The 11 best hi-fi upgrades of 2026 so far we gave these speakers, turntables and DACs our highest marks after tough testing

Date:
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Description:
From Sonos to Wharfedale to iFi here are the highest-rated hi-fi and speaker upgrades we've tested

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter We're halfway through 2026, which means a lot of products have passed through TechRadar's testing rooms in total, we've reviewed a colossal 639 products in January to June 2026.

That includes a load of fantastic audio tech including new options good enough to challenge the best wireless speakers , the best turntables , the best DACs to get more from streaming music on your PC or phone, and the best stereo speakers . Our expert reviewers have tested a lot of stuff, and some products have proven to be the cream that rises to the top. Here are the products in these areas that scored either 5 stars or 4.5 stars in our reviews, making them best-in-class or highly recommended. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Wireless & stereo speakers Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i (Image credit: Future) Score: 5 / 5 Price: $499 / 249 / AU$699 (pair) What is it? The latest bookshelf stereo speakers in Wharfedale's famous 'Diamond' line, which is over 40 years old and clearly still going strong. They're two-way speakers with a 25mm tweeter, a 130mm mid/bass driver, and
deliverying a frequency range of 65Hz - 20kHz. And they're easy to drive, and flexible on positioning a great beginner hi-fi model.

What we said: "The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i speakers turn out to be (yet another) high-achieving-yet-affordable loudspeaker option. They sound excellent, they're very unfussy about what drives them, they look and feel good, and they're extremely well priced. They're a little large for a pair of ostensibly 'bookshelf' speakers, so be warned if you're actually looking to put them on shelves, but that's easily forgiven." You may like High End
Vienna 2026 Best in Show awards: our favorite 11 speakers, streamers and more The best turntables you can buy: top record players for all budgets The best stereo speakers

Read our full Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i review Today's best Wharfedale
Diamond 12.1i deals 249 View 249 View 249 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Cambridge L/R S (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) What is it? Small and stylish active stereo speakers with wireless connectivity as well as wired digital and analogue connections. There's 100 watts of Class D amplification powering a 21mm tweeter and 76mm mid/bass driver combo, and the connection stretch to USB-C, line-level stereo RCA, digital optical input, a pre-out for a subwoofer, and Bluetooth (with aptX HD codec compatibility). Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in
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What we said: "The Cambridge L/R S is a good-looking, well-built wireless active stereo speaker system that has the bold sound smarts to back up the fine, multi-option visuals. Sure, it's a little too confident at the bottom
of the frequency range, with too much weight given to bass information, but for the money it's a genuine contender in an already-stacked market. Requires serious consideration."

Read our full Cambridge L/R S review Today's best Cambridge Audio L/R S
deals 399 View 399 View No price information Check Amazon Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Sonos Play (Image credit: Future) Score: 4.5 / 5 Price: $299 / 299 / AU$499 What is it? Sonos ' mid-size portable speaker, with enough power and quality to work as a home speaker, but a battery and charging cradle so you can take it away instantly. With audio input as an option over its USB-C port (via an adapter) it's incredible versatile it's also tough and waterproof. What to read next The best portable DACs My ultimate Prime Day hi-fi tip buy the Wiim Amp Ultra
and these speakers all on sale The best MP3 players and hi-res audio players

What we said: "The Sonos Play is a triumph of usability. It has just the right design and convenience considerations to make you pick it up and use it more often than other speakers, even great portable ones. To paraphrase a notable camera quote: the best speaker is the one you choose to listen on.
The Sonos Play encourages me to listen more, in more places. It doesn't hurt that it sounds better than most portable speakers, too, and can hold its own as a home speaker."

Read our full Sonos Play review Today's best Sonos Play deals 299 View 299 View 299 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Fluance Ri91 Score: 4.5 / 5 Price: $799 (about 640 / AU$1,270) What is it? Big floorstanding active speakers with the power of a full hi-fi system, but no need for a separate amp or inputs. There's 150 watts of power behind two 6.5-inch mid/bass drivers and an AMT tweeter per speaker, and connections include HDMI, two RCA inputs, a subwoofer out, and Bluetooth (including aptX HD).

What we said: "The Fluance Ri91 sound great when turned up, though they can be a bit mid-focused, especially for those looking for neutral-sounding speakers. The included HDMI ARC input (quality control issues
notwithstanding) are appreciated, as is the ability to stream higher-res
audio over Bluetooth aptX."

Read our full Fluance Ri91 review Denon Home 400 (Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Score: 4.5 / 5 Price: $599 / 449 (around AU$999) What is it? A relatively hefty and powerful wireless speaker (think of it as a fair bit bigger than a toaster), that uses six-drivers to deliver expansive Dolby
Atmos spatial sound. There are left and right drivers, upfiring drive units, and two 4.5-inch woofers, all with their own Class D amplification. It uses the Denon HEOS wireless system and app, which is powerful and well-specced too.

What we said: "It's a home speaker that delivers where it counts, and is probably the most compelling single-unit spatial audio offering at this
price, where it goes head-to-head with some serious competition. It offers confident, engaging and immersive spatial audio performance, a thoughtful and stylish design, and a great range of connectivity options, along with an excellent HEOS app. It sounds wonderful in its default Auto mode or the slightly more balanced Pure mode, but it really rewards those of us who
tinker a bit, especially if you mess around with some of the customization options for the width and height of spatial sound."

