If fewer zeroes sounds like a good deal, Hisense’s HS2100 soundbar + subwoofer combo will run you roughly R2,700 (if you know where to look), and conjure some decent waves while it’s at it. It might not have the features of something more costly, but it’s got the fundamentals down. It’s repping a subwoofer, 240W of sound and DTS Virtual:X decoding and playback that all make for a soundbar we hated saying goodbye to.

Quicker and easier than falling asleep

Newcomers to the realm of soundbar-subwoofer combos might be intimidated by the set-up, but we found that the HS2100 was about as plug-and-play as it gets All that needed doing was to stick all the cables in the right holes – of which there is a single HDMI (Arc), USB, optical digital audio input and 3.5mm aux at the back of the rectangle of noise. It’s got a two-prong doing the heavy lifting, and it’s mimicked as the subwoofer’s only cable.

The actual set-up involves putting all the cables in the right holes and hitting the on button. The lack of any LED indicators (aside from the volume slider) when pressing the subwoofer’s pairing button means you’ll have to make do with the superlunary voice that bleeds out to let you know everything is hooked up. It’ll be hanging around, too. It’ll keep you in the loop about which preset you’re using. Seeing as we hardly ever left HDMI, we nearly forgot all about it.

After that, it’s all about aligning the HS2100 with your home’s feng shui. We doubt that’ll be too difficult. The HS2100 is about as basic as a soundbar gets, turning up looking like your best idea of a black rectangle that’s here to do one job – spit some loud sounds at you. It helps that it’s smaller, thinner, and lighter than most similar soundbars, allowing it to blend into the background.

It’s covered in all the stuff you’d expect from a sub-R3,000 soundbar – black plastic, a bare-bones collection of ports and a whole lot of black felt. The cheaper build quality and extremely lightweight feel of the 2100 had us questioning whether there’d be a general shakiness as it worked to pump out those loud sounds. It didn’t — at least not until we turned it up to full blast. More on that later.

Mom, I’m scared.

What good is it to anyone if it can’t even pass what we like to call the ‘Mom’ test? If your mother – or someone with a similar disdain towards technology — can’t tell the difference between the two while blindfolded, it’s not worth the effort of taking it out of the box. We found somebody similarly tech-minded to act as our guinea pig and pit the HS2100 against our daily driver; LG’s 2023 CS3.

Purely being able to tell the two apart isn’t helpful to anyone, though. We took it further and had them face off in a proper showdown. Mostly, the HS2100 came out on top. There are still instances where LG’s efforts are king – like retaining quality at lower levels and singling out dialogue – but considering the price, we’re willing to cut the soundbar some slack. Throw the HS2100 at a cheaper TV, however – like we briefly did – and its best qualities blare that much louder.

Resoundingly sound… Sound

All that to say we liked what was coming out of the HS2100’s front end. It’s packing two 60W speakers in each end (that’s what the ‘2’ in 2.1 means), with the subwoofer making up the other 120W on offer here. Don’t let the soundbar’s stature deceive you. Hisense has built something that’s fully capable of convincing you that it’s a larger and more expensive piece of equipment.

That was made immediately apparent after we booted up our movies – The Fellowship of the Ring and that one really cool bit from Harry Potter. For one, it’s loud. Really loud. You can get louder, but this is the best you’re going to get on a budget for a reasonably sized room. It’ll do so without reaching a bat-like frequency though, hitting the highs of The Treason of Isengard with ease, and keeping the detail on the higher end of ‘good enough’. Confine your content to something… less epic and it’ll show off its more subtle strengths, holding onto that clean and balanced sound profile.

It can’t save Tenet from sounding like a four-year-old was in the mixing room, but that’s to be expected. Soundbar it may be, miracle worker it definitely is not. Give it any other job and it’ll take real care to isolate that dialogue and keep it at the forefront, especially if you’ve got the Movie and Surround presets engaged. Speaking of which, there are six EQ presets to choose from; Movie, Music, Night, News, Sports, and Game. You’ll want to pay attention to these when hopping around the place.

We got on just fine with the included DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Digital support to give some sort of surround sound effect, but we’d have liked to see Atmos get a look in. We’d also like a million bucks, but that isn’t going to happen. Hisense mentions a ‘TV Mode’ that’ll mimic your TV’s decoding – even if Atmos is available — but it looks like that’s only reserved for Hisense TV loyalists. We couldn’t get it going, at least.

Like any soundbar + subwoofer combo worth its salt, the subwoofer filled the role of adding that bit of oomph that’d be missing on a singular subwoofer. It’s got nothing on those Mongolian throat singers, but it offered plenty of functionality to elevate those epic scenes and make them epic-er. All while taking up very little room next to your setup. You can’t ask for more than that. Except maybe an LED indicator.

The boy who lived… come to gripe

If you’ve read the headline, you’ll know we misjudged the HS2100’s character prematurely. Its faults turned out to be fewer and farther between than expected, but they’re still there. Fortunately, they’re minor enough to be tucked away in the back of our minds, but it won’t be the case for everyone.

First up is how the soundbar handles low-level volume. Sounds tend to deflate when the volume crosses a certain threshold and lose out on the finer details until the volume gets cranked back up. When there’s a sleeping house to account for, it’s certainly worthy of consideration. Unless you’ve got a pair of decent headphones to pick up the slack, in which case, pump those rookie numbers up.

Our other gripe will likely only affect other tech reviewers, or those difficult neighbours who think blasting Nickelback at midnight is a good idea. It isn’t. It won’t be. Especially if it’s hooked up to the HS2100. That somewhat flimsy plastic build quality that we praised for knocking the price down, lets itself down when the volume reaches its limits. Those innards begin to hum and rattle more than we liked, Nickelback or not. If you’re the type to, uh, stand away from the thing blaring music, we reckon you’ll be just fine.

Oh, and we weren’t the biggest fans of the buttons in their current state. There’s a shabby remote nearby that nearly always made up for its misgivings, but don’t get your hopes up for any dedicated app support.

Hisense HS2100 soundbar + subwoofer verdict

If you’re looking for a soundbar that’ll cost less than R3,000, stop. It’s here. It’s there. Mess about and it won’t be for much longer. Look past the no-frills design and you’ll bring home a soundbar-subwoofer combo with a lot of heart (and sound, thankfully). It’s a concoction of all the best bits of a soundbar — clear sound, and high volumes — whose only fault is the lack of those frills. Want an app, buttonier buttons, and some surround-sound speakers? Expect to pay a few more zeroes at the till.

At the media launch, a member of the Road Traffic Management Corporation shared a scary statistic – over 50% of South Africa’s fatal road accidents in 2022 happened at night. VW’s Night School hopes to reduce that number by underscoring several important aspects that all drivers should know.

Earlier this week, VW invited Stuff to try out the full course in person at the Zwartkops Raceway in Centurion, Pretoria where VW’s Advanced Driving division is based. We went along to see what the full course entails and to judge if it was worth the R3,500 asking price.

We left six hours later, after some adrenaline-inducing on-track exercises which followed an information-packed set of discussions and lectures (and a tasty dinner), armed with knowledge that could one day save our lives and feeling considerably more confident in our driving skills – not just at night, but in general.

Class is in session

First on the agenda was a discussion about why it is important to know your vehicle. You never know when that information might prove useful – like identifying that new grinding noise that started after you hit a pothole. But in some cases, it could mean the difference between life and death.

This section covered things like knowing how your car locks itself so that you notice when it doesn’t happen properly. This could save you from returning to see your parking spot empty because someone jammed your key fob as you were walking away.

We were also instructed on the dos-and-don’ts of a hijack situation. This ranged from how to perform actions like opening your door and undoing your seatbelt in a clear and nonconfrontational way so you don’t spook the chap with the gun and catch some lead along the way.

Most of the info in this discussion made a lot of sense if you stopped to think about it but most people aren’t likely to do that in the heat of the moment. Now that we’ve heard someone explain the theory behind it and watched them perform the actions, we feel confident that our chances of surviving a terrible ordeal like that have increased.

Taking notes

From there, we moved to the presentation area for a lecture that explained the dangers we face when driving at night and how seemingly small changes, like doing 65km/h instead of 60km/h can make a massive difference.

Don’t let that put you off. This wasn’t an old man standing in the front of the class explaining how we will all die on the road if we didn’t do what he said. Matthew Merton, the course’s chief instructor and VW’s Advanced Driving operations manager, kept the session light and interactive while still conveying the important info.

After a tasty dinner – which is included in the course – we stayed with the vehicle and went over how to do a proper vehicle inspection. That covered all the important stuff that’s necessary to check before leaving, and how to identify if something wasn’t as it should be.

Merton also touched on a driver’s seating position and how sitting incorrectly – whether that be raked back so you’re looking out the rear window or bolt-upright and nearly on top of the steering wheel – could make things much worse for you if you’re ever in an accident.

Following that, we went back to class for one last lecture. This one focused on skidding; what it is, the different types of skids, what causes them, how to prevent it from happening, and what to do when it does inevitably happen.

This also included more info on the different safety systems most modern cars come with, like ABS (antilock braking system) and ESC (electronic stability control). Here’s where the real value of this course became apparent.

Most people have heard of ABS before and might even know a little about what it does. That’s great but having an expert explain it to you before you go out onto the track and experience it first-hand is far more valuable than skimming through the Wikipedia page.

If you’ve never been in a situation where you’ve felt ABS or ESC kick in, it can be extremely jarring and might cause some people to panic, possibly making things worse by doing the wrong thing or not doing the right thing in time. That’s where the on-track exercises come in.

What to do when you’re going sideways

For the on-track portion of the course, the group was split into pairs with each given their own track instructor and test vehicle. The course only uses VW vehicles, obviously, but the entire range is available so you can drive something similar to what you are used to.

The three on-track exercises highlighted the aforementioned safety features in a controlled environment intending to build muscle memory for the actions needed in an emergency.

Driving in and out of a line of cones showed off ESC in action, with the rear left and right tyres working to keep the car from skidding around. Then, the emergency lane changes with and without breaking showed how both ABS and ESC work to keep the vehicle on the road and facing the right direction.

VW Advanced Driving Night School verdict

VW’s Advanced Driving Night School is open and ready to improve your driving skills but it isn’t without its drawbacks. For now, the full course is only available at Zwartkops in Centurion which makes things rather inconvenient if you don’t live within driving distance. Luckily, if you don’t live nearby or can’t afford to enrol, VW has made the theoretical section of the course available online for free.

It also costs R3,500 which is less than some of the other courses out there but still a good chunk of change for most folks. Having done the course (and passing), we can say you do get your money’s worth and it is money well spent if you’ve never done an advanced driving course before.

Additionally, like other advanced driving courses, you receive a certificate upon completion which you can take to your vehicle insurance company to (hopefully) reduce your insurance premiums. If they don’t accept it, maybe think about switching.

However, we noted on VW’s Driving Academy website that there is another full-day safety course that also costs R3,500 but spans eight hours versus Night School’s six hours. If you don’t have the aim of improving your driving at night and are after a more generalised course, that might feature more info seeing as it takes two and a half hours longer – or maybe they just talk a little bit slower.

Either way, we reckon it’s a good idea for everyone to enrol even if that’s just for the free online course. Having better-educated drivers on our roads surely can’t hurt – imagine arriving at your destination not seething with road rage. We live in hope.

First class first impression

Taking the Zhiyun Weebill 3S out of its neatly packed case is an enjoyable experience. The 1.1kg gimbal has a premium feel with its sturdy black metal arms. They are supported by a matt black plastic handle with a rubber grip. The LCD is within thumb reach and flanked on the left by the mode and shutter buttons and a joystick.

On the right-hand side of the screen you have the power button, menu button, and navigation wheel. Besides navigating the menu and selecting by pressing down, you can also hold down the wheel to switch on the front light and roll it to adjust brightness and temperature. There’s another wheel and a trigger up front. Double pressing the trigger gets the camera to its default position and a triple press enters selfie mode.

The Weebill 3S is accompanied by a tripod, a base and quick-release plate, and a box of cables where you’ll find the hex key that you’ll need for setup. If you aren’t familiar with setting up a gimbal you need to know that it takes some time to balance the camera. The Weebill 3S doesn’t include any materials to help you do that so we had to resort to trial and error before giving up and asking Google for help.

The 3S can support a payload of about 3.5kg and had no trouble with our Fujifilm X-T4. We used an 18mm-55mm lens but it should handle a larger lens with ease thanks to the included lens support.

Our first dance

Operating the Weebill 3S may be simple but it’s not necessarily easy. When shooting close-ups, we found it difficult to keep the gimbal from shaking. Either we need to learn new gimbal-carrying techniques or hit the gym. The alternative would be the sling grip and wristrest but that’s a separate purchase. The extra support and grip angle would make the load a little more manageable and allow lower camera angles with less physical strain. The folded-down tripod is a must while you’re moving about if you’re after stable tracking shots.

This gimbal comes with a variety of modes to tackle moving shot needs. The M button placed conveniently within thumb reach allows you to switch between modes. You can select pan follow (PF), lock (L), follow (F), POV, vortex (V), and portrait (P). One press switches you between PF, L and F and a double press switches you between POV, V and P. Holding the M button puts the Weebill 3S into sleep mode.

One of the things that sets the Weebill 3S apart from its competition is its ability to mount the camera in portrait. To do so, you’d have to slide the camera baseplate holder off the arm using the quick-release button on the arm’s end and slide it back into the perpendicular grove. You’ll need to rebalance the gimbal afterwards, so switching between portrait and landscape takes a few minutes.  For quicker switching, the portrait mode where you’re behind the camera like in vortex mode, is better but that limits your mobility and is a workout.

