With Halloween coming up soon, now is the perfect time for fans to watch It: Welcome to Derry. Anyone who has read Stephen King's huge novel, titled 'It', will know just how much ground it covers, so there's plenty of scope to dive even deeper – and this new HBO Max show does exactly that.
While King's novel spans 27 years, focusing on the late 1950s and mid-1980s, documenting the periods of time where the evil entity 'It' awakens to terrorize Derry, the series focuses on the 60s, so it covers an era we haven't yet seen explored.
In a similar vein to the iconic Georgie scene from the 2017 movie It Chapter One, It: Welcome to Derry starts with the disappearance of a young boy. This prompts some other children in the town to try and figure out what happened, as well as getting to the bottom of why they're experiencing disturbing visions.
Meanwhile, a young Black soldier, called Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo), arrives in Derry as part of a mysterious military mission, alongside his wife Charlotte (Taylour Paige). The town of Derry is largely white, too, which provides some important narrative around civil rights issues at the time.
At the time of writing, only the pilot has aired on HBO Max with the second episode arriving on Halloween (fittingly) in the US. I've seen the first five episodes and I can confidently say this is a solid pilot, which sets up the rest of the series, but fans may have some frustrations with one major decision.
While Derry and its residents are all integral to the It storyline, fans will no doubt be keen to see Bill Skarsgård back as Pennywise. He delivered a great performance in It Chapter One and its sequel IT Chapter Two, but he has been used sparingly so far in the TV series. But who knows what the future will hold?
Having said that, the suspense is fun and I haven't seen the final three episodes, so it's very likely we'll get to see more of him as the show progresses. Considering Andy and Barbara Muschietti are once again at It's helm, following on from their movies, I'm confident they'll take the show in the direction it needs to go.
(Image credit: HBO)
It feels like we've needed a show like IT: Welcome to Derry for a while now. According to a post on Threads as seen by MovieWeb, even Stephen King himself was impressed with it. That's high praise from an author who has famously hated some adaptations of his work, so if you don't take my word for it, listen to King.
From my perspective, it was great to be transported to Derry at a slower pace than what a movie can deliver. Pacing the story across eight episodes means we get to see more characters, more scenarios, and take our time exploring a town we really wish we could leave, because it's so fascinating.
The show also sets up some great relationships, too. I can't spoil exactly what, but I did find myself invested in certain dynamics and fearful for what might happen to characters I've already grown to love.
There's plenty of easter eggs for Stephen King fans to enjoy including connections to The Shining, and I think it's well worth people sticking around to watch the second episode and beyond as there's plenty to horrify and delight in equal measure coming up.
Expect some jumpy moments, body horror and plenty of surprises. You're in for a good time if you're already a fan of It and if you're new, then maybe this series will encourage you to seek out the book and the original movies too.
When the rebooted Alienware Aurora R16 launched some years ago, we praised it as a capable pre-built gaming desktop that balanced a unique design with capable performance.
This time around, the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop (ACT1250) brings the same distinctive and compact design that feels more office-friendly, yet still has that Alienware flair, thanks to its sleek aesthetic.
Starting at $1,399.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,798.40, the Aurora delivers solid performance across the configuration stack, though higher-spec configurations will obviously see the best performance. It also features some really clever ventilation alongside easy access to its internals, though the interior is rather uninspiring.
For many, the proprietary motherboard and limited upgradability, once configured, are also slightly problematic.
All that said, one thing that just might make this the best gaming PC around is the wide variety of configurations on offer, split between RTX 5060, RTX 5060 Ti, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5080 GPUs, and Intel Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 CPUs, with lots of options for storage and memory.
My $2,049.99 / £2,148.98 / AU$3,699.30 review build came packed with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, Nvidia RTX 5070, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB SSD. That’s just enough for 1440p gaming at respectable frame rates, though our benchmarks showed that there hasn’t been much of a framerate gain in many games over the Aurora R16 from 2023.
(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)
However, the latest models can play more recently released games like Doom: The Dark Ages and Black Myth: Wukong at good frame rates if settings expectations are managed.
On the other hand, a game like Cyberpunk 2077, which was already fairly old back in 2023, doesn’t gain significant FPS with the 50-series GPU either, unless you use multi-frame generation, which can sometimes introduce a distracting input latency under heavy load.
That said, the new RTX GPUs do feature better AI upscaling through DLSS 4, and the Alienware Command Center app does help a bit when attempting to fine-tune performance.
Other customization options, such as the various RGB lighting settings for the power button, light ring, and other lights, can be managed through the app, too.
Right now, the Aurora R16 remains a striking desktop that blends futuristic design with solid performance, but its limited, post-purchase upgradability and plain interior may disappoint enthusiasts. And while the new 50-series GPUs bring improved AI upscaling and reliable 1440p gameplay, raw framerate gains over the previous generation are modest.
However, for gamers who prioritize style, customization, and dependable out-of-the-box performance, the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop (ACT1250) still stands as one of the best pre-built options on the market.
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia
The Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) gaming PC is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,399.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,798.40.
My review configuration costs $2,099.99 / £2,198.98 / AU$3,749.30, and is built for solid 1440p performance, though there are cheaper and more expensive builds available that target 1080p and 4K gaming.
The cheapest option for US buyers is a rig featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD for some quality 1080p gaming, while those looking for a more maxed-out gaming desktop can get an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Nvidia RTX 5080, 64GB, and up to 8TB (2x4TB) SSD storage.
My review configuration is actually cheaper than the 2023 Aurora gaming desktop that featured the mid-tiered 40-series of Nvidia’s GPU by around $100, so the price of the Aurora desktop hasn't really gone up.
Despite the new CPU and GPU, though, benchmarks aren’t necessarily better, which means users could find a mid-tier 40-series version of the gaming desktop somewhere for cheaper and get roughly the same native performance, so the biggest draw here is the multi-frame generation.
With a wide array of configuration options on offer with the latest Nvidia RTX 50-series and Intel Core Ultra 200-series chips, you won't have any trouble configuring a system to your specific performance needs.
The lack of easy upgradability once you have the system in hand, though, does take away from the overall package, but for a prebuilt system, it's hard to beat.
Specs: 4 / 5
Alienware Aurora (ACT1250): Design
(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)
No major design changes from last year's model
Plenty of ventilation and easy access to internals
Rather boring internals make the glass panel less appealing
The 2025 refresh of the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop carries forward the Alienware Aurora R16’s familiar strengths and weaknesses, setting the stage for its enhanced cooling and port design.
This includes the extensive cooling and ventilation system, which combines a side hexagonal array, top exhaust, and front stadium intake. According to Alienware, this makes the desktop around 20 percent quieter and about seven percent cooler than the Alienware Aurora R15.
Beyond the looks is a rig that also offers plenty of ports in both the front and rear, which should serve users of all kinds, from content curators to the most serious gaming enthusiasts.
The front ports include a global 3.5mm headset jack, three USB-A ports, and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) with PowerShare technology. In the rear, there’s a line-in and line-out port, optical audio port, two USB-C ports, four USB-A ports, and a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet port. Unfortunately, there’s no six-channel 3.5mm audio connection for those who want surround sound set-ups.
It doesn’t help that the cramped space inside will make it difficult for anyone who wants to add something like a sound card into the mix. That extends to how hard it’ll be to upgrade to bigger GPUs in the future as well. At least access to the inside is made easy through one simple screw and latch.
All together, the latest Aurora gaming desktop keeps the sleek, futuristic look of its predecessor while delivering improved cooling, quieter operation, and a wide range of ports. However, limited internal space and upgrade challenges remain its biggest drawbacks, making it best suited for gamers who prioritize style and ready-made performance over long-term expandability.
Design: 4.5 / 5
Alienware Aurora (ACT1250): Performance
(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)
1440p performance doesn’t significantly improve over the 40-series edition
Alienware Command Center can help fine-tune performance
Higher-spec or base-spec configurations provide a better value
When looking at the performance of the latest iteration of the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop, the 1440p performance of my review unit looks and feels very impressive, but if you look back to the 2023 benchmarks on this system's predecessor, the refreshed CPU and GPU pairing doesn’t translate into a dramatic leap in raw power.
CPU benchmarks
Alienware Aurora ACT1250
NZXT Player PC
Lenovo Legion Tower 5
Geekbench 6 (Single)
3,071
3,081
2,594
Geekbench 6 (Multi)
20,010
18,984
13,554
Cinebench R23 (Single)
2,257
2,263
1,693
Cinebench R23 (Multi)
35,446
35,226
17,376
Cinebench R24 (Single)
136
137
104
Cinebench R24 (Multi)
1,979
1,923
934
Crossmark Overall
2,301
2,298
1,846
Crossmark Productivity
2,152
2,159
1,734
Crossmark Creativity
2,548
2,495
2,127
Crossmark Responsiveness
2,069
2,166
1,454
For instance, Cyberpunk 2077, which remains one of the most demanding titles despite its 2020 release, manages only about 16fps at native 4K on the older build, and with the new Core Ultra 7 and RTX 5070 combo, performance nudges only slightly higher to 17fps. That makes DLSS upscaling essential, though even then, don’t expect substantial gains in titles from the past couple of years.
In more recent tests, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II averaged below 30fps at 1440p max settings (rising to roughly 40-50fps with DLSS), while Doom: The Dark Ages delivered 40-50fps with path tracing enabled.
Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport (2023) held a steady 60fps at 1440p with ray tracing on, maintaining the same level with DLSS active. One great thing about the 50-series is that DLSS 4 does a much better job at preventing (or at least greatly reducing) the ghosting effect that has plagued upscaling tech since the beginning.
GPU benchmarks
Alienware Aurora ACT1250
NZXT Player PC
Lenovo Legion Tower 5
3DMark Fire Strike
44,913
45,049
43,845
3DMark Steel Nomad
5,224
4,967
5,495
3DMark Speed Way
5,741
5,855
5,960
3DMark Port Royal
14,062
14,139
14,302
One factor that can boost CPU performance is the option to choose between air or liquid cooling, which not only supports higher frame rates but also helps extend the overall lifespan of the components.
Another way to boost frame rates is through the Alienware Command Center app that comes pre-installed. Here, users can customize settings for games, change performance settings, and customize the RGB lighting too.
Gaming benchmarks (Average FPS)
Alienware Aurora ACT1250
NZXT Player PC
Lenovo Legion Tower 5
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra preset)
69
70
72
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, Highest)
202
201
207
F1 2024 (1080p, Very High, DLSS Quality)
104
97
119
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p, Ultra)
181
182
172
Outside of gaming, the Aurora R16 handles creative tasks with ease. It smoothly manages Adobe Photoshop projects with multiple high-resolution layers with no slowdown, while 10-minute 1080p videos in Premiere Pro render and export in seconds, and 4K projects finish within just a few minutes.
This makes it a reliable option not only for gamers but also for content creators who need a system that balances performance across both worlds.
Though the Alienware Aurora ACT1250 may not deliver a massive performance leap over past generations, it refines the experience with smarter cooling, better DLSS support, and versatile software controls.
For gamers and creators alike, it remains a sleek, capable desktop that balances style with reliable all-around performance.
The Alienware Aurora ACT1250 balances style and power across a wide range of price points. For gamers who value design and performance over long-term upgrades, it’s an easy recommendation.
4.5 / 5
Specs
With a lot of configuration options available and the most up-to-date hardware, you have a wide range of specs available with this PC. The proprietary motherboard and limited expandability isn't great though.
4 / 5
Design
Though there haven’t been any tweaks to the Aurora Desktop over the past couple of years, it still stands out as something futuristic despite issues with the proprietary motherboard, which limits upgradability in areas.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Don’t expect max settings at 1440p resolution without using DLSS upscaling, as native performance is good but not great compared to other mid-tier offerings. Those who want 1080p and 4K performance will be satisfied on that end of the spectrum for sure.
4.5 / 5
Final Score
The refreshed Alienware Aurora ACT1250 gaming desktopremains a futuristic-looking gaming desktop that delivers solid 1080p and 4K performance across price points, even if its mid-tier value and limited upgradability hold it back.
