What do you get the tech bro, crypto sis or picky audiophile pal who has everything? How about half-a-million quid’s worth of hi-fi equipment?

That’s the approximate retail value of AMR’s Luna Series luxury audio collection: the Luna Ingenii DAC, the Luna Medii preamplifier and the Luna Procellarum monoblock power amplifier. A decade in the R&D, designed in collaboration with the Grateful Dead’s fabled sound engineer, in a limited run of 148 sets, using components that don’t – and won’t – exist anymore: this is, in a very real sense, an amp that goes all the way up to, well, 111.

And while the sound will make your ears tingle, the price might make your eyes water: £441,000. ‘Basically, we wanted to push the boundaries of what audio technology could achieve in terms of resolving sound,’ explains Miles Roberts, global sales director for Southport-based Abbingdon Music Research. ‘Some of the technology that we've got in here is based on components that we actually bought the final runs of about ten years ago.’

Roberts is talking in Fitzrovia, central London, in the uber-plush basement lounge – think Bond villain’s lair, with snacks – of Cornflake, the smart-home automation and media-room installation specialist. AMR has booked out the space to demonstrate the kit it has carefully freighted south from Merseyside in custom-built Pelican flight cases, the combined weight as hefty as the price tag, some 80kg per component.

‘What we wanted to do is achieve a representation of music which was as near to reality as you could possibly get. It's taken us the better part of ten to 12 years to do that with this system,’ continues Roberts. To help them reach their ultra-audio goal, they enlisted John Curl, an electronics engineer and audio designer renowned in music and beyond, notably for his role in co-developing The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound, the band’s legendary live-concert sound system.

‘John always wanted to make a particular amplifier that was unique in the world, which is a four-quadrant, push-pull amplifier. And we're the only company that could work with him to do that. So that's what you see before you now.’ Before me now are a pair of what look like mini-Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi. Gleaming and gold-trimmed, those are the components that make up the Luna Procellarum monoblock power amplifier. Why two?

‘Because in true music systems, you generally have what's called dual mono, or separate left-right, so there's no interference between the left and right channel. We've got a 1200-watt-output monoblock for each side, for each speaker. And there's no interference between the left and right whatsoever.’

When it comes to the high-tech audiophiliac spec, Roberts has plenty more where that came from. But to cut to the chase: what makes the system so expensive? ‘It's a combination of the cost of the components, the engineering time and the limited accessibility. These will probably become collectable items. Due to the fact that we've bought all the components to make these, we can only make 148 sets. So it's a bit like a fine whisky or a Ferrari. There's only a limited number of these that can ever be made. And that's the end.’

It is, then, likely to pique the interest of ‘high-net-worth individuals who have the yacht, the Porsche, the villa in Greece. They like the finer things in life, and they're always striving to get to perfection.’

Beyond that, the ideal client, apart from a wealthy one, is ‘someone that really appreciates music. And that music doesn't have to be classical,’ Roberts adds, and duly indulges me with a playlist of ear-treat tunes across various genres: Melody Gardot’s ‘If You Love Me’, Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs Robinson’, the theme from Where Eagles Dare and, just to give the system a full work-out, Martin Garrix’s monster dance track ‘Funk’. As he says, ‘that’ll test pretty much any speaker!’

Having launched the system at June 2026’s High End Vienna trade fair (‘the international meeting place for everyone who wants to help shape the future of audio technology and experience sound at its finest’), AMR has already had ‘some serious interest from the customer base. So I don't think we'll struggle. But at the same time, there isn't someone around every corner that's going to spend half a million pounds on a hi-fi system.’

At least it’s straightforward to use – Roberts is playing the tunes to me on streaming platform Qobuz. ‘You don't have to relearn an operating system or anything like that. You can use whatever [to play your music] – Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music. Or if you were a real audiophile, you might have a big collection on hard drive. So it's accessible. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to drive it.’

But you might need to be a rocket owner to afford it.

AMR’s Luna Series is available from Q1 2027. Interested buyers should visit AMR-Audio.co.uk, @AMR_Audio

Tylko wants you to listen to music. Truly listen. Away from the screens and digital scrolling of playlists, but instead encouraging taking the time to give a composition a rare glimpse of full attention. But how do we break free from these digital crutches? The Warsaw-based furniture company has the answer – and they're entering the world of hi-fi, with Tylko Sound. The new speaker system is created to slot perfectly within the company’s customisable shelving systems, and sit neatly within a home.

Tune in to Tylko Sound

'People stopped really hearing music. That kind of listening – intentional, attentive – has quietly disappeared from most homes,' Says Ben Kuna, co-founder and CBO of Tylko. 'Music is one of the strongest carriers of emotion, yet we’ve stopped making space for it in our daily lives. With Tylko Sound, we wanted to bring it back.’

The idea emerged while architect Paul Cournet, of multidisciplinary Rotterdam Practice Cloud, helped develop Tylko’s Berlin showroom. During the process, he kept returning to a simple observation: Tylko’s modular shelving was already a grid built for sound, yet nobody had designed a speaker specifically to live inside it.

The Tylko team worked with Rotterdam-based architect and Form Follows Frequency, a studio working with acoustics and design. Together, they made sure that the speaker's sound wasn’t compromised. Instead, they created a structure that became part of the system.

The collection includes the Tylko Coax Speaker with and without Bass Reflex, and the Tylko Subwoofer. The entire system is designed to be adapted. It can start as a single speaker, which can then be added to a collection of subwoofers to create a home stereo system.

Handcrafted in Poland, the speakers are made from Baltic birch plywood, the same material used throughout Tylko’s furniture collection. It is finished in high-gloss lacquer and available in Signal Red, Mint Green, and Chalk White.

Tylko Sound also marks a new entry point into hi-fi. Although blending furniture with a speaker is a standout feature, they also made sure the design of high-quality listening was more accessible. ‘For less than €700 per speaker, Tylko Sound proves that stepping into hi-fi no longer requires a premium-budget investment,’ says Kuna. The collection rethinks the relationship between sound, furniture, and space.

Tylko Sound is a limited-edition product currently available in selected European markets: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France. Prices start at €491 to €970 tylko.com

Nothing has announced the launch of the Ear (3a), an upgrade and enhanced version of its entry-level Ear (a). Available in black, white and signature yellow, the range is also joined by a new pink – much hotter than that used on the recent Headphone (a).

The Ear (a) already delivers impressive sound for the price, but the new model brings another piece of distinctive technology, very much aligned to the playful spirit of the Nothing brand. The new Audio Snapshot function uses 32MB of onboard flash storage and the earbuds’ inbuilt microphone array to capture audio directly and instantly.

Nothing is describing the function as a way of capturing an audio snapshot for recall and sharing, whether it’s lecture notes or a gig. Activated by pinching both earbuds at once, the Ear (3a)’s Snapshot function buffers to capture a bit of sound before and after the trigger point.

You’ll find an archive of your recordings in the Nothing X app, which also allows for transcription, effectively bringing the kind of functionality seen in standalone devices like the Plaud Note Pro into the personal audio space. The onboard memory can also be used to record calls – where legal – with up to two hours retained and stored in the app.

The Ear (3a) gets other upgrades, including a new 12 mm dynamic driver for more resonant bass. The earbuds are certified for Hi-Res Audio Wireless via Sony’s LDAC audio technology. The Nothing X adds further customisation via an eight-band equaliser and the ability to share audio profiles.

Those microphones also drive the Active Noise Cancellation system, with an improved transparency mode. If you like added audio processing, the onboard Static Spatial Audio adds additional reverb to create a more spatial listening experience.

The case has been redesigned with a revised charge status light and there’s even a new XS ear tip for smaller ears. The Ear (3a) is rated for up to ten hours of playback on the earbuds alone and an impressive 42 hours when used with a fully charged case (you’ll have to switch off the energy-sapping ANC though – the respective figures are six hours and 25 hours with ANC enabled). Five minutes of charge should give you an hour’s worth of playback.

Describing the little charge case as a colourful ‘party pill’ (no winks and nudges here), Nothing peps up its range with what looks like another winner.

Nothing Ear (3a), $99 / £99 / €99, Nothing.Tech, @Nothing

Professional beatmakers and bedroom hobbyists alike will be pleased to hear that Akai Professional has updated its evergreen range of MPCs (Music Production Centre) to include a new version of the entry-level MPC One and the keyboard-sporting MPC Key 37. The G2 variants of these popular instruments include expanded capacity, upgraded hardware and fresh software.

The MPC range tops out with the hefty MPC XL but if that seems like overkill, the MPC One G2 is a comprehensive introduction to creative electronic music making. Designed, like every MPC, to operate completely self-sufficiently without the need for a separate computer (or even other instruments), the MPC range grew out early samplers and beat boxes to become an all-in-one solution.

The One G2 and Key 37 G2 now include 64GB of internal storage, 4GB of ram and an 8-core processor. Both are driven by the combination of a large 7” touch screen and the signature grid of 4 x 4 touch pads. Onboard sampling, sequencing and synthesis provides a deep well of functionality, and while the interface and workflow is a little daunting for beginners, it soon becomes second nature.

The Key 37 adds a three-octave keyboard for faster and more intuitive note input, as well as adding another layer for performance. Each device comes pre-loaded with a number of samples, plug-ins and instruments, while countless additional expansion units are available from Akai’s website.

The new hardware arrives alongside an updated version of Akai’s MPC OS, version 3.9. This brings even more functionality to these feature-packed boxes, including additional synthesis capabilities and an upgraded arrangement mode.

For now, the Key 37 is available in classic Akai beige, as per the original 80s-era MPC units, while the MPC One gets a blue finish. Both units have comprehensive input-output options for dovetailing into a studio or live set-up, or they can simply be used by themselves.

Akai MPC One G2, £729, Andertons.co.uk, Akai MPC Key 37 G2, £849, Andertons.co.uk, AkaiPro.com, @Akai_pro

Bowers & Wilkins has announced an upgraded version of its legendary 800 Series Diamond loudspeakers. Eschewing the clean rectangular box, the 800 Series Diamond are all about bulbous, expressive forms that reveal the shape and configuration of the drivers within.

The D5 version of the 800 Series incorporates a host of upgrades, both physical and mechanical, to reassert the speaker’s role at the pinnacle of the B&W line-up. The updates cover the entire 800 Series Diamond range, a total of seven different models that run from the 805 D5 stand-mount speaker to the HTM81 D5 and HTM82 D5 home theatre speakers with an additional centre channel driver.

The principal models in the range are the three-way floorstanding units, the 804 D5, 803 D5, 802 D5 and the flagship 801 D5. The last debuted back in 1979 as the 801, and while today’s curvaceous 801 D5 feels a thousand miles from the usual arrow-straight 1970s aesthetic, the original definitely bucked the trend.

With its faceted cabinet, the 801 introduced B&W’s signature ‘stacked’ placement of the high-range drivers, with separate enclosures for the 27cm woofer, 10cm midrange driver and the 26mm tweeter on top.

That configuration has been preserved down the years, and the D5 wears this distinction with pride. The new speaker includes four new finishes, Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut and Dark Walnut, all of which are paired with internal and external aluminium components.

The latter pair with the four different finishes, from the Dark Walnut finish with its dark metal detailing and black Connolly leather trim to the Warm White, which uses champagne colour aluminium components. The same metal is used for the Light Walnut, while lovers of 1980s minimalism will probably plump for the sleek Stealth Black model.

Inside, the D5 features new aluminium space-frame bracing to give the cabinet more rigidity than ever before, banishing vibrations from the interior of the speaker. Each speaker is crafted at Bowers & Wilkins’ factory in Worthing, on the south coast of England.

Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5: 801 D5, £43,000/pair, 802 D5, £32,500/pair, 803 D5, £25,500/pair, 804 D5, £16,000/pair, 805 D5, £10,000/pair, HTM81 D5, £10,000, HTM82 D5, £8,000, for more information visit BowersWilkins.com, @BowersWilkins

Fake fur, mock stone, wood and metal come together in OBEN’s extraordinary menagerie of custom speaker designs. The company’s debut collection, Echoes of Earth, was first shown at Miami Art Week 2025.

We spoke to the founders of the LA-based artists Stevie and Bronx, about the unique ethos and approach that OBEN uses to shape sound for space.

W*: When you set up the company, did you see it as an extension of your existing artistic practice, or a new space in which to operate and perhaps find new ways of working?

Stevie and Bronx: OBEN did not feel like starting a company so much as recognizing something that had already been forming between us for years. We are husband and wife, and have also been creative collaborators for over a decade, with practices that were independently orbiting many of the same questions OBEN collectively explores.

Stevie’s work has long explored how design, movement, narrative, and environments shape emotion and perception. Bronx is a recording artist, songwriter, producer, and film composer signed to Roc Nation, with years spent understanding sound from its source: how songs are built, how frequencies interact, and how emotion is created through timing, texture, and space.

In many ways, we had already been moving toward this for years. In May of 2020, during the first few months of the pandemic, we were stuck inside and built a sculptural piano in our kitchen for ourselves. It started as an experiment to give sound a physical presence. We were less interested in the instrument as equipment and more interested in how an object could shape the feeling of listening.

W*: How did the first speakers come about?

S and B: We had already spent years exploring how environments shape emotion and how sound can completely change the feeling of being somewhere. OBEN became the first place where all of those interests could exist at once, first inside a singular object and now increasingly across the immersive environments we are developing.

The first works were originally made for our own home because we could not find anything that reflected the relationship we wanted between sound, art, and space. We appreciate technology, but we reject the idea that technological sophistication should require aesthetic compromise.

There is something strange to us about the fact that some of the most emotionally powerful experiences in our homes are often delivered through objects designed with no real emotional consideration. That led us to a different question: what if the object responsible for one of the most emotional experiences in a room was also one of the most beautiful?

W*: How are the speakers made?

S and B: Every work is built entirely by hand and serialized individually. That relationship to making is important to us. Bronx grew up alongside his dad, who is an incredibly skilled contractor and craftsman, and developed an early understanding that physical decisions matter, that materials carry feeling, and that the way something is made changes the way it is experienced. Stevie’s work has always explored how objects, environments, and experiences shape emotion and perception.

These are not sculptures with speakers added later, and they are not traditional audio products dressed up as art. Form, material, and sound develop together until they become truly inseparable.

Wallpaper*: How are the various speaker characters established and created?

Stevie and Bronx: Every OBEN work begins from the same pursuit: creating sound that feels startlingly alive. Korus begins with the wood itself. The grain is read before a single cut is made. Chambers are carved to follow the logic of the material rather than a predetermined design.

The result feels engineered and inevitable at the same time. Because the enclosure is solid hardwood, the body of the work resonates differently than a composite or textile form. There is a warmth and density to the low end that reads as grounded, almost architectural.

The Arqos model is built from hand-sculpted mineral composite. The arch and portal forms it draws from are not decorative references. They are geometries that human beings have returned to across every culture because of what they do physically when you stand before them. That threshold quality is present in how Arqos behaves in a room. It has a sense of weight and gravity that the wood works don't.

Callisto is built around concealment. Its cratered surface reads as monumental from across a room and handmade from close. The domed geometry creates a different projection pattern, and the choice between hardwood and mineral composite versions produces meaningfully different tonal characters from the same form.

Mane is the most tactile. Acoustic textiles wrapped around the enclosure don't just change the surface. Fiber and density affect how the form absorbs and releases sound at the boundary. The gemstone legs aren't ornamental either. Mass and contact with the floor change resonance behaviour.

Finally there’s the Jovian, which breaks the premise of the question entirely. Every other work is a pair. Jovian refuses the conventional stereo premise from the start. No pairs. No left and right. A single tower, eight drivers projecting outward in all directions. You're no longer positioned in front of the sound. You're inside it.

W*: Does each model share technical underpinnings, or are there performance and specification differences between the various models?

Stevie and Bronx: Across the collections, there is a shared technical philosophy and level of fidelity, but the goal is simple: we want listening to feel less like hearing a recording and more like feeling a real performance unfold in front of you. All of the works share the same underlying acoustic philosophy.

Every model is built around a single full-range driver architecture because we are committed to preserving the integrity of a performance and allowing sound to arrive as one event. Many high-fidelity systems divide music across separate components dedicated to lows, mids, and highs in pursuit of extracting maximum performance from each range. We intentionally do not.

The forms are not decorative shells around a speaker. Material selection, internal architecture, proportion, surface, scale, and structure all influence both how sound behaves and how the object is experienced physically in a room. The characters emerge through a sculptural process rather than a traditional product design process. We think of our limited editions less as product variations and more as distinct instruments within the same body of work.

The honest answer to whether these works share technical underpinnings: yes. The same standard of fidelity runs through everything we make. But each work has its own acoustic character, arrived at through its own material logic. Some anchor a room. Some inhabit it. One dissolves it entirely.

Wallpaper*: Have there been any particularly interesting responses from gallerists or spatial designers and architects about the Oben range?

S and B: One of the most consistent initial responses has actually been a moment of disorientation. At first glance, some people assume the works are sculptures. Others think they are furniture, architecture, or conceptual objects. There is often a moment where people are observing the form and trying to intellectually place it. Then the sound starts.

Once people hear them, they realize the forms are not containers for sound. They are part of how the sound comes alive. That realization is often where architects and spatial designers become especially interested, because the conversation shifts beyond the individual object and toward what happens when sound itself becomes part of the architecture.

Gallery and institutional settings open an entirely different dimension of the work for us because they allow the exploration to expand beyond the individual object and into the room itself.

We had an early opportunity to test that idea publicly through our first immersive installation, Echoes of Earth, presented during Art Basel Miami with support from The Macallan and Bentley Motors. Watching people move through the environment confirmed something we had already suspected: once sound becomes spatial, people stop behaving like observers and start behaving like participants.

Wallpaper*: Dare I say it, but there's a very alien/science fiction element to some of these speaker forms, an approach that feels almost organic. How did you determine these distinct characters and personalities?

S and B: We actually love that observation because there is definitely an otherworldly quality to most of our work. Ironically, we never sit down and intentionally decide to make something feel alien or futuristic. There is usually a moment at the end where we look at each other and think, ‘Why does this feel so much older than us? Why does this feel familiar?’

We are really interested in the subconscious, dreams, altered perception, mythology, memory, and objects that feel discovered rather than designed. Some feel protective. Some feel ceremonial. Some feel irreverent. Some feel playful. If we had to place the work somewhere, surrealism is probably the closest reference point. We think of our objects less as inventions and more as discoveries, and believe intuition is one of the highest forms of pattern recognition.

