• McIntosh MX124 AV processor launches for a cool $15,000 (about £11,079 / AU$21,423)
• 13.4 audio channels to 7.4.6 or 9.4.4 speaker configurations in Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Pro
• 7x 8K HDMI inputs and extensive additional connectivity, plus Dirac Live

If you're looking for an AV processor so future-proof that your grandkids will want to inherit it, McIntosh Labs may have just the thing. The new MX124 A/V Processor is designed for "today's "most advanced home cinema systems" according to the company, and comes with extensive connectivity options, as you'd expect.

As you'd expect from McIntosh, it's a tough-looking thing, and to my eyes it resembles something from a 1960s recording studio or NASA control center. But while it may look a little retro on the outside, what's inside is bang up to date.

Its 13 surround channels with four inividual subwoofer outputs support speaker configurations of up to 7.4.6 or 9.4.4, and it has superb wired and wireless connectivity for your AV components.

McIntosh MX124 AV processor: key features and pricing

The McIntosh MX124 A/V Processor is designed to sit at the center of a reference-spec home theater system, handling the audio and video sources and routing the audio to the appropriate amplifiers via its balanced or unbalanced outputs.

It has seven HDMI inputs and three outputs, including one with eARC for your TV, and all the HDMI inputs support 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 120Hz. They're compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG and IMAX Enhanced, and they also support HDCP 2.3, Rec.2020, 4:4:4 Color Spacing, Dynamic Lip-sync, 3D Video Passthrough, ALLM, VRR and Quick Frame Transport.

There are four dedicated digital audio inputs, one balanced and eight unbalanced analog stereo inputs, component and composite video inputs, and dual analog stereo outputs to accommodate two additional listening zones.

For streaming, the MX124 supports AirPlay, Bluetooth, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Roon Ready, supporting hi-res audio streaming at up to 32-bit/192kHz.

The MX124 also features Dirac Live Room Correction and Bass Control, with licenses included for both. It can also deliver Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room calibration if that's your preferred option.

As this is a premium AV product, it's been designed with professional installation in mind, and it's certified Connects With Control4 for simple and efficient setup and pre-configuration. It features RS232 for automation control and is suitable for rack mounting.

McIntosh didn't include pricing details in its official announcement but retailers are listing the new MX124 with a price tag of $15,000 (about £11,079 / AU$21,423). And as I mentioned above, that's excluding amplification.

If you're looking for something more affordable, you might prefer to take a look at Denon's two new affordable entry and mid-range AVRs, or Yamaha's two new budget AVR options.

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Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review

I’m not going to sugar-coat this. I’ve been a big fan of Sony’s soundbars, but its latest generation can feel like a step backward, and that includes the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7.

I genuinely like some of the choices Sony has made: these new speakers are simple and elegant, becoming one with your room. They’ve also got a much smaller footprint, making placement (both in front of a TV and on a wall) much easier.

The included remote has fewer buttons, giving it a friendlier feel than the previous models. And Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping might be the easiest room correction feature ever baked into a soundbar.

You get an HDMI input for passthrough as well as the HDMI eARC connection to the TV, which is a soundbar feature that’s becoming harder to find; it comes with every cable you need, plus a wallmount kit; and you no longer need to spend $1,000 to get up-firing drivers (an essential ingredient for convincing Dolby Atmos sound). They’re included in the $869 / £699 / AU$1,199 Bravia Theater Bar 7.

And yet despite these benefits, the Bravia Theater Bar 7 (AKA model HT-A7100) nixes some of my favorite features from the previous generation.

There’s no built-in subwoofer, no on-screen setup menus, no alphanumeric front display, no hi-res Bluetooth codecs, no ability to connect wireless headphones, no Chromecast support, no Google Assistant/Amazon Alexa compatibility, and no playback via USB storage or UPnP (for streaming music from a networked server).

Of these omissions, the one I noticed most is the lack of a built-in subwoofer. While it’s true that too much low-frequency sound can be, at times, unwanted — for instance, if you’re a condo-dweller with thin walls between units — I believe that’s a good problem to have. You can always dial the bass down if the neighbors complain. But not having enough bass to start with? That’s tough to accept, especially at this price.

It’s not that the Bar 7 has no low-end; it does. It’s just that it doesn’t get low or loud enough to provide what I think of as a truly cinematic experience, even with the available bass adjustment set to ‘max’.

The obvious and easy way to overcome this limitation is to buy the Bar 7 with Sony’s Bravia Theater Sub 7 wireless subwoofer, a combo that only costs $230 / £100 more. If you buy the Theater Sub 7 after the fact, it will cost you $329 / £249 / AU$299. Sony sent me a Sub 7 to test, and it does the trick, restoring the weight and punch that the Bar 7 lacks.

Still, if bass isn’t your thing, the Theater Bar 7 delivers crystal-clear mids and highs, and can do so at volume levels that are shockingly loud. Dialogue is crisp and well separated from the rest of the soundtrack. Sony deserves top marks for this — poor dialogue clarity has become something of an epidemic in the last decade, and the Theater Bar 7 really helps.

With dedicated up-firing drivers for height channels and side-firing units designed to bounce rear channel sound to your listening position, the Theater Bar 7 should deliver a compelling, immersive experience, especially when playing Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content.

I don’t want to be too harsh in my analysis; the Theater Bar 7 definitely creates a soundstage that is taller, wider, and deeper than non-Dolby Atmos speakers, but given its price, I expected more.

I use a number of different test clips when evaluating spatial immersion, such as the Aston Martin chase scene from No Time To Die, the opening of Mad Max: Fury Road, and the first sandworm reveal from Dune.

The Theater Bar 7’s strengths (its clarity and power) created a strong sense of energy and immediacy — both vital elements for enjoying cinematic sound — but these couldn’t overcome the soundbar’s struggles to place key effects like bullet impacts or whispery voices accurately in my space.

Normally, when a soundbar underperforms my expectations, I reach for the settings menus, where you can usually tweak everything from bass and treble to the levels of individual channels.

Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t provide any way to tweak the Bar 7’s tuning. There’s no equalizer, no set of bass/treble adjustments, and no EQ presets. If you find the sound signature too emphatic when it comes to the high frequencies (as I definitely do), there’s not much you can do about it.

All of this adds up to a soundbar that finds itself in the anti-Goldilocks zone. The less expensive Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 may not be expandable, but out of the box it can deliver more cinematic punch thanks to the included wireless sub.

By the same token, if you spend just a little more than the price of the Theater Bar 7, you can get the Bravia Theater Bar 8. With its built-in sub, you get all of the sleek, single-speaker appeal of the Bar 7, with genuinely good low-end bass (and lots of expansion options).

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Price & release date

• Released April 2026 (US), May 2026 (UK), July 2026 (Australia)
• $869.99 / £699 / AU$1,199

As the name suggests, Sony has priced the Bravia Theater Bar 7 to sit between the existing Theater Bar 6 ($699.99) and the Theater Bar 8 ($999.99).

While the Theater Bar 6 comes with its own subwoofer, it can’t be expanded later with optional surround speakers. If you want that, you’ll have to buy the more expensive Bravia Theater System 6, which comes with a sub and surrounds.

Both the Bravia Theater Bar 7 and Theater Bar 8 can be expanded with subs and/or surrounds, however the Theater Bar 8 has a built-in sub, which may provide enough low-end for some people (especially for those in apartments or other small spaces).

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Specs

Should I buy Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Also consider

How I tested Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7

• Used the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 as my main audio system for one week
• Tested in my basement media room
• Sources: Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield 2019, and streamed music from various apps

After setting up the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7, I used it as my main audio system for watching movies, TV shows, and music in my basement media room. Over the course of a week, I played a variety of Dolby Atmos test clips from movies such as No Time To Die, Ford v Ferrari, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, and Unbroken. I took careful note of details like dialogue clarity, surround sound, and height channel immersion.

I streamed most content from an Apple TV 4K connected via an LG OLED TV, which fed the Theater Bar 7 from its ARC output. However, I also connected an Nvidia Shield TV to the soundbar’s HDMI input to test Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, and see what, if any video passthrough issues came up.

I evaluated the effect of Sony’s limited sound modes as well as its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping room correction feature.

For music, I used a variety of apps, including Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music, listening to a wide range of genres and formats, like Dolby Atmos Music. Some were played from apps on the Apple TV 4K and Nvidia Shield, while others were streamed wirelessly using AirPlay and Bluetooth.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: July 2026

• People continue to build alternative Sonos apps with features Sonos hasn't offered
• Recent creations include customizable room correction that works with front surrounds
• Most aren't widely available, and are being shown in invite-only betas

In the last few months, Sonos has finally moved on from fixing its app's tech issues to improving it with new navigation and adding some useful new techy features, such as a key new network troubleshooting option.

But many Sonos users are just tired of waiting for long-requested features — such as the ability to add front surround speakers — so they're building their own alternatives instead.

We covered some user-created apps to improve the Sonos ecosystem not too long ago, and the list of available options continues to grow.

More Sonos apps than you can shake a soundbar at

First up there's "the app Sonos should have made" according to its creator: Somos InControl. It's an iOS remote for Sonos home theater products with custom EQ, saveable sound presets, surround height levels and music features too.

The big draws here are that it supports adding front left and right surround speakers, and the ability to save EQ options for different use cases — the example screen shot has slightly tweaked sound for 5.1 surround versus Dolby Atmos versus music listening that you instantly switch between. It's an Apple TestFlight work in progress so availability is limited, but it looks very impressive.

The app Sonos should have made. Try it for free. from r/sonos

Moosic is a self-hosted music server app that offers an alternative to Trueplay's room tuning, with the always-welcome ability to display charts of the room correction, plus more customization options for the tuning.

It also enables you to switch your Sonos configuration — such as switching a pair of Era 300s from working as rear speakers to working as stereo music speakers — but to keep separate room-tuning profiles for each configuration, which again is something Trueplay doesn't offer.

If you're wondering why not just use TruePlay, creator AffectionateFox5907 explains: "Sonos does not provide a way to switch between home theatre and music setup seamlessly. My app does, but as part of that I lose Trueplay. When you unbond and rebond a speaker, each time it will lose its Trueplay configuration. My app basically builds a better Sonos app that adds features I've been wanting for a while without having to have a bunch of different apps. This now works with multiple subs and should work with fronts added as well."

One of the big downsides of using third-party apps that add front surrounds is that it disables Trueplay, so this is a win for people coloring outside the usual Sonos surround lines.

It also looks ideal for anyone who's found using their home theater for music to be a bit of a pain, and there are plenty of people who do: there's a whole Reddit thread asking for a simple switch between movie mode and music mode without having to reconfigure your system every time you do it.

I built my own version of "Trueplay" from r/sonos

Last but not least, MajorAtmosphere has created Kyuu (pronounced "queue"), an iOS Sonos controller that enables you to use UPnP for local files, which the Sonos app doesn't support.

As they explain: "Kyuu runs a lightweight local server that handles speaker discovery via SSDP, polls playback state, and sends commands directly to your speakers. The iOS app talks to that server over your LAN — no cloud, no Sonos account, no external dependencies."

I built a local-first Sonos controller iOS app using the UPnP API — no account required [Beta] from r/sonos

• Dire Straits' keyboardist/producer Guy Fletcher post about mixing their albums in Dolby Atmos
• He says immersive mixing of the original recording sessions is "quite addictive" and often very emotional
• 3D audio can reveal details that were previously buried when engineering for stereo

One of the things I love most about audio technology is how it can reveal things you've never heard before either because they were buried in the mix or because your setup, speakers or headphones weren't delivering all the detail.

And according to Dire Straits' keyboardist and producer Guy Fletcher, Dolby Atmos is delivering revelation after revelation not just to music fans, but to the musicians and producers who made the records in the first place.

The majority of records are made with stereo in mind, and according to Fletcher "stereo remains an extraordinary format". But as he explains on LinkedIn, redoing a stereo record for Atmos enables you to rediscover "the little things that get sacrificed along the way when you're making a stereo record. The tiny details. The decisions nobody notices because they're buried beneath more important decisions."

Fletcher makes an intriguing claim. Taking a stereo record and making it three-dimensional isn't about making it sound the same; "it's more to do with matching the emotional impact" as he says. It's not what you hear. It's what you feel.

What immersive audio delivers – and doesn't quite deliver

I think Fletcher is correct, and I'm going to compare audio to another art form: video games. I've been replaying some very old favorites recently and I'm amused by how terrible the graphics are; in my memories, those games were photorealistic as well as utterly compelling. When those games are remastered to higher visual quality they're effectively enabling me to play what I remember, not what I actually saw.

As Fletcher describes it, taking recordings into spatial audio does much the same. "The moment you begin placing objects or building beds around the listener, the music seems to breathe and expand. Mix or bus compression suddenly seems rather pointless. Sounds are no longer confined to a flat line between two speakers. Instead, they occupy a living, sculptural environment with depth, height and dimension."

It's not perfect by any means, because people listen to Atmos and other spatial audio on all kinds of different hardware that may be suboptimal: headphones, soundbars, and a range of speaker systems that don't deliver the full experience.

"Creating extraordinary Atmos mixes is no longer the obstacle," Fletcher says. "The real challenge is ensuring that the sense of space, scale and emotional impact that makes immersive mixing so exhilarating, can be faithfully experienced by the vast majority of listeners who do not own a dedicated Atmos speaker system.

Fletcher describes spatializing Dire Straits' biggest hit album, Brothers in Arms, whose original multi-tracks took him straight back to the recording studio in 1984. Although the album had previously been remastered for 5.1 audio, the Atmos edition still required extensive detective work as well as painstaking restoration.

"The real challenge lay in respecting an album that has become woven into the lives of millions of listeners," Fletcher recalls. "While 5.1 and Atmos share some similarities, Atmos offers a very different creative canvas. The challenge was never technical — the challenge was emotional."

For Fletcher, "Atmos has a curious ability to reveal not just the details within a recording, but also the memories embedded within it. In that respect, at its best, the spatial audio experience is as much about rediscovery as it is about technology."

Of course Atmos doesn't guarantee a mix is good: the record industry is very good at remastering records as a quick cash grab, and there are plenty of famous records by big artists whose remasters caused howls of outrage. But when an album is approached with care, patience and above all else, a love of the original material, the move to 3D can make songs sing even more beautifully.

You've bought one of the best TVs or best projectors. You've invested in one of the best soundbars, or a stunning home theater speaker system. Life is good. So what should you watch to make the most of your system? What are the best Blu-rays to show off your setup?

Our resident disc enthusiast, Senior TV Hardware Writer James Davidson, tests out new Blu-ray releases every month in his Blu-ray Bounty column, to see which ones really impress when it comes to visuals and immersive sound. Now that we're halfway through the year, he's picked out his six favorite discs released in 2026 that most impressed him — and that's against some hot competition.

We're not judging the movies themselves, that's obviously subjective. What we're interested in is how well they'll show off your TV or home theater setup, and how happy these particular presentations make you as a result.

• Criterion has a 50% off sale in the US right now! See the range here

Speed Racer

The Wachowski sisters' dazzling sci-fi adventure Speed Racer is undergoing something of a revival right now, fuelled by positive posts on social media praising its visual extravagance; at the time of release there was disappointment that the sisters had made a sci-fi sports action comedy based on a 1960s manga.

But Speed Racer comes from the same incredibly inventive brains that birthed The Matrix and it's mind-blowing in its first-ever 4K HDR presentation. This has instantly entered our library for testing TVs as a new reference disc for colors and motion handling.

"Speed Racer looks astounding on 4K Blu-ray," James says. "Where it really shines is in its color reproduction. Colors are bold, vibrant and punchy throughout, taking on an almost neon-like level of saturation, which perfectly suits the movie. Whether it’s the pulsing lights of the racetrack or the 1960s-inspired clothing and decor of the neighborhood, the colors seriously pop on screen."

It's particularly good for showing off your OLED TV if you have one thanks to its deep blacks and neon brights, while its Dolby Atmos soundtrack is "ridiculously detailed."

Fight Club

The 4K edition of Fight Club had a short theater release before arriving on Blu-ray, and it's had a bit of a mixed reception: while as James says it's excellent on 4K — "Textures have been upscaled well, and appear extra crisp. Close-up shots of characters' faces show fine details such as skin marks and hair with real clarity. While colors don’t play a major role in the movie, any that do have nice pop while still looking realistic" — there's been some disappointment that the audio isn't in Atmos, and that there was some fudging to elements in the movie itself.

The soundtrack is a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix. It's a great presentation that sounds fantastic, and while it's a shame it doesn't have the extra native height you'd get with Atmos, it doesn't stop this from being one of the showstoppers of 2026.

Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia is one of cinema's most iconic epics, and the 4K Blu-ray version is simply stunning. "Presented in Dolby Vision, the sheer majesty and scope of the movie’s cinematography is accurately delivered with breathtaking detail," James says. "Epic landscape shots reveal intricate textures, while close-ups of characters show weather-beaten skin and Lawrence’s sand-coated hair down to the finest margin."

The soundtrack is great too, with choices including Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD MA 5.1. We particularly liked the Atmos version, which is spacious and detailed with plenty of gusto. "Ricocheting bullets, the trotting of camel’s feet and even the wind are pinpoint and accurately mapped to the action on screen," James says, praising the "incredibly hefty" bass that delivers "huge rumble from the explosions and machine gun fire."

Ben-Hur

Here's another iconic epic, and like Lawrence of Arabia the 4K version of Ben-Hur is a "staggering 4K Blu-ray," James says. At the time it was the largest-scale movie ever released, and the restoration "upscales textures to an almost modern-day look, with accurate, lifelike skin tones and refined details such as rocks, grass, and buildings throughout. Colors are rich and vibrant: from the reds of the Roman soldiers' capes to the glorious blue sky, every color pops on screen."

He continues: "Soldiers' gold uniforms gleam in the sunlight, and the sand-colored buildings of Jerusalem dazzle without ever over-exerting the brightness. Even the movie’s darker scenes display rich blacks with powerful contrast. As the slaves row the ship, the dark tones of the walls contrast with the light from the torches beautifully."

The audio restoration is as ambitious and impressive as the visuals. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is clean, refined and powerful, with excellent use of the surround channels in the busy market scenes and the famous chariot races. The hooves in the latter are a great workout for your subwoofer, James says.

3:10 to Yuma

3:10 to Yuma was released in 1957 and is today considered a classic Western, following rancher Dan Evans as he escorts an outlaw to his trial in Arizona. Criterion's restoration of the original movie is absolutely superb, James says. "Textures have been beautifully cleaned up — every weather-beaten wrinkle on people’s faces is fully restored — and looking almost modern. The movie is in black and white, and dark tones are deep while white tones are bright, with a full range of gray tones in between. Cinephiles will be happy with the amount of film grain retained, though it’s more obvious in the movie's exterior scenes."

You have two audio choices here: monoaural, as originally released, and DTS-HD MA 5.1. The original mono soundtrack has been cleaned up beautifully, but the real fun is in the 5.1 version. "There’s solid bass from the rumble of galloping horses, good surround details during gunfights with ricocheting bullets, and even a wide soundstage, letting the soundtrack breathe," James says. "Speech is also crystal clear."

Dead Man

Dead Man may look like it's from the same era as 3:10 to Yuma, but it's from 1995: director Jim Jarmusch chose to shoot entirely in monochrome, and the Criterion restoration delivers "dazzling whites, such as highlights in the sun, and inky blacks, such as Blake’s hair and shadowed areas within forests. Contrast is strong, with a perfect balance between light and dark tones." Detail is excellent, especially in close-up scenes, delivering "an exceptional looking disc."

There's no surround sound with this release; the audio is DTS-HD 2.0. However, what it lacks in channels it makes up for in the form of Neil Young's superb score, played solo on electric guitar and delivering "plenty of chugging and twangy Western-sounding riffs that are detailed and clear." Dialog is perfectly clear and effects such as gunfire are accurately positioned.

We're halfway through 2026, which means a lot of products have passed through TechRadar's testing rooms — in total, we've reviewed a colossal 639 products in January to June 2026.

That includes a load of fantastic audio tech — including new options good enough to challenge the best wireless speakers, the best turntables, the best DACs to get more from streaming music on your PC or phone, and the best stereo speakers.

Our expert reviewers have tested a lot of stuff, and some products have proven to be the cream that rises to the top. Here are the products in these areas that scored either 5 stars or 4.5 stars in our reviews, making them best-in-class or highly recommended.

Wireless & stereo speakers

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i

• Score: 5 / 5
• Price: $499 / £249 / AU$699 (pair)

What is it? The latest bookshelf stereo speakers in Wharfedale's famous 'Diamond' line, which is over 40 years old and clearly still going strong. They're two-way speakers with a 25mm tweeter, a 130mm mid/bass driver, and deliverying a frequency range of 65Hz - 20kHz. And they're easy to drive, and flexible on positioning — a great beginner hi-fi model.

What we said: "The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i speakers turn out to be (yet another) high-achieving-yet-affordable loudspeaker option. They sound excellent, they're very unfussy about what drives them, they look and feel good, and they're extremely well priced. They're a little large for a pair of ostensibly 'bookshelf' speakers, so be warned if you're actually looking to put them on shelves, but that's easily forgiven."

Read our full Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i review

Cambridge L/R S

What is it? Small and stylish active stereo speakers with wireless connectivity as well as wired digital and analogue connections. There's 100 watts of Class D amplification powering a 21mm tweeter and 76mm mid/bass driver combo, and the connection stretch to USB-C, line-level stereo RCA, digital optical input, a pre-out for a subwoofer, and Bluetooth (with aptX HD codec compatibility).

What we said: "The Cambridge L/R S is a good-looking, well-built wireless active stereo speaker system that has the bold sound smarts to back up the fine, multi-option visuals. Sure, it's a little too confident at the bottom of the frequency range, with too much weight given to bass information, but for the money it's a genuine contender in an already-stacked market. Requires serious consideration."

Read our full Cambridge L/R S review

Sonos Play

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $299 / £299 / AU$499

What is it? Sonos' mid-size portable speaker, with enough power and quality to work as a home speaker, but a battery and charging cradle so you can take it away instantly. With audio input as an option over its USB-C port (via an adapter) it's incredible versatile — it's also tough and waterproof.

What we said: "The Sonos Play is a triumph of usability. It has just the right design and convenience considerations to make you pick it up and use it more often than other speakers, even great portable ones. To paraphrase a notable camera quote: the best speaker is the one you choose to listen on. The Sonos Play encourages me to listen more, in more places. It doesn't hurt that it sounds better than most portable speakers, too, and can hold its own as a home speaker."

Read our full Sonos Play review

Fluance Ri91

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $799 (about £640 / AU$1,270)

What is it? Big floorstanding active speakers with the power of a full hi-fi system, but no need for a separate amp or inputs. There's 150 watts of power behind two 6.5-inch mid/bass drivers and an AMT tweeter per speaker, and connections include HDMI, two RCA inputs, a subwoofer out, and Bluetooth (including aptX HD).

What we said: "The Fluance Ri91 sound great when turned up, though they can be a bit mid-focused, especially for those looking for neutral-sounding speakers. The included HDMI ARC input (quality control issues notwithstanding) are appreciated, as is the ability to stream higher-res audio over Bluetooth aptX."

Read our full Fluance Ri91 review

Denon Home 400

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $599 / £449 (around AU$999)

What is it? A relatively hefty and powerful wireless speaker (think of it as a fair bit bigger than a toaster), that uses six-drivers to deliver expansive Dolby Atmos spatial sound. There are left and right drivers, upfiring drive units, and two 4.5-inch woofers, all with their own Class D amplification. It uses the Denon HEOS wireless system and app, which is powerful and well-specced too.

What we said: "It's a home speaker that delivers where it counts, and is probably the most compelling single-unit spatial audio offering at this price, where it goes head-to-head with some serious competition. It offers confident, engaging and immersive spatial audio performance, a thoughtful and stylish design, and a great range of connectivity options, along with an excellent HEOS app. It sounds wonderful in its default Auto mode or the slightly more balanced Pure mode, but it really rewards those of us who tinker a bit, especially if you mess around with some of the customization options for the width and height of spatial sound."

Read our full Denon Home 400 review

Klipsch The Nines II

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $2,399 / £2,249 / AU$4,999

What is it? A pair of active standmount stereo speakers (their size and weight maybe pushes them beyond being 'bookshelf' speakers, really) that deliver tons of power connectivity with any extra components needed. They can be a soundbar replacement with HDMI and Dolby Atmos/DTS:X support, plus they have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for music, as well as optical, phono, USB, coaxial, and ethernet.

What we said: "The Klipsch The Nines II are an easy recommendation despite the weight and despite the price bump over the previous version. It's thanks to the immersive, robust sound and large set of features, not to mention broad connectivity — they're an excellent all-in-one hi-fi upgrade."

Read our full Klipsch The Nines II review

Sonos Era 100 SL

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $189 / £169 / AU$289

What is it? A cheaper version of Sonos' entry-level home speaker, delivering all the same connectivity as the regular Era 100 (including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus line-in over its USB-C port using an adapter) and the same sound quality, but for cheaper. You lose voice control and Quick Trueplay on Android as a result, but it's hard to argue with the price.

What we said: "What Sonos has achieved with the Era 100 SL is impressive. It has managed to pack in the same quality sound, great connectivity and iconic design, while dropping the price to a more affordable level. But there are absolutely some compromises — voice control is absent here, while Android users will miss out Sonos' room correction. Despite this though, it's one of the strongest performers in its price range, making it an easy choice if you never invested in the original Era 100."

Read our full Sonos Era 100 SL review

Turntables

Sony PS-LX5BT 

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $499 / £399 / AU$599

What is it? Sony's successor to its previous and wildly popular affordable Bluetooth turntable, bringing fully automatic operation and Bluetooth connectivity in a sleek design. The ultimate beginner turntable? Well, there's a cheaper version that might be more tempting, but for the price, it's hard to argue with.

What we said: "The Sony PS-LX5BT picks up where the PS-LX310BT it replaces left off — as one of the best pound-for-pound Bluetooth turntables around. If you want the most painless vinyl experience possible, you’ve come to the right place."

Read our full Sony PS-LX5BT review

Goldring GR3

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $1,299 / £699 (around AU$1,599)

What is it? Goldring is one of the oldest hi-fi companies in the world, and hasn't made a turntable in several decades — and now it's back with a very well-specified and great-looking new model. A built-in phono stage and high-quality provided cartridge make it great for relative novices, though it's odd that you can't bypass that phono.

What we said: "Goldring has managed to enter a tricky area of the turntable market with a player that is distinct enough (where finish, specification and sound quality are concerned) to stand out and make quite a compelling case for itself."

Read our full Goldring GR3 review

Headphone DACs

Fiio KA15

• Score: 5 / 5
• Price: $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$189.99

What is it? This tiny DAC blends the retro with the modern. It does a better job of converting hi-res audio to analog than your device's built-in DAC will, and has a fun little cassette animation while it plays.

What we said: "If you have big audio ambitions and a very small budget, the KA15 is excellent value for money. It's a significant upgrade in sound quality for smartphones and computers, and while it's not as powerful as a desktop headphone amp it has more than enough oomph for a wide range of headphones and IEMs so it's fairly future-proof."

Read our full Fiio KA15 review

Eversolo DAC-Z10

• Score: 5 / 5
• Price: $1,980 / £1,939 / AU$3,339

What is it? A super-versatile addition to a hi-fi setup, providing a high-end DAC system, a pre-amp, and a powerful headphone amp all in one unit. It's pricey, but it's incredibly well-specified, making it kind of a bargain — at least as far as premium hi-fi goes.

What we said: "The Eversolo DAC-Z10 won’t fail to satisfy, provided your partnering equipment is up to scratch. It’s a premium DAC for a premium system, and offers all the bells and whistles you could hope for as a result, as well as immaculate sound quality that specializes in finding every possible grain of detail in your music. It's simply as capable a DAC/preamp/headphone amp as this sort of money can buy."

Read our full Eversolo DAC-Z10 review

iFi GO Link 2

• Score: 4.5 / 5
• Price: $59 / £59 (around AU$111)

What is it? A no-fuss, super-small headphone DAC to make it easy to use wired headphones and earbuds with your phone or laptop, and with an audio upgrade along the way. Oh, and it's super-cheap as a bonus.

What we said: "The iFi Go Link 2 takes everything that's great about the original and packs it into a dinky DAC that's even smaller and lighter than before. It's a fantastic audio upgrade and it's priced very keenly, too."

Read our full iFi Go Link 2 review

Loewe, the German speaker and TV maker, has just announced that it's launching a new venture called Loewe Systems. According to the company, this is "a new Berlin-based company focused on developing fully integrated high-end audio and audiovisual solutions for automotive manufacturers, luxury residences, superyachts, recreational vehicles, and other premium mobility applications."

The new team consists of Managing Director Alexander Meisen, Director of Acoustics Ajan Hannemann, and Director of Automotive Engineering Robert Schletze. The team comes from a background of working on the Burmester audio systems in Mercedes-Benz cars, so has a strong in-car audio heritage.

To find out more about the goal of this new team, I spoke with the three members of the Loewe System crew, as well as Loewe's CEO Aslan Khabliev.

TechRadar: What's the goal for you guys of pushing into the integrated installation systems market?

Alexander Meisen: We did projects in residential and one-off projects, and this is really where we see people smiling. This is really where we can create stories. With the new setup with Loewe, creating those kind of experiences this is clearly where we see lots of potential.

TechRadar: What what will success look like for you going into this market?

Alexander Meisen: Clearly more than just adding a brand to projects to speaker grilles in automotive. Really going deep, really creating a special sound signature, really creating outstanding experiences with future partners.

TechRadar: You mentioned the sound profile. Is that one of the main things that will make Loewe's offering unique, or what else do you think will make will make people want to see that brand on the design?

Robert Schletze: I think it's a lots of things, but starting in an automotive project, it's specific knowledge of how to specify the speakers, how to integrate the speakers in the car, partner up with the right partners, having our own sound signature, knowing how to tune a car with 37 speakers like an orchestra [when you're] sitting in the middle, knowing what to do with delays, gains, filters… all that stuff comes together [in our] knowledge.

TechRadar: What are other companies doing wrong that you think you can do differently to win over the the car makers?

Alexander Meisen: There are massive changes and shifts in in-car audio. That's especially where we see lots of potential, because in this field it became quite common to just add a logo to speaker grilles, make it look fancy and try to tell stories — I mean, there's no real USP, there's no real story. So we really go into what Robert just explained, and then in addition, we know that in the hi-fi market or in audio market in general we see a certain lack of really activating partnerships, really communicating and kicking off marketing campaigns together.

This is clearly one of the reasons why we decided to set this up under the Loewe and also Cabasse brand, because Loewe is already doing this — Loewe can offer that to potential partners. And Loewe also has a long heritage, and the feedback we're getting right now from potential partners we're talking to is 'Hey guys, we don't just want to put the name somewhere from a certain brand which is maybe famous or recognized in a certain area. We really want to create those experiences together' — and this is where we're very confident we can offer those [companies] the full package with all the different aspects

TechRadar: Is in-car audio the primary area of the Loewe Systems project? Loewe has history in this area with BMW, so it makes sense.

Alexander Meisen: There is this history, and yes, automotive is clearly the priority to us. This is where our team has lots of expertise. This is where the network is established. This is where… we haven't released the news officially, but we are in talks. There are certain lead times when it comes to establishing new partnerships, but yes, clearly and absolutely [in-car audio is the priority].

Still we're also talking to potential partners in the field of residential building on integrated systems, because the great thing for for us as a team right now is also we have full access to all the expertise and products of Loewe Group. We're not only talking about audio, we're talking about the full experience, which is also the visual element.

TechRadar: What do you see as the ultimate in-car offering from Loewe? Does it stretch to the displays as well as the audio and the DSP?

Robert Schletze: It's an overall experience in the car. You look at the market, there are video screens already integrated lots of them [regardless of the] brand that they're coming from. You have the audio part, you have smell in the car — you can connect all together, so it's an overall experience. Why not add this visual area from Loewe if it works and we can partner up? Anything is possible there. Currently we're figuring it out — we know where our expertise is, and we as we said we're not just just adding elements to a car. We're working together hand in hand [with manufacturers] for the full experience.

TechRadar: Are we talking about Dolby Atmos in cars, or what kind of premium experience are you aiming for?

Robert Schletze: I think Dolby Atmos is a standard now in the automotive area anyway. Yeah, of course. 3D sound, 4D sound, 2D sound.

Alexander Meisen: We've worked with the teams of Dolby before. We know them pretty well. So, this is one aspect, but it's not new anymore. It's not outstanding. It's more like a given to us.

TechRadar: Is there something else new that you guys have in mind that you can bring?

Alexander Meisen: The manufacturers are asking for new features, especially when you compare the markets. You have a look on the European market and then you check the Chinese market and there are there are different demands and requests. We know that we will come up with features that are not [widely available] yet, but we cannot communicate them right now because we're at a very early stage.

Robert Schletze: We have some past experience with what's missing in the market. We've got some ideas there, and partners that we can develop them with. But overall I think you have to go back from adding feature over feature over feature — you have to go back to not adding another speaker in the car, but developing a proper speaker that can reproduce the sound as we want. The basics; go back to the basics. That's missing a lot today.

TechRadar: You talked earlier about working with speaker partners on developing the right speaker for this situation. How involved do you expect to be in like the actual driver design?

Ajan Hannemann: We want to dive into this topic, and we will specify this — we actually already did in the past as well, for Mercedes Group. So we aim to improve those elements, but [the] really important thing for us, like Robert already mentioned, is the packaging of where the speaker is placed — there's room for improvement if you can make it clear to the manufacturer of the car what kind of benefits we get when when we place the speakers in more optimized positions. You can gain a lot of improvement regarding the sound performance.

TechRadar: Can you give us any examples of issues that you see with a lot of in-car systems now that you want to aim to improve?

Robert Schletze: Definitely the design wins over the functionality, which is quite normal today and that shouldn't be the case. So most of the time you have a midspeaker next to your knee, so you don't have a proper staging. It belongs higher up. It's all because the designers have the power.

TechRadar: So you want to work with partners where you can put the acoustic design earlier into the overall car design, and get the speakers where you need them to be. Is that the idea?

Robert Schletze: That should be the target, yeah. To be in early from the beginning stage of every project.

TechRadar: And the partners you're working with now are on board with that?

Robert Schletze: They are on board and they provide the direct access, yes.

TechRadar: Can you say any of the car partners you'll be working with at this point?

Aslan Khabliev: Let's put it this way, they will be German.

