Dolby Atmos presentation, the system lacks the immersive height and width effects to immerse us truly in the film. And there’s not a huge sense of precision around the space, with obvious gaps in the soundfield.
The bass performance is also underwhelming. Instead of packing a meaty weight, it lands with a rather flat softness. In our review when watching Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, we say: “Punches should sound deep and impactful, but they lack the powerful drive necessary to convey the right level of force.”
The X1 Pro’s portable, innovative design and punchy picture are not to be dismissed. But the high price tag and lacklustre audio mean that it seems more sensible to invest in a separate projector and sound system to get the best performance from both.
Premium TV brand Loewe has released its latest range of Antares 4K OLED TVs, boasting that the new premium sets combine "timeless design with genuine engineering innovation."
Loewe's Antares TV features OLED modules that the brand claims are individually calibrated before leaving the Loewe factory in Germany to deliver a "viewing experience that remains faithful to the filmmaker's intent."
The calibration comes instead of a next-gen panel, such as the Primary RGB Tandem OLED tech seen in the LG G6 or the QD-OLED in Samsung's S99H TV. These are rival next-gen OLED panel technologies that aim to boost picture quality in key metrics including peak brightness and colour accuracy.
Gamers will be pleased to hear that there is HDMI 2.1 connectivity with up to 144Hz VRR and ALLM. We're waiting for confirmation of exactly how many, however.
The TV features Loewe's os9 platform, which gives users access to most mainstream streaming services, including Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. There's also voice control included with the set, so in theory, you can navigate to what you are looking for without flicking through the menus.
There's an optional Antares 80W soundbar you can add to the system as well, which delivers "greater depth and immersion". That will cost you an extra £300, though. You can also use the TV's built-in speakers or hook up a separate sound system.
You can customise the TV with the optional aluminium onlays, which come in Silver or Black. Plus, you can choose to mount the TV on the wall, a rotating floor stand or even a motorised rotation system that is controlled with a remote. That gives you a fair bit of flexibility, although you will have to factor in the extra costs.
There is a range of sizes from 42 to 65 inches. The cheapest option comes in at £2500 ($3370 / AU$4815) for the 42-inch model, and the largest size will cost a hefty £4000 (around $5390 / AU$7705).
That's certainly the high end of the OLED market, and even the flagship 65-inch LG C6 TV comes in at a more palatable £3000 / $3399 / AU$4999. Still, it might be a more appealing option for the premium buyer looking for ways to customise the screen to their space.
The Antares star is the brightest in the Scorpius constellation, so we are curious to see whether the TV will live up to its namesake and deliver a dazzling picture performance.
Projector brand Xgimi has been on a roll with a continuous stream of new models flooding the shelves in the last year. And there are two more joining their ranks.
The new Elfin Flip Laser and flagship Elfin Flip 4K claim to build on the existing Elfin series to deliver “a significant upgrade in both optical performance and audio experience”.
Both projectors offer a claimed maximum brightness of 1600 ISO lumens and use an RGB triple laser light source. Unsurprisingly, the flagship model offers 4K resolution compared to the Flip Laser’s 1080p.
For gamers, the 4K model also offers VRR and ALLM support. However, like most projectors, it only runs at 1080p@120Hz. 4K is still locked to 60Hz.
The design looks practically identical to the predecessor, featuring a “book-sized” foldable build that can be tucked away when not in use. “Pick it up, place it, and the picture is ready” is Xgimi’s mantra here.
The Elfin Flip 4K's Harman Kardon 7W speakers on display. (Image credit: Xgimi)
Both projectors come with Google TV built-in, which gives you access to a range of streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Netflix. In terms of sound, the models are equipped with a 7W Harmon Kardon tuned speaker with Dolby Audio support, which will supposedly “eliminate the need for external audio equipment”.
There is a range of features designed to make setup easier as well, including auto-keystone, auto-focus and obstacle avoidance.
The Elfin Flip 4K is priced at £869 / $999, and the Elfin Flip Laser comes in cheaper at £689 / $799.
That puts the flagship against the likes of the Award-winning Hisense M2 Pro, which is currently available for around £870. The five-star Hisense model will certainly prove tough competition for Xgimi’s latest bombshell, thanks to its bright picture and easy setup.
Still, the Elfin’s more portable design and promising picture specifications could challenge the current champion.
If you don’t want to bother with the fuss and decision-making of choosing a projector and sound system to pair together for your premium home cinema system, then there has not been a whole lot available on the market.
But the Nebula X1 Pro is trying to plug that gap.
It combines a 4K projector with four detachable Dolby Atmos speakers to deliver the “world's first mobile theatre system”. That’s all put together into a package on wheels, which makes carting it around easier.
On paper, this is a tempting proposition but, in this case, the combination of execution and price doesn’t quite add up.
Price
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
If you want to get your hands on this unique projector system, then you will have to pay the rather premium sum of £4499 / $4999 / AU$8999.
That’s a pretty big step-up in price from its more modest sibling – the Nebula X1, which we tested at £2200 / $2999. This is a more compact 4K projector to which we awarded four stars for its punchy picture and rich sound. It features a built-in sound system, although you can add Nebula’s two optional wireless speakers, which create a wider soundfield. That differs from the more elaborate sound system of the X1 Pro.
Design
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The X1 Pro is quite a special-looking beast, resembling a suitcase-robot hybrid that could easily feature in a Philip K. Dick novel.
It is 76cm tall and weighs a hefty 33kg, but Anker makes its transportation easier with some clever additions. These include an extendable handle and two sturdy wheels to carry the projector around as if you are off to the airport. There are also two handles on the chassis if you need to carry the X1 Pro up the stairs.
Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro tech specs
(Image credit: Soundcore)
Projector type DLP triple laser
Screen size Up to 300 inches (claimed)
Resolution 4K (via pixel shifting)
HDMI eARC? Yes
HDR support HLG, HDR10
Dimensions 76 x 44 x 34 cm (hwd)
Weight 33kg
There is no built-in battery, so keep in mind that you will need to keep the projector connected to the mains wherever you want to use it. The two-metre power cable is retractable from a cove at the bottom of the projector, so there’s a fair bit of flexibility.
At the top, there’s a handy lid that stores the back-lit remote control and a pair of karaoke microphones, should you wish to show off your pipes. On the remote, you will find buttons for volume, power, settings, the home menu and auto image adjustment. There is a handy back-lit panel on the top of the lid of the projector, which gives you access to many of these features as well.
Arguably, the most exciting aspect of the Nebula projector is its speaker design. There are four detachable speakers hidden inside the X1 Pro’s body, each with a durable black plastic grille.
All of the speakers feature retractable little stands with rubber feet to keep them stable, and they are all simple to set up. There is also a subwoofer built into the projector itself.
Features
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
But what are the speakers packing under their sleek-looking exteriors? The front speakers have two forward-facing, one side-firing and one up-firing driver each. That differs slightly from the rears, which include one forward-facing and one up-firing driver per speaker.
The subwoofer features two drive units, each measuring13cm in diameter.
This sound system has Dolby Atmos support. FlexWave, Soundcore's proprietary spatial audio calibration technology, is also included. The brand claims this “uses sensors, spatial algorithms, and auto EQ calibration” to “intelligently adjust to your room's acoustics”.
When setting up the projector, you will be prompted to calibrate your speakers. This takes less than five minutes, as the speakers play a range of test frequencies and a music sample to get the best spatial soundfield.
There’s a neat nook for physical connectivity, consisting of one HDMI with eARC support and three USB ports. Inside is a small light to help with navigation in the dark, which is a handy addition.
As well as the remote and panel, you can control the projector with the Nebula Connect app. This lets you adjust the picture and sound settings, image correction, switch app input, and you can cast from another device. We do not find ourselves reaching for the app much during testing, though, as the remote control and top panel offer much of its functionality.
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
In terms of screen set-up, there is a selection of shortcuts that make the whole process pretty simple. That includes auto-focus, keystone correction and wall-colour adaptation (useful if you are projecting on a non-white surface). We find that selecting Spatial Adaptation analyses our dedicated screen most effectively, and adjusts focus and sizing all in one.
The projector offers a claimed maximum brightness of 3500 ANSI lumens, and you can push the screen size as big as 300 inches. It is built around a DLP optical system illuminated by a triple laser lighting system.
The X1 Pro can play 4K sources and high dynamic range in the HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision formats, but it only supports up to 4K@60Hz video playback, which will be a bit of a shame for gamers.
