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We look at President Trump's embrace of Vladimir Putin as he turns his back on U.S. ally, Ukraine, as well as mass firings at government agencies and how that will affect the services they provide.

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The National Institutes of Health had to stop considering new grant applications, delaying funding for research into diseases ranging from heart disease and cancer to Alzheimer's and allergies.

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Amazon has acquired the creative license to the long-running James Bond franchise. But how do they plan to deliver?

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If you’re looking to grab one of the best soundbars around, there’s something that you’ll almost certainly be seeking – Dolby Atmos support. And I wouldn’t blame you. This immersive audio tech can provide a three-dimensional, natural sound profile to your viewing experiences that will really take movie nights to the next level.

Luckily, I’ve been able to test a number of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars here at TechRadar – everything from ultra-cheap models around the $100 / £100 mark to more premium options in the $1,500 / £1,500 range. So, you might be wondering, if you can access Atmos at such a low price-point, is it really worth spending extra on a more elite option? Let’s find out.

A few months ago, I checked out the Majority Elias, a soundbar that’s available in the UK for £99.95 (about $130 / AU$190). This budget standalone soundbar packs in Dolby Atmos support alongside upfiring speakers – something you need if you’re looking to reap the benefits of Atmos’ verticality.

I tried watching a few movies with this soundbar, such as Top Gun: Maverick – a hit that gives Atmos plenty of space to showcase its strengths, with soaring jets and all-action onslaughts. During one scene where Tom Cruise’s character flies his aircraft up at a rapid pace, the Elias offered a more expansive impression than my standalone TV audio, but it couldn’t map his trajectory to a precise, true-to-life degree.

(Image credit: Future)

The Elias is a 2.0.2 soundbar – it lacks a standalone sub and rear speakers, merely offering two forward facing and two upward firing speakers. Now, a lot of the more expensive models out there come with their own sub, maybe even individual rear speakers, meaning you get true surround sound. This really takes the effects of Atmos up a level, enveloping you in a layer of sound for high-calibre immersion. Its worth commending the Majority Elias for casting a decent spatial impression – but also noticing that despite having Atmos capabilities, they're fairly limited.

Ultimately, the Elias also suffers from an issue that many cheap soundbars – including models like the Ultimea Nova S50 – struggle with. Namely, disappointing overall audio quality. I found that dialogue could sound fairly muddy when watching movies and TV shows and that it struggled with busier scenes where details could get hidden away in the mix.

And what that unfortunately means is you’re not going to be able to fully indulge in the joys of Dolby Atmos. With average or sub-par audio, more subtle artefacts can seem hidden – something you don’t have to worry about with the Samsung HW-Q800D – a model I tested at the tail-end of 2024.

(Image credit: Future) Atmos, in all its glory

The HW-Q800D has a list price of $999 / £749 / AU$1,099, so it’s by no means cheap, but oh my do you still get your money’s worth. First off, you don’t have to face up to middling audio quality here – the HW-Q800D can do it all, from ultra-defined dialogue through to rhythmic music replication.

But on Atmos specifically, the HW-Q800D can plate up phenomenal three-dimensional audio that fills your room effortlessly. When testing, I threw on The Boy and the Heron and the soundbar mapped the titular bird’s flight expertly, tracing his every flutter. In an area consumed by fire, both the width from the soundbar’s side speakers and verticality from its upfiring ones captured the frightening, heart-racing atmosphere of the opening scene to perfection, really involving me in the action.

This model also comes with a dedicated sub, which adds incredible low-end power for those tense moments in movies and video games – or bass-heavy bangers in your music library. You’re getting a total power output of 360W from the HW-Q800D, more than double that of the Majority Elias – so you can attain the kind of power needed for an authentic home cinema experience.