TechRadar: What's your goal in the luxury property development market? Are you are you looking at home theater installations, or is it more like convenient built-in sound for kitchens and bathrooms?

Alexander Meisen: Yeah, we're focusing on to B2B [business to business] partnerships, so we're not looking at individual home cinema here. We're more looking to work with developers, architects, interior designers, etc. We're also looking at concepts that we can scale, so not only the one unit, but maybe the whole building. Our main priority is clearly not the bathroom or the ambient sound in the elevator or somewhere, but clearly defined listening situations.

Ajan Hannemann: And here also, the target is to achieve a high-quality sound reproduction from those systems integrated in the environment, that are part of the architecture. From the very first steps, we [want to] define not only materials surrounding our system, but only also the perfect positioning of the system to make the best out of those sometimes-challenging spaces. New architecture is often with a lot of flat surfaces, so you get flatter echoes, you get high reverberation times, and we want to specify exactly the parameters we need to achieve a high-quality sound.

So that's why, in the past, we worked at early stages together with the architects and the engineering and simulation companies to try to achieve the best possible room acoustic parameters. So this is the goal in architectural audio as well, not only home cinema. So this we want to do this in a scaled way, [multiple apartments] in one building. And we will individually tune every apartment, so that you get the transporting sound signature from the car, [bringing] the tuning expertise we have there into real-estate projects.

TechRadar: The yacht market is an interesting one because it seems to have its own genre of audio brands that specialize in, it like JL Audio from Garmin. So what kind of systems are you talking about building in that market and what do you want to do differently?

Ajan Hannemann: In that market, we have to rely on marine partners, because in the portfolio from Cabasse and Loewe there are no marine-certified systems available. So we have to choose strong partners in that market and adapt our skills, our expertise, the human touch we bring regarding sound signature, into the marine sector.

TechRadar: So in that area, are you talking about becoming more like an integrator and not so much offering your own speakers?

Aslan Khabliev: Never say never. This might be the next project for the guys from Cabasse, for example. By the way, you asked a question about drivers: we have our own drivers in Cabasse, with a lot of expertise and IP and patents. I'm very happy that we have acquired Cabasse, I think we bought a real diamond. So there is no project which we cannot do, let's put it this way.

Right now, [Loewe Systems] is only a three-man show. It's a very tiny team, but we have a lot of ambition and knowledge, and it's never going to happen with these three guys by them by themselves. We [Loewe] are a big team now, we have 200 people now in Kronach, and we have 40 people in France, and we all want to help these guys to become successful. So whenever they need some hardware, software, this can all be done in-house.

What we need to do to help them is to basically realize their dreams. And those things which were not possible in their previous experience, to make them possible with our skilled people — and in my opinion, there is nothing that is impossible. It has to make sense financially, because you don't want to spend millions on one project and just sell one or two pieces. It has to make sense, but otherwise I think everything is possible. We've got the right resources for that.

Alexander Meisen: It's amazing for us to see what kind of resources, expertise and and infrastructure we can access now as a team. All three of us are coming from Burmester. So Ajan responsible for overall acoustics at Burmester, Robert was the lead engineer for automotive and responsible for Mercedes. This is well known in the industry and this is also what we're adding here. So a full network but with all the power and direct access within the Loewe group — this makes us really confident.

TechRadar: One of the areas mentioned in the press release was premium mobility brands. Can you say what that means outside of the areas we've already talked about.

Alexander Meisen: Yeah, so we would also call it, like, future mobility concepts. Automotive is is very clear, yacht is very clear, and residential as well. But for instance think about an RV. This is also interesting for us, but it's not the main priority.

TechRadar: Things like tour buses for for bands?

Alexander Meisen: Exactly. But most of the time these are not projects you're allowed to communicate [to other people] in the first place.

TechRadar: A lot of the times they might be private custom designs?

Alexander Meisen: They prefer that, yes. Same for yachts, but it's still it's very interesting for us.

It's Amazon Prime Day (well, week), and it's great news for physical media fans: there are tons of great deals on 4K Blu-rays, regular Blu-rays and DVDs. It includes big box sets and individual movies — there's way more there than I could hope to summarize here.

• Amazon US: See all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Prime Day deals
• Amazon UK: See all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Prime Day deals

So on this page, I've specifically picked out movies that I know to be excellent home theater showcases, either through spectacular visuals, super-immersive soundtracks, or both.

And I've limited the price to options under $15 in the US, and £17 in the UK, since that seems to be the sweet spot right now, though there are some excellent movies cheaper than that. You'll find the US options just below, or click here to jump to the UK options.

Options include modern showpieces such as Sinners, beautifully restored classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, and not reference-quality discs including Blade Runner 2049.

If you want more Prime Day options beyond movies, you can look at our on-going Prime Day live blogs, constantly updated with new deals and price changes — here's our US Prime Day live round-up, and here's our UK Prime Day UK live round-up.

• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Amazon's 4K Blu-ray sale — see all options

• Amazon US: See all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Prime Day deals
• Amazon UK: See all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Prime Day deals

US 4K Blu-ray deals

UK 4K Blu-ray deals

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Back-to-school tech: 48% off laptops, headphones & tablets
• Cheap TVs: Samsung, Sony & LG from $89.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Amazon Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Fans: from £20
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

I recently visited the Japanese factory where Denon and Marantz make the hi-fi and home theater gear, and the best part of the seeing the facility was getting a demo of the reference home theater listening there, with its 9.4.6 channels of Dolby Atmos sound delivered via $250k of Bowers & Wilkins speaker.

While snooping around the room, the shelving in the corner that houses their disc library naturally caught my eye. Marantz's engineers had already told me that they consider Gravity to be one of the ultimate stress tests for AVRs (you can read why in the piece I linked above), but what else do they keep on hand for testing AV receivers and other gear?

I wanted to make a list to share with the many 4K Blu-ray and home theater enthusiasts out there, looking for fresh demo disc ideas — but given that we had limited time in the room and a major portion of the movies are in Japanese, I took a few photos of the shelves, and came back home to analyze them.

The list is below, and it's in two sections: movies, and concert discs. I excluded anything that isn't a Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray — the shelves were obviously also full of CDs and SACDs (and a few DVDs).

It's not an exhaustive list: I used Google Gemini to help me translate Japanese titles that I couldn't discern myself anyway (I did not need help identifying which disc was Mad Max: Fury Road, naturally), and sometimes its translations were either vague or otherwise uncertain, so I didn't include those titles unless I could verify them another way. And also, I probably missed some because this whole exercise made me go a little stir-crazy.

So if you want to see the shelves and comb through yourself, here they are — but my written-out list is just below.

The list is inevitable in places — Blade Runner 2049 and 1917 are obvious inclusions, and two versions of Interstellar is the normal number of versions of Interstellar to own, in my opinion — but it was also really interesting and surprising in places.

I loved seeing Bridge of Spies in there; I didn't expect Hairspray (2007), but it makes a ton of sense; I'm very curious what makes Taxi 3 specifically a good disc to have; it absolutely rocks that they have RRR, and I can't recommend it enough for your own library; and in contrast to Interstellar, I really don't think anyone needs two copies of Pixels…

The music side includes a fun mix of jazz sets, classical music, movie music and huge stadium events — and with a very healthy dose of metal.

Movies

• 1917
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• 28 Years Later
• 9 (Nine)
• A Clockwork Orange
• A Complete Unknown
• A Star is Born (2018)
• Akira
• Alien Romulus
• American Made
• American Sniper
• Apocalypse Now
• Apollo 13
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
• Argo
• Avatar
• Back to the Future Trilogy
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Battleship
• Birdman
• Black Rain
• Blade Runner
• Blade Runner 2049
• Blue Giant
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• Breakfast at Tiffany's
• Bridge of Spies
• Burlesque
• Casino Royale
• Chicago
• Civil War
• Crimson Peak
• Deadpool & Wolverine
• Donnie Brasco
• Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
• Dune (2021)
• Dune: Part Two
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
• Ford v Ferrari
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
• Get On Up
• Ghost in the Shell
• Ghostbusters (2016)
• Gladiator II
• Godzilla vs. Kong
• Gran Turismo
• Gravity
• Green Book
• Hairspray (2007)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
• Hidden Figures
• The Huntsman: Winter's War
• I, Frankenstein
• Inception
• Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures [Doesn't include Dial of Destiny]
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Interstellar
• It: Chapter One
• Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
• Jason Bourne
• John Wick
• Joker: Folie á Deux
• Jumanji: The Next Level
• Lucy
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Man of Steel
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
• Mission: Impossible – III
• Moana 2
• No Country for Old Men
• No Time to Die
• Nope
• Oblivion
• Oppenheimer
• Pacific Rim
• Pacific Rim: Uprising
• Paris, Texas
• Pixels
• Pokémon: The Movie
• Quantum of Solace
• Red Tails
• Rocketman
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• RRR
• Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends
• Seven (Se7en)
• Sherlock Holmes
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
• Sinners
• Sisu
• Skyfall
• Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Spectre
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• Spider-Man: Far From Home
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Star Trek Beyond
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Superman (2025)
• The Legend of Tarzan
• Taxi 3
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Tenet
• The Batman (2022)
• The Cell
• The Creator
• The Expendables 3
• The First Slam Dunk
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• The Greatest Showman
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
• The Phantom of the Opera
• The Shallows
• The Sky Crawlers
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• Top Gun
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Transcendence
• Transformers: Age of Extinction
• Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
• Twisters
• Unbroken
• Venom: The Last Dance
• West Side Story (2021)
• Wonder Woman
• X-Men: First Class
• Yowamushi Pedal

Music and concerts

• Adele: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
• Ado Special Live
• Babymetal: Live at Tokyo Dome
• Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7: Wiener Philharmoniker
• Berliner Philhamoniker: The Asia Tour
• Billy Joel Live at Shea Statdium
• Black Sabbath: The End
• Bob James Trio: Feel Like Making Live
• Bob Marley and the Walers Legend
• Bon Jovi Live at Madison Square Garden
• Chihiro Yamanaka: Somethin' Blue Quintet – Live at Blue Note Tokyo
• Chris Botti: Live in Boston
• David Gilmour: Live at Pompeii
• George Mccrae - Love
• Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague
• Harvie S Trio: Too Late Now
• Hit Man David Foster & Friends
• Joe Bonasmassa Live at the Greek Theatre
• John Mayer: Any Given Thursday
• John Mayer: Where the Light Is
• John Williams in Tokyo
• KISS Rocks Vegas
• Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour
• Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same
• Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction
• Metallica: Quebec Magnetic
• Michael Jackson: This Is It
• Misia: Soul Quest World Tour
• MR. BIG – The Big Finish Live
• MTV Unplugged ayaka
• Norah Jones: Live at Ronnie Scott's
• Pat Metheny Group: The Way Up - Live
• Pat Metheny: The Orchestrion Project
• Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii
• Prince Sign o' the Times
• Queen: Rock Montreal & Live Aid
• Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration
• Roger Waters: The Wall
• Rolling Stones: Shine a Light
• Scorpions: Live in 3D
• Shogo Hamada: On The Road 2015-2016
• Steve Vai: Live at the Astoria
• Sting: Live at the Olympia Paris
• Take Me to the River
• The Beatles: 1
• The Beatles: Get Back
• The Great Jazz Trio Hank Jones – The Legend of Jazz: Live at Blue Note Tokyo
• The Last Waltz
• The Rolling Stones: Hyde Park Live 1969
• Tony Bennett: An American Classic
• Toto: Live in Poland
• Vienna Philharmonic: New Year's Concerts – 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021

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For the launch of Denon's new X3900H and X2900H AV receivers, I visited the company's headquarters in Japan to give the new models a try in the custom listening room developed for the company's Sound Masters to tune products to perfection — but I also visited Denon and Marantz's combined factory, where the two companies produce their hi-fi and AVR components.

This is in the city of Shirakawa, about an hour's ride on the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo, where the cherry blossoms still lingered even though Tokyo's parks had largely lost their annual spring decoration.

Seeing the production lines and testing for the various hi-fi models was interesting, but I've visited lots of AV manufacturing facilities in my time, and once you've seen four, you've largely seen them all.

But our tour included an extended session in the factory's home theater listening room, which is one of the most impressive setups I've experienced. The room was first established in 1983, so that the first Marantz AV receiver could be developed and tested in it before its launch in 1985.

There are subtle signs of the room's age — the vault-like door has a distinctly '70s infrastructure look and feel to it — but the Denon receiver at the center of our demo today is unquestionably modern.

The AVC A1H is the company's first model that can handle 9.4.6 speaker channels, with support for basically any spatial audio system you'd care to throw at it.

And 9.4.6 channels is exactly what the room's speaker system offers, in the imposing form of eight Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 speakers with an HTM81 D4 center, plus four ASW Series subwoofers tucked away at the edges — and six speakers mounted in the ceiling. That's about $250k of speakers.

These were paired with a Sony VPL-VW535 4K projector for the visuals, powered by an Oppo UDP-205 4K Blu-ray player. Alas, it's a reminder that this model has arguably never been bettered despite being discontinued the better part of a decade ago.

I slid into the sweet spot seats in the middle, which Denon and Marantz engineers said is 12 feet from the center channel, and 10 feet from the two rears — not quite following the equilateral distance guidelines laid out by Dolby for Atmos, but I'm not going to quibble with the people who design the actual setup.

The first demo scene was A Star is Born (2018), when Ally comes out to play on stage at Jackson's concert for the first time. The first thing that struck me was the complete disconnection of the sound from the equipment, in the best way.

The sound is so expansive and expressive that it feels like there's no channel system at all — the platonic ideal of Dolby Atmos' spatial audio.

The sound is so amazingly cohesive from top to bottom, and always has a new gear to find when it needs to step up the resonant bass of an acoustic instrument, or when Gaga’s voice is given extra elevation out of the mix by the soundtrack, or to highlight each guitar string suddenly twanging — and whenever it needs to the extra step, it always feels like a seamless flow.

The system feels like it just has endless power, and yet it feels like it's not exerting itself hard at all — there's no sense of the forceful and forward sound that you're likely to get from soundbars or compact options. It's just naturally explosive.

Next up was the opening scene of Unbroken, which puts you in the middle of an aerial battle in World War II — in particular, locking you in and around the experience of one bomber.

There's excellent specificity in the position and scale of effects, such as propellers vibrating the air, or whirring gunner seats and small rattling brackets and fixtures. But these don't sound like they’re being especially highlighted and punched up; they’re just naturally specific in the mix.

Anti-aircraft fire and explosions are grippingly dynamic, popping out of nowhere and rattling the soundscape forward to back as the cockpit is peppered with shrapnel — it's not one crackly effect, but a clear wave of super-fast movement in 3D.

Machine guns fire audibly just above the screen, and cartridges rattle in a clear downward motion as they fall into our 'seating' area — you're able to understand more about the structure of the vehicle from the sound design, when everything is this precise.

Next on the list is Gravity, which the Denon and Marantz team described as their choice of movie for an “AVR stress test” — the scene where Ryan Stone re-enters the atmosphere really slams all channels at once, including bass, continuously for several minutes — they said it's basically the hardest-to-drive movie scene.

With that in mind, what jumped out to me is how, despite the cacophonous rumbling and rattling filling the space around me, I could also hear that the system was really delicately handling the singing in the score. It's soft and refined, and also brutal and bruising, all in the same moment.

The positional effects in this scene absolutely whip around you, alarms pierce with their own individual level of urgency, and exploding debris is somehow chaotically noisy and yet also moves precisely in the sound field.

It’s audio havoc, but it never clips or crushes the disparate elements, so you’re completely trapped in the tensest part of the movie while it happens — this is unimpeachable immersion.

To give us a gentle recovery, we finish up with A Complete Unknown. When Dylan and Joan Baez play their privately contentious set together at the folk festival, there's such a lovely recreation of the ambient sound, ironically perfectly recreating the audio signature of an imprecise speaker system.

The song showcases lovely, sharp guitar string plucks and total rhythmic control in the gentle track. The system can explode the crowd noise in the back, while maintaining the same gentle and faintly distorted vocals at the front, all in careful balance, without the denser sound overpowering anything more delicate.

My demo run in this listening room was the kind of experience that spoils you for lesser home theater setups, though I'll be saved from myself by not having the disposable income to spend a quarter of a million on speakers, before I even get to the supporting equipment — let alone building a suitably impressive room to house it all in.

But if you should find yourself coming into a large inheritance and you love movies, I can think of far worse ways to spend it.

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Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini: Two minute review

I came to this Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini with admitted baggage. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it; I did not like Bluesound’s original Pulse Soundbar. It had an awkward design, it sounded cold and clinical, and it was very expensive when compared to alternative products.

The Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini is company’s latest model, and is still on the pricey side, but where its predecessor disappointed, the Cinema Mini impresses. There's powerful, rich, and detailed sound, an elegant design that will complement most rooms, and a wealth of features you won’t find from brands like Sonos and Bose.

Like any Dolby Atmos soundbar that tries to do immersive, 3D sound with only two channels, the Pulse Cinema Mini can’t quite deliver on the promise of overhead height channel effects, but it makes up for it with a surprisingly wide soundstage that brings Atmos and 5.1 movies to life, and does wonders for stereo.

Though physically wider than most “mini” soundbars, that's clearly enabling its biggest strength: it gives the speaker room to house a set of woofers that deliver much bolder low-end bass than the compact category is known for.

This puts the Pulse Cinema Mini in a tricky spot for buyers. It’s priced higher than many full-sized soundbars, yet it can’t quite match the performance of those larger speakers. It’s highly versatile, yet it may be too big for truly small setups.

These contradictions mean the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini isn't a no-brainer-just-buy-it product, but there’s also no doubt in my mind that if you put a high value on the things it well, you’ll be thrilled with it in your home.

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini review: Price and release date

• Release date: August 27, 2025
• Price: $999 / £799

Bluesound sells the Pulse Cinema Mini in many international markets, including the US, UK, and Canada. However, it hasn’t yet released the soundbar in Australia.

At $999 / £799, the Pulse Cinema Mini is considerably more expensive than its closest direct competitors, like the Bose Smart Soundbar at $499 / £499.95, and Sonos Beam Gen 2 at $499 / £499.

However, it boasts better performance and has several features that set it apart. The Pulse Cinema Mini includes a wall-mount bracket; it’s larger and more powerful than the Bose and Sonos models, and it includes an analog input, wired subwoofer output, USB storage access, and two-way Bluetooth with aptX Adaptive, all of which are absent on the Smart Soundbar and Beam Gen 2.

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini review: Specs

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini review: Features

• Analog, USB, subwoofer, and two-way Bluetooth connections
• Expandable and multiroom compatible
• Hi-res Audio and Dolby Atmos support

As is the case for a lot of small-footprint soundbars, the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini doesn’t has only one HDMI port, so you won’t be able to connect devices like streaming video players, Blu-ray players, or game consoles and pass through their video to your TV.

However, it also offers connections that are rarely found in this class of speaker, such as dedicated analog inputs (as well as optical digital), a wired subwoofer output, and a USB port that provides access to music stored on a hard drive.

Even its Bluetooth capability exceeds standard soundbar fare, with its support for Qualcomm’s high-quality aptX Adaptive codec and the ability to stream in two directions: from a phone or computer to the soundbar, or from the soundbar to a set of wireless headphones or a Bluetooth speaker.

Bluesound gets compared to Sonos a lot. Bluesound’s BluOS apps for phones and computers perform many of the same multi-room and music management functions as Sonos’ software.

Like Sonos, Bluesound makes a range of wireless audio devices from speakers to subwoofers to streamers that can all work seamlessly together in one household. The Cinema Mini can be bonded with various combinations of these speakers for a true surround sound experience, or it can simply play the same music at the same time for a synchronized house party.

Thanks to its compatibility with multiple hi-res audio formats and sample rates, many audiophiles feel that Bluesound is superior to Sonos.

Still, there are a few things Bluesound can’t do. You can stream Apple Music via AirPlay or Bluetooth, but neither of these gives you lossless quality, and the BluOS app doesn’t have native support for Apple Music, YouTube Music, or Spotify. Unlike Sonos, there's no easy in-app room correction here.

It also doesn't support support DTS, it doesn't support Google Cast, it’s not compatible with Google Home — but Sonos also lacks these.

Currently, despite its Dolby Atmos certification, native support of Amazon Music, and Tidal Connect compatibility, there’s no way to stream Dolby Atmos Music to the Pulse Cinema Mini without the help of an HDMI-connected third-party device, such as an Apple TV 4K. Since the Mini only has one HDMI eARC port, that device will need to use your TV as a go-between.

• Features score: 3.5 / 5

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini review: Sound quality

• Impressive low end and virtual surround
• No dialogue mode or Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel
• Great for music, but no EQ, tone control, or Dolby Atmos Music

Before we get into sound quality, a quick note on the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini’s stated specifications. Bluesound says it’s a 2.1-channel system, but this isn’t entirely accurate.

According to the company, the soundbar will be capable of processing low-frequency effects (or LFE — the subwoofer part of a soundtrack) without any help from a standalone subwoofer; it’s just that, as of the time of reviewing, it doesn’t actually do so.

For now, if you want true, 2.1 sound from the Cinema Mini, you’ll need to connect a powered sub via the soundbar’s sub output, or buy the Bluesound Plus Sub+ wireless subwoofer.

Having said that, even with only two discrete channels, this is a very capable soundbar for both multichannel and stereo sound. Thanks to a pair of dedicated woofers and passive bass radiators, it pumps out surprisingly deep and resonant bass, which leads me to believe that it will have no problem with LFE channel content when and if Bluesound adds it.

For music, the Cinema Mini’s bass is powerful enough to get by without a subwoofer in smaller rooms.

My experience with two-channel soundbars, even those that can process Dolby Atmos, has been less than stellar. So I have to give Bluesound a lot of credit for the Cinema Mini’s acoustic design and digital signal processing (DSP). With an angled tweeter and midrange driver located at each end of the bar, it projects sound both outward and to the sides, creating a soundstage with remarkable width and detail.

It reminds me a lot of Sennheiser’s Ambeo Soundbar Mini, which also uses just six powered drivers to achieve its virtualized surround sound. Unlike the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, which suffers from a lack of low-end, the Pulse Cinema Mini has a full-range sound that won’t disappoint.

Still, when it comes to Dolby Atmos, you’ll need to temper your expectations. The Cinema Mini’s DSP has to do a lot of heavy lifting to get its two discrete channels to virtualize surround and height content. It does a decent job with the surrounds, but height effects aren’t especially distinct.

During the Aston Martin chase scene from No Time To Die, there’s a moment when the camera passes beneath a set of church bells. Well-executed height systems let you hear the bells move overhead, but the Cinema Mini’s processing just makes the sound bigger, not taller or dynamic.

I find this to be true of nearly all Atmos systems that lack up-firing drivers. The Sonos Beam Gen 2, for instance, doesn’t perform any better in the height department. But the Beam Gen 2 is half the price of the Pulse Cinema Mini. Sonos’ Arc Ultra, by contrast, is basically the same price as the Cinema Mini, and will win any Dolby Atmos competition, hands down.

The same is true when it comes to the Cinema Mini’s lack of an LFE channel. In that same No Time To Die scene, James Bond’s ride is riddled with machine gun fire. When you’re inside the car with Bond, the Sonos Arc Ultra renders each bullet impact viscerally — its built-in subwoofer lets you feel the concussion. It’s still an enjoyable scene via the Cinema Mini (it captures the bullet ricochets nicely), but you’ll definitely need to add a sub if you want deeper cinematic immersion.

For its wide soundstage, the Cinema Mini pays a small price in terms of dialogue clarity. I don’t want to overstate this — I had no problem making out speech — but with no central tweeter or midrange, voices don’t have the same laser-like focus that you’ll get from the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, or even the Bose Smart Soundbar.

As good as TV sound is on the Pulse Cinema Mini, the real reason for dropping a thousand dollars on this speaker is its music performance. I seldom heap praise on soundbars for music listening, but the Cinema Mini is truly superb for its class.

Stereo rendering is where Bluesound’s decision to use a two-channel architecture pays big dividends. Whether you listen with or without the optional Surround Upmixer and Virtualizer modes turned on (inside the BluOS app), the Cinema Mini produces a beautifully balanced, smooth, and detailed sound.

Sitting front and center lets you hear strong stereo imaging and a perfectly placed phantom center channel. But do yourself a favor and turn on the Surround Upmixer and Virtualizer. The purists among you may scoff, but I love the extended width these DSP filters create. The Cinema Mini grows to twice its length — maybe more — and panned stereo sounds seem to float ethereally in the upper front corners of my room.

The bass response, which I’ve come to think of as the Mini’s secret weapon, is well-managed from low to high volumes, musically anchoring tracks with its resonance and weight. Distortion is almost non-existent, and the Cinema Mini effortlessly plays at very loud levels.

If there’s one hitch in an otherwise excellent sound system, it’s that Bluesound is a bit too confident you’ll like its tuning. There are no bass/treble tone controls and no traditional equalizer, or EQ presets — with the exception of three optional listening “modes”: Movie, Music, and Late Night.

I’m familiar with this approach — the Cinema Mini isn’t the first Bluesound speaker I’ve reviewed — but it continues to surprise me, especially given that the company is highly regarded by audiophiles, who tend to have strong feelings about how things should sound.

Would I change much if I actually had access to these settings? Apart from de-emphasizing the highs just a tad, no, I wouldn’t make any other modifications. I really love the way the Cinema Mini sounds.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini review: Design

• Elegant, fabric-wrapped, rounded shape
• Larger than many small-room soundbars
• Wall-mountable with auto-orientation detection

All-plastic construction is the norm for compact soundbars. This doesn’t necessarily mean they look bad — I’d argue the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is quite handsome — but the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini’s fabric-wrapped and gently curved shape looks a little more upscale, and a little less speaker-ish.

At 33.3 inches wide, the Cinema Mini is bigger than most compact soundbars. By contrast, the Beam Gen 2 is 25.6 inches, and the Bose Smart Soundbar is 27.3. The Cinema Mini is also slightly taller and deeper. Still, despite this larger footprint, it won’t look out of place under any TV from 32- to 55-inches, and as I noted in the Sound Quality section, this extra size pays dividends.

Under that soft grille lies the Pulse Cinema Mini’s unusual driver arrangement: the midrange drivers and tweeters are placed at the ends, each slightly angled up and out — no front-firing units and no centrally mounted high-frequency driver for dialogue. Meanwhile, the central body is occupied by the two woofers and their matching passive radiators.

This design (plus built-in, automatically triggered EQ changes) lets the Pulse Cinema Mini sound more or less the same whether you place it on a tabletop or mount it to a wall. Unlike the Beam Gen 2 and Smart Soundbar, whose optional wall mount brackets amount to small shelves, the Pulse Cinema Mini’s included hardware lets it cling to the wall without sticking out into the room.

Like Sonos’ speakers, Bluesound doesn’t ship its products with remote controls, but the Pulse Cinema Mini has a built-in IR receiver and can be operated with any IR remote you already own by teaching the soundbar (via the BluOS app) what to do when you press certain remote buttons. Sonos can do this, too, but only when using its soundbars for TV audio.

On the top surface, you’ll find a glass panel that houses the soundbar’s touch controls. Only the central play/pause icon remains lit — the presets and volume icons light up when you approach. There’s no independent volume level indicator, something I wish more companies would offer; however, your TV will likely display an on-screen indicator when the Pulse Cinema Mini is playing TV audio via HDMI.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini review: Setup and usability

• Easy set up with excellent app support
• App has a learning curve

Like most soundbars, getting the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini set up at a basic level is super easy: Plug it into your TV using the included HDMI cable, and then plug it into the wall with one of the included power cables (Bluesound puts both North American and E.U. versions in the box). You’ll immediately get great TV sound.

However, TV sound is only half of the experience with the Pulse Cinema Mini. To enjoy its awesome music capabilities, you need the BluOS app for iOS or Android. The app gets the soundbar connected to your Wi-Fi network and enables Apple AirPlay, plus it downloads and installs any available software updates, and gives you all of the deeper controls needed to customize the Pulse Cinema Mini to your liking.

The BluOS app also enables you to access multiple streaming services from a single interface and control playback across all BluOS compatible devices (which includes models from NAD, Dali, PSB Speakers, and Monitor Audio).

The BluOS app is fast and responsive, though, as with any platform that has as many features and options as BluOS, there’s a learning curve. Some things are straightforward, such as browsing music from available services, while others take some getting used to.

For instance, some of the Pulse Cinema Mini’s settings are available from the Now Playing screen or the Players tab, but others are only accessible via the Settings icon on the Home tab, and only if the soundbar is first selected in the Players tab.

There are loads of handy features like alarms, sleep timers, and smart playlists; however, BluOS hasn’t mastered one trick that makes Sonos, Wiim, and Denon/HEOS so appealing for those with multiple sources of music: universal search and favorites management.

If you decide to expand the Pulse Cinema Mini with Bluesound’s Pulse Sub+ and/or Pulse M/Pulse Flex speakers, these can easily be added and configured in the BluOS app.

Bluesound doesn’t integrate either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant into its products, but if you’ve already got an Alexa smart speaker, there’s a Bluesound skill that will let Alexa control your Pulse Cinema Mini (and any other Bluesound products you add later).

• Setup & usability score: 3.5 / 5

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini review: Value

• Expensive, but better sound than the competition
• The best small soundbar for music
• Value grows if you’re planning to expand

Look, there’s no way to justify the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini’s price based purely on its performance as a Dolby Atmos soundbar. It’s got great sound, but it can’t hold a candle to bigger, more powerful models such as the Sonos Arc Ultra, Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, or Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8, which are the same price (give or take $100).

However, there are several other attributes that set the Cinema Mini apart, and these may tip the value balance if you want them. Want to hook up a turntable? Do you have an existing wired subwoofer you’d like to use? Is your room just too small for a full-size soundbar, but you don’t want to compromise on audio quality — especially when it comes to music listening? Do you like the idea of connecting a set of Bluetooth headphones? And are you looking for ultimate flexibility when it comes to expanding both your home theater as well as your whole-home audio?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini starts to look like it’s worth its nearly $1,000 asking price.

Just keep in mind that Bluesound’s other components often carry similarly high prices. Unless you get a bundle discount, adding the Pulse Sub+ will cost $899, and a pair of Pulse M surrounds adds another $998. You’re now up to $2,896, and your resulting 4.1-channel Dolby Atmos home theater system still lacks a center and height channels. Meanwhile, the same investment can get you a Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub 4 + 2x Era 300, with 9.1.4-channel sound.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Should I buy the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Also consider

How I tested the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini

• Used Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini as main audio system for one week
• Tested in basement media room
• Sources include Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield, and streamed music from various apps

I spent a full week with the Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini as my main audio system for watching movies, shows, and music in my basement media room.

During that time, I played a variety of Dolby Atmos test clips from movies like No Time To Die, Ford v Ferrari, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, and Unbroken, paying special attention to details like dialogue clarity, surround sound, and height channel impact.

I streamed most content from an Apple TV 4K connected via an LG OLED TV, which fed the MK2 from its HDMI eARC output, but I also connected an Nvidia Shield TV to an eARC extractor so I could hear the Cinema Mini’s treatment of Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD.

For music, I used a variety of apps, including Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music, listening to a wide range of genres. Some were played from apps on the Apple TV 4K and Nvidia Shield, while others were streamed wirelessly using AirPlay, Bluetooth, Tidal Connect, and Qobuz Connect. I tested several of these within the BluOS app as well.

• First reviewed: May 2026
• Read more about how we test

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review

At a glance, the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos almost seems too good to be true. It’s a 5.1 channel system with a dedicated sub, rear speakers, and even Dolby Atmos support. And at just £169 (about $230 / AU$320), this system seems like an incredible value-for-money pick. But is it just a high-potential value proposition on paper? Or can it realize that potential in reality?

Well, in a number of ways, I’d argue the Bowfell Halo Atmos punches well above its weight. For instance, the included sub supplies genuinely hard-hitting, impactful bass that can really take movies to the next level.

When watching Top Gun: Maverick, the roar of the jet engine was so much more full-sounding using the Halo Atmos rather than basic TV audio, and it didn’t sound ‘boomy’ or muddy, but instead genuinely clean and sophisticated. I was generally impressed with the might of the Halo Atmos’ subwoofer, especially considering its limited confines — something that helps this model to compete with some of the best cheap soundbars.

So, if you want deeper audio to make ambient movie scores and action sequences feel that bit more involving, then this sub should serve you well.

That’s not to say you’re getting perfect audio from this mini surround system, though. For instance, music playback isn’t amazing. Despite having its own EQ mode, music often sounded a little thin, and lacked the detail I’ve experienced from other cheap soundbars. Having said that, some stereo mixes could sound pretty punchy in the low end, which made some deeper tracks sound solid — just don’t expect an expansive soundstage or impeccable balance across the frequency range.

Perhaps more importantly, the Dolby Atmos effects on this soundbar are pretty underwhelming. A lot of this comes down to the main bar — it has no upfiring drivers, meaning you only get virtualized height elements, and with its narrow form and limited power, you’re hardly getting wonderful width or expansiveness.

Going back to Maverick, a movie with a lot of sudden upward movement, the Halo Atmos struggled to conjure up much of a sense of verticality, even when Tom Cruise flies a jet up and straight over the viewer.

Moving over to The Mask, in the scenes where Jim Carrey’s character spins around the screen in a cartoonish manner, the width and depth of his movement wasn’t exactly tracked with pin-point precision. This is understandable given the Halo Atmos’ physical and technical limitations, but it’s worth noting for those hoping for an immersive Atmos experience.

But that’s not to say this soundbar is poor-sounding. For example, dialogue is pretty clear overall, and will be a step-up over the obscured, unclear tinniness produced by some smaller TVs. When Stanley and Tina had a conversation at the bank in The Mask, I never felt the need to flick subtitles on or crank the volume up — their speech was clear and concise.

In larger, echoey spaces, dialogue can sometimes sound a little artificial, and I found that speech could get a little harsh at high volumes. But overall, voices are fairly well handled on the Bowfell Halo Atmos.

And all in all, you get pretty cinematic sound from this system. The sub offers impressive depth, and the small rear speakers give some multi-dimensionality to action sequences and busier scenes.

At times, it did feel like the cohesion between the main bar and rears could’ve been better, with some high-octane segments sounding a tad disjointed as audio moved from the front to the back — but I was still happy with the surround speakers overall, and you can adjust their volume if needed, depending on how far away they are from you.

