After a slight drought (by our standards), we’ve had a fair few soundbar and soundbar systems in for testing. Be sure to have a look over the coming weeks to read our thoughts on them.

And arguably, what’s leading the charge in terms of improving TV sound is the one-box soundbar. People want (or at least they seem to want) an all-in-one solution that handles films, TV and music without the need for extra speakers. But this convenience also comes with compromises.

Home cinema brands want to tempt you with marketing blurb and images of sound that flows from the soundbar and wraps around to create an immersive experience, but for the most part, that’s hokum.

There’s only so much a soundbar on its own can do. So while the soundbars and sound systems I’m currently testing are reaching consistently high levels, there are a few flaws that will stop them from becoming the all-in-one destination for home cinema. But maybe there’s a solution to all this.

Movies and music don’t always mix

I’ve mentioned before that tuning a soundbar for movies is not the same as it is for music. Movies move to a different rhythm, there’s dialogue but also background and foreground elements. Sound pans across the stage from left to right and vice versa. You’ve got bass to handle along with dynamism, as well as all manner of genres from the jump scares in a horror to the crash, bang, wallop of an action scene. And a soundbar has to be good at all of these things.

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With music you don’t have as much to deal with, but there’s a rhythm and a clarity to music; there’s the tonality of instruments and people’s voices to consider. What works for a film or TV show doesn’t necessarily work for music.

There are a few soundbars and sound systems I’ve tested recently that have managed to bridge this gulf. The one I’ll focus on is the Focal Muso Hekla, which you should definitely not call a soundbar, but it’s a sound system that’s happy to play with movies and music, especially if it’s immersive audio in the form of Dolby Atmos.

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I’ve been impressed by the width and height of films and TV series, and also with music in terms of how switching from stereo to immersive makes tracks feel as if they’re not coming from the Muso Hekla but lifted up from it and spread around it.

It’s not the same effect as movies, but what impressed me the most is that the Muso Hekla maintains a consistent tone whether it’s music or film, with big bass; and high levels of clarity and detail whether it’s with stereo or immersive audio. These aren’t easy things to maintain, especially for a one-box system, but the sound systems I’ve heard recently seem to be getting better at both. It might not be fully solved, but soundbars are making progress.

But the Focal is tied to being a one-box system, and like other all-in-one sound systems, it suffers from an unavoidable flaw. They’re front-heavy.

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The Hekla doesn’t support additional surround speakers, but if it were to, the Hekla, would defeat the purpose of being an all-in-one immersive system. But it does make clear that an all-in-one system is something of a misnomer if you’re thinking of true surround sound.

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All-in-one systems are front-heavy

This is another area I’ve talked about before, but I’ll reiterate it again. If you’re short on space a one-box soundbar can absolutely do a job, but if you want proper cinema immersion, then you’ll need surround speakers.

Without surround speakers, these types of sound systems are what we call front heavy – as in all the sound emanates from in front of you, but there’s no sound coming from your sides or behind you. In terms of immersion, having surround speakers can really help put you into the film or TV series. Without it, you can get a tall spread of sound; but that sense of immersion is only half there.

Let’s take the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar. On its own, it’s a dynamic, energetic and clear one-box soundbar with an impressive sense of bass. Once you play with the settings it’s capable of a decent height and a wide soundstage, so that front spread of sound can be big.

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But without the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker that can act as a rear gunner, it does feel like there’s something missing from the experience. Without that information that fills in the gaps behind you, you’re not in the centre but rather on the edge of the sound. It’s called surround sound for a reason.

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However, it’s not all positive for surround sound. When testing LG’s Immersive Quad Sound Suite system, I found that having rear speakers helped with the sense of immersion, it actually reduced the height levels. Having the soundbar on its own, and the sound was tall and wide. Adding additional speakers helped add depth but also added a quite literal ceiling to its performance.

But maybe there’s a solution

Sony has launched its Bravia Theatre Trio home cinema speakers, and it’s an idea I can get behind.

It’s a central soundbar, similar to what I’ve mentioned previously, but it also comes with two speakers that can be put left and right. It’s designed to go with big-screen TVs (your 50-inch TV is basically disallowed), and while you can place the other speakers to the sides, you’re not beholden to that placement. You can dot them about anywhere in your room.

Through Sony’s 360 Reality Audio processing that works on top of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the speakers can figure out where they are in relation to one another and create a sound that fits the room, producing phantom speakers to fill in the areas where there’s no speaker. This is very similar to the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect system that I wrote about not long ago.

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The difference is that the LG Sound Suite is scalable, so you can add more once you’ve bought the main soundbar. The Theatre Trio comes as it is, and while you can add more speakers (another two), arguably for most people, more speakers with this system might serve as overkill for the size of the room you’re in.

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Having heard this system at Sony’s HQ in Weybridge (along with dual Theatre Sub 9s), it was one of the most powerful home cinema surrounds I’ve heard; and it made me wonder if this is an avenue more brands should go down – of not just having a soundbar at the centre of the experience and then building it out with ‘optional’ speakers you can choose later down the line; but a specific system built to serve a particular need out of the box.