That also shows up in how we select materials. The organic quality people sense in the work is real, it comes from paying attention to what materials already want to become rather than forcing geometry onto them. Surfaces that erode, fibres that hold tension, woods that reveal age, forms that feel more grown than assembled. We rarely make that decision consciously.

We just follow what the material is already doing. There is something about encountering an object and not immediately knowing whether it was grown, remembered, discovered, or made. That is what we are reaching for.

Wallpaper*: Do you have an philosophy of sound and sound reproduction?

S and B: Most audio is engineered around the idea that music is a collection of frequencies to be reproduced as accurately as possible. We don't see it that way. Nobody knows more about music than the people who make music - Bronx has spent nearly two decades making music professionally as a recording artist, songwriter, producer, and film composer. That background shapes everything.

Our starting question was never simply how you reproduce sound, but how you preserve the feeling of a performance. There is a difference between understanding sound as information and understanding music as something authored. To us, songs are constructed experiences. Tiny decisions around timing, space, layering, tension, release, distortion, silence, and texture completely change how something feels emotionally.

When sound is divided across multiple drivers and reconstructed by a crossover, those relationships shift in ways the ear and brain feel even when the mind doesn't register why. Some of the intimacy of the performance disappears. That perspective shapes every decision we make.

Every OBEN work is built around a single full-range driver architecture. No crossover. Sound arrives as one event rather than a collection of separated frequencies reassembled on the other side. That is the foundation. The forms are not decorative and the acoustics are not an engineering problem to be solved later. Material, proportion, geometry, resonance, and structure all shape how sound ultimately arrives in the body.

Most musical instruments are not rectangular for a reason. We think about that a lot. People often assume the sculptural forms exist despite the sound. What surprises them is realizing the forms themselves are part of why the experience feels so alive.

OBEN Mane, from $26,000 / Callisto, from $78,000 / Arqos, from $71,000 / Korus, from $71,000 / Jovian: starting at $125,000, OBENhifi.com, @OBENhifi

The newest products from Ruark Audio combine high-powered audio projection with a multi-functional head unit. The Talisman-R floor-standing speakers are a reissue of a design that was first seen in 1990. Slender in form, with a distinctive wedge-shaped profile (think of RSHP’s ‘Cheese-grater’ building in the City of London), the Talisman-R are now in their fourth generation.

Over the years, this speaker system has been upgraded to keep pace with developments in audio technology and materials and the Talisman-R is no different. The carefully designed enclosure has been shaped to dissipating the energy created by sound streaming through the speakers, directing and shaping it without additional colouration.

Each speaker, which measures 85cm high by 21cm wide by 25cm deep, sits on a 10mm steel plinth with adjustable rubber feet and carpet spikes. Coupled with the speaker’s individual 17.6kg weight, the mass gives the Talisman-R great stability, as well a conveying an elegant ‘floating’ appearance. Supported amplification ranges between 75 and 200W and the speakers are available in a Fused Walnut veneer or Satin Charcoal lacquer.

The Talisman-R are joined by the R710, the latest and most powerful entrant in Ruark’s acclaimed 100 Series of high-end all-in-one consoles. What Ruark are offering is a refined and highly crafted way of interacting with traditional physical media, without losing sight of the convenience and ease of streaming services.

In addition to the integral slot-loading compact disc player, which receives CDs in a gap between the trademark Ruark slatted front fascia, there’s support for a turntable via the built-in phono stage.

A front-mounted 6.8-inch TFT colour screen is paired with the traditional wood finishes, providing information and artwork from the various high-res audio services, including Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay, and Google Cast. There’s also substantial onboard 200W per channel amplification, as well as HDMI connectivity to home theatre set-ups. Both wired and Bluetooth headphones are supported.

For those who haven’t switched their allegiances to streaming and want to mix vinyl, CD and local ripped music collections, the R710 can connect to both networked media servers and USB-based drive systems. Internet radio is also available, as well as an alarm clock function, with all controls accessible via the RotoDial Bluetooth remote.

The compact desk-top device is available in both Fused Walnut and Satin Charcoal lacquer finishes so that it can pair perfectly with the Talisman-R speakers.

Ruark R710 Console, £2,199, Ruark Talisman-R speakers, £1499 per pair, RuarkAudio.com, @RuarkAudio

The bookshelf speaker is an evergreen accessory for conventional hi-fi systems and turntables as well as computer systems. These five new smaller-sized speakers bring power, punch and precision, from a pair costing barely more than a gatefold double LP to a handcrafted set that should last generations.

Fyne Audio Cubitt 5

First up, the Cubitt 5 from Fyne Audio, a pair of active speakers that come with onboard digital sound processing. Measuring 165mm (width) x 215mm (depth) x 260mm (height), these speakers keep their compact kudos by incorporating an amplifier, meaning there’s no need for any additional kit when streaming from a hi-fi system, turntable or TV.

The Cubitt 5 comes in five different finishes – Arctic White, Midnight Black, Olive Green, Pearl Titanium, and Pebble Grey – and features 240W of amplification. Fyne Audio is especially proud of the five-inch IsoFlare driver, which has been designed to fill a room without depending on a particular sweet spot for the best all-round listening experience. Connections include Bluetooth 5.0 and HDMI, with a separate output for a subwoofer, should you want to bulk up the home cinema experience.

Fyne Audio Cubitt 5, £549/pair, FyneAudio.com, @FyneAudio

Wharfedale Denton 1S

The Denton 1S is one of Wharfedale’s Heritage models, a contemporary upgrade of the compact home speakers that made the British company’s name back in the 1960s and 1970s.

The original Denton 1 was launched in 1974, and the new product revisits the curved cabinet design along with a special speaker configuration that incorporates the tweeter within the mid-woofer, giving the impression that there’s only a single driver.

Available in black, blue and white and measuring 236mm (width) x 229mm (depth) x 330mm (height), the Denton 1S is not an active speaker – a separate amplifier rated between 30 and 100W is required.

Wharfedale Denton 1S, £649/pair, Wharfedale.co.uk, @Wharfedale_hifi

Majority D50X

At the absolutely entry-level end of the scale are the D50X Bluetooth bookshelf speakers from Majority. The D50X is a cut-price Bluetooth-enabled bookshelf speaker that offers multiple inputs and plenty of flexibility – Bluetooth 5.3, HDMI, optical, USB and Aux, as well as a dedicated headphone socket when you don’t want to use the onboard carbon-fibre drivers.

The speakers are available in black, white, green, maroon and pink, and are an ultra-compact 130mm (width) x 150mm (depth) x 18mm (height). The size makes them suitable for desktop use with laptops, etc, but don’t expect ear-cossetting quality.

Majority D50X Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers, £69.95, MajorityAudio.com, @MajorityAudio, Amazon.co.uk

Sonus faber Concertino G4

Audiophile excellence is the baseline for Sonus Faber products, and the Italian company’s Concertino G4 aims to bring that excellence to the smaller-sized speaker. The G4’s dimensions are 214mm (width) x 297mm (depth) x 314mm (height), ensuring the speakers will fit onto good-sized shelves (a separate stand is also available). These are traditional handmade speakers with traditional wired connectivity – no Bluetooth or onboard amplification to be found.

The enclosure uses solid walnut, while black leather or a vegan alternative from Ohoskin is paired with brass detailing. Cork is used in the internal chassis for its sound-dampening qualities. The speakers accept amplifiers from 30W to 150W.

Sonus faber Concertino G4, £4,625/pair, SonusFaber.com, @Sonusfaberofficial

Cambridge Audio L/R M

The sister product to Cambridge’s excellent ultra-compact L/R S speakers, the fully active L/R M model is, as you’d expect, a step up in size and power. Measuring 158 mm (width) x 190mm (depth) mm x 263mm (height), the L/R M comes with Bluetooth and physical connectivity and has a total power output of 300W.

The simple fascia design follows on from the L/R S, with bronze detailing on the tweeters, and the speaker cabinets themselves are available in a wide range of colours, including green, orange, black, white, blue and natural walnut.

Cambridge Audio L/R M, from £1,299/pair, CambridgeAudio.com, @CambridgeAudio

Tidy minds love all-in-one audio systems. What could be more convenient than an elegantly shaped unit that brings together every facet of your audio demands and can be mounted on wall or desk? That ethos underpins the new Vega from Dali.

Dali stands for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, and in addition to high quality audio components, the Nørager-based company also brings the well-established qualities of contemporary Danish design to its products. The Vega will be available in dark and natural oak finishes, using real wood veneers, enhanced with anodised aluminium details and specially woven fabrics.

The long, slender unit can be integrated into existing systems via the BluOS protocol or used as a standalone system with access to regular audio streaming services. It’s also equipped with a full suite of wired and wireless inputs, including analogue and optical digital connections, HDMI, USB and Bluetooth, meaning it can be used to stream from mobile as well as serve as a TV soundbar and turntable speaker system.

On the top of the console there are five configurable preset buttons alongside a large, weighted volume wheel and a OLED display that will rotate depending on the way the unit is installed. Dali has used aerospace grade ball-bearings to make the volume wheel mechanism feel smooth and precisely weighted to go with its glass, acrylic and aluminium construction. A separate BluOS app provides additional control.

The unit took Dali five years to develop, in which time several competitors have also made a pitch for the premium single box market. To stay ahead of the game, the in-house team of acoustic engineers have fitted no less than ten drivers, along with a large chamber to reduce resonant frequencies and improve the low frequency performance.

In total, the Vega has 400 watts of amplification delivered across eight 50 watt channels. Dali’s own Adaptive Stereo Enhancement (ASE) and Adaptive Orientation Adjustment (AOA) technologies create a panoramic room-filling sound regardless of where the unit is placed – either mounted to a wall or free-standing, whether in portrait or landscape orientation. Placement settings are fully configurable to accommodate the architectural and spatial variables of the chosen room.

‘Music is becoming an integral part of people’s lives, and the key to it all is convenience,’ says Krestian Pedersen, Head of Product Management at Dali, ‘It has to be easy, but without compromising on quality. Our goal with Vega was to create a product that fits the way people live and access music in their daily lives. We wanted to make a product that people want to keep turned on all the time.’

Vega from Dali, available from September 2026, £2,599 / €2,999, Dali-Speakers.com, @DaliSpeakers

Six new pairs of over-ear headphones offer up a variety of styles and approaches, from neuro-acoustic audio to ultra-luxury styling and unconventional materials. Here are all the options for all-enveloping sound in Summer 2026.

See our round-up of the best over-ear headphones.

Sychedelic

Described as ‘the world’s first closed-loop neuro-acoustic headphone,’ Sychedelic signifies the ever-closer integration of wellness and health sensors into wearable audio. If it’s close to your skin and there’s data to be divulged, you can bet that somewhere there’s a company looking to extract meaning and benefits from the results.

Sychedelic is one such company. Launching on Kickstarter next month, the Indian start-up incorporates a near-ear PPG sensor (Photoplethysmogram – it’s an industry-standard way of divining heart rate and physiological state through changes in blood volume). This, in turn, feeds a proprietary AI-driven adaptive sound system that ‘guides you’ to a more focused or calming state.

We haven’t had a chance to test this functionality, but the seamless splicing of AI, wellness and familiar tech is an on-brand idea 2026. Even if you’re not delving into the world of neuro-acoustics, the Sychedelic headphones offer everyday audio functionality, including 20+ hours of battery life and Bluetooth 5.3.

Sychedelic, $499, Sychedelic.com, Sychedelic.cult

HEDDphone TWO GT

Fans of chunky audiophile equipment should consider the HEDDphone TWO GT, the latest update of the over-ear HEDDphone TWO from this German manufacturer. Despite the squared-off styling and visual heft, the TWO GTs use materials like carbon fibre and magnesium to keep the weight down to 550g, with a soft leather headband and earpads in both lamb leather and velour for long listening sessions.

The brand offers a mix of luxury details and audiophile-ready specifications, including very high-quality hand-braided cables. HEDD (Heinz Electrodynamic Design) was founded in 2015 by physicist father Heinz Klaus and Musicologist son Dr. Frederik Knop. The Berlin-based company specialises in studio gear, high-end speakers and accessories.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2

Two new colourways for Bowers & Wilkins’s current flagship headphones, the Px8 S2. The introduction of Midnight Blue and Pearl Blue doesn’t do anything to update the acoustic abilities of these wireless noise-cancelling headphones, but they were already pretty impressive to start with.

Mixing aluminium and Nappa leather in a lightweight package with a clean, contemporary aesthetic (no retro sci-fi throwbacks here), the Px8 S2 have variable noise cancelling and five-band equalisation. There’s also crystal clear call quality to go with the excellent sound.

Écoute TH1

The Écoute TH1 fuse contemporary Bluetooth technology with a traditional vacuum tube headphone amplifier and preamp. Audiophile interest in the warmth and clarity of traditional amplification has never gone away, but this is the first time a tube has been incorporated into a wireless headset.

Available in Gunmetal or Satin Aluminium, the TH1 also includes a conventional Digital-to-Analogue Converter (DAC), Bluetooth 5.3, a 3.5mm analogue input socket and compatibility with voice assistants.

Écoute TH1, £900, Electromod.co.uk

Daisy One

Coming soon from Californian company Daisy is the One headphone, a more visceral and immersive take on the fusion of wellness and audio. The Daisy One features industrial-styled aluminium hardware and memory foam ear cushions that be magnetically snapped in and out.

Aside from the clean design, the key USP is the proprietary ‘still mode’, that pipes in bespoke immersive soundscapes, ‘recorded in the Californian wilderness’, for a spot of mindful reflection. Environments include a drizzly forest, a roaring waterfall and the ocean, mixing up white noise with breathwork exercises.

Daisy One, $299, DaisySound.com, @Daisysound. Available from July 2026

Grado Classic Series

Grado Labs have announced their Grado Classic Series, a lineup of wired headphone models that encompasses everything from entry-level models (the SR60) through to the high-end GS3000 flagship.

Each pair of headphones in the Classic Series is based on the Grado’s X2 driver platform with a new headband design, lighter construction and upgraded cables. In total, there are seven models in the Classic Series, with finishes including wood and hemp.

The Studio record console is the latest handcrafted piece of audio equipment from San Diego-based specialist Wrensilva. Famed for its combination of high-grade audio components and bespoke handicraft, Wrensilva designs each of its pieces as a standalone item of fine furniture that just happens to include an impressive audio system.

The Studio console is a more compact expression of the Wrensilva ethos. ‘Studio was built to fit naturally into more spaces,’ says Debra Salyer, Wrensilva co-founder and head of design. ‘People want music to live with them, not turn into another thing to manage.’ Following the top-loading approach taken by the company’s other consoles, Studio has a much smaller footprint.

On board, there’s belt-driven turntable with a one-piece magnesium tone arm and an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. Wrensilva’s own 100-watt-per-channel Class D amplifier drives the integral two-way bass reflex speakers. When you’re not diving through your record bins, the amp and speaker combo can be used to stream music over Bluetooth, via the auxiliary inputs or an optional connection to the Sonos eco-system.

At 31 inches wide by 17 inches deep and 33 inches tall (approximately 79 x 43 x 84cm), the Studio console is substantially smaller than the flagship M1 (which comes in at 70 x 31.5 x 22 inches). There is still enough space to store 40 vinyl albums behind the textured door. A smoked acrylic cover keeps the deck free from dust.

The base structure is made in the company’s San Diego workshops, an intensive handmade process that makes the most of rich, dark walnut and contrasting brass detailing (for the Wrensilva brandmark) and charcoal coloured fabric, along with an anodized base for the record player.

Over the past ten years, Wrensilva has worked extensively with mixing engineer Manny Marroquin and producer Giles Martin to shape the signature sound of its console range. The Studio console continues this established mix of warm, tactile craft with cutting-edge acoustics, expanding the Wrensilva sound to more spaces than ever before.

Studio record console, from $9,900, Wrensilva.com, @Wrensilva

Musicians have a choice. Either learn a new piece of musical technology inside out, so that every feature, function and control becomes a subtle nuance of your performance, or flit from gadget to gadget, and rely on conjuring up ideas through happy accidents and serendipity. We’ve delved into the ever-expanding realm of intuitive music machines, seeking out new devices that promise delight from the very first button press, but which will also reward deep investment in time and exploration.

Clear Orchid: Arctic by Telepathic Instruments

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker launched Telepathic Instruments in 2024, quickly leveraging his band’s intersection of quirky psychedelic style with global pop ubiquity to create a cult brand for the ages.

Telepathic’s first product, the Orchid, has been a sell-out from the very start. To mark the opening of a London pop-up event, the chord-generating songwriting machine is now available in a transparent edition of 3,000 units. This is the Clear Orchid: Arctic variant, laying bare the electronic guts of this keyboard, synth and chord-generator combo that forges a direct link between ideas and song creation. Check the company’s new film for more information.

Clear Orchid: Arctic, €649, Telepathic Instruments, TelepathicInstruments.com, @Telepathic.Instruments

Svensson 49 by Auxy Studio

Also newly announced is the Svensson 49 from Swedish manufacturer Auxy Studio. Created in collaboration with the electronic musician and YouTuber Cuckoo, this is a classically styled 49-key synth that eschews the menus and displays of its many rivals in favour of a go-ahead-and-play ethos. Due to be released later in the year, the Svensson incorporates a speaker and a multitrack MIDI looper system that allows ideas to be stored, repeated, layered and explored. A custom onboard suite of sounds, developed in collaboration with Cuckoo, offers a wide sonic spectrum to experiment with.

Svensson 49 by Auxy Studio, price tbc, Auxy.co, @AuxyCo

Casio SXC-1 Sampler

Launch at NAMM 2026, the ultra-compact Casio SXC-1 is a standalone pocket sampler that is simultaneously super-retro and also very au courant in terms of its chunky, old school form factor and controls. Casio has some form in this sector.

Although the company’s musical exploits tend to err on the side of educational not professional, they unwittingly created a classic in the tiny SK-1 sampling keyboard back in 1985, with a crunchy low-fi 8-bit sound that’s still sought after. Some of those sounds have found their way into the SXC-1’s preset banks, along with app integration for tighter control of sampling, slicing and beat making.