Beyond sound, this system is packed with just about all the features you’d want at this price. You can alter channel level, EQ modes, and adjust playback with the included remote, and also cycle through various connectivity modes. There’s the obvious HDMI eARC, but you’re also getting digital optical, 3.5mm, Bluetooth 5.3m, and USB — the latter of which only works if you have a compatible flash drive.

There’s no Wi-Fi streaming, which provides the most seamless and highest-quality way to consume wireless audio, but that’s certainly to be expected from a system under £169 (about $230 / AU$320).

One omission worth flagging is DTS. So, if you’re watching a 4K Blu-ray with only this format, your player or TV will need to do the decoding. Having said that, the Dolby Atmos onboard hardly impressed me, so it’s not as if adding DTS:X spatial sound seems like it would be a game changer.

Before I wrap this up, let’s talk a little about design. It’s really impressive how Majority crammed a competent surround sound system into such a small package, and that small footprint makes it ideal for limited spaces, or small TVs. It feels as if it was made with people who live in small apartments, or want to enhance audio for a spare room TV, say.

However, the build quality of the Bowfell Halo Atmos is not very good. It feels really plasticky, giving it an almost toy-like appearance. Similarly, the remote feels low-quality, and I preferred to use the main TV remote wherever possible. The LED display, though functional, should communicate things more clearly; I’m not sure why Majority decided to call the movie EQ ‘EQ2’ rather than, you know, ’movie’ or something.

At least setup was easy. The rears need to be connected together with a cable, and the master unit is then plugged into the power. Some may not like the amount of cable involved here, but for the price, it’s a solid solution.

You don’t have to plug the rears into the main soundbar or anything too, so technically they’re ‘semi-wireless’. The sub and main bar can go right into the power, and then you can use an HDMI cord to get started right away — there’s no awkward pairing or anything required.

And from there, the soundbar was very easy to use. I did experience an occasional issue where dialogue cut out when watching movies, but this always resolved with a simple restart, and I was unable to confirm if it was the fault of the soundbar, the TV or the cable.

So, here we are at the end of it all. Is the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos worth its asking price? I think it is, all things considered. You get solid surround sound with impressive bass and clear — albeit imperfect — dialogue, a neat lineup of connectivity options, and a simple setup process.

There are some glaring issues — such as the underwhelming Dolby Atmos, limited musicality, and no DTS support — but all in all, you’re getting a mini soundbar system that feels worth the investment, and one that’s almost sure to be an upgrade on basic TV sound.

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: price & release date

• £169 (about $230 / AU$320)
• Released February 2026

The Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos is part of the wider Bowfell range, and released in February 2026. It comes in at £169 (about $230 /AU$320), and is yet to launch in US and Australian markets as of June 2026.

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: specs

Should I buy the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: also consider

How I tested the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos

• Tested for a week period
• Connected to an LG B6 TV
• Mainly used HDMI eARC connectivity

I tested the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos within a one week period, and used it while watching movies, streaming video, and listening to music. For the vast majority of my time with the soundbar system, I had it connected to the LG B6 OLED TV via HDMI eARC.

During critical listening sessions, I made sure to use a range of 4K Blu-rays, which I played using the Panasonic DP-UB820. When listening to music, I connected over Bluetooth and steamed tunes via Tidal — ensuring to try out a range of Dolby Atmos and stereo format tracks.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio-visual gear here at TechRadar, and have reviewed everything from budget-friendly models like the Hisense HS214 to premium Dolby Atmos systems like the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: June 2026

• Peacock will stream Telemundo's World Cup coverage with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos in AC-4
• Dolby AC-4 codec promises higher sound quality than current streaming codecs
• All 104 matches will be covered

Last month we reported on a blind test that says Dolby's new-generation AC-4 audio codec sounds as good as 4K Blu-ray even at a low streaming bitrate. And now you can hear it as the soundtrack to the World Cup — if you have the right tech and subscriptions.

Dolby and NBCUniversal have teamed up to deliver a world first. Telemundo's live Spanish-language FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage will be streamed on Peacock in Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos using the AC-4 codec — according to Dolby, this is "the first commercial deployment of Dolby AC-4 by a video streamer."

All 104 matches will be broadcast using the technology, the first time it's been used for a major sporting event. It's also the first time the technology has been used by a major streaming service.

(If Spanish-language commentary isn't your thing, you might be interested in Samsung's latest TVs and their AI Soccer Mode, which enables you to remove the commentary entirely while keeping the crowd noise — we tested two affordable Samsung 2026 mini-LEDs here.)

Why this World Cup will sound like the future

Sound quality is one area where streaming can be disappointing. The audio codecs used by the major streaming services can't rival the quality of a 4K Blu-yay disc's soundtrack because their audio is too compressed.

AC-4 is more modern, and delivers much higher quality at the same bitrates, and in the double-blind listening test I referenced above, multiple audio pros couldn't tell the difference between AC-4 audio and uncompressed audio. It's up to 50% more efficient than current codecs, apparently.

The use of Atmos with AC-4 means the sound of these World Cup matches should be even more atmospheric, so if you've got a decent speaker setup or one of the best soundbars, it'll be even more fun to hear.

I'm not sure it'll be 100% as "vivid and electrifying as if you are sitting front row for each match without stadium prices" as the marketing blurb claims, but better dyanamic range with Dolby's spatial audio tech should mean it feels genuinely more immersive.

Dolby and NBCUniversal's engineers have spent a year working together to bring Dolby Vision to live sports, and according to NBCUniversal's senior vice president of global video engineering, David Bohunek, “Fútbol fans will love watching Telemundo’s FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on Peacock in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos with Dolby AC-4 — it’ll be a truly stunning viewing experience they can’t get anywhere else.”

Of course, you'll need to be both a Peacock subscriber and using a TV with support for AC-4 in order to get the full effect. Dolby says that support in TVs is pretty widespread these days, and lists the following partners: "LG, Panasonic, Sony, TCL, Samsung, Sharp, Vantiva, Bang & Olufsen, Hisense, Huawei, Humax, Sagemcom, Skyworth/Strong, SEI Robotics, Innopia, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Liberty Global, Sunrise, SES HD+, Sky, Swisscom, Zattoo, Waipu.tv, PŸUR, Ocilion, Austrostream, TPVision, Vizio, Philips, Kaon, Winston Neweb".

Naturally, you'll to check if your particular devices supports it, using the manufacturer's website (or, more likely, Google).

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WiiM is one of the most interesting companies in the audio world right now, breaking out in the last couple of years in no small part thanks to capitalizing on Sonos' disastrous app update, and the company's quieter period since.

In that time, WiiM went from offering add-on boxes for traditional hi-fi, to launching sleek integrated streaming amps, to launching its own wireless speakers and subwoofer, starting with the WiiM Sound, to unveiling its first soundbar.

Ahead of the soundbar's launch, I spoke to WiiM's CEO, Dr. Lifeng Zhao, about the decisions the company made in developing the soundbar, whether WiiM has a signature sound profile, and what it means to offer "simplicity" in the context of these products, among other topics.

TechRadar: Tell me why you guys have chosen to do a soundbar now.

Lifeng Zhao: WiiM is four years old; in terms of brands right now we are a new player. So we did a streamer and amplifier, which convert or upgrade your existing audio gear. Those get really popular among our users, who start to expand [where they use them] to more environments: their living room; their media rooms. So, we always get this kind of feedback — they ask "when will you guys launch home theater, because we already have your gear, but we don't want to have separate components".

To use our streamer or amplifier, you have to have passive or powered speakers, right? But many people want to have one powerful all-in-one device in their living room. So they don't really want separate components because you know there's messing [with wires, and aesthetics], so we are always getting this request.

I'm also a big fan of entertainment, so for myself I want something simple to use with Dolby Atmos that can fulfill my music and TV experience. So, it came both from our own use, as well as a request from our community.

TechRadar: So, did you consider making an AV receiver or something like that before you decided to go the soundbar route? You already made the amps, so an AV receiver seems like it might have been the obvious way to go.

Lifeng Zhao: We already have the AV receiver if you think about it, right? We have the amps.

TechRadar: Only two channels.

Lifeng Zhao: Yeah, 2.1. But you can expand it with your surrounding channels [using wireless WiiM speakers]. That's the beauty of our systems. We don't want to make a traditional AVR, but we have a solution for those AVR users. People want a multi-channel system, but they don't want messy wired solutions. It's not flexible, and there are many limits on the placement, so we already have 2.1, but you can expand it with the surround speakers.

We are looking at more possibilities, but we don't want to make a legacy AVR; we want to make compact powerful and wireless versions of AVR.

TechRadar: The soundbar you guys are releasing is very good value considering the amount of physical channels that you've built in, and the amount of technology. A lot of soundbars at a similar price to yours are quite small, whereas yours is reasonably big. Can you talk through the design process around deciding how big you wanted the soundbar to be, and how that paired with the price you wanted to charge?

Lifeng Zhao: First of all, let's go back to our target users. We want this soundbar for both needs: watching TV plus listening to music. We don't want you to have to have two separate devices just because you watch TV and listen to music in your daily lives. So then we were thinking about how if we make [a product] only for the TV, just to improve the voice clarity, then we don't really need to go big — but we see a lot of people really want to listen to music with good bass, so the physics of that means we cannot make it too small.

So then we are thinking we can make [a soundbar with a subwoofer] but many people prefer the simplicity of an all-in-one — so that also gives us a size limit. So for our first one we wanted [to make one] people can just buy for most use cases. So with the size, our main target market is the US and Europe, and in most of Europe people have a single family [room]. So they have 55 inches or up TVs. So we did some surveys, and we think this is the kind of right size which can capture the majority of our audience.

TechRadar: You mentioned trying to balance the bass with the size and the compactness. So, you've got the four passive radiators in there. Were you designing the size of the soundbar around the size of the speakers and radiators you wanted to use, or were you choosing the speakers based on the size you wanted the soundbar to be?

Lifeng Zhao: We start with acoustic criteria. We say how deep a bass we want, based on our [previously launched devices]. We launched the amps, and we see how people set up their systems. We want to go to 50Hz, so users could get good bass — so that kind of gives us an acoustic volume. We calculate size based on this volume, but we do want it to be a sleek soundbar, so we have some height limits. But we can calculate the length, depth, and the height while leaving space for the speakers.

I always say we start from the acoustic criteria, then we calculate the size, then we design the best speaker driver according to this size limit.

TechRadar: Do you have more than one HDMI port, for passthrough?

Lifeng Zhao: We have one HDMI eARC, we don't have passthrough. We are thinking that people will connect most of their devices through the TV, because you have multiple HDMI inputs in the TV.

TechRadar: A lot of your competitors also only have one HDMI port, but there's a large number of people who have had their TV for a long time and they've collected a lot of boxes to connect to it, and so it can be really difficult to lose one of your HDMI ports to your soundbar. So, is there a reason behind this decision: was it either to do with cost or technical design or simplicity that you chose to only have one port?

Lifeng Zhao: Design is always about trade-offs, right? So, here I would say we value the simplicity, so people aren’t confusing HDMI and HDMI ARC. Before this journey [at Linkplay/WiiM] I also worked on media devices a lot in my past career, so we know that simplicity is very important. This is a choice to value that simplicity more in this device.

TechRadar: One of the interesting things about your soundbar is that you have a screen on the front, like the Wiim Sound speaker. Screens on soundbars is always quite a controversial topic, because people feel very strongly about having a light in front of their TV. Tell us about how the screen will work when you're watching content, and why you decided to include it.

Lifeng Zhao: We actually debated a lot internally. Our first screen-enabled devices [were the streamer and the amplifier], then the Sound speaker. So we actually accumulated a lot of experience in how people use a screen. To go back to your question regarding why we put a screen on the soundbar: first of all, the soundbar is made both for people using it for music and also watching TV, and in both cases we see a need for a screen. To give you some examples, when you listen to music, people always look somewhere to see what's playing, and they like looking at their favorite album art. We see people will even build a separate display just for artwork while listening, so we see this, and we want to provide integrated solutions for that.

Then we go back to the soundbar. So actually we are saying two things. One is that if you don't really need the screen, you can turn it off. Another thing is that we really want instant feedback. Think about it: if you only have an LED light right there with so many inputs, output and functions, how do you know what the status of the device is? It's really confusing even for me when I look at the LEDs, you know? I always forget, like, [what would flash] when the network doesn't work, right? How do I know it?

So, we want to give people a simple and intuitive control plus the instant feedback, because the device is so powerful. There are many statuses that may be important to your use cases. In a simple device we can just use a very simple app, but when it becomes very powerful, like your smartphone, you have to have a screen for people to interact.

TechRadar: There are obviously two ways to think about simplicity. And one is to have less information shown to keep it simple, and to have users trust that they're in the mode they like and things won’t change. Whereas I think you're saying that the way to introduce simplicity is to make sure people have all the information in front of them, so they're not questioning what the options are. That more information makes it simpler. Is it fair to say that's how you feel about it?

Lifeng Zhao: What I'm trying to say is that there are certain use cases where you need more information, but we don't want to give people too many options. So if you don't want that screen while you’re watching TV, our system will automatically turn off for you because you can separately configure the mode for each of your watching needs. But you can do even more, or we can do it automatically for you by default. You just need to set up once.

We want people using the screen intuitively. We don’t want to cause confusion; we don't want to become complicated. But [instead of] only having a red or a yellow indicator, we will tell you, oh, your network is disconnected, or your format is not supported, right? Let's say you don't support DTS, right? If you just have a yellow indicator, people will not really understand, they'll get really frustrated because they don't have any audio. So that's the kind of simplicity we want to have.

TechRadar: When it comes to expanding the system, you've got the ability to easily go to 5.1.2 channels by adding on the other WiiM products. Did you consider going beyond that? Because presumably with your technology, you could offer 7.1 2 or 5.2.2. Did you think about offering these?

Lifeng Zhao: Yeah, that's the beauty of our system, right? We started from separate components, so we accumulated a lot of experience. Another thing is that if you look at our wireless technology, we invest a lot in terms of wireless infrastructure — we have Wi-Fi 6E, so if you have the best routers we can leverage your routers, so we don't really have a limit. If your wireless environment can support it, we can expand it more.

Yes, when we launch the soundbar it supports 3.0.2, but as you mentioned we can expand it beyond 5.1.2, so that's exactly what we are doing, with the latest Wi-Fi standard you know we can expand more and with low latency.

[Editor's Note: Since this interview, WiiM has changed its stance and is aiming to support adding front left and right separate speakers for use with the WiiM Bar at launch, which can be either WiiM's wireless speakers or can be any speakers attached to a WiiM amp. Dr. Zhao gave us this additional comment: "We can confirm the bar supports wireless front, left, and right speakers. This wasn't originally intended as a launch feature, but based on community feedback and the team's testing, we decided to share it. There seems to be a lot of interest from our community, so if feedback and internal testing continue to go well, we'll look to keep it in."]

TechRadar: So are you saying that actually someone can go beyond 5.1.2 channels?

Lifeng Zhao: Right now we are saying 5.1.2, but potentially, with the software update we can expand more.

TechRadar: Speaking of wireless technology, have you guys explored Dolby Atmos FlexConnect as an option for your products?

Lifeng Zhao: We always look at different types of connectivity and the multi-channel options. FlexConnect definitely is on our radar.

TechRadar: Is there any reason why you're not supporting it now?

Lifeng Zhao: This is our first one, right? As I mentioned, we can support it with a software update, so the hardware is there. It's just about whether we feel it's mature enough, or the user experience [is ready]. We don't really want to give people half-baked technology; we want to make sure it’s really good and people can easily use it. So there's a possibility that we can do it even in current hardware with the software update, but I cannot commit on this one yet.

TechRadar: Speaking of the ecosystem, it looks like this is another piece of hardware that doesn't support Apple AirPlay 2, which is true of a lot of the new releases WiiM has launched. Are you able to say why this hasn't been included in the last few products?

Lifeng Zhao: We have many options on our devices, we support like more than 25 music services, then we have other ‘casting’ options there — and we value the people's content. If you're using Spotify, we want you using Spotify Lossless instead of a compressed [stream], and we see a lot of confusion, actually, of people using Spotify Connect with the other option you just mentioned [AirPlay 2]. So, it’s really a choice, like a design choice — we make it easy to use with high-res.

We really want people to leverage the best quality of their music on our system, and we also offer other options, which you can do very easily. We have multi-room no matter which source, via input to the Wiim. And with most of the music sources you can do lossless audio — so that’s the two options we offer right now.

TechRadar: You’re offering your RoomFit room correction here. I guess this is a very similar technology to what you've offered on the amps previously, but did you have to make any changes for working with Dolby Atmos and other formats you're supporting here?

Lifeng Zhao: It has to be different, right? Because in the soundbar we handle Dolby Atmos as a type of spatial audio, we also handle DTS, so we have multi-channel [sound to deal with]. Previously with RoomFit we started with like one device, then we expanded to 2.1 with a subwoofer — but now we’ve expanded RoomFit for the entire system. It's adding your surrounding speakers, adding your subwoofer, it’s not only doing stuff like balancing your SPL, or frequency spectrum, we also balance timing.

So we really expanded RoomFit for the spatial audio. We invested quite some time to get it right, and hopefully when we launch this soundbar people will be amazed by just how good it is. You just do one-tap calibration, it does everything for you: it calibrates the latency, the level matching, both for your front and surrounds and your subwoofer.

TechRadar: You mentioned earlier about designing the acoustic signature to deliver the right kind of sound that you wanted. And would you say that the new soundbar and the WiiM Sound speakers and your amps share a particular sound signature? Is there a sound signature that you believe is the WiiM style?

Lifeng Zhao: We are not really traditional hi-fi, if you look at our history. We really value the source. So that's why we always emphasize that, if you have a very good source, we want to replicate that in the original format. That means the resolution and in the bit depth, so we try to minimize the distortion when we do the [digital-to-analogue].

We do a lot of things mathematically to try to perfect the sound based on your existing system. In our amp we want to value your speaker signature you already have, so in our RoomFit we actually we want to just tackle the room mood most. So your high end, high frequency — we want to keep that signature [of your speakers] because that's what you paid for, right? So I would say we want to value people's preference more, and in the parts we can do well, we control that part — then we give people options. Simplicity, plus the powerful control.

If you go to advanced settings, you still can change your signature because if people whole, like, a warm sound they [can have it].

TechRadar: That makes sense, especially for the amps and things. But when you're making the soundbars and and WiiM Sound speakers, you're the ones choosing what the speaker output is going to sound like. So did you guys settle on a particular sound profile you wanted to make the default, or is it different for the soundbar than for the music speakers?

Lifeng Zhao: Exactly. Out of the box we want a really good sound, and if you talk about a sound signature, we do have different profile settings for the HDMI input or the music inputs. For the music inputs, we want to really have good clarity and a rich sound [with] respect to the original. Then for the HDMI, we tuned for more bass, for immersive audio. So we have a different profile, and I think it's a very good default for each of the sources.

TechRadar: It's interesting to talk to you about this element, because there are some companies I speak to where the speaker drivers are the things they really focus on, whereas your focus seems to be more on the processing and the signal pathway. Do you think that comes from the kind of company you are, as a digital platform company that has extended into speakers, instead of the other way around? Do you think that makes big difference as to how you approach your products compared to older hi-fi companies who did the analog part first and then are adding the digital in?

Lifeng Zhao: To make a better product, we need to marry the two sides. I would say we start from the digital world, but when we did the amplifier we actually [developed] a lot of analog, so we have a really good understanding of that digital-to-analog [process]. So we definitely are also analog people, and then when we do the speakers, our teams have people who worked in traditional [hi-fi] companies such as Harman Kardon, so we do have expertise on this area as well. Our talents will be in wireless, and in the DSP, and we also have a lot of acoustic engineers.

• WiiM launches its first soundbar for $479 / £449 (about AU$840)
• 8-driver array with dedicated upfiring drivers
• 3.0.2 channels, expandable to 5.1.2 with WiiM wireless speakers

WiiM has been building out its rival ecosystem to Sonos for a while now. The impressive WiiM Sound wireless speaker launched last year, and now the firm has unveiled its first soundbar. Based on its pricing, the new WiiM Bar is being positioned as a direct rival to the Sonos Beam (2nd Gen)... but on paper seems to beat it in a few key areas.

The WiiM Bar is a 3.0.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar with an eight-driver array, including upfiring height speakers, which the Sonos Beam lacks. It features automatic room correction, multi-room grouping and support for over 20 streaming services, and you can expand it to a full surround system with WiiM's other speakers and its subwoofer.

Unusually, there's a glass-covered 2.1-inch touch display on the front. That's an interesting choice when many people don't want any extra illumination near their TV screen.

We spoke to WiiM's CEO, Dr Lifeng Zhao, about the soundbar, and he told us that the screen is primarily there for people playing music through the soundbar — it'll display album art, like other WiiM devices do — and you can turn it off for watching movies or shows. He's confident some people will find it valuable anyway.

"We actually debated a lot internally," Dr Zhao says. "So actually we are saying two things. One is that if you don't really need the screen; you can turn it off. Another thing is that we really want instant feedback. If you only have a LED light right there, with so many input/outputs and functionality, how do you know the status of the device? It's really confusing, even for me. We want to give people a simple and intuitive control, plus the instant feedback."

WiiM Bar: key features and pricing

The eight-driver array features four passive radiators and a mix of front mid-woofers, front tweeters and the aforementioned full-range up-firing height drivers.

It's 3.0.2 channels, expandable to 5.1.2 channels with surround speakers and a subwoofer — and possibly more channels in the future. When we asked about supporting more satellite speakers or subwoofers, Dr Zhao told us that "potentially with a software update we can expand more," and that Dolby Atmos FlexConnect support is "on our radar". He was clear that we shouldn't expect either upgrade in the short term, though.

The WiiM Bar supports Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X audio (DTS being another benefit over the Sonos Beam, on top of the upfiring drivers), and it features RoomFit room correction. There are two extra audio modes: AI-powered dialog enhancement, and a night mode to help you stay friendly with your neighbors.

Streaming support includes nearly all the big names: Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Google Cast and Roon, and streaming via the WiiM app takes the number of supported streaming services past 20.

However, as with other recent WiiM releases, this doesn't include Apple Music or AirPlay 2. We'll cover this more later, but we asked Dr Zhao why WiiM hasn't included AirPlay, and his answer — which we're not entirely convinced by — implies that it's about AirPlay's compression of audio.

"If you're using Spotify, we want you to use Spotify Lossless instead of a compressed [stream], right? So we are seeing a lot of confusion in people using Spotify Connect versus other options you just mentioned [AirPlay 2]," he said, referencing the fact that AirPlay 2 is still limited to compressed streaming through official support.

Spotify Lossless has existed for less time than WiiM been avoiding AirPlay support, so the timeline doesn't really work for this specific explanation, and WiiM offers Bluetooth and its compressed audio happily enough — but this is all the answer we're going to get officially.

The WiiM Bar has HDMI eARC, but no passthrough port, so you'll have give up the use of one of your HDMI ports for it. "We think that people will connect most of their devices through the TV because you have multiple HDMI ports in the TV," says Dr Zhao. Passthrough was considered, but the decision was made to keep things focused on "simplicity" — which is Sonos' claimed reason for not offering passthrough too, but has never really convinced our team (having to swap HDMI cables in the back of your TV because you've run out of ports does not aid simplicity).

This may be the firm's first soundbar, but Dr Zhao he doesn't consider it to be WiiM's first home theater product: the firm's amplifiers can be used as an HDMI-ready sound system, albeit in 2.1 channels. The soundbar is intended as a standalone device for people who, like Zhao, want big sound without lots of separates taking up space.

"We don't want to make a legacy AVR. People want one powerful all-in-one device in their living room." Those people include Dr Zhao: "I want something simple to use, I really like Dolby Atmos and I want it to fulfill both my music and my TV experience," he says. "So it's both for our own use as well as a request from our community."

It's an impressive specification, and the price is decent too: the official price is $479 / £449 (about AU$840). The WiiM Bar will be released in July, with pre-orders starting from 3 June 2026. It'll be really interesting to see how it compares with the equivalent Sonos when we get it in for testing.

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Sonos has offered the ability to add wireless rear speakers to its soundbars, creating an effective compact surround-sound system, for well over a decade. But this setup really hasn't changed much from the Playbar to the Sonos Arc Ultra — you can still have the soundbar with two rear speakers, and one or two subwoofers.

For years now, Sonos superfans have been begging the company to expand these options with the ability to use its wireless speakers as true front left and right channels for a home theater setup.

The frustration is width: elite soundbars like the Arc Ultra have angled drivers so that the audio sounds much wider than the soundbar itself, but there are diminishing returns with 'virtualized' width compared to the real width of just having speakers on either side of your TV, the way you would in a five-channel surround sound system made from separate speakers. And we just had a reminder from a Dolby exec about how important width is in recreating Dolby Atmos mixes.

People love the simplicity of a wireless Sonos setup compared to building out a wired separates system, and many are enamored with Sonos' sound profile. But as time goes on, the failure to innovate in the kinds of setups available starts to look stubborn at best.

Imagine that you have a Sonos Beam 2nd Gen connected to your TV over HDMI, and it receives the Dolby Atmos sound and then streams it out to a Sonos Era 300 to the left of your TV and one to the right of your TV.

These would deliver real width, especially since the Era 300 has left and right drivers, as well as forward-facing. The Beam serves as the center channel for clear dialogue, and the Era 300s deliver powerful side channels and height channels. And, of course, you could combine with wireless rear speakers, as Sonos does already.

People are choosing to buy bigger and bigger TVs, which need wider and wider sound to match their scale. We can't keep making soundbars bigger to compensate (well, we can, but I'm not sure it'll really please anyone).

Sonos has been in the perfect position to capitalize on this, and yet somehow Sony beat it to the punch by announcing the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, an 'LCR' (left, center, right) wireless system that's more or less exactly the setup I described above, but with Sony speakers.

Here's what really galls the Sonos superfans: the tech already exists, unofficially, to do this, and many have tried it. There is a whole subreddit dedicated to a third-party app called Sonosequencr, and the developer makes it clear that they're not hacking the speakers to make this possible: they're tapping into tech already dormant in Sonos' system, that Sonos has never fully enabled.

Using Sonosequencr comes with tradeoffs, with the main one being that you can't use Trueplay to correct the sound for your room, so in some cases it's possible you're better off sticking with a regular Sonos setup that compensates for your room's reflections, especially if you have a smaller space — but in some large setups, the addition of real speakers might be the better option. Sonos could also break the third-party app at any time, since it's all unofficial.)

There were leaks that Sonos was planning to enable this kind of setup using its canceled streaming box as the centerpiece, but this obviously never came to fruition (but the tech that Sonosequencr taps into might be the vestigial remains of it, or an earlier version of it).

I wrote at the time that I hoped it would retain the exact feature I'm talking about today, but there's been no sign of it since then. That's probably partly because Sonos spent a year just trying to fix its app's problems and getting things ready for multiple launches this year (which started with the Sonos Play).

Maybe Sonos is getting ready to unleash a new world of home theater flexibility on us — when I interviewed CEO Tom Conrad, I asked him about Dolby Atmos FlexConnect and its ability to work with really flexible speaker placement, he said: "We're interested in that entire space, the entire domain of: How do you get the bits from the source to the speakers? How do you position the speakers in three-dimensional space? And how do you render? We'll continue to work on our roadmap."

In response to a question about TV makers launching their own wireless speaker tech and pushing Sonos out, Conrad said: "We're the pioneer in wirelessly distributing audio around the family room, and we'll have our own things to say about how that evolves in the coming quarters."

So it definitely sounds like Sonos has something planned for home theater this year, and I really hope it takes the chance to finally unleash extra speaker positions. The fact that Sony got there first really surprised me, but Sonos has a key advantage: price.

Sony's system costs £2000 (about $2,690 / AU$3,750) for the front three speakers. The closest Sonos setup in terms of Dolby Atmos performance would be the Beam 2nd Gen and two Era 300 speakers, as I mentioned above. At the time of writing, that costs $1,127 / £1,077 / AU$2,297 — but you could swap the Era 300s for a pair of Era 100 SL speakers, and the price would drop to $707 / £657 / AU$1,377.

When I think about the scale of performance you could get from that setup for that price… well, like I said, the whole thing

• Dolby exec says movie mixers independently made the same changes in Dolby Atmos mixes
• They moved the music "into the room", away from the screen and the dialogue
• The change was "immediately, obviously better"

Home theater fans often have very strong opinions about soundbars versus separates-based surround sound systems (as a comment on our recent article on the choices in the Fight Club 4K Blu-ray evidences), arguing that even the best soundbars simply can't deliver the same width, depth and immersion of a separates-based surround system.

And recent comments from Senior Vice President of Entertainment at Dolby Laboratories, John Couling, arguably backs them up: he describes a change in the way movie audio was mixed due to the transition to Dolby Atmos, and it struck us that it ties strongly into one part of why separates-based systems are likely to deliver a better experience with movie soundtracks.

What moviemakers are doing with their audio mixes

Posting on LinkedIn, Coulis described the early days of Dolby Atmos. "We would continuously ask questions and take notes as teams of film mixers started to explore the technology," he says, "and we noticed that almost every mixer, without being told to, instinctively did the same thing."

He continued: "They took the film's music from the left and right speakers and pulled it just slightly into the room — down the side walls, away from the screen. The screen became more about action and dialogue, while the music became part of the atmosphere surrounding the audience."

The change was "immediately, obviously better," Coulis says. "The front stage had more clarity, and the music found its proper place."

That's great on a full set of surround-sound speakers where the music's moving out to left and right speakers that are fully past the left and right sides of your TV or projector screen. They're capable of delivering the kind of width necessary to get the full effect of what Coulis is talking about.

But, of course, standalone soundbars don't have speakers out to the sides, so with budget soundbars you're going to miss out on this intentional separation of the dialogue and music in the 3D Atmos space.

Bery expensive standalone soundbars with angled drivers, virtualization and clever digital processing will do a far better job of this, but they're ultimately compensating for what isn't physically there: there's no real substitute for having strong speakers out side.

That's not to say soundbars are bad; of course they're not. Some of the best ones are truly exceptional and even the budget ones are a big audio upgrade compared to your TV. They're a lot more convenient and often a lot less expensive too.

But Coulis' comments are a fresh reminder and a new perspective on the idea that if you're serious about soundtracks, separate speakers are likely to deliver the most realistic results.

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Two minute review

The Samsung HW-Q990H continues the high standard set by its predecessors, which are reliably among the best soundbars on the market, delivering a full, multi-box Dolby Atmos experience for one of the most competitive prices around. While it doesn’t offer that many changes from its predecessor, it’s still a fantastic system.

An 11.1.4 channel soundbar system, the Q990H is packed with superb sound-enhancing features such as SpaceFit Sound Pro and Q-Symphony, which add more layers to its already excellent sound. Sound Elevation (where sound is raised to the height of the TV itself) is one of two new features introduced, and while I didn’t use it for much of my testing, it could be useful depending on your circumstances.

It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X enhanced audio formats, and there’s even support for 4K 120Hz and VRR passthrough in the soundbar’s two HDMI 2.1 In ports — perfect for those who don’t own one of the best gaming TVs.

The Q990H’s performance is phenomenal. It delivers an immersive, powerful sound with bass that’s both meaty and controlled, aided by the returning small-sized, dual-driver subwoofer introduced in last year's Q990F. Sound mapping is accurate, with details placed precisely to the correct channels and connected with the action on screen. Speech is consistently clear, and Dolby Atmos effects are re-created faithfully with real clarity. While it doesn’t innovate much on last year’s Samsung HW-Q990F, it’s still a superb soundbar.

Design-wise, the Q990H benefits from the compact subwoofer, which is easy to position while still delivering excellent sound. While the soundbar itself feels sturdy and has a nice color to it, the actual grated design doesn’t feel as premium as 2024’s Samsung Q990D, and the alphanumeric display isn’t always the easiest to read, but is a welcome feature. It would be nice to see Samsung mix up the design of the flagship model in future.

The Q990H is incredibly easy to set up and use. Actual installation took a few minutes, and I used the SmartThings app to control EQ and other features, never running into any issues. There is a supplied remote for those who don’t want to use the app, but I suggest you give the app a try.

The Q990H is a premium soundbar system, and while it delivers the performance to back up its asking price of $1,999 / £1,599 / AU$1,999, there aren’t a great many changes over its predecessor the Q990F. The latter is available for $1,599 / £999 / AU$1,599 at the time of writing, so it's the better option in my view. Once it disappears though, the Q990H is a more than worthy successor.

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Price and release date

• Release date: May 2026
• Price: $1,999 / £1,599 / AU$1,999

The Samsung HW-Q990H is the flagship model in Samsung’s 2026 soundbar lineup. It sits above the Samsung HW-900H, HW-Q800H and the HW-QS90H, the latter of which is a follow-up to the Samsung QS700F from 2025.

The HW-Q990H’s launch prices are pretty consistent with its predecessor, the HW-Q990F, from last year. The Q990H is launching for £100 cheaper in the UK and AU$100 cheaper in Australia, however.

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Specs

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Features

• 11.1.4 channel soundbar system
• Dolby Atmos and DTS-X support
• HDMI 2.1 input ports rated for 4K 120Hz gaming

The Q990H doesn’t bring many new features to the table compared to last year’s Q990F, but that’s not a bad thing, as that soundbar's features were pretty impressive. The Q990H is an 11.1.4 channel soundbar system comprising four units: a main soundbar, a subwoofer (the same compact unit introduced with the Q990F), and two rear speakers. It has the same 23-speaker layout as the Q990F.

In terms of audio support, the Q990H supports Dolby Atmos and DTS: X sound formats, and there’s support for Eclipsa Audio, Samsung and Google’s joint foray into the 3D sound world. Wireless Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are also supported.

Connections are the same as last year, with an HDMI eARC port for connection to your chosen display, as well as two HDMI In ports. Both are HDMI 2.1 and rated for 4K 120Hz gaming, and both support HDR10+ HDR. There's also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for music streaming.

The Q990H introduces two new sound features. Sound Elevation is designed to direct the sound towards the screen itself in order to create a more natural listening experience, while Auto Volume aims to reduce sudden spikes in volume when changing channels or content.

Returning sound-enhancing features include SpaceFit Sound Pro, which optimizes the sound profile to suit the environment you’re in; Adaptive Sound, which analyzes the content being played and adjusts it in real time; and Active Voice Amplifier Pro, which analyzes voices within a scene and optimizes them. The Q990H also supports Q-Symphony, which enables a compatible connected Samsung TV’s speakers to be employed to enhance the audio further.

