5 of the best surprise TV and home cinema Black Friday deals (and 3 big disappointments)

Denon AVR-X2800H home cinema amplifier on a wood media unit
(Image credit: Denon)

Black Friday can become a bit predictable with each year that passes. We expect the usual hundreds of hundreds of pounds slashed from the price tags of flagship TVs and the usual suspect soundbars often get a hearty discount too, but it's nice to be surprised sometimes.

After all, Black Friday is about finding that hidden gem of a deal and feeling triumphant in saving hundreds on some top-quality home cinema and AV tech. So, while they're few and far between, we've sought out the most surprising Black Friday deals that spotlight truly great deals on top-notch TVs, soundbars, AVRs and speaker packages. 

However, there's also a deal that hasn't really been worth the wait, while another one of our favourite products hasn't been discounted at all. These have been noted, and we've also vented our frustrations on this page too.

The 5 best surprise Black Friday AV and TV deals

Denon AVR-X2800H AVR £869 £499 at Richer Sounds (save £370)

Denon AVR-X2800H AVR £869 £499 at Richer Sounds (save £370)
Denon is at the top of its game when it comes to home cinema amplifiers and the 2800 is a hugely impressive piece of kit, thanks to its weighty, dynamic and expressive sound, and excellent feature set. Don't miss out on this equally impressive deal, also available at Sevenoaks.

Read our full Denon AVR-X2800H review

Starting with this incredible Denon deal, you can save £370 on this Award-winning AVR right now, dropping the price down to £370. Its rich, dynamic and broad cinematic sound is certainly a steal at this price, while its spectacular spread of connectivity options including three HDMI 2.1 connectors for 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM is the icing on the cake.

It also supports all of the primary HDR standards we'd expect including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG, making it an AVR that impresses us both audibly and visually.

Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus £1299 £899 at Sevenoaks (save £400)

Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus £1299 £899 at Sevenoaks (save £400)
Sennheiser's Ambeo Plus impresses with a wide, spacious sound field, excellent musical ability, and a fine spread of useful features and connectivity options. HDMI inputs are included as are a number of different steaming options, from Bluetooth to Spotify Connect. The Ambeo Plus sits among the best Dolby Atmos soundbars at this level. 

While it's not the cheapest Dolby Atmos soundbar deal out there right now (you can find 8 of the best Dolby Atmos soundbar deals here) it's a nice surprise to see Sennheiser cut a fair chunk off the Ambeo Plus' asking price.

This five-star soundbar is usually overshadowed by the Sonos Arc and Sony HT-A7000 who both greatly undercut it in the price department while offering a competitive performance. Black Friday has turned the tide, however, making this soundbar cheaper than the Sony HT-A7000 and therefore, a pretty solid choice if you want a top-notch performer.

Its punchy, textured and dynamic presentation is certainly worth the money at this price, while its impressively broad soundstage can seriously add some cinematic oomph to your TV's sound.

TCL 65C845K £1049£949 at Currys (save £100)
What Hi-Fi? Award winner.
Read our full TCL 65C845K review

TCL 65C845K £1049 £949 at Currys (save £100)
TCL's flagship Mini LED powered TV seriously impressed us, even earning it a spot on our 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards list. Its stunning picture and comprehensive suite of gaming features including HDMI 2.1, VRR, ALLM and even Dolby Vision Gaming make it a formidable TV, especially at this price. What Hi-Fi? Award winner.
Read our full
TCL 65C845K review

TCL's flagship Mini LED snatched up a What Hi-Fi? Award just a couple of weeks ago, and for good reason too. Its punchy, vibrant picture is backed up with dazzling brightness and impressive clarity, all while being much cheaper than other flagship sets on the market. It's also got some seriously impressive gaming chops, with the ability to reach a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz; ideal if you like to hook your PC up to your TV.

We were pleasantly surprised to see it in the Black Friday sales, and even more impressed when we saw it had dipped below a grand for the 65-inch model. At this price, we're struggling to think of a reason not to recommend it. 