Casio SXC-1, ¥39,930 (tax included), Casio.com

AKAI MPC Sample

Akai is also downsizing. The new MPC Sample follows the smaller form factor adopted by Casio, which in turn was influenced by the classic Roland 404 SP-404MkII and Teenage Engineering’s esoteric range of samplers. Seriously smaller than the modern heavyweight MPC, the MPC Sample is a standalone machine with 100 drumkits, 60 effects and 16 velocity-sensitive pads. Those familiar with the company’s workflow will feel right at home.

Akai Professional MPC Sample, £349 / €399 / $399, AkaiPro.com, @Akai_Pro

Pocket Audio Hichord

Simplicity is the watchword with the new HiChord from Pocket Audio. Following the same principles as the Orchid – grouping perfect chordal arrangements – the HiChord offers an even more minimal interface. Offering just seven keys and a joystick control, each button will default to a chord in the current key – ‘it's impossible to make a mistake,’ Pocket Audio explains. The joystick provides a modifier and there’s also an onboard synth with arpeggiator, drum machine and looper. For composing on the move and stumbling over delightful sounds, it’s the perfect travel companion.

Pocket Audio HiChord, $320, HiChord.shop, @Hi.Chord

Wunderkammer WoO.1

Another compact music creator to add to the growing pile of options stemming from the ongoing success of TE’s original OP-1 (subsequently updated as the OP-1 Field). Wunderkammer’s WoO.1 is a fraction of the price of the Swedish synth but offers a similar form factor albeit with a much, much reduced feature set.

Wunderkammer WoO.1, $329, WunderkammerTech.com, @Wunderkammer_Electronics

Critter and Guitari Organelle S2

The S2 version of C&G’s Organelle offers up a huge range of sonic possibilities thanks to its open software architecture and ability to transform external audio sources with effects and processing. It also serves as a versatile beatmaker, all controlled via an eccentric interface with maple keys, four multi-use parameter knobs and a small OLED screen. A sound library is included and user-generated patches are also readily available.

Organelle S2, $499, Critter and Guitari, CritterandGuitari.com, @CritterGuitari

MÕNAI by Void9

Void9’s forthcoming MÕNAI is another promised Swiss Army-style audio solution, a backpacked sized standalone synthesizer that can sample, synthesize, loop and sequence. With a powerful onboard battery, it’s intended as a go-anywhere device, but it can also be fully integrated into a larger studio or stage set-up. A milled aluminium case adds to the weighty, premium feel.

MÕNAI, Void9, price tbc, Void9.com, @Void9HQ

transparentSea fx by ginTronic

The transparentSea effects unit from ginTronic is intended to be treated as an instrument in its own right, a multi-effect unit with a plethora of parameters, hands-on knobs and dials to twiddle and what the German company describes as ‘clear sonic pathways [with] no menus, no guesswork.’ The array of effects includes a slicing/stutter effect, rich, deep reverbs, delays, chorus and more, with full MIDI sync to other devices.

transparentSea fx, €599, ginTronic.io, @ginTronic.io

Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week 2026 were great opportunities to observe the ever-evolving priorities of living. In the past few years, how a space conveys feeling has infiltrated the way interiors are designed. First, the distinction between indoor and outdoor became ever-more blurred, as we started seeking a closer connection to nature in our domestic spaces. Then, living spaces increasingly turned into conversation pits – whether as structural interventions into the space, 1960s-style, or furniture built for conviviality and natural gathering.

At this year’s events in Milan, a new sense entered the conversation, as aural experiences drove the interior design agenda. Whether through conceptual spaces created as brand-building exercises, or products and interiors intended as inspiration for everyday life, sound seemed omnipresent and impossible to ignore.

Sound in interior design: a lesson from Milan Design Week 2026

For a long time, mainstream design seemed to reject the notion of sound inhabiting a space, as launches in that sphere were mostly geared towards cancelling noise, with acoustic materials promising silence and sound absorption. This has now changed radically, and sound seems to be embraced as something to promote and propagate, rather than muffle and reduce.

At Visionnaire, 'Déjà-Vu' featured a listening room created to celebrate the return of two 1970s armchairs from the company's archives. Curated by Marco Morandini, the space was designed as an intimate interior inspired by 1970s clubs, with speakers by Giorgio Di Salvo.

'We have always believed in sound as an integral part of a design quality, and that it also has a therapeutic value,' says Visionnaire art director Eleonore Cavalli, who has lived and breathed club culture throughout her life and whose collections have included aural elements such as embedded speakers for the past several years. 'I believe that sound design is destined to become increasingly integrated into our homes.'

'I think Milan Design Week audiences are a bit tired of looking at chairs and lights in silent rooms and that there is a need to stimulate people’s senses by creating more interactive or simply active spaces,' adds Vintage Audio Institute Italia founder Pontus Berghe, who brought his collection of 1960s and 1970s synthesisers to Alcova in collaboration with Slalom Acoustics. 'People were mesmerised when they saw an eight-track tape recorder spinning, musicians improvising and concentrating or simply manipulating an analogue synth or drum machine; you usually don't get to see much of the active creative process at Salone, rather just the sleek results.'

He also defends the tactility of the objects he brought to Alcova, representing a time in sound technology when tactility in the form of buttons and clear interfaces was still the norm. 'Generally, modern consumer objects lack the tactile finesse of 1960s and 1970s design, and I see that coming back as a trend with actual vintage, or vintage-looking, designer objects and tech featuring bigger controls like volume knobs and push buttons, on the opposite spectrum of i-Phones and induction burners.'

Sound spaces enhancing brand identity and elevating experiences

Sound also played a crucial role in shaping brand identities through space. At Asics, experiential design practice Nuova Studio created a listening room as part of the brand's immersive public installation created to introduce the new Gel-KineticM2.0 sneaker. With music curated by Mateo Garcia, the space helped immerse visitors in the company's key pillars of movement, energy, and emotional connection.

At Capsule Plaza, another example of aural design blending into branding came courtesy of Japanese brand Karimoku, whose research projects were presented as another intimate listening room at Capsule Plaza.

Nearby, Stone Island and NM3 also staged a much larger, sound-inspired installation that doubled as a lounging space. Including a sound system by Friendly Pressure Studio, the space took over a disused swimming pool and featured interiors by NM3.

At group show Deoron, an emerging generation of designers and brands made it very clear that sound is at the centre of the contemporary design agenda. Guests entering the airy, industrial space were greeted by a modular composition by Stack Furniture with speakers embedded into the aluminium shelving.

'Sound was definitely one of the hot themes at Milan Design Week 2026,' say Serdar Ayvaz and Coşan Karadeniz of Yont, whose sound bar created with New Fidelity and Varia Instruments acted as a centrepiece to the show. The space hosted listening sessions by international DJs during the week. 'It feels like electronic sound and listening spaces are gaining more weight in popular culture and the design scene these days.

'In interiors, sound systems are no longer secondary technical elements; they are becoming spatial anchors. They influence how a room is used, how people gather, and how long they stay. People engage well with spaces that are not only visually considered, but also immersive and atmospheric through sound.

'As Yont, this opens up an interesting territory for us. It is quite inspiring to think about how sound can shape spatial perception, almost like a material. In our exhibition at Deoron with the Brutalist DJ Booth, it felt like a gothic church altar; a ritualistic experience. It was magical.'

More sound and design from Milan Design Week 2026

Opening soon on the Lower East Side is Stylus, the listening room to end all listening rooms. Designed by O'Neill Rose Architects, Stylus is a private members’ club for those who love audio in all its forms, with five listening spaces - of which these two are the most intimate and bespoke - along with a recording studio, salons, performance spaces dining area and test kitchens. The culinary programme is led by acclaimed Michelin Star-winning chef Anita Lo, adding up to a tasty menu of sonic-driven spaces.

According to architect Devin O’Neill, the project is about ‘exploring listening as a spectrum of experience. [I was interested in] how architecture can shape not just sound, but the way we physically and psychologically receive it.’ These two listening rooms have very different characters, ‘one deeply insular, the other open and connected,’ in O’Neill’s words.

The first is called Subliminal. ‘Conceived as an isolation chamber for sound,’ this is a subterranean space that seeks to emphasise the physiological response to sound. ‘We assembled a multidisciplinary team of acoustical engineers, scientists, lighting designers, speaker sculptors, interior designers, and furniture makers so that each voice could be embedded within a single, unified space,’ says O’Neill.

Subliminal is isolated and womb-like. Thick masonry walls are coated with insulation to keep the sound in, along with absorptive interior finishes that dampen reflections and any natural reverb. The sound system is a bespoke assemblage by OJAS, Devon Turnbull’s, including turntable, amplifier and a pair of mighty MTM speakers and the 400-pound OJAS Super Sub subwoofer. This required the installation of a special steel substructure.

All this can be experienced whilst reclining on a custom installation by Paulin, Paulin, Paulin, featuring Pierre Paulin’s legendary Dune Sofa, chosen following a meeting between O’Neill and Pierre’s son, Benjamin. ‘The Dune sofa perfectly supports the sound scape experience of Subliminal where shoes are left at the door,’ the architect explains. Above the Dune is a light installation by Sabine Marcelis, and other fittings and fixtures include vintage lighting selected by Selene Privitera and Paolo Matera.

Nothing has been overlooked. ‘Even the air is considered – continuously circulating through a concealed mechanical system integrated into the furniture – so that nothing interrupts the continuity of the experience,’ O’Neill explains.

The second listening space is located on the fourth floor. Called Suite 48, it is designed to feel part of the cityscape, with an adjoining roof terrace. ‘Unlike traditional listening rooms, which are typically sealed and introspective, Suite 48 is designed to maintain a connection to the city,’ says O’Neill. The multifunctional room was inspired the classic Victorian cabinet of curiosity, with bespoke joinery combining speaker and equipment mounting with niches for books and objects. The room can also double-up as a bedroom.

The flooring is the same brick used in the entrance courtyard, a material that carries through onto the terrace. The wood used for the cabinetry is from Dinesen’s new Layers range, the first time this engineered wood has been used in the US.

O’Neill points out a personal connection to Suite 48. ‘Growing up in Lower Manhattan, rooftops were where we gathered in the summer,’ he recalls, ‘[we were] surrounded by the sights and sounds of the city yet removed from its intensity. Suite 48 is an attempt to recreate that condition: a protected, warm environment that remains open to the energy of the city, designed for time spent with others.’

The technical specification includes speakers from Shivas Howard Brown’s Friendly Pressure studio, along with Friendly Pressure’s FP 401 turntable and a Soulnote A2 amplifier and Node Icon Reference quality music streamer. The whole space was developed in collaboration with Martin Meyer Nielsen of Danish cabinet-makers Ocular, a long-term collaborator with O'Neill Rose Architects.

Stylus bills itself as a ‘sanctuary dedicated to the ephemeral arts.’ Scheduled to open later this year, this ‘acoustic salon’ wants to reinvigorate the member’s club model by operating as a ‘hybrid for-profit/nonprofit’, the idea being that members support commissioning and programming in the new spaces.

These two listening rooms might be diametrically different in approach, but they’re unified by the Stylus ethos, a place where people come together to shape the conversation around sound, music, audio and performance.

More information on Stylus at Stylus.nyc, @Stylusnyc

ONeillRoseArchitects.com, @Oneill_Rose_Architects

OJAS.nyc, @DevonOJAS

Ocular.dk, @Ocular_wood

We’ve covered plenty of portable analogue audio, whether it’s Walkman-alikes like the Fiio CP13 or the hefty stylings of the Bumpboxx BB-777. Now there are two more cassette players among the growing array of options. Either dive deep into old-school mix tapes or make some new ones.

Gadhouse Miko cassette player

Unashamedly retro, the new Gadhouse Miko has just gone on sale. Taking its styling cue from the cheap and cheerful end of the personal stereo market, especially Japanese design from the mid-1980s onwards, the Miko comes with a translucent plastic case and either a smoke or mint-green finish.

Onboard Bluetooth can supplement the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack and the Miko can also record, either via the onboard microphone or the 3.5mm line in. The player is lightweight (just 105g) and intentionally easy to use, and while the lack of instant track access might initially confuse the younger generation, the slower pace and more intentional listening experience that results is definitely on the rise.

Gadhouse designed the player to pair well with Wesley, its range of foam-padded wired over-ear headphones. The company is also promising a future push into the burgeoning cassette culture scene, with a promised line of blank cassette tapes and accessories coming later in the year.

Gadhouse.com

We Are Rewind WE-001 Discogs Edition

We Are Rewind, the French purveyor of a new analogue sensibility, has launched another limited-edition version of the WE-001 portable cassette player. The sister system to the GB-001 boombox, the WE-001 was one of the first concerted attempts at revitalising the ethos and aesthetic of the original Sony Walkman.

Perfectly pitched for collabs and limited editions, the latest batch of WE-001s has been released in the US market in collaboration with online music cataloguing site Discogs. Limited to just 150 matte black units, each coming with a Discogs x RTM C60 blank cassette, the aluminium player is on a different level. For a start, it’s a much weightier proposition than the Miko, coming in at four times heavier, but the build quality is also leagues ahead.

Like the smaller player, the WE-001 has Bluetooth connectivity, which makes pairing with earbuds and smart speakers a breeze. Mix tape making is positively encouraged via the onboard 3.5mm line in. The WE-001 also eschews the once ubiquitous AA battery in favour of an integral lithium pack that gives half a day of playback.

WE-001 Discogs Edition, available in the US only, Newreleases.discogs.com, WeAreRewind.com, @We_are_rewind

Bang & Olufsen has gone all out with the newest editions of its flagship Beolab 90 speaker. This titanic piece of audio equipment sits at the top of an impressive product roster, with a pair starting from €167,200. Yet, above the ‘regular’ edition are those offered through B&O’s Atelier customisation programme; higher still is B&O’s five-part Atelier centenary series, a collection of five editions that have doubled down on craft, design and materials.

We’ve already explored the Beolab 90 Titan Edition but there have also been Shadow and Mirage Editions of the 90s, as well as a speaker created in collaboration with Berluti. Now Bang & Olufsen has launched the final two in the series, the Beolab 90 Monarch Edition and Beolab 90 Zenith Edition.

The Zenith Edition is perhaps the most theatrical, with its six triangular panels each containing no less than 289 anodised aluminium spheres in seven different finishes. The overall effect is of a shimmering collection of surfaces, enhanced with a pearl-blasted aluminium fascia and mother-of-pearl inlays on the top of the speaker.

In contrast, the Beolab 90 Monarch Edition is more of an obvious homage to B&O's midcentury influences and origins. Working closely with a long-standing Danish supplier of woods, the Monarch Edition features angled rosewood lamellas and aluminium components.

The former have been hand-carved and angled to follow the many twists and turns of the cabinet, culminating in a solid rosewood top ring. The aluminium is given an ochre-coloured finish to align with the natural wood.

Wallpaper* spoke to Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, senior director of design at Bang & Olufsen, about the challenges of ultra-high-end hi-fi, and how the company’s industrial design is shaped and guided to facilitate these collaborations.

Wallpaper*: To what extent was the Beolab 90 originally designed to act as a showcase for different material and craft approaches? Was it always the intention or has it evolved?

Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre: Most of our products are designed to meet specific lifecycle management requirements. This is particularly important for our Beolab-speaker portfolio, as these products remain on the market for up to ten years, or often longer in the case of Beolab 90. To support this longevity, we developed a modular system that is applied across a wide range of products.

When designing speakers – including Beolab 90 – we do not define every future expression from the outset. Instead, we establish a strong architectural and acoustic foundation, with modularity and upgradability built in as a deliberate enabler. This design approach allows the product to evolve over time – opening up for new material interpretations and craft expressions – while remaining anchored in its original design and performance intent.

W*: How were the design partners chosen for these material experiments?

KBK-B: All Beolab 90 Editions are conceived and developed by our in-house design team. Crafting these pieces requires a very close collaboration between design and engineering, where we continuously balance performance with form. For each edition, almost every element is reconsidered in terms of geometry, materiality, and assembly.

This means every part goes through an iterative process of testing and refinement to ensure it meets the strict technical requirements of Beolab 90 – and our speakers in general. Having all disciplines under one roof allows us to fully engage with that complexity, so we can explore new material directions while ensuring they are seamlessly integrated into our product’s acoustic performance and overall integrity.

W*: What were the acoustic challenges with the Zenith materials?

KBK-B: The Beolab 90 Zenith truly pushed the boundaries. We had no recipe for turning a 2D pattern into a 3D execution and therewith no established principle for the aluminum sphere panel. It's something we had never done before, and that was certainly challenging, but even more so, really exciting.

To integrate these panels, we first developed a wide range of parametric patterns and tested different sphere diameters to find the right balance between acoustic transparency and a strong visual expression. Once we were satisfied with the design, the challenge shifted to realizing in a robust and reliable way that would still guarantee the flawless sound that Bang & Olufsen stands for. That led us to develop a special mounting method that eliminates any risk of unwanted noise, what we call rub and buzz, while still supporting the complexity of the design.

From an acoustic perspective, the final – and perhaps biggest – challenge was mounting these sculptural panels in front of the woofers. Lower frequencies are less affected by what sits in front of the driver, but they move a significant volume of air during playback, so the spheres have to sit extremely firmly to avoid influencing audio quality.

That meant ensuring every single sphere stayed completely stable under those conditions while also keeping the system practical to assemble. After many iterations, we ended up with a very time-consuming manual mounting process that takes one of our technicians an entire week to assemble all six covers, but it provides the stability we need without compromising performance.

So, in the end, the most demanding part of the process was finding the right balance between long-term stability, acoustic performance, and the original design intent. But we’re happy to say we achieved exactly that. And this is perfectly aligned with our core values at Bang & Olufsen of thinking differently and constantly finding new ways to push boundaries.

W*: How long has B&O worked with the wood company? Is this the most wood ever used in a B&O product?

KBK-B: Since 1949, Bang & Olufsen has worked with the same Danish wood supplier for the Beolab 90 Monarch, reflecting a decades-long relationship built on trust and shared expertise. Their expertise played a key role in achieving the distinctive look we envisioned for the Monarch Edition.

We selected an exclusive Rosewood Palisander for its deep colour and striking grain pattern, and to further showcase the richness of the material, we increased the size of the lamellas. That allowed the wood’s natural character to take on a more prominent and expressive role in the design, while also giving the speaker a stronger sense of solidity and a subtle nod to classic Danish furniture traditions.

