TOP FIVE LAUNCHES

Five products to look out for this month

1 Sonos Sub Mini £429

Sonos launched its mini soundbar earlier this year with the Ray, and now it has paired it with a subwoofer. Introducing the Sub Mini, a cylindrical sub measuring just 23cm by 30.5cm. It can be paired with any of Sonos’s soundbars, from the Ray to the Arc, or integrated into an existing Sonos surround set-up. Sonos has designed the Sub Mini to slot in under the Sub Gen 3 which retails for £749, making the Mini a more attractive option for those looking to complete their Sonos entertainment set-up on a stricter budget. whf.cm/sonos_sub_mini

2 iphone 14 Pro Max £1199

Another year, another iphone – and as Apple frequently claims, this is the best one yet. The 14 Pro Max is certainly a formidable phone, with a 6.7in OLED Promotion display that now can reach a peak brightness of 2000 nits, and finally includes an always-on display option. Apple has also reinvented the notch, making the camera and Faceid cutout an interactive widget for media controls and other app functionality – dubbing it the Dynamic Island. So is Apple on to a winner here? And is it indeed the best iphone yet? whf.cm/iphone14_promax

3 Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds II £280

Bose is out to reclaim the active noise cancelling crown from the likes of Sony and Apple with the Quietcomfort Earbuds II. These Bluetooth in-ear buds are a total redesign from the first generation set and include “Customtune”, a feature that will calibrate both audio performance and noise cancelling based on the unique shape of your ear. This is achieved via the headphones playing a tone every time you take the buds out of the charging case and place them into your ear. The tone is picked up by the internal microphone which determines the ear canal’s acoustic response. But with tough competition from the likes of the Airpods Pro 2 (2022), Samsung Buds 2 Pro and Sony Linkbuds S – can Bose fend off its rivals with the QCII? whf.cm/bose_qcii

4 Victrola Stream Carbon $799 (around £720)

Fitted with a low-resonance veneer plinth, carbon fibre tonearm with a removable head shell and the Ortofon Red 2M magnetic cartridge, the Stream Carbon certainly has the components of a premium deck. But its connectivity is where it shines. Alongside dedicated physical controls and an app, this turntable can be integrated into a Sonos multi-room system straight out of the box. The story goes that vinyl-loving Sonos owners told the company they would listen to their records more if it was possible through their Sonos system. Well, now those vinyl enthusiasts who want to hear their albums in every room of the house, can. whf.cm/streamcarbon

5 Mcintosh XCS1.5K £39,999

The centre channel to end all centre channels, this titan of a speaker from Mcintosh boasts a whopping 43 individual drivers and weighs in at more than 80kg. Breaking down the driver selection, we have 25 x 19mm tweeters, 14 x 63.5mm aluminium cone midrange drivers and four 20cm long-throw carbon fibre bass drivers. The hefty speaker can be tilted to one of five pre-set angles on its base for optimal positioning and has seven layers of high-gloss piano black paint. This luxury speaker has a luxury price tag to match, of course, but the craftsmanship and uncompromising approach from Mcintosh makes it an interesting product nonetheless. whf.cm/xcs1_5k