Last week, after months of gruelling comparative testing, we revealed the Best Buy winners for the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025.
But that was one of many big news stories to break, so you may justifiably have struggled to stay on top of all the big developments in the world of hi-fi and home cinema last week.
Which is why we have taken the time to produce a fresh entry for our weekly Rewind news digest, where our team of experts detail the top stories you need to know about.
This year’s Awards have been particularly turbulent
Last week’s biggest news was without a doubt the announcement of the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 Best Buy winners.
The list of 110 winners is a big deal for a couple of reasons. First there’s the sheer breadth of equipment covered, with every recommended product being fully checked by our reviewers in a hi-fi and home cinema battle royale before earning its place.
Second, because so many of the winners this year are new products. As our editor in chief said in a separate opinion piece, it’s been quite some time since we last saw so many incumbent winners lose their seats.
Read the full story: What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 winners revealed!
We found a good, cheap, Dolby Atmos soundbar system
Yes you read that right, last week as part of our Awards testing we finished reviewing the first truly “good” and cheap Dolby Atmos system we have encountered.
We published our review of the five-star Hisense AX5125H which, despite costing a relatively bargain £249 / $350, offers decent audio quality and the added benefits of a full-fat soundbar package with wireless satellite speakers and a subwoofer.
As we say in our review: “The fact that you can get this much kit with these specs for this price is really rather impressive – the fact that it actually sounds good is pretty astonishing.”
Read our full Hisense AX5125H review
We compared two of the best cheap hi-fi speakers on the market
The Dali Kupid were another delightful find during this year’s Awards-testing. The dinky stereo speakers offer great sound quality and have a surprisingly affordable price tag making them an easy five-star recommendation. But, how do they compare with the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1, a long-standing pair of What Hi-Fi? recommended budget standmount speakers? Last week we put them both to the test in a hi-fi shootout to find out.
Read our in-depth Dali Kupid vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 guide
TCL had a very good week
One other big story hidden in our Awards announcement was TCL’s storming of our TV category. After a mixed 2024, full of four-star reviews, not one but three of its new Mini LED TVs nabbed Best Buy trophies.
These include the 65-inch TCL C7K, giant 98-inch TCL C7K and affordable 50-inch TCL C6KS. There are very few companies to achieve this much success in one category. Which is why our editor in chief went so far as to call it “one of 2025’s biggest comeback stories”.
Read the full story: It's been a great year for OLEDs, but TCL is rapidly turning into 2025's biggest home cinema redemption story
Michell has not one but two new high-end turntables
Last week Michell lifted the lid on its new Revolv and the Gyro. The Revolv is its new step up deck and is set to retail for £3995 (roughly $5400). It sits between the firm’s existing “entry-level” Tecnodec and new flagship Gyro, which will set you back an even heftier £5995 (roughly $8050).
Each is full to the brim with custom engineering and parts you won’t find on any other record player, with Michell having designed both from the ground up, in a bid to modernise and improve their stability and performance. We’re hoping to get both in for testing as soon as possible, as both are set to go on sale in mid-November.
Read the full story: Michell Audio launches the Revolv and Gyro turntables, replacing a legend in the process
MORE:
These are the best record players we have reviewed
We rate the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
Our picks of the best bookshelf speakers