Achieving this vision requires a high level of craftsmanship. Each lamella has its own unique geometry and producing them is remarkably complex because of the interplay between curves and angles. But that complexity is exactly what makes them so beautiful. When all the pieces are finally assembled, they form a seamless, wavelike surface that wraps around the speaker in a full 360 degrees.

I’m not sure if it’s the most wood ever used in a B&O product, but to me, it is undoubtedly our most exquisite creation – where exceptional craftsmanship and beautiful sound are harmoniously unified.

W* How important do you feel these material experiments are to B&O’s image? Are Atelier customers helping push the boundaries of the company’s design ethos?

KBK-B: Definitely. Our company has been guided for a century by our founder’s ethos from 1925: ‘a never failing will to create only the best and persistently to find new ways’. Atelier Editions gives this spirit form – driven by curiosity, embracing new materials, and a century of pushing boundaries with artistry.

Many of the inspiring ideas that circulate in Bang & Olufsen – ideas that would be difficult to realise in a traditional production series product – can find a home in Atelier Editions. It is a space where those concepts can become limited masterpieces for our most discerning clients and Bang & Olufsen enthusiasts around the world.

Beolab 90 Monarch Edition/Beolab 90 Zenith Edition: Pricing on request, starting at €480,000, £410,000, 454,200 CHF, Bang-Olufsen.com, @bangolufsen

Prince’s ‘17 days’ is cascading through a stark white tent in central Paris. Guests at the Celine S/S 2026 show sit like churchgoers on long benches with crossed legs and serious expressions. As 70 looks by new creative director Michael Rider zoom in and out of our perspective, we’re taken on a hopscotch through music history – from 1980s pop to gospel-soul classic ‘Like a Ship…(Without a Sail)’ by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir.

Looming at each end of the catwalk are substantial wood and metal speakers, adding some retro warmth to what could otherwise feel like a void-like space.

'Music is incredibly important to Michael Rider. For this show, he had gathered photos from recording studios in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as from theatres and early talking cinemas of the 1930s and 1940s, where speakers were a prominent feature,' Matéo Garcia, the designer behind the speakers, tells me later. 'Since these are references I myself have had for a long time, it felt like the perfect collaboration.'

Matéo Garcia: a life in music and creativity

Growing up in a family of creatives (his grandfather was a contemporary of Joan Miró in Spain, his father an ex-punk and abstract painter in Paris, and his mother a contact improvisational dancer) Garcia’s home was a place of paintbrushes, music, and movement. Techno, jungle, reggae and hip hop were blasted from the speakers at all hours of the day, and his father more or less banned pop and other forms of commercial music.

‘They were free-thinkers, always questioning the status quo, and it affected me. I always destroyed my toys because I was frustrated with the limits of the design and wanted to put them back together in ways that made more sense to me,' he says.

During his teens, he ventured out at night to graffiti around Paris, and in his early twenties, while studying drawing and then industrial design at ENSCI-Les Ateliers, he began designing speakers and founded the collective Manifart. With lots of energy to shake off and bored with what they saw as a stale Parisian nightlife, they wanted to shake things up.

'The nightlife industry had smoothed out most clubs in Paris: you’d find the same kinds of bars, the same drinks, overpriced cloakrooms, and bad techno,' he notes. ‘Museums and official exhibition spaces didn’t excite us either. There was no real freedom or experimentation. We wanted to subvert expectations and have art and nightlife meet in unexpected ways.'

The collective found abandoned buildings and squats all over the city, knocked down walls and made new, creative entrances, invited artists, architects and designers to exhibit their work, and sprinkled experimental music and techno onto the evening. Trying to solve the problem of police shutting down the parties by cutting the music, Garcia created speakers embedded in concrete walls or welded steel cages and fixed them to the floor.

'We were really part of a movement of collectives around 2010, with people always pushing the boundaries, all having different approaches, but inspiring each other,' he recalls. 'I think it has led to Paris being very different today. There’s far more variety.'

After graduation, he did a long stint as what he describes with a shrug as a 'traditional designer', while continuing to keep a sound system in his workshop and experiment with speakers from time to time. Slowly, but steadily, word started spreading, and he got booked to provide sound systems for events or create custom speakers for clients and brands.

'There’s been an interesting change when it comes to speakers,' he says. 'When we grew up, they were becoming smaller and smaller, less and less visible. They were hidden in the walls and the ceilings, came mostly in black and white, and were very sleek.'

More recently, though, he’s observed a big shift: 'For a long time, there wasn’t a specific place in the home dedicated to speakers, but now I think that’s changing. The bigger speakers are coming back. And since sound itself is invisible, there’s something nice about having a visible aspect to sound.'

Sound and design collaboration with Celine

His studio only had three weeks to sketch and produce the speakers for the Celine show. Not wanting to create exact replicas of the speakers in Rider’s reference photos, they came up with an array of totally original designs.

'We sought to blend strong, very early historical references with more contemporary technologies,' he explains. 'Radical, functional forms, yet with a certain softness and delicacy. I like that combination. It’s also interesting to me that the word for speaker is the same as the word for pregnant in French. There’s an entire world inside it (a sense of containment) with many elements coming together to create something.'

The visible speakers provided the main source of sound, with smaller speakers adorning the lights and the floor. 'We wanted to figure out how everyone attending the show could experience the same fantastic sound, no matter where they were seated. Afterwards, I’ve heard from several people that it was the best sound they’ve ever experienced at an event, which was incredible feedback, of course.'

Now it’s all systems go on the numerous projects they had to press pause on for Michael Rider and Celine. Since the fashion show, they’ve provided the sound system for a listening session with James Blake arranged by the collective Mino at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris, on the occasion of the release of Blake’s Trying Times album.

'It was an honour, especially since he is known to be very precise about his mastering,' says Garcia. 'Our goal is to develop systems that remain as faithful as possible to the artist’s original work. The listening experience was very emotional.'

Later in 2026, Garcia and his team will continue to expand their range of high-end speakers, produced in extremely limited series, while also working on a more intimate and discreet dedicated listening space in Paris. With a calendar constantly filled from edge to edge, Garcia hopes to carve out time to keep exploring. 'We always want to push ourselves and be innovative, but I also need time for sculptural experimentation and research. That’s a goal going forward.'

garciamateo.com

A trio of new compact radios offer up very different design approaches, from full-on bells and whistles to tastefully discreet. First up, the kind of device to have on hand when it all goes pear-shaped.

Philips TAR3500

The new Philips TAR3500 is a rugged AM/FM radio with digital tuning designed explicitly for ‘life’s unexpected situations’. Designed to be ultra-rugged, with a long-lasting Li-on battery (giving up 60 hours of use), the TAR3500 not only provides access to the airwaves but doubles up as a flashlight and reading light. Additional power can be added via the onboard solar panel, as well as the hand-cranked charger, with old-school AAA batteries onboard as back-up.

Philips is pitching the dust- and water-resistant device to outdoorsy types as well as those in areas subject to occasional power cuts, citing recent EU guidance to households to have a 72-hour emergency kit on hand. If the audio isn’t cutting it, nor do you have any need for a portable charging bank, the TAR3500 has a final trick up its sleeve – it contains an integrated SOS siren, emergency beacon and ultrasonic whistle.

Also coming soon from Philips is the retro-coded MS60 ‘Roller’. Mobile audio aficionados will recognise the Roller’s bright yellow, post-modern styling; it marks a convincing attempt to update the language and form of the original D8007. Shaped by GRO in Eindhoven, the original Roller was a quintessentially 1980s product. The revival ditches the deck in favour of a skeuomorphic cassette-style interface, along with Bluetooth and USB audio playback.

Available in May 2026, Philips TAR3500, £59.99, MS60, €179.99. More information on both products at Philips.co.uk

Roberts Reva

We’ve been trialling a Roberts Reva for a couple of weeks and can report back that this compact desktop device is both the venerable company’s most contemporary-looking device as well as an impressive audio performer. The Reva brings together DAB+, FM and Bluetooth into a very portable package, albeit one that needs to be plugged in (there are no batteries on board).

Nevertheless, table-top or shelf-based devices win points for not taking up excessive space, especially when they still manage to pack a fair bit of power like the Reva. With a 3.5-inch woofer and 1.5-inch tweeter, as well as a rear-firing bass enclosure, this little digital radio has more than enough oomph for most modest rooms, thanks to 15 watts of output. The wooden cabinet is available in three finishes, cherry, black and pastel cream.

Revo SuperConnect

Finally, some old favourites. With a larger footprint than the Reva, the SuperConnect is Revo’s flagship radio offering. Essentially a scaled-down version of the SuperCD, the SuperConnect goes all-out on bringing together radio from around the world.

Tapping into the internet radio format is easy thanks to the large screen, with a promised 36,000 stations available. The silver and walnut combo is strongly reminiscent of hi-fi’s golden age and there’s also Spotify and Amazon Music connectivity.

It’s also worth considering Ruark Audio’s excellent RS1 (RuarkAudio.com, £299), which puts multifunctional music options into a tiny, bedside-friendly package. Another winner from the extensive Roberts portfolio is the pocket-sized Revival Petite 2 (RobertsRadio.com, £99.99).

Three elegant components come together to create the ultimate in compact but powerful audio systems, melding classic styling and materials with an ultra-modern heart.

Cambridge Audio L/R S speakers

The new L/R S speakers from Cambridge Audio are the first of three sizes of small, powerful and colourful active speaker systems from the British brand. Whilst shown here in a warm walnut finish, the range – which will soon extend to the L/R M and L/R X models – also comes in five other colours, including orange and green.

We’ve been road-testing a pair of walnut finished L/R S, exploring this ultra-flexible piece of audio kit and revelling in the detail design and quality of sound. Combining Bluetooth aptX HD connectivity for hi-res audio with audio over USB and conventional RCA inputs, each speaker puts out 50W of power through its 21mm tweeter (finished in copper) and 3-inch woofer.

The scale is deeply pleasing. Readers of a certain age will remember the early computer speaker systems; brittle plastic accessories that flanked your CRT computer monitor and brought multimedia life to the world of the desktop. As the desktop gave way to the laptop, speakers shrank and audio quality evaporated back to mono. It wasn't until Apple's PowerBook 500 in the mid-1990s that stereo speakers were available in a portable computer. Ultimately, advances in miniaturisation and collaborations with dedicated hi-fi companies (B&O, JBL, Harmon Kardon, etc) meant that laptops were able to claw back some audiophile credibility. It's just not enough, however, and dedicated separate speakers will aways win out.

Crisply flickable microswitches on the rear panel allow you to adapt the speaker sound according to placement – whether it’s against a wall, in the centre of a room or on a desk. Pairing the L/R S with audio over USB and computing has transformed everything from video calls to YouTube watching and listening to streaming services. Having proper stereo separation as well as a welcome dose of power really makes a difference.

Cambridge Audio L/R S speakers, from £399/pair (£449/pair in walnut), CambridgeAudio.com, @CambridgeAudio

Leak TruStream

If you’re pulling audio direct from a laptop or PC (or even a phone), the new Leak TruStream is fine match for the Cambridge speakers. The British company is now breaking out into the world of network music players with the TruStream. Designed to support a raft of contemporary music formats (PCM, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, APE, MP3, AAC, OGG and others), the TruStream is dedicated to high-resolution audio.

Onboard digital-audio conversion can either output to a conventional wired speaker system, supply audio over USB or wireless formats or even just into headphones. Leak has shaped the unit to match its other hi-fi components, which include the CD Transport and Stereo 130 and 230 amplifiers. All follow an established and timeless design language of walnut and brushed aluminium.

Leak TruStream, £999, Leak-HiFi.co.uk, @LeakAudio

Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2 Turntable

Finally, here’s a suitable turntable choice to match up with this selection of woody audio wonders. Pro-Ject’s Debut Evo 2 Turntable just happens to be available in a real walnut finish (alongside a rainbow of other options including Gloss Red, Satin Steel Blue and Satin Golden Yellow).

The Austrian company handmakes its products in the EU. The Evo 2 features precision materials like the carbon tonearm CNC-milled aluminium bearing and a hefty 1.7kg die-cast aluminium platter. The Evo 2 also features a stripped-down design that incorporates RCA plugs and power sockets in the plinth itself for a truly minimal form factor.

Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2 Turntable, £599, ProJect-Audio.com, @ProJectAudioSystems

A new recording studio on a small island off the coast of mainland Türkiye offers a captivating blend of contemporary architecture, local vernacular and state-of-the-art technology; welcome to Pur, the residential facility aiming to craft an inspiring environment for artists after a perfectly pitched space to settle in and allow their creativity to thrive.

Tour a new residential recording studio in Turkey - Pur

The project, a complex of relatively low, two-storey structures placed in a cluster and facing the sea, was designed by New York and Istanbul-based architecture studio Sour, led by architect Inanc Eray. Looking at music production as 'cultural infrastructure,' the team worked at creating a design that answers to a fundamental question, the architects explain: 'How can a building honour the elemental character of its place – sea, olive trees, wind and birds – while delivering the acoustic precision required for world-class music production?'

The answer came in the shape of Pur's boutique collection of structures, which display the materiality and architectural outlines of its part of the world (the small island of Cunda) – stone, timber and small-scale volumes with an abstracted, pitched-roof top.

In its design, Pur aims to align different worlds – modern technology, a distinct sense of place and the flexible needs of artistic production. The result is a spatial journey and a number of buildings that appear crisp and yet tactile on the outside, but expand into a more fluid, soft space once you step inside.

The architects add: 'A GFRC [Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete] shell expresses this transformation [of stepping inside from the outdoors] in a single gesture: a threshold that carries users from the vernacular calm of Cunda into a highly tuned recording environment, as if passing through a “wormhole” of soundscapes, mirroring how music itself moves across time, cultures, and people.'

The team likens parts of the structure – in particular its ground-floor Musician’s Lounge – as a 'cave' for its cocooning, organic atmosphere and form. The aim is to achieve a 'sense of intimacy and comfort – a true home-away-from-home experience.'

The complex of Pur includes live rooms (the biggest of which accommodates a 75-piece orchestra), a control room, vocal and percussion rooms, reverb chambers, editing and montage suites, a mastering suite and a Dolby Atmos theatre. A restaurant and a series of outdoor spaces where guests can relax and experience life on the island underline the connection of the recording studio to its Mediterranean surroundings.

pur-cunda.com

sour.studio

Berlin-based Yont Studio has completed a new hybrid space for Seven, a queer house-music label, in the city’s Mitte club district. What started out as a real estate office at Torstrasse 220 is now a 180 sq m space defined by bold pink architectural objects, including a DJ Booth, a new object in a series of ‘Brutalist Pink’ pieces created by Serdar Ayvaz and Coşan Karadeniz of Yont.

The inspiration here is not hard to discern, but rather than form this deck-bearing sculptural piece out of solid concrete, Yont has given it a surrealist edge by forming the booth from a wooden substructure and hand-shaped rigid foam, styled and carved to resemble a hefty lump of stacked aggregate. Finished with pigmented epoxy and pink paint, the DJ booth anchors the space with visual weight yet can be easily moved.

Yont Studio shaped the object digitally before fabricating the structure and hand-finishing the surfaces. The Seven store example is effectively a physical prototype, with a limited, made-to-order run of units now available. The treatment of the new space for Seven preserves and accentuates the industrial character of the building, removing layers of decoration to reveal raw bricks and patchworked plaster.

The programme includes a record shop with personal spaces for listening to vinyl, in addition to offices for the label, a kitchen, a photo studio and a community event space. Curtains subdivide the space, with the ‘Brutalist Pink’ series providing visual punctuation against the sober backdrop.

This includes the ‘Vinyl Listening Station’, a more compact version of the twin-deck DJ Booth. Combining record storage with a turntable niche, the listening station is carefully shaped to reduce vibrations and enhance audio quality, becoming an eccentric centrepiece of the vinyl experience. It’s also available in a limited edition.

Yont included custom-built elements throughout the store, such as stainless steel display units and oak vinyl storage systems. A scattering of vintage pieces adds warmth and variation, while custom audio components were supplied by Have A Nice Day Hi-Fi (H.A.N.D.) and the Sound Metaphors record label.

Yont will be showing the ‘Brutalist Pink Vinyl Listening Station’ at Salone del Mobile 2026.

YontStudio.com, @YontStudio, @Seven.Berlin

These four new sets of headphones offer up different twists on the format, from unexpected colour and smartphone integration blended with low-budget innovation through to two premium options that sit inside and outside your ear. Read on to find your fit.

Nothing Headphone (a) – 135 hours of playtime

The Headphone (a) is Nothing’s new entry-level over-ear offering, introducing bold colours while simplifying the silhouette and design language of the Headphone (1). Despite the dialling down of material finishing (eg, plastic instead of aluminium), notable improvements have been made elsewhere.

Most impressively, there's a class-leading 135 hours of playtime, thanks to a high-capacity internal battery (and as long as you turn off active noise cancellation). The inclusion of Sony’s LDAC audio coding allows for high-resolution audio (although it halves your listening time).

In addition, Nothing’s cross-device integration continues through a system that allows you to use the physical controls on the (a) to take photos and videos on your Nothing phone.

Nothing Headphone (a), available in black, white, pink and yellow, £149 / €159, Nothing.tech, @Nothing

Soundcore Space 2 – a travel-friendly choice

Also making waves in the value stakes are the new offerings from Soundcore, the audio brand created by charge and accessory specialist Anker.

The new Soundcore Space 2 headphones are worth a look for their very travel-centric approach, including noise cancelling that’s been specially tuned to ‘help combat the low rumble during a commercial flight’.

Battery life isn’t quite up to the capabilities of the Headphone (a), but 70 hours without ANC will accommodate plenty of long-haul trips. Just five minutes with a high-capacity charger will boost the listening time by an additional four hours. The Seafoam Green finish also makes a welcome alternative to sober black and white.

Soundcore Space 2, available in Linen White, Jet Black and Seafoam Green, £129.99 / £129.99, Soundcore.com, Amazon.co.uk

Meze Audio Astru – an unobtrusive wired option

For a more unobtrusive route to high-end audio – with a price to match – Meze Audio has introduced the Astru in-ear monitors. These ergonomically shaped wired IEMs use a single driver (with a manufacturing process that includes applying layers of gold and titanium), housed within a CNC-machined titanium shell with a satin finish.

