SONOS BEAM (GEN 2)

YOU WANT THAT WITH JAM ON IT?

After some initial huge excitement in the 1980s

HOW WE TEST

EXPERIENCE. HERITAGE. We have been helping the world

LG Z3 (OLED7 7Z3)

Is 8K on an OLED worth £15k from your wallet?

Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3

Pressure makes diamonds, but are these 603 S3 towers true gems?

Fiio FT3

Fiio’s first-ever over-ear headphones are a fine debut

Sennheiser Accentum Plus Wireless

Sennheiser’s mid-range on-ear noise-cancellers try to fill rather a large gap in the market

TCL 55C745K

TCL redefines ‘bang for your buck’. Again

HISENSE 43A6KTUK

Hisense returns to its value roots

AMAZON FIRE TV OMNI QLED QL50F601

A budget TV with rare all-round ability

SAMSUNG CU8000 (UE55CU8000)

Samsung gets some of its budget TV mojo back

Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2

Pro-Ject’s Phono Box DS2 is capable, flexible and well-built

Optoma UHZ66

This 4K laser device has excellent green credentials, but how do the other colours fare?

Samsung Q990C

This flagship soundbar bundle delivers a convincingly immersive sound

SONOS RAY

An assertive, punchy and petite soundbar with sparkling vocal clarity

JBL BAR 300

JBL is offering a truckload of features at a reasonable price, but how does this bar sound?

SONY HT-S2000

Sony’s budget soundbar promises a no-frills approach to enhancing your TV’s audio

SONY HT-A3000

Cinematic sound and Dolby Atmos at an affordable price

SUPER-BRIGHT TVS MAKE NO SENSE

The colourists at the busiest post-production studio in Hollywood have no interest in going over 1000 nits. Tom Parsons finds out why

TOP FIVE LAUNCHES

Five products to look out for this month

TRANSPORTS OF DELIGHT

The compact disc is alive and well, as our pick of the finest CD players and transports proves. Long live the original digital format!

Marantz CD6007

A small but significant improvement keeps Marantz’s CD player class leading

Cambridge Audio CXC

If you already have a DAC, this superb-sounding CD transport makes perfect sense

Arcam CD5

Affordable, capable and enjoyable 

Cyrus CDi

An entertaining and revealing disc player at its level

TEAC VRDS-701

Premium price, premium build and an excellent sound

BUDGET-BUSTERS

A new TV need not be beyond your reach if you’re on a tight budget. Here we round up three great sets that represent fantastic value for money

SONY LINKBUDS

A new breed of wireless earbuds

HUAWEI FREECLIP

Unusual and surprising in equal measure

BOSE ULTRA OPEN EARBUDS

Bose enters the brave new world of ‘open’ wireless earbuds

System of the month

The best of modern streaming smarts with retro appeal and top-notch analogue performance

Leema Neutron/ Graviton

■ Pre/Power amplifier ■ £2800 ■ ★★★★☆ The

SPL Diamond DAC

■ DAC ■ £2500 ■ ★★★★☆ SPL Audio

BUYER’S GUIDE

The definitive guide to the best home-entertainment kit you can buy

HI-FI AMPLIFIERS

THE BEATING HEART OF YOUR HI-FI SYSTEM

CD PLAYERS & TRANSPORTS

GET THE RIGHT PLAYER AND CD CAN STILL SHINE

DACs

A DIGITAL-TO-ANALOGUE CONVERTER IS A MODERN HI-FI MUST

MUSIC STREAMERS

THE BEST WAY TO SHARE YOUR TUNES AROUND THE HOUSE

RADIOS

THE ORIGINAL WIRELESS IS STILL GOING STRONG

STEREO SPEAKERS

THEY BRING THE MUSIC TO YOUR EARS – SO CHOOSE WITH CARE

Positioning your speakers

It’s no good spending hundreds of pounds on

SYSTEMS

CONVENIENCE DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN LOWER QUALITY

TURNTABLES

DECKS TO KEEP THE VINYL REVIVAL THRIVING

WIRELESS SPEAKERS

FREE YOUR MUSIC WITH ONE OF THESE STREAMING WONDERS

CARTRIDGES

YOU CAN’T HEAR YOUR RECORDS WITHOUT ‘EM

SPEAKER CABLES

ONE OF THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE UPGRADES YOU CAN MAKE

SPEAKER STANDS

STANDMOUNT SPEAKERS NEED THE BEST SUPPORT YOU CAN GET

HOME CINEMA

BLU-RAY PLAYERS

HOME CINEMA AMPLIFIERS

POWERFUL SOUND THAT TRULY BRINGS MOVIES TO LIFE

PROJECTORS

BECAUSE A MASSIVE PICTURE IS HOME CINEMA

SET-TOP BOXES

THE BEST WAY TO ACCESS THE WORLD OF TELEVISION

SOUNDBARS

A BRILLIANT WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR TV’S SOUND

SPEAKER PACKAGES

GOOD SURROUND-SOUND IS A MOVIE-MAGIC MUST

VIDEO STREAMERS

DON’T RESTRICT STREAMING TO A LAPTOP – GET IT ON THE TELLY

TELEVISIONS

MAKE THE FOCUS OF YOUR ENTERTAINMENT HUB A GOOD ONE

HEADPHONES

BIN THE BUNDLED BUDS AND INVEST IN BETTER SOUND

PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYERS

TREAT YOUR TUNES TO A DEDICATED MUSIC PLAYER

Headphone jargon busted

Our jargon buster explains the various types, and why you might want to choose one particular model over another

SMARTPHONES

SUPERB MUSIC AND VIDEO PLAYERS THAT MAKE PHONE CALLS TOO

Amazon Prime Video tips, tricks and features

Whether you’re a Prime professional or just thinking of signing up, you’ll want to get the most out of the service. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to do exactly that.

STREAMING APPS & SERVICES

THE BEST WAY TO GET YOUR STREAMING FIX

TABLETS

VIDEO, GAMES AND MUSIC ON A PORTABLE SCREEN

ANALOGUE INTERCONNECTS

DON’T SKIMP ON CABLES: THEY’RE A TOP-VALUE UPGRADE

AV & HI-FI RACKS

HI-FI KIT CAN ONLY SOUND ITS BEST WITH THE PROPER SUPPORT

HEADPHONE AMPLIFIERS

HOW TO GET THE VERY BEST FROM YOUR CANS

MAINS PRODUCTS

A CLEAN POWER SOURCE IS VITAL FOR INTERFERENCE-FREE HI-FI

PHONO STAGES

EVERY RECORD DECK NEEDS A PHONO AMP

THE 7 BEST KATE BUSH TRACKS TO TEST YOUR HI-FI SYSTEM

T he child prodigy who caught the ear

SOUND AS 500 POUNDS

Improve your TV’s sound without breaking the bank, with our pick of the best soundbars for less than half a grand

OPEN BUDS NOW IN FULL BLOOM

A new species of earbud has emerged – and it looks well adapted to the needs of the market. We look at three of the first models