We had no issues with the Weebill 3S’s stabilisation system. As you can see in the video below, we were able to follow a moving subject with ease. The tighter shots were a bit tougher because of our shaky noodle arms, but that was easily fixed in post or with a few daily pushups. We used PF and L the most for our shoots which covered our needs sufficiently. Vortex mode was cool but more of a use case-specific function and not something we found much use for. You might think differently, depending on what you’re shooting so it’s still nice to have the option.

Base connection

The Weebill 3S supports a large range of cameras but how well it connects to them is a different matter. We were relieved when the connecting cable allowed us to use the shutter button, however, all we got beyond that was exposure control by adjusting ISO and shutter speed. There wasn’t any aperture or focus control and no zoom, which is probably because our lens (XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS) does that mechanically.

You can charge your camera via the Weebill connection if it supports USB-C charging but that limits camera control to the buttons and knobs found on the Weebill. The handy physical controls on our X-T4 were disabled which was frustrating.

You can control the attached camera remotely with your smartphone and the ZY Play app available on iOS and Android, provided there’s a USB connection between the camera and the Weebill. The photography functions, which include Panorama, Time-lapse, and Trajectory Photography, worked well enough.

It might not be the most comprehensive feature but the ability to operate your camera remotely is technically possible. There are a few other things that are technically possible that we could have done without. The app doubles as another social media and video editing platform — we skipped both entirely. To use the video editor you first need to transfer the video files from your camera to your phone. The ZY Play app plays no part in facilitating this process and you’ll find better video editing features elsewhere.

You may not appreciate the added functions in the app but we’re sure you’ll appreciate the Weebill’s 11-hour battery life. It was more than enough to get us through all our shoots without needing a recharge. On longer shoot days the USB-C charging port makes it easy to charge with a phone charger or a power bank. You’re looking at around two hours from flat to fully charged which is great if you forgot to plug it in the night before.

Zhiyun Weebill 3S verdict

The Zhiyun Weebill 3S positions itself as the go-to choice for professional-level gimbals in South Africa and it mostly delivers. It emphatically ticks off enough boxes to justify a purchase. The ZY Play app, while not the most comprehensive, performs well when it needs to and provides enough functionality that you won’t mind forgiving its missteps.

You might find alternatives with extra features not found here but where the Weebill 3S has them beat is its price. It can be had for between R8,000 and R10,100 which makes it a great first professional gimbal.

If you’re interested in audio gear, you will have heard of Klipsch. Born in 1946, in a tin shed in Arkansas, it was one of the first US loudspeaker companies to bring live music to people’s homes. Today, the company produces a wide range of audio products that all bear some of the brand’s rich history. That’s especially true of The Sevens, which fall under the aptly-named Heritage-inspired speaker range.

The Sevens are the middle child of the ‘Heritage’ family, along with the smaller ‘The Fives’ and larger ‘The Nines’. They are high-end active loudspeakers which means you won’t have to go shopping for a suitable amplifier and receiver to have a good time. They certainly aren’t cheap at R30,000 but they’re worth it if you can stretch the budget and serve as a great entry point to the hi-res audio hobby.

Dressed to The Sevens

The Sevens come in two style options; all-black, or a walnut finish with off-white covers. We’re so glad we were sent the walnut option because… well, look at them. Words like ‘classy’, ‘sophisticated’, and ‘elegant’ come to mind, before you remember that they’re speakers. Premium speakers, mind you, and it shows.

They are handcrafted with a real-wood veneer finish. Picking them up is also a good indicator you’re dealing with quality – remember to lift with your legs. The metal control knobs on the primary unit feel sturdy with crisp feedback while you’re selecting an input or controlling the volume.

Even the quality of the included cables surprised us. They’re braided, suitably girthy, and numerous. You get several power cable options, an HDMI cable, a USB-A to USB-B cable for digital audio, and a two- and four-metre tether for connecting the two speakers.

Back to the speakers, we noted a small issue with the control dials being where they are. If you have the speakers set up at ear height (as they should be), you won’t be able to see which source is selected while you’re sitting. That’s just how it has to be because putting the source indicator on the front would ruin the look. You’ll either have to use the included IR remote or the Klipsch Connect app.

200W of woofing

Despite the name, The Sevens feature a 6.5in high-excursion mid-bass driver and a 1in vented Titanium tweeter inside a Tractrix horn. As we mentioned earlier, these are active loudspeakers, meaning they have their own amp (200W in this case) and don’t need external power. These particular active speakers don’t require an A/V receiver either as they support a variety of inputs, all of which are found on the rear of the primary unit.

The supported ports include ARC-enabled HDMI, TOSLink, and USB for digital inputs, an analogue 3.5mm AUX jack, and a switchable line and phono preamp input for moving magnet turntables. There’s also an RCA jack for connecting a subwoofer, another USB service port for firmware updates, and the four-pole connector for sending the audio signal to the secondary unit – that’s what the four- and two-metre tether cables are for.

Also on the back of the primary speaker is a switch for defining how you’ve placed them. Everything you’ll need is on the primary speaker so you can have that act as the left or right channel, depending on your needs. With six metres to play with, you can get great stereo separation. That’s helped further through the Klipsch Connect app and its speaker placement guide.

These don’t provide any Wi-Fi-enabled connectivity like AirPlay or Chromecast for streaming audio directly. Bluetooth is your only option using the aptX and aptX HD codecs. But then you’re not exactly putting the digital-to-analogue converters in The Sevens to work – they can decode PCM signals up to 24bit/192KHz.

Coming back to the Klipsch Connect app, in contrast to what we’ve heard from people who’ve bought (and then returned) The Fives, we had very few issues with The Sevens and the app during the initial setup and continued use. There’s a pairing button on the rear of the primary speaker if they don’t immediately show up and you’re taken through the speaker placement guide on your first connection.

The app offers a decent amount of control over The Sevens including volume control, a three-band EQ with a few presets, input selection, dynamic bass control, and a toggle for ‘Night Mode’. In the settings menu, you’re able to adjust the speaker placement if you’ve moved them since setup.

There are a bunch of other options but one we found ourselves returning to was the auto-power toggle. When toggled on, this will switch off the speakers to conserve power if no active input is detected after a while. If you plan to use these primarily as a Bluetooth speaker, firstly, why? Secondly, you might get tired of having to manually restore the Bluetooth connection or select them as the output inside your music app so you may want to leave this off like we did during our Bluetooth testing.

That’s what beauty sounds like

By now you’re probably wondering how these sound. They’re speakers after all so audio performance is rather important. That’s why we left it for last. These might be some of the most expensive active loudspeakers we’ve had in for review but they’re also among the best sounding.

They possess an impressive amount of taut, nuanced punch in the low end while steering clear of any mid-bass bloat. That said, some folks might want more punch due to their relatively flat response. If that’s you (you know who you are), then we’d recommend fiddling with the EQ and trying out the dynamic bass setting before dashing out to get a dedicated sub. We found the bass in the flat profile to be enough and didn’t particularly like how the dynamic bass setting influenced the sound but your mileage will vary.

The midrange sounds mostly neutral, with good articulation and clarity, although Klipsch has applied some wizardry that grants vocals and some acoustic instruments an added sense of presence. This makes the Eagles’ Don Henley sound like he’s in the room with you singing about a hotel in California. We think.

