Home Cinema Choice

In this 'Best of the Year' issue of Home Cinema Choice, we return to our favourite AV hardware from the last 12 months – the TVs, loudspeakers, AV receivers, soundbars, subwoofers and more from UK, European and global brands that really caught our eye (and ears). Ticket prices range from £90 (p81) to a cool £19,300 (p39), so hopefully we have your budget covered. Film fanatics can also check out our Movie Awards (p21), where we celebrate the best software of the year across Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray and streaming, from mega-budget Hollywood epics to meticulously restored vintage classics. And for those whose plans for 2024 include a cinema room upgrade or makeover, turn to p28 to drool over a high-grade custom install, then p106 to be inspired by a quartet…

Loewe multi.room amp ➜ www.loewe.tv Loewe has entered the streaming amplifier arena with the £999 multi.room amp. Claiming 'up to 600W' from its Class D power plant, and styled to match the German company’s range of multiroom speakers, the unit supports Apple AirPlay, Chromecast and DTS Play-Fi for wireless streaming, and accommodates wired sources over analogue phono and HDMI eARC. Partner with passive speakers, and maybe a subwoofer via its pre-out connection, and away you go. ONLINE… For breaking AV news, blogs, features and reviews visit www.homecinemachoice.com Follow us on Twitter @hccmag Like us on Facebook facebook.com/homecinemachoice…

Available now for £1,549, REL’s T/9x Red subwoofer upgrades the company’s standard model with a striking Rosso Corsa lacquer finish to its 37cm-wide cabinet. But this new special edition isn't solely about a fresh paint job – REL has also added a carbon fibre centre cap to the sub’s front-facing 10in active driver for a performance boost (there’s a 10in passive radiator on its bottom side too), and added lush chromed feet and a new top-plate badge. ATC C4 Sub Mk 2 Described as a 'natural complement' for its SCM speakers, ATC’s C4 Sub Mk2 marries an in-house designed 12in woofer with 6in neodymium magnet to a new 300W Class A/B amplifier stage, for a promised low-end reach down to 22Hz. Connections are stereo balanced line-level input and out, the…

When Sony’s PlayStation Store issued a brief 'legal update' in early December the company might not have imagined the uproar it would cause. Yet by announcing that 1000s of hours of video content PS users had paid to 'own' would be removed from their libraries on December 31, it reignited the digital vs physical media debate. The content in question hails from Discovery, the factual entertainment behemoth that merged with Warner Media in 2022 to form Warner Bros. Discovery. The list of shows being removed includes plenty you've likely never heard of (Style By Jury, anyone?), but also well-known Discovery staples including Deadliest Catch, Who Do You Think You Are? and Gold Rush. Sony’s statement said the purge was due 'to our content licensing arrangements with content providers,' suggesting Warner/Discovery…

Dark Winds: S1 A swift BD turnaround for the gripping Robert Redford-produced crime series following Navajo police officers investigating a vicious murder on tribal land. Scrooged Bill Murray is at his cranky best in this 1988 update of A Christmas Carol, now on a terrific 4K BD. Loki: Season Two This Disney+ series delivers a stunning and unexpectedly moving bookend to the MCU’s most fully developed character. A glorious purpose indeed. Strange Way of Life Pedro Almodóvar’s bite-sized Western short comes to (HMV-exclusive) Blu-ray alongside a fascinating chat with the director. Leave The World Behind Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali headliine Netflix’s classy, pre-apocalyptic thriller.…

Having already made waves with its affordable range of music streamers [see p81], Wiim Audio has taken the next logical step and built its networking platform into a compact amplifier. The simply named Wiim Amp now headlines its product catalogue, above the entry-level Wiim Mini and souped-up Wiim Pro and Wiim Pro Plus streamers. Says company CEO Dr Lifeng Zhao: 'We've dedicated ourselves to designing products that elevate the music streaming experience, and the Wiim Amp is the first step in our expanded line-up'. All bases covered Again sporting a diminutive aluminium chassis suited to slotting away on an AV shelf, the £299 Wiim Amp packs 2x60W/8ohm Class D amplification from Texas Instruments. Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections support streaming music over Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Alexa Music Cast, Qobuz, Spotify…