undergroundhifi.com

DJ Shadow’s landmark debut album turns 30 this week – here’s what makes Endtroducing a unique test for your hi-fi

On 13 September 1996, Tupac Shakur died after being shot four times during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Gangsta rap took the music world by storm in the early ’90s and one of the genre’s biggest stars had paid the ultimate price for the violence that had spilled out of the songs and into the streets. Just three days later, as the long search for 2Pac’s killer began, DJ Shadow – or Josh Davis as he’s known to his mum – released a record that showed a very differen

Marshall Kilburn III

If you were to conjure upimages that define rock’n’roll, then Marshall’s iconic amplifiers are right up there with Jack Daniels whiskey and Slash’s top hat. The Marshall Kilburn III Bluetooth speaker straddles the line between the brand’s home and portable ranges: not too small, not too big; burly enough to look like one of its signature amps, yet portable enough to be moved around the house with its guitar-inspired carry strap.Build & design(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?

“We have to have an edge, otherwise we’re not going to survive” – this huge home-appliance brand is adding TVs to its portfolio, and a major British hi-fi brand is on board

Home appliance brand Haier is known for its glossy fridge-freezers, washing machines, and dishwashers, and more widely for producing medical equipment, gaming peripherals, and industrial robotics; but now it’s entering one of the trickiest markets of all.That’s right, after years of testing the waters elsewhere, Haier is hoping to break into the TV market in the UK and Europe. It may be the newest player in a crowded and competitive market, but the brand has both huge

Shifting Gears, My Final Word on Record Cleaning

Shifting Gears, My Final Word on Record CleaningJohn AtkinsonWed, 09/16/2026 - 05:58 Show Promo Image Earlier this year, I wrote two articles on record cleaning, in particular the ultrasonic kind. Some of the ideas I expressed were good and correct, like the choice of surfactant (Tergitol 15-S-9). Others, like the amount of Tergitol to use, were less well-considered. Jim Austin 0 0

The Sony WH-CH530 look great – but their excellent five-star predecessors are half the price

Rejoice! Sony has finally updated its budget five-star wireless headphones range.This announcement includes the new Sony WH-CH530, available now for £50, which are just about to land in our listening rooms for the full What Hi-Fi? review treatment.However, if you can't wait, we're also excited to announce that its five-star predecessors, the WH-CH520, have had their price crash.Specifically, the WH-CH520 are back down to their lowest price of £25 at EE, officially hal

iFi has squeezed a DAC and headphone amplifier into its latest USB-C in-ear monitor cable

iFi has released an even more compact alternative to the five-star Go Link 2, with the Go Cable: a “high performance” DAC and headphone amplifier, built into a USB-C audio cable for in-ear monitors (IEMs). The British audio manufacturer says that the Go Cable “bypasses the internals of your device”, unlocking “detail, clarity and dynamic range [that] your device alone can’t deliver”.The Go Cable features a USB-C connection at one end, which runs via silver-plated cabl

I spent a week with the Vodafone TV – here are three things I like and two I don't

In a somewhat surprising move, telecommunications giant Vodafone has announced its first UK set-top streaming box.In a similar vein to Sky Stream, Vodafone TV will be a subscription-based device aiming to bring together Freely live TV, streaming and even gaming under a single hub.With Netflix and HBO Max included, as well as support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, it certainly has some home cinema credentials and has piqued the interest of the What Hi-Fi? team, in t

I just ran the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 big UST projector shootout – and I have two words of warning

We’re in Awards season. That means one thing: a gruelling hi-fi and home cinema battle royale, which runs until we have crowned a champion in each of our Best Buy categories.While we always review as a team, each Awards category has one lead tester; and this year, once again, one of my categories is ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors.Did I get a pang of jealousy as our senior staff writer, Lewis Empson, pulled the surround sound packages card out of the hat we use to

This hi-res streaming service dedicated to jazz and classical music is now available on WiiM products

Presto Music, a streaming service dedicated to classical and jazz music, has announced its integration into the WiiM Home App. The UK-based streaming service, which launched with around 200,000 listed albums in 2023 and many of which are available in 24-bit/192kHz hi-res audio, is now accessible from the WiiM Home App to users of WiiM hi-fi separates, WiiM Sound / Sound Lite smart speakers and the WiiM Bar soundbar.What’s more, thanks to Presto’s Fair Play initiative,

How to watch Max vs 100 online from anywhere: Free live streams of Verstappen’s epic karting challenge

Max vs 100 previewFour-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen is taking on an unusual challenge just two days after securing P2 at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. On Wednesday, the Red Bull star will swap his F1 car for a go-kart as he takes on 100 drivers in Max vs 100.The rules are simple. Verstappen will start at the back of the 101-kart grid and have just 30 laps to overtake all 100 competitors. Every driver he passes is eliminated, meaning he can win b

Where to watch Slow Horses season 6 online – stream return of Gary Oldman spy thriller

