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Pioneer will launch its new SE-MASTER1 headphones in the UK this June. Described as the Japanese company's 'most revolutionary headphones to date', they will arrive with a price tag of £1,700 and hope to appeal to well-heeled audiophiles.

Regulars will know that insubstantial Blu-ray players are a bête noire of mine. Cheapo decks destined to become arthritic after a year or so give physical disc formats a bad name. I prefer beautifully built players, engineered to squeeze the last ounce of performance from a platter and engender pride of ownership.

Audio Pro takes the rather unfashionable decision and eschews Wi-Fi for its Living Series of multiroom stereo speakers in favour of a dedicated proprietary protocol RF network. It’s by no means an antediluvian approach, as RF has distinct benefits including a maximum (line of sight) wireless range of around 100m, although this is reduced to around 20m from one room to another because of physical barriers such as walls, sofas, large pets, etc.

This modern-looking media room is actually below ground, hewn from the unused cellar of a London townhouse by professional installers Finite Solutions. The company was asked to create a space that could be used for music listening, relaxation and – of course – bigscreen movie action. It set to work, first digging out the cellar to provide more space for what has turned out to be a very eye-catching setup.