Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to decide what you'd like from Santa than to peruse through our December issue, on sale today.
It's a techie treat, with our first ever Group Test of Ultra HD 4K TVs, the ultimate in high-definition viewing with four times the resolution of 'regular' HD. We've rounded up six 65in 4K screens from LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. The future of television has arrived.
It gets better. We've also secured Samsung's first curved OLED telly, the 55in KE55S9C, which gets the full First Test treatment. So if you want your screen to look as sexy when it's off as when it's on, this is one you have to see.
Of course a great screen is no good without great sound or, as George Lucas once said, "sound is 50 per cent of the movie-going experience". To that end we've rounded up a quartet of big-name home cinema amps from Denon, Harman Kardon, Pioneer and Yamaha to battle it out in the fiercely competitive £800-£1000 arena.
And if you want a truly giant home cinema experience, then what you really need is a projector. Contrary to what you may think, they don't cost the earth. This month we have a trio of highly affordable models, from just £740-£900.
From movies to music, and there's never been a better time to buy an all-in-one micro hi-fi system. Many of these one-box wonders now come with built-in streaming via Bluetooth or DLNA, making them the ideal plug'n'play solution for all your musical needs. From just £300, they won't cost the earth either.
If you already have a hi-fi set-up and want to give it a boost for Christmas then check out our Supertest of luxury standmount speakers. KEF's Award-winning LS50s take on £700-£1000 rivals – can thay hang on to their crown?
As ever, we've also got a cornucopia of First Tests, from Cambridge Audio's £100 DacMagic XS mini USB DAC, to another groundbreaking digital stereo amp from NAD, Monitor Audio's new Silver 6 floorstanding speakers, Sony's slimmest TV soundbar, the LG G2 smartphone and the funky-looking Libratone Loop wireless speaker.
Meanwhile, in Insider we report on the demise of plasma TV as Panasonic finally pulls the plug on plasma production, and take a detailed look at the new iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 from Apple.
All this and more is in the December 2013 issue of What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, on sale now. And don't forget you can download the mag directly to your iPad or buy a single copy online.
By Andy Clough
