Home Cinema Choice – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 HOME CINEMA CHOICE

SELECT 111

TOP 10 Soundbars & Soundbases

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Q Acoustics M 3

« £300

A 4in x 6in woofer is tucked

away in the M3's eye-

catching angular chassis,

ensuring this well-priced

soundbar has a full-range

performance. Simple to use.

Bluetooth streaming.

HCC #271

DALI Katch One

« £650

An evolution of the brand's

Katch desktop speaker, this

stereo soundbar oozes

design style and works well

with music too. Feature

set feels stripped back

considering the price point,

though. HCC #301

Sony HT-ZF9

« £650

This 3.1-channel soundbar

handles Dolby Atmos

streams and promises

enveloping sonics via DSP

trickery. The result isn't

noticeable overhead audio,

but a wide, high and exciting

performance. HCC #289

Canton DM 55 « £320

Canton's smallest soundbase still delivers big sonic thrills.

Twin woofers underpin clean and crisp mids and highs, and

build quality is fi rst-rate. Doddle to use. Bluetooth built-in.

HCC #260

Harman Kardon Enchant

800 « £620

The baby 'bar in the Enchant

range lacks secondary HDMI

inputs but presents a

well-organised soundstage

with eff ects localisation and

dynamic heft. Chromecast

is integrated, and the design

is gorgeous. HCC #298

Yamaha YSP-5600SW

« £1,900

With its 46 drivers (including

upfi rers) this premium 'bar

delivers precisely steered

and immersive audio, even

of the Atmos variety. Potent

wireless sub and 4K-capable

HDMI switching sweeten the

high-end deal. HCC #254

Samsung HW-Q70R

« £800

An impressively potent

subwoofer and nicely

expansive 3.1.2 presentation

make this sleek Samsung

system one to audition.

Includes a single HDMI input

and ARC-enabled output.

HCC #300

Samsung HW-N950 « £1,500

The latest and greatest soundbar system to arrive from

Samsung's US-based Audio Lab, the HDMI-equipped N950

crafts a dynamic, detailed and immersive 7.1.4 Atmos/DTS:X

soundfi eld without cluttering your room. HCC #290

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TOP 5 Back-catalogue Blu-rays

Black Hawk Down

[UHD Blu-ray]

A breathtaking modern war epic

on a brilliant triple-disc release

that ports over an extensive set

of extras. A new Dolby Atmos

soundmix makes the action

even more visceral. HCC #300

The Andromeda Strain

Based on a novel by Michael

Crichton, this 1971 sci-fi thriller

enjoys a second take on Blu-ray

via an impressive 1080p image

(derived from a new 4K scan of

the 35mm negative) and fresh

bonus material. HCC #300

Batman [UHD Blu-ray]

Michael Keaton and Jack

Nicholson face-off in Tim

Burton's fantastic comic caper,

now toting a pleasing 4K HDR

regrade and Dolby Atmos

soundmix. Legacy extras are

all standard-def. HCC #301

Two Films by John Woo

Eureka! gives a pair of early Woo

fl icks (the 1976 Jackie Chan/

Sammo Hung vehicle Hand of

Death and 1979's Last Hurrah

for Chivalry) stunning new 2K

restorations. Extras include chat

tracks and interviews. HCC #301

Dazed and Confused

Bin your old Universal Pictures

release of Richard Linklater's

'70s-set coming of age fl ick and

get this much better-looking

Criterion Collection outing

instead, complete with Making

of... doc and chat track. HCC #300

LG SL8YG

« £700

A surfeit of sound presets/

tweaks means this Atmos

3.1.2 system can feel a bit

tricksy, but it's a confi dent,

full-range performer with an

enveloping soundfi eld. HDMI

input/output are among the

connections. HCC #301

JBL Bar Studio

« £150

No subwoofer here, just

a fairly compact stereo

'bar that off ers a useful

soundstage-widening

'Surround' mode, HDMI ARC

connectivity, and a decent

performance for the price.

HCC #284

DALI K

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