EIGHT HIGHLIGHTS FROM EUROPE’S BIGGEST TECH SHOW, IFA
Dolby Atmos soundbars, Bluetooth decks, high-tech OLED TVS and more
A barrage of new and exciting technology reveals over the four days of Europe’s biggest annual tech show, IFA, included everything from cutting-edge 8K TVS to state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos soundbars to wireless and high-end headphones, connected smart home tech and more. What Hi-fi? had troops on the ground in Berlin, and here are our particular show highlights.
1 Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus
Sennheiser’s second Dolby Atmos soundbar is smaller and cheaper than the original Ambeo and includes up-firing speakers and an auto-calibration feature to help optimise set-up. Despite its comparatively compact dimensions, it manages to pack in a 7.1.4 sound system.
Three forward-facing drivers join a side-firing driver at each of its ends, two up-firing drivers and two up-firing woofers. If you are wondering how that equates to 7.1.4, Sennheiser explains that the soundbar uses beam-forming to create phantom speakers from its nine physical drivers. So, for example, one of the front-firing speakers might combine with one of the side speakers and one of the top-mounted ones to create a phantom height speaker. Sennheiser says the Soundbar Plus uses the same 3D sound processing as the original Ambeo, and Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and 360 Reality Audio are all supported.
The Ambeo Soundbar Plus is priced at £1299 – vastly more affordable than the Ambeo Soundbar Max (the new name for the Ambeo Soundbar), which is currently £2199, but it’s still much more expensive than the Sonos Arc (£769).
2 Philips Ambilight OLED and MINI-LED TVS
Philips took the wraps of a number of new TVS at IFA including models with Bowers & Wilkins speaker systems and OLED EX panels claiming up to 1300 nits of peak brightness.
The OLED+937 will be available in both 65in and 77in variants and uses an OLED EX panel with a dedicated heatsink, which Philips says will allow for a peak brightness of 1300 nits. It features a speaker system courtesy of B&W, consisting of dedicated side-firing speakers and 95W power output, which Philips claims will provide a true 5.1.2 surround performance.
The slightly more discreet OLED+907 comes in 55in and 65in options, and also uses the OLED EX panel with heatsink for the same impressive brightness. This time, the B&W speakers are a pared back 3.1, 80W system that fits more discreetly into the TV’S frame, though they still remain front firing and offer left, centre and right separation. Philips claims this creates a wide soundstage with clear dialogue, backed up with clear and accurate bass from a rear-mounted subwoofer.
Philips’ PML9507 uses a MINI-LED panel, with size options including 55, 65 and 77-inches. It will include the 6th Gen P5 AI Processing found on the other two models, as well as a 120Hz VA panel, which is even brighter than its OLED counterparts at 1500 nits. The PML9507 offers a 2.1, 70W system and, when paired with a sound system, the TV can operate as a dedicated centre channel. All of these models feature the Ambilight system, while the OLED+937 is the first to have individual control of each LED in the lighting system, thus offering a wider range of colours and a more precise match to the on-screen image.
3 Audio Technica Bluetooth decks
The AT-LPW50BTRW combines analogue vinyl sound and a more traditional rosewood veneer with wireless Bluetooth that can beam the audio to any Bt-enabled headphones or speakers. A fully manual, belt-drive wooded turntable, it comes with the AT-VM95E dual moving magnet cartridge with a 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical stylus. The 30mm MDF plinth should dampen low-frequency acoustic feedback, and the motor is monitored by a sensor to ensure platter speeds remain consistent. It launches at £420.
The AT-LP3XBT, priced at £280, is compatible with Qualcomm’s aptx audio codec, and comes with the AT-VM95C cartridge and an external AC adapter. It features an anti-resonance, die-cast aluminium platter with felt mat, and has a damped base construction for reduced low-frequency feedback colouration.
4 Sony HT-A3000 soundbar
This 3.1-channel soundbar features Sony’s spatial audio solution, 360 Sound Mapping, which promises to deliver an “ultra-wide listening area”. The A3000 also natively supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, though doesn’t include any dedicated up-firing speakers. The soundbar has three
front speakers – a dedicated centre channel and dual subwoofers. It can also be upgraded to form part of a surround sound system courtesy of its support for Sony’s optional SA-SW5 wireless subwoofer and SA-RS5 wireless rear speakers.
You can connect to all your favourite services, from Spotify to Tidal, and use Airplay, Chromecast and Bluetooth to stream directly from a compatible source. The A3000 also supports Sony’s 360 Reality Audio music format for the ultimate in immersive live or session experiences, and is priced at £599.
