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Thanks mainly to the 4K HDR experiences unlocked by its new X1 for Projector processing silicon, Sony has already wowed us with two of its current home cinema beamers, the mid-range VPL-VW590ES (see HCC #318) and step-up VPL-VW790ES (HCC #316). Can it complete the hat-trick with the high-end VPL-VW890ES? Or, put another way, is this £25,000 laser-powered behemoth really £12,000 'better' than the VW790ES?

The soundbar market is saturated, but amongst the myriad models it's possible to see trends, as brands coalesce around specific price points and feature sets. A disadvantage for Denon's Home Sound Bar 550 (beyond the somewhat clumsy name) is that its basic specification – a compact 'bar with no subwoofer, Atmos/DTS:X decoding with no upfirers – is mirrored by models around the £300 price point. And it sells for £550.

The dedicated portable audio player market is not a massive one, and Korean brand Astell&Kern is the biggest fish in a relatively small pond. Its KANN series of players overlaps the more conventional A&Norma and A&Futura ranges, and is designed to be able to drive even very demanding headphones from a smallscale device.

Since 1999 American company SVS has built a formidable reputation by mainly focusing on one thing – manufacturing powerful home cinema subwoofers that don't cost the earth. It has some beefy models in its lineup, topping out at the 16-Ultra Series (ported and sealed models with 16in woofers), but the SB-1000 Pro is a timely reminder that amongst the pricier, bigger boom boxes, it can still knock up a compact sealed unit with a sub-£700 ticket. And why wouldn't it? Models like this sell like hot cakes.