There are ten picture modes to choose from, but we go with NebulaMaster when using a 4K Blu-ray as, once tweaked (details below), it delivers the best balance between detail and brightness.
The choice of picture modes changes when we go to streaming – we find that Movie is the best choice in this case thanks to its natural-looking motion and colourful image.
Picture quality
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
When we boot up the projector in NebulaMaster picture mode for the first time, we are met with overexuberant colours and smoothed textures that make for a distracting viewing experience.
But after knocking the saturation and sharpness down, and turning up the brightness a little, we are left with a more pleasing overall image that is engaging and punchy. The colours are still on the exaggerated side, but they are eye-catching and give the picture a burst of energy.
When watching Thunderbolts, as the rag-tag team face up against Sentry, the villain’s brightly coloured costume stands out against the background, which makes for an engaging experience. The rest of the picture follows this colourful portrayal, with the blue skyline and amber-lit bar area giving the background a lively look.
The edges of characters and items are crisp and clean, and there is little noise in textures, contributing to an overall picture that feels sharp without tipping into being over-etched.
Nebula’s 4K model does not unearth as much detail as we would hope for at this level, but it is still good enough to see the creases in Sentry’s clothes and strands of his hair.
The projector shows off its impressive motion-handling skills with F1 The Movie. This is after adjusting the MEMC (Motion Estimation and Motion Compensation) setting from medium to low, as the default setting results in an unnatural smoothness. With the adjustment, cars zoom around the track with minimal judder and a good sense of authenticity.
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
However, the projector struggles to portray darker skin tones with the same level of detail as lighter ones. As plucky F1 driver Joshua talks to his cousin, the shadows across the latter's face block out a fair amount of detail, so it is nearly impossible to make out the distinction between his chin and beard.
This issue extends to the projector’s black depth, and is further illustrated by Sinners. As Michael B Jordan’s Stack has a tense conversation in a low-lit barn, the X1 Pro delivers the dark background with a fair bit of banding that verges on grey at points.
We do the majority of our testing with the lights off in our dark test room, which lets the projector deliver a bright and clean overall image. To see how it performs in other scenarios, we turn the lights up slightly from our usual dark testing conditions.
As with most home cinema projectors, contrast suffers, and detail is lost. Continuing with Sinners, for instance, it is hard to differentiate faces as the characters venture outside the barn, which makes for a less immersive overall experience.
Even when we turn the lights up higher, though, it's not unwatchable, and the colours are still reasonably punchy, though diminished a little. You do lose the finest details and the sense of three-dimensionality, but it would still be serviceable for a bright movie.
Overall, the X1 Pro’s picture is likeable and engaging, but it could do with a touch more detail and subtlety. By general standards, it’s a solid performer, but for the price, we know that better is available.
Sound quality
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The Nebula X1 Pro’s sound set-up is packing some impressive features by projector standards, so we feel hopeful when we get it in our test room.
There are three sound modes to choose from: Movie, Outdoors, and Music. After a good deal of testing, we opt for the first option as it delivers the best balance between precision and scale.
The sound is certainly more room-filling than most projectors that have built-in speakers, but it is ultimately let down by a lack of precision and dynamics.
Vocals are clear and easy to make out from the rest of the sound, but there is not much expression or subtle inflexion in individual voices.
While watching Sinners, as Sammie calls the spirits with the power of his singing, his voice is at the forefront of the sound, but it lacks the emotion that we have heard with rival systems. His voice should come in tentatively but grow stronger as the scene goes on, but the X1 Pro does not convey this level of subtlety.
There’s also not a great sense of precision as the different voices and instruments chime in. The sound should fill the room and the space between the speakers, but it's obvious where it's emanating from instead of coming from all angles.
When watching Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise’s titular character challenges his cohort of cadets to some aerial contests. As the jet flies up into the sky, we get some sense of height, but it does not extend much further than the middle of the projector screen.
It feels more like there are tall columns of sound coming from the speakers rather than the dome of sound we are looking for with a Dolby Atmos product. You can turn off Nebula’s FlexWave surround sound technology, but this makes the sound feel smaller and less precise, so we opt to keep it on, despite its limitations.
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The system doesn’t create a cohesive soundfield with any great skill, and we note gaps even when we’ve taken care over speaker positioning. There is a configuration where the front speakers can be left in the main projector body, almost like a soundbar, but, as expected, this reduces the level of scale and width.
Dynamics are not the strongest, either. As the jet prepares to take off, there is not much of a build-up between the initial rumble of the engine and the crescendo of the plane in flight.
The X1 Pro’s bass also fails to pack a meaty weight, instead landing with a rather flat softness. When watching Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, our hero faces off against a monstrous soul-sucking dragon. Punches should sound deep and impactful, but they lack the powerful drive necessary to convey the right level of force.
It doesn't help that the subwoofer is built into the projector’s body, which means we cannot tune or position it differently without moving the projector itself.
Verdict
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The Nebula X1 Pro’s clever design is certainly an intriguing novelty, and its crisp picture performance delivers a reasonable balance between punchiness and clarity. It would be even better if there were greater subtlety in the rendition of colours, though.
But its audio makes for an underwhelming experience, lacking the necessary insight, dynamic expression and surround capability to convince. It’s fussy to set up, too.
However, the biggest issue here is the price. At this level, it would seem more sensible to invest in a separate projector and sound system to get the best performance from both.
There could be some big changes for the social movie platform Letterboxd. The brand is reportedly in talks with potential buyers including Netflix, Sony Pictures and Paramount, according to Puck.
Letterboxd's co-founders Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow will still own 40 per cent, but the fate of the remaining stake in the social network is up in the air as the current holding company, Tiny, seems to be looking to sell.
For those not in the know, the movie cataloguing site allows you to rate and review films. You can follow your friends and to see what they are watching, and tailor your profile to show your top four favourites.
As of July this year, there were a whopping 26 million users worldwide. That includes numerous celebrities, such as Ayo Edebiri, Charli XCX and Ed Sheeran. Even our furry friend Paddington leaves the odd review.
One of the prerequisites for working at What Hi-Fi? is that you have to be a massive movie nerd (joking, kind of). That's because testing out the latest home cinema and AV kit involves watching a variety of films to see how well they perform. We watch the same scenes again and again to compare different models, and that is a lot more fun if you genuinely love watching movies.
I have gushed about Letterboxd before and it's still the first thing I reach for once I have watched a movie. Users can post one-line zingers or thoughtful reviews, and both are equally likely to get hundreds of likes.
But I'm a little worried about the possibility of the platform being owned by streaming services or movie studios such as Netflix or Sony Pictures. It means that they could favour certain releases and push some films onto the homepage more than others, giving smaller movies less of a chance to get noticed.
Clearly, I am not alone, as there is already a crowdfunding effort to "buy it back for the people" that has gained over $54,000 in donations so far.
Nothing is set in stone yet, but it would be a shame to see the fun and passionate Letterboxd community become oversaturated with advertising and led by algorithms instead of film lovers.
Olivia Wilde’s directing back catalogue is nothing if not varied. Her breakout directorial hit came with Booksmart in 2019, which was rich with humour and elevated by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever’s brilliant lead performances.
Then came the not-so-great Don’t Worry Darling, which scored a disappointing 38 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer.
But I’m glad to report that her latest film The Invite is a glorious return to form, as she both stars in and directs the feature. It follows an unhappy couple (played by Wilde and Seth Rogen) who invite their new neighbours (Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) for dinner. I won't say any more, as the less you know about this movie before watching it, the better.
Most of the film takes place in their apartment, but clever camera work means the setting never feels stale or boring. Instead, each corner of the flat becomes a cove for hushed conversation or a stage for explosive conflict.
One element that really elevates this sense of tension is Devonté Hynes’ spiky and playful score, made up entirely of cello instrumentals.
When the mood is relaxed, the sweeping strings create the sense of an idyllic home life. But arguments are punctuated with harsh, low, even thrilling instrumental moments.
It’s not subtle, but it further ramps up the tension in a movie where a single spoken line can turn a normal conversation into something far more fraught. Hynes is not afraid to leave space for quiet either, such as when, during a surprisingly moving conversation between the two leads, there is only the uncomfortable silence of the couple trying to decide what to say next.
The Invite is playing in cinemas now, and I can’t wait for it to hopefully come to 4K Blu-ray so I can use it as a test disc for sound in our AV test room. So far, only the standard Blu-ray and DVD editions are available to pre-order at HMV, but fingers crossed.
Every projector is a product of compromise. Top-tier 4K projectors can deliver excellent detail and black levels, but usually lack a built-in sound system and cannot be easily moved around.
