The annual Consumer Electronics Show marks the beginning of each year with an audio-visual bang that is second to none. CES takes place in Las Vegas at the start of January, and it is where many of the major television manufacturers announce their new sets and technological developments for the year. And, of course, we at What Hi-Fi? are there to report on it all every year.
In this month’s issue, we bring you the news on what you can expect from TVs in 2024. Those sets won’t be with us for a while, though, so we also have a TV head to head pitting the best that Sony currently has to offer against Panasonic.
And you won’t want to miss our Group Test of surround speaker packages that sees a new, and excellent, Q Acoustics package take on Award-winners from B&W and Wharfedale. Also in this issue, we pit Ruark against Naim in a head to head of premium all-in-one music systems.
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Premium OLED showdown
Sony and Panasonic both released genuinely envelope-pushing TVs in 2023: Sony’s A95L boasts a second-generation QD-OLED screen, while Panasonic’s MZ2000 is only the second TV to feature Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology, boosting its brightness no end. Both TVs earned five stars from us. But which is right for you?
We’ve compared the two, category by category, so you can make an informed choice.
CES 2024 TV reveals
The 2024 Consumer Electronics Show hosted over 4300 exhibitors and 135,000 attendees, including members of the What Hi-Fi? team. Why? Precisely because this is where most of the world’s biggest consumer electronics brands announce their new products for the year ahead.
While hi-fi and home cinema products certainly do feature at CES (as well as smartwatches, phones, drones and plenty more besides), it’s generally the TVs that take centre stage, and this year Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL announced more or less whole new TV ranges for the year ahead.
This issue, in our bumper TV preview, you’re going to find out about all the new sets announced, in detail, with a focus on exciting new tech such as brighter MLA OLEDs, brighter QD-OLEDs and huge Mini LED models with mind-bendingly huge figures for brightness and dimming zones. Whatever you do, don't miss this month's What Hi-Fi?
Which is the best home cinema speaker package?
2023 proved to be an eventful year for home cinema speaker packages.
Three such packages feature in our group test this month, starting
with Bowers & Wilkins’ 606 & 607 S3 speaker package, which combines two sets of five-star stereo speakers with an equally impressive centre channel and subwoofer to create an Award-winning package.
Meanwhile, Q Acoustics has once again combined a pair of highly decorated stereo speakers (the 5040s) with talented partners – in this case the 5010 standmounter surrounds, 5090 centre channel and B12 active subwoofer – to great effect in the Q Acoustics 5040 5.1 Home Cinema.
We also introduce an Award-winning speaker package from Wharfedale to our group test. The Wharfedale Evo 4.4 5.1 HCP remains an excellent product, but one that now has some tough rivals to compete with.
To reach our verdict, we compare each set-up head-to-head, using some of our regular test movies to identify their respective strengths and weaknesses.
Find out which one comes out top in March's magazine!
Ultra short throw projectors
Ultra short throw projectors (USTs) are increasingly being touted as a replacement for a huge TV in your home cinema set-up. Unlike ‘regular’ projectors, USTs can be placed a matter of inches, rather than feet, from your screen or wall and – thanks to a process of enlargement via a series of internal lenses – are still able to project an image far bigger than that of the biggest televisions, if that is what’s required. They are also much cheaper than equivalent big-screen TVs – and that is the real key to their appeal.
As well as supplying good-looking images, today’s USTs are also well equipped, offering wi-fi connectivity, a wealth of smart features and wide access to video-streaming services.
Whether you are seeking the best in lights-out, curtains-drawn home cinema viewing or simply want a cheaper alternative to a large-screen telly, we round up three of our favourite models of ultra-short throw projector.
First with reviews
This month, as always, our First Tests section is packed with in-depth, impartial and expert verdicts on the very latest hi-fi and AV gear.
Kicking off with a superb TV, we bring you our thorough and expert review of a new set from Philips, the 55OLED808. This was a set we couldn't wait to get our peepers on. It's up against some stiff competition from the likes of Sony and Panasonic, so how does this set match up with the best? Find out in this issue of What Hi-Fi?
Also in our test rooms this month we have an amplifier from Mission that harks back to the company's first ever integrated; and the Mission 778X is a corker. We also take a look at a brace of projectors, Xgimi's Horizon Ultra projector and the Epson CO-FH01, plus the Elipson Horus 6B standmount speakers, Jabra Elite 10 earbuds, and a fantastically priced budget TV from Hisense, the 43A6KTUK.
Find out what our review team thought of all these products in March's What Hi-Fi?
Let us put temptation your way...
Our Temptations section of the magazine is all about the best. And the best rarely comes cheap.
DS Audio's DS003 package combines a rather impressive optical cartridge with a dedicated phono stage (it won't work with regular phono stages). It offers a sound that's hard to better, and if you can afford the not-insubstantial outlay, your vinyl records will thank you.
We also take a look at some impressive standmount speakers from Kerr Acoustic, the K300 Mk3. We found that they "excel at transparency and balance". Not cheap, but certainly worth it.
Find out more in this month's What Hi-Fi?
Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy – including winners of 2023's What Hi-Fi? Awards. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of wireless headphones to a home cinema speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.
Whatever you do, don't miss the March 2024 issue of What Hi-Fi?. Grab a copy today, or simply download it onto your tablet or smartphone. Enjoy!
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition
