Home Cinema Choice October 2017

Meghan Trainor had a memorable/annoying (delete as appropriate) pop hit in 2014, with a chorus lyric of 'I'm all about that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble.' That doesn't exactly describe me – I still haven't lost all my high-frequency hearing – but I've been known to spend longer stroking my subwoofer than any of my other speakers. Tight, deep, fast, rich, warm bass is what all home cinema owners desire to bolster their movie enjoyment, as LFE is a vitally important part of any soundmix whether it's conveying the might of a dinosaur footstep or the sharp pain of a thrown fist. A new high-performance B&W subwoofer (the DB1D, reviewed exclusively on p44) is therefore something to cheer. Of course, we appreciate that £3,750 is more than you might…

→NEWS HIGHLIGHTS WHARFEDALE Diamond speaker range taken up to 11 CAMBRIDGE AUDIO Debut 4K deck features Dolby Vision BLACKFIRE Revamping Wi-Fi for the UHD generation WEBWATCH Click here for trailers and tech NEWS X10 The hottest news in bitesized chunks WONDER WOMAN Gal Gadot stops bullets cold, makes the Axis fold in 4K & MORE! Sky has joined forces with audio guru Devialet to create the Sky Soundbox, a single-enclosure sonic solution (neither soundbar nor soundbase) to partner your TV and movie viewing. Within the sealed cabinet sit six woofers and a trio of full-range drivers, plus Devialet-delivered real-time signal processing, which extends to exclusive sound modes automatically tailored to content when paired with a Sky Q box. Inputs are HDMI, Bluetooth and digital optical. Pricing is £800 for non-Sky…

The Diamond series, now in its eleventh generation, 'sets new standards at modest price points' according to manufacturer Wharfedale, and has now made it to UK shops following its launch at the Munich High End Show in May. The range features eight models (three floorstanders, two centres and three standmounts), all using Wharfedale's new Wide Frequency Response tweeter module, slotloaded ports and resonance-reducing cabinet design. Pricing stretches from £160 to £1,000 per pair. Cinema sound in XTZ Swedish speaker corp XTZ is adding to its Cinema Series with two new models, the £1,350 M8 Tower (left) and £1,100 M8 LCR, which promise to outperform the existing M6 enclosures. Both are threeway designs, using dual 8in bass drivers, plus a six-pack of 1.2in soft dome units, five combining for mid-range and…

It already delivers multichannel sound and switches all your AV sources, but could the humble AV receiver be the backbone of your home Wi-Fi network too? According to Blackfire Research, that's exactly what's on the cards. The company is perhaps most famous for FireConnect, a multiroom Wi-Fi platform, adopted primarily by Onkyo and Pioneer for its AV receivers. But a radical evolution, known as Blackfire RED (Real-time Entertainment Distribution), may do more to capture the imagination. Rolling out this year, it's designed to end the misery of buffering and signal dropouts for streamed media. Connected HCC readers will know just how frustrating it can be to use a standard home Wi-Fi to listen to Spotify or hi-res audio files stored on a PC or NAS drive, let alone stream 4K…

The Fate of the Furious (Ultra HD BD) The latest Fast & Furious sequel has already raced onto UHD BD in the US and nabbed pole position in our 4K disc library with its colour-rich HDR visuals and expansive DTS:X sonics. American Gods: Complete Season One (Region B BD) This audacious adaptation of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed novel dazzles on Blu-ray. Roll on Season Two… Electric Dreams (Region B BD) Probably the most '80s movie ever made, with a pop-tastic LPCM 2.0 stereo soundtrack to die for. Future Shock (Region B BD) Better late than never, this brilliant 2000AD documentary finally goes HD on a disc loaded with extras. Le Trou (Region B BD) Jacques Becker's gripping 1960 crime drama escapes onto Blu-ray with a brand-new 4K restoration.…

Headphone specialist Plantronics has teamed up with Dolby to promote a new range of gaming headphones designed for Dolby Atmos. The brand, which has made big in-roads into the enthusiast gaming market, will introduce the RIG 400LX, RIG 600LX and wireless RIG 800LX models this September. All three will come bundled with a voucher code to activate the Dolby Atmos for Headphones app, at no additional cost, on an Xbox One or Windows 10 PC. The app normally requires a $15 (or thereabouts) fee. Dolby's Atmos headphone algorithm creates a convincing 3D sense of immersion from regular stereo headphones (no special hardware is required). For gamers, the ability to spatially place objects 'in the round', is said to significantly increase their performance. Atmos-enabled headphones can also be used with Netflix…