The Romanian firm includes a high-quality balanced cable in the Astru kit, complete with 4.4mm jack (and 3.5mm adapter), as well as a range of ear tips and two different kinds of carry case.

The Romanian firm includes a high-quality balanced cable in the Astru kit, complete with 4.4mm jack (and 3.5mm adapter), as well as a range of ear tips and two different kinds of carry case.

Astru by Meze Audio, £819 / $899 / €899, MezeAudio.com, @MezeAudio

Grado Signature S550 – premium materials meet quality sound

Another high-grade wired offering comes courtesy of Grado Labs, the Brooklyn-based family-run manufacturer that is successfully bridging the gap between handmade high-fidelity audio and the demands of mass-market audiophiles.

The Grado Signature S550 headphones feature a handcrafted housing made from sustainably sourced Brazilian walnut, which gives each pair a unique look whilst also informing the acoustic characteristics of the tone. The company’s proprietary detachable cable system is also included.

Despite the combination of premium leather on the headband and high-grade stainless steel fittings, as well as Grado’s long-standing commitment to quality, the Signature S550s are the company’s most affordable over-ear headphones to date.

Grado Signature S550, £995 / $995, Grado.co.uk, @GradoLabs

The Japanese tearoom, in its purest form, is a place to fully enjoy a cup of green tea. Traditionally measuring only four and a half tatami mats (slightly more than 7 sq m), the room is intentionally small to allow focus on one thing only: the preparation and drinking of tea.

Devon Turnbull, artist and founder of the audio brand OJAS, has taken this basic idea, given it an audiophile twist and, in collaboration with Japanese furniture maker Karimoku, designed an intimate space he calls Sound House for his ‘Between Space and Sound’ exhibition in Tokyo (on view until 5 June 5 2026).

'I’ve been wanting to make the Sound House for some time. The foundation of my “Listening Room” practice [a series of audiophile installations] is intention, and every time I’ve had the pleasure of visiting a tearoom, I think about how they are one of the best examples of pure intention. The function is very much the same as my listening rooms: a singular-focus room for contemplation,' Turnbull explains.

Beyond the space's small round doors (a reference to the nijiriguchi of a traditional tea house), an oversized matte black turntable takes centre stage. At one end of the small room sit two speakers, and at the other end, three low chairs invite guests to focus their attention on listening.

Everything within the Sound House has been custom-made, from the light grey tatami mats to a modern interpretation of Japanese sliding screens adapted as sound-absorbing panels.

‘The Sound House also solves a major issue with exhibiting high-fidelity audio. Most spaces are not suitable without substantial buildout to optimise the acoustics,’ notes Turnbull, but here, thanks to the production capabilities of Karimoku, a long-held dream comes true for the designer.

In the basement of the Karimoku Research Center, where the exhibition takes place, the full line-up of collaborative speakers and seating is on display. The speakers come in three sizes (Sanjo, Rokujo, and Nurikabe) and two colours: Turnbull’s signature pewter grey and natural oak. There are also two variations of acoustic panels and a modular seating system designed by Turnbull for intentional listening.

'I am a big chair and furniture collector, and never thought I had the authority to design a chair myself,' he confesses. The resulting system looks extraordinarily light with its open base (perfect for storing vinyl or books) and also comes in an ultra-low traditional Japanese version without the base, meant to be used for tatami room seating.

At the top floor of the exhibition, it is clear that Turnbull has had free use of Karimoku’s superior production facilities. An over-dimensioned subwoofer is flanked by two huge speakers, with a row of chairs arranged for optimal listening. The multi-cell horns on top of the two speakers are a one-of-a-kind rendition of Turnbull's horn speaker design, usually made of metal. 'I sent Karimoku the drawings for the horns, and next time I visited the factory, a prototype was ready,' he says. Wood gives a special warmth to the sound, its use made possible by Karimoku’s advanced 3D-machining technology.

'Music is the closest thing to magic that I’ve experienced. Listening with intention, on a hi-fi system, is like tapping directly into that magic current,' Turnbull reflects, describing his obsession with sound. Listening either in the Sound House or in the top-floor listening room can only enhance that feeling of magic.

The exhibition runs until 5 June 2026 at Karimoku Research Center 2-24-2 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo. @karimoku_research

Devon Turnbull also has a listening room installation on show as part of ‘Art of Noise’ at Cooper Hewitt, New York, until 19 July 2026 – one of our must-see design exhibitions of 2026

Ultra high-end portable audio specialist Astell&Kern has announced a new portable player, the PD20. An ultra-compact digital audio player, the PD20 is to 2026 what the pocketable mp3 player was a couple of decades ago, with the added benefit of 20 years of improved manufacturing, sound quality and personalisation.

In addition to A&K’s rock-solid construction quality, the new player’s main USP is its ‘Personal Sound’ system. This onboard algorithm has been developed alongside Audiodo, a Malmö-based start-up that has mastered the art of shaping audio based on your hearing. The device initiates a hearing test, the results of which will determine the equalisation and balance of the audio to best fit your ears.

Audiodo has worked with brands like Nothing, Nocs and Skullcandy, and here the tech is baked into the PD20’s dedicated earphones. There are other audiophile aspects to the player’s design, including a hybrid amplification mode that exploits the Digital Audio Convertor’s flexibility to provide a suite of different audio experiences, all switched by a physical button. On the top of the PD20, a Sound Master Wheel provides a wide sweep of EQ control.

The aluminium housing is more linear and classically styled than earlier players from A&K, which tended towards a more faceted form factor. Physical controls, inspired by studio equipment, provide easy access to the audio functions, while the large touch screen has space for artwork and transport controls.

Finally, there’s also Audiosphere technology, a form of spatial audio that generates a 3D sound field from standard 2-channel stereo, with four presets: Subtle, Balanced, Immersive, and Echoic. Onboard memory is 256GB but the PD20 offers support for up to 2TB of audio via microSD cards. High-res audio support comes as standard, along with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and wired connectivity, with the option to use PD20 as a USB DAC for a Mac or Windows PC

Astell&Kern PD20, £1799 / $1970, astellnkern.com, @astellandkern_uk

The spirit of high-tech 1980s minimalism, when architects and designers started sourcing components and materials from industrial suppliers and repurposed them for use in the home, is reborn in start-up Mortar. ‘Mortar is a contemporary furniture and home accessories brand. Think of brutalism and minimalism. Aluminium, stainless steel and white painted wood,’ says Andrew Laskin, who runs the new Scottish brand as a one-man band.

Laskin, a graphic designer and musician, began his industrial design journey when he created some pieces to kit out his own apartment. Finding nothing that fitted his aesthetic and requirement, Laskin started to draw up his own ideas, out of what he calls the ‘necessity of making spaces around you … resonate with your inner self.’

‘It is an idea that one should not be afraid of a blank page. It is a need to smile while drinking a morning coffee, reading a book lying on a coffee table or enjoying a glass of wine surrounded by burning candles,’ Laskin continues. ‘Mortar [came from] a dream of one’s perfect flat brought to life by a pencil and a drill.’

Current products cover a diverse cross-section of products, from a coffee table and candle holders, through to speakers and vinyl storage. Inspiration comes from ‘masters of simple forms’, with Tadao Ando, Le Corbusier, and Dieter Rams all cited.

Materials are sourced locally wherever possible. and other masters of simple forms. All materials are sourced locally in Scotland, if possible. ‘The idea is to support local businesses, collaborate with local artists, and make UK homes better,’ says Laskin.

We’re especially taken with the minimalist charms of the M-159 CD Player, M-2000 TV Bench, M-470 Speakers and M-618 Vinyl Storage. Wallpaper* spoke to Laskin about his vision for the brand.

Wallpaper*: Do you have plans for scaling the business (eg, sourcing more suppliers) or are you happy for it to stay small and bespoke?

Andrew Laskin: I really appreciate this ‘intimacy’ thing where I can afford a unique approach to every customer. Scaling is surely an aim, but not scaling to fight with Ikea; [instead] scaling the catalogue to meet the needs of a (probably) relatively small number of people, who are happy with what I design to be in their homes.

W*: How do you choose where you source components from?

AL: Mortar is mostly a one-man army, so there is no dedicated team to manage and ‘optimise’ the supply chain. Therefore I can support local suppliers who share my philosophy on an individual approach and (hopefully) are located not too far from the studio.

W*: What's your design/tech background?

AL: My diploma says ‘Management’, but in my free time, I was helping my friends with organising different parties and exhibitions – primarily by creating a visual identity. So I’m proud to consider myself a graphic designer for seven-plus years now. But that’s graphic design and some video-making mostly.

Apart from this, university accommodations motivated me to make certain wood pieces that could help me store my equipment and make my workspace more accessible. So for each room I’ve lived in, I designed and assembled something unique.

W*: It's quite unusual to have a company provide everything from furniture to electronics – why did you decide to take this approach?

AL: At the end of the day, it’s all just something that surrounds us when we wake up and when we go to sleep. So I believe that a coffee table and speakers are not that different. ‘I made it for myself’ is the motto of Mortar projects.

One day, I needed a vinyl storage to keep my ever-growing vinyl collection, another day I thought that wall-mounted speakers would be helpful while watching films. All the pieces are sharing the same creative spark and technical approach, so they naturally sit well together.

W*: Are there any sectors you want to move into in the future?

AL: A sofa would probably be my next thing in the catalogue. Also, there is a huge glass and metal wall-mounted ambient lamp. My sketchbooks will soon require their own storage, but I can’t offer people something that I’m not using myself, and that did not pass a thorough testing. But I never stop dreaming and experimenting, so hopefully big things are ahead!

Mortar, more information at MforMortar.com, @MforMortar

This trio of new, updated and favourite turntables broadens the options for vinyl lovers. We delve into new models from old names like Sony, as well as fresh colours from a Pro-Ject x Triangle collaboration and a long-standing Wallpaper* favourite. There's also a substantial upgrade in the shape of a new phono cartridge from Japanese audio brand Sumiko.

Sony PS-LX3BT and PS-LX5BT

Sony is back in the turntable game with two new Bluetooth-equipped offerings, the PS-LX3BT and PS-LX5BT are fully automatic record players in the traditional mould, with Perspex covers and minimal, push-button operation.

Intended as a plug and play accompaniment for those who rely on portable Bluetooth speakers as their primary sound source, the LX5BT adds a little more audiophile lustre with an aluminium tone arm and gold-plated audio jacks.

Sony PS-LX3BT, £299, Sony PS-LX5BT, £399, Sony.co.uk

Triangle Lunar 1

French audio manufacturer Triangle has teamed up with Pro-Ject to create the Lunar 1, a manual turntable steeped in the quality, aesthetic and minimal appearance of the company’s other components. We’re especially taken with this rich green finish (blue and cream are also available, alongside a more conventional white and black). The Lunar 1 also eschews Bluetooth for a more traditional wired approach.

Triangle Lunar 1 turntable, £399, TriangleHifi.co.uk

Transparent Turntable

Available in bright white or sober black, Transparent’s Turntable continues the company’s reputation for modular, minimalist electronics that looks as good as it sounds. Given a well-deserved nod in our 2024 Design Awards, the belt-driven turntable has a glass body and lid, exposing the aluminium detailing and mechanism in signature style.

An Elliptical Diamond stylus and OM5E cartridge from Danish manufacturer Ortofon completes the hardware, while an onboard Preamp and Bluetooth 5.0 offer up streaming solutions, pairing especially well with the Swedish company’s own range of speakers.

Transparent Turntable, £1,100, Transpa.rent

Oriole Phono Cartridge by Sumiko

Finally, an essential upgrade courtesy of Japanese audio specialists Sumiko. The new Oriele phono cartridge will transform a turntable’s agility. The company, which is part of the Bose Corporation audio empire, has a long association with American audio brand McIntosh (now another Bose outpost), and joins a range that includes the Songbird and Starling models. Hand-crafted in Japan, the orange-hued Oriele should make vinyl sing.

Oriole Phono Cartridge, $1,699, SumikoPhoneCartridges.com, @SumikoPhoneCartridges

Ruark's console-based Hi-Fi systems are already a cut above the norm. Over the years, we’ve admired the British audio company’s commitment to create high quality streaming speakers and all-in-one units like the Ruark R2, the R610 and R410.

Back in 2023, the company launched the R810 Radiogram, an elegant piece of audiophile furniture designed to hold its own in a room full of contemporary and classic pieces. Now the company has launched the R810 MiE, an edition of 50 in the ongoing Made in England series of ultra-crafted models.

Released to coincide with the company’s 40th anniversary year, the R810 MiE upscales the level of detail design on the unit’s wooden case using traditional marquetry techniques. Available in two material finishes and designs, Penta-Chord Walnut and Leaf-Lined Oak, each of the 50 units made will be truly unique, with a careful process of selecting and matching veneers.

The MiE version of the R810 has all the functionality of the original, with hi-res streaming in addition to Bluetooth connectivity, as well as well as radio tuners (DAB, DAB+ and FM) and onboard streaming services from Spotify, Qobuz and Tidal.

This is the second Ruark MiE project, following the R5 Made in England edition from 2021 that was ultimately paused and postponed by the pandemic. A major anniversary was a good excuse to revisit the approach. Ruark has collaborated with Storm Furniture, a well-established firm of artisanal woodworkers (and member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen).

The unit stands a metre wide and 660mm tall, with the integral rotary controller mimicked by a separate circular remote control. The stand is finished in polished chrome, and the unit also has an input for a turntable.

Destined to become a collector's item as well as a music lover's best-friend, the MiE edition will be released through selected specialist retailers.

Ruark R810 MiE Radiogram, £6,495, more information at RuarkAudio.com, @RuarkAudio

The quest to reclaim the aura of analogue from digital domination continues, this time in the shape of a new music player devised by the musician Tom Vek. Sleevenote is a ‘mindful music player’, a compact device that is a mash-up of Walkman-style scale, mp3-driven convenience and totemic portal into the art of the album.

One of Vek’s intentions was to reclaim the mp3 file as something more akin to a physical format than an abstract, ephemeral computer file. In the streaming age, more and more people are completely disconnected from the physicality of music, removing not just the tactile quality of formats and artwork, but also the sense of connection to a musical artist.

Sleevenote wants to bring back that connectivity and make mp3s special again. A square player that’s practically all touchscreen (measuring 87mm x 87mm), it fits in the palm of your hand. Most importantly, Sleevenote is designed to only play mp3s that have been bought and downloaded.

According to Vek, who has a background in design, ‘Sleevenote was originally born to simply be the place for additional sleeve art, but the more we built the experience, the more we’ve realised how right the time is for innovation in the space of personal hi-fi.’ Very much in its experimental stage right now, the first set of players are being offered to those keen to help polish the experience, OS and ecosystem.

Vek has worked with co-founder Chris Hipgrave, a music technology developer, to create a proprietary system for disseminating the music and artwork. Artists are encouraged to flesh out their releases with imagery, information, lyrics and whatever else they need to engage with their fans. ‘[We want] to distinguish music ownership from discovery in the digital world, by giving it a physical manifestation,’ says Vek.

As a ‘single-purpose device’, Sleevenote taps into the evolving trend for digital natives to step out of the overwhelming stream of information delivered by smartphones. Just like a digital camera or even an old-school mp3 player, Sleevenote is about creating a calmer, more considered space for interacting with art, rather than treating it as an infinite scroll of content.

No streaming, no games, no distractions, just music and artwork. Instead of shuffling through millions of songs and succumbing to the algorithm, Sleevenote positively encourages the art and craft of collecting and appreciating music and the aesthetic vision of those who make it.

Pre-order the Sleevenote, Day One Edition, £249

The newest speakers from minimalist hi-fi specialist Nocs are inspired by Cubist simplicity and maximal power. Nocs founder Daniel Alm describes Braque as ‘an exploration in symmetry – two cubes, one sculptural stereo system’. Like all of Alms’ very distinctive designs – the Monolith speaker, for example – Braque is as much a sculpture as it is a functional piece.

Braque consists of a meticulously finished brushed steel cube with a plywood speaker box above. Drivers are supplied by Celestion and connections are both analogue RCA and optical (no Bluetooth here). ‘Braque was designed as both object and instrument,’ says Alm, ‘it reflects our belief that form and sound can coexist in perfect balance.’

The weighty metal base comes in at 25kg. Handcrafted in Sweden with an exacting finish, it’s paired with the plywood speaker cube (made in Estonia) to create a 75cm tall tower that’s the perfect height for listening. Braque will be built in limited numbers, with Alm’s own design studio offering custom Pantone-based colour schemes via direct enquiries.

Alms gives the nod to Georges Braque (1882-1963) due to the French painter’s exploration of ‘geometry, duality, and the reduction of form. Braque reflects this thinking through its stacked architecture – two cubes working together as a single instrument,’ he says. There’s more than a hint of Donald Judd’s spatial sculptures in the Braque’s quietly dominating stance.

In addition to the dual Celestion 8-inch coaxial drivers, Braque has twin Hypex FA122 amplifiers with integrated DSP. ‘By working with a larger enclosure and a coaxial driver, we were able to shape a sound that’s natural, open, and honest,’ says Alm. ‘It reveals what’s in the recording without adding anything of its own, which is the core of our Studio Sound approach.’

Braque speakers, €6000 / $6000 per pair, Nocs.design, @Nocsdesign, custom finishes via DanielAlm.com

For much of the last century, speakers were shaped by engineers rather than designers – built primarily for performance, not presence. Over the past decade, Ikea has quietly worked to shift that perception, from the launch of ‘Eneby’ Bluetooth speaker range in 2018 to its Sonos collaboration, ‘Symfonisk’, the following year (integrating wireless speakers into home furnishings such as lamps and shelves) and then ‘Vappeby’ outdoor lamp-speaker with Spotify Tap in 2022. Its latest collaboration, launching today (25 November 2025), with Swedish designer Tekla Evelina Severin, better known as Teklan, pushes that ambition further, treating sound as something to be seen as well as heard.

Teklan and Ikea combine colour, light and sound

Spanning speakers, lamp-speakers and decorative lighting that flaunt Teklan’s trademark use of bold patterns and colour combinations, the collection explores how sound, light and colour can work together to shape atmosphere in the home.

‘Colour is so much about memories and experience and association and I try to bring that comfort into design,’ Teklan explains. ‘I work a lot with this softening, warming kind of atmosphere…and now I'm bringing this softness and colour into technology.’

At the centre of the collection is ‘Solskydd’, a family of Bluetooth speakers designed by long-time Ikea collaborator Ola Wihlborg. Available in three sizes and designed to hang, stand or be wall-mounted, the speakers have a distinctly retro-futurist feel, wrapped in Teklan’s bold colourways and graphic surface designs – patterns that draw on architectural references, created to add depth and rhythm to the surface and to shift subtly as you move around the room.

Wihlborg has spent more than 20 years designing for Ikea, but this is his first foray into technology products. ‘I think many speakers are developed based on how to get the best sound possible, and then you wrap a shape around that,’ he says. ‘We started from the other end.’ While Wihlborg focused on form, a dedicated engineering team refined the acoustics. ‘Many homes are usually dominated by squares, like bookshelves, windows, and artwork. So, for me, this was a chance to bring in a softer, architectural element to break up those straight lines.’

Alongside the speakers are the ‘Kulglass’ lamp-speakers, combining light and sound in a single sculptural object topped with a swirl-shaped glass shade inspired by soft-serve ice cream. The colour palette, Teklan explains, comes from memories and nostalgia – everything from cherry blossom to ice cream and art deco. One mint-green tone was matched to a childhood recollection. ‘I immediately remembered this mint block soap in my grandparents’ home,’ she says. ‘I actually went there… and tried to match exactly that.’

Also included is Teklan’s spin on Ikea’s classic ‘Fado’ lamp, updated with a pink confetti pattern. The hand-finished shades are decorated with crushed-glass dots using traditional glassmaking techniques, meaning each piece is slightly different. ‘You dip the glass, and then you roll it in these glass pebbles… and then you blow it and you spin it,’ Teklan explains. ‘None of them are exactly the same.’

The new collection builds on the first Teklan x Ikea collaboration, which launched earlier in 2025 and included two new colourways for the ‘Vappeby’ portable speaker and a series of 14 braided charging cables in 'retro' colours inspired by climbing ropes.

Sara Ottosson, product developer at Ikea of Sweden, says the designer had been ‘on our mind for some time’, having followed her work before approaching her. ‘We were trying to do electronics and make it more like home furnishing. Teklan has that extra everything, making products not only functional, but very emotional.’ As Ottosson puts it, the collection proves that ‘we don’t need to adapt the home to the electronics. We actually make electronics to adapt to the home you want’.

For Teklan, the project carries a personal resonance. ‘If five-year-old little Tekla would have known… Ikea was definitely my first meeting with interior design,’ she says. ‘It’s quite wild, quite surreal.’

The Ikea x Teklan collection launches globally in December 2025, with availability varying by market, ikea.com

The sheer diversity of speaker shapes threatens to overwhelm. Whether you prefer a sculptural all-in-one to admire even when it's silent, a discreet set of bookshelf speakers, or even a couple of towering floor-standing units, we've found seven quality pairs that should work well with any space – as well as portable options – to give you a lifetime of crystal clear sound.

Audio Pro W-Generation speakers

Sweden’s Audio Pro has unveiled a new line of compact speakers, the W-generation. Consisting of 12 new speakers, ranging from the compact, portable cylindrical A10 MkII W through to the desktop Audio Pro C20 W and up to the flagship A38 W and A48 W, the overhauled range includes a new app and interface as well as expanded streaming support.

All of the new speakers can now hook into a wide range of streaming services, including but not limited to Spotify, Napster, Tidal and Amazon Music, with the capability to group speakers across multiple rooms as well. The W-Generation also includes the ability to tune each speaker to best suit individual rooms, with full backward compatibility with earlier Audio Pro products. The cleaner, less fussy design extends to a harmonised palette of colours and grille fabrics.

Audio Pro A10 MkII W, £220 (sale price £130), Audio Pro C20 W, £450, Audio Pro A38 W, £700, AudioPro.com, @AudioProSound

Node Atom Speakers

Node’s range of Atom speakers comprises the newest products from the British audio brand. Designed and manufactured at the company’s Cambridge base, the Atom range starts with two models, the Atom 525 Standmount and the Atom 650 Floorstander. Sharing the same design language, with a pronounced backwards lean, the new speakers have been shaped for maximum visual impact as well as acoustic performance.

The latter is enhanced by the internal ‘MonoCells’, a complex lattice structure located within the speaker, created through additive manufacturing and serving as both structure and acoustic damping system. The company has also developed a special textile for the Atom’s exterior, blending felt, foam and woven fabric to minimise vibrations and give the front of the speaker a smooth, flawless finish.

The speakers also feature polished aluminium detailing, creating a sculptural, architectural form factor that’s intended to complement any interior style. The new range will be available from January 2026.

Node Atom, more information at Node-Audio.com, @Node_Audio

WAF Audio SP-02

WAF – Waves and Frequencies – is a new audio company based out of New York and Ontario. Founded by furniture designer Zoë Mowat and industrial designer, DJ and audio enthusiast David Shaw, the company has now introduced its second product, the SP-02 two-way passive loudspeaker. The new speakers are made in Canada and incorporate a six-inch woofer from SB Acoustics and a tweeter from Scan-Speak.

Compact and austere, yet with infinite flexibility for colour customisation beyond the four standard lacquer finishes – WAF will accept any RAL or Pantone reference – there’s also an optional 15-inch riser for more placement options.

The company aims to ‘demystify hi-fi’, and old-school audiophiles might recognise WAF as a tongue-in-cheek but deeply sexist acronym (‘Wife Acceptance Factor’). Understandably, the new company wants to reclaim WAF as ‘something more inclusive’.

WAF SP-02, $2,600/pair, available via WAFAudio.com, @WAF_audio

Arendal Sound 1528 Tower 8 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition

Swathed in mighty slabs of rosewood, this limited edition is Norwegian manufacturer Arendal Sound’s celebration of a decade of its 1528 Tower 8 speakers. Each 143cm tall speaker has a unique piano-lacquered rosewood finish, intended as a deliberate nod to the country’s tradition of midcentury and modernist design, while under the hand-polished skin, there’s an award-winning floor-standing speaker system.

Just 25 pairs of this highly prized loudspeaker will be produced, aimed at those with substantial spaces to fill (30 sq m and up).

1528 Tower 8 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition, £10,000/pair, Arendal Sound, ArendalSound.com, @ArendalSound

Devialet Mania Opéra Rouge and Phantom Ultimate

Devialet now has new editions of its key products available. First up is the Devialet Mania Opéra Rouge, a rich garnet-red version of the French company’s portable Bluetooth speaker. Supplied with matching dock, the Opéra Rouge is part of an ongoing range celebrating the Opéra de Paris and features a gold-plated frame. Designed to supply immersive 360-degree sound, regardless of placement, the Mania has a ten-hour battery life and integrated Amazon Alexa.

The company has also recently revealed the latest version of its signature Phantom speaker, the Devialet Phantom Ultimate. Available in two sizes, 108 dB and 98 dB, Phantom Ultimate comes in several finishes, Deep Forest, Light Pearl, and Opéra de Paris (shown here).

Refined and updated inside and out, with a new app that helps shape the sound depending on the source – music, movies or podcasts – Phantom is a freestanding speaker designed to take centre stage.

Devialet Mania Opéra Rouge, €1,090 / £990 / $1,199
Devialet Phantom Ultimate 108 dB, from €3,200 / £2,800 / $3,800
Ultimate 98 dB, from €1,500 / £1,400 / $1,900

Devialet.com, @Devialet

KEF Coda W

KEF has announced the launch of its newest all-in-one speaker, the wireless Coda W. Available in five finishes (Vintage Burgundy, Nickel Grey, Moss Green, Midnight Blue, and Dark Titanium), the compact Coda W has been designed with vinyl lovers in mind. Incorporating a large 5.25-inch driver with an integral tweeter, the 200W speaker incorporates dedicated amplifiers and uses Bluetooth 5.4 for low latency.

Wired connections are also available, with an RCA (line) input for turntables, complete with integrated phono pre-amplifier for direct connection. A subwoofer output allows you to pair the Coda W with a compatible KEF subwoofer.

KEF Coda W, £799/pair, UK.KEF.com, KEF.eu

WiiM Sound

A newly launched smart speaker system, the WiiM Sound aims to go head-to-head with in-house offerings from the like of Apple and Google, as well as established players like Sonos. The 100W smart speaker is distinguished by its prominent circular display, a 1.8-inch touch screen that serves as a portal to album art, controls, custom wallpaper and even elements like a clock face.

WiiM has given the Sound full connectivity options, including both Google Assistant and Alexa, as well as access to key streaming services and Bluetooth connectivity. A separate voice-activated remote unit can also be used. The cylindrical form incorporates a four-inch woofer and dual tweeters, with WiiM’s ‘AI RoomFit’ algorithm analyses the surrounding space and tweaks the EQ to fit. Twin Sounds can also be paired for a broader soundstage.

WiiM Sound, available soon from WiiMhome.com, @WiiMhome

Prolific synthesist, industrial designer, woodworker and sonic explorer Love Hultén has released another monograph of his singular sound-making creations. Love Hultén: Works II follows on from earlier publications Works and Apparatrum and is equally stuffed full of weird and wonderful devices.

The output of Hultén’s Gothenburg workshop is like nothing else. Typically starting with an existing synth or electronic instrument, each build deconstructs the interface, adds layers of new ways of modulating and manipulating the sound, all wrapped up in idiosyncratic but beautifully crafted cabinets that fetishise the knobs, dials, and screens.

In addition to reshaping, rewiring and combining synths old and new, Hultén has also tackled vintage video games and even retro-fitted an Aston Martin Lagonda with a custom integrated synth set-up. Projects featured in the new book include Pink Lab, which blends a Taiga by Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers along with a Microcosm glitch pedal and an Arturia KeyStep controller, along with analogue cogs.

There’s also the Soma Lab, a colossal wall-mounted synth that draws inspiration from the 1960s-era modular hi-fi systems Dieter Rams designed for Braun, and Charlotte, a desktop machine that combines a Moog Minitaur synth with a ferrofluid visualizer and resembles something out of Dr Strangelove.

Limited to 600 copies, the 152-page hardback monograph is an inspirational journey through the work of a true master of both analogue and digital realms.

Love Hultén, Works II, $49 plus shipping, LoveHulten.com, @LoveHulten

Over-ear headphones may still offer the richest, most immersive listening experience, but there are moments when scale and circumstance demand something smaller. Enter the new generation of wireless in-ear headphones: compact, precisely engineered, and increasingly sophisticated in both form and function.

It’s been nearly a decade since Apple’s first AirPods ushered in the era of untethered listening – an innovation that transformed how we move through the world with sound. Early iterations were imperfect, often prone to sound leakage and inconsistent audio quality, but the category has since evolved dramatically.

Today’s leading models pair airtight comfort with advanced noise cancellation, refined acoustics and smart design, though their diminutive proportions still impose practical limits – namely battery life, with most offering under eight hours of continuous playback before a recharge is required. Silicone and foam tips now deliver a more tailored fit and impressive sound isolation, though some listeners may still find prolonged wear less than effortless.

What we’ve tested

In this article, we’ve tested a selection of the best in-ear headphones, looking at elements such as comfort, sound quality, design, charge case, performance, software, and compatibility; every product has undergone extensive testing, and meets a quality benchmark that means we’re happy to recommend them to you.

Running Spotify Premium on the latest Android and iOS devices, we’ve tried out the following in-ear headphones:

• Apple AirPods Pro 2
• Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven
• Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen)
• JBL Tour Pro 3
• Nothing Ear
• Sony WF-1000XM5

Whether you’re looking for the highest degree of comfort, a secure fit, ultimate sound quality, or the most effective active noise cancelling (ANC), these in-ear headphones provide an excellent choice, whatever your needs.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

Apple AirPods Pro 2

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven

Sony WF-1000XM5

JBL Tour Pro 3

Nothing Ear

With recent big releases from two of the major players in music technology, Akai and Roland, we’ve rounded up nine new devices that offer a high-tech take on music production, performance and recording.

1. Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator

A major release from Roland, originators of the modern era of drum machines back in the early 80s. The new Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator is a powerhouse of beat making, a vast device that incorporates an analogue sound engine, replicating the original sonic library of the TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines, along with fully digital sampling, editing and manipulation tools. There’s literally nothing this machine can’t do, and its size and price reflects that.

Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator, £2,279, Roland.com, Andertons.co.uk

2. Beat Buddy 2

Those who desire a more portable source of rhythm, without crunchy analogue textures or world-class sampling, consider Singular Sound’s new Beat Buddy 2. This is essentially a practice tool for guitarists and other pedal-using musicians, capable of providing backing tracks, fills and intros that can be programmed in various combinations using a selection of different drum sounds. An optional pedal board, the Super Switch, provides even more flexibility.

Beat Buddy 2, $499, SingularSound.com

3. Boss PX-1

The undisputed masters of the guitar effects pedal, Boss, have ventured into controversial territory with the new Boss PX-1. Following the same physical format as the Roland’s subsidiary’s long-running range of compact pedals, first introduced in 1976, the PX-1 packs a digital core that allows for up to 16 digital recreations of classic effects, including the CE-2 chorus that started it all, the PN-2 tremelo and the DD-2 digital delay. It’s controversial because only eight effects are baked in and the rest require an additional payment. Such subscription models are frowned up in audio circles, and it remains to be seen if Boss will continue to expand the PX-1’s abilities in the years to come.

Boss PX-1, £229, Boss.info, Andertons.co.uk

4. Demon Box

The Demon Box is a machine offering a fresh approach to sound design. Based around the concept of transforming electromagnetic fields into audio waveforms, the Demon Box works when paired with an object like a cell phone, a power drill, an electric toothbrush, etc., into sound and MIDI note information. You can even tune into the background hum of invisible electronic noise to conjure up soundscapes.

Demon Box, $999, Eternal Research, EternalResearch.com

5. Chordcat

The Chordcat is a compact groovebox from AlphaTheta designed to conjure up chord progressions, drum patterns and sketch out the bare bones of a song. Progressions and patterns can be transferred to a computer, or the Chordcat can be used as a MIDI controller to drive external gear. Powered by mains or batteries, the emphasis is on portability and accessibility.

Chordcat, £239, AlphaTheta, AlphaTheta.com, theDJshop.co.uk

6. Vector Synth

The Vector Synth is a hugely flexible synthesizer that uses a combination of physical controls and a responsive touch screen interface for sound design. The possibilities on offer are endless, whether as a standalone device or as part of a larger system, with onboard effects adding another layer of manipulation.

Vector Synth, €1,165, Beetle Crab Audio, BeetleCrab.Audio

7. Zoom H6studio

Zoom have launched the latest in the long line of ‘H’ series handheld multitrack recorders. The H6studio can record six simultaneous tracks of audio, with high-quality onboard microphones and four versatile inputs. Aimed at musicians, podcasters, filmmakers and anyone interested in the remote capture of perfect audio, it can also be used as an audio interface.

Zoom H6studio, £384, ZoomCorp.com, Andertons.co.uk

8. CDJ-3000X

Formerly branded as a Pioneer, AlphaTheta’s CDJ-3000X is the industry standard DJ performance device. A heavy-duty machine designed for live performance as well as the studio, the CDJ-3000X offers expansive connectivity to cloud services and streaming platforms, as well as the ability to display 16 tracks simultaneously on the 10.1” touchscreen to facilitate selection and mixing.

CDJ-3000X, £2,399, AlphaTheta.com, Andertons.co.uk

9. Akai MPC Live III

Finally, a new iteration of Akai’s evergreen MPC, which first arrived in 1988 and quickly became a mainstay of hip-hop production, amongst other genres. The newest model is the MPC Live III, an all-in-one workstation that offers everything you need to create a track from scratch. Powerful sampling facilities are paired with sequencing and effects, with the MPC’s signature grid of pads updated and enhanced for the new generation. The latter also makes the MPC a powerful live performance machine, while the onboard speaker and battery allow you to work anywhere.

Akai MPC Live III, £1,399, AkaiPro.com, Andertons.co.uk

Few pieces of home entertainment technology have the kudos and lustre of the Brionvega Radiofonografo rr-226, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and originally launched in September 1965. A one-piece radiogram, the Radiofonografo brought hi-fi design into the modern era, a playful pop-cultural object that could be reconfigured depending on the size and shape of the room (or the type of party you were hosting).

To celebrate 60 years of the Radiofonografo, Brionvega has a numbered limited edition of 60 units, created in collaboration with the Italian artist and designer Elena Salmistraro. The company has kept the radiogram in production, ensuring its status as a design classic (its presence in the collection of MoMA NY and Milan’s Triennale Design Museum helps as well), while also subtly updating its performance for the modern age.

The Milan-based manufacturer has stopped short of giving the unit a full digital makeover, however, but keeps a palette of bold colours (white, orange, red, blue and ciliegio cherry wood) in a nod to its 1960s heritage.

The new edition introduces a new colour palette to the range, with soft green surfaces paired with details in a warm tobacco finish, including the dials and buttons and the speaker grilles. These sit above a matte black aluminium base, with a smoked turntable cover protecting the Pro-Ject sourced turntable and Ortofon stylus.

‘I had the honour of working on an object that, still today, represents an unsurpassed example of design and ingenuity,’ says Salmistraro, ‘From the very beginning, my approach was guided by the utmost respect for the original work: a project that requires neither functional nor formal changes, because it is perfect in its essence.’

That perfection extends to AM/FM radio only, and 125W + 125W of output. External sources can be input via regular RCA connectors and there’s also a headphone jack. Anyone wanting modern streaming solutions should look elsewhere, or else take a cue from famous owners like David Bowie, who relished the Brionvega’s physical presence as much as its sound (just as Achille Castiglioni intended).

The company also offers a reissue of Mario Bellini's classic 1971 Totem hi-fi system (albeit with added DAB and USB) and Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso’s 1964 ts502 radiocubo. In recent years, the company has revived its design collaborations, working with Michael Young on a smart speaker. As has been the case for the past 60 years, the Radiofonografo is handmade in Italy.

Brionvega Radiofonografo 60th anniversary, price on application, Brionvega.com, @Brionvega

As yet, nothing beats the comforting form factor of a traditional radio. Whether it’s destined for the desktop, nightstand or kitchen counter, this enduring form factor is a gateway to the rich diversity of radio as a medium, whether it’s over FM or DAB. We’ve assembled three new releases from key players in the sector, all of whom are wedded to the art of broadcasting.

Roberts Reva

Roberts started making radios back in the early 30s, starting off in the heart of London’s West End. After the war, the company created an enduring form factor in the RT1, taking advantage of new transistor technology to make a compact portable radio with signature leather bound case and carry handle. Revived in the 1990s, and turning round the ailing company’s fortunes as a result, Roberts has kept up the momentum with a blend of old school retro design and modern.

The latest model to emerge from the Surrey company is the Reva, a trapezoid-shaped desktop model that’s available in Black Leatherette, Pastel Cream Leatherette, or Cherry Wood finishes. A lot of useful options are included, from DAB, DAB+ and FM tuning, 40 presets, Bluetooth connectivity, an alarm, sleep timer, and USB charging port. The Reva has an enduring, friendly form factor, easy to use controls and a clear, dimmable screen.

Also new from Roberts is the compact Revival Mini 2, an ultra-compact DAB radio with all the functionality of the larger model plus the ability to operate off mains or batteries. A new colour display is paired with three different finishes, Midnight blue, Duck egg, and Pastel cream.

Tivoli Audio Model One Digital Gen 3

Tivoli Audio has announced the third generation of its Model One, an industrial-style box that has been given an aesthetic make-over since the last generation. The prominent geometric grille is available in gold (with a walnut case), silver (white case) and black on black, with a single dial/button for operation and a circular screen.

As well as DAB+ and regular FM, Tivoli have also included access to AirPlay and Google Cast, as well as Tidal and Spotify. Bluetooth connectivity is also available to make the most of the high-quality speakers and 20-watt amplifier, along with a 3.5mm aux jack (but no headphone socket, unlike the Reva). Finally, there’s also an alarm clock on board.

Ruark Audio R2 in Sea Mist

Ruark Audio’s evergreen R2 is now available in a new finish, Sea Mist. Paired with a grille of slender strips of Ash, the subtle green – ‘inspired by coastal horizons and crisp winter mornings’ – gives a boost to the zesty retro looks and beautiful materials of this smart radio and alarm clock.

In addition to DAB/DAB+ and FM there’s internet radio, Bluetooth connectivity, Aux and headphone sockets as the ability to charge USB-C devices or play mp3s from an external drive.

Bang & Olufsen takes a leap into the super-premium market with its newest flagship earbuds. At a price point that makes Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 look like a budget option, the Beo Grace earbuds promise class-leading audio quality matched with meticulous engineering and finishing.

These are not your typical mass-produced earbuds. Each Beo Grace is made from polished aluminium, as is the charging case. The company describes the earbuds as ‘a study in wearable sculpture’, and while we wouldn’t go quite that far, they have a polish and a presence that you won’t find in low-end devices, let alone in a typical branded pair.

Luxury doesn’t just mean the price point, it also means performance and durability. In the case of Beo Grace, the pearl-blasted aluminium finishes are paired with an acoustically advanced 12mm titanium driver. B&O’s own EarSense noise cancelling is now four times more effective than earlier iterations and the company has also incorporated Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos into the earbuds.

Battery life has been substantially improved. B&O has teamed up with Breathe, a UK-based start-up dedicated to improving battery performance through better monitoring and adaptive charging. This focus on 'battery intelligence' tailors energy use to each individual cell, improving both life and charge speed. For Beo Grace, the inclusion of a custom-designed battery management system has seen results of more than 2,000 charge cycles, more than four times the expected baseline.

As with all premium earbuds, the Beo Grace also offers gesture control, with the ability for users to control the volume by tapping just in front of the ear. Play controls require more force, with a touch and accompanying click to pause, play and skip back and forth, as well as switch between the noise cancellation and transparency modes. The latter uses the six high-precision microphones within the earbuds to create a striking, hiss-free soundscape that's intended to do away with the feeling of wearing earbuds altogether.

The fully charged Beo Grace earbuds should deliver 4.5 hours of listening, with the case adding an extra 12.5 hours. For another layer of tactile luxury, B&O offers a bespoke leather pouch for the charge case, available in Infinite Black, Cranberry Red and Seashell Grey.

Bang & Olufsen Beo Grace, £1,000 / €1,200 / $1,500, leather charge case pouch, £250, Bang-Olufsen.com, @BangOlufsen

Remarkably, it’s been over four years since Nothing arrived with a (slightly) new paradigm in electronics design. The Nothing Ear (1) were earbuds without fripperies, as well as a clear identity and a transparent commitment to simplicity and sound quality.

The original product is now in its third iteration, and the company has lost none of its panache and pocket-friendliness. The new Nothing Ear (3), available in black and white, will be instantly familiar to fans of the brand, with the transparent charging case and earbud stem all present and correct, along with the trademark flashes of red.

What sets Ear (3) apart from its forebears – and its rivals – is the addition of what Nothing calls the Super Mic. This dual-microphone system sits within the charging case and serves as a primary microphone to boost hands-free call quality to hitherto unreached levels.

The new mic system incorporates an ambient-filtering technology that focuses specifically on voice, stripping away extraneous noise for a clear delivery regardless of what’s going on around you. The addition of a new TALK button triggers the new microphone when you’re on a call.

There’s also a secondary function to TALK; for users of Nothing OS, pressing the button opens up Essential Space, Nothing’s picture, note-taking and voice memo app, allowing you to easily mention something you might rely on later. To date, I’ve found Essential Space is usually triggered accidentally, leading to an intriguing selection of weird screen grabs, odd photos and awkward snippets of conversation. Hopefully Ear (3)’s added functionality will give the app new life.

The earbuds themselves also have upgraded microphones, with three directional mics in each bud and a special ‘bone-conduction Voice Pick-up Unit’, or VPU, which translates vibrations from the jaw and ear canal into electrical signals. Nothing has also trained its noise-cancelling using AI, with no fewer than 20 million hours of real-world audio being pumped into the algorithms to create the most responsive software.

Sound quality is undeniably excellent, and the earbuds are comfortable for long periods of use. The tiny battery inside each bud has also been improved, with ten hours of listening time (without noise cancelling) that can be extended to 38 hours using a fully charged case. Pop the phones into the case when it’s plugged in via USB-C and you’ll get ten hours of use in just ten minutes of charge time.

In addition to the pairing with Essential Space, Nothing app users can also access ChatGPT’s conversational mode via the earbuds, should you want something to talk to. The Ear (3) looks set to be another winner from Nothing, which is continuing with a relentless product roadmap.

This year’s Phone (3) took the brand into the premium space for the first time, and the recent Headphone (1) is a bold mix of aesthetic innovation and audio perfection. Ear (3) continue this long-running winning streak.

Nothing Ear (3), £179 / $179 / € 179, nothing.tech, @Nothing

If Google can offer healthcare, Disney can provide cruises, and Shimano can sell fishing reels, maybe it’s not such a strange leap for Pent –Poland-based maker of ultra-luxury fitness products, from dumbbells to rowers – to start making speakers. With the launch of Pent Audio comes three new lines offering different sculptural forms, made on demand and in-house with electronic components sourced from a variety of high-end producers.

Marcin Rączek, Pent’s founder, concedes that there was much discussion internally about this unexpected sidestep – ‘about no longer being a specialist fitness brand in a specialist fitness sector’. The new speakers include the circular Gulia, cylindrical Chiara and sculptural Aurora and are priced between £3,524 and £6,522. Rączek argues that the range aims to compete less with high-end audio brands, and is more of an extension to the fitness market.

The speakers will only be available through the same distribution network of furnishing showrooms and architects as Pent’s fitness equipment. Pent Audio expects hotel gyms, boutique gyms and yachts to form a large part of its market.

‘Wellness is not just about exercise but also atmosphere, about harmonising a space, and sound is an important part of that,’ Rączek argues. ‘We still care about the sound quality, but audio companies have been relatively closed [worlds] that don’t look beyond the [dedicated] audio customer. This is more about a product appealing to the craft and design sought by the luxury customer.’

The speakers – made of solid woods, leathers, steel and, says Rączek, free of plastic parts, in wireless and wired options – are fully customisable to suit a customer’s interior using the brand’s interactive 3D configurator. And, indeed, Pent’s next move will be the launch in 2026 of home theatre systems and associated comfort-first, connected sofas and armchairs.

‘Again, we don’t see Pent as going up against other major furniture manufacturers – B&B Italia, Minotti and so on – but to be part of the same sector while offering something much more specialised,’ says Rączek. ‘So Pent will be fitness, audio and something more in the future.’

But this blurring of fitness and entertainment – predicated on Pent’s idea of fitness equipment being attractive enough not to be hidden away – has limits, Rączek suggests, not least because tech can quickly date and his vision remains to build products that last, which is why many of the brand’s fitness products (the likes of its treadmill, for instance) are non-electrical.

‘Our competitors [in the fitness space] are all about AI right now, but for us, that could only ever be something that was added to our equipment rather than essential to it,’ Rączek says. ‘I think sometimes people just want to train. They want to be alone, not watch their training as they do it. We don’t want to be too modern.’

PentAudio.com, @Pent_Audio

Audio experiences are all the rage right now, with listening bars, for example, having a real moment. Unknown Works has brought this principle to a surprising new setting: a London hair salon.

The local architecture studio was behind the design of the second outpost of hairdresser Salt, housed within a former Victorian storehouse in Borough. The space is now both a sleek salon and a cultural hub, where music, sound design and hospitality converge. ‘The brief for Salt Salon Borough was to bring all the things we already do – hair, sound, music, drinks – and elevate it to a completely new level,’ says founder John Paul Scott. ‘I wanted to do something that would shock people… which would put Salt on the map.’

Spanning three floors, each with its own function, the interior incorporates a sound system offering tailored sonic environments that evolve throughout the day – calming ambient tones in the morning, richer textures in the afternoon, and immersive soundscapes by evening.

The first floor is home to a ‘listening room’, which operates as a conventional salon during the day, with cutting stations and a reception area, but transforms at night into a venue for performances, talks and listening events. A pair of huge galvanised steel loudspeakers, crafted using roboforming – a low-energy, digitally controlled metal-forming technique – were developed in collaboration with audio start-up Friendly Pressure. To make the speakers, Unknown Works salvaged metal from Blythe House, the former archival facility for the V&A, the Science Museum and the British Museum (the studio used the same components for the Science Museum’s Energy Revolution Gallery, which opened in early 2024).

The second floor – known as the ‘cutting floor’ – features an open-plan layout anchored by a continuous stainless steel mirror that shifts from buffed and mottled for privacy to highly polished for reflection. Sound is delivered through suspended Friendly Pressure Pickney loudspeakers, while silicone acoustic screens create audio separation between work and staff areas.

On the top floor – the ‘colour floor’ – a striking, half-tonne mirror workstation is suspended from the original timber rafters. Made from ultra-bright stainless steel, it also functions as a light diffuser. Over time, the flooring on this level is intended to bear the traces of the salon’s creativity – hair dye will gradually form a kind of patina.

Sound is embedded into every detail of the design of Salt: aside from the obvious heavy-duty tech, modular chairs made from recycled foam are engineered to absorb low-frequency sound, while floor-to-ceiling silicone panels enhance acoustic clarity. Even the layout has been tuned to make the space a resonant body – essentially transforming the building itself into an instrument.

‘This storehouse has been boldly reimagined as a space where sound operates as both material and medium,’ says Ben Hayes, director of Unknown Works. ‘Every element, from the bespoke loudspeakers to the acoustic furniture, has been precisely tuned to create an entirely new salon experience. It's a fundamental rethinking of what these spaces can be.’

The dopamine hit we get from music fires up the same neurotransmitters that get excited by food, art, and sex. Some people want bass with weight and impact, whilst others prefer the ability to pick out every instrument and audio detail with absolute clarity. This makes choosing the right audio equipment a deeply personal experience, and that’s before you even factor in elements such as price, design, build quality, fit, technical specifications, and your preferred sound signature.

With this in mind, we’ve tested a selection of the very best over-ear headphones available today. Each offers something distinct – be it the precision of their noise cancellation, the breadth of their soundstage, or seamless integration with your mobile device of choice. All meet the highest quality benchmarks, but we’ve focused on what each model does best – while also noting where they might fall short, depending on your specific needs.

How we tested

All of the headphones in this article have been subjected to hands-on testing, using the latest PD10 player from Astell&Kern as our benchmarking audio source. 'Garbage in, garbage out' is never truer than when it comes to testing headphones, and the PD10, with its ability to physically separate digital and analog signal processing, ensures that the quality of our source is as good as it could possibly be.

The PD10 supports native playback of high-resolution files up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512, which means it’s more than capable of streaming HiRes FLAC files (at a maximum 24-bit/192 kHz resolution). And, whilst headphones that connect via Bluetooth will always compress audio, most of the headphones featured in this guide also support fully-lossless listening.

What we’ve tested

Running the Tidal app on the Astell&Kern PD10 player (bringing in other devices where relevant), we’ve tested the following over-ear headphones:

• Sony WH-1000XM6
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra
• Apple AirPods Max
• Bathys MG
• Sennheiser HD 800 S

And whether you’re looking for the most effective active noise cancelling (ANC), the most comfortable headphones for long journeys, the best open-backed headphones for home audio, or those that excel beyond music listening, we’ve got you covered.

Sony WH-1000XM6

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Apple AirPods Max

Focal Bathys MG

Sennheiser HD 800 S

An industrial estate in Salisbury, UK, is an unexpected place to find a purveyor of premium audio. It’s even more unexpected to see a small shed set up for the sole purpose of building, shaping and tuning the audio capabilities of Bentley’s current line-up. This is Naim Audio, a longstanding British hi-fi brand that combines hand-built, high-end components with a sideline in elegant standalone systems – including the Mu-so wireless speaker, now in its second generation – and responsibility for making Bentleys sound so good, inside and out.

Since 2011, Naim has been part of the French audio group Focal, a partnership that has given the cult manufacturer a much larger stage. It also builds on the ongoing collaboration with Bentley, one that began in 2005 thanks to a Naim system-owning Bentley executive reaching out to the manufacturer.

I recently visited Naim Audio’s facility, tucked away amongst big-box discount stores and car dealerships, to see the company’s wares being made and hear them being played, both in situ in the dedicated Naim listening room and in the relatively cramped confines (with four on board) of a Bentley Continental GT.

A team of around 150 people work for Naim in this facility, building each and every one of the premium components from scratch (all-in-one systems are subcontracted to another manufacturing facility). Although standalone components and all-in-one systems are very different animals, there's also the additional complexities of designing for a car interior. Bentley had previously worked with Sony, but the move to Naim was inspired in part by Aston Martin’s then collaboration with Linn, one of the earliest examples of a specialist hi-fi manufacturer working on in-car audio system. Bentley wanted to go one better.

Naim’s flagship home audio system is the Statement, a mighty and monolithic pre- and power amp that’s aimed at audiophiles who demand only the very, very best. Comprising the NAC S1 preamplifier and twin NAP S1 mono power amplifiers (speakers are extra), Statement reads as three vertical slabs, shaped to aid the conduction of air over the heat sink, with the power supply in the base of the unit and shielded electronics above.

The side-mounted heat sinks are milled from solid billets of aluminium, which is subsequently hand polished to achieve the wave-like forms that flank the unit. With a combined weight of over 260kg and a price that’ll easily exceed a quarter of a million pounds once you’ve invested in speakers, turntable, etc, this is a truly solid investment for serious music lovers. Buyers also get a specialist installation from Naim’s own team, as well as a set of custom flight cases for storage and movement of the unit.

This attention to detail can be traced back to the company’s origins. Naim Audio Visual was founded by the engineer Julian Vereker in 1969, building on his experience with recording and mixing live music. Vereker (1945-2000) was soon building his own bespoke amplifiers in a search for the perfect reproduction of a recording; he won a contract to supply the nascent Capital Radio in London with equipment.

Naim Audio came along in 1973, setting up in an ancient shop in the heart of medieval Salisbury. Around this time, Vereker found a like-minded audiophile in Ivor Tiefenbrun, whose company Linn was making acclaimed turntables. Both recommended each other to buyers and together, a Linn and a Naim proved an unbeatable combination.

Understandably, this level of technical perfection and expense is never going to result in a disposable product. Naim proudly services practically every model it has ever made, going all the way back to the early 1970s. ‘We do what we do because we love listening to music at home,’ is an oft-heard refrain on the factory floor.

Naim builds a number of its own components and tests sub-contracted supplies rigorously, rejecting all but the very best. Statement is soak tested – switched on and off – for a 24-hour period, as well as play for a week before being signed off.

In 1991, Naim moved into CD players with its CDS model, going so far as to release its own series of albums on the Naim Label to provide a sufficient quality benchmark.

High-end audio is often characterised by such extreme attention to detail, and during the installation process, Naim’s team will strive to get the best placement for your new equipment. Empty rooms cause problems, while elements like books, records, rugs, and curtains all help create a neutral acoustic canvas.

For long, narrow rooms, you’re better off ‘firing’ the speakers across the width of the room, aimed at a hard wall to reflect the sound. Don’t place your speakers too close to the wall or else it will confuse the depth of the soundstage. Modern digital processing allows speakers to correct these errors – such as the Naim-powered Diva Utopia from Focal – but generally the less error correction the better.

Each Statement system takes two people one month to build. Although it makes its components from the ground up, Naim is adamant that it’s not necessarily an innovator, but a perfector. ‘We make CD or streaming work better,’ they say, adding simply, ‘we add value’. Sometimes, that quest for perfection errs on the eccentric, like the machine the company has created to hang up audio cables and give them a good shake. Apparently, if you do this to a connector cable around 150 times, it sounds audibly better, yet no one quite knows why – as the company readily admits.

The difference between excellent and exceptional audio quality goes beyond the emotional appreciation of audio. Companies like Naim operate in a rarefied space where intangible percentages differ from one listener to another. The more knowledge you have – whether it’s about acoustics, electronics or the recording process – the more expensive it becomes to accommodate and corroborate every facet of your understanding. Ignorance isn’t necessarily bliss, but it is cheaper. Naim’s offering is clearly addictive. Those who immerse themselves in Naim’s audio world find a combination of quality, support and beautifully designed products that will accompany them throughout their lives.

There’s another type of Naim owner, someone who might not think of the small Salisbury company in quite the same way. These people are Bentley drivers. The current generation Bentley Continental GT Speed contains no fewer than 20 speaker drivers with 2,200W of power. Two of those drivers sit beneath the plush leather seats to add serious vibrations to your soundtrack.

A Bentley interior, whether it’s the Continental GT, Flying Spur or Bentayga, is a richly cossetting environment in which to listen to music, plus they all cost slightly less than a Naim Statement. Big spenders might want to look at the seriously impressive system in the £1.6m Bentley Batur or even the Pininfarina Battista, both of which incorporate bespoke Naim systems. Naim also supplies the systems you’ll find aboard Princess Yachts.

But what does it all sound like? Sitting back in the soft chairs of the listening room, Naim’s team put the Statement through its paces. Naim says that many customers end up obsessed with relistening to music they know well, discovering new facets and aspects of a recording that might have been lost to lesser equipment.

It’s harder to gauge how you feel when presented with a piece you’ve never heard before – what you hear first is production quality and musicianship, rather than emotion or memory. The texture and depth of the instruments is remarkable, however, and the sense of being in the room with the performance is unmatched. Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel that there’s a disconnect between the endless quest for audiophile perfection and the often messy, imperfect brilliance of a favourite piece of music. Can two such disparate things ever be reconciled?

A Naim Statement system costs from £234,997, more information at

NaimAudio.com, @NaimAudio

Design studio Alaska Alaska has reshaped the bookshelf speaker, drawing inspiration from an unlikely source and teaming up with limited-run specialists Caliper to create an audio objet d’art that’s both collectable and cutting edge. Tawanda Chiweshe and Francisco Gaspar’s studio took inspiration in part from the K67 Kiosk, a cult piece of pop culture from the Slovenian architect and designer Saša Mächtig. This factory-built portable kiosk found a wide variety of uses across the former Eastern Bloc, its boldly coloured forms surviving into the present day.

The AA67 transforms the little cabin into a compact speaker housing, shrinking it down to size whilst retaining the look and feel of the original, with a fibre-glass construction. Revealed last year at Milan Design Week, the AA67 is now available to order via Caliper, the Madrid-based design and fabrication studio. Just 25 will be made in the first run, as part of Caliper’s Editions Programme, offered in a range of eight colours that reference the polychromatic splendour of the original: blue, grey, orange, black, grape, green, pink and white.

The speaker forms one element of a larger furniture series, including a speaker shelf, a sofa, a table, a bench, and a shelving unit, all designed around the idea of taking icons and recontextualising them for the domestic landscape. Caliper’s role as an intermediary between the worlds of limited-run manufacturing, established industrial processes and the more rarefied arena of design prototypes will bring the AA67 to life.

The speaker housing contains an 8-inch coaxial speaker with a cast aluminium chassis. Hardware is in stainless steel and each unit has an anodised aluminium plaque bearing the edition number. Chiweshe and Gaspar describe their studio as ‘thriving in the tension between order and chaos, creating work that dialogues between disciplines while remaining deeply connected to the present moment’. The AA67 edition transforms the functional into the domestic, retaining the utopian boldness of the original for a very different world.

AA67 speaker, Calip-er.com, @Calip.er, Alaska---Alaska.com, @Alaska___Alaska

Teenage Engineering made its name with refined design and sonic diversity, all wrapped up in a unifying aesthetic. Now the palette has been flipped with the arrival of a new finish for the pocketable Field system of recording devices.

The new black finish aligns the three key Field devices – the TX-6 Field mixer, TP-7 Field recorder and CM-15 Field microphone – with the dark matte surface of the recently released OP-XY sequencer, which melded sonic brawn with Braun-inspired dark surfaces.

In addition to the OP-XY, there’s also the flagship of the Field System, the OP-1 Field, the only device not to descend into this new all-black colour scheme. The rest of the devices were revealed at this year’s annual Superbooth electronic music show in Frankfurt.

Launched today in matte black and available for order on the Teenage Engineering website, the three most pocketable components of the Field System are also benefitting from a firmware update targeting the TX-6 and TP-7, adding more functionality to these already feature-packed machines.

In brief, the TP-7 provides perhaps the most OTT of all pocketable digital recorders, with multitrack functionality, an analogue style jog dial and a high-quality built-in microphone. It can also be used with USB audio sources or the CM-15 microphone, a studio-quality device with its own built-in pre-amp.

All this can be mixed and mastered using the TX-6, a seductively small (and rather fiddly) multi-track mixer, capable of hosting up to 12 mono inputs. In addition to onboard effects, the TX-6 also works as an audio interface and has a simple built-in synthesizer and drum machine.

Finally, the black series of devices is accompanied by a colour-coded set of accessories, including adaptors and stands, to keep your pocket studio aesthetically in sync.

Aside from the familiar shortlist of manufacturers who can be relied upon to deliver a cracking set of cans (we’d include Apple, Bang & Olufsen, Bose, Sony, Sonos, Sennheiser and Master & Dynamic in that list), there’s a growing number of smaller firms looking to get into the high-end headphone market. Whether you want wired or wireless, we’ve rounded up five alternatives to the status quo in audiophile-quality over-ear headphones.

Meze Audio Poet

Noble FoKus Apollo ANC wireless headphones

Dyson OnTrac with CNC Chrome Red edition caps

Écoute Audio Vacuum Tube Headphones

Grado Signature S950 Headphones

Record collectors have yet another spinning thing to aim for thanks to Pro-Ject Audio Systems’ ongoing Artist Series of elaborately stylised turntables. Following on from the Pink Floyd homage Dark Side of the Moon Turntable and the Metallica Edition turntable, the latest venture feels like a no-brainer, especially when you consider the aesthetic and approach of the band in question.

This is Pro-Ject’s new AC/DC Turntable, shaped like the band’s instantly recognisable lightning strike font. The design combines a specially shaped gloss black MDF plinth on three spiked feet with a transparent sub-platter, which is lit from within by a red LED. Above this is a solid circular red glass platter.

There’s no escaping the visual association with the Australian band’s no-nonsense heavy metal imagery. The aesthetic connection continues with the low resonance tonearm, specially designed for this edition of the turntable and featuring another pair of slashed lighting strikes, one in red and a smaller handle for lifting the arm onto the vinyl.

In line with many other heritage acts with an eye on their legacy, AC/DC’s official store is currently well stocked with vinyl re-issues of their extensive back catalogue, many of which were pressed on gold vinyl to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary in 2023.

Technical spec is rounded out by an Ortofon 2M Red MM cartridge for perfect sound reproduction. Pro-Ject has always maintained a strong sideline in partnerships and special editions, even since the brand was founded in Austria by Heinz Lichtenegger in 1991. Earlier artist turntables include collaborations with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Pro-Ject AC/DC Turntable, €1,299, Project-Audio.com, @ProjectAudioSystems

Aluminium continues its current run as favoured material for high-quality and mindful audiophile action. This is the PP-1 turntable, designed by the Paris-based studio Waiting for Ideas. Set up by Jean-Baptiste Anotin in 2021, the creative studio has worked across a variety of disciplines, including retail space projects for the likes of Lacoste, Reebok and Shinzo, and artist collaborations with Iris Marchand, Mathilde Hiley and Pierre Vaillant. Anotin’s brief for every new project is to ‘craft a new story.’

The PP-1 turntable is carved from a solid square of aluminium, a monolithic chunk of metal into which the platter is countersunk. As a result, any disc you spin on the PP-1 appears flush with the surface. Waiting for Ideas has emphasised this sense of a solid, structural lump by designing a pair of accompanying speakers.

The speakers have an identical footprint to the record player, allowing them to be stacked like a totem pole with the disc on top, or separated for more conventional stereo sound. Fully wrapped in black fabric, they offer a dark counterpoint to the raw aluminium of the turntable.

The PP-1 is a symphony of precise alignments, with controls and outputs pared back to the bare minimum. For Anotin, the idea was to emphasise the ritual nature of record playing, removing the disc from its sleeve, carefully placing it atop the player and switching it on.

The eagle eyed will have noticed that the PP-1 lacks a conventional tone arm. Instead, the needle is set below the platter, protected by a cover that opens when a record is placed on the platter. This means you need to place the disc down face up, i.e. the side you don’t want to play.

By taking away the small act of putting the needle on the record, the PP-1 takes vinyl back to its raw essence, described by the studio as ‘an object for those who don’t just want to listen—but to feel the music.’ This concealed mechanism is also capable of detecting whether it’s a 33 or 45 (although whether it does this by the size of the vinyl or the actual grooves is unclear).

All in all, Waiting for Ideas has managed to take the most minimal form of analogue music and distil it even further, reducing vinyl to its essential essence as a physical object that’s placed on a pedestal to worship.

More information on the PP-1 can be found at waiting-for-ideas.com, @waiting.for.ideas

The allure of retro design continues, this time snaring one of the original and much-imitated audio brands. Philips is celebrating over 100 years of manufacturing audio products in 2025. The company itself was originally founded in Eindhoven 1891 and had several decades of innovation in lighting and other areas of electrical engineering.

Nevertheless, it’s time for a family of devices that cement the Dutch company’s audio legacy and reclaim the forms of old from the myriad imitators that have reinvigorated the home hi-fi market with old-school design cues like wood and non-rectilinear forms. Enter the Philips Audio Century Series, five products that include two turntables, two new headphone models and a DAB/FM radio.

The range includes two different pairs of headphones, the Ringo (Philips H2000), a simple on-ear headphone designed to be compact and lightweight and evoke the headphones issued with early portable audio, and The Freddie (Philips SHP9500CY), which amps up the retro styling with an over-ear design that’s intended for listening at home.

The latter has a double-layered ear cushion, a detachable 3m chord and large 50mm drivers to create an expansive sound. The Ringo is pitched at a more pop market, a wireless headphone in three colours (Crystal Teal, Deep Black, and Silk White), complete with 40mm drivers and Bluetooth 5.4, up to 20-hours of playback and full compatibility with the Philips Headphones app.

It's joined by The Janet (Philips V2000), a portable radio with both DAB+ and FM. The retro form, with its grille, prominent logo and dial is offset by a 2.4-inch colour TFT screen. The Janet also serves as a Bluetooth speaker for streaming from mobile phones and, as befits the form factor, it can serve as a perfect radio alarm clock. The onboard battery allows for complete portability, with 16 hours playback.

In addition to reviving old form factors and styles, Philips is using the Century series to double down on its use of recycled plastics. All new models contain a large amount of post-consumer recycled plastic in their casings, and components like The Janet’s battery are designed to be easily replaced. All packaging will also be plastic free.

The final two devices are record players, starting with The Stevie (Philips V3000), a simple entry-level turntable system with integrated speakers. Described as either ‘my first all-in-one turntable system’ or even ‘an easy return to vinyl’, The Stevie breaks down barriers to entry with two onboard bass-reflect speakers and an Audio Technica MM cartridge.

Additional speakers can be added via Bluetooth and the onboard speakers can be used for other devices via an audio in connection. There’s also a conventional headphone socket. It’s joined by The Tina (Philips V9000), which claims 120W of onboard power as well as an integrated DAB+ and FM tuner. There’s also Bluetooth and USB audio and the ensemble is app enabled for control and playback. Like The Janet, it can drive additional speakers and serve as a streaming platform.

It’s curious that the company hasn’t seen fit to offer something to celebrate two of its most significant audio achievements – the development and introduction of the compact cassette in the late 1960s and the creation of the compact disc in the early 1980s. Perhaps something else is in the offing that’ll tap into the recent revival of both formats.

The Century Series will be available from Autumn 2025, with prices to be announced, Philips.co.uk

Pure audio wasn’t the key focus of CES 2025, as smart solutions that offered up streaming in addition to all sorts of AI-enhanced services triumphed over the more traditional hi-fi arena. There will still some pieces that caught our eye, however, especially in the realm of compact speakers and new turntables. Read on to find eight audio offerings from CES 2025.

CES 2025: the best audio launches

1. FiiO JM21

FiiO launched a new portable player, the JM21, with aims to slot into the pockets of those who want their music untethered from the perennial distractions of the smartphone. Powered by Android, the JM21 has a handy 32GB of onboard storage (expandable to 2TB), a 4.7-inch screen to help you navigate your collection, two headphone outputs, Bluetooth, WiFi and the possibility of 12 hours of listening time.

FiiO.com

2. Onkyo Creator Series and Icon Series

Onkyo, a Japanese manufacturer with roots dating back to 1946, roared back into competition with the announcement of two new lines at CES. Now owned by the Premium Audio Company, Onkyo showed the Creator series, compact powered desktop speakers pitched at musicians, film makers and gamers.

Available in two sizes, the GX-10DB and GX-30ARC, were joined by the Icon Series, three separate hi-fi components that included the A-50 pre-amp, M-80 power amp with large scale VU meters and P-80 streaming amplifier.

Onkyo.com, @Onkyo_official

3. JBL Horizon 3 alarm clock

JBL speakers are finding their way into many devices these days, from carmakers like Toyota, Kia and Fiat to home projector systems. This new device brings that sound know-how to the bedside table. The JBL Horizon 3 combines a wake-up light with customisable brightness and colour temperature, along with stereo speakers, and a simple clock and alarm set-up (via an app if you prefer). Available from May 2025.

JBL.com, JBLaudio_UK

4. Harman Kardon Enchant series

Harman Kardon launched its Enchant series, a collection of audio devices for home entertainment systems. Alongside two soundbars, the Enchant 1100 and Enchant 900, there’s also the Enchant freestanding Speaker (shown here), and the Enchant Sub. All have Dolby Atmos plumbed in and there’s cable-free connection between soundbars and speakers to minimise the clutter of wires.

HarmanKardon.co.uk, @HarmonKardon

5. Lenco LS-570WA turntable

Lenco’s turntables run the gamut from sleek and elegant to chintzy and retro. Its best new offering at CES 2025 was the LS-570WA, which comes with a midcentury-style stand that incorporates four speakers for a total output of 80W. In addition to vinyl, audio from other sources can be streamed to the device via Bluetooth.

Lenco LS-570WA, £389, Lenco.uk

6. Victrola Wave turntable

Victrola’s Wave incorporates an Audio-Technica AT-VM95E cartridge and pairs beautifully with the brand’s new Victrola Tempo desktop speakers. The four different colours include blue and green, which’ll help you break out of hi-fi’s usually monotone palette. Wireless streaming is also available to broadcast records to other speaker options.

Victrola Wave turntable, £399, Victrola.com

7. Kanto Audio UKI speakers

UKI is the name of Kanto’s ultra-compact bookshelf speaker system. The friendly, slightly blobby design minimises the scale still further, with the welcome choice of cobalt and sage on top of black and white (showing that green and blue are clearly the colours of the moment). As well as USB-C and RCA inputs there’s also Bluetooth and a headphone socket.

KantoAudio.com, @KantoAudio

8. Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds

These premium earbuds were unveiled by Technics, part of the company’s 60th anniversary celebrations. The EAH-AZ100s support Dolby Atmos and have a high level of water resistance for all-weather runners. There’s also Natural Ambient Mode to let in background noise, and an Attention Mode that enhances conversation and reduces unwanted sounds.

Technics.com

When major brands like Ruark Audio branch out to build their first CD player, you know it’s more than just a passing revival. The world is awash in classic discs discarded before their prime, and although the vast majority of new acts are no longer troubled by physical formats, we say it’s time to stuff the algorithm and trust in the artist. Here are two new additions to the genre, along with a pair of players with a more eccentric approach.

Ruark Audio R-CD100 CD Player

The R-CD100 marks something of a departure for Ruark in that it’s an add-on for its 100 Series of standalone music players. Typically these devices, which include the R410, R610 and R810, are kept as self-contained units, thanks to their onboard digital and analogue radio tuners and support for the full spectrum of streaming services.

The compact R-CD100 is finished in the same combination of machined aluminium and fused walnut as the main cabinets, with ultra-high-end components for a silent playback system. The player connects and is powered by USB and automatically syncs with the display and operating system of the 100 Series players.

Ruark Audio R-CD100, £249.99, RuarkAudio.com

Revo SuperCD music system

For a more integrated experience, consider the new Revo SuperCD. It’s an appropriate name, for the Dutch-owned manufacturer has pulled out all the stops to create a music player that can handle anything. Although Revo was founded in Scotland in 2004 and is now headquartered in North Yorkshire, it’s part of the Commaxx Group’s brand portfolio. Like many under-the-radar brands, Revo needs big ideas to cut through the noise and the SuperCD has gained a lot of traction.

In addition to a vertical slot-loading CD player, the hefty device also packs analogue, digital and internet radio, as well as connectivity to the major streaming services. It also serves as a Bluetooth speaker for your smartphone, as well as having its own UNDOK app for direct control when you’re not using the onboard 2.7-inch OLED display.

All this is contained within an elegant case that pairs a walnut surround with either an aluminium or black fascia panel. USB slots allow you to connect (and charge) and there’s also every conceivable connection round the back. Twin 3.5-inch speakers are driven by a 40-watt amplifier to give the SuperCD the power to back up its functionality.

Revo SuperCD, £569 in walnut and black or walnut and silver, RevoAudio.co.uk

FiiO DM13 CD player

The DM13 is FiiO’s enduring and endearingly simple DiscMan replacement. Barely larger than a couple of stacked CD jewel cases, the DM13 has both Bluetooth connectivity and a conventional headphone jack. In addition to being a true portable player with an onboard rechargeable battery (for around ten hours of playback), USB connectivity allows the device to serve as a CD ripper when connected to a laptop. The DM13 is available in red, silver, white and black, as well as a player with a clear lid to reveal the CD within.

FiiO DM13 CD player, £139.99, FiiO.com, available from Advancedmp3players.co.uk

Shanling ECSmart CD player

Proferring a certain retro charm yet no guarantee of build quality or sonic perfection, Shanling’s ECSmart CD player might be best given over to a less audiophile application than a primary sound system. Still, we like the idea of a low-cost player that mixes up the aesthetic joys of Muji’s fond-remembered wall-mounted player and the high-end CD jukebox that is Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound 9000c. A spinning disc is something to be celebrated, not hidden away in the depths of a device. Pair the ECSmart with the Bluetooth speaker of your choice and you’re away.

Shanling ECSmart CD Player, £149, En.Shanling.com, available from Advancedmp3players.co.uk