The Stuff Awards 2025: our soundbar and projector of the year

2025 might just have been the year that soundbars finally shook off their “TV speaker upgrade” reputation, evolving into truly sophisticated audio systems.

Dolby Atmos became standard rather than premium, with even mid-range models packing upward-firing drivers and wireless rear speakers for immersive surround sound. Samsung, Sonos and Sony battled for flagship supremacy with increasingly elaborate channel configurations – 11.1.4 setups became commonplace at the high end – whilst AI-powered room correction and voice assistant integration made setup painless.

Projectors underwent their own glow-up. Laser technology crushed lamp-based models into obsolescence, delivering brighter images, longer lifespans and virtually zero maintenance. 4K became the baseline, with ultra-short-throw models letting you conjure huge images from mere inches away – perfect for space-strapped living rooms.

Triple laser RGB systems delivered colour accuracy that rivalled premium TVs, whilst portable projectors shrunk to pocketable sizes without sacrificing 1080p quality. Some even folded like origami. Hisense went bonkers by stuffing 6.2.2 surround sound and an ATSC 3.0 TV tuner into its L9Q UST projector, blurring the line between projector and all-in-one entertainment system.

Here’s the AV gear we think best elevated home cinema in 2025.

Check out all this year’s Stuff Gadget Awards winners

Soundbar of the year: Samsung HW-Q990F

Half a decade ago, Samsung set the standards for a mainstream Dolby Atmos soundbar with the Q900. This year’s HW-Q990F proves the formula still reigns supreme. This is real home cinema heaven, and one of the best soundbars in the known universe.

The 11.1.4 system deploys 23 speakers across a main bar, subwoofer and compact rear surrounds – with no speaker cables required. The completely redesigned cubic subwoofer, toting dual force-cancelling eight-inch drivers, delivers bass that seems to just “exist” throughout your room rather than come from a single point. The seamless interplay between components creates top-tier clarity, separation and imaging. Dedicated upward-firing drivers turn the best Atmos mixes into mini universes of sparking sound, while the central channel keeps dialogue firmly rooted to your TV.

This is ideal for anyone whose inner interior designer won’t permit a full separates system, delivering the realism of spatial audio without the need to sacrifice room space. Home cinema perfection.

Highly commended

Sonos Arc Ultra

Is there an all-in-one soundbar easier to recommend to people with lots of money to spend? Probably not. The Arc Ultra excels at everything, serving up a wide, spacious soundstage where every element gets space. Detail levels impress throughout, while the bass runs a lot deeper than on its predecessor.

14 drivers work in perfect harmony across this 117cm tube, creating an inviting velvet texture to the mids that flatters vocals beautifully – whether you’re watching Tom Cruise or listening to Tom Waits. The new SoundMotion woofer technology delivers twice the bass output of the original Arc while keeping dimensions compact enough to sit discreetly under 55in TVs.

Speech Enhancement with three distinct modes tackles dialogue clarity, while seamless integration into Sonos’s multi-room ecosystem remains unmatched. It’s lively, dynamic and engaging for both music and films.

The main consideration? Committing to the Sonos system. But it’s a very easy commitment to make.

Marshall Heston 120

Marshall’s first ever soundbar boasts rock and roll credibility alongside serious technical chops. The Heston 120 delivers a cracking Dolby Atmos experience with huge sound and burly bass, a real asset that suits both explosive movie moments and bassier dance numbers. 11 individual speakers deliver exceptional sound quality across a warm, room-filling presentation that’s up for any audio challenge.

The design is unmistakably Marshall, with amp-style physical knobs for volume, treble and source selection that prove surprisingly useful rather than gimmicky. The distinctive look won’t suit minimalists, but it’s more subtle than you’d expect.

Connectivity excels, with support for HDMI eARC, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect even analogue RCA for turntables. The lack of multiroom features makes recommending it over Sonos Arc Ultra tricky, and source-switching between streaming and TV occasionally frustrates. But this wonderful box of tricks works seamlessly with everything you plug in.

Also shortlisted

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6, Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, HiSense AX5140Q

Projector of the year: Nebula X1

Anker’s triple-laser Nebula X1 represents the pinnacle of the Nebula projector range, and it’s hugely impressive. Bright and contrast-rich with beautifully vivid colours and crispy detail, the well-implemented HDR delivers searingly bright highlights while retaining plenty of detail in the darkest, inkiest spots. Even in brighter ambient light, the powerful lamp keeps pictures punchy.

Automated screen setup conjures a focussed, resized, height-adjusted and keystone-corrected picture in seconds, with an unusual motorised gimbal adapting to higher walls. It’ll even detect proper projector screens and arrange the image to fit perfectly. Meanwhile, the Google TV platform provides access to over 10,000 apps.

The audio doesn’t feel like an afterthought either: two built-in 15W speakers pair with battery-powered 5W wireless satellites for a large, dynamic soundstage with enough grunt to fill bigger rooms and outdoor spaces. And liquid cooling keeps fan noise markedly quieter than competitors – just 26dB when in operation.

Highly commended

Xgimi Mogo 4

This go-anywhere fun factory delivers brilliantly. Thanks to its built-in battery, the pint-sized MoGo 4 is genuinely portable projector perfection. Hauling it to a friend’s house for movie night is as simple as slotting it in your backpack’s bottle holder, while the battery provides enough power for 150 minutes of video playback – time enough for most feature films.

The integrated rotating stand and automatic keystone correction help you produce a nice square picture in moments. The internal LED lamp is bright enough to deliver watchable images in reasonably well-lit rooms, though things improve dramatically in darkness. While shadows show hints of greyness, colour vibrancy is outstanding by portable projector standards and fast motion is handled with aplomb.

The integrated 6W speaker drivers can’t quite match the picture for power, but they’re acceptable for this class, while Google TV provides Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube support, with Google Cast covering missing apps.

Samsung The Premiere

Samsung’s ultra-short throw Samsung Premiere LSP9T dodges traditional projector headaches by producing a stunning 130in image from just 24cm away. No viewers’ noggins blocking the picture, no cables snaking across rooms – just a sleek white unit that sits right by your wall.

The LSP9T delivers a stunningly sharp and bright 4K HDR10+ picture with crisp detail and lush, vivid colours. Wide dynamic range brings punch and impact we rarely see on projectors, working acceptably even with ambient light. The black levels can’t beat an OLED TV, but overall performance is glorious.

The built-in 40W 4.2-channel speaker produces surprisingly expansive sound that outperforms most TV speakers. Samsung’s Tizen interface makes control TV-simple, with Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube readily accessible alongside built-in tuner and aerial input.

Setup requires some fiddling with feet adjustment and keystoning, but the thoughtful design and image quality justify the considerable expense. An easy-to-use projector delivering genuinely engaging entertainment.