4.38 / 5
Buy the Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) if…
You want a gaming desktop with a stunning design The sleek compact design blending an all-black colorway with smart RGB lighting feels so above what’s out there with other gaming desktops, and it’s backed by smart ventilation.
You need specific spec options for 1080p, 1440p and 4K gaming Regardless of what potential buyers are looking for, there are a wide variety of performance options split between CPU, GPU, RAM and storage. Despite utilizing the Nvidia’s new 50-series of graphic cards, the prices remain respectable.
Don’t buy it if…
You want a desktop with a bit more space The more compact gaming desktop may look fantastic, but while finding space for upgrades is possible, it’s limited.
You want the best 1440p performance My benchmarks show that 1440p performance was only marginally better than the previous Aurora R16 with 40-series GPU, despite the upgrade to the newer RTX 5070.
Also Consider
If my Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) review has you considering other options, here are two gaming desktops to consider...
NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) With very similar specs to the Aurora ACT1250, the NZXT Player PC is a little cheaper than the Aurora PC I tested, but it has nowhere near the configurability of the Aurora either.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 (2025) The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 also features comparable specs to the Aurora ACT1250, as well as a similar starting price and a good degree of configurability, but its smaller chassis likewise makes expandability a challenge.
How I tested the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop (ACT1250)
I tested it using games like Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden Black II, Forza Motorsport (2023), and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
I ran TechRadar's standard suite of PC benchmarks
I used creative software like Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro for long stretches
built-inOutside of the standard PC benchmarks I run for my reviews, including builkt-in gaming benchmarks in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong, I also tested modern games including Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden Black II, Forza Motorsport (2023), and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for its real-world gaming performance.
For day-to-day tasks, I used it as my day-to-day work PC for about two weeks, including extensive creative work through Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro.
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 is a high-end gaming PC with a formidable spec designed to handle modern games without sacrificing much in the way of graphical fidelity.
It looks understated yet elegant as far as tower PCs go, thanks in no small part to the matte finish and rounded corners. The vibrant yet tasteful RGB lighting on the fans and through the front panel logo also adds to its allure.
What’s more, its premium appeal is more than skin deep: the Legion Tower 5 can lay claim to having one of the best gaming PC cases in terms of build quality. Every material feels solid and durable, including the glass side cover.
The only aspect I disliked was the top ventilation panel, since its sharp undulating design is uncomfortable to hold. Thankfully, there’s a grab handle at the front for when you need to move the Legion Tower 5; and you’ll certainly need the purchase it provides, since it’s a monstrously heavy unit.
There’s some scope to expand the potential of the Legion Tower 5, but not by much. Three M.2 drives and one HDD can be installed simultaneously, but 32GB is the maximum RAM allowance. I could see two spare SATA ports and one PCIe slot free, but that’s all.
(Image credit: Future)
The usual ports can be found on the Legion Tower 5, with plenty of USB-A ports and audio ports on the rear. The front panel is quite sparse though, and the inclusion of a USB-C port at this end might be disappointing to some, depending on the peripherals they have.
As you would expect given its components, the general performance of the Legion Tower 5 is excellent. It’s also free from bloatware, with Lenovo’s bundled software proving unintrusive and even useful. Lenovo Vantage offers some useful system functions and details, while LegionSpace is a simple and effective way to adjust performance settings and fan speeds.
Gaming with the Legion Tower 5 is a joy. It effortlessly runs AAA titles with fps figures in the hundreds. What’s more, it does so in near-silence and without approaching temperatures beyond the mildly tepid.
All this quality and performance does come at a price, but it’s not as eye-watering as some rivals. There are cheaper 5070 builds, but considering the quality of the case and components, not to mention its exceptional cooling abilities, the Legion Tower 5 might just be worth it for those after top-draw performance without sacrificing peace and quiet.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future)
Starts from $1,449.99 / £1,395 / AU$2,069
Available now
Decent value
The Legion Tower 5 is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,449.99 / £1,395 / AU$2,069 for the AMD Ryzen 10th Gen builds, while the Intel-based Tower 5i Gen 10 starts at $1,319.99 / £1,116 / AU$2,519.
For the AMD builds, numerous configurations are available, peaking at builds with a Ryzen 9 7950X3D and an RTX 5070 Ti, while the Intel builds feature up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti. Maximum capacities for RAM and storage are 32GB and 2TB, respectively – although the latter is expandable with separately purchased drives, thanks to its three M.2 slots and an extra space for a HDD (although storage bays are only available on some models).
This isn’t a bad price considering what’s on offer, but there are still cheaper alternatives. The HP Victus 15L and HP Omen 16L cost significantly less, but you will have to settle for much lower specs. However, we found their performance capable enough for 1080p gaming and their relatively small size and generous front port selection add to their appeal.
A more closely-matched rival to the Legion Tower 5 is the NZXT Player PC, which is similarly priced to the Legion Tower 5 and likewise features an RTX 5070. Like the Legion Tower 5, it’s built to a very high standard, yet it just about undercuts it on price in some regions.
The Legion Tower 5 makes a good first impression, with its steely but elegantly designed case. The bright RGB lighting of the fans and front “Legion” logo livens up the unit without being brash.
It’s built to a high standard, too. The materials feel as premium as they look, and every panel feels sturdy and durable, even the glass side cover. The downside, however, is that the Legion Tower 5 is quite large and very heavy, so moving around can be difficult.
And you won’t want to grab it from the top, as the ventilation mesh has a spiked design that can dig uncomfortably into the hand. Fortunately, there’s a useful grab handle just behind the front ports you can hold instead.
There’s some scope for expanding components, but not much. There are four DDR5 memory slots, but only a maximum of 32GB is supported. Up to three M.2 SSDs and one HDD can be installed simultaneously, and there are two spare SATA ports and a spare PCIe 4x slot.
On the rear you’ll find the usual selection of ports. There are six USB ports, although only two of them utilize the SuperSpeed standard. There are also the obligatory headphone, microphone, and line-in connections.
(Image credit: Future)
Oddly, the PSU is located at the top, resulting in a dangling power cable: this is never ideal, but here it can potentially obscure other rearside connections, too. What’s more, this placement effectively shortens the length of the cable if your outlet is close to the floor.
At the front, port selection is more scarce. There are two USB ports, although one is type-C, which could prove contentious depending on what you’re connecting. Personally, I would’ve preferred both to have been type-A, given most of my peripherals use this standard – and I suspect many others’ do as well.
My Legion Tower 5 review unit came with a mouse and keyboard: basic affairs that were perfectly functional, but clearly designed for productivity rather than gaming. The keys’ short travel and lack of feedback make them better for typing than WASD use, while the mouse has no DPI selector or even side buttons. Needless to say, Lenovo certainly hasn’t provided the best gaming keyboard or the best gaming mouse here.
Design: 4.5 / 5
Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Excellent AAA performance
Impressively cool and quiet
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 (30L AMD) CPU benchmarks:
Benchmark
Score
Geekbench 6.4 Single-core
2,594
Geekbench 6.4 Multi-core
13,554
Crossmark Overall
1,846
Crossmark Productivity
1,734
Crossmark Creativity
2,127
Crossmark Responsiveness
1,454
Cinebench R23 Single Core
1,693
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
17,376
Cinebench R24 Single Core
104
Cinebench R24 Multi Core
934
The performance of the Legion Tower 5 is excellent, with the RTX 5070 in my review unit delivering on its promises.
As you would imagine, everyday tasks are handled equally well. Document and spreadsheet workloads are processed instantly, while 4K streaming is seamless, lacking the significant buffering times that can plague less capable machines.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 (30L AMD) GPU benchmarks
Benchmarks
Score
3DMark Fire Strike
43,845
3DMark Steel Nomad
5,495
3DMark Solar Bay
107,638
3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited
105,290
3DMark Speed Way
5,960
3DMark Port Royal
14,302
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
43,652
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited
42,947
More impressive, however, is just how quiet the Legion Tower 5 is. During my entire time with it, the fans never rose above a gentle whir, even when the system was set to Performance mode.
What’s more, the unit remained remarkably cool throughout, never exceeding lukewarm temperatures. The Legion Tower 5 is exclusively air-cooled, utilizing six fans that offer up to 180W of power – and they certainly seem effective.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 (30L AMD) gaming benchmarks
Game
Average FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra)
72
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest, 1080p)
208
F1 2024 (Max, 1080p)
119
Total War: Warhammer III (Ultra, 1080p)
172
Thankfully, the Legion Tower 5 isn’t saddled with bloatware. In fact, the two included utility apps, LegionSpace and Lenovo Vantage, are unobtrusive and quite useful; the former for viewing detailed system specs and performing functions such as BIOS updates, and the latter for adjusting performance and fan settings.
The Wi-Fi card was also exemplary. My connection speeds were fast, and I experienced no dropouts or instability.
Performance: 5 / 5
Should I buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 5?
(Image credit: Future)
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The Legion Tower 5 is expensive, but the value is good considering the performance and build quality.
3.5 / 5
Design
The case feels very premium and durable, although it’s very heavy. It’s not the most expandable, either.
4.5 / 5
Performance
The Legion Tower 5 tears through AAA titles without breaking a sweat. It’s also eerily quiet.
5 / 5
Average rating
The Legion Tower 5 is a top-tier gaming desktop that delivers superb gaming performance. It’s large and heavy, and not the most expandable, but the premium design and its hushed operation might be enough to justify its cost.
4.34 / 5
Buy it if...
You want great build quality The case is as premium as they come, looking smart and seeming very durable.
You want excellent gaming performance The 5070 in my review unit blasted through AAA games without issue, all the while staying perfectly cool and incredibly silent.
Don't buy it if...
You want plenty of expandability You can only have up to 32GB of RAM, and there aren’t many other slots left spare for upgrading.
You want minimal real estate The Legion Tower 5 is no mini PC; it’s large and heavy, and the sharp vent panel on the top doesn’t exactly help with ergonomics.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5: Also Consider
Here are some equally desirable alternatives to the Lenovo Legion Tower 5:
NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) Despite having the same RTX card and the same RAM capacity, but twice the installed storage, the NZXT Player PC is a little cheaper than the Legion Tower 5. It doesn’t skimp on quality, either: we were impressed with its ample ventilation and smart, solid construction. The lack of visible expansion slots was about the only drawback we could find.
Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) The Alienware Aurora ACT1250 offers an excellent experience at 1440p and beyond, as well as a host of configuration options that allow you to build up the perfect gaming PC for performance needs. It's not great on expandability, though.
I tested the Legion Tower 5 for a couple of days, during which time I used it for a variety of tasks.
I used it for working, browsing, streaming video, and, of course, gaming. I played AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 at various settings, including the highest preset. I also ran TechRadar’s series of benchmarks, to assess various aspects of its performance.
I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade, and have used a variety of systems and components during that time, and have built my own machines. I’ve also reviewed plenty of gaming hardware and laptops.
Active monitor speakers were at one point the near-exclusive haunt of the audio professional, casual listeners leaning more to desktop computer speakers or to hi-fis of their own design. A recent deluge of more accessible, feature-rich monitor designs has attempted to bridge the gap, often at the expense of practical utility to the people they were first designed for – but the Edifier MR5, in my opinion, does a great job at bucking that trend, making them some of the best stereo speakers I've tested recently.
For the low low price of $349.99 / £279.99 (approx AUS$570), you get a delightfully demure set of desktop-friendly speakers that achieve remarkable neutrality, incredible high-end clarity and a satisfying low end that trumps the capabilities of many larger competitors.
This is possible by virtue of Edifier’s smart new three-driver design, incorporating a downward-facing woofer, a bi-ported chassis and a tri-amped, active-crossover architecture. The results speak for their balanced, broad and crystal-clear selves.
There’s a shedload of tech backing up these fundamental smarts too. Digital EQ controls and customization are available via the Edifier ConneX app, including some one-click acoustic tuning options that compensate for corners of your desktop. I feel like these features sometimes get in the way of the MR5’s essential excellence, but that’s just me.
With Bluetooth 6.0, LDAC support for hi-res streaming and four options for analog inputs, it’s understandable that their design budget couldn’t stretch to including the kitchen sink.
