The weekend may be over, but there is no need to get down, as we have a special start of the week treat for you – a fresh entry into our Rewind hi-fi and home cinema news digest.
Last week was particularly quiet at What Hi-Fi?’s home-base, with many of our team being on the ground in Germany, reporting live from the IFA 2024 trade show. The Berlin show brought with it a surprising amount of hi-fi and home cinema news. On top of that our reviewers also delivered their final verdict on some big name hi-fi and home cinema hardware.
Here’s what you need to know.
Technics unveiled two big surprises
Japanese audio giant Technics chose IFA as the launchpad for two big pieces of new hi-fi. The first is a new SC-CX700 all-in-one speaker system which looks set to take on the five-star KEF LS50 Wireless II and KEF LSX II – the current top dogs in that category.
We didn’t get a chance to listen to the SC-CX700 at the show, but considering Technics' long history and pedigree with systems, having created the Award-winning SA-SC600, this is definitely one to watch.
Backing this up, the company then unveiled a new Technics SL-1300G turntable at the show. The new model sits above the fourth-gen SL-1200GR2 we reviewed last year and features an improved direct-drive design. This will apparently let it deliver cleaner audio and “breathtaking performance".
Read the full story:
Technics surprises us with a KEF-rivalling wireless speaker system at IFA 2024
Bang & Olufsen unveiled some uber expensive over-ears
Danish brand Bang & Olufsen unveiled what it describes as its “best pair of headphones” ever last week. Set to retail for a hefty £1299 / $1549, we hope there’s truth to that claim as that’s a lot of money to spend on a pair of wireless over-ear headphones by any stretch of the imagination.
This is especially true as there are already two very strong players at that end of the wireless headphone market. Specifically, the Mark Levinson No. 5909 (tested at £999 / $999), and high-end T+A Solitaire T (tested at £1200 / $1600) which both earned perfect five star ratings from our reviewers.
Read the full story: Bang & Olufsen’s high-end Beoplay H100 are “the best pair of headphones” the brand has ever created
Sony’s only 2024 OLED TV is great
It was a good week for Sony. Not only did it unveil its new Bravia 8 and 9 projectors, but our team of TV experts also awarded its Bravia 8 OLED TV a perfect five-star rating. Comparing it directly against its predecessor, the Award-winning Sony A80L, we found the Bravia 8 is a small but welcome step forward, and fantastic for any movie fan.
Read our full Bravia 8 review
We had a first taste of Dali’s kore
As well as Sony’s OLED TV, our testers also finished reviewing the Dali Rubicore 2 speakers last week. These are a set of top-end standmount speakers targeting the same market as the Award-winning KEF R3 Meta. They’re also our first taste of Dali’s new “kore” engineering, which brings with it a number of exclusive, patented technologies. Putting them through their paces in our listening rooms, they proved to be a delight, delivering class-leading levels of insight and a fun, rhythmically precise sound.
Read our full Dali Rubicore 2 review
IFA turned 100
We all love new stuff, but with IFA in full swing and turning 100, our hi-fi and audio editor couldn’t resist taking some time to look at past highlights from the show. These include some pretty big milestones, ranging from the arrival of colour TVs and cassette players to epic format clashes.
Read the full story: IFA at 100: historic audio, TV and format highlights from one of the biggest and oldest tech shows
MORE:
These are the best record players we’ve reviewed
We rate the best OLED TVs
Our picks of the best wireless headphones