How to watch Slow Horses season 6Slow Horses returns for its sixth season on Wednesday, September 16, streaming globally on Apple TV. The latest outing, and the first to be adapted from two of Mick Herron’s Slough House novels — Joe Country and Slough House — sees the denizens of MI5’s mildew-infested dumping ground targeted by a killer hell bent on retaliation and revenge, with some old faces bought back into the fold as previous residents of the ‘The Park’s’ satelli

Sennheiser’s Award-winning Ambeo Soundbar Max gets a whopping discount to match its name – AU$2,650 off

If you take your home cinema seriously, then you’ll understand the need for a serious audio upgrade over your TV’s built-in speakers. If you don’t have the space (or the budget) for a fully-fledged speaker package, a great soundbar is the next best thing and the Sennheiser Ambeo Max is one of the best you can get. While it might have been released way back in 2019, Sennheiser’s big and burly ‘bar continues to leave a lasting impression on us, and it’s now on the recei

There's been a big problem with some Sony TVs – but a fix might finally be here

It's been a rough few weeks for many Sony Bravia TV owners – but a solution to their problems may finally be in sight.Back in June, Sony pushed a software update to its current lineup of TVs that, for many, seems to have caused fundamental problems with eARC.The issues include Dolby Vision content refusing to play, sound gradually desyncing, and audio dropouts, with most users experiencing some but not others. I’m a Bravia 8 II owner, and it’s the audio dropouts that

Avengers: Endgame Encore is coming to the big screen, but is it worth another trip to the cinema?

After seven years, Marvel’s star-studded epic Avengers: Endgame is coming to the big screen again at the end of September with a new Avengers: Endgame Encore special release.You might remember the cultural phenomenon back in 2019. Whether you had a hoard of Marvel comics or got dragged to a screening by your mates, there’s no denying the energy was infectious. Editor's note: There are spoilers ahead.I remember seeing it in my local cinema. There was an enthusiasm from

Now you can stop your kid’s taste in music affecting your Spotify recommendations

It’s the bane of every parent’s streaming existence: your kids messing up your algorithm. There you are, feeding it a wholesome, organic diet of meticulously cultivated Bon Iver and Ryan Adams, only for the young ones to foul it all up with the theme from Captain Underpants. Again.Well now Spotify has a fix. It has introduced a toggle that lets you exclude kids and family music from your taste profile. Best of all, it works retroactively, so you can purge your profile

There’s a new lowest price on LG’s punchy, five-star flagship OLED – and you get a free soundbar to boot

Sorting a new home cinema set-up can be a pricey affair, with the cost of both a new TV and sound system quickly adding up. LG, however, has a solution – it offers a soundbar bundled with its latest flagship OLED, completely free of charge. The flagship OLED in question is the LG C6, a punchy, premium TV to which we awarded five stars. It has just hit a new lowest price of £2564 at Smart Home Sounds for the wall-mount version, thanks to the promo code TRADE250.That’s

Oscar Peterson: a Centennial, a "World Tour," and a Love Letter

Oscar Peterson: a Centennial, a "World Tour," and a Love LetterJohn AtkinsonTue, 09/15/2026 - 05:57 Show Promo Image Oscar Peterson was born in 1925. In late 2026, a set titled World Tour was released on the Mack Avenue/Two Lions label. It is advertised as "part of the continued celebration of Peterson's centennial." Consider this article a modest attempt to join the celebration. Thomas Conrad 0

Ruark’s super-cute radio gets even cuter thanks to a swanky new finish to celebrate the brand’s 40th birthday

One of our favourite small-form radios is getting a makeover. Not only is the Ruark R1S one of the nicest radios to listen to, but it’s also one of the best looking. Whether kitted out in its Grey, Light Cream or Satin Charcoal finish, the R1S always looks the part. Ruark has now added to that varied roster of shades with a brand-new Terracotta finish. This isn’t just a new paint job, though; it is, rather, a new limited-edition radio built to celebrate Ruark’s 40th a

Following a damning report, LG releases a 2000-word statement to deny its smart TVs spy on users

LG has released an extensive statement denying claims made in a damning report that its smart TVs spy on users. But the authors of the original report have responded in turn, accusing LG of lying.In the original video, YouTube channel Gamers Nexus claimed that LG TVs are capable of recording private conversations even when no wake word has been spoken. It also accused the company of collecting sensitive data such as IP addresses, the geographic location of the TV, and

These new super cheap wireless earbuds want to dethrone the Award-winning Sony WF-C510

Tribit's latest wireless earbuds aim to bring a considerable stack of features – including active noise-cancelling – to a more budget-friendly price point. The new FlyBuds C3 cost less than £50 / $40, yet they promise a feature set that Tribit hopes can surpass the Award-winning Sony WF-C510 (tested at £55 / $60 / AU$110). Before we get to that, the new FlyBuds C3 promise high-quality audio from their 10mm drivers. Each bud also packs a six-microphone array and AI-pow