LG OLED55G2 2022 OLED TV £2399 £1199 at Richer Sounds (save £1200)

LG OLED55G2 2022 OLED TV £2399 £1199 at Richer Sounds (save £1200)
The 55-inch G2 performs just as brilliantly as its larger sibling and has all of the same great features. If you don't have room for a 65-inch TV, this deal is almost as good.

Now who doesn't like an OLED TV? This is LG's former flagship 4K model, launching last year to critical acclaim. The G2 is still a stunner of a TV, and right now it's the same price as this year's step-down model — the LG C3 OLED.

With its punchy, crisp and dynamic picture, LG struck gold with the G2 and while we also love this year's G3, it's certainly not dropped to this sort of money. With £1200 off the asking price, this is a prime example of bypassing the latest model to score yourself a stellar deal on a still fantastic TV.

Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 5.1 Speaker Package £2696, £1946 at Sevenoaks (save £750)

Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 5.1 Speaker Package £2696, £1946 at Sevenoaks (save £750)

If you're not interested in floorstanders, then the Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 5.1 Speaker Package is the one to get. Winner of a What Hi-Fi? Award they offer excellent, immersive audio that will elevate any home cinema setup. And at this price they're amazing value.

Another What Hi-Fi? 2023 Award winner here, Bowers & Wilkins' home cinema speaker set includes two pairs of speakers we already raved about, so there was no surprise when it won the coveted Product of the Year award in the speaker packages category.

What is surprising is seeing it at this price, as £750 off is a mighty fine saving. It's an ideal alternative for those who don't fancy big, bulky floorstanding speakers and would rather opt for something a bit sleeker and more understated; without sacrificing sound quality of course.

The 3 biggest Black Friday disappointments

LG OLED42C3 2023 OLED TV was £1499 now £889 at Peter Tyson (save £610)What Hi-Fi? Award winnerRead our full LG OLED42C3 review

LG OLED42C3 2023 OLED TV was £1499 now £889 at Peter Tyson (save £610)
The 42-inch C3 has finally dropped to a seriously good price. This is simply the best TV available at this size, both in terms of picture performance and features. The sound lets it down somewhat, but hopefully this discount leaves a little money for a soundbar. What Hi-Fi? Award winner
Read our full LG OLED42C3 review

This might be controversial as technically this is a great deal on a brilliant TV. The LG OLED42C3 is the gaming TV of our dreams, and it's practically the only TV of this size worth buying; so if you've bought one this Black Friday we don't blame you. 

However, last year we saw its predecessor, the LG C2 OLED 42-inch, drop to as low as £699, something we would have liked to see the C3 follow suit with. I suppose we can't have it all, but it's worth noting that there are alternatives. For example, the slightly larger 48-inch LG C2 is also down to £899, meaning you can get a bigger TV with practically the same feature set and picture performance, for the same price.

Home cinema amplifier: Sony TA-AN1000

(Image credit: Sony)

A major disappointment that's plagued us this Black Friday is the total lack of deals on the Sony TA-AN1000. Despite it dropping to £799 during Amazon's latest Prime Day sales, there are no savings to be had right now, with the price sticking firm at £999.

While it's still an AV amplifier we can heartily recommend at full price, we would have liked to have seen it go down to its previous lowest price, and because it hasn't we've opted to recommend the Denon AVR-X28000H at its incredibly competitive price.  

4K TV streamer: Apple TV 4K

(Image credit: Apple)

The same sentiment is felt with the Apple TV 4K (2022), which is sticking firm at £169. We know Apple doesn't tend to drop the price of its hardware during these sales periods, but it's still frustrating not to be able to recommend a good deal on our Award-winning media streamer.

Google and Amazon have both heavily slashed the prices of their respective 4K streamers, but the Apple TV is so good that we'd still recommend it as the streamer to splurge on this Black Friday.

MORE:

Check out the best Black Friday deals

As well as the 8 best Black Friday deals on Dolby Atmos soundbars

And the best Black Friday home cinema deals

Senior Staff Writer

Lewis Empson is a Senior Staff Writer on What Hi-Fi?. He was previously Gaming and Digital editor for Cardiff University's 'Quench Magazine', Lewis graduated in 2021 and has since worked on a selection of lifestyle magazines and regional newspapers. Outside of work, he enjoys gaming, gigs and regular cinema trips.