Computer Shopper - UK (2020-05)

60 MAY2020|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE387

HOME CINEMA

SONY

KD-55XF9005

★★★★★

£799•www.johnlewis.com

This36insoundbarismoreofabasicoption–

there’snoseparatesubwoofer,andcertainly

nothinglikeDolbyAtmos–butitscoresound

qualityandtonecontrolmakeitaveryrespectableupgradeto

your TV’s speakers.

SPEAKERS (^4) • RMSPOWEROUTPUTNotstated•DIMENSIONS914x132x53mm•WEIGHT2.5kg

• DOCKCONNECTORNone•NETWORKINGBluetooth•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILS
  http://www.viziosoundbar.uk•PARTCODESB362An-F6E•FULLREVIEWMar 2020

SCREENSIZE55in•NATIVERESOLUTION3,840x2,160•VIDEOINPUTS4x HDMI•

TUNERFreeview HD•DIMENSIONS771x1,228x258mm•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•

DETAILSwww.sony.co.uk•PARTCODEKD-55XF9005•FULLREVIEWAug2018

Direct-litbacklighting,excellentupscalingand

beautifullysmoothmotionmaketheKD-55XF9005a

worthyalternativetohigh-endOLEDTVs,eventhough

it only has aVApanel.

SONOS Beam

★★★★★

£370•www.amzn.to/2RJpMef

The Beam could join

ahomecinema

setup on sound quality alone,but it’s loaded

with smart features, too. It can adjust sound output to the size

and layout of aroom, forexample,and form amultiroom system

with other Sonos speakers.

SPEAKERS (^5) • RMSPOWEROUTPUTNotstated•DIMENSIONS651x100x69mm•WEIGHT
2.8kg•DOCKCONNECTORNone•NETWORKING802.11ac Wi-Fi,Ethernet•WARRANTYOne
year RTB•DETAILSwww.sonos.com•PARTCODEBEAM1UK1•FULLREVIEWApr2019

PHILIPS55PUS6753/12

★★★★★

£482•www.amzn.to/2NJYgKc

This Philips set

doesn’t have

the best

implementation ofHDR we’ve

seen on aTV,but otherwise,the

55PUS6753/12 is afantastic 4K screen for arelatively low price.

SCREENSIZE 5 5in•NATIVERESOLUTION 3 ,840x2, (^160) • VIDEOINPUTS 3 xHDMI, 5 xcomponent•
TUNERFreeviewHD•DIMENSIONS 781 x1,2 44 x266mm•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•
DETAILSwww.philips.co.uk•PARTCODE^5 5PUS6 75 3/ (^12) • FULLREVIEWDec^2018
POLK AUDIOCommandBar
★★★★★
£195•www.amzn.to/33TdAv4
This is agenius combination
of soundbar and smart
speaker,and foralow price
too. It’s great forfilms, TV and music, and
you can use Alexa as avoice-activated remotecontrol.
SPEAKERS (^3) • RMSPOWEROUTPUT260W•DIMENSIONS1,091x102x51mm(soundbar),
367x188x368mm (subwoofer)•WEIGHT2.3kg(soundbar), 3.9kg(subwoofer)•DOCK
CONNECTORNone•NETWORKING802.11ac Wi-Fi•WARRANTYThreeyearsRTB•
DETAILSen.polkaudio.com•PARTCODECOMMANDUK•FULLREVIEWOct2019
VIZIO SB362An-F6E
★★★★★
£149•www.amzn.to/
38pqxi0
excellentupscalingand

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01

Ifyoudon’thavespaceinyourhome

cinemasetupforasetofsurround-

soundspeakers,asoundbaristhenextbest

thing.Whetheryouoptforasoundbar

(whichtypicallysitsinfrontofyourTV

stand) or asoundplate(which sits

underneath your TV), you’ll be getting

significantly better audio than the weedy

speakers today’s flatscreen TVsprovide.

02

If you want to cut down on cable

clutter,look forasoundbar with

multiple HDMI inputs and outputs as well as

Audio Return Channel(ARC). Not all

soundbars use HDMI, with many making do

with digital optical audio connections

instead. This means you’ll have to connect

Blu-rayplayers, games consoles and set-top

Choosinga... Soundbar

boxes to your TV and run all audio through a

single cable.Also look forphono inputs for

connecting older devices and 3.5mm audio

jacks fortablets or smartphones.

03

As with any speaker,the number of

speaker drivers inside asoundbar

should give agood indication of its audio

capabilities. Although this won’t tell you

everything about sound quality,you should

still look out forseparatemid-range drivers

and tweeters, as these should be able to

deliver awider frequency range than

full-range drivers alone.

04

Bluetooth support is amust if you

want to listen to music from a

smartphone or tablet without wires.

Most soundbars now include Bluetooth as

standard but, if your device supports it, it’s

worth looking foramobile soundbar that

includes aptX. This less-lossy codec is

capable of higher-quality streaming than

the standard A2DP profile.

AirPlaystreaming is less common, but

iPhone owners should keep an eyeout forit.

05

Foralittle extra bass, be sure to

look forasoundbar with aseparate

subwoofer. Many soundbars include a

wired sub,but forextra convenience you

should look foramodel with awireless

subwooferinstead. These can be placed

anywhere in aroom near apower socket,

without having to run acable back to the

soundbar itself.

PHILIPS65OLED803

★★★★★

£1,999•www.currys.co.uk

If you’ve got the budget

foranOLED TV,thisisa

great pick. The panel technology’s built-in

strengths, such as perfect blacks and wide viewing angles, are

aided by Philips’ exemplary image processing engine,resulting in

truly wonderful picture quality.

SCREENSIZE65in•NATIVERESOLUTION3,840x2,160•VIDEOINPUTS4x HDMI,1xComponent

• TUNERFreeview HD•DIMENSIONS824x1,449x280mm•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•
  DETAILSwww.philips.co.uk•PARTCODE65OLED803/12•FULLREVIEWApr2019

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