LOOKING BACK at 2023 and our Top Pick selections, what becomes clear is it was a great year for speakers. Whether passive or active, bookshelf or tower, we saw and heard high-performance designs that deliver the goods both sonically and aesthetically—as exemplified by the KEF LS60 which is far more than just a wireless speaker system, it points to a bright future for wireless active speaker systems. It was also a great year for subwoofers, with Klipsch stepping up to the plate and delivering a home run with its revamped Reference Premier subwoofer line.
On the video side, the Samsung S90C ups the maximum screen size of quantum-dot OLED to 77 inches and offers a true reference viewing experience in a sleek and stylish package. Need an even bigger screen? The TCL QM8 is available in sizes up to 98 inches and is a tremendous performer for the money, we tested the 85-inch version that costs less than a 77-inch OLED.
From the sophistication of the latest OLED TVs to the refined acoustics of modern speakers, 2023’s Top Picks tracks the AV industry’s evolution. The choices also make an effort to balance cost with quality, with a lot of today’s gear, audio-visual technology excellence has become accessible to a broader audience. From the captivating clarity of cutting-edge OLED displays to the symphonic brilliance of state-of-the-art audio systems, these selections are more than just devices; they are gateways to immersive realms of entertainment.
4K OLED TV
Samsung QN77S90C
If you seek a TV that represents the state-of-the-art for image reproduction in a consumer display, the S90C is a quantum-dot OLED that delivers. This is an OLED that truly stands up even to bright daylight thanks to its high brightness. Its contrast is bolstered by the perfect blacks that is trademark OLED. Colors have an intensity that escapes most other TVs. And it’s available in a 77-inch screen size that lets you appreciate the incredible detail it is capable of rendering.
This Samsung is a dream TV regardless of what you are into. If sports are what you love, it’ll handle motion with great clarity and it’ll shine bright on a Sunday at 1 PM. It has a very effective reflection-suppressing screen coating. But it’s when you shut off the lights that the true superpowers of this TV are unleashed. It’s well known that a combination of contrast, color and resolution is what it takes to make video imagery realistic and almost three-dimensional. This TV pulls that trick off to perfection, and when you play video games it is particularly pronounced how three-dimensional they can look. It even offers a 144 Hz peak refresh rate for gaming.
The TV runs on Tizen 7.0, Samsung’s proprietary operating system for smart TVs. It has a removable stand and supports wall mounting with a VESA interface of 400 x 300 mm. However, the stand doesn’t allow for height adjustment, swivel, or tilt.
With movies, viewers experience reference-quality playback that honors director’s intent. The 77-inch S90C is also notable for its attractive, slim, and minimalist design. It rests on a