There are a number of night-mode listening features as well, such as Private Audio, which directs the sound to the rear speakers, and Moderate Bass, which mutes the subwoofer and directs the bass to come from the soundbar itself.

The Q900H can be controlled by the SmartThings app, where adjustments to the EQ and sound levels for each channel can be made. You can also choose from the soundbar’s four listening modes here: Standard, Surround, AI and Game. The aforementioned sound enhancements can also be controlled via the app.

• Features score: 5 / 5

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Performance

• Detailed expansive sound
• Powerful, controlled bass
• Great Atmos reproduction

Of the Q990H’s four sound presets (Standard, Surround, Game and AI) I chose Surround, as I felt it gave the most consistently immersive sound. I also used the SpaceFit Sound Pro setting to calibrate the soundbar to our testing lab, and this created a more immersive sound profile.

The Q990H’s sound placement and mapping are superb. Watching the Death Star attack run from Star Wars: A New Hope, the whir of the X-Wing’s engines came from the rear speakers, laser fire came from all around, and the flight paths of the various TIE fighters and X-Wings was accurately placed, making me feel like I was in the cockpit.

Watching The Batman, as Penguin fired a spray of bullets towards Catwoman, the sound travelled from the front to the rear channels, following the direction of the action on screen. In the chase sequence itself, the swerving of tires and blaring car horns travelled across the soundbar, again mapped perfectly.

The compact subwoofer first introduced in last year’s Q990F returns here, and I was reminded of how good it was. Despite its smaller stature, the Q990H’s subwoofer packs a mighty punch. As the Batmobile’s engine fires up in The Batman, the subwoofer delivered an almighty rumble that filled the room, accurately delivering the roar and the crunching gear changes during the driving sequences. Crucially however, the bass never got ahead of itself, as the subwoofer demonstrated excellent control, with the same gear changes delivered with great detail.

Speaking of detail, the Q990H delivers it in spades. During the Darkstar test flight in Top Gun: Maverick, subtle sound effects, such as the wind passing through the jet’s outer panels and the tightening of Maverick’s gloves are all well balanced with the bass of the jet engine and the loud beeps of the various displays.

The Q990H benefits from four height channels, meaning Atmos effects are reproduced accurately. As Maverick flies over Admiral Kane in Top Gun: Maverick, the sound of the Darkstar’s flight path went over my head, delivering an expansive sound. The same was true as TIE Fighters flew overhead in Star Wars, with height channels precisely following their iconic howling sound.

Throughout my testing, the Q990H’s front channels delivered crystal-clear speech, even in complicated scenes such as the Batmobile chase, accurately delivering the Penguin’s frantic shouts over the loud explosions and impacts.

As I tested the Q990H with the Samsung S95F, one of 2025’s best OLED TVs, I tried out the Q-Symphony setting. This added extra volume and more power to the front channels by using the S95F’s speakers, giving everything extra punch. If you don’t own a Samsung TV, fear not — this Q990H still sounds fantastic without Q-Symphony.

I tried out the new Sound Elevation feature, and while it did move the height of the sound effectively, it wasn’t necessary for my viewing. This could be a useful feature for those who wall-mount the soundbar, but I’d recommend giving it a try to see if it fits your environment.

The Q990H is also a solid soundbar for music. Listening to a Dolby Atmos version of Bad Bunny’s BAILE INoLVIDABLE, the Q990H delivered tightly controlled low-end from the track’s heavy bass synths and drums later in the song. The piano sounded detailed, and Bunny’s varied vocals were delivered accurately. High notes had plenty of brightness without sounding overbearing, and the horn section sounded punchy and detailed.

Switching to a heavier track, Dir En Grey’s Un Deux, the Q990H did a great job delivering the pounding guitars, crunching drums and Kyo’s soaring vocals, capturing the wide production of the track with its big soundstage. While other soundbars, such as the Sonos Arc Ultra, are better for music overall, the Q990H is still great.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Design

• Return of the brilliant compact subwoofer
• Sturdy build quality
• Design becoming familiar

The Q990H is almost identical in appearance to last year’s Q990F, which in turn felt like a cheapened design of the 2024 Samsung HW-Q990D. While the Q990H does have a sturdy, weighty build that feels premium, my criticisms of last year’s design remain.

The highlight is once again the compact subwoofer design. The dual-driver unit is weighty, but has a much more visually appealing cubed design. Due to its more compact size, it’s much easier to conceal than most subwoofers. The main soundbar measures 1232 x 70.8 x 138mm (48.5 x 2.8 x 5.4 inches), which was the exact width of the 55-inch Samsung S95F OLED TV I tested the soundbar with. It’s quite a deep soundbar however, so you may need to consider this when placing it.

The actual look and materials of the Q990H are the main issue. While the metallic grille that’s been used for years remains, the cheaper-looking grated design introduced in the Q990F is still here, and it doesn’t look as appealing as older models. The same is true of the rear speakers, which don’t feel or look as premium.

The alphanumeric display included can still be a challenge to a read, but it’s still welcome. While the Q990H’s overall design is fine, Samsung could stand to learn from other multi-box units, such as the JBL 1300Mk2.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Setup and usability

• Easy, hassle-free setup
• SmartThings app for control as well as remote
• Wireless connection between soundbar and other units

As I’ve found with the last few iterations of Samsung’s flagship soundbar, the Q990H was a breeze to set up. I simply connected the main soundbar to the TV via HDMI eARC, and then paired the subwoofer and rear speakers by holding down a button. At one point during my testing I had to disconnect and re-connect the same units due to a brief Wi-Fi issue, and this again took a matter of minutes.

The Q990H can be controlled by the supplied remote or the SmartThings app. I opted for the latter, and it allowed me to easily make adjustments to the EQ and sound levels as I saw fit, with said changes happening almost instantaneously. It’s worth trying out the app, but the Q990H also sounds great out of the box.

One quick note: Samsung advertises its new Samsung Sound app as the new control, though at the time of writing it doesn’t offer the full compatibility or support all the features of SmartThings, so you’re best sticking with the latter for now.

• Setup & usability score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Value

• Great flagship performance and features
• Still a premium price
• Only minor upgrades over predecessor

The Q990H is undoubtedly at the premium end of the soundbar market. Priced at $1,999 / £1,599 / AU$1,999, it’s pricier than a lot of all-in-one options such as the Sonos Arc Ultra and Marshall Heston 120, as well as more budget surround sound models from the likes of JBL, Hisense and Ultimea.

Major rivals such as the JBL 1300MK2 are also available for less, with the 1300MK2 priced at $1,699 / £999 in the US and UK (it’s pricier in Australia at $AU2,299). That said, the 1300MK2 did launch several months ago, so its prices have had time to drop.

Still, the Q990H is a flagship soundbar that delivers phenomenal audio quality and comes with a ton of useful features, most prominently its HDMI 2.1 ports for gaming. Compared to said multi-box rivals, it’s also pretty fairly priced.

There is the small matter, however, of the Q990H’s predecessor, the Q990F, still being available. While the Q990H offers a couple of upgrades, the Q990F is still a fantastic soundbar in its own right, and at $1,599 / £999 / AU$1,599 it’s the better option right now. Once it disappears, though, the Q990H will make a worthy successor — and we’ll have hopefully seen some discounts by then.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Samsung HW-Q990H?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung HW-Q990H review: Also consider

How I tested the Samsung HW-Q990H

• Tested with the Samsung S95F OLED TV
• Tested using different sources
• Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround and stereo sound tested

I tested the Samsung HW-Q990H with the Samsung S95F OLED TV, which allowed me to test out the Q-Symphony feature, which employs the Samsung S95F's speakers in conjunction with the soundbar.

To test the Q990H soundbar, I used reference Dolby Atmos scenes that I also use to test TV speakers, namely The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick on 4K Blu-ray, and Star Wars: A New Hope for 4K streaming.

I used the Samsung SmartThings app to test out its sound features, including SpaceFit Sound Pro and Sound Elevation, as well as testing out its different sound presets.

I also tested the Samsung HW-Q990H's music capabilities using Dolby Atmos tracks such as Bad Bunny's BAILLE INoLVIDABLE, as well as stereo tracks such as Dir En Grey's Un Deux.

• First reviewed: May 2026
• Read more about how we test

Sony has just announced the Bravia Theatre Trio, which is a new Dolby Atmos wireless system that splits the difference between a proper surround system and a soundbar, and is particularly designed with huge TVs in mind, to make sure the soundscape is wider than the TV itself — but will be tempting to anyone who wants a physically more separated sound than the best soundbars alone can deliver.

It can also be expanded into a fuller wireless surround setup, and I got to hear this full-force system in action. But first, let's go over the basics.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio is, as the name implies, three wireless speakers in a package. It's what home theater fans call an 'LCR' system — meaning left, center, and right channels.

There's a center speaker that's like a mini soundbar, which connects to your TV over HDMI eARC. And there are left and right speakers that look like little pillars with a flat section added to the back, so they can be wall-mounted.

The center speaker has two woofers and a tweeter, while each of the the side speakers each has a woofer and tweeter facing forward, and then an 8cm upfiring driver for Dolby Atmos height channels.

In the simplest terms, this is a 3.0.2-channel system, though Sony says that the system is built heavily around virtualization of more in-depth speaker setups. This initial three-speaker system can apparently mimic 24 phantom channels.

Sony says that it's done some smart stuff with its virtualization tech in the Bravia Theatre Trio, including rethinking how those phantom channels work: they're now designed not just to mimic the placement of a more elaborate speaker setup, but also to mimic the "indirect sound sources" of a cinema room's acoustic signature, including reflections.

So yes, for those keeping track of how psychoacoustic virtualization works, it may be the case that this system is using the reflections of your room to create the sense of an entirely different set of reflections…

To help the system do this as well as possible, it comes with a USB-C microphone that you can use for room calibration. Just plug it into your phone or tablet, fire up Sony's app, and follow the instructions so it can do its best work.

As I mentioned above, this three-speaker core setup can be expanded with add-on rear speakers or a subwoofer as well.

You have two choices of subwoofer: the new Sub 8 is a mid-range option, while the Sub 9 is an absolute massive beast of a sub by lifestyle tech standards. It looks like two Sub 8 units glued together with a vent in the middle, and while Sony didn't confirm the specs, I wouldn't be surprised if that's not far from the truth.

You also have two choices of rear speaker: there's the existing Bravia Rear 8 or the new Bravia Rear 9, which are more or less the same speakers as the front left and right (woofer, tweeter and upfirer combo — in the same design).

Of course, these add-ons will cost you — and the core Bravia Theatre Trio package isn't cheap either. Here's the breakdown of all those options (Sony was only able to provide UK pricing pre-launch and Australian info for the Theatre Trio only, but we'll update with other pricing as we get it):

Sony eats Sonos' lunch

Before I get to my experience of the performance of these speakers, something that immediately struck me is that this kind of setup is what Sonos' users have been begging to company to do for years.

Given that Sonos' whole thing is wireless satellite speakers, its users have asked many, many times (directly and on the r/sonos subreddit) for the ability to use separate front left and right speakers in an LCR setup with its soundbars.

There's even a third-party app that enables this called SonoSequencr, which is quite popular among Sonos home theater enthusiasts.

It seems wild that Sony has offered this before Sonos, and with a better spec list than Sonos can offer, because the Bravia Theatre Trio offers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support (Sonos lacks DTS), and has an HDMI passthrough port (supporting 4K 120Hz) so you don't lose an HDMI port by using it.

Of course, if Sonos did end up offering a setup to compete with this, it could have a major price advantage. You can get a Sonos Beam Gen 2 (as the center channel) and two Sonos Era 300 speakers (as spatial audio side speakers) for £1,077 at the time of writing, compared to £2,000 for the Sony system.

And there's also the small issue that in my demo of the Sony system I found it to be quite hit and miss…

Mixing it up

I didn't get to hear just the Bravia Theatre Trio core setup on its own at Sony's event; instead I heard the fullest setup, with the original trio, two Rear 9 speakers, and two Sub 9 subwoofers (though, somewhat oddly, these were placed next to each other rather than spaced for even bass distribution).

In terms of pure physical channels, this is a 7.2.4 setup, but Sony was unable to confirm exactly what the virtualized channel setup it creates using the phantom channels would be — though Sony confirmed that you get 24 phantom channels regardless of how many physical speakers are involved.

First up we watched the big music performance in Sinners at the juke joint. What jumped out straight away is that the system provides a really powerful and warm sound, which is really well suited to the pounding of drums and making the tonality of guitars feel solid and electric.

However, I wasn't that impressed with separation of different elements in the mix, despite all the Dolby Atmos power going on — and in particular I felt that the vocals were more subdued than I'd expect, especially for a system with an actual separate center speaker.

Moving onto the car shoot-out in No Time to Die, the surround and positioning effects got a particular chance to shine. The rear effects were solid, but the side effects were especially impressive considering there are no real speakers there.

Building on that, I thought the way sound moved from the front, around the sides, and to the back was especially impressive — it felt like the sound moved smoothly the whole way, and didn't jump from the front to the back, which is how it can feel in some simple five-channel systems.

But this demo also showed the same apparent weakness with vocals, with dialogue feeling soft and a little muddy even in the quieter moments — and even some of the mid-frequency effects seemed to not pop quite as strongly as they should (I have seen this scene a lot in demos).

The final demo was the first racing scene in Ready Player One, and the system produced a lot of sound and fury all around me here… but I thought there was a slight softness to the fine details that held it back — the very sudden sounds didn't seem quite as dramatically sudden as they should, which robbed them a little of impact, scale and spectacle.

That last point wasn't helped by the fact that in all three demos I noticed that the sound and visuals weren't quite in sync. This isn't uncommon in HDMI ARC-based systems at all, but I don't normally notice it as strongly as I did here — and I think it made a difference when experiencing the crunching crashes of Ready Player One if you see the impacts before you hear them.

Of course, this is far from a review — and I'm really interested to see how just the core Bravia Theatre Trio set performs on its own. But at this early stage, I'm kind of torn: I love the overall concept and the design, but I'm concerned about the high price based on the performance I heard so far.

• Sennheiser launches Momentum 5 wireless headphones
• Improvements to ANC, feature set and repairability
• Price bumps up against Sennheiser's premium cans

Better late than never, eh Sennheiser? The legendary audio brand took four years to bring its much-anticipated Momentum 5 Wireless to market, but they're finally here — and perhaps just in time to show the recently-released Sony 1000X The Collexion how it's done.

These new cans succeed the five-star Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, which we loved all the way back in 2022, and are still in use today by several members of the TechRadar team. Perhaps the brand was just waiting for its tenancy on our list of the best headphones to end, so it could reclaim the top spot.

Releasing in June 2026, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless are due to cost $399 / £329 / AU$749, which represents a little price hike from their predecessors. It's much less than Sony's fancy newest headphones — but it's basically right in line with the price of the Sony WH-1000XM6.

It puts them quite close to my favorite headphones from the company, the Sennheiser HDB 630, which sell for $499 / £399 / AU$999 — and I'd personally be tempted by the HDBs. But maybe I'll feel differently once we've actually tried the Momentum 5 Wireless and their new features.

Momentum? You barely know 'em

Sennheiser has given the Momentum 5 a 42mm driver again, like the Momentum 4, but has added certification for Hi-Res Audio, Snapdragon Sound and aptX Lossless codecs. The app also now has an EQ and presets, as well as a listening test.

Improvements come to active noise cancellation (which is now influenced by four microphones, over two in the last pair — but far fewer than the 12 employed by Sony), while Bluetooth is version 5.4 out of the box, but Sennheiser promises an upgrade to 6.0 in the future.

Other features include Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking — we love this on the Sonos Ace, so hopefully it's just as good here.

The battery life is slightly lower than the previous model at 57 hours, but that's only three hours less than the Momentum 4's lasting power, and is still nearly double the 30 hours promised by the Sony XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen.

Sennheiser's making a point of repairability for the Momentum 5: apparently, it's easy to use a Phillips screwdriver to remove and replace an ailing battery. Since the battery is often the aspect of gadget which will stop working first, this will hopefully ensure your headphones keeping lasting for years.

There are three color options for the Sennheiser Momentum 5: black, white and blue (or 'Denim', according to the brand). Whichever you buy, you'll get a carry case, USB-C charging cable and 3.5mm headphone cable.

No matter how you shake it, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 don't look like huge reinventions of the fourth-gen model, but that's no bad thing. You can't argue with a perfect review.

Instead, it seems to update some of the Momentum 4 features which haven't aged well in four years, and if the sound's had a tune-up in the right places, we expect these to be pretty damn competitive.

• Dolby AC-4 was the preferred codec of multiple audio pros
• Better than existing Atmos audio without high bandwidth requirements
• Peacock is upgrading but other streamers haven't announced any plans

One of the biggest differences between streamed movies and 4K Blu-ray is the sound quality: even the most expensive streaming tiers deliver compressed audio with a clear reduction in dynamic range and clarity compared to disc-based playback.

But that might change thanks to a new version of Dolby's sound technology that audio experts apparently can't tell apart from uncompressed PCM, but that works at streaming bitrates.

The new technology is called Dolby AC-4, and it's a codec: an encoder/decoder for compressing audio. It's designed to deliver much higher audio quality than current streaming soundtracks, and can do so without requiring lots of bandwidth.

With a bit of help from the New York section of the Audio Engineering Society and Engine Room Audio, the audio pros at Immersive Machines in the US set up a double-blind listening test where audio experts heard mixes in multiple formats including the current streaming standard, DD+JOC (using the Dolby Digital+ codec).

Again and again the experts picked AC-4 as having the best sound quality of the compressed audio formats.

How Dolby AC-4 could make your streams sound sweeter

Most streaming apps use DD+JOC for immersive audio. It's a version of the tried and tested Dolby Digital standard, with the JOC bit standing for "Joint Object Coding". It enables Dolby Atmos to deliver positional audio without breaking support for 5.1-channel setups.

Dolby AC-4 is what Dolby calls a Next Generation Audio codec, and it's designed to more efficiently deliver audio for headphone and speaker listening, including 3D object information.

As Dolby explains: "The AC-4 coding system utilizes new aspects of object audio beyond what is already available with Dolby Atmos in other Dolby codecs for features like dialogue enhancement or commentator substitution." And significantly, it "can deliver equivalent channel-based audio quality at roughly half the bitrate of Dolby Digital Plus".

That's impressive, but does it deliver?

Immersive Machines' listening test used three formats: DD+JOC at 768 kbps, uncompressed PCM audio at 13,824 kbps, and AC-4 L4 at 448 kbps. The listeners heard them on a full 7.1.4-channel system, on the same system with specific speakers muted, and to individual speakers soloed. Each format was given the letter A, B or C and their identities weren't revealed until the test was done.

The test wasn't just based on vibes. Listeners were asked to identify compression artefacts such as gating, "swishing", loss of spatial precision and loss of frequency range. And with all the speakers on — ie, the way you'd listen at home — AC-4 was in a dead heat with the reference uncompressed PCM audio.

Compression was more noticeable in AC4 when individual speakers were soloed, but for a full home theater setup, AC-4 delivered sound that apparently matches lossless but while streaming just 3% of the data.

There are some caveats here, notably the sample size: a test with 16 listeners isn't hard science. But at the same time, 16 audio pros told to listen critically are going to be much more picky than you or I are likely to be, so it's still quite the endorsement.

The first TV/movie streaming service delivering AC-4 will be Peacock, although the technology is also being used by Amazon Music and TIDAL (but specifically for binaural headphones-based spatial audio). Other streamers may migrate but so far there haven't been more announcements since Peacock's news at CES 2026.

You can find out more about the Immersive Machines testing here, but while it does suggest that streamers could deliver similar sound quality to 4K Blu-ray in the very near future, it's worth noting that Dolby AC-4 doesn't address one of the other reasons people buy Blu-Ray discs: unlike streaming, bought Blu-Rays don't disappear from your library when streaming rights expire or the streamer decides to slim down its catalog.

Better quality has absolutely been a major driver for why people buy 4K Blu-rays, especially if you have a great home theater setup — but collection and ownership is growing as a reason why people are becoming invested in Blu-ray again, and AC4 won't change that.

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• Yamaha launches the RX300A and RX500A AV receivers, priced at $399 / $599
• Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and HDMI 2.1 support in both models
• 5.1 speaker bundle with RX300A also available

Yamaha has unveiled two new Dolby Atmos AV receivers with very competitive price tags. The RX300A has a list price of just $399, while the more powerful RX500A is $599.

The specs of the two AVRs are broadly similar, and the main difference is the amount of available channels. On the RX300A, you've got 5.2-channel surround, with optional 3.1.2-channel capability if you prefer.

The RX500A has 7.2 channels, again with the option to go all surround, or to go with a 5.1.2-channel Atmos setup.

Both models have Dolby Atmos, with the RX300A also getting DTS Virtual X while the RX500A has DTS:X.

It's fun to compare the elegant looks of these new AVRs with a relatively recent predecessor such as the RX-485, which we reviewed (and rated highly) way back in 2018. It sounded pretty great but it wasn't exactly a looker, whereas these new AVRs look really classy.

Yamaha RX300A and RX500A: key features and pricing

Designed for home theater beginners as well as AV enthusiasts, the new receivers share a clean, streamlined design with fewer buttons and simpler labelling than previous models.

They have inherited the anti-resonance wedge "fifth foot" of Yamaha's flagship AVENTAGE models, which reduces vibration and improves stability. And the software setup has been simplified for faster, easier configuration.

Both AV receivers have 4K 120Hz / 8K 60Hz HDMI (4-in/1-out) and HDMI eARC, and they support HLG, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. For gamers there's ALLM and VRR.

There's Bluetooth 5.3 Multipoint for easy switching between streaming devices, and scene buttons for instant access to specific listening modes. In addition to Bluetooth, the RX500A adds Wi-Fi streaming including Spotify Connect, Google Cast, AirPlay, TIDAL Connect, and Qobuz Connect. Both models include room correction for correct calibration.

Yamaha has also announced a home theater bundle that combines the new RX300A AVR with a 5.1 speaker system. That has a list price of $699.95 and it'll be available in July 2026 — that's quite the bargain, given that it's less than a Samsung HW-Q800F soundbar will cost you, and there's no rear speakers on that.

The RX300A will be available in June 2026 for $399.95, and the RX500A will go on sale in September 2026 for $599.95.

If you were looking for something with more channels and connections than these, then Denon's new AV receivers might be what you need — they're still really well-priced, but have more features for those looking to step up their game a little.

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• Denon unveils new X2900H and X3900H AV receivers
• Both have new audio architecture for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound
• X2900H is 7.2 channels; X3900H is 9.4 channels

Denon has unveiled two new AV receivers, including an update to one of the most popular bang-for-buck models around — and it's a pretty strong upgrade based on my early impressions from a demo session.

The new models are the Denon AVR-X2900H and the AVR-X3900H, and they're similar in a lot of ways, with the X3900H promising more "scalability" and "flexibility" over its little sibling.

They replace the X2800H and X3800H respectively, and Denon says they've been updated internally to improve the sound, including sharing a new 32-bit DAC system designed to deliver "improved imaging, clearer high-frequency detail and more confident low-frequency energy across every channel."

Both receivers support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and include Dirac Live and Audyssey support for sound correction. They both have six HDMI inputs and multiple HDMI outputs, with support for 4K 120Hz passthrough with Dolby Vision HDR (and 8K video at 60Hz). New this year is support for 1440p and AMD FreeSync passthrough, which is nice for PC gamers.

They also have Denon's HEOS wireless platform on board for music streaming over Wi-Fi, with support for major streaming platforms to play in hi-res — plus Bluetooth connectivity.

The differences come in just how elaborately all this is implemented. The X2900H supports 7.2 channels of sound at up to 95W (at 8 ohms) per channel, while the X3900H supports 9.4 channels at up to 105W (at 8 ohms) per channel.

The pricier X300H includes Auro 3D and IMAX Enhanced support as well as the two standard spatial formats, and offers more Dirac tools as optional extras. The X2900H offers two HDMI outs (one of which is eARC), while the X3900H has three HDMI outs (again one eARC).

The extra channels of the X3900H obviously require a load more speaker connections on the back, but the X3900H also includes more RCA inputs, including an MM phono input, and more pre-amp outputs.

Both models launch today, May 14. The Denon AVR-X2900H costs $1,349 / £899 (about AU$1,680), while the Denon AVR-X3900H costs $1,849 / £1,299 (about AU$2,430).

So, you've got the run-down on what they can do — but how do they sound? Happily, I got to hear them before their launch.

What are the Denon X2900H and X3900H like in action?

Denon's listening room at its Kawasaki office — used by its current Sound Master, Shinichi Yamauchi, to refine and provide feedback on the performance of its products — provided the setting for an all-too-brief demo of the new AVR models.

They were connected to the room's array of Bowers & Wilkins 801 speakers, which are probably a little more hardcore (at $55k / £34k per pair) than most people will connect to these amps, but at least I could be sure that the speakers weren't going to impose any kind of limitation on what I was hearing.

First, Denon gave me a demo comparing the existing X2800H AVR with the new X2900H that replaces it, showing a scene from Dune in the ornithopter (a word I'm now able to spell first time consistently, thanks to how frequently scenes featuring it in appear home theater demos).

This was a 5.2.2-channel demo in Dolby Atmos, maxing out the X2900H's 7.2-channel capacity with the five surround channels plus the two height channels, and then two subwoofers.

The key theme here is that small changes add up to a clear improvement. The dialogue clarity is a little stronger, standing out slightly more prominently from the beating wings of the ornithopter while still feeling natural.

The spatial effect of the surround channels is a little stronger as well, feeling like there's a touch more dynamic range and expansiveness to envelop you in what's around you.

The bass transients and low-end power also feel — say it with me — a little stronger. There's an extra step of liveliness and control to bass impacts that make them feel more tactile

Adding together multiple elements that are a little stronger, though, creates a whole that feels bigger, meatier and more complete. The upgrade from the X2800H to the X2900H isn't game-changing, but it's weighty.

After that, we got a comparison of the new step-up X3900H against the X2900H. The demo was Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, which is a movie score concert film (but sounds like an animated movie where Hans and his team solve a Scooby-Doo-like mystery).

The X2900H played through the same speaker setup as above, but when we switched to the X3900H we added a couple of extra surround channels, taking us to 7.2.2 channels, in Dolby Atmos.

Interestingly, though, in the section of the Inception medley that Denon demoed for us, I couldn't hear as much difference between these two AVRs as I could between the X2800H and the X2900H, even though in this case two extra speakers were being added.

It may have been partly to do with the arrangement of the song just not taking that much advantage of the extra channels, but in general I'd say I didn't feel much of a difference in the expression and clarity of the instruments.

It's obviously very possible that further reviewing with more scenes will reveal more nuance, so I'll have to reserve full judgment on the X3900H — but obviously, at the very least, even if its performance turns out to be very similar to the X2900H, it still provides more channels and higher power output for speakers that really benefit from it, so may be worth the upgrade anyway.

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The 2026 World Cup starts on June 11, and while a lot of people will be thinking about a new TV, there's still one crucial component that can make or break the whole experience: audio.

A new soundbar can really add another dimension to the World Cup viewing experience, delivering clearer commentary and a more immersive atmosphere by capturing the roar of the crowds. Let's face it, even the best TVs have average built-in audio, and it'd be a shame to miss out on the full World Cup feeling.

Below, I've picked four of the best soundbars you can buy right now that will be more than up to the task of delivering the atmosphere of the World Cup, whatever your budget.

Best overall: Samsung HW-Q800F

Currently sitting at the top of our best soundbars list is the five-star-rated Samsung HW-Q800F. One of the brand's mid-range 2025 soundbars, the Q800F really does cover all the bases.

The Q800F is a soundbar-and-sub combo that delivers everything you could need. We found in our testing that the bass delivered by the new, compact subwoofer was still suitably powerful and sizeable, accurately delivering the ignition of the Darkstar jet in Top Gun: Maverick.

It also demonstrated excellent precision with surprisingly effective Dolby Atmos height effects in movies such as The Mask, accurately capturing the chaotic nature of the titular character as he tears around Edge City. Expect it to accurately deliver the ball's movements around the field during the World Cup.

Dialogue was crystal clear throughout our testing as well, which is a good sign that a commentary track during the World Cup should be delivered with real clarity.

The Q800F is brilliant value too. You can expect to pay around $799 / £599 / AU$849, which is a great price for this soundbar. Expect prices to drop in the lead-up to the World Cup, too.

Best premium: Samsung HW-Q990F

For those looking for a complete soundbar system, it doesn't get much better than the Samsung HW-Q990F, the brand's 2025 flagship model. This 11.1.4 channel soundbar is a beast, composed of four separate units and really delivers the full surround sound experience.

I personally tested the Q990F and was blown away by its performance. The new compact subwoofer delivers room-filling bass that is mighty, but also well controlled. The rumble of the Batmobile's engine in The Batman was room-shaking but dynamic and precise, with the subwoofer accurately delivering the chunky gear changes.

The Q990F boasts a wide soundstage that's not only great for big musical numbers from movies like Wicked, but also action-packed scenes such as the Death Star attack in Star Wars: A New Hope. The sound is expansive with pinpoint placement, such as the TIE Fighter's screeching flight path in Star Wars. The stadium atmosphere in the World Cup will sound sensational through this system.

Speech was perfectly clear throughout my testing, whether it was hushed conversation in The Batman or the loud, soaring vocals of 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked. Expect the same with commentary in the World Cup.

The Q990F is at the more premium end of the market, costing $1,599 / £999 / AU$1,599, but this mammoth soundbar system will cover you for sports, movies, and gaming, and do a superb job with all of them.

Best budget US: Sonos Beam

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) may be compact, but don't let that fool you. It delivers a beefy sound that you wouldn't expect from a soundbar this size and is easily one of the best models for music on the market.

The Beam (Gen 2) has been around for a while now, but it still consistently delivers a satisfying sound that works for a diverse range of genres. I tested it alongside the Sony HT-S2000 and Denon Home 550, two compact rivals, and I was always pleased with the Beam's performance.

The bass it delivers for a small unit is tightly controlled and punchy, as it accurately delivered the roar of jet engines in Top Gun: Maverick. Its soundstage was also spacious, giving effects room to breathe with a great balance overall. As The Mask tornadoes around his bedroom in The Mask, the Beam did an excellent job mapping the direction of the whirlwind, connecting the sound accurately to the picture.

Dialogue is nice and clear despite its smaller stature, so commentary should be nice and clear for the World Cup. It also has a diverse sound profile that makes it great for music.

Sonos' soundbars often get some nice discounts throughout the year, but even at the full $499 / £449 / AU$799 price, it's a superb soundbar that's real value for money.

Best budget UK: Hisense AX5125H

The Hisense AX5125H is one of the most impressive budget soundbars I've ever used. Not only are you getting a great 5.1.2 channel Dolby Atmos system, but you're getting it for a ridiculously low price.

Using the Death Star attack from Star Wars: A New Hope, I was seriously impressed with the AX5125H's clarity and control. It accurately delivered the whirring engines of the X-Wings and did a solid job with height channels, recreating the screech of the TIE Fighters as they flew overhead.

The AX5125H also has a wide soundstage, which helped pick up subtleties in The Batman's opening crime scene, with camera clicks, mumbled conversations, and the sparse, scratchy strings of the score all presented clearly. This should do a great job picking out the dynamics during the World Cup, from a travelling ball to the crowd noise.

Speech was also clear throughout testing, coming through loud and clear during both quieter conversations and action-packed scenes. This will have no problem delivering clear commentary in a packed stadium atmosphere.

The AX5125H's real highlight is its low price. A 5.1.2 channel system for £249 is ridiculous. This would have been my pick for the US budget option, but sadly, it's out of stock. For UK readers, this one is a no-brainer if you're on a budget.

• Disney+ subscribers believe the platform is changing Dolby Atmos availability at different times of the day
• They think it's due to server loads during speak streaming times
• Disney has yet to address the situation

Have you noticed changes in audio quality while streaming titles on Disney+ recently? If so, you’ll be glad to learn that you’re not alone on this one.

Some Disney+ subscribers have been noticing that the platform is seemingly adjusting which audio formats are available at certain times — primarily peak times — based on server load. Though it could simply be a matter of misinterpretation, it appears that a handful of users have experienced this, and some have taken to Reddit to address the issue.

In the main Reddit post, the author notes that they were able to stream with Dolby Atmos during the day, but only in 5.1 audio during evening hours despite being subscribed to Disney+ Premium.

Only the Premium Disney+ plan ($18.99/ £14.99/ AU$20.99 a month) gives you access to both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision viewing, while the $11.99/ £5.99/ AU$9.99 a month basic ad-supported plan offers viewing up to 5.1 audio and 1080p full HD video.

Not surprisingly, users are confused as to why they’re experiencing this apparent issue when they believe they should be able to access Dolby Atmos-supported titles no matter the time of day since they’re subscribed to the Premium plan. “I only noticed because the sound was way quieter, and then noticed it was only showing 5.1 while I was certain it was Dolby Atmos. I thought I was going mad”, the author of the initial Reddit post said in a reply to another user.

The issue seems to occur during peak streaming times in the evening, and several posters suggest that because the Disney+ servers are busier during these times there isn’t enough bandwidth for users to stream Dolby Atmos-supported content, with one Reddit user describing it as “a pressure release valve”.

It appears that this is also happening across a range of devices on which Disney+ is available. One user shared “It happened across all my devices, LG C3, Xbox, PS5, and even my phone. I got on to a live chat with [Disney+] and actually got refunded because as far as I’m concerned, I’m paying for the premium tier and not getting all the features.”The Disney+ help page does outline cases where the highest-quality audio may not be streamed. The company states that while “Disney+ will automatically use the highest-quality audio supported on your device (including external audio systems or soundbars) and available with your plan”’, this still depends on internet connection, device capability, and platform settings, emphasizing that not all content on the platform is Dolby Atmos supported.

Disney+ hasn’t yet publicly addressed the issue, but we’ve reached out to it for comment, and to ask if there are any workarounds users can try. We’ll update this article if and when we get a response.

Although Spotify is my music platform of choice, I do enjoy what Apple Music has to offer. Last summer I signed up to Apple’s music service for the first time, and I’m testing the waters once again — mainly to make the most of Dolby Atmos-supported listening.

I’ve been using Apple Music on and off for the past couple of weeks after signing up for one of its latest deals, and as soon as I logged back in, I immediately started making a playlist centered around essential Dolby Atmos listening. The best part about my brief return to Apple Music is that I’ve had enough time away to really notice and appreciate the way my favorite records sound in Dolby Atmos compared to Spotify Lossless.

