Happy Monday and welcome to the latest entry into the What Hi-Fi? team’s weekly Rewind news digest.
In it our team of experts once again detail all the top audio and home cinema news you need to know about.
It was another busy one with our team delivering their verdict on two big products and fresh rumblings about Sony’s fabled new WH-1000XM6 wireless headphones appearing over the past seven days.
Here’s what you need to know.
We delivered our final verdict on Rega’s Planar 3 RS Edition turntable
The Planar 3 is usually the sweet spot in Rega’s range of turntables offering great features and a palatable price for normal buyers.
That continues with the Planar 3 RS Edition, which we finished testing last week. Key changes to the unit on the regular version include a new brushed metal finish, updates to the plinth and included outboard Neo PSU Mk2 power supply.
Paired with our reference set-up this let the unit deliver great results in our review rooms. Whether it was acid jazz, rumbling 12-bar blues or bopping pop, the set-up delivered a rhythmically precise and dynamically exciting performance that delighted our reviewers. Hence our conclusion and glowing recommendation:
“Clever upgrades improve the standard Planar 3 recipe to an elevated performance for a competitive price; the RS Edition is a beautifully made deck that sounds fantastic.”
Read our full Rega Planar 3 RS Edition review
There’s a new best value Mini LED TV in town
We’ve been hunting for a truly brilliant, five-star, affordable TV that will meet serious home cinema fans’ needs for a while. And while it didn’t quite do enough to nab that final star, last week the Hisense U7N came very close to ending our quest.
The Mini LED sits below the flagship Hisense U8N, and based on our testing is the best value option available right now. So much so that as well as giving it a four star rating, we also added it as the best value option in our best Mini LED TV buying guide.
While it doesn’t go as bright as some rivals, its accurate colours, robust app support and solid (by Mini LED standards) black level make it a fantastic option for buyers who don’t want to spend over a grand on their next TV. As we said in our Hisense U7N review:
“The Hisense U7N is a very good value Mini LED TV that will tick all the right boxes for most people. The Mini LED set offers solid picture quality in most instances – as long as you take the time to tweak its settings.”
Read our full Hisense U7N review
We may have a release date for Sony’s hotly rumoured wireless headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM5 are one of the What Hi-Fi? team’s recommended sets of wireless headphones right now. Which is why you’ll find them front and centre as a recommendation in our best wireless headphones, best Sony headphones and best ANC headphones guides. Why? Because they offer the best holistic experience you’ll get on a pair of wireless headphones at their price and come with no obvious weaknesses.
Which is why we’re incredibly interested to see what changes, and hopefully improvements, Sony has in store for us with its hotly rumoured follow-up, the Sony WH-1000XM6. Thankfully, if a fresh leak from thewalkmanblog last week is to be believed, we won’t have to wait long to find out. According to the blog, a recent submission for FCC certification hints the fabled headphones will launch this summer.
Read the full story: Does this leak confirm that the Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless headphones will launch this year?
Acoustic Energy launched new speakers
Looking for a new pair of stereo speakers and keen not to spend Temptation level money? Then you’ll be pleased to hear that Acoustic Energy last week unveiled new 300 Series speakers specifically designed to bring some of the new hardware seen in its premium Corinium floorstanders down a price point.
The range, which is aimed at hi-fi and home cinema fanatics, includes the AE300² standmounts, AE309² and AE320² floorstanders and the AE307² centre channel. The feature that sets them apart most is the inclusion of a new tweeter design based on the one we saw in the £5999-a-pair Corinium floorstanders, which launched last year.
Full pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but we know it will start at £649 for the AE3002 and £1999 for the AE3202 in the UK.
Read the full story: Acoustic Energy’s overhauled mid-range 300 Series uses technology derived from its flagship Corinium speakers
Samsung’s bringing its 8K TV smarts to phones
Last week Samsung lifted the lid on its new Galaxy S25 series of smartphones. Why are we talking about a phone on What Hi-Fi?, you ask? Because Samsung is pitching the new phone as an ideal mobile entertainment device for people that like to watch TV and movies on the go.
To back this claim up, Samsung has loaded the new Galaxy S25 with clever upscaling hardware and powers based on the tech used in its premium 8K TVs. As an added perk, our staff writer managed to push past the crowds and get an opening, hands-on look at the top end Galaxy S25 Ultra at its launch event and came away with a very positive impression of the handset.
Read our full Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on review
MORE:
These are the best phones for movies and music
Our picks of the best record players
We rate the best floorstanding speakers