And outdoor projectors make their compromise clear more than any other projector category, as they must carefully handle the balance between convenience and performance.
With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, more people are looking for ways to watch the winning kick on a big screen from the comfort of their gardens. But no outdoor projector has ever offered the perfect delicate equilibrium between each aspect. I’ve tested my fair share of portable projectors so far and, although nothing has achieved the ideal balance yet, I'm always keeping my eye out for a model that could change all that
So what exactly does the perfect outdoor projector offer?
Portability
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
To take your projector into the garden and even on the road, it needs to be easy to carry around. Otherwise, you will end up lugging a heavy piece of kit around, which doesn’t make for a practical or fun alternative to watching on your TV screen.
We’ve seen some pretty neat designs in terms of portability that certainly tick this box. Take the Xgimi Mogo 4, for instance, which is a can-shaped projector that weighs just 1.3kg and is only 21cm tall.
You can pull out the main body from the sturdy plastic stand when you want to use it, and its small footprint makes it a great example of the portability I’m looking for in an outdoor projector.
There’s a remote that hangs from the stand that gives you access to the basic controls, such as volume and settings, if you don't want to rely on the larger remote that is also available. It is far from the only model to offer this kind of flexibility, but it's a great example of true portability in the category.
Most outdoor projectors these days also come with platforms such as Google TV, which give you access to the usual streaming suspects, including Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video. That makes accessing your favourite TV shows and films simple, although some platforms lack World Cup essentials such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX. You can work around this by casting from another device, at least.
A long-lasting built-in battery
If a projector is small and portable, though, then it understandably must make some sacrifices in other areas. One of the biggest of these is the lack of a built-in battery. Many projectors claim to be portable but, if they don't have a battery, then you are limited to placing it where you can get access to the mains.
Some projectors let you connect a power bank to extend their battery life a little, but that depends on the model's capabilities.
And even if your projector offers a built-in battery, it is often only just enough to watch a few episodes. The Xgimi Vibe One is a small, compact model with a built-in battery, but the brand claims it offers a maximum of 1.2 hours of juice until you need to plug it in. That number is only if you are using the projector in the Eco mode, however. In Standard mode, the battery gave us just under an hour of AV action, which will only give you one half of a World Cup match.
In an ideal world, a projector's built-in battery would be able to last entire game or movie without conking out.
Bright, punchy picture
Of course, the picture needs to be a strong performer in various lighting environments. You might start watching a game at 5pm, where the sun is still blazing during these scorching summer months.
That means you need a projector that can deliver a punchy image that can withstand bright viewing conditions. So far, I have not come across a compact model that can deliver the perfect level of detail, black depth and colour.
Ultimately, that is one of the sacrifices that must be made for the projector to be portable and compact, as there is less room for more comprehensive features. If such a model existed that could expertly balance picture performance and size, it would have a prime spot in our test room.
Immersive sound
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Finally, the perfect outdoor projector delivers engaging and precise sound that makes every viewing experience even more immersive.
The closest we have come to this dream is with the Nebula X1 – a 4K projector with a 2.1-channel configuration. We say in our review that the projector's "audio makes it stand out from the crowd, as it is rare we have found a projector that can pack such a punch in terms of bass."
Plus, vocals are clear and relatively emotive, delivering a rich overall sound. This is an outlier in the outdoor projector world, as most of the built-in speakers don't manage much dispersion of sound or punch.
The most recent projector to enter our test room promises to tick every one of these boxes (bar the built-in battery). The Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro claims to be the "world's first mobile theatre system", presenting as an all-in-one package on wheels. Yep, actual wheels. It features four detachable speakers to place around your space, a 4K picture that goes up to a claimed 3500 ANSI lumens of brightness, and a clever design.
We are yet to publish our full review but, suffice to say, the Nebula projector has not managed to claim the crown as the perfect outdoor model.
I never actually expect to find a perfect outdoor projector because – as I said at the start – all of them are a product of compromise. Still, I'm excited to see how close we can get.
Last week was pretty eventful for fans of physical media. Sony announced that in 2028 it will end physical disc production for PlayStation games, meaning you will be able to access future titles only digitally.
In the same week, Sony also stated that users will lose access to more than 500 films and TV shows they bought from the PlayStation Store in the UK due to a content licensing agreement. Can’t we have anything?!
But physical media remains a steadfast necessity to theWhat Hi-Fi? team, with the majority of our AV testing relying on 4K Blu-rays to challenge the latest kit. That’s because they deliver the best picture and sound quality compared with even the top-performing streaming services. Plus, it’s reassuring to be able to hold your favourite movie in your hands without risking it being removed because of licensing agreements and the like.
We are always keeping our eyes out for upcoming discs, and there are three 4K Blu-rays that we cannot wait to get our hands on. These are our most anticipated releases, but which films are you most excited to see on 4K Blu-ray?
Obsession
Curry Barker’sObsession was made on a budget of around $1 million dollars, but it has just surpassed $400 million globally at the box office at the time of publication. That is pretty jaw-dropping for an indie horror film.
After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a young man named Bear finds himself getting exactly what he asked for; but he soon discovers that some desires come at a price.
The result is a chilling yet thoroughly entertaining watch that will have you cowering behind the sofa cushions.
Obsession is not yet available to watch on streaming platforms in the UK (although you can buy it in the US using Apple TV). It is still showing at a few cinemas, but its 4K Blu-ray release has already been announced.
The final artwork is yet to be released so we are not sure yet how it will look on your shelf, but if its artful filmmaking and disturbing cinematography are anything to go by, we should be in for a treat. Let’s just say, we are already obsessed.
Release date: TBC
Project Hail Mary
Who doesn’t love a sentient pile of rocks cracking excellent quips and bantering with Ryan Gosling? Project Hail Mary is a thoroughly gripping watch from start to finish, and that’s saying something considering its two-and-a-half hour run time.
The film follows Gosling’s Grace, a high-school science teacher who becomes embroiled in a last-ditch government effort to save the world from the dimming sun. After being sent to space as part of the operation, he befriends Rocky (the aforementioned sentient pile of rocks) and the two work together to save both of their worlds.
Apart from being an emotional rollercoaster, Project Hail Mary looks absolutely beautiful. It ditches the green screen, unlike most blockbusters these days, and relies primarily on practical effects to portray Grace’s spaceship and the vast expanse of space. That all adds to the film’s sense of realism, especially with Rocky, who was controlled by a team of puppeteers for much of the movie.
And, finally, the film is getting a physical release. The 4K Blu-ray is coming in August, and later in the year there will be a glorious Steelbook design with Kubrick-inspired artwork adorning the collection – although it has already sold out at HMV. Fingers crossed more will become available soon.
Release date: 10 August
K-Pop Demon Hunters
While obsession is the current talk of the town, we cannot forget one of last year’s most popular releases. That’s right,K-Pop Demon Hunters has finally announced its physical 4K release after more than a year, and it is joining the coveted Criterion Collection. There is no release date for the disc just yet, but the excitement is already palpable.
There are only 11 animated films included in the Criterion Collection canon, including Watership Down and Flow, so the Netflix original will be in good company.
The film follows three girls, all part of a K-Pop group named Huntrix, who also just so happen to fight demons. Clue’s in the name, I guess. When they sing as a group, a seal between our world and the demon realm is strengthened for another season. But when a rival boy-band group threatens to destroy everything they have worked so hard for, the fate of the entire world could be at stake.
We use the film, via Netflix, for testing a fair amount already. Its brilliant score has proved to be a great test of any home cinema sound system. And now that it is coming to physical disc, we can’t wait to test with it even more.
LG has launched its latest moveable screen display to deliver “a more flexible and enjoyable entertainment experience”.
That comes in the form of the rather clunkily named StanbyME 2 Max (does anyone else have Ben E. King stuck in their head now?), which expands on the first iteration five years after it came out.
The idea is to take the screen with you from room to room, as it features a detachable display that can be mounted on a wheeled stand. You can use it in either portrait or landscape mode, and you can use the screen-mirroring function with your phone.
The previous model was available in 27 inches; the new version bumps that up a little to 32 inches. This display supports up to 4K resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and Dolby Vision HDR.
There is also a built-in battery that offers up to 4.5 hours of use before needing to be plugged into the mains, so it should last for at least the runtime of Oppenheimer (and then the start of Barbie).
In terms of audio, there is Dolby Atmos support to provide “an enveloping soundscape with richer detail”. The system is also powered by LG’s Alpha 8 AI Processor Gen3, which uses AI to deliver a virtual 11.1.2-channel surround sound.