Then it got me thinking, which Dolby Atmos albums would I recommend to new Apple Music members? There are five supported records I’ve had on constant repeat lately because, when I compare listening to them on Spotify Lossless, Apple Music is the clear winner.

Don’t know where to start? Here are my top Dolby Atmos album picks.

Homogenic, Björk

I knew that Björk would make the list, but selecting just one album was almost an impossible job. I was torn between the earthiness of Debut and the urban Post, but as far as electronic albums go, Homogenic is the one that truly shines in Dolby Atmos.

I first got into Björk around 10 years ago and have been listening to Homogenic ever since, but it’s only now that I’ve started picking up on elements I never knew lurked between the layers of each song. Not only that, the album’s orchestral components don’t get lost in the thick cyber forest. Instead, they come front and center just where they belong — balancing perfectly with the album’s electronic core.

3D Country, Geese

Although Getting Killed would’ve been a solid choice, Geese’s album 3D Country is incredibly dynamic, and one that I’ve been listening to non-stop. It’s a fun album to listen to if the blend of indie alternative, rock 'n roll, country, and blues intrigues you.

It sounds like an overstuffed concoction on paper, but listening in Dolby Atmos really allows you to pick out the influences one by one, and then throw them all back together. One of the best parts about the listening experience is getting to hear Cameron Winter’s vocals in all their robustness, which does wonders for showing off his vocal control.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan

Of course, I had to throw in a pop album, and Chappell Roan’s 2023 album is the record I’ve noticed the biggest differences with when listening to it in Dolby Atmos form — the main ones being its punchier bass and synth clarity.

However, like 3D Country, this is another album where the vocals are one of the stars of the show. Chappell has a voice that really works for a pop vocal album like this, but you don’t notice how polished her sound is and how much vocal layering she does until you stream it on Apple Music. As far as pop albums go, this one sits at the top when it comes to essential Dolby Atmos listening.

Grace, Jeff Buckley

Every time I listen to Grace by Jeff Buckley, it sends shivers down my spine and fills my eyes with tears, so naturally it had to be included. If you thought that his raw voice and acoustic instrumentals were hard-hitting, just wait until you press play on the title track in Dolby Atmos.

Buckley’s musicianship is spotlighted in every isolated guitar pluck, which will make you realize just how many different types of guitars he uses in a single song, let alone the whole album.

Orquídeas, Kali Uchis

If you’re looking for an album with rich production to kick-start your Apple Music/ Dolby Atmos experience, allow me to point you to Kali Uchis’ Orquídeas, a Spanish-language record that explores reggaeton, R&B, and funk in all its glory.

This is another album that’s packed with influences, but again, it doesn’t feel stuffy in Dolby Atmos. If anything, its groovy rhythms, underwater-sounding acoustics, and seductive trap beats are balanced perfectly. One doesn’t overpower the other, and the echo of her angelic vocals is the cherry on top.

LG Sound Suite H7 review

The LG Sound Suite H7 is the first soundbar in the market to feature Dolby Atmos FlexConnect capabilities — instantly providing a unique option in what is a highly competitive category.

FlexConnect enables the LG Sound Suite H7 to act as something of a hub — you can pair a compatible sub and various surround speakers to the soundbar, and no matter where you place them in the room, you can expect well-optimized sound and Atmos effects.

As I discovered when reviewing the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro and testing out the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 — two systems that place the H7 soundbar front and center — FlexConnect works brilliantly. When using a wide variety of configurations, these systems provided impactful and clear sound. It’s a very handy feature, and one that could be useful for those with awkwardly shaped or laid-out living spaces.

Here, though, I wanted to look at the LG Sound Suite H7 soundbar on its own, and assess its quality without the assistance of any W7 subs or M7 surround speakers. Sure, this is a model that’s at its best when paired with other components — as is the case with rivals like the Sonos Arc Ultra. But can it hold its own as a standalone device? Can it compete with the very best Dolby Atmos soundbars?

Let’s begin by taking a look at features on the H7 soundbar. Of course, FlexConnect is great, but there’s a lot more to discover — especially if you download the LG ThinQ app.

One interesting addition is Sound Follow. This optimizes sound not only for your living space, but for your position within it. It works surprisingly well, and although it's not essential, it’s certainly a unique option in LG’s arsenal. On top of this, you can alter the EQ, adjust channel levels, and even cycle between different sound modes.

There’s a decent array of these sound modes, with a bass-boosted option, a vocal-oriented alternative, and an AI Sound configuration. Personally, I found the AI-enabled mode to sound worse than the standard tuning — movie soundtracks lacked balance, and often sounded too bass-heavy. Other than this, you’ll also find an AI upmixing setting, which enables you to convert a stereo signal into a more expansive 9.1.4-channel format.

As well as its various sound modes, the H7 offers a decent amount of connectivity options. Of course, you’ve got the standard HDMI eARC, but you can also make use of a USB connection, or play music and podcasts via a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

On the topic of connectivity, though, I do have one key complaint: the LG H7 doesn’t have HDMI passthrough. In 2026, this feels like a huge miss. A lot of even high-end TVs owned by people today are restricted to just two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which will be the HDMI eARC port. Given that the H7 will take one of those up, you may well be left with just one. That could prove to be a point of contention for owners of multiple modern video game consoles, for instance.

Another feature that some may miss is DTS support. DTS has been missing from a lot of LG’s tech as of late, with the company opting to drop the format from its TVs in 2025. If your TV or video player decodes DTS, it's not really a problem — but it's annoying if you buy all LG. Still the best 4K Blu-ray players, where DTS is most important, can generally decode it.

But you may be wondering by now, just how good does the LG Sound Suite H7 sound? Well, in my view, it’s a very strong performer indeed.

Unsurprisingly, the real highlight here is Dolby Atmos performance. In Top Gun: Maverick, when Tom Cruise flies up and over the head of Ed Harris, the verticality of this move was replicated brilliantly. This is something that a lot of rivals struggle with — especially without overhead speakers for ‘true’ Atmos, but the height channels consistently conjured up excellent effects in my testing.

The H7 also outputs expansive sound with tremendous width, something I found when watching a 4K Blu-ray of The Mask. As the titular character spun around an outdoor area, his movement was tracked well, and it sounded as if he was tornadoing into the corners of our TV testing space. Sure, a full setup with the M7 speakers added more depth and pin-point precision, but the soundbar certainly offered a broad sense of sound on its own.

It was a similar story with music — with Hans Zimmer’s Dream of Arrakis, vocals oozed into the sides of the room, while ambient sound effects felt as if they were crawling along the walls. The bottom line, then, is if you’re looking for excellent Atmos performance, the H7 is a top choice.

Outside of Atmos performance, the H7 is pretty strong too. It gets a lot of the fundamentals right — clear dialogue, impactful bass, and expressive treble all feature. When watching The Boy and the Heron, I was impressed with the snappy and sharp sound of a wooden sword snapping, and even when harsh wind noises entered the fray, the Heron’s monologue was articulated clearly in the mix.

In one scene, a horde of frogs exclaim “JOIN US,” and powerful deep bass seeps in. The room-swallowing low-end was replicated quite well, even at higher volumes, but it wasn’t quite as full-sounding and thunderous as I’ve experienced — largely due to the lack of a sub. Adding the W7 subwoofer will fix this, of course, but that comes at quite the price.

Movies do generally sound great, however. Whether it was The Mask smashing through a glass door with giga impact or dialogue coming through with a true-to-life echo in Maverick, I was satisfied with the H7’s quality.

Is the H7 the most musically adept soundbar I’ve heard? Not quite. With stereo music, you do get distinct channel separation, and commendable attention to detail. However, I sometimes felt as if low-end sounds were a little overstated, leaving vocals or instruments in the mid-range sounding less prominent than I’d like.

With Atmos music, it was similar. Sure, the spatial effects are translated fantastically, and the dynamism of sudden drum hits or pounding bass was striking. But I sometimes felt that vocals in the center could be a touch understated. Some EQ tweaking can help with this, but I prefer models like the Marshall Heston 120 for music.

So, overall, the LG Sound Suite H7 is a very admirable performer, but I want to take a moment to talk about design.

Look, I don’t think this is the prettiest soundbar ever. It’s built to a high standard, but the H7 doesn’t have the flashy modern look of the Sonos Arc Ultra or the striking retro style of the Marshall Heston 60.

It ends up looking a bit generic, which isn’t a major problem — however, the more style-focused might wish for something with more flair. On the positive side, I did really like the soundbar’s display, which is handy for checking volume, source, sound mode, and more.

Another design positive relates to button and port placement. Everything is simple and well-sized, making for a relatively straightforward setup. Speaking of setting up, you can simply plug the HDMI cable and power source in, and you’re ready to go.

I did experience a few difficulties pairing the soundbar using the app, which was a little frustrating, but I had things working after a couple of resets. From there on out, the simple app made my user experience fairly trouble-free.

Let’s finish up by talking about value for money. The LG Sound Suite H7 has a list price of $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400), which, let’s face it, is pretty pricey. You can easily grab a great option that comes with a sub for less than this — the Samsung HW-Q800F, for instance, is regularly cheaper than the H7, and boasts DTS support alongside HDMI passthrough. However, the Sonos Arc Ultra — arguably the H7’s main competition — is in the same ballpark, retailing for $999 / £999 / AU$1,799.

Is the H7 worth it, though? Well, if you want Dolby Atmos FlexConnect and you’re planning to build out a full system, then it could be. Individual components, like the M7 speakers and W7 sub are expensive, and there’s no discount on a full system as of yet. But if you’re looking for a massively expansive overall package, then it remains a great option.

All in all, though, the LG Sound Suite H7 is an astute soundbar that packs in highly convenient FlexConnect technology, awesome Dolby Atmos effects, and impressive overall audio. It’s disappointing to see HDMI passthrough and DTS support off the menu, alongside a more enticing look.

And yes, it’s pricey, although it's competitively priced against Sonos, and can act as a highly capable hub if you’re looking to build out a full FlexConnect system.

LG Sound Suite H7 review: price & release date

• List price of $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400)
• Released in early 2026

The LG Sound Suite H7 soundbar released early into 2026, with the W7 subwoofer and M7 wireless speakers joining it. At $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400), the H7 is by no means cheap, though it is priced pretty competitively against options like the Sonos Arc Ultra and Klipsch Flexus Core 300.

LG Sound Suite H7 review: specs

Should I buy the LG Sound Suite H7?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

LG Sound Suite H7 review: Also consider

How I tested the LG Sound Suite H7

• Tested across multiple weeks
• Used at our TV testing space at Future Labs
• Played 4K Blu-Ray, streamed movies and streamed music over Wi-Fi

I tested the LG Sound Suite H7 across the course of multiple weeks. For this review, I used the soundbar on its own, although I made use of its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect capabilities in my review of the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro and the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7.

During my time with the LG Sound Suite H7, I watched a variety of movies — using the Panasonic DP-UB820 with 4K Blu-rays, and Netflix with Dolby Atmos content. I also connected my phone up to the soundbar for listening to music, and played a wide variety of tracks using Tidal Connect.

More generally, I’ve tested a whole lot of soundbars here at TechRadar, including everything from budget-friendly options — like the Sony HT-SF150 — through to premium alternatives such as the JBL Bar 1300MK2.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: April 2026

• Dolby Atmos audio can now be broadcast freely over the air more broadly
• It will use ATSC 1.0 rather than 3.0 / NextGen TV
• A Mexican broadcaster will be the first to offer the tech

Something exciting is happening in Mexico for home theater fans. Dolby Laboratories and broadcaster TV Azteca have joined forces to bring Dolby Atmos to free-to-view broadcast TV — not streaming — and they're doing it over the widely available ATSC 1.0 standard.

That's significant because while the current US and Mexico standard for broadcasting 4K TV is NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, support for version 3.0 is still pretty patchy.

ATSC 1.0 tops out at 1080p HD for visual resolution, but it's been around since 1996 so it's much more widely supported than the newer version — and ATSC 3.0 devices are backwards compatible. That means Dolby Atmos over ATSC 1.0 should be available to a lot of people in the future, assuming it takes off.

For now this project is only happening in Mexico, but it raises some interesting possibilities elsewhere — and it suggests that there's still plenty of life in the free broadcasting model even in an age of streaming subscriptions.

What is Dolby Atmos doing over ATSC?

According to Pankaj Kedia, vice president of Americas, commercial partnerships at Dolby Laboratories, Atmos will be especially tempting for sporting events. "Imagine watching a game from your living room and hearing where every cheer in the stands comes from, the sound of the ball, and the voice of the commentator moving around you. That is what Dolby Atmos makes possible today in Mexico.”

That's obviously nothing new for sports if you want over a more premium cable or streaming service, but a lot of people haven't had access to these. Although I'm not 100% sure I want the commentary "moving around" me…

TV Azteca's chief technical officer Pedro Manuel Carmona Ortiz says the collaboration is a "technological milestone... We are collaborating with Dolby to demonstrate that innovation in audio can transform free-to-air television."

That innovation could be used by broadcasters in other territories too. ATSC 1.0 is widely used in the US, Canada and Mexico, and its intended replacement by ATSC 3.0 has been moved back several times.

Current proposals in the US suggest sunsetting ATSC 1.0 from 2028 to 2030 but those are based on broadcasters doing so voluntarily. Earlier this year, America's Public Television Stations (APTS) and PBS wrote to the FCC asking the regulator not to set a firm date for ending ATSC 1.0 broadcasting; other broadcasters are urging the FCC to do exactly that to boost adoption of ATSC 3.0.

On top of that, ATSC 3.0 is still hit and miss in even the best TVs. LG actually stopped including ATSC 3.0, while Samsung has also stopped (having only included them in limited models in the past).

Improving a 30-year-old broadcast standard may seem strange when most of the free-to-view hype has focused on streaming rather than broadcast TV thanks to the fast-growing free-TV services from the likes of Roku, Google TV and, in the UK, Freely.

But internet speeds and service have never reached the reliability of over-the-air broadcasts in many areas, so having an immersive audio upgrade delivered no matter your connection options is a win for everyone.

• Sony unveils Bravia Theater Bar 7 soundbar, with 9 speakers, 5.0.2-channels, for $869 / £699
• Also the 3.1-channel Bravia Theater Bar 5 with wireless sub for $349 / £399
• Two wireless subs and wireless rear Atmos speakers unveiled too

Sony has launched two new soundbars along with new companion subwoofers and rear speakers.

The Bravia Theater 7 is a nine-speaker, 5.0.2-channel all-in-one soundbar with dedicated up-firing and side-firing drivers, and automatic room calibration. It's very much in line to be a competitor to the Sonos Arc Ultra, but it has a bunch of key features that the Sonos lacks.

It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced — the latter two aren't supported by Sonos. It also has HDMI passthrough with 4K/120Hz and Dolby Vision support, and again the Sonos Arc Ultra lacks any HDMI passthrough.

There's also Bluetooth is 6.0 with LDAC, Wi-Fi 6, and the Bar 7 has Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay 2.

You can also expand the new Sony with the new Bravia Theater Sub 8 smaller subwoofer, the bigger dual-driver Theater Sub 9, and the Bravia Theater Rear 9 speakers, which have large up-firing 80mm speakers for more immersive spatial sound.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 5

The second soundbar, the Bravia Theater Bar 5, is a 3.1-channel model with an included wireless subwoofer. It supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X as well, and also comes with Sony's virtual surround technologies: Virtual Surround Engine for virtual spatial audio and S-Force Pro, which emulates side-firing speakers for a wider sound field.

The new soundbars are designed to work with Bravia TVs and the Bravia Connect app, which enables you control your home theater setup from your phone.

Both new soundbars are priced keenly. The Bravia Theater Bar 5 is $349.99 / £399, and the Bravia Theater Bar 7 is $869 / £699. Australian pricing hasn't been confirmed just yet, but all models will available from July 2026. We'll update this update once pricing details come through.

The Bravia Theater Sub 9 has an official price of $899 / £899; the Theater Sub 8 is $499 / £649, and the Theater Rear 9 speakers are $749 / £699. All of the new products are available for pre-order now, and we have a review on the way of the Theater Bar 7, so watch this space.

• Philips launches new soundbars: one full size and two compact
• A choice of 3.1.2, 2.1 or 2.0 models
• The top model has 4K 120Hz passthrough

Philips has unveiled three new soundbars, and one of them could be a particularly tempting upgrade if you've got an older gaming TV with a limited number of HDMI 2.1 ports.

The Philips B8301 could be the perfect cheap Dolby Atmos soundbar for gamers, because it's a full-sized soundbar featuring HDMI eARC with 4K 120Hz passthrough. That means you can get full-quality audio and video from a single HDMI connection on your TV.

Tons of people out there have a TV with two HDMI 2.1 ports, and one of these ports is the HDMI eARC port — so if you have one of the best soundbars connected to one of them, that leaves only one port with 4K 120Hz support, and you might have more than one 4K 120Hz device you want to connect.

There are soundbars out there with 4K 120Hz, such as the Samsung HW-Q990F and the Marshall Heston 120, but they tend to be expensive. The Philips B8301 is shockingly cheap at €329 (about $379 / £284 / AU$535).

There are three new soundbars in the range in total: the full-sized, 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos B8301; the more compact 2.1-channel B5601; and the simple, 2.0-channel B5201. Pricing for the even more affordable models hasn't been confirmed just yet. All three models will go on sale in June 2026.

Philips 2026 soundbars: key features and pricing

The B8310 is 82.6cm wide and offers a 3.1.2-channel setup with dedicated left, centre and right channels, plus two up-firing drivers, and a separate twin-driver subwoofer. The total system power is 190W RMS.

In addition to the aforementioned eARC with 4K 120Hz passthrough, it supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X + Virtual X. It also has Bluetooth 6.0 with LE Audio compatibility.

The B8310 also features an "AI powered Intellisound Engine" which Philips says automatically optimises the sound profile for movies, music and games. It also offers voice boost and vocal expansion adjustments as well as custom Spatial Audio settings.

The B5601 is smaller at 76.6cm wide, and Philips suggests pairing it with 48- to 55-inch TVs. It's a 2.1 setup with 145RMS of power, split between 80W for the main soundbar and 65W for the subwoofer. Once again there's AI sound adjustment, Dolby Atmos and DTS: Virtual X. Bluetooth is 5.4 with LE Audio compatibility.

The baby of the range is the B5201, which again is 76.6cm wide but delivers 80W of power and doesn't include a subwoofer. It has AI optimisation and DTS: Virtual X compatibility but the Dolby here is Dolby Digital rather than Atmos. Bluetooth is 5.3 and once again it supports LE Audio.

You may think you’ve heard God-tier audio in a car. But unless you’ve had an opportunity to test drive (or at least sit in the passenger seat of) one Cadillac’s 2026 EV line of cars, no you haven’t.

The Cadillac Lyriq, Escalade IQ, Vistiq, and Optiq all outfitted with the new AKG-tuned and calibrated Dolby Atmos systems are next level for audiophiles, audio engineers and music fans, providing reference-grade audio, to the point that professional engineers have bought them to use specifically as a reference for the Dolby Atmos mixes.

I know that for a fact, because I not only did I meet one of the engineers who went out of their way to get the Optiq, I also managed to get a behind-the-scenes explainer on the new audio system on a press trip that included a visit to NAMM (more on all that later) and I had the privilege of driving it around for a week.

Now, as exhilarating as the listening experience is, the price of even the less expensive vehicle is still cost prohibitive to many of us mortals (around $54K for the Optiq and $124K for the Escalade IQ), especially considering that the most base level models of some of the cars don’t come with the AKG systems.

I did also have an issue with the display’s available search function when looking for music, which I’ll also touch on. And while there’s plenty more to say about the car in general — some of the interior fabric covering feels a little less than premium, the self-driving is quite good, and the drive itself is quite smooth — I’m going to focus on the AKG-assisted audio system and what the experience of using it is like.

James Dean in that Mercury 49; me in the Optiq — Caddy's awesome EV line

The journey? I’ll be honest, the first thing in my mind when taking on this assignment was the opportunity to travel across the country to Los Angeles on a press trip. And yes, the street tacos and overall energy of the city have been sorely missing from my life, but I was quickly smitten by all that AKG via Harman, and Cadillac, had rolled out.

AKG, for its part, showcased their new line of affordable, studio-grade microphones, while Cadillac offered up listening sessions in the 2026 Optiq and Escalade IQ models. I even got to experience a cross-pollination of sorts.

Having arrived on a Tuesday, I was ferried to Larrabee Studios the following morning in an Optiq while enjoying a curated playlist of Dolby Atmos-enabled songs, such as Boom by DJ Tïesto, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, plus a few more that I’ll probably name drop later in this article.

At Larrabee Studios, I witnessed a group of studio musicians run through a few songs, all captured by the new AKG mics — the C104, C114, and C151 for the curious. Those songs were then quickly mixed in Dolby Atmos, which we finally got to listen to in either the Cadillac Optiq or Escalade IQ, sitting in the parking lot.

On Thursday, I also got the opportunity to drive the Escalade IQ from the hotel in West Hollywood to NAMM in Anaheim, where I received a demonstration with that same curated playlist in a different Cadillac Escalade IQ, along with a presentation on the mics.

If that wasn’t enough, I also spent a week with the Cadillac Optiq, driving through the snow-covered streets of Southeast Pennsylvania and listening to all the Dolby Atmos music I could find (there’s less of it than you would think). I also spent quite a bit of time listening back to a (very mid) song of my own that I made using only those new AKG mics in the car.

Not only was I able to just enjoy a lot of music that I love in a more spatially sensitive format, but I even had the experience of using the car’s sound system for reference the way an audio engineer would.

Sound quality

After spending a lot of time listening, you could say that I have some impressions on the sound quality of the “AKG Studio Reference System with Dolby Atmos” systems built into these Cadillacs. And they’re very positive.

The sound systems aren’t the kind where Cadillac just licensed the name of a renowned audio company (AKG is very well known among producers, engineers, and musicians), slapped it on, and called it a day.

No, the collaboration between Cadillac and AKG included building in passive noise cancellation throughout the car as well as active noise cancellation meant to minimize outside sound between 30 and 50 Hz from affecting what one hears inside the car. Not only is this critical for a good audio experience, but it also creates a quieter, more peaceful drive. Some of the drivers are isolated so that they don’t resonate through materials they’re not supposed to, like the doors. And the actual interior is tuned and calibrated for the best listening experience possible, the way one would with a listening room or recording studio.

If you’ve ever used something like Dirac Live, you know how big a difference calibrating your listening space is for getting a clearer, more honest sound. And if you haven’t used room calibration before, then know that it makes a huge difference by adjusting the audio to counteract errant sound waves and reflections.

What does this mean in terms of actual listening then? The 19 speakers in the Optiq (the Escalade IQ has 42 including the subwoofers) create this immersive listening experience where clarity and sound separation are just as on display as crazy surround sound-like listening experiences.

Sure, there are some songs where the Dolby Atmos is wild in an experimental way. For example, when putting on Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child (Slight Return), the guitar starts swirling around in a counterclockwise motion when the band kicks in and before the vocals start.

Or consider Daft Punk’s drumless version of Lose Yourself to Dance, a song on that curated playlist where all seems normal until the backing vocals kick in. All of a sudden, you hear “Come on, come on, come on” creep up from the back on the right side of the car and then the left. And then, all of sudden, another vocal pops in sitting near the back of the car flanked by the ping-ponging come ons.

But there are also songs with a more stately mix, such as Tom Petty’s Wildflowers where nothing crazy is happening, but all the audio elements just have more separation and clarity. Audio elements are off to the side in different positions — the shaker is off to the left and in the back, for instance — but this feels less like someone slipped some illegal mushrooms in your tea and more like you’re sitting in the middle of a band playing around you.

Now, there’s a lot of music not in Dolby Atmos. Newer stuff like Raye, Chappell Roan and more out-there artists like Björk may offer that immersive listening experience, but a lot of rock comes only in stereo (at least at the time of writing). Still, as long as Dolby Atmos is enabled (and it’s turned on via a slider that requires a bit of menu diving), the AKG Studio sound system will still upmix any stereo audio so that you’re getting the music from every seat in the car — and you’re still getting an immersive listening experience. It’s not Dolby Atmos, but you still get some clarity and immersion that you wouldn’t otherwise. My 2013 Honda Accord certainly can’t compete.

The one issue

After 1,200 or so words, you might be thinking that I may be seeing through rose-tinted glasses (or whatever the auditory version of that is). But not all is perfect.

I’m a music nerd. That means that most of the music I listen to is esoteric, obscure, and/or not a priority for streaming services to properly catalog. I don’t mind the fact that I’m limited to using Amazon Music for the Cadillac since it’s one of only three services that currently offer Dolby Atmos, the other two being Tidal and Apple Music (which is also not currently supported on the Android-based infotainment system). I don’t even mind that there’s a limited amount of music even available in Dolby Atmos.

But I do mind how limiting the search function is. For some background, the Cadillac EV line doesn’t support or use Apple CarPlay as that’s an overlay — and the company wanted a system built from the ground up.

The Android-based infotainment system is, overall, seamless and intuitive, even though I didn't find the menu diving for certain audio settings as easy to navigate as the rest of the system. It also includes three years of data so that you’re not controlling or navigating your music through a phone.

I don’t mind that and even appreciate offloading that chore to the car. But it needs some refining. If I look up an artist and press on their name in Amazon Music, I don’t get a page listing out their discography or top songs. Instead, the first listed song (which is not necessarily their biggest song) for that artist starts playing. That makes looking for music almost impossible to the point that you’ll probably want to do some searching (and playlist creating) away from the car.

Of course, this might be an intentional limitation as I can imagine Cadillac doesn’t want you scrolling through 20 versions of your favorite Chopin Sonata while flying 60 miles an hour down the New Jersey Turnpike.

So we turn to the voice assistant, which responds to “Hey Google” (this is Android system after all). Though the voice recognition is impeccable (it hears me even over almost maxed out volume), it seems to not always understand my requests. For example, when searching for the artist Elsiane, it always plays a song from LCM or LCN (I think I even got a Spanish language artist at one point) instead of my intended request. I had to actually spell it out, despite going through this process multiple times to get to where I wanted. I understand that a bit, considering the similarities in name.

However, I also wanted to listen to (and show off — I did a lot of that with my week-long loaner) the drumless version of Lose Yourself To Dance by Daft Punk. This song is from the one Daft Punk album that’s mixed in Dolby Atmos. It might not be the most popular version of the song, but I feel like I was very clear in my request.

If I say “Hey Google, play the drumless edition of the album Random Access Memories by Daft Punk” or “Hey Google, play the Daft Punk album Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition),” it categorically ignores the words “drumless edition” and plays the original album. It doesn’t matter how I word it, either. I ended up having to do a search for Daft Punk, then not click on the artist name (otherwise it would just play the first song that pops up for Daft Punk), but scroll down in the search results to find the Drumless edition of the album. Then (phew!), I press on the album title and use the search buttons on the display or steering wheel to forward to that particular song.

Verdict

Despite my issues with the Cadillac’s music search functions, whether through the touch panel or voice assistant, I could easily continue to wax lyrical about the audio quality of the new Cadillac EV line for a few thousand words more.

Sure, new cars are expensive generally and these models are certainly not within range of a struggling musician. But if you’re in the market for an EV and have the cash, there’s probably no better sounding car out there right now. And I haven’t even talked about the fact that it can park itself…

Update: LG has contacted TechRadar to clarify that while its TVs will support the spatial audio technology that Eclipsa Audio is based on, it's not part of any licensing agreement to use the name Eclipsa Audio. The underlying tech is called IAMF, and LG will support this, so video labelled as being in the Eclipsa Audio format should work fully on LG TVs — but LG isn't using the name Eclipsa Audio anywhere, so it won't be identified as such in the settings. The rest of this article remains as originally published.

LG is adding support for the Eclipsa Audio format to its 2026 models, as well as to certain 2025 TVs. This is an alternative to Dolby Atmos, delivering spatial audio over streaming, and was notably developed by Samsung and Google.

According to a report from FlatpanelsHD, all of LG's 2026 TVs will support Eclipsa Audio, and support has been added to the following 2025 TVs via a free update: the LG G5, the LG C5, the LG CS5, and the LG QNED9M.

FlatpanelsHD says the format will be supported for playback over the TVs' built-in speakers, or can be passed out to compatible soundbars (such as the Samsung HW-Q990F).

Eclipsa Audio is being released by the Alliance for Open Media, much like HDR10+ is, and has no licensing fees or royalties, so companies can choose to support based purely on whether they think the technical development is worth it. All of this is true of HDR10+ as well, but LG has never seen fit to support the rival to Dolby Vision — we'll come back to why I think it's different this time, though.

We spoke to Samsung in-depth in the past about why it developed Eclipsa Audio, what it hoped to achieve, and why it believed Dolby Atmos couldn't be the sole future for 3D sound.

Samsung said that it wasn't to expand into areas where Dolby Atmos either isn't widely already used, or is prohibitive. "Dolby is not involved in gaming seriously, and they’re not involved in in-car audio," said Samsung Audio Lab VP Allan Devantier (though I should add that Dolby definitely invests a lot in in-car audio — see the Cadillac Optiq this year).

Samsung is particularly keen for Eclipsa Audio to be used by smaller content creators, which Devantier says "can’t make immersive content because to make Atmos content costs too much money." The idea of offering spatial sound to small creators seems to be Google's goal as well, because it's already integrated the technology into YouTube.

There are ambitions for Eclipsa Audio to be used by movies and TVs as a full rival to Atmos for large-scale productions, though: Samsung said "we're working with Netflix and Amazon" on the format, though no announcements have been made there.

Analysis: a surprise, given LG cautiousness with other formats

Some TV brands, such as TCL and Hisense, like to embrace a ton of formats, which helps to give their TVs a sense of being incredible value. LG is a lot more circumspect about such things, usually.

The company has supported DTS audio formats at times in the past, but that's been on and off — it's currently off. LG also told me at a recent event that it still has no immediate plans to support Dolby Vision 2, and representatives were unsure if the 2026 TVs could even be updated to support it in the future.

This decision was based on the lack of Dolby Vision 2 content currently — LG said it would consider support when there are things to watch that fully make use of the format.

Now, one might note that both DTS and Dolby Vision 2 require paying a fee to include in a set, so there's a strong reason for a business not to support them if it doesn't think it's a problem to exclude them.

However, HDR10+ doesn't require a fee to support, but LG has always been vehemently against it, instead focusing solely on Dolby Vision HDR. In the past, LG's answer has usually been similar to the Dolby Vision 2 answer: that there wasn't enough content to justify adding support.

More recently, HDR10+ has been added to more streaming services (including Apple TV+ and its movie rentals, Disney+ in some countries, including some Hulu content, and Paramount+ on some content), so last year I asked LG about adding support, given that it's now more widely available.

The company said that it still doesn't see the point, claiming pretty much anything available in HDR10+ will be available in Dolby Vision too. It also said that it believes its own tone mapping processing is superior to HDR10+, removing the need for it, and that it was simply likely never to support it.

So, why is Eclipsa different? Well, I suspect it's to do with something I mentioned above: YouTube. YouTube doesn't, and I suspect never will, support Dolby Atmos. YouTube is also more popular on TVs than even the likes of Netflix and Disney+. And TVs have become the most popular way to watch YouTube, surpassing even phones.

If people start expecting and enjoying things on YouTube with more immersive Eclipsa Audio, then LG doesn't want to be left as a platform where you're not getting the best sound from the most popular streaming app. Especially since Samsung already supports Eclipsa Audio, and Google TV supporting Eclipsa means TCL, Hisense, and Sony will surely all include the format. And if Samsung's been working with Amazon, we can assume Fire TV sets may support it at some point.

LG could afford to be 'left out' of HDR10+ because, as it rightly said, Dolby Vision was the only game in town for so long in practice, and is still the bigger player. But Eclipsa Audio will make its impact in places that Atmos will likely never reach, so it makes sense for LG to actually join Samsung in an upstart format, for once.

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In the build up to the launch of the new Sonos Play and Sonos Era 100 SL speakers, I had the chance to speak to Sonos CEO Tom Conrad not just about these speakers, but about the many changes he's made to the company since taking over in January 2025, and other changes happening in the industry at the moment.

Below is our full conversation, covering every topic — but you can read just our conversation about the app disaster and how the company is changing as a result (and what Conrad still doesn't like about it) here, or just our discussion of wireless soundbars and Dolby Atmos FlexConnect here, or just our talk about what the music streaming services can do better here.

Conrad has been a part of Sonos as a board member for eight years, and became the boss when former CEO Patrick Spence left following a disastrous app update in 2024 that changed the company's perception drastically. It seems like an appropriate position for a man who had a tattoo of the Sonos Ace headphones on his arm even before he got this job.

After our initial introductions, Conrad wasted no time in jumping into his pitch for the direction of the company, and how that informed the launch of these new products.

Tom Conrad: One of the first things that I said to the team when I took the job as CEO was that I think we really make just one product, which is a sound system for the home. Any individual device is just a way into the system or to deepen your attachment to it. The system of Sonos really is the product.

Now, of course, we sell speakers and soundbars and headphones and components. But what has always made Sonos special is that the experience gets better every time you add another room, a stereo pair, surround sound in the living room, music moving with you from the kitchen to a road trip — really a system where the whole is genuinely greater than the sum of the parts.

And I think that really sets Sonos apart from every other audio company on the planet. And so I think that's the context to understand [Sonos Play]. We're not launching a new speaker, but we're really opening a new front door to the system.

13 years ago, Play:1 introduced millions of people to this idea. Actually we sold more than 10 million of them, and remarkably, nine out of 10 are still in use today.

And Play:1 didn't just introduce an audience to whole-home audio, it really invented the category and defined what internet-connected home audio could be.

When we started this project [the Sonos Play], we asked a simple question: If we were designing the perfect fundamental building block for the Sonos system today, knowing everything we've learned over the last two decades, what would it look like?

And as an intentional callback to the speaker that started it all, we're calling this new product Sonos Play.

And when you put Sonos Play next to the Play:1, you can see how much has changed. Play:1 was a mono single tweeter speaker with a midwoofer. Sonos Play is true stereo with dual tweeters, a dedicated midwoofer and, frankly, a soundstage that just absolutely fills the room.

The bass is deeper, the amplification architecture is three generations ahead of where we were with Play:1. It has automatic TruePlay that continuously adapts the sound to wherever the speaker happens to be sitting, and then there's just all of the technological stuff that didn't exist in 2013 — Wi Fi 6, microphone arrays for AI conversation.

