Rewind: New Sony headphones, Record Store Day celebrations, a mind-blowing Mini LED TV and more

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Welcome to the latest entry in our Rewind column, where we detail the biggest hi-fi and home cinema headlines to break over the past seven days.

We have a treat for you, as this week it's coinciding with the launch of our special Vinyl Week event.

Vinyl celebrations aside, the worlds of hi-fi and home cinema have been busy with everything from new Sony headphones designed for “discerning young people” to cutting-edge Mini LED TVs appearing.

Audio Pro’s new wireless speaker delivers the goods

Audio Pro C20 wireless speaker — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Last week we gave our definitive verdict on the Audio Pro C20, a wireless speaker in direct rivalry with the five-star Sonos Era 300. Despite stiff competition, it impressed our testers, delivering great connectivity options, a big, detailed sound and a lovely lounge-friendly design. If you’re in the market for a wireless speaker for home use, this one is well worth considering!

Read our full Audio Pro C20 review

We announced a Vinyl Week special event

Last week we announced a special Vinyl Week event. The event will run from today until the end of play on Sunday 20th April. Stay tuned at What Hi-Fi?, as during it we’ll be publishing everything from behind the scenes interviews to fresh reviews and features celebrating the iconic format.

Read the full story: Celebrating Vinyl Week 2024 on What Hi-Fi?

TCL’s new flagship Mini LED looks impressive

TCL C855 press image — (Image credit: TCL)

TCL launched its new flagship C855 Mini LED TV last week. We haven’t reviewed it yet, so can’t sensibly comment on its performance. But the C855 has some impressive specifications that caught our experts' attention. The headline feature is that it has over twice as many dimming zones as its predecessor, the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning TCL C845. According to TCL, this will let it hit a 3500 nits max brightness, which is well above the C845’s 2000 nits max. While max brightness isn’t necessarily the be-all and end-all for picture quality, the upgrade and positive experience we had reviewing the C845 left us hankering to get the C855 in for testing.

Read the full story: TCL's new flagship Mini LED TV features an absurd boost in dimming zones and brightness

Esoteric’s CD spinner justified its price

Esoteric K-05XD CD player — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

£11,650 may sound like a lot to pay for a CD player, but if you have the cash and want the best then we’d recommend checking out the Esoteric K-05XD. Last week our reviewers awarded the SACD/CD spinner a perfect five stars for one simple reason: it sounds phenomenal. Paired with our reference system it delivered exceptional clarity and detail resolution that made our listening sessions an absolute joy,

Read our full Esoteric K-05XD review

We revisted the “upgradeitis” dilemma

Cyrus CDi with CDs — (Image credit: Cyrus Audio)

As hi-fi and home cinema fans we all feel a constant itch to upgrade or tinker with our set-ups. What Hi-Fi? only exists to help you do just that. Inside our test rooms we even have a name for the condition, “upgradeitis”. This week our managing editor Becky Roberts took the time to chronicle her latest episode of the condition and share some useful tips on how she overcame it.

Read the full story: When should you upgrade your hi-fi? How to control ‘upgradeitis’

ATC celebrated its 50th anniversary

British hi-fi legend ATC is celebrating 50th-anniversary by launching limited edition variants of its SCM20ASL speakers and C4 Sub Mk2. Featuring upgraded parts, and a much heftier price tag than the base models, the special editions certainly look interesting. But if you want to grab one you’ll have to act fast as ATC is only making 50 pairs of the SCM20ASL speakers and just 20 units of the C4 Sub Mk2.

Read the full story: ATC celebrates its 50th anniversary with high-end limited edition active speakers

Sony launched new ULT Wear headphones

Sony ULT Wear on a wooden bar counter — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Sony lifted the lid on a trio of new products last week. The one that caught our testers’ eyes the most was its new ULT Wear headphones, which at first glance look a lot like its flagship, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning WH-1000XM5 headphones. The big difference is that they’re set to be cheaper, with hi-res support being cut in a bid to keep costs down. We can’t say if the move will pay off until we’ve had a chance to properly review the new headphones. But staff writer Harry Mckerrell’s positive impressions after an opening listen at the ULT launch event means they have piqued our interest.

Read our Sony ULT Wear headphone hands-on

MORE:

These are the best speakers we've reviewed

We rate the best record players we've tested

These are the best OLED TVs we recommend

Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.