The Sevens perform just as admirably in the highs. There’s a smudge of roll-off that starts somewhere in the upper midrange and extends into the highs. This translates into a sound that appears to gradually recede away from you as you move up the frequency spectrum duing a sine sweep. Having said that, the highs remain crisp, airy, and detailed without being edgy and difficult to listen to.

When it comes to soundstage, The Sevens produce ample sound to fill a room with great imaging – although this does depend a little on how you have them set up. We started out with the pair one metre apart then increased that in one-metre intervals up to six metres to compare. They really started to shine the further away they were.

Overall, they demonstrated a lush sound profile with excellent tonal balance and fantastic dynamics – they handle quick jumps between quiet and loud sounds well which makes for a fun and entertaining listen with music and translates well to home cinema content.

Klipsch The Sevens verdict

Klipsch has a winner on its hands here. Yes, The Sevens are expensive compared to your average set of two-channel speakers. Most people would probably prefer to upgrade their TV and get a cheap soundbar for the same money. Their lack of network-enabled streaming will also be a dealbreaker for some audiophiles whereas movie lovers will be looking for a multi-channel Atmos-capable setup.

But if your priorities lie first with music and then with movies after, The Sevens are what you should be looking at – if you’ve got the budget. They combine the qualities of a Klipsch product that has made the brand a household name in the high-end audio space while offering a fantastic feature set for someone looking to dip their toes into hi-res audio while keeping one foot in the home cinema door. But whatever you’re playing through them, we highly doubt you’ll be upset with the result.

• This pair of Klipsch The Sevens was sent to Stuff for review by Homemation.

TVs – especially those big mothers – are expensive. But who wants to see Kevin De Bruyne’s assist against Newcastle on some 40-inch rinky-dink display that’s not even OLED? Whether you’re looking for something to pick up the slack in the sports department, or simply going through a mid-life crisis, a projector is usually the next logical buy. Preferably, you’re looking for something 4K that won’t be shackled to your garden’s braai pit. We’d recommend Hisense’s C1 Mini Laser Projector to fill that role.

That 4K spec the C1 is revered for might sound like the most important thing, but in today’s landscape, it’s almost the standard. It’s the C1’s other features – Dolby Vision support, JBL speakers and up to 300in display capabilities that help it stand out from an already overcrowded pool. It doesn’t hurt that the thing is tiny, measuring only 21cm high and 25cm across – making for a rather painless process when moving it around the place. As long as those places don’t include the great outdoors, that is. Please.

These things look good?

Honestly, we weren’t all that sure projectors could look, well, good. Samsung’s Freestyle came close, but it just couldn’t quite get there. Fortunately, the C1 doesn’t have those troubles – rocking up in a near cuboid outfit made entirely of brushed aluminium, shaking up the industry standard where plastic is king. That premium coat does equate to a more difficult time lugging the thing around, but that’s okay. That 4.5kg weight means your kids could probably move it without much effort. It doesn’t mean they should, though.

For most products that come our way, a pretty face is usually jotted down in the ‘win’ column. That, unfortunately, isn’t the case for the C1. Oh, it’s got a pretty face, sure, sporting a chic brushed grey look that we wouldn’t mind seeing elsewhere. The thing is – you’re not meant to look at the C1’s pretty face. Ever. You’ll be treated to the projector’s rear end for most of your stay – you know, where it most closely resembles its plastic-encased cousins. The back is also a cable hovel which only added to our annoyance.

Speaking of which, that plastic-looking back? It’s home to more connectivity than you’ll likely need, including two HDMIs (of the 2.0 and 2.1 variety), two USB-As – 3.0 and 2.0 flavours and spots for audio and ethernet. And with Hisense’s VidaaOS already onboard, it’ll save needing to hook up anything that’ll play Netflix or Disney+.

Getting things running

We admit that the view of some slightly bent cables from the C1’s rear end stung just a smidge. It immediately began working overtime to get us to get back in our good books though, and, oddly enough, it worked. That’s largely down to the all-too-easy set-up that only needed us to put all the plugs in the right holes and let Hisense’s VidaaOS (which is primarily Android-based, so don’t panic) do the rest.

Tthe most difficult part of set-up was finding a suitable extension to fit the circular two-prong power cord that’s included here. After that, all we had to do was hit the keys in the right order to connect to the Wi-Fi and pick a couple of apps to download – apart from the already-installed Netflix, YouTube, Prime and Disney+.

Okay, fine. It isn’t magic and needed a bit of help to get the image as rectangular as possible. For the most part, Hisense’s self-adjusting AutoMagic system got most of the hard work out of the way and left us to figure out the last of the keystone alignment ourselves to get it just right. The C1’s autofocus, on the other hand, needed no help from anyone and spat out the clearest picture possible every time we used it.

Lookin’ good (at night)

We won’t pretend we have a 300in wall to throw the C1 at and let it stretch its legs. Our walls are… considerably smaller – but still wide enough to get a display measuring just under 90in going comfortably. For us, that was enough. We’re guessing that’ll be the case for you, too.

There’s a whole host of picture modes to use if you have the necessary content to go with them. There’s bog-standard SDR, hybrid HLG, HDR10 and most importantly, Dolby Vision — a rare inclusion for projectors on this side of R40,000.

If none of those words made sense, that’s okay. The C1 does an excellent job of making the necessary switches when it detects content that can support it, and rarely left us longing for a dive into the settings. If those words did make sense – you’ll be rewarded for digging into the settings where each mode is fully customizable for any slight adjustments you might want to make to keep the image in pristine condition.

Generally, we and the C1 were happy with what we threw at it barring slight brightness adjustments we made to the SDR mode, which, like that weird kid that glommed onto you back in primary school, was a little too dim.

Even if you know what you’re doing, a rather expensive projector won’t be much help if it can’t even pass a good ol’ eyeball test. Fortunately for our eyeballs, it does. Kinda. See, Hisense has rated the C1’s brightness at 1,600 ANSI Lumens – which performed superbly when the lights were off, and the curtains drawn. Wait till morning, however, and you’ll have some trouble making out what’s going on in darker scenes. Fiddling with a few settings will net a better experience but won’t ever beat out a (much smaller) TV at a similar price point.

It’ll even handle some light gaming if you aren’t a snob and can put up with the C1’s 60Hz refresh rate. It’ll need to be switched to gaming mode to unlock the slightly-too-high-for-our-liking 39ms response time, but it’ll get the job done well most of the time. Still, if competitive online gaming is a must, we’d recommend keeping it away from the C1.

Light at the end of the rainbow (effect)

Another big advantage for the C1 is the fact that it’s lauding Trichroma laser tech as its main source of light, melding red, green and blue lasers together. That usually equals a half-decent array of colours to gawp at – which the C1 did – with Hisense rating this one at 110% of BT.2020. That’s, uh, good if you were waiting for a further explanation.