Matt Bolton: I also feel like there's a couple of design elements in the Play that look more like the Play:1 and the Sonos One than the Era 300. It's got this bigger like white lip at the top and some elements of the slightly more old-school Sonos design aesthetic.

TC: That's right, it is a callback in a bunch of ways. I mean, it looks really nice next to a 300, certainly from the same family.

As beautiful as the, as the Play:1 was in its day, and you still see them all over the world, we have moved dramatically beyond the design language of that product, from that era. So [the Play is] just aesthetically, it's a great step forward.

The last exciting thing about Play is that while Play:1 was designed to sit kind of permanently on a shelf in your home, Sonos Play comes with a charging cradle and has a full-day battery in it.

So in addition to being the perfect speaker for your kitchen or for a stereo pair for your office, it's also the best speaker for you to take with you, whether it's into the backyard for a dinner party or to throw in your bag to take on vacation.

It's beautifully between the audio characteristics of Sonos Roam and Sonos Move. it's a pretty remarkable Goldilocks speaker, if I do say so myself. We're really, really excited about it.

MB: I feel like the fact that you're talking about fresh front door products is an indication in itself that, after 15 months of being quiet, you've had to go through some kind of reset. So can you you talk through what you guys have been changing internally?

TC: If you think about the history of the company, we had a decade under the stewardship of John McFarlane, the company's founder. His vision was really all driven by the idea of filling every home with music on the backs of this emergent streaming moment, that he predicted so accurately.

But if you were to critique his decade, it might only be that we didn't ship that much hardware — a couple of amplifiers, a controller, you know, the initial Play:5.

It wasn't until Patrick became CEO, in our second decade, that the company really found its footing with respect to reliably shipping a couple of new products every single year. In fact, his stated goal for the company was to turn it into kind of a new product introduction machine. And, I mean, I'm the incredible beneficiary of that work!

But if you were to critique his chapter, I think the unintended consequence of that laser-like focus on new products was the company lost some of its connection to the idea that the product is actually Sonos. That the individual product launches are meant to extend the idea of what the system can be in a home and in the world.

The shift in my chapter, in some ways, is to marry the best of both of those worlds, to return to the idea that Sonos is a comprehensive system for audio in the home that you need in the same way that you need lighting and plumbing and Wi Fi; you need a sound system for your home. But to also build on our capability around new product introduction.

For my first year at the company, we had to pour so much of our energy into righting the ship with respect to the software platform that underpins all of the system experiences, that we purposefully paused our new hardware introductions to get back to par on that front.

And so it is an exciting moment to be able to say, OK, we're back, and we're launching new products again, and we'll have more in the back half of the year, because, you know, I like to say that Sonos is a company that's 100% software and 100% hardware, and so it's nice to get the 100% back that's hardware.

MB: It's interesting you mentioned that moment, because with something like the Era 100 SL, it's not like it requires a huge amount of new R&D to develop it, so it's clearly a decision you've made to wait for this time to release it. So what is it about the stage you've reached with the platform or the other work you've been doing that made now the right time?

TC: Then you look at where we were when I came in the door, we were in the middle of trying to recover from our missteps in the spring of 2024 with the launch of the new app and software platform.

Candidly, the real story there is that we just changed too much too fast, and made a bunch of tactical errors along the way of rolling it out to our customers, and then paid a very dear price. As did our customers.

I've been a customer for nearly 20 years. I've been a partner to the company for 15 or something, going back to the integrations we did between Pandora and Sonos in my days building Pandora. I've been on the board for eight years. I love this company

And Sonos in my own home is a huge part of, you know, the daily delight and satisfaction and ambiance I enjoy when I'm at home. As much as anything, I took the job to fix the product and, and get the company back to a place where we're just reliably delighting tens of millions of customers around the world again.

A lot of that was on the back of getting the software right. And so I wanted the company to be just laser focused on that return.

And with respect to the timing on Era 100 SL, our goal with Era 100 SL, frankly, was really to anchor the product line in an attainable price point for our customers. There's a lot of work that went into Era 100 SL to get us to a point where we could offer it at this entry-level price point while not compromising on audio quality at all.

So while it might look like this is as simple as removing some microphones, there's a comprehensive look at the cost of the product from top to bottom to get it to this new entry-level price.

MB: So there's an amount of re-engineering inside to to help you get it there?

TC: That's right.

MB: The other outcome of everything you guys have been through with the app is that it now means that any further updates you make to the app are automatically a huge deal, whether they deserve to be or not. Does that affect how you're approaching it or how you communicate about it?

TC: I think that when you make software that people use every day, and it's a big part of their life, it's always a big deal when you make changes. It's certainly true that there's additional scrutiny on Sonos, but as a software creator, I've always felt a keen responsibility to move my audience along with the changes and updates that we're making, in a really thoughtful and methodical way.

And so, as an example of that playing out at Sonos, you know, I'd say there were kind of three things that we had to improve upon after the disastrous launch in 2024. We had to fix performance and reliability — we had to restore baseline functionality that had been dropped from the product in its initial release. And we had to improve the user experience of the offering as well.

And it's really the third thing that we're only just now able to tackle [now]. If I'm candid about my assessment of the app, I think it's peculiar. I think the company made a range of decisions about the user interface that are just not consistent with what you see in any other music streaming app, for example.

I mean: all kinds of strange swipe behaviors and a search affordance that floats above the screen in a kind of weirdly invisible way — cards upon cards upon cards as you navigate through the app, none of which is conventional.

So when we sit with our customers in their homes and observe them using the app, they get lost, they don't know where they are. It's not clear to them how to get to just basic functionality. There's a funny kind of search blindness — the interface that we chose for search actually takes up more pixels on the screen than a typical search interface, but people don't even see it. They're like, 'I can't find search' because it's presented in such an unconventional way.

And so, we're now at the place where we can update the app to return it to more conventional choices. But it is, as you point out, another set of changes for our customers.

We're handling this opportunity in a really different way. I've been on Reddit, for example, describing the changes and asking our customers there to give us feedback back about their own experience learning to use Sonos and living with it every day. We will roll changes out to our beta channel and even there, our users will be able to opt into the experience.

And then when we take it to production, we'll similarly have opt-in experiences and a gradual roll out and iteration. We've already learned a lot from the perspective of our customers on Reddit after my invitation to them [recently] to share their thoughts.

None of this is a surprising way to operate a scale consumer software product, but it's certainly the set of best practices and, frankly, one of the missteps of the company in 2024 is that we didn't more closely adhere to these norms.

MB: There was a real sense that your competitors could smell blood in the water in 2024, and they really went hard on their own products going for, going for the switchers. Do you think you can win back people who did switch to WiiM or other platforms? Or do you think it's more about using these new "front door" products to go after an expanded market?

TC: Certainly, anyone that was frustrated with Sonos in the last couple of years, I hope will consider us again. When I wear my business hat, there was a cost of goodwill with our customers from this chapter, I think it really most impacted advocacy and repurchases. I don't think it was a huge driver of people fully leaving Sonos and going to other platforms.

So my my hope is that all of the people who had a bad experience in 2024 are having good experiences today, and are starting to feel better about Sonos, and can be excited about a product like Sonos Play or Era 100 SL to extend their experience in their own home, or to evangelize it to their friends and family as something that they have to have in their homes.

I think that was the real cost, it was sort of a cost of advocacy and evangelism more than it was people switching to one of the the smaller players who purports to do the same kinds of things we do.

MB: You guys certainly were one of the most recognizable brands in tech — I mean, still are, no doubt — but that must have been a real eye-opening moment that momentum and past performance only takes you so far, right?

TC: Yeah, for sure. I mean, it certainly was a moment that changed my life.

In the aftermath of that, you just have to show up in people's life with some humility and do the hard work of earning their trust back through great execution, great product, great software, great experiences, and never forget what you put people through.

MB: I believe you restructured the company. How is that changing how you're working and helping to make improvements?

TC: When I came in in January of 2025, I quickly made a bunch of changes. I moved us from a business-unit orientation, where we had a home theater team, and a portables team, and a professional team, a headphones team — to a functional [organization], where we have a hardware organization and a software organization, and a product design organization.

And the benefit there is that it really allows you to get the company thinking about what we do as a system and not a collection of categories.

In the process of doing that, we also eliminated a bunch of management layers, which were standing in the way of execution. So yeah, we're definitely functioning differently today than we were a year ago.

MB: How would you say that change in function manifested in designing and launching these two products?

TC: It allowed us to really think holistically about how the product fits into the lineup. I think under the old guard, a product like Play might have been principally conceptualized alongside the various other kinds of mid-tier portable speakers, and would have been scrutinized internally and marketed on [technical specs] around battery life and portability and so forth.

We've really focused on how we make this a really great part of the Sonos system — the 'Goldilocks' perfect speaker, if you like.

MB: It's interesting you say that because I remember when the Move 2 came out, one of the things that occurred very quickly to me is that it has, if not the exact same speaker configuration, an extremely similar speaker configuration to the Era 100. Are you saying that with the Play, you're just working on the Play, you're not looking at what technology you have elsewhere that you can borrow?

TC: Well, no, in some ways the opposite, particularly as it relates to software. We're thinking more fundamentally about: How does this fit into the overall offering? How does it make the the system of Sonos more comprehensive?

With Play, I really do think it's kind of the ideal building block. I mean, when my friends and family ask me about Sonos, I'm going to start telling them they should put a Sonos Play in every room, or a stereo pair in their family room.

It's a phenomenal-sounding speaker and just has so much utility relative to anything that we've ever done before

MB: We've talked a lot about the Sonos system in particular as it pertains to the music side. I wanted to ask about home theater as well, because we're on the cusp of a major change in that sector with wireless connectivity, particularly from the TV to the soundbar. LG and Samsung are exploring proprietary options that lock out companies like Sonos, and push people to buy the same soundbar brand as their TV. Is this a trend you are concerned about?

TC: As you know, we're by far the most successful player in home theater, and consistently taking more and more market share from the companies that you're talking about

It's a huge part of our business, and we're the pioneer in wirelessly distributing audio around the family room, and we'll have our own things to say about how that evolves in the coming quarters.

MB: What do you think of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect? Is that something you would support?

So FlexConnect is interesting. There are really three things that have to happen in a FlexConnect-style implementation. You've got to get the bits from the media to the speaker, whether that's through the television or through the set-top box or through the soundbar, something has to get the bits into the air.

And then you have to position the speakers in the room, understand where they are and what their orientation is.

And then the last piece is that, understanding the speakers' position and the bits from the device, you have to render the bits appropriately for that position and orientation.

Dolby has done a great job of telling the story of FlexConnect as encompassing all three dimensions, but the technology of FlexConnect is actually just that last bit. It's taking the positional information [of the speakers] and the bits [from the media] once they're on the speaker, and rendering it.

And, the other two dimensions — positioning, and the transmittal of the bits actually from the source to the speakers — is sort of left as an exercise for the student, which is why the LG solution is proprietary to LG and the TCL solution is proprietary to TCL.

And you can imagine that — even as much as Dolby wants to talk about the universal character of FlexConnect in the same way they talk about Atmos — the LGs and TCLs of the world might not be that motivated to create a system whereby you can mix and match speakers [from other brands] with their televisions.

I guess I could just say that we're interested in that entire space, the entire domain of: How do you get the bits from the source to the speakers? How do you position the speakers in three-dimensional space? And how do you render? We'll continue to work on our roadmap.

MB: The old Sonos was a really leaky ship when it came to product launches before your time. Is that something you want to change? I've got to say, I yearn for us to go back to the days when companies showed us tech six months, eight months, before it launched — to get a feel for how people responded to it. Could you imagine the company operating in that way?

TC: You know, the funny thing about the period where Sonos was sort of a leaky ship is that it was a period where the company, I think, was trying to be at its most secretive. In some ways, I think that Sonos culturally, internally, fashioned itself like a mini Apple, and really tried to hold its cards close to its vest.

As much as I've been a little evasive about some of the things you've asked about our roadmap, I'm conscious that we're not Apple, and that I think we can talk a little bit more about where we're going and the future that we see without being so concerned about the secrecy of it all.

I sort of love that since I've gotten here, the leaks have dried up from that standpoint, and I think it suggests that the people inside the company are feeling excited and proud of their work, and not wanting to see it out in the world in advance of when the company decides to reveal it.

Where my head is, is somewhere between where Apple sits and what you would like for us to do. So stay tuned, we should keep talking!

MB: I want to ask about the largely rumored but semi-confirmed set-top box and smart software that seemed to be developed in partnership with another company. Are you willing to talk about how far it got, or what your relationship to it was?

Without getting into specifics of that project, if it exists, I will say that part of what I had to do when I came in the door was to make some hard decisions about where we were going to focus. The company was, demonstrably, spread too thin, was trying to do too many things, and was struggling to execute with excellence across all of them.

So I tried to focus our energies on the programs that I thought that were most aligned with our differentiating power in the market. I remain really confident that the things that we chose to focus on are the things that are going to have the most impact on Sonos, in the near term.

MB: Given your background at Pandora, what do you think of music-streaming services today and how they integrate into the Sonos app? Do you, from the Sonos side, have any frustrations with them, and then personally what do you think?

TC: One of the things I'm really excited about in terms of our software roadmap is working more closely with our music service partners. All I really care about with with respect to listening to music on Sonos is getting the customer as quickly and seamlessly as possible to their outcome.

If that means AirPlay or Bluetooth or Spotify Connect or experiences inside of Spotify versus experiences inside of our app… I don't care. I just want it to work every time, and have it be completely seamless. I feel like we have a better relationship with Apple, Amazon, Spotify than we have in years, and I'm really excited about the work we're driving together.

I think the only thing I will say about the state of streaming music is that, you know, the iPod invented the core conventions of modern digital music, and then in 2004, Pandora and Last FM, I suppose, kind of invented the modern conventions around personalized streaming audio. And it's been 20 years, and it's surprising to me how little has changed in that experience.

We've gone from a world where you had access to just the CDs you bought to a world where you have access to hundreds of millions of songs in your pocket, and yet the user interface of it all is kind of just some hierarchical browsing, and then a fullscreen audio player with skip buttons and things.

I guess quietly, at night, I sort of imagine a future where there's more innovation and [questioning] what does it mean to navigate the whole entire world of music with something that wasn't designed for 1,000 songs in your pocket.

MB: Do you think that the physically small size of phone screens is holding us back in that regard?

TC: You know what I think is mostly holding us back in that regard? Apple is motivated by selling hardware, and Spotify is motivated by reducing licensing costs, and no one is motivated by: let's make a great and innovative music discovery experience for the consumer.

Sonos is synonymous with wireless multi-room audio and home theatre, and has long been known for making some of the best wireless speakers and best soundbars. The company has also recently introduced the Sonos Play and Era 100 SL speakers, which both have their sights set firmly on music playback.

While those two new models are now available to pre-order ahead of their launches at the end of this month, Sonos is hoping to ignite a multi-room, home theatre passion in all Australians and New Zealanders with a ‘March Madness’ sale that is seeing up to 25% off a range of speakers and soundbars.

As a Sonos aficionado myself, who has a complete Sonos home theatre setup and music speakers dotted further around my apartment, I can’t recommend the company’s devices enough for anyone wanting effective Dolby Atmos surround sound experiences or easy room-filling sound.

The Sonos March Madness sale covers a wide gamut of speakers, from the Arc Ultra soundbar through to the portable Roam 2 Bluetooth speaker.

What’s more, Sonos offers what it calls ‘Sets’ that combine various speakers and soundbars to help make your buying decisions easier. The prices of these Sets have also been discounted in line with the individual discounts, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to buy items individually.

How come? Well, if you buy a set, you commit to just one colour choice for all speakers and components. When buying individually, you’re free to choose whether you want white or black. In my case, I have a black Arc Ultra to help blend in with my dark TV unit and white Era 300s and Sub to blend in with my white sofa and lighter room decor.

The final decision is yours of course, I just wanted to add my two cents.

The full list of discounts available at Sonos AU is as follows:

• Sonos Arc Ultra: was AU$1,799 now AU$1,499
• Sonos Beam (Gen 2): was AU$799 now AU$599
• Sonos Sub 4: was AU$1,299 now AU$1,049
• Sonos Era 300: was AU$749 now AU$599
• Sonos Era 100: was AU$319 now AU$289
• Sonos Sub Mini: was AU$699 now AU$559
• Sonos Roam 2: was AU$299 now AU$239
• Sonos Move 2: was AU$799 now AU$639
• Sonos Ace (Black only): was AU$599 now AU$449

You’ll want to be quick though, as this rare sale is only running until March 31.

I’ve highlighted my favourite deals below, but be sure to head to the Sonos AU or Sonos NZ website for the full selection of deals and discounts. I’ve seen The Good Guys beating the price on these by a small margin in some instances, so if you're after the absolute cheapest deal then check out the full Sonos range and the Good Guys site.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is available in a variety of ‘Sets’, which pair it with anything from just a Sub 4 subwoofer, to a complete surround sound package with two Era 300 Atmos-enabled rear speakers. You can view the full range of sets in the table below.

Speaker sets that include the Beam (Gen 2) are also available, and are as follows.

Ahead of Sonos' recent launch of its new Sonos Play and Era 100 SL speakers, I got to speak to CEO Tom Conrad about what the company has been up to since its last big launch, the Sonos Arc Ultra in 2024.

We talked about the new speakers, and then we spent a long time talking about what went wrong with the company's big app disaster that same year, what's still wrong with it, and how the company has changed to fix it — and Conrad was very candid in that talk, so I'd definitely recommend reading it if you've taken an interest in Sonos at all.

But one of the other big things that's happened in the time Sonos has been working on itself is the launch of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect. This is technology that lets you get a great home theater experience without needing speakers that sit in traditional front left, front right, rear left, rear right positions — you put the speakers wherever you like, even if they're unbalanced or the speakers don't match, and the system figures out how to provide the best surround sound automatically.

TCL was the first to launch Dolby Atmos FlexConnect support in its TVs and in a speaker called the Z100. And this year, LG followed with support in its newer TVs, and a speaker, subwoofer, and soundbar range called LG Sound Suite. You can read our full LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro review for more on that.

One of the big features of these systems is that you can have wireless speakers connected directly to a TV, with no HDMI cable — wireless sound, configured simply using an app, and you don't lose an HDMI port.

This strikes me as a huge change, because it's very desirable and convenient, but it means TV companies are pushing people to buy their own products — TCL and LG's FlexConnect systems only work with their own speakers. And even non-Dolby versions of this tech — Samsung has an extremely similar technology — also require you to buy the same speakers as your TV.

I asked Conrad if Sonos is concerned about this major trend that effectively locks Sonos' products out of the future of wireless home theater, and he certainly puts on the air of a man who is not concerned.

"As you know, we're by far the most successful player in home theater, and consistently taking more and more market share from the companies that you're talking about," says Conrad.

"It's a huge part of our business, and we're the pioneer in wirelessly distributing audio around the family room, and we'll have our own things to say about how that evolves in the coming quarters."

I asked Conrad what he thinks of the FlexConnect technology. "So FlexConnect is interesting," he begins. "There are really three things that have to happen in a FlexConnect-style implementation. You've got to get the bits from the media to the speaker, whether that's through the television or through the set-top box or through the soundbar, something has to get the bits into the air.

"And then you have to position the speakers in the room, understand where they are and what their orientation is.

"And then the last piece is that, understanding the speakers' position and the bits from the device, you have to render the bits appropriately for that position and orientation.

"Dolby has done a great job of telling the story of FlexConnect as encompassing all three dimensions, but the technology of FlexConnect is actually just that last bit. It's taking the positional information [of the speakers] and the bits [from the media] once they're on the speaker, and rendering it.

"And, the other two dimensions — positioning, and the transmittal of the bits actually from the source to the speakers — is sort of left as an exercise for the student, which is why the LG solution is proprietary to LG and the TCL solution is proprietary to TCL.

And you can imagine that — even as much as Dolby wants to talk about the universal character of FlexConnect in the same way they talk about Atmos — the LGs and TCLs of the world might not be that motivated to create a system whereby you can mix and match speakers [from other brands] with their televisions."

So, is it something Sonos would support in the future? (Standard Dolby Atmos has been available on Sonos products for years, and support is included in the current Sonos Beam 2nd Gen, Sonos Arc Ultra, and Sonos Era 300.)

"I guess I could just say that we're interested in that entire space, the entire domain of: How do you get the bits from the source to the speakers? How do you position the speakers in three-dimensional space? And how do you render? We'll continue to work on our roadmap."

As much as the insight into Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is interesting, Conrad is obviously very vague about future plans — but we can do some reading between the lines here.

Of the three questions Conrad asked at the end, we know a bit about Sonos' technology in that area already.

"How do you position the speakers in three-dimensional space?" Sonos' TruePlay tech has never been pitched as mapping your speakers' positions, but rather compensates for your position in the room, and the reflections of your walls relative to the speakers.

But reading that statement, you're probably thinking 'Hang on, that sounds a lot like mapping the position of the speakers' — and we'll come back to that shortly.

But more directly, the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect systems from TCL and LG both use audio alone to detect the positions of the speakers, playing sounds and listening to them with microphones on the devices, with remarkable accuracy in 2D. This is how Sonos' own TruePlay Quick Tuning works, so even if the current TruePlay algorithm isn't exactly suitable, the knowledge seems to exist within the company.

When it comes to rendering the 3D sound, Conrad himself said that the FlexConnect system handles that — though again, Sonos has knowledge in this area of its own. Psychoacoustics tricks such as using reflections and time-of-flight manipulation are common in virtual Dolby Atmos devices, and the Sonos Beam is one of those. TruePlay again involves adjusting reflections for width and height channels.

But more than that, Sonos introduced the idea of a new kind of 3D sound processing for the Sonos Ace headphones and the TV Swap feature, tracking your head inside its own recreation of an Atmos-like 3D soundscape.

The 3D soundscape of the Sonos Ace can even be made to mimic the sound profile you get from your main Sonos speaker system, based on where the speakers are positioned compared to your usual seating position. It uses TruePlay data to do this — and so now we know Sonos has a product capable of creating a unique 3D sound environment based on the position of your speakers compared to your seating position.

So it seems evident that Sonos finds the same kind of tech as FlexConnect interesting, even if it hasn't added the freedom of speaker positioning to its home theater setups yet.

But none of this tackles the first question: "How do you get the bits from the source to the speakers?"

This is where Sonos is truly at risk, in my opinion. HDMI is an open standard that has enabled any kind of soundbar to work with any kind of TV. A similar attempt at a wireless standard, WiSA, has never taken off.

That's left TV companies free to use this part as a method of lock-in. Samsung, TCL, Sony, and LG all offer some kind of wireless speaker option that works directly with your TV, enabled by the TV software itself.

Sonos has no power over TV software, which leaves it with two options: partner with smart TV software makers to build in support, or offer some kind of HDMI dongle attachment.

The latter is relatively easy, but still uses up an HDMI port, and part of the attractiveness of these wireless systems is not having to deal with a port for your sound at all.

When it comes to partnering with smart TV makers, it's tough. LG and Samsung make their own software. Google TV is huge, but Sonos and Google famously have not had a good relationship.

That's a lot of TVs sold covered just in that group, especially high-end options. But there are still interesting options. Amazon Fire TV and Roku might be open to a partnership, and Fire TV support could also mean support from Fire TV Sticks, which can be attached to other TVs, of course.

And then there's the Apple TV 4K, which is rare among streaming boxes because it can take audio from anything connected to the TV, as well as generate its own audio from streaming apps. Apple and Sonos have long had a cosy relationship, including the Sonos Amp being the only streaming amp with native Apple Music support, even today.

The Apple TV 4K is popular with home theater enthusiasts, so perhaps Sonos could arrange with Apple to provide a flexible, 3D wireless sound option support at the OS level.

Whatever Sonos' plans are, I hope it's able to roll them out soon — the wireless soundbar revolution is arriving at speed, and Sonos doesn't want to be left behind.

It’s well-known that most TVs nowadays don’t generally have the built-in sound to match the picture quality — especially the more mid-range or cheaper models. This is where one of the best soundbars comes to the rescue, but not everyone has the space or budget for one of the really big and immersive systems.

The humble, all-in-one, compact soundbar is what you need, then — and we had three of the best available in our testing lab: the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), the Denon Home 550 and the Sony HT-S2000, the latter of which has been our best budget recommendation for a while now.

So, I decided to pick a few of my go-to audio testing scenes from our back catalogue of 4K Blu-rays to see which soundbar reigns supreme. A quick note: the Sony HT-S2000 is difficult to get hold of (with some stock left in the UK), but I thought it would be a good benchmark soundbar since we've recommended it for so long.

We have a system in our testing rooms to pipe sound and visuals to multiple TVs at once, so I was able to line all the soundbars alongside each other – all attached to LG TVs, for a bit of consistency – and switch between their sound instantly to compare.

The Batman

My go-to testing scene for soundbars and TV audio, the Batmobile chase scene from The Batman is a perfect test for all audio elements: sound mapping, bass, speech, Dolby Atmos and surround effects. It’s easily one of my favorite Atmos scenes.

The first thing I noticed was how effective all three soundbars delivered the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine. The Denon had a lot of up-front bass that was well controlled, but the Sonos’ felt that little bit more refined with good space between the low-end of the engine and other elements. While the Sony’s bass was thinner than the other two, it was still decent.

The Denon delivered a surprisingly wide soundstage with plenty of room-filling power. Its virtual Dolby Atmos processing created a dome-like effect despite its compact size. The Sonos also had a wide soundstage with plenty of depth, but it wasn’t quite as convincing as the Denon. The Sony delivered decent Atmos but again felt a bit thinner in the sound overall.

All three soundbars had great accuracy, mapping effects — such as the bullet spray from Penguin’s weapon, swerving tyres and blaring car horns — accurately between the soundbar and the action on screen. Again the Denon was more precise, but the Sonos was a close second. The Sony also sounded accurate, particularly with the flame of the Batmobile’s engine on ignition.

While the Denon mostly shone in this scene, I did find that various sound effects could get cluttered at times, with the score being lost in the explosions whereas the Sonos was able to give each sound element more room to breathe. The Sony had good detail, but felt narrower than the other two, meaning some elements weren’t as clear.

The Mask

A semi-recent addition to the testing lineup, The Mask has excellent sound design with one area in particular standing out: placement and direction of sound. All of The Mask’s zany cartoonish sound effects, especially his tornado, are a brilliant audio test.

Again, all three soundbars demonstrated impressive sound placement, accurately delivering the movement of The Mask’s tornado around his bedroom with real precision. The Denon and Sonos had the edge when it comes to the power of the sound, which made the tornado effect more engaging, but the Sony did a good job in its own right.

While the Denon was bolder and more direct in the scene, the Sonos had a nice width that was perfect for giving more of a sense of space as the Mask careens around the room. This was also evident later as ricocheting gunfire again had more space on the Sonos, but had more impact through the Denon. The Sony again didn't have the impact of the other two soundbars, but its accuracy can’t be denied — it just wasn't as exciting.

Wicked

Not just a regular disc for me when testing TV picture quality, Wicked is, of course, great for testing audio, as it’s a musical with plenty of elements to put a sound system through its paces. No song does this better than Defying Gravity, not only with its big score and grand vocals, but also in Elphaba’s movement on the broom.

Elphaba’s vocals are big, bold and powerful, and all three soundbars do her justice. The Sonos had the most clarity in the vocals while the Denon had the out-and-out power, and the Sony actually struck a nice balance between the two.

One thing I was surprised by was how the Sonos handled the rest of the soundtrack — the score itself, the sound of the wind as Elphaba flies on the broom — because these were pushed to the back of the Sonos’ soundstage, with the vocals receiving most of the power. This took away from the soaring, impactful nature of the scene.

The Denon, on the other hand, managed to strike a fine balance between every element, as did the Sony (it just sounded thinner than the Denon).

In terms of the expansiveness of the sound, the Sonos proved to have the most width. The Denon went for a direct approach which meant it didn’t sound as wide in places. The Sony again delivered a broad sound with good space, but not as much as the others.

Oppenheimer

While there are a ton of scenes you could use from Oppenheimer to show off your home theater, both video and audio, it’s actually the scene where Strauss gives Oppenheimer a tour of the University that I used, to test dialogue.

All three soundbars delivered crystal clear speech throughout the scene, even without any speech enhancement features activated. I did find that the Sonos and Sony had the most authentic sound, and by this I mean they accurately delivered the echo-y voices of Strauss and Oppenheimer as they’re in the office. The Denon sounded much cleaner and fuller, but this isn’t really the most film-accurate.

Again, all three soundbars showed excellent tracking as they were able to replicate the voices accurately, whether from behind, off to the side or when both characters were at a distance. I tested all three soundbar’s voice enhancements too, and while they were effective, they limited other aspects of the sound. Frankly, none of them needed these enhancements.

Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick is another reference testing disc with a load of scenes to really let your home theater flex its muscles. A common one I use (and is often used in tech demos by companies) is the Darkstar test flight at the start of the movie, because it’s a perfect Dolby Atmos height scene.

What I really wanted to test on these three soundbars was their virtual Dolby Atmos processing, as none of them have up-firing speakers. I had glimpses in The Batman and Wicked, but really it’s the moment in this scene where Maverick flies over Admiral Cain that will make or break height channels.

Honestly, all three did well considering their compact size and lack of up-firing speakers. They all demonstrated pretty convincing Atmos, providing some sense of the flight path of the Darkstar traveling overhead. While it didn’t fill the room or completely go over my head like I’d had on the Samsung HW-Q990F or the Sonos Arc Ultra, it was a valiant effort.

The Sonos had the greatest sense of space, giving the Atmos room to breathe, while the Denon again had that hit of power which felt the most authentic to the jet. The Sony was arguably the most impressive however, as its virtual Atmos positioning was more effective and convincing than I thought it would be.

Which to buy?

For their size and price, all three of these soundbars impressed me. While the Sony had a bit of an uphill battle, it’s still a seriously good soundbar for the money. When it comes to price, these soundbars have all been somewhere in the region of $399-$499 / £399-£499 / AU$799-AU$899 before. However, the Denon is generally the priciest in the US, sometimes hitting $699 and as much as I liked it, that’s a big jump over the other two models.

With the Sony tough to get hold of and the Denon that much pricier, the Sonos still reigns supreme in the US. Elsewhere, where prices are closer, it comes down to preference.

The Denon and Sonos apps perform similarly and both have ecosystems and extra speakers you can add, while the Sony is an impressive budget option. For me, if the price was right, I’d pick the Denon and its particular blend of power and positioning skills, but I wouldn’t be upset with any of these soundbars.

Recently, LG released its Sound Suite range, which it has described as the “world's first soundbar audio system powered by Dolby Atmos Flex Connect".

This tech enables you to experience optimized audio and Atmos effects, even if your speakers are positioned outside of the optimal 'forward left and right, rear left and right' placement. In order to do this, FlexConnect speakers use built-in microphones to map their position in a room, adjust their output accordingly to recreate a normal surround sound from wherever they are, and deliver the best home theater immersion possible in your particular space.

It’s a technology that could be game-changing for people with rooms that are ill-suited to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars requiring a traditional surround sound setup. And I’m intrigued to see whether LG’s rivals begin implementing it into their home theater tech too.

As I discovered when writing my LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro review, FlexConnect is more than a good idea in theory — it works well in practice too. However, that specific system combines a soundbar and sub with only two surround speakers. And I wanted to really push this system’s FlexConnect capabilities to the limit.

So, I tried the ultimate configuration: a soundbar, sub, and four surround speakers — and those are the most powerful LG M7 speakers. This set-up is known as the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7. It’s a 13.1.7-channel system packed with 29 speaker units and a whole lot of power. But is it actually good? And is it worth buying? Here are my thoughts after hours of testing.

Flexible Atmos that’s seriously striking

You may have already suspected this, the Quad Suite 7’s stand-out feature is its impeccable Dolby Atmos performance.

As I mentioned earlier, FlexConnect works very well, and helps to make Atmos effects feel supremely immersive. All I had to do was set the speakers up around our TV testing space, add them on the LG ThinQ app, and calibrate the system. I had to try this a couple of times to get the most accurate reading, but once the system was set up, I got access to some seriously impressive sound.

With a 4K Blu-ray of The Mask, I was blown away by the quality of Atmos — even compared to the still-powerful Immersive Suite 7 Pro. In a scene where The Mask himself hurtles through a glass door, he continues to spin around the screen in a tornado-like motion.

With the Quad suite, every part of his movement was mapped amazingly. I could hear the small discrepancies as he spun from the center into the left corner, and the sense of space of each movement was huge. It really sounded as if I could hear him spinning into the corners of our testing room, creating an almost tangible viewing experience.

Other details impressed me too. Tina’s dialogue was placed expertly when chatting to Stanley, for instance, and the sound of mobsters playing air hockey in the backdrop of another scene was replicated in a natural-sounding, authentic manner. This movie really was a great example of the phenomenal width that the Quad Suite could whip up.

But the Quad Suite is very adept when it comes to height effects too. I threw on my go-to for testing verticality, Top Gun: Maverick, and the system performed very astutely. In a scene where Tom Cruise flies his jet directly up and overhead, the system tracked the lift of his aircraft with total precision. Most soundbars or soundbar systems I’ve tested don’t completely nail that verticality — after all, Atmos in its truest form makes use of actual overhead speakers.

The Quad Suite served up a really strong showing, though, and mapped upward movements to great effect throughout the movie’s runtime. With flexibility, expansiveness, and impressive height, the Quad Suite 7 really is elite when it comes to Dolby Atmos sound.

Sound check

Atmos is great on the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7, but how does it sound more generally? Well, as you may imagine, it’s an extremely powerful system – the H7 soundbar has a maximum power output of 500W, with 220W for the W7 sub and 100W per M7 speaker. Combined, that means you’re getting a power output well in excess of 1,000W, which in turn provides listeners with seismic bass, direct-sounding dialogue, and energetic highs.

When tuning into a scene 2024’s Nosferatu, the deep, imposing voice of Count Orlok tore through me, and as tensions heightened, deep bass rumbled throughout the scene with gigantic impact, but still didn’t veil sounds elsewhere in the frequency range. Alongside that, eerie sound effects oozed from the four surround speakers, creating a real sense that I was right in the middle of a horror spectacle.

In another scene, I could hear chanting from each corner of the room, while the higher-pitched noise of scurrying rats sounded tonally convincing rather than shrill or tinny. This was followed by a gut-wrenching screech, which came through forcefully and sharply, highlighting the impressive dynamics of the system.