5 B&O Beosound Theatre
This high-concept soundbar has a customisable modular design that can be paired with any TV as a standalone system or part of a wider set-up, up to 7.1.4 channels. Shaped to evoke “the grace of sailboats”, Bang & Olufsen’s Dolby Atmos soundbar system has 12 drivers providing physical left/centre/ right and side-firing channels as well as a pair each of surround and height channels described as ‘virtual’. With Dolby Atmos supported in its Dolby Digital Truehd form, there is generous connectivity with three 40Gb
HDMI inputs and one EARC with 4K/120 and 8K/60 passthrough. Wireless streaming is via Apple Airplay 2, Bluetooth, built-in Chromecast and Spotify Connect.
Two 16.5cm woofers provide the Beosound Theatre’s low-end, while the centre channel consists of a 13cm midrange driver and a 25mm tweeter in a coaxial configuration. The rest of the system comprises two 75mm midrange drivers, four 2.5 full-range drivers and a pair of 25mm tweeters. B&O claims the Beosound Theatre delivers 800 watts of amplification power and up to 112db of SPL. As part of a multi-channel system, it can process 7.1.4 channels of Dolby Atmos and supports up to 16 external loudspeakers via eight physical Powerlink outputs and eight wireless Powerlink outputs. In this set-up, the soundbar functions as a centre speaker and Dolby Atmos decoder with Bang & Olufsen’s proprietary True Image algorithm aiding integration with other B&O speakers. It’s quite the investment though, priced at £5590.
6 Sony Xperia 5 IV
Sitting between the flagship Xperia 1 IV and budget Xperia 10 IV (see p18), the new Xperia 5 IV could be the performanceper-pound champ of Sony’s 2022 smartphone range. It features a 6.1in 1080p HDR OLED display that Sony claims is 50 per cent brighter than the previous iteration.
Sony is pitching this handset as an upper-midrange device centred around creating and consuming content alike, with many features trickling down from the flagship Xperia 1 IV. The 5 IV’S 6.1in display has a resolution bump down from the 1 IV to Full HD+ instead of 4K. It will support IMAX Enhanced formats on the 21:9 display – the perfect cinematic aspect ratio for watching films.
There is Dolby Atmos support via either headphones or the full-stage stereo speakers, while the increasingly rare 3.5mm headphone jack remains. Wireless audio users can also benefit from “DSEE Ultimate” (Sony’s AI based music quality enhancer) and LDAC, as well as Bluetooth LE for high-quality audio. Both wired and wireless headphone users will be able to take advantage of Sony’s 360 Reality Audio through native support in some streaming apps, as well as via upmix processing.
While the Xperia 5 IV is shaping up to be a slightly more affordable Xperia 1 IV, it’s still by no means a budget phone. Its £949 price point puts it in competition with the likes of the Apple iphone 13 Pro.
7 JBL Tour PRO 2
The JBL Tour PRO 2 true wireless earbuds use JBL Pro-tuned drivers for superior audio, feature adaptive and customisable ANC, and boast long-lasting battery life that rivals Sony’s flagship headphones.
The Tour PRO 2 earbuds’ party trick is the first-ever smart charging case, which sports a 1.45in LED touch display on which you can control music playback, choose ANC mode, customise the earbuds and even handle notifications and calls. It effectively brings the JBL Headphones app’s comprehensive features to the touch screen, and you can choose which settings are displayed on it, personalising it to your needs. This is an interesting, innovative new feature we never knew we needed, and negates the need to fire up the JBL Headphones app on your phone.
Inside each earbud is a 10mm driver, and multiple ear tip sizes should ensure the perfect seal. You can also run the Ear Canal Test in a noisy environment to fine tune ANC performance, while six mics aim to make your voice crystal clear on calls. They are also compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 LE “Low Energy” Audio and the upcoming LC3 codec, which aims to bring better sound quality and longer battery life to wireless headphones, and the ability to pair more than two pairs of headphones to one device for simultaneous listening. The Tour PRO 2 earbuds will cost £220 when they launch in January 2023.
“Bang & Olufsen’s high concept Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Beosound Theatre, is shaped to evoke ‘the grace of sailboats’”
8 Metz Roku TVS
Historic German tech brand Metz has just announced its first TVS for the UK, and there are two things you need to know right off the bat: these are super-smart Roku TVS, and the 4K models start at just £229. That eye-openingly low price will get you a fairly slick-looking 43in set, but the range also includes 50in (£279), 55in (£329) and 65in (£449) models. As well as boasting a 4K resolution, the TVS also support HDR10 and HLG, and Dolby and DTS audio can be output by the TV’S two-channel sound system.
Processing comes from Metz’s Trochilus Extreme picture engine, and the Ips-type LCD panel has a direct LED backlight with apparently lower blue light than other backlit TVS, with the intention of reducing eye strain, particularly for night viewing.
The decision to go with the very user-friendly Roku smart platform is a sensible one, and the range also supports Apple Airplay for streaming from a phone, while the set works with Alexa, Google Home and Apple Home. Hopefully ensuring that all of this streaming works snappily is super-fast Wi-fi 5.
If the 43in model isn’t small enough or cheap enough for you, Metz is also launching Full HD 32in and 40in models as well, priced at £159 and £199.