(Image credit: Future)
Edifier MR5 review: Price and release date
Released on July 1, 2025
$349.99 / £279.99 (approx AU$570)
Edifier is a Chinese brand that’s had its mitts in the monitor market for a long time, and has consequently made a reputation for itself as one of the best budget brands going. Its products are often inexpensive and in possession of unusual cheer, particularly for the quality of sound they offer against the MSRP they’re able to pitch their products at.
This pair of active monitors, the MR5, is the latest in the still-quite-new MR series, and every bit an improvement on the prior models with which it shares an umbrella. Against the Edifier MR4, they add dual-device Bluetooth 6.0 connectivity – and, more importantly, a daring new three-way driver design.
The Edifier MR5's price is $349.99 / £279.99, which coverts to roughly AU$570 in Australia although the speakers don't seem to be releasing there.
Between these and the expanded digital control of EQ settings and other features, suffice to say there’s a great deal crammed into these unexpectedly-dinky active monitor speakers. Can they stick the landing, though?
(Image credit: Future)
Edifier MR5 review: Specs
Drivers
5” woofer, 3.75" mid driver, 1" silk dome tweeter
Analogue connectivity
Dual XLR, dual TRS, RCA, 3.5mm aux; 3.5mm headphone out
Digital connectivity
Bluetooth 6.0 (two devices) with LDAC support
Power
110W RMS
Frequency range
46Hz - 40kHz
Extras
x1 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable, 1x RCA to 3.5mm aux cable
Edifier MR5 review: Features
Three-way active crossover
Four analog inputs, dual-device Bluetooth 6.0
App control for voicings and room EQ
The Edifier MR5 monitor speakers are a veritable bag of nifty cross-disciplinary tricks, with features and fripperies that speak to casual listeners, young-buck music producers and burgeoning professionals building a versatile control-room setup.
On the connectivity front, there’s balanced XLR inputs and TRS inputs, plus RCA inputs and a front-facing 3.5mm aux port, for a total of four analogue connectivity options and the absolute elimination of any roadblocks to integrating the MR5 with your studio. Couple this with dual-device Bluetooth 6.0 (and LDAC-supportive) connectivity for ease of passing the digital aux, and you’ve five powerful ways to get what you want out of these – plus a 3.5mm headphone output for quiet-time.
For the pros, there’s the extensive 46Hz - 40kHz frequency range and flat frequency response out of the box, alongside manually-adjustable high- and low-shelf filters for adjusting to the acoustics of your space. Speaking of which, there’s the option for further DSP customization via Bluetooth using the proprietary Edifier ConneX app, including more granular low-cut control, and room compensation algorithms for better performance in reflective spaces.
For everyone else, there’s expressive hi-fi-leaning options for speaker voicings, and digital control of both those voicings and audio playback via the same proprietary app. In short, there’s a boatload to discover – and the discovery doesn’t stop here either. These speakers are also trend-buckingly maximalist with how they approach their core modus operandi.
Smaller bookshelf style monitors like these traditionally have two drivers – a mid-woofer and a tweeter – and use smart chassis design or an optional subwoofer output for low-end coverage. Here, though, Edifier’s somehow managed to squeeze in three drivers in a tri-amped, active-crossover system, comprising a 3.75" mid driver, 1" silk dome tweeter and a side-ported, downward-facing 5” woofer for low-end coverage.
The result is a small set of desktop-friendly active monitor speakers, with an outsized feature-set and a smooth sound output that seriously challenges the demureness of its form – more on which right now, actually.
(Image credit: Future)
Features score: 5/5
Edifier MR5 review: Sound quality
Controlled bass with body
Detailed and dimensional high-mid range
Limited by size, despite smart crossover design
The Edifier MR5 have three distinct voicings you can switch between, at a press of the single knob on the front: ‘Monitor’, ‘Music’, and ‘Customized’. For the uninitiated, ‘Monitor’ mode would attempt as neutral a frequency response as possible, for a clinical representation of sound as recorded. ‘Music’ adds a hi-fi sheen, sculpting the EQ for a more exciting representation, and ‘Customized’, as I’m sure you’ve surmised, is a do-it-yourself mode for saving your personal EQ settings (dialed in via app).
For this review, I spent the vast majority of my time using the ‘Monitor’ voicing. As someone who frequently uses monitor speakers in a professional capacity more so than a personal one, the neutral frequency response is far more useful to me day-to-day. I have some thoughts about the other settings later on, but until then you’re getting my impressions of these monitors at their essential best.
Small caveat for the bargain-seeking audio pros amongst you, too: my listening environment was not that of an acoustically-treated studio control room, and as such my observations should be taken with a pinch of semi-casual salt. It’s a hard line to tread between the exacting expectations of the career-minded and the vibey sensibilities of the rest, and yet it’s a line both this reviewer and these speakers are determined to tread.
Given that unique downward-facing driver design, you might be expecting an avalanche of desk-shaking bass. It is my utmost pleasure to report that no such misrepresentation occurs – at least, unless you push the MR5 to the upper limits of their volume range, at which point you can immediately quell it using the helpfully-named Desktop mode.
Instead, that bold woofer is put to use in delivering body over boom. There’s a little bloom with more outrageously-arranged pieces – Falle Nioke’s Falle Le Le Le features a low end that sounds like it’s already blown the speakers it was blasted through, and even that edgy, crunched-out kick and bass synth is presented with a level of welcome restraint. Distorted, low-tuned guitars a la Greet Death’s Die In Love are full and forceful, to gratifyingly torrential ends.
(Image credit: Future)
The ported sides of each speaker give airy movement in the ultra-low end, allowing kicks and thumpy bass guitars to breathe. Unfortunately, despite the clever design principles on display here, you’ll still experience the same limitations imposed by small-form nearfield monitors – namely, a compressed low-middy boxiness at higher volumes, that’s hard to design your way out of even with nifty acoustic tuning options and customizable EQ.
As a probably-intentional byproduct of this restrained approach to bass, the Edifier MR5 are phenomenal midrange communicators. Pile’s Bouncing In Blue, from latest heavy-folk stunner Sunshine And Balance Beams, is a phenomenal showcase of this, primarily through the Biscoff-spread smoothness of Rick Maguire’s drawled voice.
Uneasy, which follows immediately after, is a tactile delight, setting panned staccato guitars and kick-snare-kick-kick-snare percussion against one another with gratifying gusto beneath Maguire’s actually-quite-affected sneer. Indeed, there’s magic in that high-mid and high end, with stunning voice translation and a beautiful reediness in sustained strings and the like.
The MR5’s handling of transients isn’t as cutting or sharp as other speakers, but still reassuringly immediate. At the tippity-top, there’s no bite, spike or scratch, but rather a forthright resolution that puts anything flicky, ticky or indeed scratchy in glorious magic-eye-picture 3D before your ears. Hi-hats, auxiliary snaps, maracas – all presented with a delicate touch and a brilliant sense of in-the-room presence. This impressive soundstaging is a triumph both of the tweeters themselves and the clever acoustic design surrounding them.
Water From Your Eyes’ Playing Classics is one of the driest, most up-front songs going at the moment, and an excellent bellwether for the matter-of-factness these MR5 monitors are capable of. Bluntly-presented digital cymbals, dry DI-ed guitars and sampled-piano melodies make a compelling case for the high-end clarity these are capable of – even if that airy low-end starts to encroach a little.
In ‘Music’ mode, the MR5s add a heaped cup of extra bloom to the low end, along with some characterful contouring that gives a little more hi-fi excitement to proceedings. I get it, particularly for the additional presence it (of course) gives to kicks and hi-hats, but I don’t necessarily love it. With the Customized mode, the graphic EQ makes it easy to select for problem frequencies, but makes vibes-based EQing a tad fiddlier. Nonetheless, EQ moves were expressive enough to give you some control over your ideal outcomes.
Sound quality score: 4.5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Edifier MR5 review: Design
Extensive connectibility
Handy, feature-filled companion app
Digital settings are slow on the uptake
Thanks to the MR5’s prodigious I/O, setting up for analogue playback is about as simple as it could be: plug thingies you have into thingies they’ll fit. Unlike many professional monitor speakers, the MR5 hosts most of its hardware in one speaker, and sends audio to the other using a unique 9-pin connector cable; as such, you only need one plug socket to run the two of them.
Bluetooth connectivity is similarly fuss-free, and much the same as you’ll find anywhere else. A dedicated button on the rear puts the speakers in discovery mode, and connecting is as simple as looking for the good Edifier name on your transmitting device.
Bluetooth control is also how the Edifier ConneX app is able to work its remote-control magic. From the app you can mess with various features, including switching between voicings, acoustic tuning settings, and even selecting which speaker receives left or right channels of audio.
The MR5’s techy maximalism can sometimes get in its own way, though. An over-eager auto-standby can catch you off guard if you pause music for a phone call or a brew – a half-pointless mini-feature that does more to vex than it does to save energy. Thankfully, you can de-activate it using either the encoder knob or the app, rendering this particular gripe half-pointless itself.
Perhaps more vexingly, the customisable EQ settings are communicated through the ConneX app via Bluetooth, and there’s some significant latency between the sliding of a digital fader and a real-terms change in the volume of a given frequency. This latency makes hunting tuning problems a little more difficult and time-consuming than it really ought to be – but, again, if you’re just here for the room compensation, there’s a low-cut knob right there on the back of the speaker.
As for visuals, there’s some understated class to the MR5. The dimpled waveguides around the tweeters add some fun as well as some practical high-end widening; the bronze flourishes on the mid-woofer dustcaps, around the tweeters and via that knurled encoder knob are tasteful, but only just. For my taste, they toe the line between cool and cringe – and toe it all the better in your periphery.
Design score: 4/5
(Image credit: Future)
Edifier MR5 review: Value
Astonishingly feature-rich for the price
Signifiers of cheapness few but obvious
A stunning choice for desktop nearfields
The Edifier MR5 are a truly maximalist affair, and arguably worth every penny on the features front alone. It’s nice to see monitor speakers, particularly at this higher-end-of-cheap price point, not just meeting practical expectations but exceeding them. You can connect to these speakers five different ways, switch between three different sound profiles and control a lot more of its sound and functionality than you might reasonably expect.
Some elements of the MR5’s price point are more obvious than others. For instance, the only part of the speaker with which you actually, actively interface every time you use it is the plastic knob adorning the sole rotary encoder on the front. The encoder itself has a solid and reassuring mechanical feedback, but it’s transmitted through a cheap-feeling tactile surface. It’s a miniscule part of the greater MR5 whole, but nonetheless a shame that this no-brainer of a cost-cutting angle is so necessarily present in, and even central to, the user experience.
I mention this not to dock marks from the MR5, but to highlight just what it’s managed to achieve. That a plastic knob, some delayed EQ adjustment and an optional auto-standby feature constitute the majority of my criticism should tell you everything you need to know about these highly-accessible, multi-disciplinary, pint-sized works of well-priced magic.
I will say that I’m a personal fan of them as an at-home set of trustworthy nearfield monitors. They’re fine mid-field hi-fi operators, but really shine in a desktop or small-office environment, and as a jack-of-all-trades as opposed to a bona fide pro audio solution. For the fine line they tread, this is about as good as it gets.
(Image credit: Future)
Value score: 5/5
Edifier MR5 review: scorecard
Comment
Rating
Features
Digital app control, customized sound profiles and many connection options, all housed alongside a tri-amped three-way driver system.
5/5
Sound quality
The Edifier MR5 perform astonishingly well in the upper ranges, the transient response is forgiving, and percussion three-dimensional.
4.5/5
Design
Plug-and-play speakers for all but the liveliest office rooms, and a breeze to tune up. Bronze-ish highlights elevate the otherwise-understated form.
4/5
Value
I’d be hard-pressed to find any reason to say these aren’t worth every penny they sell for.
5/5
Should you buy the Edifier MR5?
Buy them if...
You want speakers that do everything The Edifier MR5 pack a whole lot into a delightfully demure bookshelf-speaker package. From the glut of analogue inputs to the hi-res Bluetooth, and from the great neutral starting point to the colourful potential of their voice modes, these tick all the boxes for an all-in-one studio-room speaker set.