More generally, I found dialogue to be clear and easily discernible across various movies, and I never felt the need to dip out of the standard sound mode. See, there’s a couple of AI sound settings, but to me, these actually sounded less nuanced and balanced, so I’d advise against them.

Even if we stray from movies and tread towards the music domain, the Quad Suite 7 performs pretty well overall. When listening to a Dolby Atmos mix of Brick House by the Commodores, I could hear drums playing in the left corner of the room, guitars strumming on my right, and vocals flowing from the center. The system provided a nuanced presentation with well-placed instruments, but the overall sound was still cohesive.

Unsurprisingly, I felt that the Quad Suite setup provided a significantly more expansive and enveloping music listening experience than the Immersive Suite 7 Pro, although one small nitpick I had carried over to the larger build, which was my feeling that some sounds in the mid-range — typically vocals — sometimes lack the separation I’d expect from a more premium hi-fi setup.

Wait, how much?!

Anyway, it’s clear that the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 is a very strong performer overall, and it really is awesome for movie-watching, in the truest sense of that word. That full-bodied, spatial sound basically demands your attention. But you may be wondering just how much this all costs, and spoiler alert: it’s a lot.

OK, so LG isn’t selling the Quad Suite 7 as a whole package — at least not yet. Instead, you’ll have to buy its constituent parts separately, and… it’s about to get pricey in here. The system’s core, the LG Sound Suite H7 soundbar, comes in at $999 / £899, but you’ll also have to splash out $599 / £599 on the LG W7 sub, and $399 / £399 per LG M7 speaker. You could go for the cheaper LG M5 speaker instead, which are $249 / £249 a pop, but I can’t speak to their quality.

So, let’s say we’re going for four M7 speakers here — in that case, you’d be looking at a spend approaching $3,200 / £3,100.

But look, as expensive as that is, the real question should be about value for money. Even if the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 costs more than $3,000 / £3,000, is it still worth it? Well, for most people, I’d probably say no.

Sure, the FlexConnect technology is amazing, and the audio you’ll experience — especially for movies — is seriously gripping. But you can regularly scoop up a traditional surround sound system — such as the phenomenal Samsung HW-Q990F or almighty JBL Bar 1300MK2 — for essentially half the price.

OK, these systems lack FlexConnect, and they have two smaller rear speakers as opposed to four larger alternatives. But as someone who’s tested both, I can say with confidence that they still sound spectacular, and for half of the money? I think I’d have to skip on the Quad Suite 7, assuming you can place the speakers in the correct positions.

Having said that, if you’ve got the cash, you’re willing to go all out, and the ability to place speakers wherever you want is useful to you, it’s hard to look past the Quad Suite 7.

Its integration of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect tech makes it genuinely unrivaled in terms of versatility, and the power you get from four M7 speakers — alongside the sleek-looking W7 sub and expansive H7 soundbar — is palpable.

So yes, if you’re looking for an incredibly immersive home theater experience, the Quad Suite 7 is almost certain to impress – but for most people, I’ll continue to recommend more cost-efficient alternatives.

LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro review

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is well and truly here. And the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro is among the first systems to make use of this technology. This sound system – composed of an LG H7 9.1.6-channel soundbar, two 2.1.1-channel LG M7 wireless speakers, and the LG W7 sub, all available separately too – is a powerful, dynamic, and expansive-sounding system. But is it capable of outdoing the home theater big boys — particularly Samsung?

Well, let’s start by tackling the Immersive Suite 7 Pro’s unique feature: its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect capabilities. This enables you to enjoy optimized sound and Atmos effects even with your speakers in non-optimal positions for traditional surround setups – the speakers map their position in the room, and adjust their output so you'll still get as close to 3D sound as they can provide. So, if your living room isn’t suited to having rear speakers to the left and right behind you, this could be a real solution.

And FlexConnect works really well in practice on the Sound Suite, helping it to stand out among the very best soundbars. I tried placing the two M7 speakers – which can work wired or wirelessly – across various spots in our TV testing space, and I was treated to clear, impactful, and balanced sound with each configuration. All you have to do is recalibrate the speakers each time you change their position, which is quick and easy to do in the LG ThinQ app.

More generally, the calibration tool provides accurate, streamlined sound, no matter where you’re seated. I had to retry this a couple of times during testing for the most accurate reading, but this wasn’t too troublesome. I did experience a couple of errors later on in my testing, but was almost certainly due to a network issue in our weird corporate network in our test rooms, so setup is likely to be straightforward if you’ve got stable home connectivity.

I want to talk about the Suite 7 Pro’s sound more generally now, because it really impressed me. Surround sound is phenomenal, and I often felt like I was truly enveloped in the movies or music I was playing. When viewing a 4K Blu-ray of 2024’s Nosferatu, I truly felt like I was at the center of the action — the movie's eerie score came through with immense power and control, high-pitched screeches pierced through the center channel and never sounded tinny or distorted, while bass was rippling yet regimented.

In addition, I was struck by the accuracy and expansiveness of the Suite 7 Pro’s Dolby Atmos performance when switching over to The Mask on 4K Blu-ray. At one point, the titular character flung through a glass door like a tornado with a truly palpable smash, and the system mapped his wild movements across the screen with tremendous precision.

Something that a lot of Dolby Atmos soundbars struggle to nail is height effects, but that’s not the case for the Suite 7 Pro. I threw on Top Gun Maverick, and during the scene where Tom Cruise flies his jet over Ed Harris, the verticality of the move was captured with commendable fidelity. The continued upward movement was traced well too, making for a highly immersive viewing experience.

One audio feature that some people may miss is support for DTS audio, meaning there’s no decoding of DTS HD or DTS:X onboard here – but that was to be expected after LG dropped DTS from its TVs in 2025. If your TV or video player supports decoding DTS, that should be fine.

But let's take it back to the fundamentals, where the Suite 7 Pro performs admirably. Dialogue is clear and direct, bass is intent-filled but doesn’t overwhelm other sounds in the frequency range, and treble is both clear and expressive.

I didn’t think music sounded perfect on this system, though, with vocals in the mid-range sometimes getting slightly obscured in the mix. Still, tunes generally sounded strong with clean bass and the Suite 7 Pro made great use of its various channels, especially with Atmos tracks. There’s AI-powered upmix mode if you want to convert a stereo audio signal into an expansive multi-channel format.

In fact, there are quite a few sound modes available, including an AI Sound setup, bass, and voice settings. Personally, I enjoyed the standard sound mode the best— it felt like the most balanced and revealing of the available options to me. But the options don’t stop there. You can adjust channel levels to suit your preferences, adjust the lighting on the rear speakers, and even activate Sound Follow mode, which centers audio on you, rather than a position in the room.

Combine all of that with Wi-Fi connectivity — which opens up hi-res 24-bit/96kHz audio and supports for the likes of Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect — and you’re looking at a feature-rich system. You’ve also got Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity at your disposal.

One thing that didn’t quite bowl me over was the Suite 7 Pro’s look. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a nice-looking system overall and I appreciated its display, but the H7 bar itself does look a bit basic, lacking the sleek, modern look of a Sonos model or the eye-catching luxury of a bar like the Marshall Heston 120.

I did quite like the curved W7 sub, though, which can stand upright or lay flat. It's not the smallest, but that’s to be expected for a model that reaches down to 25.9Hz and packs a maximum power output of 220W. The mighty M7 wireless speakers are pretty appealing too, and their customizable downward lighting really won me over. On top of that, the included remote feels as if it's built to a very high standard, and it's highly responsive.

What I was a little disappointed by, however, was the lack of HDMI passthrough. See, when you use a soundbar system like this, you already have to sacrifice your TV's eARC port for enhanced sound. And given that many modern TVs only have two HDMI 2.1 ports, this means you can be pretty limited there – if you’ve got a couple modern consoles, say, then that may prove to be inconvenient. That’s something where the Samsung HW-Q990F outdoes the Suite 7 Pro, given that the former supports 4K 120Hz passthrough.

It would be remiss of me not to mention price, too. The H7 soundbar is priced at $999 / £899, with the W7 sub costing $599 / £599, and the M7 speakers coming in at $399 / £399 a piece. That means you’ll be fronting almost $2,400 / £2,300 for the Suite 7 Pro.

Sure, this is an almighty system, rammed with 21 speaker units, a swathe of height channels, game-changing FlexConnect technology, and excellent all-round audio. And given that we’ve tested models like the Yamaha True X Surround 90A, which comes in at $3,499 / £2,199 — a model with fewer channels and no FlexConnect — I don’t think the price is totally unwarranted.

But when you can grab a sensational system like the aforementioned Samsung Q990F for almost $1,000 / £1,000 cheaper, the Suite 7 Pro’s price could prove to be a difficult pill for some to swallow.

With that said, the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro is certainly something special. It uses Dolby Atmos FlexConnect tech to great effect, its audio performance is very admirable indeed, and the speaker configuration opens up exceptionally immersive movie watching.

Yes, the lack of HDMI passthrough is a shame, and it comes at a very premium price, but if you’re looking for a system that’s designed to suit your specific needs, then this is about as good as it gets.

LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro review: price and release date

• Sound Suite H7 soundbar priced at $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400)
• Sound Suite W7 sub costs $599 / £599 (about AU$840)
• Sound Suite M7 speakers are $399 / £399 (about AU$560) each
• Whole system will set you back approximately $2,400 / £2,300 (about AU$3,400)

The LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro is pretty pricey, coming in at about $2,400 / £2,300 (around AU$3,400) in total. The individual components of this system got a price drop ahead of release, making it pretty competitive over the likes of Sonos, which also offers different parts of its system individually.

You can connect up to four of the M7 or the cheaper LG M5 speakers up to the Suite H7 soundbar, or connect speakers directly to your TV if you have a compatible model, like the LG G5 or LG C5.

LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro review: specs

Should I buy the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro review: also consider

How I tested the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro

• Tested across the course of a week
• Used at our TV testing space at Future Labs
• Played 4K Blu-Ray, streamed movies and streamed music over Wi-Fi

I spent a week testing the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro, using it alongside the LG G5 OLED TV via HDMI eARC. I tested the system using various configurations, and tried the system with the wireless speakers across many parts of our TV testing space at Future Labs.

During my testing time, I viewed and listened to a wide variety of content. I began by throwing on some movies via Netflix Premium, as well as higher-quality 4K UHD Blu-rays, which I played using the Panasonic DP-UB820. I also connected my phone up to the Suite 7 Pro and listened to some tracks via Tidal Connect, using both Dolby Atmos and stereo formats.

Of course, I made sure to exhaust the Suite 7 Pro’s various features as well. I listened using all of the different sound modes, messed around with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, and tried out the Sound Follow feature.

More generally, I've tested a load of soundbars here at TechRadar, and have tried out everything from ultra-cheap models like the Sony HT-SF150 through to luxurious alternatives like the JBL Bar 1300MK2. My experience testing rival models means that I know exactly what it takes for a soundbar system to stand out, in what is a highly competitive market.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: March 2026

One of the best upgrades you can make to your TV setup is to add a soundbar to your system. Most TVs are a bit disappointing in the audio department, and that's because of their slim chassis: there just isn't much room for speakers. That's why we've chosen four Best Buy soundbar deals that are definitely worth checking out among the Presidents' Day sales: you don't need to spend too much money to make a really big difference.

The simplest, most compact soundbars, such as the LG S20A soundbar for $99, are twin-channel, adding extra oomph to your TV's sound. But as you go up the price range you get more speakers delivering more audio channels – five channels of immersive Dolby Atmos on the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) for $369, or you can get 5.1.1 channels with rear speakers and a subwoofer on the LG S70TR for $349.

Or the beefiest option is 5.1.2 channels, in the case of the mighty Samsung HW-QS750F for $699, which again is a surround soundbar system with rear speakers and compact subwoofer.

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• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
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Some of the best soundbars on the market are surround sound systems, with the likes of Samsung, Sonos and JBL serving as notable names in the market. These mean you can get truly immersive Dolby Atmos at home, without relying on virtual Atmos from smaller soundbars or having to resort to dedicated height speakers – the soundbar delivers expansive sound across the front, a subwoofer kicks in the bass, and the rear speaker complete the surround experience.

I recently tested one of these soundbar systems: the Yamaha True X Surround 90A. It's a premium piece of gear, priced at $3,499 / £2,116 / AU$4,499, so I expected mind-blowing performance. And while I got it in some areas, one stuck out as lackluster: the rear speakers – and got us talking on the TechRadar team about how it's often the smaller parts of a package that make the whole thing come together perfectly.

Yamaha surround speakers lack the punch

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A demonstrated truly brilliant sound, especially when it came to power and accuracy. The Batmobile scene from The Batman was spectacular, with the Surround 90A accurately delivering the huge rumble of the Batmobile’s engine. I also found when watching The Mask that the Surround 90A mapped the Mask’s whirlwind sound effects as he tornadoes around a room, plus capturing the cartoon-y sound effects of hammers, clocks and punches.

But it was The Mask that also revealed the Surround 90A’s weakness in its rear speakers. While The Mask got up to his antics, I found that portions of the sound field – more subtle effects and music – were notably muted compared to the Samsung HW-Q990C I’d used for testing the 4K disc as part of my Blu-ray Bounty feature.

Another surprising omission was the Yamaha’s rear speakers' lack of a height speaker. Other flagship brands, such as Samsung and Sonos, have included height channels in their rear speakers, which helps deliver more effective height effects for Dolby Atmos.

Rear speakers – the unsung heroes

While rear speakers may be the smallest component of a lot of surround sound systems, they are pivotal – and it's a let-down if they don't match the rest of the system.

While the front channels may handle major sound effects relating to what's on-screen and speech and the subwoofer handles bass, the rear channels will handle more subtle sound effects, some dramatic circular or front-to-back motion, and sometimes the score depending on the soundtrack’s mix: all extremely important for creating the immersive sound.

One major example where I found this was during my testing of Chungking Express as part of the Blu-ray Bounty. The movie’s 5.1 DTS-HD mix sounded fantastic through our reference Samsung HW-Q990C soundbar system in our setup and I noticed just how much one market scene relied on the rear speakers.

The clanking of plates, ringing bells and shouting stall owners all came through the rear speakers, and these sound effects are what made the scene feel so alive.

Another scene I have used for testing soundbars is the Death Star attack run from Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Again, the rear speakers were crucial for delivering a balanced, immersive experience by handling the pursuing TIE Fighter’s infamous groans, laser fire and even John William’s iconic score. If these elements are lost in the mix, the scene doesn’t have the same thrilling impact.

Rear speakers that succeed

Some of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars come from some of the big names I’ve mentioned already: Samsung, Sonos and JBL. These are just three examples of brands whose big, flagship soundbar systems deliver on all areas, including the rear channels.

Samsung’s flagship soundbar, most recently of which is the Samsung HW-Q990F, have delivered strong, immersive sound for years and the Q990F is no different. Big power, excellent control and of course, detailed and punchy rear speakers. As these rear speakers also include a height speaker, you really get the full surround sound experience, great for movies like Top Gun: Maverick that have a lot of different sound effects.

Sonos takes its rear speaker setup approach differently. As speakers can be grouped and added and removed as users want to, there are a couple of different options, namely the Sonos Era 300 and the Sonos Era 100. The Era 300 is the beefier, more dynamic sounding of the two, with upfiring speakers. Pairing the Era 300 with the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Sonos Sub Gen 4 will give you a mighty surround sound system where the rear speakers really feel like a crucial part of the impressive sound signature.

The JBL Bar 1300MK2 is a flagship soundbar that adds a twist on the rear speakers: they're battery powered, and can be stored on the front soundbar itself for charging. This means space-saving without having the effort. They performed well during our testing as well, again demonstrating excellent clarity and impact without overshadowing other elements in the mix. The Mask once again served as an excellent tool for showing what the rears could do.

Being pricier doesn't automatically mean better

At $3,499 / £2,116 / AU$4,499, the Yamaha Surround 90A is a premium soundbar. Some of its rivals I mentioned are cheaper: the Samsung HW-Q990F ($1,699 / £1,499 / AU$1,099) and JBL Bar 1300MK2 ($1,699 / £1,299 / AU$2,299.95). Even a full Sonos surround system with its top-tier products is significantly cheaper in the US, priced at $2,399. It’s pricier in the UK at £2,499, but it’s a more powerful system than the Yamaha overall. In Australia, it'll set you back roughly the same money as AU$4,596.

While the Yamaha thrived in so many areas, it’s such a shame that Yamaha overlooked the depth needed for this crucial component. It’s made me appreciate rear speakers more, and is a reminder – whether you're building a soundbar system or a dedicated home theater setup with separates – that you can't take any element for granted.

Don't spend all your money on big front speakers and thing cutting corners on the rears is a good investment if you're buying individual speakers at home; and the exact same advice goes if you work for a soundbar company.

Recently, I've written fairly regularly about my entry into the world of 4K Blu-ray and the immense benefits that have come with it. I'm pretty sure that the novelty of increased picture quality, less compressed audio, and genuine ownership has yet to wash off. And I'm starting to wonder if it ever will.

Yes, I'm even getting such a kick from venturing to my local music and entertainment store, picking up a movie I love, and enjoying it like never before. There's something deeply nostalgic and heart-warming about that experience, which just makes 4K Blu-ray that bit more enticing.

The joy that comes with physical media, and the serious quality upgrade, are things that I hope more of you can experience too. And so, I'm here to share a couple of starter packs for anyone interested in the world of 4K Blu-ray. I've included two packs here: one budget-friendly option, and a premium alternative. Each pack comes with one of the best 4K Blu-ray players as well as one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars – with the latter sure to illuminate the significant audio upgrade 4K Blu-ray provides over streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

For those of you in the US, the budget starter pack comes with the player I use at home, the Sony UBP-X700, which brings Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support to the table. I've paired that with the Sonos Beam Gen 2, a compact model which combines impeccable speech clarity with impactful bass output. If you want to take a step up, you can also check out the best 4K player I've used, the Panasonic DP-UB820, and one of our favorite all-in-one Atmos soundbars, the Sonos Arc Ultra.

Over in the UK, I've changed it up a bit due to a few discrepancies in pricing and availability, but the starter packs are equally incredible. The budget-friendly combo sees the Sony UBP-X700 come back for seconds, but this time, I've bundled it with the Sony HT-S2000, which supplies almost impossibly immersive audio for the price. Those of you looking for a step up can check out my other combo, which pairs the aforementioned Panasonic DP-UB820 with the Samsung HW-Q990F, a meaty Dolby Atmos soundbar system, which is the best value-for-money model on the market.

A few of the items in this list are on offer, but if you're looking for a comprehensive guide to the best deals available in the US right now, head on over to our Presidents' Day sales hub.

Today's best 4K Blu-ray player and Dolby Atmos soundbar deals in the US

The budget-friendly starter pack

The premium starter pack

Today's best 4K Blu-ray player and Dolby Atmos soundbar deals in the UK

The budget-friendly starter pack

The premium starter pack

More of today's best Presidents' Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 40% off appliances, furniture & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off clothing, tech & furniture
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off furniture, rugs & decor

• Headphone Dust is a new platform to buy audio with your pick of mixes
• Songs mixed into Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround, available in MKV and FLAC
• Far from a full platform yet, but shows how it can be done

A new music-downloading platform called Headphone Dust shows has been created by Grammy-nominated Porcupine Tree front man and solo artist Steven Wilson to show the big music services how it could be done – giving users an amazing choice of audio formats.

Wilson is, relevantly, known for remixing records into Dolby Atmos and 5.1-channel mixes. He's upgraded Elton John, Black Sabbath, King Crimson and Guns N' Roses tracks this way.

Headphone Dust is a platform for this kind of track, as a storefront to buy music mixed to such audiophile standards – not only in these formats, but also in full uncompressed audio quality (unlike the biggest streaming services).

Each album is available in two-channel stereo, or spatial Dolby Atmos, or mixed to 5.1 surround sound, or in a special headphones-specific version – and sometimes with accompanying 4K video too.

You don't stream the tracks from the site; you can download them in FLAC, and it uses the MKV format to make it possible to choose which of the above formats you want to listen in.

The albums cost £14.99 or £18.99 (roughly $20, AU$30 or $26, AU$36), so it's a cheaper option than physical releases tend to be. For now, though, there's a couple of catches.

Limited offerings

At the time of writing, there are six albums available via Headphone Dust: four remixed Steven Wilson albums, one newly-mixed live album from the artist, and one album from Wilson's solo project Bass Communion.

This isn't an accident, with Wilson confirming that Headphone Dust will, initially, be for his own catalogue. He does posit using it to release work he's mixed for other artists and bands, but that'll likely depend on various deals and arrangements made later.

That's obviously quite a limitation to its popularity, but we're featuring it because it stands as a lifeline for audiophiles, offering a way to download high-resolution music that'll sound as close as possible to the original master, but with the option of more interesting mixes if you have the equipment to make the most of them.

But that's also the other limiting factor to the idea right now: not only do you need the correct equipment, it needs to be connected to your PC, if you're relying on the MKV format to choose which version of the track to listen to.

There are obviously lots of people who have one of the best headphone DACs plugged into their PC, so that's one way to get your music out of it at least – but how many people have a laptop connect to their Dolby Atmos system as standard?

We hope that Wilson can find a way to deliver his idea of uncompressed music with selectable mixes through a more user-friendly system – and can get other musicians on board, of course – because it's a great idea. Ownership of the media, control of the format, maximum quality… even if this doesn't take off, it at least gives us something to point to and say 'Look! It can be done! That's what we want!'

• Majority unveils four affordable soundbar systems
• Includes a surround option with wireless rear speakers and Dolby Atmos
• From £89.95 to £169.95 – US launch will be later in the year

Affordable audio specialist Majority has introduced a quartet of new soundbars including two halo models – and I mean that quite literally, because the new Bowfell range includes two soundbars called Halo. The other systems are called Bowfell Axis.

The four subwoofers come in two distinct flavours: 2.1-channel Dolby Audio, and 5.1-channel Dolby Atmos.

The Halo models are the most expensive ones here but that's relative: the priciest model, the Bowfell Halo Atmos, has an official price of £169.95 (about $230 / AU$330). It's the flagship model, such as it is, and I think that's the pick of the range here: it's a 5.1 channel, 300W Dolby Atmos setup with a wireless subwoofer and dual wireless rear speakers. That's a lot of power for a pretty modest price tag – and it's a super-small size, perfect for more compact spaces.

You'll note that there are no upfiring channels here, so any height will have to be virtualized – but having real surrounds is really the biggest win, and in what looks like a pretty slick design.

Bowfell Axis and Bowfell Halo soundbars: key features and pricing

The next model in the range is the Bowfell Halo Dolby, which is £119.95 (about $160 / AU$230). It too is a 5.1 system, but power output is 180W and it's Dolby Audio, not Dolby Atmos. This time the subwoofer and rear satellite speakers are wired.

In addition to the 5.1-channel Halo models, Majority has also made two 2.1-channel options. The Bowfell Axis Atmos is £129.95 (about $175 / AUD$250) and has 200W output and a wireless subwoofer, while the Bowfell Axis Dolby is £89.95 (about $120 / AU$170) and puts out 120W. It too has a subwoofer, but this one is wired.

All four new Bowfell models have HDMI ARC, Bluetooth 5.3 and both USB and AUX playback, and all four come with a remote control.

All of these soundbar systems launch on 16 February 2026 in the UK, and Majority tells us that a US launch is planned later in the year, with exact prices yet to be confirmed.

• 2025 LG C5, G5 and CS5 models can now work as Dolby Atmos FlexConnect hubs
• Full compatibility with LG Sound Suite wireless speakers and sub
• Supports 22 configurations of speakers and subwoofers

LG has upgraded its 2025 C5, CS5 and G5 TVs to support Dolby Atmos FlexConnect as a hub, working with LG's new Sound Suite speakers, which enables you to put your speakers pretty much anywhere in the room and still get accurate audio positioning as if you had them in the normal surround sound positions at the front and rear.

The update brings Dolby Atmos FlexConnect to the three models, enabling them to connect directly to the Sound Suite M5 and M7 wireless speakers and the W7 subwoofer, combining the TV's speakers with the other speakers. As FlexConnect hubs, the TVs analyze the audio from the speakers and adjusting their output so they sound good no matter where you've placed them – I'll explain more about FlexConnect in a moment.

The one downside is even though Dolby Atmos FlexConnect will be available on speakers from multiple manufacturers, LG's TVs will only work as hubs with LG's compatible speakers.

What is FlexConnect?

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect – you need the full name as there's an unrelated system called FlexConnect in wireless networking is essentially a kind of room calibration for more flexible home theater audio where you don't need to worry about where you've placed the speakers.

Wireless speakers broadcast their location to the hub so it can adjust timings and frequencies to deliver accurate spatial audio positioning. In theory that means you can put your speakers anywhere at all and still get correct positioning of sound objects in Dolby Atmos soundtracks and music.

LG says that there are up to 22 possible configurations with one of the compatible TVs and its M5/M7 speakers and W7 subwoofer – you can have up to four speakers, plus the subwoofer.

What does that mean in practice? It means you can have a surround sound setup that's as big, or small, or weird as you like, so for example you might have just one rear speaker instead of two, or have multiple speakers on the left because that's where you have shelving. FlexConnect will identify where they are and configure its output accordingly to create cohesize whole sound.

LG has gone big on Dolby Atmos FlexConnect but other firms are getting involved too: TCL was the first big name to unveil a FlexConnect product, the TCL Z100 speaker system, and since this is a Dolby technology we should see more brands getting on board – but as I mentioned above, LG told TechRadar that it only has plans to support its own speakers.

I haven't heard FlexConnect yet but my colleague Matt Bolton has, and he tells me it sounds fantastic. This is definitely an audio tech to keep your eye (and ears) on: while there are currently only a few products to choose from their numbers should increase considerably in the coming months.

• The UK pricing for LG's new Sound Suite Dolby Atmos FlexConnect soundbar and speakers has changed
• Flagship soundbar is now £900, sub is £600 and wireless speakers now £400 and £250
• This puts them in line with Sonos' products, but the system is more flexible

LG has changed the previously announced UK pricing for its Sound Suite modular system of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect soundbar and speakers, and this price makes them a real threat to Sonos' equivalents.

The H7 Soundbar is now £900 instead of £1,000; the W7 subwoofer is £600 instead of £700; and the M7 wireless speaker is down to £400 instead of £450.

One price has gone up, however. The M5 wireless speaker, the cheapest in the range, has been repriced and is now £250 rather than the previously announced £250.

In the US, you're looking at $999 for the H7 soundbar, $599 for the W7 sub, $399 for the M7 speaker, and $249 for the M5 speaker.

I suspect the pricing all around is going to cause some furrowed brows at Sonos HQ: not only are the H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer and M7 speaker matching or cheaper than the equivalent Sonos products (the Sonos Arc Ultra, Sonos Sub 4 and Sonos Era 300), but they're more flexible too.

That's because Dolby Atmos FlexConnect isn't just a brand; it's a smart way to set up surround sound speakers that means you don't have to play by the old home theater rules.

Why flexibility could be FlexConnect's best feature

Like many AV firms Sonos' surround sound is great, but it expects you to have a straightforward setup: soundbar centred in the front, surround speakers on either side behind you, you perfectly positioned in front of the center of the screen.

And that's one of the reasons I don't have a Sonos setup, because like many homes, my front room is actively hostile to symmetrical layouts. It was built in the 1960s when a 20-inch CRT was considered a big-screen TV.

There's only one spot in the room where my TV can sit, and to accommodate that I have to put my surround speakers in weird and asymmetric places. That's why I went for a wired setup: my AV receiver enables me to specify my speaker heights and distances, and it then runs the sums and sets delays and levels to compensate for the less-than-perfect placement.

If I were buying a new system now I'd definitely consider FlexConnect instead.

FlexConnect essentially does what my AV receiver does, but even more conveniently: I had to get the tape measure out, but provided you have a suitable hub FlexConnect maps the room for you automatically. In LG's case, the soundbar or a new LG T can act as the hub.

This means you can have a soundbar and one rear speaker, or perhaps three speakers in a weird triangle if that's what's convenient to you, and the system will adjust their output to sound like a traditional surround setup.

We're still in the early days of this technology but what we've seen – and more importantly, what we've heard – is very impressive. If it delivers on LG's promises and gets adopted by multiple TV and audio manufacturers it could give the best soundbars some very serious competition.

It leaves Sonos looking like an old fuddy duddy, with its increasingly advanced speaker system still locked to static positions – and according to my colleague Matt Bolton, the LG system sounds the business too…

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: two minute review

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A is a 5.1.2-channel soundbar system enters into a competitive world of soundbar surround solutions that’s been dominated by the likes of Samsung, JBL and Sonos for the past few years. While it’s an impressive system, its price and a few little setbacks hold it back from beating the best soundbars.

The Surround 90A has a good number of features, such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for music streaming, and a good number of sound modes. While it has a strong number of connections too, it’s a shame that its HDMI passthrough doesn’t support 4K at 120Hz, a feature I’ve come to expect at this price level.

Sound performance of the Surround 90A is excellent overall. It delivers exceptional power and detail, rendering surround effects with real clarity and mapping sound with pinpoint accuracy. And for music, it delivers a wide soundstage with plenty of clarity and balance. It’s a shame though that while speech is mostly good, it can get lost at times, and the Surround 90A’s compact rear speakers can struggle in the overall mix against the other powerful soundbar and sub. Still, it’s mostly impressive.

The Surround 90A is a premium-looking soundbar, with a metal finish and fabric grille giving it a premium feel. It’s on the weighty side, but feels well-built as a result. While its subwoofer performs well, it’s a shame Yamaha couldn’t take cues from Samsung’s impressive small but mighty subwoofer on the Samsung HW-Q990F to keep the size down. The rear speakers feel premium enough, but a bigger, better-performing pair of speakers would have been more desirable.

Initial setup of the Surround 90A can be confusing at first, with the pairing of the rear speakers and HDMI settings feeling a bit cumbersome in comparison to seamless setup from Samsung or JBL. Once you're set up, however, controlling the Surround 90A and adjusting settings is simple and intuitive, and inputting commands feels smooth.

The Surround 90A’s biggest setback however is its price. At $3,499 for the full system, or $2,799 for just the soundbar and subwoofer, the Surround 90A is significantly pricier than rival soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, JBL 1300Mk2 or even a full Sonos system consisting of a Sonos Arc Ultra, Sonos Sub 4 and two Sonos Era 100 speakers – and while it does outshine some of these soundbars in performance, it doesn’t do so enough to justify the large price gap.

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Prices & release date

• Released in November 2025
• US price: $3,499 (full system), $2,700 (soundbar & sub only)
• UK price: £2,199, but very limited availability

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A is the brand’s 2025 flagship soundbar surround system, sitting above the In the US, it is available as the full system with the optional rear speakers, priced at $3,499, or as just the soundbar and sub, priced at $2,799.

It's also available in the UK for £2,199, but I've been told it's only available through retailer Sevenoaks, and only in its physical retail store. (That's singular – there's one store.)

Since its release in late 2025, prices have remained the same. This does put it at the premium end of the soundbar system market.

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Specs

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Features

• Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D support
• Control via MusicCast app
• 4K HDMI passthrough, but no 120Hz support

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A offers 5.1.2 channels, a step-down compared to similarly priced rivals such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, which delivers 9.1.4 channels. The soundbar unit itself consists of 19 drivers, however, with seven making up the front left and right and center channels and the remaining 12(!) making up the height channels. Yes, that's six speakers per height channel.

The rear speakers come with two front facing drivers each (note no up-firing drivers on these) backed by two passive radiators and finally, the subwoofer uses a 17cm main driver.

In terms of connections, the True X Surround 90A has an HDMI eARC port and HDMI In that supports 4K and both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ passthrough but unfortunately not 120Hz for gaming (again something the HW-Q990F has), optical out and USB which is used for updates only.

The Surround 90A supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for movies and music and is the first soundbar to support Audo-3D, an Atmos alternative. Auro-3D actually gets its own button on the supplied remote, listed as “3D Music”, a sound mode which uses Auro-3D as an upmixer for stereo content.

Other sound modes include Straight, Surround:AI and All. There is also a Stereo sound mode option for those looking for a more traditional sound profile for stereo tracks.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both supported for music streaming, including direct support for streaming services including Spotify, Amazon Music HD, Deezer and QuBoz. Other streaming services such as Tidal can be linked and controlled via the MusicCast app. There’s also AirPlay 2 support, but no Google Cast.

Speaking of the MusicCast app, this is where EQ and volume adjustments for each speaker can be made, as well as features such as Clear Voice and Bass Extension can be activated.

One thing that is missing is a room calibration feature, something I’d have expected on a soundbar of this price. Again, it’s something the Samsung HW-Q990F and Sonos setups offer, and would have been a nice addition to a premium soundbar.

• Features score: 4 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Performance

• Exceptional accuracy and detail
• Impressive power and control
• Rear speakers can struggle in the mix

While the Surround 90A may not have the features of its rivals, it certainly has the performance. The Surround 90A makes full use of every one of its 5.1.2 channels to deliver a brilliant overall sonic experience.

The Surround 90A’s real strength first comes in its positional accuracy. Watching The Mask, as the titular character tears around in the form of a tornado, the sound is accurately mapped to each channel, moving around the soundbar in-sync with the movie. Other sound effects such as ricocheting bullets and a runaway cartoon clock are delivered with accurate directionality by the Surround 90A’s units.

Watching The Batman, the screeching of tyres and blaring car horns of passing traffic during the Batmobile chase again follow across the front and rear channels with real precision. While the ‘Straight’ sound mode delivers a solid overall experience, the AI skeptic in me was surprised to find that I liked using the Surround:AI mode, which created an even more specific positional feel, with a greater soundstage.

Power is another one of the Surround 90A’s strengths. The bass response from the subwoofer is impactful and powerful, accurately delivering the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine in The Batman. Bass also feels very tightly controlled, as each tone change of the Batmobile’s thunderous engine was crystal clear and tightly rendered by the Surround 90A subwoofer.

The Surround 90A’s soundstage is wide and immersive. Watching the Darkstar flight test sequence in Top Gun: Maverick, the sound of the wind whipping past the cockpit and the creaking of the metal plates made me feel like I was inside the cockpit myself.

Dolby Atmos effects are well presented, as the sound of jets flying overhead is authentically delivered. Height channels can actually be adjusted in the MusicCast app, which allows you to find the sweet spot for your room, despite the lack of auto room calibration.