It also means a longer-than-usual lifespan; around 25,000 hours or so. We’ll give Hisense the benefit of the doubt here that the C1 won’t just conk out before its hours are up.

Unfortunately, three-laser DLP (Digital Light Processing) projectors like this one bring about their own complications, and Hisense’s efforts aren’t any different. We’re talking about the rainbow effect – those slightly irritating flashes of red, green and blue trails of light left in the wake of an object moving on screen (or on wall). In our few weeks spent with the C1, it regularly treated our eyes to those rainbow artefacts, most commonly at night when the picture is at its clearest.

Still, it’s worth mentioning that the rainbow effect isn’t always noticeable to everyone. It’s our job to keep an eye out for that sort of thing. It might not be a stand-out to the average Joe.

Public speaking (turn it up)

This being a projector that’s also a home entertainment system (and a pricey one at that), it makes sense for Hisense to include its own Android-based OS – VidaaOS – as well as a set of some decent speakers. That’s what it said on the tin, at least.

Maybe we’re being a little harsh on two 10W JBL speakers fitted in there. They’re more than good enough (and loud enough) for the average dad who’s only picked this up to watch the rugby and attempt to rekindle his relationship with his family when M-Net’s Sunday Night movie comes on. But any audiophiles looking to get in on the fun might want to look at getting a soundbar.

The OS is… fine. It most closely resembles something directly from Android and doesn’t take a genius to figure out its very few intricacies. It’s a win that’s marred ever so slightly by a processor that lets the side down and makes for a slower-than-most experience when navigating. Still, if you’re hooking up a PS5 or Xbox or something similar, you’ll hardly ever have to deal with Hisense’s OS.

Hisense C1 Mini Laser Projector verdict

The only thing left to discuss is the price – if you’re even able to find one of these in stock. We couldn’t. But if you can, or don’t mind employing a bit of patience, it’ll require a sacrifice of R35,000 before it’ll come home with you. We won’t dance around the fact that you can get stronger (and smaller) TVs for a lot less of your buck, but you won’t find anything spanning more than 100in that’s even moderately close to your budget, nor the R35,000 price.

Hisense is aiming at customers who have the necessary wall space to accommodate the larger-than-life 65-to-300in viewing areas. If that’s you, then you won’t have any trouble with the C1’s 4K resolution, Dolby Vision support and JBL speakers that’ll get the job done until you can find a suitable soundbar replacement. But if daytime viewing is a necessity and you don’t mind putting up with something a little bit smaller, say in the 55-to-65in range, you’ll be better off getting something from Samsung or LG’s warehouses that offer OLED or something similar.

You don’t absolutely have to get this one but at R8,000, you’re getting a fairly good deal. The Hero Core 512Wh is compact, features enough capacity for most basic uses, and also has all the ports you’ll need to keep the lights on — including an actual light. As ever, you can do better but that calls for more money. And since this isn’t the very best battery on the market, there are a couple of quibbles. Let’s explore the ups and downs.

Brick of finest green?

A 512Wh battery isn’t the heaviest thing in the world. Gizzu has given this 6kg(ish) battery backup a mostly solid frame in the company’s green and much darker green livery. The front section is dominated by the ports — there’s a 12V input and output, three USB-C (one of which outputs at 100W so you can power your laptops), and two QC 3.0 USB-A ports. There’s also a single LED light which is mostly there to tick a box and the LED readout. More on that in a second.

The sides aren’t unadorned. The left (if you’re facing the front of the unit) is where a flap concealing the XT60 (the oddly-shaped yellow port) and the kettle chord input lives. The right is where the Type D (three-prong) input is situated. The sides are bracketed by large intake ports with cooling fans. Finally, the top is where the carrying handle is. This is a plastic protrusion that, while solid, gives a hollow impression when you’re lugging this thing around. It won’t break but it feels as though it might one day decide to go on holiday.

Go, go power ranger

So, plenty of ports then. What about the battery itself? It compares favourably with the EcoFlow River 2 Max in terms of capacity. It should, given that they’re both running 512Wh LiFEPO (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, but EcoFlow has a slight edge in terms of experience. Those large fan ports? Yeah, they’ll start making some noise into an extended discharge session (we call it load shedding). EcoFlow’s unit does it too, but Gizzu’s Hero Core 512Wh is a much noisier unit. Less attention has been paid to dampening the decibels here. It’s not the worst we’ve ever heard but it’s certainly noisy enough to take note of.

You’ll find that the 800W maximum draw is accurate, but you can expect minimal uptime if you run the Hero Core 512Wh fully loaded. It’s even possible to run a fridge or something else with a motor. There’s a max peak load of 1,600W, allowing for startup costs and compensation when a compressor kicks in. It’ll siphon away battery minutes but you’ll run your appliance. Power tools or a kettle? Not so much.

Full of itself

So it’s a little noisy. So what? Your TV has a volume button. You’ll be fine. There are only a couple more considerations, one of which is a slight novelty for us. Gizzu has fitted this UPS power station (yes, it’ll automatically kick in if you leave it linked between your gear and the mains) with an alarm. This series of very annoying beeps will go on when you drop to around 10% capacity, ensuring that you never run it completely flat. We’d rather sit in the dark than listen to it go off. That’s good for the battery’s lifespan, too.

And charging back up to full only takes a couple of hours. Charging from the mains peaks at 400W, while using the 12V/XT60 solution will top you up as fast as your car battery or solar panels are capable of. Provided they’re not speedier than 200W, because that’s where the XT60 port caps out. A fully-charged battery can be yours in as little as two or as much as four hours if you’re hitting the maximum input wattage. It should be enough to get you ready for Eskom’s next outage, barring any unforeseen complications.

Gizzu Hero Core 512Wh verdict

The Gizzu Hero Core 512Wh UPS power station (to give it its full name) is a decent addition to your load shedding survival kit. It’ll power something large for long enough to get to you to the end of most of Eskom’s shenanigans and it’ll also serve as a camping assistant if you happen to have some portable solar panels tucked away in your garage. The R8,000 price is excellent but, unfortunately, the superior EcoFlow River 2 Max has seen a price cut that matches Gizzu’s cost here. You’ll see similar performance between the two but the River 2 Max is better built, better muffled, and has proper app support. It’s the little things, you know, but if you opt for the green over the grey, you’ll still be well served.

The soundbar is undeniably a contender when considering specs and build quality. It’s compact and offers balanced audio right off the bat. You can expect detailed sound and a fairly seamless experience when it comes to setup and maintenance.

That said, it falls just short of being the no-brainer Bose envisioned.

First up

We get it. Bose slapped an ‘Ultra’ badge on this soundbar to justify the sound quality and the price tag. It’s also justified but that’s not the point.

Compatible with various sound formats, including Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Digital Plus, it features Bose’s ‘TrueSpace’ virtualisation tech. This technology is always-on, enhancing non-spatial audio content, and leveraging its nine-driver array for optimal performance.

Connectivity options include HDMI eARC, digital optical, Ethernet, and a USB-C slot for servicing. Wireless capabilities encompass Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 (SBC and AAC codec compatible), Apple Airplay 2 and built-in Chromecast.