When not in use, it can display artwork from the LG Gallery+, which will possibly make it less of an eyesore.
We are still waiting on UK or Australian pricing, but it costs $1299 in the US (around £970 / AU$1870). That seems pretty steep for a 32-inch display, even if it can be wheeled around the house.
Whether it will be a practical portable addition to your home or just a bigger screen to doom scroll on remains to be seen, but we are certainly curious to find out.
Movie scores are a sure-fire way to test your sound system’s performance. There’s a whole lot of variety in that category, from emotive scores to pull on the heartstrings (hearing any piece of music from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial immediately takes me into a nostalgic wormhole) to tense action tracks to get the blood pumping.
In our AV and hi-fi test rooms, we often turn to movie scores to decide how well a sound system performs.
We have a page dedicated to tracking the best movie scores to test your system, although it has been a fair few years since it had a much-needed spruce-up. There are a bunch of brilliant soundtracks missing from the list, and we have a few entries in mind already that we will be adding.
That includes John Williams’ Theme from Jurassic Park, which features sparkling brass and is an excellent test of dynamics. There’s also the energetic soundtrack from Mad Max: Fury Road by Tom Holkenborg that can make for a punchy and tense listen with the right system.
But for this month’s Ask the Reader, we are opening the floodgates to you, our trusted readers, for your favourite scores that you use to put your sound system to the test. It could be a niche release or a decorated blockbuster, whatever floats your boat.
It’s been three years since Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer hit the big screen. Since then, fans of the director have been waiting with bated breath for his next venture, and this time he is taking it back to basics.
Nolan is taking on one of the most well-known stories of ancient history by adapting Homer’s The Odyssey, throwing a star-studded cast (Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland all feature, just to name a few) into the perilous land of Troy.
But buying a ticket for Nolan’s latest release is not as straightforward as it probably should be. Depending on your local cinema, you could be choosing between IMAX 70mm, ‘standard’ IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 70mm film, 35mm or Premium Large Format.
The movie social platform Letterboxd has even released a digital punchcard to tick them off.
Let’s be honest, though, the majority of people will not be forking out the extra cash to watch the film more than once or twice in the cinema. So which of the many versions should you pony up for?
While we await the film’s release (17th July), let’s run through each of the available formats.
The aspect ratio basics
The biggest differences in the various presentations are the aspect ratios – how tall and wide the image is. This can be quite tricky to get your head around, so let’s start by trying to make sense of that.
Your TV at home has (assuming you’re not still rocking an old CRT model) a 16:9 aspect ratio, which ‘normal’ people tend to refer to as simply ‘widescreen’.
In the cinema, aspect ratios tend to use a different format. Converted to that format, your widescreen TV's aspect ratio is 1.78:1. This simply means that for every centimetre of height there is in the image, there’s 1.78cm in width. Bear that in mind as we outline the other aspect ratios below.
IMAX 70mm
The Odyssey is the first film to be shot entirely using 65mm IMAX film cameras (they’re called Keighley cameras), building on Nolan’s tradition of using the format for sections of even some of his earliest films.
Watching it in this original format means finding an IMAX 70mm cinema, where the movie will be presented in a 1.43:1 aspect ratio.
Compared with your TV screen, this will look much taller and is closer to a square than the more familiar rectangle. It’s the tallest aspect ratio on the list, which should give you a brilliant level of immersion when watching on the big screen.
In an explainer video on The Odyssey’s website, Matt Damon says: “Each film frame has 15 perforations, runs horizontally through the projector, making it the largest format available. Every frame was shot in IMAX, and when you’re in the theatre, you’ll feel the full impact of how it was shot.”
If you value cinematic authenticity, have the means to get to an IMAX 70mm cinema, and have the budget for what will be a very expensive ticket, this is the version to seek out.
You will need to travel to London or Manchester if you’re in the UK, though, as those are the only two places where you will find one of these very special cinemas. They are the BFI IMAX, the Science Museum IMAX Cinema and Vue Manchester Printworks.
IMAX
If you can’t watch the film in the 70mm format because of its price or inaccessible locations, then our second choice would be the standard IMAX presentation. As with the above format, this is only available in IMAX cinemas that combine the right screen design and use the brand’s proprietary picture and sound technology.
This changes the aspect ratio of the film to 1.90:1. That means you will get an image that's quite similar to the 16:9 ratio you're used to at home (although a touch wider), which sacrifices quite a lot of the top and bottom of the originally filmed image.
While this is a more widescreen format than the full-fat IMAX presentation, it's still a fuller image than you get from a standard cinema screen (more on that later).
Dolby Vision
You can also watch the film in Dolby Cinema, where it is presented using Dolby Vision. There are only eight Dolby Vision cinemas in the UK, so you will have to bear that in mind when considering your options.
Dolby Vision's high dynamic range generally allows for brighter highlights, deeper blacks and more visible detail at both ends of the brightness scale. On top of that, the dual-laser Dolby Vision projection system claims a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, helping it deliver much deeper blacks than conventional cinema projection.
It's unclear to what extent Christopher Nolan supervised the Dolby Vision grade, so we cannot say how close this Dolby Vision version gets to Nolan's intended presentation.
Depending on whether your local Dolby Cinema has a widescreen or flat screen, the film will be presented in either 2.39:1 or 1.85:1. The first is much wider and shorter than your TV screen, whereas the second is only a little bit wider than the common 16:9 ratio.
Dolby Cinema prioritises contrast, black level and HDR, whereas IMAX is primarily about image size and expanded aspect ratios, and you might prefer one approach over the other.
70mm film
With the 70mm film version, you will see the film in a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. This is wider but narrower than the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of your TV.
The movie’s site claims that it delivers a bright, clear image up to three times the resolution of standard digital projection formats, with rich analogue colour by projecting light through celluloid. There’s no IMAX on the cards with the version, though, which means you won’t be treated to the huge screen that the more premium format offers.
35mm film
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? )
35mm film is the most commonly used format for movies at the cinema – effectively the typical cinema experience offered by most multiplexes and independent venues. It offers an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, which, as we mentioned in the Dolby Vision section above, is wider and shorter than your TV screen.
It has four perforations with the film running vertically through the projector, and the site claims: “It projects light through the entire 35-millimetre frame to deliver clear, high-resolution images with rich analogue colour.”
Premium Large Format
Finally, you can watch The Odyssey in Premium Large Format. As with Dolby Vision, this is available in either the 1.85:1 or 2.39:1 aspect ratios – which one you get will depend on your cinema’s capabilities.
If you want to feel even more immersed, you can choose to watch the film in a 4DX or a D-Box cinema. These specialised cinemas throw a bunch of special effects at the viewer, including swaying seats, water sprays and bubbles, as well as pumping out different scents to match what is happening in the film.
This might not be everyone’s cup of tea (we can’t say we are tempted to get tossed around by a cyclops from the comfort of our seats), but some people love this unique experience.
The What Hi-Fi? recommendation
We must caveat this section by saying that we have yet to watch The Odyssey in any format, so we are purely going off the specifications and marketing materials we have for now.
That said, IMAX 70mm is clearly going to be the truest, purest version of Nolan’s vision, given the way he shot the movie.
Standard IMAX instinctively feels like the next best thing, whereas the Dolby Cinema version is more of an unknown quantity. After that, we’d be seeking out the 70mm version.
The standard 35mm version is your typical cinema experience, so that would be our backup option.
4DX isn’t really our kind of thing – at least not for a movie such as The Odyssey – but if it’s something that appeals to you, have at it!
If you have purchased a movie on the PlayStation Store, then you may well be impacted by the brand’s latest announcement.
In September, PlayStation will remove more than 550 films from its catalogue. Which means any affected films will be wiped from your video library, even if you paid for them.
The company is not offering refunds to users, and there’s not even an option to offload them to another device. Sony, which owns PlayStation, says that they will be removed due to content licensing agreements with Studio Canal.
You can read the full list of affected movies on PlayStation’s website but some of the most notable titles include Moonlight, Rambo First Blood, Apocalypse Now, and Pan’s Labyrinth.
At the moment, this affects only customers in the UK, although the brand pulled the same move in Germany and Austria back in 2022.
It’s a rather unpleasant reminder that you can never truly own a piece of media online, as you are always at the whim of licensing battles. We have seen the issue with streaming services before, with Netflix most recently hitting headlines for removing all seven series of Gilmore Girls from its US site.