The Bravia Theatre Trio is expensive though, as much as the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro which includes a subwoofer as well.

Cost is always an issue, and the Bravia Theatre Trio/ LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro aren’t for those looking to save money. But the Trio is a glimpse of a slightly different future to FlexConnect and in a different form to Focal Muso Hekla. Maybe the future of immersive home cinema isn’t the one-box soundbar, but the rise of the one-box system.

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Amazon’s staggering $850 discount on a loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s M5 Max chip is available now, but with Prime Day ending tonight, you’ll want to act fast.

Prime Day ends tonight, and there’s a high likelihood this 16-inch MacBook Pro will go up in price. That’s because Amazon is currently knocking $850 off Apple’s revised MSRP for the high-end M5 Max model with an 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU, and we’re already seeing stockouts for other MacBook Pro SKUs.

Buy 16″ M5 Max MacBook Pro for $4,149.99

Equipped with 48GB of memory and 2TB of storage, this model in your choice of Space Black or Silver is on sale for $4,149.99.

This is a great deal for a large number of users, but if you need additional storage or RAM, there are discounts of up to $2,300 off every configuration in our 16-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide.

Last call for these Prime Day MacBook Pro deals

• 14″ MacBook Pro M5 (10C CPU, 10C GPU, 16GB, 1TB, Standard Display): $1,549.99 ($450 off)
• 14″ MacBook Pro M5 Pro (15C CPU, 16C GPU, 24GB, 1TB, Standard Display): $2,049.99 ($450 off)
• 14″ MacBook Pro M5 Pro (15C CPU, 16C GPU, 24GB, 2TB, Standard Display): $2,399 ($600 off)
• 14″ MacBook Pro M5 Max (18C CPU, 32C GPU, 36GB, 2TB, Standard Display): $3,199.99 ($900 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro M5 Pro (18C CPU, 20C GPU, 24GB, 1TB, Standard Display, Space Black): $2,549.99 ($450 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro M5 Max (18C CPU, 32C GPU, 36GB, 2TB, Standard Display): $3,649 ($750 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro M5 Max (18C CPU, 40C GPU, 48GB, 2TB, Standard Display, Space Black): $4,149 ($850 off)

The Arena app will not use real money to process bets, sources told The New York Times.

Social media giant Meta is building a prediction markets app similar to Polymarket and Kalshi, The New York Times has reported.

The new app – internally referred to as ‘Arena’ – is the latest in Mark Zuckerbeg’s attempts to capitalise on changing internet trends and tap into emerging social behaviour online.

Sources told the publication that Meta would not allow users to bet real money on the app, likely opting for a points-based system instead, although the use of money wagering has not been completely ruled out.

Zuckerberg has reportedly assigned a small team at Meta to build Arena, which would function independently from the tech giant’s social media platforms Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger.

Meta, with more than 3.5bn daily users across its platforms, hopes to grow Arena by directing its audience towards the new app.

Prediction markets allow participants to wager bets on real-world events in areas such as politics, entertainment and sports. Platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket have committed majorly to pushing their platforms to US users in recent years, including receiving endorsements from president Donald Trump.

These prediction markets, however, have resulted in a sharp rise in online gambling in the US, many experts have highlighted. The issue is exacerbated with heavy advertising across sports matches, public transport and billboards, making it harder for gambling addicts to quit.

Kalshi and Polymarket put together accounted for about $24bn in global trading volume in just April this year, according to Pew Research Center. Comparatively, the total money gambled through legal sportsbooks in the US came to around $14bn per month on average in 2025.

“Set aside the debate on whether prediction market apps are investing or gambling – they’re habit-forming. And Meta is already facing high-profile litigation tied to concerns about addictive product design,” commented Forrester’s VP research director Mike Proulx.

“The irony here is hard to miss and not a great look for a company already under scrutiny.”

While Meta doesn’t share official numbers on underage users across its platforms, the EU indicated that roughly 10-12pc of children under 13 in the bloc are actively accessing Instagram or Facebook.

The European Commission recently found that the social media giant did not do enough to mitigate risks children face when using its platforms.

Meta has made previous attempts to expand what it offers to its users. In 2019, company employees tried to create various social media apps, across podcasts, music and travel – but none gained sufficient traction.

In 2020, the company experimented with prediction markets with an app called ‘Forecast’. This was quietly closed down in 2022.

“Meta is following its familiar copycat playbook,” Proulx added.

“Prediction markets are exploding into the mainstream, especially among younger men, and Meta wants a piece of that engagement. But this is yet another market that exists before its rules do. And like Meta, this category comes with baggage.”

Over in Europe, countries including Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands recently announced that they would target unlicensed prediction market platforms. Last month, Spain temporarily blocked Polymarket and Kalshi.

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The Echo Studio houses immersive audio, Alexa support and clever sensors for smart home controls, all for an affordable price.

Pick up the Echo Studio for just £166.24 this Prime Day and save over £53 off its usual price. That’s the lowest we’ve seen the smart speaker reach on Amazon since its launch last year.