There’s also something called ‘’Adaptiq’ — an automated room calibration function that involves wearing a headband during setup. We didn’t opt for this one in a bid to not look silly.

Set up

You’d expect a R30,000 soundbar and R35,000 bass module to be as user-friendly as possible especially when it comes to set-up.

You’d be right.

Setup is a breeze. Like Sonos, you’d have to download a companion app to complete the setup properly and link the bass module to the soundbar.

We find it slightly cumbersome that every piece of tech in the house now needs its own companion app. It would be nice to time travel back a bit and set up home entertainment without needing an app and WiFi connectivity. But that’s just the reality we live in now.

After a light hiccup of linking the bass module to the soundbar, the setup was complete. Our setup included an HDMI cable connecting the soundbar with a Samsung TV and a PlayStation 5 on the side.

Firing up

The Smart Ultra Soundbar impressed us with its clear, balanced sound when faced with Dolby Atmos soundtracks or films.

It delivers exceptional detail, featuring a smooth transition through the frequency range. The midrange is really where it shines, with clarity and high detail levels for voices. However, some drawbacks include less impactful bass and a slightly edgy top-end at higher volumes. That’s if you don’t have the Bass Module 700 attached, to be entirely fair.

Despite the presence of up-firing drivers, the soundbar falls short of delivering a truly expansive spatial audio experience. The ‘TrueSpace’ technology attempts to compensate for this, but it’s less impactful in an open space than we’d have liked.

The bass module makes all the difference to amp up the cinematic vibes. Booting up Dune (2021) will give you chills during the opening scene (and the rest of the film). It truly offers bass ‘you can feel’. Your neighbours may become slightly concerned by the odd sounds emanating from your house.

The thing is, it doesn’t compensate for the less-impressive highs and lack of true spatial audio. It sounds like a soundbar with added bass.

Clean up

The Smart Ultra Soundbar follows the design cues of its predecessor, the Smart Soundbar 900, with a discreet and sleek profile. It features a premium build from high-quality materials, including tempered glass and perforated metal.

We must note that the glass surface’s reflectivity and fingerprint retention may be off-putting to some.

User control options include a remote control handset, voice control with Amazon Alexa compatibility, and a previously mentioned Bose Music control app. The app covers every function, from basic playback control to EQ adjustments and multi-room system setup.

We did run into some technical issues with our older Samsung smart TV, in which the Bose soundbar wouldn’t automatically turn on when the TV is turned on. At one point, the accompanying remote control turned our PS5 on and off. But after some playing in the app settings, we found that it was an HDMI CEC issue and easily solved by tweaking a few settings.

Bose Smart Ultra soundbar + Bass Module Verdict

At R65,000 for the bundle, you’d have to be either a massive Bose fan or an audiophile keen to try anything to opt for this. You are getting a good-looking flagship soundbar with premium specs for the cash, though. It offers a compelling mix of balanced sound, with great mids and punchy bass from the additional module – all of which will make most audiophiles salivate.

On paper, Ridley Scott’s grand vision for a biopic centred on a figure so steeped in history should work. And on some levels, it does. All the usual Ridley gimmes shine through – excellent cinematography and a world that feels real, even lived in – always a bonus for a story that’s loosely based on historical events. Pacing is really where Napoleon falls hardest, attempting to deliver far too much in a single sitting, eventually devolving into a contorted mess that somehow manages to make the Little Corporal, well, uninteresting.

France, War, Joséphine

Napoleon isn’t an especially complex film to follow, despite the titular figure’s modern-day insinuation – even if Scott’s pretension and glaringly odd pacing decisions make it seem that way. Napoleon, played by the usually exquisite Joaquin Phoenix, occupies most of the runtime as he rises through the French ranks, conquering everything and everyone in his path. Joaquin’s performance, while apt, is often outshone by Vanessa Kirby’s wonderful portrayal of Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s wife.

The key to ‘getting’ Napoleon lies in the lens through which you view it. Scott has, for the most part, impressed us here – splitting the film’s narrative into three, easily digestible focuses that help us humanise and relate to the man behind the name. These also happen to be the real Napoleon’s final words: France, Army, Joséphine. We think. We weren’t there. And neither was Ridley Scott, evidently.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a Napoleon biopic, things kick off in France. Marie Antoinette is beheaded and buried, all within the film’s first five minutes. It’s a rather austere and gruesome scene that sets the tone we were expecting and looking forward to. Not long after, we’re introduced to Napoleon – a Corsican artillery commander, who is ordered to take back the port of Toulon, currently occupied by the British. Scott wastes absolutely no time in giving the audience its first taste of blood, and what a taste it was.

Still, it’s a rather jumpy first ten or so minutes that’s finally given some room to breathe when the fighting breaks out because the scene is longer than it takes a character to spout some exposition. Napoleon retains that pattern for the rest of the film, and it’s here that the movie makes itself most plain. This isn’t a deep dive into the man that was Napoleon. It’s a perfunctory attempt to showcase Napoleon’s relationships with France, war, and his first wife Joséphine and an excuse for Scott to flex his cinematic muscles.

Telling instead of showing

Have we mentioned that this is two and a half hours long? Apparently, yes. Its runtime is… noticeable. From the word go, Ridley Scott wastes no time in covering as much about Napoleon’s life as possible. As unfeasible as it is to cover the real man’s 61 battles in less time than something from James Cameron’s repertoire, Scott certainly tried.

To that end, the audience is only ever shown a few of Napoleon’s most well-known exploits, with a deeper focus put on the most famous battles – Toulon, Austerlitz, Borodino, and Waterloo – with only a brief promise of battle beside the Pyramids of Egypt. Others are either shrugged off entirely or cast aside in a single line of dialogue, like Napoleon’s apparently conflict-less conquering of Italy. Often, it’s the clumsy and cluttered script – penned by David Scarpa of The Day the Earth Stood Still ‘fame’ – that drags the already weak pacing down further.

And, unfortunately, that deeper focus on only a few battles doesn’t leave much room for anything else. Less attention is paid to Napoleon’s inner torment, with scenes beginning and ending rather abruptly, once the director has got the essential out of his actors. Scott is seemingly infatuated with what comes next, jumping forward in time like it’s Back to the Future II, hardly ever sparing a thought for any potential weight a scene might have had.

Feelings of guilt, elation, and anger take a backseat in Napoleon. And we wish it weren’t so.

The audience isn’t denied one emotion of Napoleon’s character: love. That’s not because we can physically see Napoleon’s infatuation with his first wife Joséphine, but because Scott and Scarpa attempt to hit the audience in the head over and over with the same, tired narrative device – voice-over narration. Much of the film’s love sub-plot is told through letters between the two as he travels the world, with only the occasional return to human emotion whenever Napoleon is feeling fathersome (he’s a horndog).

That isn’t to say we didn’t like those scenes. They’re bolstered by the immense performance of Vanessa Kirby, who serves as the film’s next main character and Napoleon’s only source of comfort throughout. It’s easily one of the more important aspects of the film and shines as a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel. A light that ultimately never shone brighter.