That’s why physical media is still so important. There is no substitute for holding a copy of your favourite movie or TV show in your hands.
Investing in a 4K Blu-ray is usually the more expensive option, but it gives you proper ownership while also providing the best picture and sound quality you can get at home.
As someone who tests home cinema products for a living, I have used countless 4K Blu-ray discs to challenge picture and sound quality on a range of different products. That includes some of the cheapest projectors we have tested (the Xgimi Vibe One, for example) and premium all-in-one sound systems such as the Focal Mu-so Hekla.
There are some discs that I turn to specifically for their unique specifications. Pan, for instance, is a pretty tedious watch, but it is mastered to a whopping 4000 nits, which makes it a great test of brightness.
But the majority of movies I use in the test room are films I would gladly turn on in my living room and watch all the way through. Sadly, I can't justify that when testing (cue the tears and sorrow).
So which 4K Blu-rays am I recommending this Amazon Prime Day?
There are almost too many to choose from, but I have managed to whittle my top picks down to a slender offering of six. Not only will these movies provide a gripping viewing experience, but they will also challenge your home cinema system, whether that’s with its picture, sound or both.
All of the 4K discs on this list are included in the 3 for £50 deal at HMV, which saves you about £10, although that is dependent on which movies you choose. As well as the movies below, I heartily recommend adding our all-time favourites Blade Runner 2049and Dune: Part Twoto your collection if you have not already.
Let’s dive in!
No Time To Die
Rife with big explosions and flashy car chases, No Time To Die is a brilliant test for both picture and sound. During a tense scene where Daniel Craig's Bond speeds along the tiny cobbled Italian roads, the squeal of tyres and the sound of ricocheting bullets should create an immersive viewing experience with the right system.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
I have been waiting a cool three years for the final installation of the Spider-Verse trilogy to hit the big screen; but that anticipation has been helped by my regular re-visits to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. That’s partly thanks to its energetic score, which will keep your toes tapping and your heart racing.
Nosferatu
Robert Egger’s Nosferatu is a creepy gothic retelling that is not for the faint of heart. The striking visuals make for a great test of black depth, and the chilling score should challenge your system’s handling of dynamics during tense scenes.
F1 The Movie
The opening of F1 The Movie alone proves its chops as a great test of your Dolby Atmos sound system. As our protagonist readies himself for a race, we are thrown into the scene with the announcer’s voice booming around us and fireworks popping with an excellent display of Atmos height effects.
Mission Impossible: the Final Reckoning
Nothing beats the thrill of seeing Tom Cruise clinging to a tiny plane for dear life in glorious 4K. Not only is the film a hair-raising watch from start to finish, but it’s also a great test of your TV or projector’s motion handling, with plenty of fast-paced action scenes.
Interstellar
One of our favourite aspects of Interstellar when it comes to testing is its stunning soundtrack. If your system has the reserves of power, control and insight to do tracks such as Coward or Cornfield Chase justice, you will be swept off your feet.
If you're looking for the next film to take centre stage in your upcoming movie night, then you will find plenty of contenders on the plethora of streaming platforms at your fingertips.
There are times when you are craving something in particular, but it is nowhere to be found. That's why physical media is still so important. You can be safe in the knowledge that your favourite movies are tucked away on the shelf.
And if you are looking to jump into the world of Middle-earth with your next film night, then we have spotted the perfect Amazon Prime Day deal. You can pick up the complete The Lord of the Rings trilogy in 4K Blu-ray, including both the theatrical and extended releases, for a discounted price of £60 at Amazon.
That's the cheapest we have seen the trilogy this year, although it's not the lowest price we have seen it drop to since its release. You also have to be an Amazon Prime Video member to snag this deal, so remember to bear this in mind.
Choose between the theatrical or extended version of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy with this 4K release. It's not the lowest price we have seen, but you can save £30 with this stellar deal.View Deal
If one of the most successful and influential trilogies of the last 30 years has somehow passed you by, let us fill you in.
The first instalment in the series (The Fellowship of the Ring) sees our meek protagonist Frodo's begin his perilous journey to make sure the powerful One Ring does not fall into the wrong hands. In the rest of the trilogy, we follow Frodo and his band of companions as he puts everything on the line to complete his quest.
The theatrical release runs for just under 9 hours, and the extended version comes in at over 11 hours. That's a lot of time to spend with our friends from the Shire.
I've watched the movies countless times, with both versions delivering a masterclass in world-building and drawing me into the magical land of Middle-earth.
You can find the standard versions of the films on HBO Max, but there's no sign of the extended releases on the streaming service. There is the option to buy or rent from other platforms such as Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV, but that does not have the same certainty as holding the discs in your hands.
And then there is the superior picture and sound quality to consider. Even the best streaming service cannot match a 4K Blu-ray's more detailed, sharper image and fuller-feeling audio.
So, if you are sick of searching for the full Lord of the Rings editions on streaming services, then this is a great solution, especially at such a good price of £60 at Amazon.
There’s a conundrum that many movie fans face. You might be perfectly happy with your TV’s picture performance, but the audio is often another matter entirely. Punchy action scenes might be missing a sense of energy, and it may be difficult to make out dialogue during busy parts of a film.
Luckily, there is a way to fix this common problem. If you don’t have the budget or space for a multi-speaker package to upgrade your sound, then adding a soundbar to the mix is a great way to go.
And, for those on the hunt for an even more room-filling experience, there is the option of getting a soundbar with Dolby Atmos support, which can provide a much-desired extra boost of surround sound.
With Amazon Prime Day deals swarming your search like ants to a melting Calippo, it can be hard to find a model that is genuinely right for you. That’s where we come in. We have tested hundreds of soundbars over the years, and have hand-selected four products that provide immersive sound and are at a discounted price right now.
Sonos Beam Gen 2
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The Sonos Beam Gen 2 holds the crown as the top entry-level Dolby Atmos bar in our best soundbars guide.
The Beam Gen 2 measures just 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd) and weighs 2.8kg, making it easy to place in front of your TV without obscuring the picture. Under the hood, you will find four front-facing elliptical mid-woofers and a centre tweeter.
Most importantly, it offers a detailed, rich, and enveloping audio experience, which is particularly impressive considering its compact footprint.
Despite the bar’s lack of up-firing drivers, the soundfield is immersive and we get a good sense of height as well as scale. In fact, we note in our review: “Whether it’s a chirping bird, a car or a voice, there’s remarkable consistency across the complete soundfield, and seamless handover between drivers, which we have to say doesn’t always happen when a Dolby Atmos soundbar has upward drivers to contend with.”
It launched at £449, but this Prime Day deal has seen its price drop to £337 at Amazon. That’s a saving of £112, and is well worth considering if you are looking to add an Atmos soundbar to your system.
Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9
FutureWhat Hi-Fi? / Netflix / Drive To SurviveWhat Hi-Fi? / Netflix / Drive To SurviveFuture
If you are looking for a step-up soundbar to add to your system, then the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is hard to beat. This Sony sounds exceptionally crisp and precise, and the Atmos-ness of its delivery is hugely impressive for a standalone bar.
We find there is a slightly clinical tone in its overall delivery, but its superb detail and punch mean it still achieves five-star success.
In terms of connectivity, gaming fans will be pleased to hear that the Bar 9 has a dedicated HDMI 2.1 input and support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM.
You can find it for £999 at Richer Sounds, chopping £400 off its launch price. At this price, it is also worth considering the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra. It’s a brilliant-sounding system, offering a rich overall sound with expressive vocals.
It features only a single HDMI eARC port, however, which is not as comprehensive as the Theatre Bar 9’s offerings. The Sonos model is currently available at its launch price of £999 at Smart Home Sounds, but we have our fingers crossed for a reduction before the end of Prime Day.
Hisense AX5125H
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All-in-one soundbars work excellently for some people, but you might be craving that extra sense of immersion that can come with a soundbar package. And our top budget soundbar system recommendation is currently available for an absolute steal.
You can pick up the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H for just £199 at Currys, making it easily one of the best-sounding affordable soundbar systems we have heard.
The 5.1.2 system, which supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, offers a relatively compact design that is easy to accommodate in most homes. It is made up of two small wireless surround speakers, a wireless subwoofer and the main soundbar. Even though the surround speakers are surprisingly compact (each one measures just 14 x 9 x 11cm), they produce an impressively enveloping soundfield that massively improves upon our experience with the TV’s sound.
We noted in our review when watching Civil War: “Bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position, helicopters hover at ceiling height, and distant explosions rumble menacingly.”
