Rewind: LG’s premier soundbar tested, we rank the top Mini LED TVs and more

All the top hi-fi and home cinema news from the past week in in one handy place

The wheel of time keeps spinning which means despite our best efforts the work week is once again upon us. But it’s not all bad news as that means a fresh entry into our weekly Rewind news digest, where we detail the top hi-fi and home cinema news to break over the past seven days.

It was another big one as we had fresh turntable news from three of the category's heavyweights, all while our reviewers continued testing some of 2024’s top products ahead of the first wave of winner announcements for the 2024 What Hi-Fi? Awards.

Here’s what you need to know.

We reviewed LG’s top soundbar system

Last week our team of experts delivered their verdict on the LG S95TR, a premiere Dolby Atmos soundbar system designed to take on the five star Samsung HW-Q990D. Featuring a central soundbar, wireless subwoofer and twin wireless surround speakers, on paper it looks like a very enticing, albeit expensive, unit, retailing for £1699 / $1500 / AU$1699. Sadly, while we found it can deliver an open, spacious sound with a reasonable amount of punch and detail, a lack of finesse and consistency stop it dethroning its Samsung rival.

Read our full LG S95TR review

Pro-Ject unveiled new record players

Last week Pro-Ject unveiled a trio of new affordable turntables. All three are part of the new T1 Evo series and promise to deliver “true high-fidelity sonics to vinyl enthusiasts on a limited budget". We’re yet to test any of them but their pricing does make them look appealing.  The entry level T1 Evo is set to cost  €399 / $449. Meanwhile the middle Evo Phono will cost €449 / $499 and the top Evo BT will set you back €499 / $599. All three will be available in the US from late October.

Read the full story: Pro-Ject's affordable turntable range promises high-fidelity sound without the sky-high price tag

Get the What Hi-Fi? Newsletter

The latest hi-fi, home cinema and tech news, reviews, buying advice and deals, direct to your inbox.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

 As did Audio-Technica... 

Pro-Ject wasn’t the only company with a new record player to show off. Audio-Technica also got in on the action, showing off its new flagship AT-LP8X turntable. Unlike the Pro-Ject T1 Evo series, the AT-LP8X sits firmly in the premium end of Audio-Technica’s portfolio and is set to retail for £849 / €849. That puts it in direct competition with the Award-winning Technics SL-1500C, which is currently available for £899 / $1300.

Read the full story: Audio-Technica levels up with the AT-LP8X turntable, promising precision and user-friendly performance

And we delivered our verdict on Rega’s latest turntable and cartridge combo

Rounding out the record player news for this week’s column, last week our reviewers finished testing the Rega Planar 2/Nd3. This is the latest turntable and cartridge combo from the iconic audio brand which combines the brand's five-star Planar 2 deck with its new Nd3 moving magnet cartridge. Putting this package through its paces in our listening rooms we found plenty to like, with the turntable delivering an authoritative and engaging sound throughout.

Read our full Rega Planar 2/Nd3 review

We rated the top Mini LED TVs 

TV makers have been pushing Mini LED as an OLED rival quite hard recently, claiming its higher peak brightness and easier manufacturing process mean it can deliver stellar results without costing an arm and a leg. While we’re not fully convinced it can deliver the same results as a flagship OLED, due to its lack of pixel level light control which lets OLEDs deliver perfect blacks, there are a number of fantastic value Mini LED TVs currently available in the mid- and lower-top tier of the market. Last week our experts detailed their top recommendations in a new best Mini LED TV buying guide.

Read the full article: Best Mini LED TV: super-bright next-gen TVs recommended by our experts 

What Hi-Fi? Awards testing continued

We’re set to unveil the Best Buy winners for the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024 on the 9th October. Which means our reviewers are currently hunkered down in our dedicated viewing and listening rooms, rushing to finish testing all the hardware being considered for the shortlist. As always, that’s led to some Groundhog Day moments where the team genuinely forget what year it is, or how long it has been since they’ve seen daylight. Last week one particularly barmy moment occurred during our UST group tests, where What Hi-Fi?’s editor (me) was reminded of a key flaw projectors in the category are yet to overcome…

Read the full story: I spent 48 hours looking at some of 2024's top UST projectors – and my ageing OLED TV is safe (for now)

MORE:

These are the best OLED TVs we've reviewed

We rate the best record players

Our picks of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars