A new week is upon us, which means a fresh entry into our regular hi-fi and home cinema news digest, Rewind.
As always, our team of experts detail the top stories to break over the past seven days, and what a week it was! As well as a key exclusive review of LG’s latest step-down OLED, we saw a piece of cataclysmic news break involving two big-name hi-fi brands.
Here’s what you need to know.
We tested the LG C6
LG’s step-down C series of OLED TVs has a strong track record in our testing rooms, as evidenced by the number of LG C5 sets in last year’s What Hi-Fi? Awards.
Which is why our reviewers were very happy when the 65-inch LG C6 appeared in our testing rooms last week. We initially found the 65-inch set a little dull when the series was unveiled, featuring modest specification bumps to a standard OLED panel rather than the next-gen Primary RGB Tandem OLED tech seen on its larger siblings.
But once we got to properly put it through its paces in our viewing rooms, these initial concerns proved to be completely unfounded. Make no mistake, the C6 is an upgrade on the C5 in nearly every way. As said by our reviewers: “While it might seem at first glance to be the least exciting model in LG’s 2026 OLED TV range, the ‘normal’ sized C6 is, in fact, a revelation.”
Read our full LG C6 review
Naim and Focal are getting new owners
News that Barco is set to buy VerVent Audio is, without a doubt, one of the biggest AV stories to break this year.
Like Harman International’s takeover of Masimo’s Audio brands last year, it means the Belgian firm will take control of several big hi-fi brands, chief among which are Naim and Focal.
What the deal means for both remains unclear, though Barco CEO, An Steegen, has confirmed they will continue to operate as consumer brands on some level and are part of a wider aspiration to grow the firm’s audiovisual offering.
Read the full story: Marquee audio brands Focal and Naim will soon have a new owner
We reviewed WiiM’s HomePod-inspired speaker
The WiiM Sound is a smart speaker that wears its inspiration on its sleeve, having a near identical design to the iconic Apple HomePod 2, outside of the inclusion of a clever OLED screen.
It’s a 360 smart speaker designed for people on the hunt for a single box, or in this case, single cylinder, solution to their audio needs. After putting it through its paces in our listening rooms, while its audio lacked the precision and dynamics needed to dethrone Apple’s smart speaker, we did find plenty to like about it.
Highlights include an easy-to-use interface, excellent app support and a smooth, fluid sound that will delight more casual listeners. As we said in our review:
“As with all other WiiM products we’ve tested, the Sound speaker impresses with its breadth of streaming features, easy-to-use interface and smart design. We imagine many will be charmed by these elements in daily use, and rightly so. Sound quality remains its Achilles heel, however.”
Read our full WiiM Sound review
Sonos has a new speaker
Talking of smart speakers, Sonos released a new one last week. Specifically, the brand lifted the lid on its new Sonos Play portable speaker.
The new Play sits between the Sonos Roam 2 and Move 2, both in size and price, and is designed for home and on-the-go use, coming loaded with a battery and a swanky-looking charge base. The latter makes it look and work like a proper home speaker when used inside, thanks to the inclusion of wi-fi streaming, alongside Bluetooth.
Sadly, we haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, though we’re expecting our review unit soon, so make sure to watch this space.
Read the full story: Sonos' new Play portable speaker is like a shrunken Move 2, but it's priced the same as the Apple HomePod 2
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Our picks of the best OLED TVs for serious movie fans