Vocals are clear and sound relatively emotive too, although the subwoofer can get a little overzealous and cause them to become muffled in the busiest sections. Still, the Hisense system is a top performer in its class and is even more tempting at this discount.
Samsung HW-Q990F
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Finally, we have the Samsung HW-Q990F, an Award-winning 11.1.4 soundbar package. Like the Hisense system, it is made up of a soundbar, a subwoofer, and two surround speakers.
It is a chunkier system in terms of its build, though. The surrounds, for instance, measure 25 x 25 x 25cm and the soundbar comes in at a more hefty 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd).
With support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, we were impressed by the soundbar’s ability to create that all-important dome of sound as well as ensuring the sound moves organically between the channels.
When it comes to its bass performance, we say in our review: “There is a much greater sense of tonal variation from this subwoofer [compared with the older Q990D model], which unearths a new layer to the bass. The Q990F’s bass feels more organic, balanced, and seamlessly integrated into the system as a result.”
That all makes it a focused, tonally varied overall sound that immerses us in whatever we listen to. You can find the system for £750 at Amazon, saving you around a whopping £949 off its original price.
We recently reviewed the Q990F’s successor – the Samsung HW-Q990H. This new system managed to build upon our favourite aspects of the older model, resulting in an even more detailed and nuanced performance. That meant the Q990H took the crown when we put them head to head – but the Q990F is without doubt still a brilliant performer in the category.
Plus, the Q990H's price has dropped only a small amount for Prime Day (the cheapest we have seen so far is £1299 at Amazon). That makes the older model all the more tempting.
If you have been looking for a way to bring the big-screen experience to your home, countless projectors and large TVs claim to deliver just that. And, with Amazon Prime Day now in full swing, plenty of different brands are offering tempting discounts across a range of products.
But which models will get you the best large screen, all while saving you some of your hard-earned cash? We have found two products to fit that particular bill – that will deliver an immersive screen size and have similar price tags. Each offers something different, but both can bring the big-screen experience to your home.
A super-sized TCL TV
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
First up, the gigantic 98-inch TCL C7K is a king-sized 4K TV at a jaw-droppingly low price. The five-star set would usually cost a respectable £2399, but Prime Day has seen this crash to a remarkable £1999 at Currys. Don’t get us wrong, that is still a lot of money. But for the sheer size and quality of the TV, this is a bargain price.
You get 3000 nits of brightness controlled with 2000 dimming zones, plus TCL’s Halo Control features, which aim to reduce the effect of backlight blooming. This is aided by an anti-glare film that reduces reflections.
It received a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, thanks to its spectacular brightness and colour, as well as its excellent gaming specifications. The dimensions of the TV alone are enough to blow your socks off, as we say in our review: “We’ve seen a few 98-100-inch TVs now, but the raw cinematic impact of seeing our favourite test movies and TV shows writ so large across our field of view never seems to grow old.”
The brightness is intense, especially at this size, with small HDR highlights looking every bit as dazzling as on pricier TVs. TCL’s Halo Control also does a stellar job of suppressing any unwanted blooms of light emerging.
In terms of sound, the TV offers a 6.2.2-channel system designed by Bang & Olufsen. It is detailed and clear, and never becomes overstated, harsh or brittle. It does, however, lack the levels of bass and immersion that a decent, dedicated Dolby Atmos soundbar would provide.
It’s very well equipped for gamers, with VRR, ALLM, and a 144Hz refresh rate. You get a full complement of HDR format support, but only two HDMI 2.1 ports.
Of course, a 98-inch screen will take up a fair bit of room in your home. If you don't have the space to accommodate, the option below might be a better fit for you.
And a more compact projector from BenQ
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
TCL’s super-sized TV is certainly a large beast to behold, but it is simply not a realistic addition to many people's homes. It measures 218cm wide, which is quite a challenge if you are working with a compact space. There is the option to wall-hang, but of course you need to have a wall capable of supporting its 55kg weight.
If that won’t work for you, there’s another way to get the big-screen experience. The BenQ W2720i is a 4K projector that holds the crown as the best mid-range model in our best projectors guide. The price for the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning projector has dropped from £1999 to £1799 at Richer Sounds, saving you a reasonable £200.
It offers a more compact option than the TCL C7K, as it measures 14 x 42 x 31cm (hwd) and weighs just 6.5kg. You can push the screen size up to a claimed 300 inches, which knocks the 98-inch TV out of the park.
When we reviewed the projector, we were met with a clean, detailed picture that still looked natural. We say in our review: “So crisp, detailed, pristine and full of texture and density are the W2720i’s pictures that they really do look 4K, even if pushed to prodigious image sizes.”
The Award-winner's connections go further than those of most projectors, by including three HDMIs, one of which provides ARC support for passing sound out to a connected AVR or soundbar, and one of which supports 4K/120Hz.
There are some limitations to consider with a projector compared with a TV. Any projector that costs less than £10,000 will struggle to produce deep black levels, especially compared with a Mini LED such as the C7K. The W2720i is still a great performer in this area when compared with rival projectors, but the TCL TV does a better job at recreating proper black depth.
You will also have to deal with a weaker picture performance in any sort of ambient light compared with a TV screen.
But the BenQ’s smaller footprint and impressive specifications may well suit your home cinema set-up better. It depends on which big-screen experience works best for you, but these stellar bargains on both products are worth looking into.
Ah, the humble soundbar. You might not think from first glance that they are anything special. After all, their unassuming designs are usually built to blend into your living room in front of your TV virtually unnoticed.
But these compact champions can play a crucial part in your home cinema setup. If you have the right model, your TV’s (almost certainly) lacklustre audio can be upgraded to deliver immersive yet detailed sound with clear voices.
As with any piece of home cinema kit, there is a huge variety when it comes to quality and price. If you are looking on the more affordable end of the spectrum (take the Creative Stage Pro, for instance), you will rarely find Dolby Atmos support. For those who have bigger budgets, you will find more premium models with the specifications to match.
So which models are worth your time? We have tested oodles of bars over the years since the category emerged in the 2000s, so we know which soundbars are genuinely good sonic performers.
With Amazon Prime Day almost upon us (it officially runs from the 23rd to the 26th June), we have already spotted some stellar bargains on top-performing soundbars. All the models below have been thoroughly tested by our experts, and have achieved either a four or five-star rating.
You will recognise, no doubt, the feeling of watching a film on TV and not quite being able to make out the dialogue. Fast-paced action can also sound a little flat, with big explosions making barely any impact. Pretty disappointing, right?
Luckily, there is a quick fix to those sonic frustrations. Soundbars offer a great solution to your TV’s lacklustre audio quality, especially if you are short on space and working on a limited budget.
And right now, to kick off Amazon Prime Day, one of the best budget soundbar systems we have tested is available at a great discount. The Award-winning Hisense AX5125H has dropped from £250 to £199 at Currys. The last time we saw it drop to this price was back in December, and it’s still the lowest price we have spotted on the five-star model.
Hisense AX5125H £249 £199 at Currys (save £50) Hisense's 5.1.2 soundbar system is one of the best budget models we have tested in this category, offering excellent weight, scale and spaciousness for the money as well as an easy setup. Read the full Hisense AX5125H reviewView Deal
When we had the Hisense AX5125H in our test room, we were presented with a cohesive, spacious sound that was a huge step up from the TV’s built-in speakers. Watching Civil War, as the White House is swarmed by army personnel, bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position with brilliant accuracy considering this soundbar’s low price tag.
Dialogue is also made clearer and more expressive, with only the busiest sections causing voices to become a touch muffled.
If you want a much-needed injection of weight and energy into your movies, the Hisense model can deliver. As we say in our review: “Explosions and deep gunfire have good impact and solidity, and there’s just about enough tonal expression for bassy soundtrack elements to sound reasonably musical.”
There are no up-firing drivers with the AX5125H’s surround speakers, so we don’t get a full dome of sound from the Dolby Atmos system. Still, the height effects appear quite deep into the room and the overall delivery is immersive thanks to the two up-firing drivers in the soundbar.
In terms of physical connectivity, you will find an HDMI input and HDMI output with eARC. There is also an optical digital input, a USB 2.0 port and a 3.5mm jack.
The system is easy to set up as well. The two small surround speakers can be placed on stands in your space or you can wall-mount them. The soundbar is compact as well, measuring 6 x 92 x 9cm (hwd), and should sit in front of most TVs without blocking the display. Finally, the subwoofer’s dimensions (29 x 21 x 30cm) make it easy to place next to the TV in the test room without feeling overly cramped.
