The best home entertainment products of 2023/2024

The Samsung S95B is a game-changer, featuring Samsung Display’s incredible QD-OLED panel that combines the inky black levels of OLED technology with the saturated and supremely accurate color made possible by quantum dots. With this model, Samsung has redefined the criteria for a top-shelf TV. This just might be the best 4K smart TV ever made.

The HW-Q990C doesn’t offer many improvements over Samsung’s recent flagship soundbars, but it still delivers stellar audio performance and a bevy of features, particularly for Samsung TV owners. Serving big, bold, yet refined sound, the HW-Q990C boasts a no-fuss setup process, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, automatic room correction, and a couple of bonuses for Samsung TV owners, including wireless Atmos connectivity and Q-Symphony, a feature that syncs the soundbar’s audio with the TV’s speakers.

Sony’s spectacular WH-1000XM5 headphone doesn’t merely sound good. These noise-cancelling cans positively sing, delivering intoxicating audio performance bolstered by dynamic but refined bass, best-in-class ANC, and support for Sony’s LDAC high-res Bluetooth codec. There’s a transparency mode for letting in ambient noise (just hover your hand over the right ear cup to turn it on), while a “speak to chat” feature pauses your tunes when the built-in microphones detect your voice. Intuitive gesture controls let you adjust the volume, skip tracks, and summon your phone’s voice assistant, among other functions. Finally, the WH-1000XM5 feels surprisingly light, with ear cups that fold flat and a hardtop case that makes the headset easy to store and carry for travel.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds bring sonic immersion and engagement to an already solid in-ear audio foundation. The microphone system on the Ultra has been reworked to better filter out wind noise and improve your speaking voice during calls, while Bose’s “immersive audio” processing works all kinds of math magic on your music. A first cousin to artificial intelligence, immersive audio analyzes and tweaks elements of the incoming digital sound stream to make component parts separate, pop, and sizzle; lending extra clarity, vitality, and three-dimensionality to the music.

The Focal Utopia open-back headphone will expose new details in music you only thought you were intimately familiar with. The Utopia features a Beryllium driver, while a headband and earpads wrapped in exquisitely soft leather, and lightweight yokes fabricated from recycled carbon fiber make this headphone incredibly comfortable for long listening sessions. And they come with both balanced and unbalanced cables to support high-end headphone amps. Expensive? Oh yeah. But as our record-producer reviewer concluded: “I’ve never heard anything outside of a recording or mastering studio that can reveal the details of a great recording like this headphone can.”

The Tronsmart T7 looks good, sounds good, will stand up to a bath, and is affordable enough to deploy in stereo pairs. Its IPX7 rating means it can withstand a dunk in the pool for up to 30 minutes, and while it’s not rated for particulate matter incursion, we wouldn’t have any qualms about taking it to a beach party. It also has a fun to watch LED light ring encircling its volume control knob. Tronsmart might not be as familiar brand as some, but this speaker is a great value.

Marshall-branded speakers like this one appeal to guitar-hero aficionados of a certain age and income bracket. The speakers’ industrial design echoes that of the head units of the very loud, highly popular guitar amplifiers that rock stars ranging from Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend began using in the 1960s. You can take this speaker just about anywhere, assured by the manufacturer’s IP67 weatherization rating that indicates it will withstand a dunk in the pool. More importantly, our reviewer said the Marshall Middleton was easily the best-sounding, mid-sized portable Bluetooth speaker he’d ever heard.

Connect Sonus faber’s spectacular Omnia speaker to your Wi-Fi network and stream high-res music from the Apple Music, Qobuz or Tidal music-streaming services or from your own Roon server. This high-end speaker supports Spotify Connect and Bluetooth (with aptX HD compatibility), too, not to mention Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast. All of those connectivity options will make it easy for guests to stream their favorite playlists as well. What’s more, support for digital and analog wired sources mean you can connect your favorite turntable, CD-player, or virtually any other playback device. It’s even equipped with HDMI, if you want to use it as a very high-end soundbar. The Omnia’s beautiful design, high-quality wood finish, and impeccable build quality are a feast for the eyes, even when it’s not playing music.

Vinyl has been enjoying such a resurgence that people bought more LPs than CDs in 2021. People love vinyl for countless reasons, but mostly for its warm sound. A high-quality turntable is key to having great listening experience with LPs, but we can’t all drop thousands of dollars on a high-end record player. Audio-Technica’s AT-LPW50BT-RW delivers a ton of value for the money with features like a thick MDF plinth, a die-cast aluminum platter, a carbon fiber tonearm, the company’s own AT-VM95E Dual Moving Magnet phono cartridge, and a built-in phono pre-amp. And for added convenience, it’s outfitted with a Bluetooth radio so you can stream your tunes to your favorite wireless speakers.

If you live near a city and you’re frustrated by the spotty reception afforded by your indoor antenna, you should trade up for this one. Designed by the antenna experts at Winegard, the FlatWave Amped antenna is lightweight, easy to install, sturdy, and–most importantly–an ace at picking up channels that its competitors can’t. The FlatWave managed to pull in more channels than our previous champ, and whatsmore, the channels it got came in at a higher signal level, meaning you’re less likely to experience picture breakup. The compact design of the FlatWave Amped takes up a minimum of space on your wall, while the built-in amplifier can be powered by the USB port on the back of your TV.

The Televes Dat Boss Mix LR (model 149884) is the best outdoor TV antenna we’ve tested. It delivered an excellent performance, pulling in strong signals from local and distant TV towers. It’s a great choice in areas with medium to low reception levels, and it comes with a built-in amplifier and in-home distribution amplifier, plus a 5G filter to eliminate interference from cellphone signals.