You’re looking for great sound on a budget The Edifier MR5’s three-way driver system is nothing short of genius, making the absolute most of what is usually a limiting form factor. Though a little costlier than what many would consider the budget range, these are well worth the investment for leg-up monitors that’ll hold their own for a while.
Don't buy them if...
You hate apps You don’t need to use the proprietary Edifier ConneX app to enjoy your MR5 speakers – but it helps! And some of us simply have less time for finicky app-based customisation than others.
You want room-filling sound These are ideal nearfield monitors, and impressive when used as midfield monitors too. Fundamentally, though, they’re too small to do much with larger spaces.
Also consider
Edifier MR5
Edifier QR65
Kanto Ren
Price
$349.99 / £279.99 (approx AU$570)
$369.99 / £329.99 / AU$449
$599 / £599 (around AU$1,199)
Drivers
5" woofer, 3.75" mid driver, 1" silk dome tweeter
2.75" mid-low driver, 1.25" silk dome tweeter
5.25" woofer, 1" silk dome tweeter
Analogue connectivity
Dual XLR, dual TRS, RCA, 3.5mm aux; 3.5mm headphone out
RCA, sub out
RCA, 3.5mm aux, sub out
Digital connectivity
Bluetooth 6.0 (two devices), with LDAC support
Bluetooth 5.3, USB-A
Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC support, USB-C, optical (TOSLINK), HDMI ARC
Power
110W RMS
70W RMS
100W RMS
Frequency range
46Hz - 40kHz
55Hz - 40kHz
50Hz - 22kHz
Extras
1x 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable, 1x RCA to 3.5mm aux cable
1x 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable, 1x USB cable
Speaker wire
Edifier QR65 If you’ve a little more to spend and a little less space to spare, Edifier’s QR65 have you covered. These smaller desktop speakers are designed with wireless utility in mind, but play great as desk-bound AV speakers for whatever you’re up to. See our full Edifier QR65 review
Kanto Ren Kanto’s Ren speakers only bear so much in common with Edifier’s MR5, in that they’re powered, and they’re bookshelf format. But everything else that they are might be exactly what you’re looking for, if the MR5 doesn’t scratch your hi-fi itch; there’s subwoofer compatibility, digital inputs and some very musical voicings that make them great living-room listeners. See our full Kanto Ren review
How I tested the Edifier MR5
Tested for five weeks
Used as monitor speakers in an attic office space,
Serviced by a Universal Audio Volt 476 audio interface, and by Bluetooth connection
Predominantly tested using Bandcamp, Spotify, local music files and Reaper sessions
The Edifier MR5 spent their time as the primary listening devices for my office studio setup, as nearfield studio monitors. During my time with them, I streamed music from Spotify and Bandcamp, as well as played music locally from my computer (both high-quality downloads, and works-in-progress on the digital audio workstation Reaper) – all via a Universal Audio Volt 476 interface. I also streamed music from my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, which also harboured the Edifier ConneX app for testing digital control.
Nothing pains me more than facing continued disappointment at video game adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, but unfortunately, cozy Hobbit life simulator Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game has me right back at rock bottom. It attempts to capture the world and lives of Tolkien’s halfling heroes, but instead posits a torturously slow and boring glimpse into the joys of such menial tasks as walking with slight urgency and inventory management.
Review info
Platform reviewed: Xbox Series S Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC Release date: July 29, 2025
A wizard arrives precisely when he means to, but Tales of the Shire did not. Numerous delays plagued developer Wētā Workshop, resulting in its release being pushed back from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025, then to its ultimate release date in July 2025. Having played the demo, it was a wise choice; the Shire should be brimming with life, simple joys, and fellowship, and yet our earliest glimpses of the game in demos last year showed there was much room for improvement.
A wizard arrives precisely when he means to, but Tales of the Shire did not. Numerous delays plagued developer Wētā Workshop, resulting in its release being pushed back from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025, then to its ultimate release date in July 2025. Having played the demo, it was a wise choice; the Shire should be brimming with life, simple joys, and fellowship, and yet our earliest glimpses of the game in demos last year showed there was much room for improvement.
Sadly, reader, I must inform you that such improvements were not made. I finally got around to finishing the game a few months after its release, and it was genuinely quite draining to make my way through its watery plotlines, half-baked features, and flavorless characters. In fact, one of Tales of the Shire’s greatest achievements is that it somehow makes Gandalf seem bland for the little screen time he gets.
The part of me that really, really wanted this game to win has done the rounds of questioning how this happened, but honestly, it just feels like poor direction. Where Tales of the Shire should reward patience, it punishes efficiency and speed; where it should encourage creativity, it incentivizes shortcuts; and where it should be fun and light, it’s downright boring and forces you to trudge through fields to find near-invisible Butterfly Cup mushrooms for days on end just to feed them to your socially awkward neighbors.
I genuinely don’t enjoy poo-pooing creative endeavors, but Tales of the Shire is a disappointing step into the game development limelight for Wētā Workshop, and one has to wonder if they had the IP just lying around and fancied giving game design a go. It’s not without good ideas, but it certainly lacks heart and execution.
“Nary a squib, cracker or backarapper”
(Image credit: Weta Workshop)
The game opens with a familiar face: that of Gandalf towering over your custom character Hobbit on the roadside. He offers you a ride to your new home, Bywater, before ingraciously jet-setting off on his own travels around the Shire, leaving you to your fledgling journey. The tutorial sees you meeting most of the townsfolk, learning the ropes of Hobbit life through farming, foraging, fishing, and feeding neighbors to grow your reputation and the prosperity of Bywater.
The main plotline sees a small collective of local Hobbits band together on a mission to officially gain township for Bywater, a quest decorated by typical Hobbit foolery. The abstract and oft whimsical ways in which these Hobbits go about their problem-solving make for some enjoyable momentum to its credit. For example, when a very dated rulebook suggests that one condition for a township is a wolf's head hung over the town gate, they approach it with great confidence despite none of them ever actually having seen a wolf in the peaceful Shire. Using remnants of forgotten knowledge from elder townsfolk, they piece together a rather rough and ready fake – which, of course, they later discover was entirely unnecessary.
It’s small moments of nonsense and whimsy like these that I was so excited for, but unfortunately, they are few and far between in Tales of the Shire. Dialogue in the game is extensive, but at least half of the characters offer no depth or development beyond their archetypal roles. You’ve got the grumpy, weird fishing man, lovely elderly cooking lady, slightly dumb farmer, generic cute kid, and brassy bar owner. That’s no sin; the joy of Hobbits is their simplicity, but there’s little original content here that makes dialogue feel worthwhile, and the lack of any voice-overs really hammers home the lifelessness.
Cutscenes are also unhelped by frequent perspective bugs (Image credit: Weta Workshop)
It’s quite the achievement that Tales of the Shire even fails to make Gandalf seem interesting; sure, he offers some hijinks and at least a few salient moments, but it’s a shallow attempt at capturing the wise yet whimsical wizard. Oh, and don’t get me started on the pitiful attempt at recreating a Gandalf firework display, because that truly is a crime against the source material. Seriously, 5-10 peony fireworks and nary a squib, cracker, or backarapper? That should be considered criminal.
That being said, some characters feel more Hobbit-specific in their caricatures. I loved Hobson, Bywater’s bumbling tradesman who will try to fob off any junk he finds to locals, and Delphinium, the herbalist who lives in the shadow – and lingering grief – of her deceased mother. While I wouldn’t go as far as to call these better-rounded characters dynamic, they at least pack a bit more of the heart and depth needed to make me want to interact with them.
Befriending your neighbors is a pretty central part of the game, so you’ll need to put aside any feelings of apathy towards them and muck in to build your relationships. The main way of doing this is through shared meals, hosted at a variety of locations around Bywater and with different party sizes, to win their favor. On the day of a shared meal, you’ll receive in your letterbox a hint at their food preferences; any meals or flavors they’re craving, which can help to raise friendships quicker.
These are, for the most part, fine, and cooking is most definitely the most fun activity in Bywater. It’s pretty basic, although it does get more complex as the game progresses when new recipes and tools are unlocked; even so, it’s pretty easy to master.
Time goes by so slowly
(Image credit: Weta Workshop)
Your new home of Bywater, is an interesting backdrop for a cozy adventure. Thematically, it hits all the right notes; rolling hills, pastoral beauty, and relatively organic-feeling, and I must give it at least some credit for winning me over later in the game. Navigation is intentionally slow-paced; there’s no map overlay, so after pinning your destination or quest to follow in the map menu, you have to follow a series of bluebirds that perch along pathways to point you in the right direction. For the first few hours, it’s grating at best, unhelped by the abundance of dead ends, impassible objects, and steep slopes you can’t walk down, but over time, you learn the layout and shortcuts for yourself. It’s one of the best ways the game teaches you patience, and it reminded me of my own experience learning the lay of the land when my mother moved to the countryside.
The same can’t be said for the game’s wider pacing issues, however. Some days crawl by, and having run out of things to do, those days often ended with my Hobbit Peony waiting at her bedside for night to fall to start a new day. Other days see a litany of villager requests stuffing your mailbox in the morning, ready to send you on a chain of fetch quests that will often take you across all four corners of Bywater; it would be better if the game paced these out better, as I was able to blast through a majority of the main plotline by the end of my second season in the game.
Best bit: cooking up a storm
(Image credit: Weta Workshop)
While there’s room for improvement even in my favorite part of the game, I did enjoy cooking. The minigames themselves are relatively fun, but I particularly like how it gives shape to the day, particularly when you find you need to nip out to grab ingredients from across Bywater. These more purposeful, time-bound tasks made hosting a treat.
Another oddity in the game’s pacing is the guild feature, which comes into play relatively late in the main storyline progression. As part of Bywater’s quest for township, you create groups for each of the four main activities, and every day, the group leader will post new requests. You can pin up to 10 requests, which, once fulfilled, will gain you progression points towards group mastery. However, it comes in so late in the game that you feel incentivized to just grind through these to unlock perks like a bigger backpack and additional cooking stations, which feels contrary to the wider pacing.
Never mind the fact that, on top of this, there are a lot of bugs and optimization issues – or at least, there were in my Xbox playthrough, but from what I’ve seen online, these are still present months after release for many players.
Skipping around town for too long leads to frame rate drops, characters in the background of conversations stutter about the screen, and quests can sometimes bug out if you go to sleep mid-way through, making some days a mad panic to complete it all before the clock strikes midnight. My game also fatally crashed upwards of ten times during my time with it, requiring me to play my day from scratch – and you can imagine from my desperate desire to finish this game how frustrating it was to lose a full day’s work.
Home is where the existential crisis is
(Image credit: Weta Workshop)
There are some parts of Tales of the Shire I unabashedly enjoy, and chief among them is home decoration. You begin the game with a humble smial that, over time, unlocks and expands, but from the get-go, there’s a good amount of personality you can add to the rooms. You’ll receive furnishings and decor as gifts from neighbors as you go about your lives together, but you can also head to town to shop for more. Character creation isn’t quite as fun, but there are some really fun items in the mix and, if nothing else, their existence makes saving and spending money a little more worthwhile.
While you adventure and quest about Bywater, you can find fishing spots and plants to forage, as well as villagers to trade with. Some take your hard-earned cash for useful ingredients, seeds, and decor, while others will trade for their favorite ingredients. The early game makes this quite challenging; your only avenue for earning money is selling whatever you find or farm, and I quite enjoyed the grind. Unfortunately, the game scales weirdly, meaning it’s very easy past a certain point to rinse the local economy.
The chief culprit here is farming due to the perplexing choice to let vegetables grow out of season. You have to plant them at the correct time of year, and they’ll certainly bear fruit more quickly during those seasons, but as soon as you unlock more farm space and flowerbeds, you can easily abandon in-depth farming strategy and support your voracious appetite for home-cooked meals with easily farmed and watered vegetables.
(Image credit: Weta Workshop)
Of course, you’ll still need to forage and fish for more specific ingredients, but a fair amount of meals can be prepared with just farmed goods and purchased goods; the game could do with slightly higher stakes here, as it quickly became easy to cheese my way through.