If you are looking to upgrade your TV’s speakers without breaking the bank, the Hisense AX5125H is a great choice, especially for £199 at Currys.
The sun may be out in full force here in the UK, but that hasn't stopped us from burying ourselves in our dark test room to see how the latest TV and AV kit performs.
We have been testing out a range of products, from Dolby Atmos soundbar systems to QLED TVs. And all of those models need to be tested by the best test discs out there. There are steadfast classics that we turn to time and time again. If you regularly read our reviews, for instance, you will have spotted Blade Runner 2049, Civil War and Dune: Part Two making frequent appearances.
But we have to keep our eyes peeled for new movies and TV shows that will keep home cinema products on their toes. There are some on this list that have only just hit the cinemas and cannot wait to get into the test room, and others that we already regularly use.
Without further ado, let's get into it.
One Battle After Another (2025)
Words by Daniel Furn
After sweeping several award ceremonies over the winter, including this year’s Oscars, you probably don’t need to be told how good One Battle After Another is.
As long as you can stomach the 2-hour 42-minute runtime, Leonardo DiCaprio’s long-awaited collaboration with auteur director Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t disappoint, following a washed up revolutionary who scrambles to find his daughter who scrambles to find his kidnapped daughter.
DiCaprio plays against type as the wide-eyed, stoned and super-paranoid Bob, and his lengthy phone calls to his former revolutionaries are the film’s comedic highlight, but the real standouts here are Sean Penn and relative newcomer Chase Infiniti as Bob’s military nemesis and spirited daughter, respectively.
I had the pleasure of watching the film in KEF’s Ultimate Experience Room and their 9.14.4 audio configuration, but whatever setup you have at home, the film will shine.
Anderson’s first foray into action means there are several scenes to test your sound system, including an opening raid on an immigration detention centre that sees gunshots and flares fired in all directions and bombings that will give the low end a workout. But the real benefit is to the score – Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood brings in skittery jazz and driving synths that ratchet up the tension more than any bullets, particularly during a lengthy climactic chase scene.
Legends (2026)
Words by Joe Svetlik
Legends refers to the secret identities assumed by undercover agents during an operation. But these are no ordinary agents – these are customs officers (i.e. airport bag checkers), who, incredibly, were enlisted by the Thatcher government in the war against heroin with minimal training. It’s quite a story, and it’s based on real events.
The biggest name is Steve Coogan, but the main character is played by Tom Burke, looking like a grizzled Charlie Brooker. He plays Guy, a bored customs officer who goes deep undercover with London heroin importers. But it’s really an ensemble piece, with Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen and Jasmine Blackborrow all putting in fine performances as the rest of the customs crew. Special mention goes to Charlotte Ritchie as Burke’s wife Sophie, encouraging him to finish the job while also struggling seeing him trying to reconcile his legend with his life as a family man.
Liverpool and London look their grimy best in the dying days of the Thatcher government – the gritty industrial wastelands are reminiscent of Newcastle in Get Carter (one of the main villains is also named Carter, possibly in reference to Mike Hodges’ landmark British thriller). And the soundtrack is A1 – The Stone Roses, Depeche Mode, The Cure, N-Trance, Happy Mondays… It gives a nostalgic wrapper to a show that demonstrates that the old days, like today, were something of a mixed bag.
Backrooms (2026)
Words by Alastair Stevenson
A horror about an empty, well-lit office doesn’t sound like nightmare fuel. But, Kane Parsons’ Backrooms somehow manages to make it exactly that and one of the most interesting horror movies I’ve watched this year, as a result.
That’s a particularly impressive accomplishment given the strength of 2026’s lineup, which also includes Hokum – a film I’ve already heaped praise on for its stellar use of audio. Based on internet folklore and Parsons’ previous YouTube series, the film sees furniture salesman, Clark, accidentally discover an endless network of interconnected rooms (most of which look like yellow offices) in the basement of his store.
Rather than jump scares or overt gore, the film gives a subtle nod to the classic psychological horrors of old, showing Clark slowly descend into madness as he delves deeper into the labyrinth.
I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but I can say the film then takes the terror level up to 11, offering viewers a gradual stream of reveals that hint at, but never fully explain what it is he’s stumbled upon.
Add to this solid use of audio and compelling found-footage segments, and the film manages to create a chilling, slow-burning experience that keeps you guessing and glued to the screen for its entire runtime – so much so that I’ve found myself watching the old YouTube videos, which expand on the film’s lore in my spare time.
It's still only available to watch in cinemas, but we can't wait to get it into the test room once it is released on streaming and 4K Blu-ray.
Limitless With Chris Hemsworth (2022 - 2025)
Words by Harry McKerrell
Everyone knows that proper documentaries make great test room fodder. Anything fronted by the mighty Sir David Attenborough tends to set the standard in terms of the quality of the cameras and equipment used, with nature’s diverse array of weird and wonderful beings helping to give our testers a pretty firm idea of what any given screen can do.
Limitless with Chris Hemsworth isn’t a nature documentary per se, but it’s made in partnership with National Geographic and produced by Darren Aronofsky, so the budget is colossal and the production values are exquisite. Hemsworth is no Attenborough when it comes to pointing out the intricacies of the natural world, but he does have a much nicer torso.
That’s also not the point of the series. Big Chris’ job isn’t to explain nature, but to throw himself into it, all in a bid to fight the ravages of ageing with some surprisingly in-depth scientific backing. Fasting, exercising, brain training; he does the lot.
Theoretically, this could all have been performed in a drab science lab, but instead, Thor treks from exquisite location to exquisite location – the icy Arctic Fjords, the Australian Outback, the Swiss Alps – to take part in a series of challenges that will boost his longevity and, more importantly, look really cool on camera.
And most importantly of all, give him plenty of reasons to take his shirt off.
1917 (2019)
Words by Robyn Quick
I'm not usually the biggest fan of war movies, but the excellent sound and picture quality displayed in Sam Mendes' 1917 makes it an essential test disc.
Starring George McKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, the film follows two young British privates who are tasked to deliver a message across no-mans-land to prevent another battalion meeting a grisly death. Suffice to say, 1917 is certainly not a cheery watch.
It was filmed in a single-shot style (although it actually uses cleverly hidden cuts throughout). That creates a plethora of motion-heavy scenes, challenging your TV or projector to make movement look realistic without judder or excessive smoothness.
With the most iconic sequence of the film, you can also challenge your Dolby Atmos system. As McKay's Private Schofield sprints across the top of a trench while soldiers charge across his path, the layers of sound wrap around the listener to bring the battlefield to your living room. Shell explosions, gunfire and raining debris are heard from all directions as Schofield powers on, and your system should place them around the soundfield with startling accuracy.
I’ve reviewed a whole range of soundbars in my time at What Hi-Fi?, ranging from five-star wonders to less-than-satisfactory models.
But it is not every day that a product like the Focal Mu-so Hekla enters the test room. This all-in-one sound system comes in at a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625), placing it firmly in the high-end soundbar category.
The system supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, plus you get the full complement of streaming-service support, including Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify.
While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. Both brands hold a strong pedigree, so we had high hopes when we got the system into our test room.
And (spoiler alert) we were not disappointed. My colleagues and I spent days testing the Mu-so Hekla, so here are three things that impressed us the most about the model, and one thing that gave us some trouble.
Immersive, detailed sound with music and movies
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
First off, the Hekla sounds amazing with whatever we throw at it, whether that is a tense action thriller or a delicate piece of classical music. During testing we felt like we were immersed in everything we listened to, thanks to the system’s enveloping soundstage that wrapped around the listening position.
This experience was heightened by the system’s excellent precision, as you can hear effects placed around the soundfield with startling accuracy. When watching Dune: Part Two, we found in our review: “The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.”
Turning to music, this same show-stopping performance continued. Vocals sounded natural and expressive, and each frequency remained well-balanced.
We tested the Hekla against one of its closest competitors – the Award-winning KEF XIO. This five-star model launched at £1999 / $2500 / AU$3600, and holds the crown as the top premium soundbar in our best soundbars guide.
While the XIO is still an excellent performer, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.
Clean, agile bass
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Another sonic standout is Hekla’s bass. The low frequencies are meaty yet agile, lending its performance an extra sense of impact.
We felt the tight punch of initial bass in the soles of our feet during Dune: Part Two as our central character slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm.
Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand was forceful but not overwhelming, as you still hear Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. It never stood out from the rest of the sound despite its low-end heft, and remained balanced even during busy action scenes.