Eager for the battle

When Scott does leave the camera on for more than a couple of minutes before another janky fast-forward, Napoleon is at its best. We glimpse the titular character’s battle-driven mind as he plans and defeats his enemies, with some of the best action sequences we’ve seen in some time. While the rest of Napoleon’s life is condemned to poor direction and awkward writing, those battles we mentioned are devoid of any such issues. Thank God.

That’s partly helped by Scott’s love of gore which is evident from the get-go, with blood-soaked uniforms and cannonballs through horses’ chests being the least of the fun. What really makes those battles stand out, however, is the clever and brilliant cinematography.

You might hear that Napoleon is funny. And it is. Occasionally. David Scarpa did manage to elicit a chuckle or two out of us amongst some of the cringe-worthy lines, but our early-screening theatre was as quiet as a pair of particularly boring rocks. It’s not the main attraction but some semblance of humour can be found if that’s your thing.

Performance enhancing performances

Arguably, the key facet to making a movie like Napoleon work is the performances from the not-so-star-studded cast, with the two standouts being the titular Napoleon Bonaparte played by Joaquin Phoenix and Joséphine de Beauharnais played by Vanessa Kirby.

You’ll likely find junkets holding Phoenix’s performance in high esteem, but not here. There can be no doubt that Phoenix was good, as always, but for a figure as important as this, he hardly ever digs deeper into the character, preferring to maintain a steelier approach, internalizing the character’s thoughts – apart from the regularly crammed love letters that offer us the only insight into the recesses of his mind.

It’s difficult to blame Phoenix for this, as it’s Scott’s continually odd decisions to cut and move the story along at a rapid pace that never leaves enough room for Phoenix to take over a scene like he would anywhere else. It also prevents Phoenix from ever reacting – a skill that’s just as important as acting itself. We’re praying that it’s an issue that’ll be resolved in the three-and-a-half-hour director’s cut of Napoleon when it eventually arrives on Apple TV+.

The only other performance of substance came from Kirby, filling the shoes of Napoleon’s wife. Whatever misgivings we might have had surrounding Phoenix’s mark on the film are countered by Kirby in any scene she appears. She’s the most lively and convincingly real character in the film, something that’s sure to net the actor bigger roles later down the line. If Phoenix is tipped to stand and watch while Cillian Murphy accepts the award for Best Actor at the Oscars, Kirby has secured herself a slot right beside him. It’s one of our favourite performances of the year, unfortunately, ravelled in a film that could have done better. A lot better.

Napoleon verdict

The moments of brilliance – when director Ridley Scott gives way to the ‘epic’ of it all – and Kirby’s spectacular performance just aren’t enough to justify the film’s two-hour and thirty-eight-minute runtime. It’s bogged down by clumsy writing that fails to bring Napoleon, the man, to life – instead focusing on the acts that got him into the history books.

Coupled with Scott’s oftentimes blasé attitude towards the film’s plot and a stubbornness to make Napoleon as uninteresting as ever results in a recipe for a film that’ll only be partially remembered by the time his next big thing hits screens.

Napoleon begins its local theatrical release this Friday, 24 November.

“Budget” might seem like a strong (or wrong) word when you look at the R12,000 (RRP) price, but when you compare it to something from under Samsung or LG’s auspices with similar specs, things start to make more sense. Rather than getting the C745 all dressed up for a night out, TCL’s put the budget where it matters most: that striking QLED panel. 

Rudimentary elegance

Unless you’ve skipped right ahead to the good bits, you’d already know that TCL’s gone with quantum-dot tech for this one. Considering the company’s last gamer-centric budget option, that didn’t come as a surprise. It’s no OLED, sure, but TCL’s gotta keep the cost down somehow. There’s hardly room for complaint, anyway. The 1,000 nits’-capable display is nothing to scoff at, with that HDR10+ spec really pulling its weight. Dolby Vision was a nice touch too.

Throw the C745 into a too-bright room in the middle of the day and you’ll find that it stands up to the test. Mostly. Colours aren’t washed out wherever you are, but there’s no denying that nighttime is when it shines brightest. You’ll need to do some fiddling to get things just right whether it’s day or night. It’s worth it. We promise. 

It can’t do everything though, and you’ll start to notice that lack of OLED a lot more when you’re watching anything with a bright object in the midst of a dark scene. You can expect the local dimming that’s on display to put up a good show of ridding your eyes of bloom. At least, as much as it can. It never became noticeable enough to enter into dealbreaker territory, and it’s more than good enough for the price you’re paying. That’s… fine by us.

Get up and go

Before you can see any of that, you’ll need to set it up first. The physical side can be done with one person, a screwdriver and somewhere to work. It’s all coated in cheap plastic, though the two metal feet feel sturdy enough. Get the feet attached, plop it down, and let the real work begin.  

That’s only if you want the hard work, that is. While setting up the C745 – primarily a Google TV OS – we had the option to “Set up basic TV” rather than going down the Google route. You’ll effectively be turning it into a ‘dumb TV’ though one that still connects to the internet, and makes you agree to a few Ts and Cs with the big difference being to opt out of Google tracking. We didn’t stick around here for long, but it’s nice to know there’s an option to move out of Google’s crosshairs (and into TCL’s?) if we ever went on the run.

For right now, we don’t mind digging a larger hole for ourselves where Google is concerned. And the TV thanked us for it. Setting up was as simple as downloading the Google Home app (if you don’t already have it) and letting Google do the rest. Eventually, we were hooking up the PS5 and cruising around our streamers. 

Rise, gamers

We’re guessing that most of the folks sniffing around the C745 already have a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S in their arsenal. The consoles will bring the most out of the gorgeous 4K 120Hz panel that’s on offer. ‘Round the back, the C745’s got four HDMI ports, three of which are 2.1. Expect VRR support for the consoles too, and if you’ve got a beefy-enough PC lying around, there’s even a 144Hz port to play around with. 

You’ll need to stick it into gaming mode to get all that done, noticeably affecting those 120 local dimming zones to place a heavier reliance on input lag. Speaking of, we didn’t notice any input lag, despite what we may have told our friends during a gruelling Rocket League session. Unless you’re playing Limbo on repeat, less-apparent dimming zones shouldn’t be an issue. It wasn’t for us. As for screen stuttering or tearing, we’re glad to report that we experienced nothing of the sort.

Everything gaming-related is handled by the built-in Game Bar that held up its end pretty well; offering a quick spot to fiddle with FPS, picture modes, a screenshot button and an actual crosshair overlay. You know, the sort of thing that would have earned the player using it a healthy “touch grass” comment and seeing them labelled as a cheater. Now it’s a feature built right into your TV.

Turn off the games and you might notice the C745’s IMAX Enhanced certification. That means stuff with the IMAX logo plastered on – usually found on a Disney+ page – will show off a little more on the top and bottom of the screen than it would on another TV. It’s not a feature that makes this TV a must-buy, but it certainly won’t be garnering any negative press. 