It’s far harder to cheat your way to financial success with foraging or fishing, however. There are several designated fishing spots around the map, and while some do offer slightly rarer fish, most spots seem to generate the same species. Annoyingly, these aren’t stackable, and with a very limited 10-slot inventory space, you’ll probably find yourself heading to town to sell up your haul or back home to restock your pantry pretty often. This limitation makes some of the more rural fishing spots a real pain, but thankfully, you can pretty much ignore them without any real penalty.
The long and short of it is, almost everything I like about Tales of the Shire comes with a caveat, and it makes for an incredibly mixed bag experience. It certainly feels like, post demo, they had the opportunity to rework much of early reviewers’ criticism, but that was by and large ignored to the detriment of the end results.
Should you play Tales of the Shire?
Play it if...
You always wanted to decorate your own smial Home decoration is fulfilling from day one in Tales of the Shire, and the rate you receive furniture is pretty satisfying.
You like cooking sims While cooking in the game is relatively simple, it’s quite fun to just potter about the kitchen and dash about Bywater to grab the necessary ingredients.
Don't play it if...
You want a game you can’t put down On the contrary, you’ll want to put it down often. Maybe not forever, but often enough that you’ll need a backup game to play, because Tales of the Shire is both boring and buggy in places.
You’re a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan Between Gandalf’s withering personality to the disappointing mundanity of Hobbit life, franchise fans will find the game rings hollow.View Deal
You want well-rounded simulation mechanics From the weird pace of farming to the oft-painstaking fishing process, Tales of the Shire only delivers complexity in that nothing makes much sense.View Deal
Accessibility
There are some accessibility features, but not an all-encompassing selection. For example, you can change text size, adjust camera sensitivity, and toggle auto-assist features for both the camera and the cooking station gameplay, as well as difficulty. There’s controller support, but with limited remappable buttons, and a major oversight is the lack of a sprint toggle here. Add to this the lack of a mini-map, poor performance, and frequent crashes, and you have yet another mixed bag for Tales of the Shire.
(Image credit: Weta Workshop)
How I reviewed Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game
I played over 25 hours of Tales of the Shire on my Xbox Series S, completing the main storyline and quests and significantly progressing my villager relationships and guild quests. I played on my Sony KD-49XH8096 TV using Logitech Multimedia Z200 speakers and a standard Xbox wireless controller.
I used standard settings, comparing the experience to other popular farming and life sims like Stardew Valley, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and Palia, as well as indie titles like Coral Island.
Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame: review
The Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame is an affordable digital photo frame built on the Uhale platform. At 1280 x 800 pixels, it’s not the highest resolution photo frame on the market, but it’s capable of pretty credible sharpness and is far easier to use than other affordable frames I’ve tested.
I’ve used quite a few different digital photo frame apps now, and they vary widely from the full-featured, bespoke marketplace of the Netgear Meural Canvas II to Frameo, the third-party, one-size-fits-all app used by many digital photo frames, including the alternate version of this device. But there’s something novel about the Eptusmey’s user interface that I find particularly smooth and intuitive.
Setting up the frame is straightforward enough. Once you’ve selected its language and logged in to your Wi-Fi, you can start getting friends and family set up to send photos directly to the frame. Just download the Uhale app, scan the QR code, or enter the displayed code, and you’re good to go. You’re then ready to start selecting photos from your phone and firing them over.
If you’ve read many of my reviews of the best digital photo frames, you’ll know a pet peeve of mine is how some devices handle image orientation, often opting for a universal size that rarely fits every photo well. Instead, the Uhale app and Eptusmey photo frame allow you to scale images to fit and adjust the vertical or horizontal alignment to precisely frame the elements you choose. Being able to adjust this on a per-picture basis on the screen made it far easier to tweak specific images that didn’t look right, rather than having to delete and reupload them.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Odd issues did crop up now and then, though. First, despite the fact that I could set the scaling and position of images in the app, this didn’t seem to be saved for the uploaded images, meaning I’d have to set it again once they were on the frame. I also found that while scrolling through my phone’s photo library, it was far too easy to accidentally drag and select a bunch of images or, worse, deselect all of the ones I’d already picked out.
While colors are decent, they’re not quite as vibrant as I’ve come to expect from the best digital photo frames. Hues are accurate – there aren’t necessarily any specific missteps in terms of the color profile – but the frame pulls its punches when it comes to saturation. Rhododendrons that are a fireworks display of pinks, oranges and yellows even on the relatively conservative screen of my iPhone 16 Pro look more pastel than I’d expect, making the overall effect much more subdued.
By contrast – if you’ll excuse the pun – black and white photography really pops. Capable of both impressive brightness and relatively deep blacks, the Eptusmey shows off monochrome shots with an expansive dynamic range. Whether it was displaying shots of lichen-covered cliffsides in the Scottish Highlands or neo-gothic buildings in Budapest, grayscale photos always looked both bold and bright.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Despite the frame’s relatively meager 1280 x 800 resolution – hitting a pixel density of 149ppi – detail is also very decent. Whether it’s the individual hairs of a bumblebee’s fuzzy butt or the grains of sand clinging to a frog’s back, fine detail is crisply rendered. Unfortunately, though, the Eptusmey fares less well with images shot at shorter focal lengths. The iPhone 16 Pro’s artificial bokeh occasionally appeared over-sharpened, making those images look much weaker by comparison.
Another regrettable blind spot of the Eptusmey is how reflective its glass is. I tested this digital photo frame during a British autumn – I can barely remember the last time I even saw the sun, let alone had it shining on this frame. But, even so, this photo frame’s screen is swamped by reflections of our modestly lit testing space, meaning it’s not going to be a good choice for anywhere particularly bright or with a lot of furnishings to reflect.
Outside of the screen, the Eptusmey’s design is similarly mixed. In the plus column, its rear leg is very sturdy and makes switching orientation simple: pop it out and pop it back in rotated at 90 degrees, and you’re good to go. It also offers decent aesthetics, with the painted wood frame and modest white mount around the screen looking classy enough for a frame at this price range, and the two color options providing a decent choice to match the frame to your decor.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s not perfect, though, by any stretch. The mount is very plasticky to the touch – I’ve definitely been spoiled by the beautiful paper-like texture of the Aura Aspen here, though, so I won’t hold that too much against it.
Perhaps a more significant minus is the fact the paint on the exterior frame has started to wear off in a few places. Picking at the edge of the frame with my thumbnail, I was easily able to replicate this damage, which makes me worry a little about its durability.
OK, the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame definitely isn’t flawless: its colors are a little duller than they should be, while the screen shows up way too many reflections even under artificial light.
But this needs to be viewed in the context of its price: you can get it for as little as $55.99 / £49.99, putting it right down at the cheapest end of the market. Given the price, it’s impressive: not only is it surprisingly crisp, it makes it really easy to frame your photos and get them looking their best. It’s definitely worth a look if you want to save on a frame.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame review: price & release date
The Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame is available now and has a list price of £79.99. Cheap though this is, you can actually get it for even less if you shop around, with Amazon UK selling it from just £49.99. It’s also available from Amazon in the US for $55.99, although only the version compatible with the third-party Frameo app, which offers a great user experience but is different from that outlined in this review.
While the US market is restricted to the Black Oak Wood colorway tested here, those in the UK have more options available. You can pick up the White Oak Wood colorway for £49.99, the Walnut Wood colorway for £59.99 and the Black Oak Wood colorway for £79.99, giving you more options to ensure your frame complements your decor.
(Image credit: Future)
Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame review: specs
Dimensions
11.3 x 8.1 x 1 inches (287 x 206 x 25mm)
Display size
10.1-inch
Resolution
1280 x 800, 149.5 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:10
Touch Screen
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, USB, SD card
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Should I buy the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
4/5
Design
Glass too reflective and wood easily scuffed
3.5/5
Performance
4/5
Value
5/5
Buy it if…
You want a super affordable digital photo frame Available from as little as $55.99 / £49.99, the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame is nearly as affordable as our pick for the best budget digital photo frame, Aeezo Portrait 01, yet with a more premium feeling frame.
You love a simple user experience Using the Eptusmey’s on-screen controls, bespoke app or even the third-party Frameo app with relevant versions makes it straightforward to transfer your shots and even allow your friends and family to do the same.
Don’t buy it if…
You love vibrant colors While the Eptusmey’s doesn’t seem to make major missteps in the way it represents hues, it’s not quite vivid enough to be true to life, making your snaps feel a little undersaturated.
You want to use it in a bright room There’s no anti-reflection coating on the Eptusmey’s display, meaning that it’s not great for bright spaces. Even without much direct light, it mirrors bright objects in the room far too readily.
Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame review: also consider
Aura Walden
Aeezo Portrait 01
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
Display size
10.1-inch
10.1-inch
11-inch
Resolution
1280 x 800, 149.5 pixels per inch
1280 x 800, 149.5 pixels per inch
2000 x 1200, 212 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
5:3
Touch Screen
Yes
Yes
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Storage
32GB
32GB
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, USB, SD card
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
Aeezo Portrait 01 One of the Eptusmey’s closest rivals in terms of cost, the Aeezo Portrait 01 offers decent image quality and an even better price. It’s built on the Frameo app like some versions of the Eptusmey, meaning you can trust it’ll be just as easy to use. We did criticize its build quality in our Aeezo Portrat 01 review, though, with its cheaper frame and stand drawing particular ire.
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame OK, the Pexar 11-inch is a fair bit pricier than the Eptusmey, costing $169.99 / £149. But it also offers a whole load of things the latter doesn’t. That includes an impressive reflection-free screen, vibrant hues and one of the best pixel densities I’ve ever seen from a digital photo frame at 212-ppi for super crisp images. Read my full Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review.
How I tested the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame
Tested it over two weeks
Uploaded a wide variety of photos
Tried it in multiple locations and orientations
I tested the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame over a period of several weeks. First, I set it up, then I used the Uhale app to transfer photos I’ve taken, making sure to split the balance between brightly colored shots and more subdued detail-focused ones. Next, I used the frame to tweak the cropping and alignment of photos.
I then tried using the frame in both horizontal and vertical orientations, as well as moving it to a variety of locations in my home and the TechRadar office to see how it coped with reflections and ambient light conditions.
I’m an experienced photographer, having taken more than 40,000 shots over the years on my Canon DSLR and iPhone 16 Pro. On top of this, I spent many years working in print publishing, meaning I know how to assess the nuances of how images can differ between the source device and the final product.
Quality gaming audio doesn’t have to cost the earth; something that Nacon’s RIG brand has proven time and again with some of the best PS5 headsets around. Now, its RIG R5 Spear Pro HS wired gaming headset has landed around the top end of the budget spectrum, and yes, it’s also a winner.
I’m usually wary of cheapish gaming headsets as there’s usually always at least one glaring weakness, even if other aspects impress. However, the R5 Spear Pro is a fantastic all-rounder, providing great build quality, a high level of comfort thanks to its plush ear cups, and superb audio for both gaming and listening to music.
I guess the one big ‘weakness’ here is that the R5 Spear Pro is a wired-only gaming headset, an advantage the aptly named SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless would have over it, for example. That means you won’t be going wireless via 2.4GHz or Bluetooth. But the silver lining here is that the headset will work with any platform, device, or controller that has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The R5 Spear Pro is advertised as a PlayStation-facing headset, compatible with PS5 and PS4, while also supporting the brand’s Tempest 3D audio profile. However, you can expect it to work just fine on Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and others, given its simple wired connection.
I really have very little to complain about here, so expect a review on the shorter side. Some on-board features would’ve been nice, like mic muting or EQ switching, but what’s here is impressive for the price.
(Image credit: Future)
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: Price and availability
List price: $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)
Available now in the UK and Europe; US release on November 1
Comparable in price to the Epos H3 and Corsair HS50
The RIG R5 Spear Pro HS gaming headset is having a bit of a staggered release right now. It’s available in the UK and Europe now, but US folks will have to wait until November 1. It retails for $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99), and can be bought from Nacon’s website or regional stores.
It’s a pretty fair price tag for what you’re getting here, finding itself between the retail prices of the Epos H3 - our pick for the best wired gaming headset - and another budget banger in the Corsair HS50. Though at this price and sound quality, RIG might just knock Epos’s long-conquering headset off its throne.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: specs
Price
$69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)
Weight
0.74lbs / 0.34kg
Drivers
40mm graphene
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC
Connection type
Wired (3.5mm)
(Image credit: Future)
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: design and features
Out of the box, the R5 Spear Pro presents a seriously no-frills package. You’re getting the headset itself and a pair of PlayStation-branded mod plates for the ear cups’ exterior. More on those soon.
The headset doesn’t draw much attention to itself with a largely matte black finish. The RIG logo is emblazoned on top of the headband and mod plates, but it’s an otherwise low-key aesthetic. Which, hey, we definitely expect at this price point.
The headset, like other RIG products, is made from sturdy plastic that’s strongly resistant to wear and tear. RIG headsets are always impressively durable, and it’s a similar story here. It’s incredibly comfortable, too, with plush material for the headband and earcups resting nicely on your head without irritating over longer gaming sessions.
The headset naturally features a mic attached to the left earcup. It’s unfortunately not detachable, meaning you probably won’t be leaving the house with it, but it’s impressively flexible and easy to shape into a position that feels right for you.
The centerpiece of the R5 Spear Pro’s design, though, is its bespoke magnetic mod plates, which attach to the headset’s ear cups. As mentioned, the box contains a pair with the PlayStation logo slapped onto them, but you can buy other official designs separately. That includes one specifically designed for the EVO fighting game tournament.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: performance
The R5 Spear Pro simply provides brilliant, crisp audio for the price. When I got to testing by plugging it into my DualSense Wireless Controller for a Ghost of Yoteiplay session, I was immediately struck by the impressively layered audio that picked up on everything from the swaying breeze to distant clashes of swords.
Directional audio is brilliantly accurate, too, with audio flitting between left and right channels in an impressively immersive manner. The absorbing soundtrack of Tetris Effect Connected really came alive here, its audio-reactive gameplay really playing to the R5 Spear Pro HS’s strengths. Its 40mm graphene drivers, overall, provide pristine audio with little distortion even at higher volumes. I’d have preferred its bass register to be a little stronger, but it’s by no means underwhelming here.
Microphone quality is also solid. Not quite as impressive as with the RIG 900 Max HS’s crystal clear quality, but this one still more than gets the job done. It certainly works best on consoles, this flip-to-mute mic, as on my Windows PC I did have to wrestle a bit to get it to recognize the mic. However, using it while connected to a controller on PC solved that issue for me in the short term.
As mentioned, there isn’t much in terms of on-board functionality. The cable does have a volume slider, though it’s honestly a little stiff, and I ended up preferring using software settings on console and PC to adjust the headset’s audio.
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS?
Buy it if...
You want exceptional audio quality for less It’s hard to find sound quality this good at this price point. While not the absolute cheapest budget-friendly headset out there, I feel the R5 Spear Pro HS comes in at a very reasonable price given its fantastic audio and strong build quality.
You play on a variety of platforms Whether you’re on PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch consoles or PC, the R5 Spear Pro HS is an impressively versatile gaming headset, delivering stellar audio quality across all major platforms.
Don't buy it if...
You prefer having on-board buttons and features Aside from its volume slider, there are no quick shortcuts or buttons on the headset itself. It doesn’t need many, to be fair, but it means you won’t have access to desirable features on other headsets like EQ profiles.
You want better customization With no compatible companion software, the R5 Spear Pro HS is very much a case of ‘what you hear is what you get.’ Not a terrible thing in and of itself, as you can always rely on Dolby Atmos or Tempest 3D, but those after a more customizable audio experience won’t find it here.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: Also consider
Here are a couple more gaming headsets that come highly recommended if you’re not keen on the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS
Turtle Beach Atlas 200
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless
Price
$69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)
$59.99 / £49.99 (around AU$79)
$109.99 / £99.99 / AU$109.99
Weight
0.74lbs / 0.34kg
0.62lbs / 0.28kg
0.57lbs / 0.27kg
Drivers
40mm graphene
50mm Nanoclear
40mm Neodymium
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC
PC, Xbox Series X (Xbox version only), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Connection type
Wired (3.5mm)
Wired (3.5mm)
Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless (USB-C receiver)
Turtle Beach Atlas 200 A real budget powerhouse, once again providing shockingly good audio for the price. Throw in a comfy fit and a crystal clear mic, and this one just may tempt you away from the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS for good reason.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless One for consideration if you’re looking for wireless options instead, but want to keep costs down. The Arctis Nova 3X Wireless is a brilliant, cost-effective gaming headset that’s multiplatform-capable and has a lightweight build that remains comfortable for hours on end.
Tested across PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
Compared to other RIG headsets like the RIG 900 Max HS
I tested the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS for two weeks for this review. While I mostly played games with the headset, I also used it for work purposes, as well as casually listening to music in my spare time.
I used the headset across all major platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X Digital Edition, Nintendo Switch 2, and my gaming PC. For this review, I played titles including Ghost of Yotei, Final Fantasy 14 Online, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Tetris Effect Connected, PUBG Battlegrounds, and Tekken 8.
During testing, I went back and forth between the R5 Spear Pro HS and the pricier wireless offering, RIG 900 Max HS. I found audio quality to be largely identical across both products, though, as you might expect, build quality is better on the more expensive product, which also feels more durable thanks to its metallic, flexible headband and better materials used overall. Still, the R5 Spear Pro HS isn’t far off.
The Bar 1000MK2 kit with wireless surround speakers, remote control, and accessory cables and mounts (subwoofer not shown) (Image credit: Future)
The JBL Bar 1000MK2 is designed to address a problem inherent to the discrete surround speakers that come with soundbar systems: what happens when you don’t have a suitable place to plug them in?
It’s a challenge the JBL Bar 1000MK2 addresses elegantly by using detachable, rechargeable surround speakers that can be placed almost anywhere — with or without power.
Along with its detachable surround speakers, this model goes beyond most of the best soundbars by including not one, but three dedicated HDMI inputs. It’s blistering with wireless connections, too, including AirPlay and Google Cast. The included 10-inch wireless sub completes the picture, turning the Bar 1000MK2 into a highly flexible home theater system.
It creates highly immersive, cinematic experiences that put you in the middle of the action, but it’s not without its flaws. Height channel effects, the hallmark of a great Dolby Atmos or DTS:X soundtrack, can be a little underwhelming, and dialogue isn’t quite as clear as other soundbars such as the Sonos Arc Ultra or Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. Music quality can vary: modern recordings (especially those mixed as Dolby Atmos tracks) shine, but older material loses something on playback.
Still, all in, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is a fun, powerful, and versatile addition to any TV setup.
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Price & release date
The Bar 1000MK2 uses the JBL One app for setup control, but most functions can be carried out using the included hardware remote (Image credit: Future)
$1,199.95 / £899.99 (about AU$1,845)
Released June 2025
JBL launched the Bar 1000MK2 in June 2025 in both the US and the UK. Additional countries are planned for October and beyond, but pricing for these markets has yet to be announced.
As an update to the Bar 1000, JBL has kept the main ingredients (the included sub, detachable surrounds, and three dedicated HDMI inputs), but has made some small changes to the components. Instead of five racetrack drivers and three tweeters on the main bar, there are now six racetracks and only two tweeters. The deleted tweeter might make a difference: it was centrally located, where it played a role in dialogue clarity.
The detachable surrounds have also been modified. Here again, JBL has swapped tweeters for full-range racetrack drivers. The surrounds can now be used in another room for remote TV listening, or as an alternative to the main bar and subwoofer in Night mode.
Curiously, JBL’s pricing creates different comparisons depending on where you live. In the US, it’s $200 more expensive than the Sonos Arc Ultra ($999) and Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar ($999), and yet, in the UK, all three products are priced alike at £899. The Bar 1000MK2's price has dropped in the US since launch, however, with it now widely available for $999.
Given that the Bar 1000MK2 comes with its own wireless subwoofer and surround speakers, which isn’t the case for Sonos or Bose, it may make more sense for buyers to compare it to similarly equipped products like Samsung’s HW-Q930F ($1,399) or LG’s S90TR ($1,199).
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Specs
Dimensions (W x H x D)
Soundbar: 33.6 x 2.0 x 5.0 inches; detachable surround speaker (each): 7.4 x 2.0 x 5.0 inches; subwoofer: 12.8 x 15.7 x 12.8 inches
Speaker channels
7.1.4
Connections:
1x HDMI out (with eARC), 3x HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X
Yes/Yes
Sub included
Yes
Rear speakers included
Yes
Features
AirPlay 2, Google Cast, HDMI 2.1, 4K 60Hz, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision pass-through, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Dolby Atmos Music, Roon Ready, rear speaker broadcast mode, Night Listening mode, native integration of music services including Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, and more
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Features
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The Bar 1000MK2 provides 3 HDMI inputs along with an HDMI output (with eARC); the fully wireless surround speakers dock into the soundbar's sides for charging and also have a USB-C port for power (Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
Three dedicated HDMI inputs with 4K/HDR passthrough
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with comprehensive streaming support
Fully wireless surround speakers that can be placed anywhere
JBL’s top-tier products have a reputation for being chock-full of features, and the Bar 1000MK2 is no exception. I’m thrilled when a soundbar offers even one HDMI input to compensate for the one it takes up on the TV. With three of these inputs, the Bar 1000MK2 doubles as an AV receiver alternative, letting you hook up multiple devices like Blu-ray players or game consoles.
I’m a little disappointed that the optical connection is strictly an alternative to the HDMI eARC port (you can’t use it as its own discrete input), and gamers should take note that the soundbar’s video passthrough is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate.
With both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect, you can stream just about any music source to the Bar 1000MK2. Better yet, JBL lets you natively stream services like Tidal and Amazon Music from within the JBL One companion app, ensuring compatibility with Dolby Atmos Music tracks (when available). Longtime JBL fans should note that, unlike previous JBL soundbars, the Bar 1000MK2 isn’t compatible with Amazon Alexa for voice control or multiroom audio.
JBL remains the only soundbar maker that uses fully wireless surround speakers, which enable a huge range of placement options. New on the MK2 is the ability to use them as auxiliary TV speakers for listening in a different room, or as personal “night mode” speakers.
Wondering about what it’s like to use rechargeable speakers? Honestly, it’s pretty great. JBL estimates a single charge will get you about 10 hours of use, depending on your volume level. For me, that translated into two weeks between charges, watching about 1.5-2 hours of TV per day. And that included a three-hour continuous listening session where I put the system through a series of test clips and playlists.
I really appreciate that JBL includes wall-mounting hardware for both the main bar and the surrounds. And, cleverly, the mounts for the surrounds are designed for easy on-and-off placement to help with recharging. Finding a way to leave them plugged in via USB-C while wall-mounted, on the other hand, might prove tricky, and JBL doesn’t include chargers in the box.
Features score: 5 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Performance
Both the soundbar and wireless surrounds (shown here docked on the soundbar for charging) feature upfiring Atmos speakers (Image credit: Future)
Impressive surround sound
Lackluster height channels and precision
Slightly harsh music rendering
With a total of 10 drivers in the main soundbar, two drivers in each surround module, and a big, 10-inch cone on the down-firing subwoofer, the Bar 1000MK2 has all the ingredients needed for a full-throated home theater experience.
Whether you’ve got access to Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or just good ol’ Dolby Digital 5.1, this soundbar does a great job of putting you in the middle of the action.
With the speaker’s PureVoice mode on (the default), I found dialogue clarity adequate, but not as crystal-clear as the Sonos Arc Ultra or Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. It’s not a deal-breaker, but at this price, I expect top-notch dialogue quality.
JBL’s 7.1.4-channel system successfully decoded Dolby Atmos up to 9.1.6 and DTS:X at up to 7.1.4. There isn’t a lot of DTS:X content out there, but it’s nice to know the Bar 1000MK2 can handle it.
