Welcome to the latest entry of What Hi-Fi?’s regular news digest, where we, once again, detail all the top hi-fi and home cinema developments you need to know about.
It was another chockablock week for the team, with Sony unveiling its latest TVs and a new Dolby Atmos sound system, less than a day after audio heavyweight Sennheiser lifted the lid on its new wireless headphones.
Here are the Cliff Notes.
Sony hardware galore
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Last week, Sony unveiled its new Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II televisions alongside its new Bravia Theatre Trio Dolby Atmos sound system.
The Bravia 9 II is the firm’s new flagship TV and a successor to the four-star Bravia 9 we reviewed a couple of years ago.
It is set to sit alongside the firm’s current top-end OLED, the Award-winning Bravia 8 II, not replace it.
The big selling point is its use of Sony’s True RGB panel tech. This is the Japanese giant’s take on RGB Mini LED. Below it, the Bravia 7 II is its latest upper-mid-range Mini LED.
Finally, the Trio is a new surround system, which combines a central channel with wireless left and right satellites. It’s being pitched as Sony’s most accurate sound system to date and a direct rival to the KEF XIO, our current recommended premium Dolby Atmos soundbar.
Read the full story: Sony's 'True RGB' Mini LED TVs have arrived – and the fight is on against Samsung and TCL
Sennheiser’s new Momentum 5 headphones are its best to date
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Sennheiser has always been in a bit of an awkward spot with its wireless headphones. All its recent sets have been easy five-star recommendations, including the Momentum 4 and HDB 630, but they’ve never been the best of the best, usually losing out to their Sony rivals for the top spot.
Which is why we’re very excited about its new Momentum 5 wireless headphones. Launched last week, the Momentum 5 not only proved to be the firm’s best to date when we got them into our test rooms – they also matched, and at times beat, the Sony WH-1000XM6 we pitted them against.
Read our in-depth Sennheiser Momentum 5 review
Neat new speakers
Neat revealed its latest Vito speakers last week. Positioned at the top of the firm’s Classic range, Neat claims the speakers are its most advanced to date and will deliver a "spacious, natural and emotionally engaging musical presentation" with a sound that feels "both effortless and immersive."
Considering how impressed we were with the firm’s five-star Mystique Classic towers and Petite Classic standmounts, we’re taking the claims very seriously and can’t wait to see the new floorstanders at Vienna High End next week.
Read the full story: Neat adds a small-but-powerful pair of floorstanders to its popular Classic speaker range
MORE:
These are the best floorstanding speakers we’ve reviewed
Our picks of the best wireless headphones
We rank the best Mini LED TVs