Read our full Denon Home 400 review Today's best Denon Home 400 deals 449 View Low Stock 449 View No price information Check Amazon We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Klipsch The Nines II (Image credit: Future / James Holland) Score: 4.5 / 5 Price: $2,399 / 2,249 / AU$4,999 What is it? A pair of active standmount stereo speakers (their size and weight maybe pushes them beyond being 'bookshelf' speakers, really) that deliver tons of power connectivity with any extra components needed. They can be a soundbar replacement with HDMI and Dolby Atmos/DTS:X support, plus they have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for music, as well as optical, phono, USB, coaxial, and ethernet.

What we said: "The Klipsch The Nines II are an easy recommendation despite the weight and despite the price bump over the previous version. It's thanks to the immersive, robust sound and large set of features, not to mention
broad connectivity they're an excellent all-in-one hi-fi upgrade."

Read our full Klipsch The Nines II review Today's best Klipsch The Nines II deals 2,249 View 2,249 View Low Stock 2,249 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Sonos Era 100 SL (Image
credit: Future) Score: 4.5 / 5 Price: $189 / 169 / AU$289 What is it? A cheaper version of Sonos' entry-level home speaker, delivering all the same connectivity as the regular Era 100 (including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus line-in over its USB-C port using an adapter) and the same sound quality, but for cheaper. You lose voice control and Quick Trueplay on Android as a
result, but it's hard to argue with the price.

What we said: "What Sonos has achieved with the Era 100 SL is impressive. It has managed to pack in the same quality sound, great connectivity and iconic design, while dropping the price to a more affordable level. But there are absolutely some compromises voice control is absent here, while Android
users will miss out Sonos' room correction. Despite this though, it's one of the strongest performers in its price range, making it an easy choice if you never invested in the original Era 100."

Read our full Sonos Era 100 SL review Today's best Sonos Era 100 SL deals
169 141 View 169 View 169 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Turntables Sony PS-LX5BT (Image credit: Future
/ Simon Lucas) Score: 4.5 / 5 Price: $499 / 399 / AU$599 What is it? Sony 's successor to its previous and wildly popular affordable Bluetooth turntable, bringing fully automatic operation and Bluetooth connectivity in a sleek design. The ultimate beginner turntable? Well, there's a cheaper version that might be more tempting, but for the price, it's hard to argue with.

What we said: "The Sony PS-LX5BT picks up where the PS-LX310BT it replaces left off as one of the best pound-for-pound Bluetooth turntables around. If you want the most painless vinyl experience possible, youve come to the right place."

Read our full Sony PS-LX5BT review Today's best Sony PS-LX5BT deals 307 View 349 View 399 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Goldring GR3 (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) Score: 4.5
/ 5 Price: $1,299 / 699 (around AU$1,599) What is it? Goldring is one of the oldest hi-fi companies in the world, and hasn't made a turntable in several decades and now it's back with a very well-specified and great-looking new model. A built-in phono stage and high-quality provided cartridge make it great for relative novices, though it's odd that you can't bypass that phono.

What we said: "Goldring has managed to enter a tricky area of the turntable market with a player that is distinct enough (where finish, specification and sound quality are concerned) to stand out and make quite a compelling case
for itself."

Read our full Goldring GR3 review Today's best Goldring GR3 deals 699 View Low Stock 699 View 699 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Headphone DACs Fiio KA15 (Image credit: Future) Score: 5 / 5 Price: $99.99 / 99.99 / AU$189.99 What is it? This tiny DAC blends the retro with the modern. It does a better job of converting hi-res audio to analog than your device's built-in DAC will, and has a fun little cassette animation while it plays.

What we said: "If you have big audio ambitions and a very small budget, the KA15 is excellent value for money. It's a significant upgrade in sound
quality for smartphones and computers, and while it's not as powerful as a desktop headphone amp it has more than enough oomph for a wide range of headphones and IEMs so it's fairly future-proof."

Read our full Fiio KA15 review Today's best FiiO KA15 deals 89 View 93.17 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Eversolo DAC-Z10 (Image credit: Simon Lucas) Score: 5 / 5 Price: $1,980 / 1,939 / AU$3,339 What is it? A super-versatile addition to a hi-fi setup, providing a high-end DAC system, a pre-amp, and a powerful headphone amp all in one unit. It's pricey, but it's incredibly well-specified, making it kind of a bargain at least as far as premium hi-fi goes.

What we said: "The Eversolo DAC-Z10 wont fail to satisfy, provided your partnering equipment is up to scratch. Its a premium DAC for a premium
system, and offers all the bells and whistles you could hope for as a result, as well as immaculate sound quality that specializes in finding every
possible grain of detail in your music. It's simply as capable a DAC/preamp/headphone amp as this sort of money can buy."

Read our full Eversolo DAC-Z10 review Today's best Eversolo DAC-Z10 deals 1,939 View Low Stock 1,939 View 1,965.15 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices iFi GO Link 2 (Image credit: Future) Score: 4.5 / 5 Price: $59 / 59 (around AU$111) What is it? A no-fuss, super-small headphone DAC to make it easy to use wired headphones and earbuds with your phone or laptop, and with an audio upgrade along the way. Oh, and it's super-cheap as a bonus.

What we said: "The iFi Go Link 2 takes everything that's great about the original and packs it into a dinky DAC that's even smaller and lighter than before. It's a fantastic audio upgrade and it's priced very keenly, too."

Read our full iFi Go Link 2 review Today's best iFi Go Link 2 deals 59 View 59 View Low Stock 59 View We check over 250 million products every day for
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/multi-room/the-11-best-hi-fi-upgrades-of-2026- so-far-we-gave-these-speakers-turntables-and-dacs-our-highest-marks-after-toug h-testing


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