Those detachable, fully wireless surround speakers may look like toys, but they’re the real deal. Placing them on either end of my couch created an excellent sound field. During key moments in Ford v Ferrari, race cars could clearly be heard careening from my left to my right as they battled for dominance on (and sometimes off) the track.
Ideally, they should be placed just behind your listening position, but it’s not vital.
However, leaving the surround speakers attached to the main soundbar (where they recharge if you don’t want to use your own chargers) will give you much less immersive sound. The Bar 1000MK2 simply isn’t as adept at creating virtual surround and rear height effects from the front of your room. If you want a single bar that can do that, the Sonos Arc Ultra, Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, and Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus are better choices.
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The Bar 1000MK2 system's large, ported subwoofer features a downfiring 10-inch cone driver (Image credit: Future)
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Despite its impressive overall performance, there are some specific weaknesses. Some soundtrack elements lack sufficient dynamic range. During the classic courtyard shootout scene from No Time To Die, when James Bond sits stoically as his Aston Martin gets riddled with bullets, the automatic gunfire ricochets all around the room, as it should. But the overhead church bells sound flat, and in the moments leading up to this scene, the car chase lacks presence and immediacy.
Similarly, even with the soundbar’s Atmos setting at max (the loudest you can push the height drivers), it was hard to hear the difference between surround and overhead effects.
I’ve reviewed a lot of single-speaker soundbars recently, and the Bar 1000MK2 reminded me that even the best of these units can’t compete with a dedicated subwoofer. Though the power and impact of this sub seem disproportionately low when compared to its size, the unit does what it needs to do. Of the available five subwoofer power levels, I found levels four and five to be plenty of punch for movies. For music, however, I needed to tone it down: levels one to three were more enjoyable.
Speaking of music, I’m sad to report that it’s an uneven aspect of the Bar 1000MK2’s performance. It seems that JBL hasn’t moved the needle much since it released the Bar 9.1 -- its first soundbar with wireless surrounds. Like that speaker, the Bar 1000MK2 has trouble with its midranges, and the highs have a tendency to get shouty and shrill, particularly at higher volumes.
On the bright side, the system is compatible with hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz, and it seems to love tracks that have been produced in recent years. Modern recordings, especially those in Dolby Atmos Music, really shine. But older songs lose a lot. There are no EQ presets (e.g., Music, Movies, Sports, etc.); however, JBL does offer an equalizer in the JBL One app. Still, all my tweaking didn’t resolve the issue. Strangely, equalizer adjustments are universal; there’s no way to save your changes or apply different settings to each input.
Using the wireless speakers for portable TV audio (Broadcasting mode) is a clever idea. If you’ve ever grouped a Sonos kitchen speaker with a Sonos soundbar, it’s the same concept. And the wireless speakers have an impressive range. With the soundbar in my basement, I was still able to get a stable signal on our third floor.
You can even choose mono or stereo sound. Where the idea stumbles, somewhat, is that the speakers don’t have their own built-in volume control. Changing the volume on the main system affects that of the wireless speakers. You can make it slightly quieter or louder using the JBL One app’s three rear channel settings: low, medium, and high.
Quiet, personal listening (Night listening mode) works well, too, cutting sound from the main bar and sub and routing it all to the wireless speakers. In this mode, it’s the regular volume level that controls what you hear. I’m just a bit sad that JBL doesn’t offer the choice of mono/stereo in Night listening mode.
Performance score: 3.5 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Design
The Bar 1000MK2 has a bright alphanumeric LED display for control feedback (Image credit: Future)
Magnetic covers provide a finished look to both the bar and surrounds
Ultra short height keeps it from obstructing your TV’s lower frame
Lack of front-firing tweeters may diminish dialogue crispness
It’s impossible to overlook the Bar 1000MK2’s main design element: those detachable wireless surrounds. It’s unique, it’s clever, and it works. It may not be for everyone, but the flexibility of placement and the elimination of wires are a boon to those with awkward spaces.
With a utilitarian, black plastic body and plastic grille, the Bar 1000 MK2’s design won’t win any beauty contests. But if you’re of the opinion that soundbars should be heard, not seen, the 1000MK2 is a stunner.
As powerful soundbars go, the Bar 1000MK2 is remarkably compact, especially when you remove the wireless surround speakers. At just two inches tall, the MK2 is one of the shortest soundbars I’ve ever tested. Most folks won’t have to worry about it blocking the IR receiver (or screen) on their TVs.
A front-mounted alphanumeric display briefly comes to life to inform you of input changes, volume level, audio format (Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, etc.), and a wealth of other settings and alerts, which I find very helpful. I don’t like being forced to consult an app for these details (as is the case with many soundbars). It would be perfect if only you could adjust its brightness or disable it entirely.
The included magnetic end-caps aren’t a very elegant solution to the problem of how to hide the exposed charging contacts, but once installed, they do provide a very elegant finish to both the soundbar and the surrounds.
It’s harder to be enthusiastic about the included wireless subwoofer. At 15 inches tall and with a nearly 13-inch square footprint, it’s big, and that makes it harder to tuck away. You may be able to get away with placing objects on its flat top surface -- one of our cats decided it was the ideal spot for a nap and was surprisingly unfazed by the low-frequency rumbles, which I suppose is a quirky testament to the cabinet’s ability to dampen vibrations.
The soundbar’s top controls are basic in the extreme: Volume and input selection. If you’re using the speaker purely for TV audio, the sparse offering is fine. If you’re using it for music, it can feel limiting, especially the lack of muting, play/pause, and track skipping.
Good thing the Bar 1000MK2 ships with a remote. It covers all of those missing functions and then some. But I’m baffled by JBL’s decision to use icons instead of words to label buttons that control sub, surround, Atmos levels, and calibration. Curiously, this is only on the North American model. The European version gets English labels, even though that part of the world speaks many more languages than in Canada, the US, and Mexico.
Behind the front and top grilles on the main bar, JBL has installed six 1.7x3.1-inch racetrack drivers, two 1-inch tweeters, and two 2.75-inch up-firing full-range drivers.
It’s an unusual configuration: JBL uses the two tweeters as side beam drivers -- meaning they’re used to help with surround channels. It relies on the six racetrack drivers for the all-important center channel, which may explain why I found the Bar 1000MK2 less crisp on the dialogue front than other soundbars. Bose uses a central tweeter on the Smart Ultra Soundbar, and Sonos puts three front-firing tweeters on the Arc Ultra.
Each wireless surround has a 1.7x3.5-inch racetrack driver and a 2.75-inch, up-firing full-range driver.
Design score: 4 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Setup & usability
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Set up, adjustment, and music streaming app screens on the JBL One app (Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
Easy setup and calibration
Front display provides vital feedback
JBL One app is simple and easy to use
Getting the Bar 1000MK2 set up is a snap. For basic use as a TV speaker, you can simply plug it into power and your TV’s HDMI (or optical) connection, plug in the subwoofer, and you’re done.
But it’s worth it to download the free and intuitive JBL One app. The app walks you through getting the soundbar connected to Wi-Fi – which takes less than one minute – after which you can access software updates and use streaming platforms like Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect.
There’s also native support for several streaming music services, including Tidal and Amazon Music, which helps to ensure you’re getting Dolby Atmos Music when available (Bluetooth, AirPlay, and Google Cast aren’t currently compatible with this format).
If you own more than one JBL Wi-Fi-based audio product, e.g., Charge 5 Wi-Fi, or one of the Authentics models, the app also lets you control these speakers individually or as groups.
Most of the time, you won’t need the app after the initial setup. Thanks to the built-in display, most tasks are easily performed with the remote. Exceptions to this are changing the EQ setting and switching to Night or Broadcast listening. You don’t need the app to perform the room calibration of the wireless surrounds, but it’s easier than using the remote and built-in display.
Calibration is very easy, and only involves two automated steps: a reading of the room with the surround speakers positioned where you normally sit, and another with the speakers placed in their regular positions off to the sides of your listening spot.
Setup & usability score: 4.5 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Value
Following discounts, the Bar 1000MK2's US price matches all-in-one soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra and Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar (Image credit: Future)
Good bang for the buck
Dialogue, Atmos effects, and music could be stronger
Incredibly versatile
Is the JBL Bar 1000MK2 a perfect soundbar? No, but for the price, it packs a feature set you simply won’t find anywhere else. Multiple HDMI inputs, full Wi-Fi streaming options, excellent cinematic surround sound, and of course, those funky detachable wireless speakers.
Its nearest direct competitors, the Samsung HW-Q930F ($1,399) and LG S90TR ($1,199), are, like the 1000MK2, priced just under each brand’s flagships.
TechRadar hasn’t reviewed these models, but if our experiences with their higher-end siblings (Samsung HW-Q990F and LG S95TR) are any indication, they’ll deliver better overall sound quality.
What they won’t give you is the Bar 1000MK2’s three HDMI inputs (they only have one), its fully wireless surround speakers (they have power cords), or the ability to use those speakers for remote/night listening.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the JBL Bar 1000MK2?
Section
Notes
Score
Features
Three HDMI inputs, fully wireless surround speakers and extensive wireless streaming support
5 / 5
Performance
Good surround immersion but lackluster Atmos effects, dialogue clarity and music performance
3.5 / 5
Design
Detachable wireless surround speakers dock into soundbar; slim profile with large alphanumeric LED display
4 / 5
Setup & usability
Simple setup and calibration; feature-packed JBL One app, but most functions can be controlled with hardware remote
4.5 / 5
Value
Impressive features and versatility for price but performance could be stronger
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You want full cinematic surround sound at a reasonable price Companies like Bose, Sonos, and Marshall don’t include subwoofers and surrounds with their soundbars. Adding them increases the price of a full home theater setup by up to 100% or more. The Bar 1000MK2 comes with everything you need.
You have an unusual TV room Not everyone has conveniently located power outlets or even good spots to mount surround speakers. The Bar 1000MK2, with its compact and fully wireless surrounds, provides far more versatility of placement.
You own multiple video devices like game consoles, disc players, or streamers With three dedicated HDMI inputs, the Bar 1000MK2 not only compensates for the HDMI port it occupies on your TV, it actually adds two more. For some, this will eliminate the need for a separate HDMI switcher.
Don't buy it if...
You need crystal-clear dialogue The Bar 1000MK2 is generally very good for dialogue quality, but you’ll find that most of its competitors (Bose, Sony, Sonos, etc.) offer more clarity.
You don’t want to compromise on surround power As convenient as the Bar 1000MK2’s fully wireless surrounds are, they aren’t as big or as powerful as those in similar all-in-one systems from Samsung or LG.
Music listening is just as important as movies and TV The Bar 1000MK2 is perfectly competent as a music speaker, but it’s clear that it was designed primarily for movies and shows. There’s a slight harshness to the upper-mids and highs that detracts from some music (especially older recordings), though it can be quite thrilling as a Dolby Atmos Music system.
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Also consider
JBL Bar 1000MK2
Sonos Arc Ultra
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar
LG S90TR
Price
$1,199.95 / £899.99 (about AU$1,845)
$999 / £999 / AU$1,799
$899 / £899 / AU$1499
$1,199.99
Dimensions (w x h x d)
Soundbar: 33.6 x 2.0 x 5.0 inches; subwoofer: 12.8 x 15.7 x 12.8 inches; surround speaker: 5.0 x 7.4 x 2.0 inches
46.38 x 2.95 x 4.35 inches
41 x 2.3 x 4.2 inches
Soundbar: 49.2 x 2.5 x 5.3 inches; subwoofer: 7.9 x 16 x 15.9 inches; surround speaker: 3.9 x 6.9 x 4.7 inches
Speaker channels
9.1.4
9.1.4
5.1.2
7.1.3
Connections
HDMI out (with eARC), 3x HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A
1HDMI with eARC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
HDMI eARC, digital optical, Ethernet, bass module, IR blaster, USB (service only), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
HDMI out (with eARC), HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X
Yes/Yes
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/Yes
Sonos Arc Ultra
If you’re content to build a system starting with a single-speaker soundbar, the Sonos Arc Ultra costs a little less ($999 in the U.S.) and addresses both the dialogue clarity and music performance concerns on the JBL Bar 1000MK2. It offers impressive virtual surround sound, though it can’t match the power and immersion of an all-in-one system like the Bar 1000MK2.