We said in our review that it “reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system”, making it a class-leader in the soundbar category.
Stylish design
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
Aside from its audio performance, the Mu-so Hekla has a stylish design that feels worthy of its premium price tag. It is made from anodised aluminium with sandblasted finishes, which gives the system a sturdy and smooth feel.
Under the hood, it is equally impressive. There are 15 drivers in total, including seven on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top.
The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.
There is also a tactile dial on the top of the bar that also acts as a touch screen, and adds to its sleek appearance. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power.
No display and bulky design
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
As much as we like this stylish touch dial, it makes navigation a little difficult when it is being used as a soundbar. As the display is on the top of the bar, it is not as intuitive as other designs we have seen such as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max where the change in volume or output is clear.
In our test room, the light from the dial also reflected off the screen from certain angles. This won't be a problem if you're using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV, though.
The bar is also pretty hefty, weighing 15.5kg and measuring one metre long and almost 30cm deep. That means it’s less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.
This design makes sense from an engineering perspective, as Focal says it had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion it wanted. Still, it is certainly worth considering how it will fit into your space.
Despite this design quirk, the Focal Mu-so Hekla is an incredibly strong sonic performer that more than justifies its high price tag.
The Focal Mu-so Hekla is not your average soundbar. It claims to be an “immersive all-in-one system” that “combines Dolby Atmos technology, outstanding sound performance, and ease of use to transform your everyday listening”.
Its name alone shows off its strong pedigree. While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. This isn’t the first time the two brands have worked together on a product: that was the high-end Diva Utopia active wireless stereo speaker system (£29,999 / $39,999 / AU$59,999) which came out back in 2024.
The Naim link is also apparent with the inclusion of the Mu-so branding, which audio fans may recognise as the company’s well-regarded line of wireless speakers that launched in 2014. The range boasts such products as the five-star and What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Naim Mu-so 2 (2019) and Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen models, which wowed us with their punchy, detailed and dynamic sound.
And where does Hekla come from? It’s the name of one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. If that evokes an explosive and powerful performance, then you would be correct.
Price
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The Focal Mu-so Hekla has its sights set on the high-end market, and is only sold in authorised Focal Powered By Naim retailers. This exclusive nature is also reflected in its price tag, which is a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625).
That’s higher than the all-in-one music systems we have encountered from Ruark Audio and Cambridge Audio, as well as premium Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the KEF XIO (£1999 / $2500 / AU$3600) which snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award last year. We praised this KEF soundbar for its agile bass and detailed overall sound.
Design
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The Mu-so Hekla is quite a bulky beast. It is one metre long and almost 30cm deep. On top of that, it weighs 15.5kg. This makes it less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.
On the top of the bar, you will find a stylish white illuminated dial that is the same as that featured on Naim’s Mu-so products. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power. It makes for a sleek design that rotates smoothly and adds to the premium feel.
As much as we like it, this design creates some issues when the Hekla is used as a soundbar. In our test room, it only just fits under our TV screen and the light from the dial is reflected off the screen from certain angles. This is not a problem when using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV.
Given the system’s bulkiness it’s fair to ask, why not make it more soundbar-y in shape? The Hekla’s shape is dictated by the engineering team’s insistence on prioritising acoustics. It simply had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box in order to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion they wanted.
“When we created this product, yes, we wanted a home cinema experience; but above all, we wanted to keep our hi-fi signature, specifically for music,” a Focal representative told our Hi-Fi and Audio Editor Kashfia Kabir at the product’s launch showcase last year.
The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.
Although it is large, the Hekla has a premium-feeling design that matches its price tag.
Features
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
There are 15 drivers in total, with each powered by its own Class D amplifier. That includes seven drivers on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top of the unit.
All together, it outputs a claimed 660 watts of power (60W each to the front three drivers, 40W each to the remaining 12 drivers). The electronics (streaming and amplification) are all designed by Naim. Steve Sells, the engineer behind the original Mu-so and the flagship Naim Statement amplifier, was also involved in the development of this Mu-so Hekla.
In terms of physical connectivity, you will find an HDMI port with eARC support. There is also an optical input, a wired Ethernet port (alongside wi-fi capability), and a pair of RCA outputs to add a subwoofer.
You can connect your TV, CD player, Blu-ray or games console; but unlike other do-it-all modern systems, there is no built-in phono stage.
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
As you would expect, you get the full complement of streaming-service support and high-resolution file compatibility. Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify – and their Connect versions – are present, as are AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth (standard AAC and SBC codecs only) for easy streaming from your devices. UPnP streaming is also on board, meaning you can play stored files from connected hard drives.
Hekla supports hi-res audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128 files, and it can also connect with other compatible Focal/Naim streaming products that use the same Focal & Naim app and streaming platform to create a multi-room system.
In terms of sound modes, there are a range of options to choose from: Dolby Music, Dolby Movie, Sphere Music and Sphere Movie. There is also a Night Mode, which reduces dynamics and bass so you do not disturb others in the house.
You can switch between these modes via the app, which lets you easily fine-tune the bar’s settings and change the output. You can also go into the EQ settings, and calibrate the soundbar to your space with Focal’s ADAPT (Adaptative Acoustic Personal Tuning) technology. Get your tape measure handy for that one, as you will be asked to calculate a range of different measurements.
With ADAPT on, the scale of the sound is wider, which adds an extra bit of immersion to our listening experience.
Sound
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
As soon as we boot up the Focal Mu-so Hekla with movies, we are greeted with a spacious yet precise sound that elevates every scene.
We kick off with Sinners in Dolby Atmos as our protagonist Sammie summons spirits from the past, present, and future to a small barn in Mississippi. When Sammie sings his heartfelt tune, accompanied by just his guitar, his slightly tentative vocals sound emotive and grow stronger as he gains confidence with a sense of authenticity.
As the spirits join in and more instruments are added to the mix, the Hekla does a brilliant job of expanding the soundfield to create a sense of spaciousness without losing its composure. Each instrument and voice is still placed exactly around the space, which adds a sense of precision that is rare for an all-in-one system. There is not a trace of harshness either, as we are instead treated to a solid and full-bodied approach that adds an extra weightiness.
The Hekla maintains this composed yet impactful performance with its bass. With Dune: Part Two in Atmos, we watch as Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides rides his first sandworm. When he slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm, the initial click is tight and clean with a precision that can be felt in the soles of our feet. The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.
Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand is forceful but not overwhelming, as you can hear Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. The bass also packs an authoritative low-end punch that reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system, adding to the scene’s impact.
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
The gradual build from Atreides quietly skulking across the sand to the exhilarating flurry of sound as the worm emerges is expertly handled by the Hekla, and shows off its superb dynamics.
When switching between the sound modes, each offers a slightly different experience. Dolby Movie offers the most precise sound, but this results in a slightly less three-dimensional feel. Sphere Mode, on the other hand, offers a more spacious sound with a more muscular bass but sacrifices a degree of precision. Both sound great, but it is down to personal preference.
The same can be said for the modes when we switch between Dolby Music and Sphere Music when playing some tunes.
The Hekla continues its show-stopping performance with music, and deals excellently with whatever we throw at it. Listening to 500 Miles by Peter, Paul and Mary via Qobuz Connect, the system shows off its softer side. As the vocals get louder near the end of the piece then grow quieter to almost a whisper, it handles this change in dynamics with subtlety to compound the emotive finale.
It can go punchy and loud, too. With Liar’s Tale by Kneecap, the initial visceral electric zing is portrayed with enthusiasm and clarity. When the bass comes in full throttle, it is delivered with authority and immediately gets our toes tapping.
With Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles, the sound of bouncing ping pong balls cascades all around our listening position with incredible levels of detail and spaciousness.
We put the Hekla up against the less pricey KEF XIO. While the cheaper XIO is still great for the money, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.
Verdict
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
As far as all-in-one systems go, the Focal Mu-so Hekla offers the best of both worlds. It delivers all the drama you could want from a soundbar when watching movies, with controlled bass and authoritative overall sound that elevates each scene.
But you can also feed it a delicate piece of music and be treated to a finessed performance that makes you feel the emotion of each note.
It might come at a high price but, if you have the funds, its performance more than justifies the cost.
Two men stand outside a door frame. On the left is Niki, who has sandy brown hair and wears a black boiler suit. On the right is Harry, an older man with grey hair.
Two men stand outside a door frame. On the left is Niki, who has sandy brown hair and wears a black boiler suit. On the right is Harry, an older man with grey hair.
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