Ah, ’tis nearly the season to be jolly – and buy presents! Yes, Christmas is right around the corner, and we here at Richer Sounds would like to lighten your load, free up some time, and unburden you of the rigamarole of running around trying to find out which is the best gift for the special someone in your life! Here’s our top ten tips for what’s in this Christmas!
1. The big, family present – TVs
If you’re after something to bring everyone together on Christmas morning, what better way than a brand new big screen TV! The Panasonic TX50AS650 is a whopping 50 inches, and is not only Smart, but 3D too. It’s got a brilliant range of ‘catch-up’ features for the busy telly addict, and uses one of the best panels in the business, giving fantastic picture quality.
2. Home Cinema – Soundbars
Want to get more out of your TV’s sound, but don’t fancy the cables and hassle of a home cinema system? A soundbar should be coming to a living room near you then! This Onkyo LSB-50 houses 8 speakers in total in its slimline shell, and its separate wireless subwoofer means you’ll get a great cinematic experience without all of the wiring. Bluetooth is on board as well, so you can get the party started with music streaming from your phone or tablet, too!
Soundbars are a pretty and clever creation. Check out our whole range here
3. Hi-Fi – Turntables
Turntables couldn’t be anymore ‘in’ if they tried, with vinyl sales on the rise, and new releases becoming more and more abundant. This What Hi-Fi award-winning Pro-Ject Essential 2 turntable is a great way for anyone with a huge record collection, or even those just starting out, to get great quality analogue sound coming from their Hi-Fi on Christmas morning!
4. Multi-Room Audio – Sonos & Heos
Late to the streaming party? What better time of year to start getting music pumped around the house, and without wires, to boot! We’ll cheat a little bit here and offer two great ways to start off your wireless home listening, with Sonos‘ excellent Play:5 speaker, and Hi-Fi stalwart Denon’s newest offering, the HEOS 3. Get that playlist ready!
Wireless multiroom options are a little overwhelming but to see our best offers check here
5. Less Than £100 – Blu Ray Players
Everyone loves a Christmas bargain, and especially ones that bring big smiles! For those who know someone who’d love a way to get their films looking better than ever on their big screen, a new Blu-Ray player is the answer. The Sony BDPS5200 is not only capable of playing DVD and Blu-Ray discs, but it’s also 3D and Smart ready, too. Add in its recent What Hi-Fi award and we’ve got a winner!
6. One for the Kids – Earphones
New headphones always go down well with the young’uns, and the Cambridge Audio MX40 buds are a great boost in sound quality over the ones supplied with phones and MP3 players. They come in black or white, include a neat carry case, and if you join our VIP club, you’ll get a further saving on the purchase price, too!
7. One for the Gamers – Game Consoles
If the gamer in your life is still using ‘last-gen’ hardware, now is the time to upgrade! Capable of stunning graphics, and with all sorts of great-added features that the whole family can use, the Xbox One is truly a Next Generation device. Ours come with two games included, saving even more money – plus they’re good to go as soon as the wrapping paper is off! In selected stores only.
Check out our complete Xbox selection here
8. Deluxe – Projectors
When a TV just isn’t going to be big enough, a projector is the answer! If double digits aren’t quite enough for screen sizes, a projector can take you into the hundreds of inches – and this Sony VPLHW55ES is as good as it gets. Truly a state of the art device, this beast offers mind-blowing visual performance. Oh, and it also comes with a free PS4! Double whammy.
Projectors can light up a room but which one to get? Here’a our range
9. Gifts for Him – Portable Speakers
The best thing about a portable speaker is that you can send your loved one off with it, leaving you with the TV remote and saving you from another ‘Dave‘ re-run of Top Gear! The Cambridge Audio Go is a Bluetooth speaker with an inbuilt battery capable of up to 18 hours life on a single charge. It sounds great, it looks great, and it ran away with another What Hi-Fi award this year. Perfect!
Small speakers can still offer great sound. Here’s our selection!
10. Gifts for Her – Portable Speakers
That’s not to say portable speakers are only for blokes, though – far from it! For the lady in your life who loves to accessorize, but also won’t be without her music, the Libratone Zipp Funky is going to be right up her street. This cracking little speaker has removable covers, allowing you to change its colour to suit the mood as you go. Brilliant performance and a style icon!
Author – Chris, Liverpool store