Bose's top all-in-one soundbar, like the Sonos Arc Ultra, costs $999 in the US and can be added on with optional wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer. It also has superior dialogue clarity and music performance compared to the JBL Bar 1000MK2.
If you don’t want to compromise on the full home theater experience, the LG S90TR is the same price ($1,199) and will likely deliver better dialogue and music, though with only one HDMI input and the need to plug its surrounds into power, it’s not as versatile as the Bar 1000MK2.
How I tested the JBL Bar 1000MK2
(Image credit: Future)
Used JBL Bar 1000MK2 as main audio system for two weeks
Tested in basement media room
Main source was an Apple TV 4K, and streamed music from various apps
I spent two weeks with the JBL Bar 1000MK2 as my main audio system for watching movies, shows, and music in my basement media room. During that time, I ran through my usual battery of Dolby Atmos test clips from movies like No Time To Die, Ford v Ferrari, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, and Unbroken, paying special attention to details like dialogue clarity, surround sound, and height channel impact.
I streamed most content from an Apple TV 4K connected via an LG OLED TV, which fed the MK2 from its ARC output, but I also connected an Nvidia Shield TV to one of the MK2's HDMI inputs to test its passthrough capabilities.
For music, I used a variety of apps, including Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music, listening to a wide range of genres and formats, like Dolby Atmos Music. Some were played from apps on the Apple TV 4K, while others were streamed wirelessly using AirPlay, Bluetooth and Google Cast.
Using one of the best under-desk treadmills, otherwise known as walking pads, have become the easiest way to sneak movement into a workday, and the DeerRun Q1 Classic leans into that promise with a low price, zero assembly model with a relatively compact footprint. It’s built for steady walking rather than running, with a responsive remote and a deck that feels stable and lightly cushioned.
It’s not whisper-quiet and the companion app is basic, but if your goal is to add a few thousand steps while you edit docs or watch a webinar, this compact slab of motivation makes a convincing case for itself.
DeerRun classic review: Specifications
Component
DeerRun Q1 Classic
Speed range
0.6–3.8 mph
Dimensions
49 x 20 x 4.5 in (pad), belt ~39.4 x 15.4 in
Weight
~43 lb
Capacity
up to 300 lb
Controls
Handheld remote and Bluetooth via PitPat
Claimed noise
“Low noise” brushless motor, <45 dB (in my room it sounded higher)
Compatibility
PitPat Fitness App
DeerRun classic review: Price and availability
$188 USD / £169 GBP / AU$413
Very affordable
Often on sale
DeerRun often discounts the Q1 Classic/Classic Pro family heavily; I’ve seen it listed at$188 in the US, with a stated 300 lb maximum user capacity and a 60-day risk-free trial plus one-year warranty. In the UK its Q1 Classic/Classic Pro walking pad is listed at£169 on DeerRun’s UK store and in Australia the same model is shown fromAU$413 on DeerRun’s AU store.
Value is where the DeerRun Q1 Classic shines. For a sub-$200 walking pad with a decent-sized belt, a proper remote, and a one-year warranty, it’s outstanding value. There are slicker pads with folding frames, longer belts or quieter motors, but they typically cost a fair bit more. If your goal is to add 5–10k steps to your day while you work, you won’t find many better bargains right now.
Value score: 5/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic review: Design
I’ve been using the DeerRun Q1 Classic in a spare-bedroom office with a big desk and a fairly wide gap underneath. I’m 5 foot 7 inches and weight around 60 kg, and the deck felt a comfortable size for steady walking while working. It ships in a single box and there’s no assembly – plug it in, pair the app, and you’re moving within minutes.
Getting the unit upstairs was the hardest part; it’s manageable but a bit hefty. First impressions were good: clean design, compact size, and a belt that feels well set up out of the box with no sticking or drift.
Day to day, it’s a smooth operator. The handheld remote is responsive, so nudging your pace up or down feels natural rather than jumpy. The deck has a hint of bounce without wobble, and even after longer sessions I didn’t notice excess heat or that telltale treadmill overclocking smell. Noise is where it falls short: it isn’t obnoxious, but I wouldn’t use it during calls. I could watch webinars, but I had to turn my volume up.
This is a walking pad first and foremost, rather than an at-work under-desk treadmill. With a top speed of 6.1 km/h, it’s designed for a brisk walk rather than a run. There’s no safety rail as standard, but you can buy one separately as an accessory, although if you’re just planning to walk on it, you shouldn’t need one.
Storage is straightforward. It doesn’t fold, and it’s a touch heavy to lug around, but I could tilt it against the wall behind a door, and its slim 4.5-inch profile barely ate into the room. If your sofa sits tall off the ground, you could slide it under; but mine is too low to fit the height of the pad.
The power cable is short, which may impact the layout of your workstation, and DeerRun charges extra for a longer lead – again, some cynics might feel nickel-and-dimed here. On a practical note for upstairs offices: running created enough vibration through my timber floorboards that items started migrating across my desk. The pad itself stayed composed; but as the minutes passed, more and more items started edging towards the edge of my desk before tumbling onto the floor. Shock absorption isn’t the best.
Design score: 4/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic review: Features
(Image credit: Lily Canter)
Very basic. The PitPat app pairs quickly and offers simple programs but it’s not clear whether it can sync with apps like Strava. I couldn’t work out how to do this and found conflicting information online. Personally, I just used the remote to control the speed of the pad and promptly ignored the app after setup.
Features score: 3/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic review: Performance
The build is pleasantly robust for the price. The deck feels stable, the belt runs true, and the top surface is grippy without being abrasive. You don’t get a fold-up rail or incline - this is a flat, under-desk pad - but there are transport wheels and it stands upright neatly.
Walking quality is the headline. The pad accelerates and decelerates smoothly, speed changes via the remote are measured rather than lurchy, and I didn’t experience belt stutter or drift once it bedded in. The deck has just enough give that longer stints don’t feel like you’re marching on plywood. On a solid ground-floor slab, it should be ideal; on suspended floorboards, plan for some transmitted vibration at higher cadences.
Performance score: 4/5
Scorecard
Category
Comment
Score
Value
Outstanding for the price
5/5
Design
Solid and simple
4/5
Performance
Really good at what it does, but limited speed like many walking pads
4/5
Features
Lacking other than simple PitPat app
3/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic: Should I buy?
Buy it if...
You're on a budget
Do you need a compact, inexpensive walking pad for a home office? The DeerRun is a solid choice.
You want to keep it simple
You’re happy using a 'stop-go' simple remote and don’t care about a fancy app.
You’re on the ground floor
Without good shock absorption, upstairs use might be noisy.
Don't buy it if...
You want true running speeds
This is not a running treadmill, and those that need a do-it-all device won't get that here.
You need whisper-quiet operation
Want to walk while in meetings, or early in the morning in a busy house? This isn't it.
Also consider
Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill
Our best budget under desk treadmill, the Mobvoi is a great alternative if you want a simple walking pad to go the distance.
Used daily under a desk in a first-floor spare room, including long work sessions and webinar viewing. Assessed ease of setup, noise, stability, belt tracking, top speed, app pairing and day-to-day storage.
For the Bruce Springsteen faithful – and probably those who feel that way about Jeremy Allen White – today, October 24, 2025, has been a long time coming, as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is finally showing in movie theaters across the globe.
Now, for lack of a better analogy, the Boss has been the soundtrack of my life – well, for most of it – so I headed to a local AMC Theatre with Dolby Cinema in the great state of New Jersey for an opening-night preview screening.
I had a lot of feelings going in, especially since Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere isn’t like most biopics. But I wouldn’t even call it that, because it focuses on a very specific, short time in Springsteen’s career. Instead of portraying the many months spent on getting Born to Run just right or even Born in the U.S.A.’s release or Springteen’s rise to stratospheric stardom, it turns the spotlight onto one of his darker chapters – one that Springsteen became more open about in his memoir Born to Run and in Warren Zanes’s Deliver Me From Nowhere, which is the book that inspired this film.
So, let’s dive into it – and fair warning, I’ll have some mild spoilers ahead, though it’s kind of comical as this is based in reality, and we all know about Nebraska.
Inside Nebraska
Warning: some spoilers for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere lie ahead.
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is a lot better than I was expecting it to be. It’s a good film that’s more like a deep character study of a specific time in Bruce Springsteen’s life. It jumps from before, during, and a bit after the recording of Nebraska, giving a deep dive into his mental health – both Bruce’s and his family’s – and his upbringing. The latter is done through black-and-white flashbacks, which at times feel a bit out of place but do an excellent job of at least rooting the pain and depression.
It opens showing a glimpse into that upbringing, but soon ties the anxiety and rush of an encounter into the rush and thrill of performing Born to Run to close out The River Tour. This is our first glimpse, and one of the few, of the E Street Band during Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.
I never really got comfortable believing Jeremy Allen White was entirely the embodiment of Bruce Springsteen, but he sure gives off the look of a rock star known for energetic performances. Maybe most importantly, Allen White doesn’t just do an imitative voice of the Boss but, in my opinion, does a lot more with body language and how he presents himself.
From there on out, we see the relationship between Jon Landau – played by Jeremy Strong – and Bruce unfold on screen, and it matches the real-life relationship. They were two friends forever, who clearly had each other’s backs, and Landau definitely does a masterclass in being an agent, manager, and friend – fighting for what the artist wants.
We see Bruce then settle into a rental in Colts Neck, dive deep into some reading, and eventually watch Terrence Malick’s 1973 film Badlands, which pushes him to research a bit more and eventually start on a track of songs dubbed Starkweather, which becomes Nebraska. Seeing this process depicted on the big screen, and the historic room with the orange shag carpet, is something of a bit of a holy grail. And Jeremy Allen White does get the singing voice pretty close, as well as the guitar playing, though there is a unique blending. I also need to give a shout to the audio quality in this Dolby Cinema theater, but also to the mixing team on Springsteen: Deliver From Nowhere, it is done excellently. And there are a few tracks where the singing shifts from Jeremy Allen White to Bruce Springsteen, and vice versa.
We also see Bruce go on a few dates with a character, Faye – who in reality is a composite, and we see that struggle as he runs away from fame and goes on some self-discovery, which in turn is himself feeling like an outsider in his own body.
The human story behind the music
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Beyond the recordings, I think what really hit the most with me was the visual telling of Springsteen’s struggles with his own mental health and that of his father’s, and the repairing of their relationship. While it’s rooted in fact, director Scott Cooper certainly took some liberties here and sped up the timeline.
It’s rare, I think, for Bruce himself to be so open with showing, telling, and reliving this, and Jeremy Allen White really shines in these scenes – he depicts the feeling of an outsider in their own body perfectly, acting the build-up to a breakdown and a panic attack with realism. Allen White also shows the struggle of realizing something is up but not knowing how to seek help – remember this is in the 1980s, specifically 1982.
I think those are the most powerful moments, and even if the pacing could be slow at times, it lets these moments of the film really build up and be delivered with ample time. For those who have read Born to Run or maybe watched Springsteen on Broadway, I think this acts as a really nice introspective and deep dive into Nebraska.
Yes, it’s more niche than, say, Born to Run,Born in the U.S.A., or Springsteen’s other work, but it’s also the most raw, natural, and, in the end, more impactful. It’s an important aspect of how the Boss became the Boss, and while I had my doubts going in, the result is an impactful, good film that’s very deep, emotive, emotional, and ultimately a close character study.
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Yes, it can be hard to get past the fact that Jeremy Allen White is not Bruce Springsteen, but thanks to the attention to detail, the physicality, and the close study, it’s believable – minus the looks.
Ultimately, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere explores the process of coming to terms with childhood trauma and the impacts of that, which can sit with you and become a theme of life as you move on. We’ve known Bruce’s family has had mental illness, and he's had his own demons; the art comes from that to a degree.
It may not hit every note perfectly, but I think fans will like it – it’s an honest, heavy, and deeply human look at Springsteen during arguably one of his darkest periods, one that still showcases the music-making process with just a taste of E Street Band greatness.
Ultimately, an antithesis of most biopics – a good thing.