I found speech to be delivered well overall, especially when it came to vocals in music. Watching The Sound of Music, Julie Andrew’s vocals in songs like Do Re Mi or My Favorite Things are crystal clear, powerful and beautifully rendered.

I found in some scenes that voices could get a bit lost, though. The Batmobile chase from The Batman has limited speech, but I found with soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, it was still clear. With the Surround 90A, this dialogue was harder to pick up in the mix.

Another setback was the rear speakers. While they delivered solid detail throughout my testing, not having an up-firing speaker on each speaker felt like a missed opportunity. It meant Atmos height effects weren’t as clear as I’d found on HW-Q990F or Sonos setups with Era 300 rear speakers. I also found the rear speakers needed a volume boost in the MusicCast app and even then, they sometimes got lost in the mix.

Moving onto music, the Surround 90A is excellent. First playing Bad Bunny’s Baile INoLVIDABLE in Dolby Atmos, the Surround 90A delivers a wide soundstage with precise detail. The percussion, horns and vocals are all delivered with real clarity and plenty of room-filling power.

Switching to stereo tracks such as Dir en Grey’s Un Deux, the crashing drums, powerful guitars and bass and Kyo’s soaring vocals all have plenty of punch. Activating the 3D Music sound setting adds another layer to the track, widening the soundstage and creating a dome-like effect and making everything feel bigger.

The Surround 90A is great with more delicate genres too such as jazz. All throughout the bass from the subwoofer is delivered with excellent, precise timing.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Design

• Premium materials and finish
• Solidly built
• Bulky subwoofer

The Surround 90A’s main soundbar unit measures in at 1180 x 85 x 143mm (46.4 x 3.3 x 5.6in) making it an average size for a large soundbar nowadays. The subwoofer itself is on the bulkier side at 241 x 378 x 414 mm (9.4 x 14.8 x 16.2in) and despite the power and control it delivers, the HW-Q990F proves that a smaller sub can still deliver equally impressive performance.

Finally, the rear speakers, called the WS-X30A, which can be used as individual Bluetooth speakers, measure in at 88 x 220 x 88 (3.4 x 8.6 x 3.4in).

The main soundbar itself is made with a burnished, black metal that is weighty, clocking in at 11kg (24.3lbs). It has a clear front LED display where current sources can be easily read and a fabric grille. All these combine to make for a premium looking soundbar that feels its price tag.

The subwoofer is made of a more traditional plastic finish and clocking it at 12.7kg (28lbs) plus its bulky dimensions, it’s not the easiest to store out of sight.

The rear speakers themselves have a nice fabric material that again feels premium, and are of a portable size if you're inclined to use them as Bluetooth speakers elsewhere.

• Design & build score 4 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Setup & usability

• MusicCast app for control
• Initial setup can be fiddly
• HDMI settings needed to be adjusted

I found the initial setup of the Surround 90A to be a mixed bag. While turning on the soundbar and connecting it to the subwoofer was simple enough, connecting and setting the rear speakers was a bit trickier.

They have to be put into pairing mode after holding the connect button for three seconds, this button is then pressed again to select whether said speaker is the left or right rear, and then it needs to be registered in a menu which is accessed on the TV itself.

Once this was done, I also found the TV source (HDMI eARC) wasn’t working. Diving into the same settings menu, I discovered I had to turn on HDMI Control and Pass-through in the HDMI settings menu.

The LG G5 I used for testing and the connected Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player then worked through the soundbar. This was not the same plug-in-and-play approach I found with the Samsung HW-Q990F.

Once everything is connected, you can either use the supplied remote control for basic operation – changing sound mode, volume, source – or the partner MusicCast app.

Once the soundbar was paired, control through the MusicCast app was intuitive, where EQ and volume levels including height channels could be easily changed. Even streaming music and connecting an associated streaming app was easy.

• Setup & usability score: 3.5 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Value

• Pricey compared to competition
• Missing some features expected at this price
• Good overall performance

The Surround 90A’s biggest downfall is its price tag. At $3,499 for the full system, it’s a premium priced soundbar system and much pricier than rival soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990F ($1,699), JBL Bar 1300Mk2 ($1,699) and even a Sonos setup of the Sonos Arc Ultra, Sonos Sub 4 and two Sonos Era 100 speakers, totaling $1,976.

While the Surround 90A’s overall performance is impressive, with great power, control and accuracy for both movies and music, it doesn’t justify the performance gap with bars like the Samsung HW-Q990F, which I found had better height channels thanks to its more robust rear speakers.

While it is brilliant for music, it’ll be tough to justify the price gap between it and a full Sonos system, especially if said Sonos system features Sonos Era 300s as rears.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Should I buy the Yamaha True X Surround 90A?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Also consider

How I tested the Yamaha True X Surround 90A?

• Tested in TechRadar's TV testing lab
• Tested with movies, including 4K Blu-ray, and music streamed over Wi-Fi
• Tested over a week

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A was connect to the LG G5 OLED TV and Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player for the duration of my testing.

I first started with some casual listening to establish the best sound modes for critical viewing. For movies, I landed on Standard and Surround: AI and for music, I used 3D Music.

Once I began my critical testing, I used reference scenes from movies I use to test sound on the best TVs and other soundbars. These include The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick and The Sound of Music, among a few other discs.

For music testing, I used Tidal for both Stereo and Atmos music. I listened to q wide variety of genres including Metal, Jazz, R'n'B and Pop.

• First reviewed: January 2025
• Read more about how we test

Sonos had a quiet 2025. After the company got a new CEO, having fired the one who oversaw the app update debacle that turned the brand's most ardent fans against it, it's been licking its wounds. It canceled an ill-fated streaming TV device, and didn't announce any new hardware at all last year – its last consumer product was the Sonos Arc Ultra.

But now it appears that Sonos is ready to get back to business, and reportedly "hardware launches will ramp up in the second half of its fiscal 2026" – which in Sonos' case, means between April and September.

Sonos has already started by unveiling the Amp Multi, which is a niche music amp designed for custom-install needs, capable of powering lots of speakers in multiple Sonos zones from a single box.

There haven't been many leaks on what to expect for more mainstream releases (which is maybe a sign things are changing for Sonos on its own; it used to leak like a particularly structurally compromised sieve ), but here's what I'm hoping to see.

1. A 'Sonos Era 500' hi-fi focused speaker

The Sonos Five has been around for a long time, and is surely due for its retirement. The Sonos Era 300 isn't quite the same kind of thing – its focus on spatial audio means that's impressively expansive, but it doesn't have the pure focus on detail and depth that a real hi-fi speaker offers.

Sonos' Sound Motion bass speaker is the cool addition I hope to see as the foundation here. It debuted in the Sonos Arc Ultra, and is basically an ingeniously small dual-diaphragm low-end speaker with a force-opposing design, so it can move a lot of air in a small space, without shaking the unit.

I'd love to see this used with a traditional forward-facing driver system, rather than the angle speakers of the Era 300. Allowing this driver to handle the low end would leave the other drivers to handle mid-range without also needing to wade into the low-end, hopefully allowing for really strong mid detail reproduction, but with a bigger dynamic range overall.

And I'd be happy for this speaker to borrow the compression driver and horn system used in the Era 100. This is the kind of system used in studio monitors, so would be a great fit for a hi-fi focused speaker.

Naturally, I hope that instead of needing a dongle to connect a turntable or other wired input (as the Era 100 and 300 do), this would just have a range of inputs on it, like the Sonos Five does.

2. A Sonos Beam Gen 3 soundbar with Sound Motion and upfiring speaker

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is still a great soundbar that we highly recommend, following its price drops. It produces impressively full sound from its small frame, but it's a shame its Dolby Atmos support is totally virtual, when the Bose Smart Soundbar is able to fit in real upfiring speakers for a better 'dome' of sound effect.

I hope a new Beam could use the Sound Motion bass driver again to add even richer bass, but in a small space that hopefully leaves Sonos free to add upfiring speakers, and to make even better use of its forward speakers.

I'd personally also love if Sonos would finally start adding HDMI passthrough ports to its soundbars, but that seems like a distant dream, alas. I'll settle for the audio upgrades.

3. A wireless home theater HDMI dongle

Speaking of soundbars, for the last few years, they've slowly but surely been going wireless. Samsung and LG both offer wireless connections from their TVs to their soundbars, and LG in particular has gone to the next level by offering Dolby Atmos FlexConnect in its new soundbar and speakers. TCL is also on board with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect's wireless speaker skills. You can get wireless surround speaker system from both Sony and Hisense.

Sonos clearly should have been the leader in fully wireless home theater (sort of its raison d'être, you know?), but lacking the ability to transmit from the TV to its soundbars/speakers means it hasn't made progress. All it needs to start is a little HDMI attachment, so I'm hoping we'll see one soon.

I'd also love for this attachment to offer the ability to have wireless surround sound using satellite speakers only, no soundbar – and this apparently was on the cards with the canceled streaming box, and I said at the time that the company shouldn't abandon this feature.

4. A portable speaker between the Roam and Move

Sonos has two portable speakers: the Sonos Roam 2 and the Sonos Move 2. The former is pretty small and costs $179 / £179 / AU$299, while the latter is large and costs $449 / £449 / AU$799. So there's a big gap in terms of both size and price for something else – something closer to the JBL Charge 6.

Maybe this is a good size to include a mini version of the Sound Motion speaker, which Sonos told me it's exploring: "We're exploring all kinds of applications, whether it's more bass, more compact form factors, more energy efficiency."

One of the nice things about the Roam and Move is that they can work as a home speaker most of the time, and then you just grab them to go out. There's definitely scope for something with a meatier sound than the Roam but a lower price than the Move that could fill the bedroom, office or kitchen of most people.

5. An Era 100 with a screen

The WiiM Sound is a direct competitor to the Sonos Era 100, with a nearly identical speaker setup and multi-room skills – but with the addition of a touchscreen on the front to add some personality and easy control options to the whole package. And we really liked it!

It made it notably more expensive than the Era 100, so we still preferred Sonos' option for value. However, just as WiiM then followed that up with the Sound Lite, which omits the screen and competes with the Era on price, we'd love to see Sonos go the other way and offer an Era 100 with a touchscreen.

The screen doesn't need to function like a full Sonos app, but the Sonos app already has a 'Favorites' bar, so it could replicate that part only on the touchscreen, so you can easily find your favorite streaming stations, playlists or artists – and control which speakers the music is playing on.

6. A big party speaker

The Sonos Move 2 is a very powerful portable speaker, but I've been told by many audio companies that huge party speakers are getting more and more popular – the kind of thing that sometimes comes with wheels, and is for mid-size events (parties in a hall, weddings, and big outdoor parties) more than home listening. The likes of JBL, Anker Soundcore, LG and many more make these.

It'd be great for Sonos to get in on the action too – waterproof, beefy, great sound quality, and perhaps a classier design than most of these have. It could be another good fit for Sound Motion – maybe in a bigger guise, or even multiple of them to provide a ton of bass kick – but it'd also be fun to again see Sonos use the pro-like compression drivers used in the Era 300, to bring a touch more 'studio' accuracy to the sound than these big speakers usually strive for.

Those are the picks from me and the TechRadar AV team – we'd love to hear what products you hope Sonos will launch or update in the comments!

The best TVs for sound deliver great picture quality and dynamic, room-filling sound to go with it. Although it might seem like as the picture performance of TVs advances, sound tends to suffer, there are a few excellent TVs on the market with a built-in sound system that'll blow you away.

As TVs have gotten thinner over the years, there is less space in the display’s physical frame for adding speakers. The end result—in some cases—has been sound that’s as thin as the TV itself. This makes hearing voices particularly difficult, especially when they are mixed with music soundtracks and movie sound effects.

So, even with many of the best TVs you can buy today, we highly recommend you invest in one of the best soundbars or the best surround sound systems. Of course, we also understand that going down that route requires more research—checking you have enough space and the right connections—and extra budget.

If you're looking to hit two targets with one arrow, however, know that there are also options for you. There are several TVs on the market that come with superb sound systems as standard, allowing you to get good sound quality with no extra gear or work necessary.

We've tested hundreds of TVs over the years, so we know what makes a great package. Rest assured, each of the TV displays on our list don't just sound good, they look fantastic and have much of the best TV tech built-in too. Whether it’s a Hollywood blockbuster or just back episodes of Friends, the TVs we've selected below will make sure that whatever you’re watching sounds as good as it can.

Best TVs for sound: Quick List

The best TVs for sound you can buy

The best TV for sound overall

The Panasonic Z95B is a premium OLED that delivers outstanding sound and picture in one package – which is no easy feat. It has a built-in 5.1.2-channel speaker system that’s one of the most powerful you’ll find on a TV. The result is clear dialogue, punchy bass and immersive Dolby Atmos effects. It’s detailed, dynamic and spacious enough that most people won’t need a soundbar.

Panasonic has also upgraded the speakers for this latest version, improving the driver layout and bass output, and the results show. Sound placement is accurate across the screen, height effects register convincingly, and the system can go loud with losing clarity. Features like Space Tune, which calibrates audio to your room, and Sound Focus, which lets you aim sound toward off-center seating, make it adaptable.

Picture quality is just as impressive. The new four-stack OLED panel delivers high peak brightness for an OLED, excellent contrast and natural color. Panasonic still priorities accuracy over sheer output, but HDR movies look refined and richly detailed, with smooth motion and superb shadow handling. It’s not quite as bright as the top OLEDs, but it’s consistently cinematic.

It runs on Fire TV, which isn’t the best smart platform but it’s fully featured, responsive and works well for Prime Video users. Gaming performance is strong too, with 4K 144Hz, Dolby Vision gaming and VRR support, through HDMI 2.1 ports are limited to two.

The Z95B sits at the higher end of the price scale, but its picture accuracy and class-leading built-in sound justify the premium. If you want an OLED that delivers a truly cinematic experience straight out of the box, no soundbar required, it’s one of the best options you can buy.

Read our full Panasonic Z95B review

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The best mid-range OLED TV for sound

The Sony Bravia 8 II delivers some of the best built-in sound you’ll find on a mid-range OLED. Its Acoustic Surface Audio+ system uses actuators behind the screen to create sound through the panel itself, giving dialogue and effects an impressive sense of placement and accuracy. It goes surprisingly loud without distortion, and overall feels more immersive than the typical TV speaker setup.

Sound gets even better if you do want to pair it with a compatible Sony soundbar. With Sony’s Acoustic Center Sync, the Bravia 8 II acts as the center channel in a Sony surround system, anchoring voices to the screen and adding real depth. In testing, the Bravia 8 II’s audio consistently impressed. Action scenes had precise directionality, ambient effects wrapped naturally around the screen and even with bass limitations compared to a dedicated subwoofer, it outperforms most TVs in this price range.

Its picture performance is similarly strong. You get the excellent contrast and rich colors you’d expect from an OLED, plus Sony’s processing, which sharpens textures and keeps motion controlled. Brightness is improved over last year’s model, giving highlights more punch, though it still sits below the brightest LG and Samsung models.

Gaming support is good, but not great. The Bravia 8 II has 4K 120Hz, VRR and ALLM on two HDMI 2.1 ports, and PS5 owners benefit from Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode. Input lag isn’t class-leading but it’s fast enough for most players.

It only isn’t number one because Panasonic’s Z95B offers more immersive sound overall, and brighter OLED rivals give you extra headroom for daytime viewing. But if you want an OLED with genuinely impressive built-in audio, and don’t want to rely on a soundbar, the Bravia 8 II is one of the best balance options out there.

Read our full Sony Bravia 8 II review

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The best mid-range mini-LED TV for sound

The Hisense U8N is a high-value TV that uses mini-LED backlight technology to deliver bright images with bold colors. It’s available in screen sizes ranging from 55 to 85 inches and has built-in 2.1.2-channel speakers with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. While it doesn’t provide the same extensive level of sound features as the Panasonic Z95A and Sony Bravia 8 in this list, it offers much better than average sound quality, and even includes a built-in 'subwoofer' to enhance bass.

In our Hisense U8N review, we said of the TV’s sound quality that “dialogue was clear and full, and the built-in subwoofer made bass effects sound surprisingly weighty.” The TV’s two up-firing speakers also created an impressive sense of height when watching movies with Dolby Atmos soundtracks. We normally recommend adding a soundbar to a TV, but the U8N could easily go without one and still deliver sound that will satisfy most people.

Outside of its sound, the Hisense U8N is one of the brightest sets we’ve tested yet, and that capability plus its low-reflection screen make it a great option for both daytime TV and sports viewing. It uses the Google TV smart TV platform for streaming in the US (and Hisense’s own VIDAA smart TV platform in the UK and Australia) and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG high dynamic range formats. Gaming features include two HDMI 2.1 ports with support for 4K 120Hz, VRR up to 144Hz (including FreeSync Premium Pro), ALLM, and Dolby Vision 4K gaming.

The Hisense U8N is an exceptional value and it improves on the last year's Hisense U8K – our previous mid-range pick – in almost every way, including sound quality. It even has an Auto Acoustic Tuning feature that uses the remote’s mic to adapt the sound to your viewing space. The U8N is a great choice if you have a tight budget and don’t want to spring for a soundbar when buying a big TV.

Read our full Hisense U8N review

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The best budget TV for sound in the UK

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED admittedly doesn't have a sound that will best the other entries on this list, limited to two 12W speakers with no Dolby Atmos support. But it does deliver a direct and clear sound that will suit people for day-to-day viewing – better than any other cheap TV we've tested.

In our Omni QLED review, we found that if you set the sound mode to Movie, you'll get a clear, direct sound that carries decent bass levels that demonstrated the rumble of jets in Top Gun: Maverick with plenty of punch and clear speech levels – even in scenes with unclear dialogue. There's no Dolby Atmos speaker system here – unsurprising at this price range – but it's clear Amazon has taken a no-frills approach with the Omni QLED's sound, focusing on clarity rather than immersion.

Elsewhere, the Omni QLED offers solid picture quality, with vibrant colors and clean textures and despite the lack of 4K 120Hz support, the Omni QLED's gaming performance at 60Hz is good – and there's Dolby Vision gaming, variable refresh rate and ALLM support as well.

While the Omni QLED could benefit from a soundbar for those looking for a more cinematic sound, its built-in sound is decent and will serve most people for casual viewing well and while it won't blow any minds, not many TVs at a budget price can beat the Omni QLED.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review

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The best budget TV for sound in the US

The Roku Pro Series is the company’s flagship TV lineup and one that uses a mini-LED backlight to boost picture brightness and contrast to a higher level than the mid-range Roku Select series TVs. Notably, the Pro Series sets feature a thicker shadowbox-style design that allows for bigger built-in speakers that are side-firing rather than the downward-firing ones found in many TVs, the Select series included.

When describing the TV’s sound quality in our Roku Pro Series TV review, we said “Details in the high frequencies retain body as well as clarity,” and that “mids are nice and full.” About the only thing we felt was missing was bass, and that can be easily – and inexpensively – fixed by adding one of the company’s wireless subwoofers to the TV. (Roku wireless surround sound speakers that link up with Roku TVs are also available.)

Other than sound, Pro Series TVs use the same streamlined smart interface found in the company’s streaming devices. The TV’s Voice Remote Pro has a backlit keypad and a hands-free option that lets you control the TV using voice commands without having to touch the remote. A Smart Picture feature can automatically optimize the picture settings based on what your viewing, and the TV’s two HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 120Hz input for gaming.

One of the best things about the Roku Pro Series is its price, which is very affordable for a TV this feature-packed. Add in the fact that the Pro Series’ impressive sound quality means you don’t necessarily need to buy a soundbar, and its value increases even further.

Read our full Roku Pro Series review

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The best premium mini-LED TV for sound

The Sony Bravia 9’s Acoustic Multi Audio+ design solves the problem of disconnected TV sound by using tweeters installed in the left and right sides of the TV’s frame. These work to elevate dialogue so it sounds like it’s coming directly from the mouths of characters talking onscreen, and they also make the positioning of sound effects accurate and natural. And in contrast to the virtual Dolby Atmos processing used by most TVs, the Bravia 9 has 'Beam' drivers located on top that create a real sense of spaciousness by bouncing sound off your room’s ceiling.

The Bravia 9’s 2.2.2-channel speaker system is powered by 70 watts of amplification, and supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive soundtracks. 3D Surround Upscaling adds spaciousness to regular stereo or mono soundtracks, and a feature called Voice Zoom 3 uses AI to isolate dialogue and boost it separately to enhance the clarity of voices.

Another feature, Acoustic Center Sync, allows for a compatible Sony soundbar or speakers to be connected to the Bravia 9 so its built-in speakers can be used as the center channel in a surround sound system. When this setup is configured, Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping processing will create 'phantom' speakers between the actual ones for even greater immersion.

When we tested the Sony Bravia 9, we used Acoustic Center Sync to pair the TV with a Sony Bravia Home Theater Quad wireless speaker system, creating a 5.1.4-channel configuration. The result: “the Bravia 9 integrated perfectly with the external audio system, delivering smooth and seamless sound.”

On the picture quality front, the Sony Bravia 9 is a flagship mini-LED TV and exclusively features the company’s XR Backlight Master Drive with High Peak Luminance tech to deliver pictures with high peak brightness and refined local dimming for detailed blacks. It also has an anti-reflection screen, making it a great option for both movies and sports, and it supports 4K 120Hz for gaming on two HDMI 2.1 ports.

Read our full Sony Bravia 9 review

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The best TV for sound: FAQs

New TVs coming in 2025

Successors to some of the TVs on this list have been announced for 2025, and those models will soon be arriving in stores. We expect to post reviews of them as quickly as possible, but for now, the listings in this guide stand as our current top choices as the best TVs for sound.

The Hisense U8QG will get a substantial sound upgrade over its predecessor, jumping to a 4.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos speaker configuration over the U8N’s 2.1.2-channel array. Like the U8N, it will also support DTS:X and is IMAX Enhanced certified. With up to 5,000 nits specified peak brightness, the U8QG series is also brighter than its predecessor and will feature up to 5,600 local dimming zones.

Roku Pro series TVs will also be getting an update in 2025, with the new models getting custom factory calibration to ensure best performance. Roku didn’t provide any information about sound upgrades to the Pro Series, which remains our top budget choice (US) in this guide.

How we test the best TVs for sound

How we test the best TVs for sound

To test the best TVs for sound, we watched a range of content on each of these displays, really listening out for some key criteria. This mostly included how the audio formats DTS:X and Dolby Atmos performed. Did they give the experience of surround sound? What was lacking? Did settings need to be adjusted considerably to get the desired effect? Did the TV deliver on the power listed in the specs?

In our reviews above, we've answered the key questions you'll need to know when considering the best TVs for sound, ensuring we tried TV shows, movies and games to let you know which might be better suited for certain kinds of content.

Although this guide is very much focused on audio specs, no one wants a TV that sounds great and looks mediocre. That's why every TV on this list has also been tested against the criteria we apply to all of our TV buying guides.

This includes rating picture quality, clarity and brightness. It also involves testing smart features, assistants and checking all of the best streaming apps work well. As well as living with the TV for some time, ensuring that all content types display well, viewing angles are good for a range of environments and much more.

We've tested hundreds of TVs over the years, which means you're in safe hands. Not only are we well equipped to pick the best TVs for sound, we also have extensive experience of the market as a whole, so can confidently select the TVs that deliver rather than relying on their specs.

Latest updates to this guide

November 16, 2025
Replaced the Panasonic Z95A as our best overall pick with the Panasonic Z95B, based on our recent testing. Also switched the Sony Bravia 8 in second place as our best mid-range OLED choice with the newer Sony Bravia 8 II.

May 9, 2025
Added 'New TVs for 2025' section to FAQ.

February 10, 2025
Added in 'Buy it if' and 'Don't buy it if' boxes for each entry to summarize pros and cons for quick reading.

December 16, 2024
Added Roku Pro Series as 'Best budget (US)' option.

October 16, 2024
Gave this list an overhaul with new rankings and entries. Panasonic Z95A was introduced and became 'best overall'. Sony Bravia 8 became the 'best mid-range OLED'. The Hisense U8N became the 'best mid-range mini-LED' Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED introduced and became 'best budget' and the Sony Bravia 9 became the 'best premium mini-LED'.
Also introduced 'Quick List' with short summaries for each entry at the top of the list.

August 15, 2024
Replaced Hisense U8K with newer Hisense U8N model as 'best midrange.'

June 18, 2024
Replaced Samsung S95C OLED with the Sony Bravia 9 mini-LED as 'best premium US.'

February 5, 2024
Added the Sony A80L as 'best tv for sound for most people'. Panasonic MZ2000 and Samsung S95C were introduced as 'best premium UK' and 'best premium US' respectively. Hisense U8K added as 'best mid range TV for sound'. Removed Sony X90J, Samsung Q80B, LG C2, Philips OLED+936 and Sony A95K from guide, mostly due to receding stock.

Klipsch Flexus Core 100: review

If you’re short on space, but still want to experience the wonders of Dolby Atmos, then the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 could be the soundbar for you. This 2.1-channel model aims to supply “immersive, spatial sound” in a single, compact bar, using virtualized Atmos.

Let’s start with a bit of a reality check. The Klipsch Flexus Core 100 has some key limitations that hold it back from delivering the expansive, three-dimensional sound that larger models offer. It uses a fairly basic 2.1 channel configuration, with four main drivers – two front-firing 2.25-inch speakers, and two built-in four-inch subwoofers.

Unlike most of the best soundbars for Dolby Atmos, the Flexus Core 100 doesn’t have up-firing drivers, which are required for ‘true’ Atmos. There’s also no center channel on offer, and as a fairly narrow bar, this thing’s not going to plate up the width you’d expect from a full-length model.

With all of that said, the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 is a pretty good-sounding model. When watching a 4K UHD Blu-ray of Top Gun: Maverick, I was impressed by accurate dialogue in the opening scene – which sounded well-defined, and maintained the echoey effect you’d expect in a wide open space.

On top of that, Maverick showcased the low-end talents of the Flexus Core 100. The rumble of jet engines was more impactful than a lot of bars in this size category – and other parts of the frequency range didn’t sound obscured as Tom Cruise’s character prepared for take off.

I will say, though, that when the jet flew up and overhead, the verticality of the move was very limited. And more generally, this soundbar struggles to conjure up a sense of height – it's understandable with its technical limitations, but it’s going to be an issue for those wanting great Dolby Atmos in a small package.

In spite of its unremarkable height effects, the Flexus Core 100 still provides a decent amount of width for such a narrow model. In The Mask, the soundbar commendably replicated the cartoonish spin of the titular character across the screen. As he smashed through a glass window, the combination of a low-end thump with a high-pitched shattering also came through with clarity and impact, capturing the surprising nature of the move brilliantly.

One small issue I picked up on was during a scene where two B-rate mobsters are playing air hockey in the backdrop. Here, the left and right channel separation seemed overzealous and choppy – likely a result of there being no center channel, as this isn't something I experienced on a 5.1 bar like the Marshall Heston 60.

As well as movies, I tried listening to some music over Bluetooth using Tidal. And like a lot of small soundbars, the Flexus Core 100 isn’t particularly talented in this department.

In Black Eye by Allie X, I was satisfied with the depth of the bass, although it wasn’t particularly agile. Meanwhile, vocals were clear enough, but not separated all too much from other sounds in the mid-range. Percussion wasn’t the most precise either, and it lacked a sense of space. Overall, I got a relatively clean listen, but one that lacked nuance or detail.

With Atmos music, it was a similar story. Dream of Arrakis by Hans Zimmer offers solid low-end punch, but the attack of percussion was fairly blunt, and vocal elements weren’t all too clear in the mix. The expansiveness of this master was also pared back quite a bit compared to what I’ve heard on more premium compact bars, like the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

Something else I realized when playing tunes, was that the soundbar didn’t automatically switch to Music mode – something I’ve become relatively accustomed to from most modern soundbars. You have to select the appropriate mode with the included remote or the Klipsch Connect Plus app.

Still, the two modes are decently differentiated, and if you want to make additional changes, you can make use of an equalizer in the companion app. And EQ options aren’t bad at all – you can manually adjust bass, mids, or treble, or switch between presets, including: Flat, Vocal, Bass, Treble, and Rock.

More generally, I was a big fan of the Klipsch Connect Plus app. It’s brilliantly responsive, well laid-out, and pretty feature-rich. On the main screen, you can change source, activate a genuinely great multi-level voice enhancement setting, activate night mode, and more. An additional settings menu also opens up channel level adjustment, surround and subwoofer pairing, and display brightness adaption.

The only thing I was really missing on the app was some kind of room calibration tool to optimize the Flexus Core 100 to my listening space – something you’ll find on soundbars like Sonos Beam 2nd Gen and Marshall Heston 120.

I touched on the Flexus Core 100’s display a moment ago, and I have to give Klipsch some kudos here – it looks absolutely fantastic. Rather than relying on a basic lighting system, there’s a large display with full letters and numbers to let you know which mode you’re using, source you’re connected to, and volume level you’re at. This is incredibly clear, and makes for a much smoother user-experience.

On top of a neat display and seamless in-app experience, setting the Flexus Core 100 up really couldn’t have been easier. You’ve just got to connect it to a power source, and hook it up to your TV over HDMI eARC or digital optical – easy as pie. You can also build your system out at your own pace by connecting a compatible wireless sub, or a wired one via the soundbar’s ‘sub out’ port. You can also purchase Flexus Surround speakers for a more three-dimensional listening experience.

In terms of functionality, the only major miss in my view is the omission of Wi-Fi streaming. Personally, this is an absolute must for me. I love being able to use Spotify or Tidal Connect to enjoy my music in higher quality than Bluetooth streaming allows. Some may also lament the lack of DTS support, which is less common than Dolby Atmos for streaming, but is often used on Blu-rays.

We’ve spoken a lot about the technology involved so far, but how does the Flexus Core 100 fare in the looks department? In my opinion, this soundbar is a little on the average side. The large logo on the right side isn’t the most attractive, and the fabric speaker grille doesn’t quite give off a premium impression. Still, the model is well-made, and I’ve already raved about its excellent display.

One thing I’ve not mentioned yet is the Flexus Core 100’s price-tag. And this is pretty competitive, all things considered. It comes in at $349 / £299 / AU$645, which is less than a 2.0 channel rival like the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 and considerably less than compact Atmos titans like the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Bose Smart Soundbar.

In the end, then, the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 is a solid soundbar overall. It won’t deliver the most amazing Dolby Atmos, it’s not the best-looking model I’ve seen, and I’m also still sad about the omission of Wi-Fi streaming.

But its great bass levels, clear dialogue, impressive companion app support, and ease of use are all highly commendable. If you’ve got the cash, I’d suggest going with either Sonos or Marshall’s compact soundbars, but if you’re on a tighter budget, this model is well-worth considering.

Klipsch Flexus Core 100 review: price and release date

• $349 / £299 / AU$645
• Launched in April 2024

The Klipsch Flexus Core 100 was released in April 2024, and is part of a product line that also features the Flexus Core 200 and the exceptional Klipsch Flexus Core 300.

It has a list price of $349 / £299 / AU$645, making it the cheapest product in that lineup, and very competitively priced against other compact Dolby Atmos models like the Sonos Beam Gen 2, for instance.

Klipsch Flexus Core 100 review: specs

Should I buy the Klipsch Flexus Core 100?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Klipsch Flexus Core 100 review: also consider

How I tested the Klipsch Flexus Core 100

• Tested with movies and music across multiple hours
• Used in our TV testing space at Future Labs
• Mainly played 4K Blu-rays for movies and streamed via Tidal for music

When testing the Klipsch Flexus Core 100, I had the soundbar connected up to the phenomenal LG G5 OLED TV via its HDMI eARC port.

I spent the majority of my time with the soundbar watching 4K UHD Blu-rays – predominantly viewing them via the Panasonic DP-UB820. However, I also watched some shows on Netflix, and streamed music through Tidal using the Dolby Atmos and stereo formats.

On top of this, I made sure to exhaust all of the Flexus Core 100’s features, and cycled through all of the settings in the Klipsch Connect Plus app, including the various sound modes and EQ calibrations.

More generally, I’m an experienced tech reviewer with a particular focus on audio-visual gear, and have tested a wide range of soundbars. During almost two years at TechRadar, I’ve covered everything from budget models like the Sony HT-SF150 through to premium Dolby Atmos soundbar systems, such as the JBL Bar 1300MK2.

• First reviewed: January 2026
• Read more about how we test

Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii - MCMLXXII is coming to 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Music Vision, and is set for release on February 27th 2026.

The iconic 1972 concert film, which features tracks such as Echoes, One Of These Days and A Saucerful Of Secrets, receives the 4K treatment, which is restored from the original 35mm footage. It promises enhanced colors, fine details and "every frame was meticulously reviewed and repaired by hand", with restoration efforts led by Lana Topham, Director of Restoration for Pink Floyd.

For sound, there are three mixes on offer: Dolby Atmos, stereo and 5.1. The new home entertainment mix by Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree fame) has enhanced the original soundtrack, but Wilson aimed to "remain faithful to how the band would have sounded in 1971."

This 4K release comes off the back of a big 2025 for the band. Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii - MCMLXXII returned to theaters worldwide in the spring, and a 50th Anniversary edition of the band's iconic album Wish You Were Here was released in December with a new Dolby Atmos mix.

The 4K Blu-ray is available for pre-order now, and can be pre-ordered here. Prices are expected to be $32.99 / £29.99 (roughly AU$49.99). Pink Floyd: Live in Pompeii MCMLXXII is also available on CD, Vinyl and Blu-ray.

The arrival of 4K Blu-ray music films

While physical media has been struggling over the past few years, 4K Blu-ray certainly seems to be finding its audience still. Every time I visit my local HMV store here in the UK, the 4K Blu-ray section seems to be getting bigger, with more limited edition releases from the likes of The Criterion Collection and Arrow filling the shelves.

It's no surprise then that with the enthusiast support for 4K Blu-ray and the rise of Dolby Atmos and spatial audio music, that more concert films are being brought to 4K Blu-ray, providing a premium home theater experience.

Pairing one of these discs with the best TVs and the best soundbars leads to magic, as I discovered when viewing Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague as part of the July 2025 Blu-ray Bounty.

Pink Floyd now join the growing list of artists bringing iconic concert films to 4K Blu-ray which already includes Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Prince. My colleague Matt Bolton also wrote a list of Dolby Atmos movies that really focus on the music, including concert films, if you want some recommendations.

I expect in 2026 we'll see that list get even bigger and as a 4K Blu-ray fan, I'm here for it.