Room for improvement

Our biggest disappointment arrived when we took off our pair of wireless headphones, which incidentally, held up well with the included Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. It wasn’t a question of volume. The C745 can get impressively loud but stumbles a bit when it comes to providing the sort of punchy bass you’d expect for gaming. It’s a less noticeable drawback when watching casually, offset by the inclusion of Dolby Atmos and DTS: X.  

Don’t expect those to supply any miracles, however. It’s working with a pair of 15W downward-firing speakers at the base of the TV and was instantly helped by a decent soundbar and subwoofer. If you’re going in raw, things might start to sound a wee bit strained once you start bumping those numbers up.

TCL has left the remote largely untouched. It’s maybe only a crumb lighter, but that might just be us looking for something to say. What is there to say? TCL’s had the controller nailed down for a while now, though we wouldn’t say no to a few more local streamers added onto its face, and maybe some USB-C charging. Fingers crossed for the next round, heh? 

TCL C745 QLED Verdict

When it mattered most, the C745 came out on top in most areas. We’re willing to overlook (and have) the slightly sub-par sound quality and plastic body for that R12,000 price tag. If you’re trying to get your current set replaced before the Proteas (hopefully) get through to the Semis, you might want to do it quickly. You might struggle in that department, though, with the C745 QLED seemingly vanishing off the face of the Earth. We’ve heard from the higher-ups that these should be back in stock sometime soon. Expect them at the usual places, though Incredible and Takealot will probably be your best bet. 

Not because of shoddy battery life or a reliance on internet connectivity. The latter was never a problem for the original Move, being the first Sonos speaker to support music playback via Bluetooth. That’s been improved with the Move 2 and as for battery life, Sonos has more than doubled it.

What Sonos hasn’t changed from the original Move is its bulky design and considerable heft. It still isn’t going to fit in your pocket or most backpacks. Even if you bought the specially-made carry pouch (sold separately), we wouldn’t recommend taking it on a hike or any walk further than to your yard unless there’s also a 15kg tub of whey protein living in your cupboard.

Then there’s the price. At R11,500, the first Move wasn’t cheap. The Move 2 is even pricier at R13,000, the same as Sonos’ latest (and arguably best) speaker – the Era 300.

Well, you’re probably thinking, is the Move 2 even worth buying? Surprisingly, yes.

Wearing its Sunday best

Sonos definitely makes you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. The unboxing experience doesn’t disappoint, nor does the Move 2’s build quality. Sonos has taken the ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach to the Move 2’s design. At 241 x 160 x 127 mm, there’s little to tell the Move 2 apart from the Move – other than the ‘2’ on the box, the new olive green colourway, and the redesigned touch controls on top.

We can’t say we’re too upset about that. The original Move looked pretty smart and you get more of the same with the Move 2. If we had to look for something to complain about, the rubberised base can feel a little sticky and tends to hold on to dust or pet hair. But that’s easily remedied with a moist cloth or a quick rinse under the tap because the Move 2 carries an IP56 rating. No need to worry about your outdoor party being rained out, the Move 2 should survive. Your guests might feel less enamoured.

Back to those dimensions, a quick glance at a measuring tape will tell you the Move 2 fares on the larger side of portable speakers. Sonos’ other portable speaker, the Roam, will fit between your towels in your beach bag but the Move 2 is much bigger and weighs 3kg. That could make things difficult.

To Sonos’ credit, the Move 2 weighs the same as the OG Move yet has more than double the battery life. It’ll manage 24 hours of continuous playback between charges. That’s no small feat. When you do need a charge, simply plonk the Move 2 down on the included wireless charging base. We appreciated the two-metre cable and how easy the process is.

Like the Era 300, the Move 2 also features a rear USB-C port but you’ll need to buy Sonos’ proprietary Line-In adapter to go any further. Unlike the Era 300, you can still get some use out of the port without the adapter. It allows for reverse charging compatible devices, like smartphones. You’ll only get 7.5W out of it but it’s better than a dead phone.

Good sound doesn’t have to stay at home

Along with the battery life, audio performance has also improved. The Move 2 can now manage stereo sound thanks to an extra tweeter. There are two in total, tuned as dedicated left and right channels for a bit of stereo separation, with a mid-woofer for, well… mid- to lower-end frequencies. Having said that, you still can’t expect the same level of stereo separation you’d get from separate left and right units, but it’s definitely better than the first Move’s mono output.

The Move 2 doesn’t only trump the Move in stereo separation, it also provides a more refined sound. You still get the signature Sonos sound with punchy presence in the lower-mid and mid-range frequencies and thanks to that second tweeter, vocals benefit from a bit of extra character. Most folks will be happy with what they paid for.

Being a Sonos product, if you want to make changes to the Move 2’s sound you can through the Sonos app and its relatively limited EQ. It only allows for small tweaks to ‘Treble’ and ‘Bass’, meaning you won’t stray too far from the original Sonos sound.

When you and your Move 2 venture outside, the app’s ‘loudness’ toggle will provide a little extra oompf at the expense of cohesion, although we doubt too many partygoers will notice or care. They’ll be too busy marvelling at how it isn’t bigger for the sound it’s producing.

The master of multiroom audio

That’s not all the Sonos app is good for. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of using it, you’ll know what we mean. It’s one of the most streamlined and painless setup processes we’ve experienced, whether you’re working with a single device or adding a new one to your existing setup.

It offers a decent range of radio stations and other music sources to stream freely and an easy way to sign into the services you already use – Spotify, Apple Music, etc. If you’re a Spotify podcast listener, it might take a little longer to figure out you can only start them from the Spotify app once you’ve opened the Sonos app but that’s more than likely Spotify’s fault.

Like other voice-enabled Sonos devices, hands-free voice control is possible via Sonos’ own voice assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. Still no Google Assistant, however. And there’s always the trusty Bluetooth connection to fall back on if you’re out of Wi-Fi range. Unfortunately, Sonos has not yet deemed it necessary to include support for hi-res audio codecs like LDAC or aptX HD.

You’ll also need the app if you want to make use of Sonos’ TruPlay feature which can be started manually or, if the built-in microphones are left enabled, triggered automatically every time you move the Move 2 around. It will measure and optimise the speaker’s sound output based on its new environment.

Sonos Move 2 verdict

Sonos has put the Move 2 in an interesting position. The original Move was a fairly capable speaker when it launched and the company has done a great job improving things across the board with the Move 2. But are those improvements worth the extra cash?

If you bought the OG Move and you’re still happy with it, save your money. The added stereo sound and line-in capabilities aren’t really worth an upgrade on their own but if you constantly find your Move running out of battery, the Move 2 might be worth a second look.

It could also be a good place to start your Sonos journey if you’re still new to the brand and want to get the most out of your purchase. What better way to do that than to take it with you wherever you go? Sure it can’t match the audio quality and spatial audio smarts of the Era 300, but that one’s a lot more hassle to cart around. If you’ve already grown some roots or don’t feel the need to score every moment of your life, you’ll probably be better off with the Era 300.