(Image credit: Future)

Of course, if you have a bit more money to play with (lucky you), you can heighten performance by adding rear speakers with a model like the Samsung HW-Q990D. But there are cheaper options available that offer amazing Atmos. For instance, we still love the Sony HT-S2000 – a standalone soundbar that can often be found for less than $400 / £300. This bar harnesses virtual processing to make height effects in Dolby Atmos soundtracks like Top Gun exceed the verticality of your TV screen – pretty neat at this price-point!

All in all, I’d argue that if you have the budget, spending extra on a higher-end Dolby Atmos soundbar is well-worth it. You can access more accurate mapping, impressive verticality and truly expansive sound, even with mid-range options like the Sony HT-S2000. Ultimately, a lot of budget soundbars lack the ability to plate up nuanced, fully three-dimensional audio – especially without surround channels.

But if you are on a tighter budget, fear not – there are some excellent cheap options out there – albeit without Atmos. One of the best cheap soundbars is the diminutive Hisense HS214, which offers clear dialogue and impressive power for less than $100 / £80.

(Image credit: Future) You might also like

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• HaLowLink 1 combines Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi HaLow
• Speed peaks at 32Mbps over 10 miles on the 8 Mhz band, but 300Mbps is possible on 40 Mhz
• Two HaLowLink 1 routers can replace Ethernet cabling

Morse Micro has introduced the MM-HL1-EXT, a Wi-Fi HaLow router with an external antenna designed for long-range, low-power communication.

The MM-HL1-EXT leverages the IEEE 802.11ah Wi-Fi HaLow standard, enabling connections over distances of 10 miles (16km) in rural areas and 3km in urban environments.

Unlike conventional Wi-Fi routers, HaLow operates in the 900MHz band in the US and also supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). It can function as a standalone access point or as an extender, improving connectivity in difficult-to-reach areas.

A game-changing long-range router

The MM-HL1-EXT is part of the HaLowLink 1 series — optimized for IoT and industrial applications.

It's been certified for use in North America (FCC), Canada (IC), and Australia (RCM) but the company is working to secure certifications for EMEA (868MHz) and Asia.

“The certification of the HaLowLink 1 reinforces the growing importance of reliable, interoperable Wi-Fi HaLow products in the connectivity ecosystem,” said Maureen Gallagher, VP of Marketing at Wi-Fi Alliance.

“With its extended range and low-power capabilities, Wi-Fi HaLow is a powerful solution for IoT applications, and Morse Micro is committed to accelerating adoption by delivering high-quality products through the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED program.”

At the core of the HaLowLink 1 is the MediaTek MT7621A dual-core CPU, paired with 256MB of DRAM and 32MB of NAND flash storage. The radio module features Morse Micro’s MM6108 chipset alongside AzureWave AW-HM593, delivering a transmission power of up to 23 dBm for stable, long-range performance.

For wired connections, the router includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports and supports Ethernet-over-USB for enhanced networking flexibility. A USB-C port provides power and Ethernet data transmission.

It runs on OpenWrt 23.05, an open source, customizable networking platform that supports online firmware updates.

The HaLowLink 1 speed maxes out at 32Mbps when using an 8MHz bandwidth. In contrast, its Wi-Fi 4 capability supports speeds of up to 300Mbps at 40MHz bandwidth.

In harsh industrial settings, two HaLowLink 1 units can be deployed together to replace Ethernet cabling, providing a wireless alternative to outdoor and remote installations.

“With the launch of the world’s first Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi HaLow CERTIFIED gateway, we’re equipping developers with a powerful tool to explore the extended-range, low-power connectivity benefits of Wi-Fi HaLow, paving the way for widespread adoption,” said Michael De Nil, co-founder and CEO of Morse Micro.

The MM-HL1-EXT is now available on Mouser for €97.81 (about $99). At press time, eight units are in stock, with 56 more expected by April 14, 2025. Larger bulk orders have an estimated factory lead time of eight weeks.

Morse Micro has been developing Wi-Fi HaLow tech for nearly a decade, but its breakthroughs only began gaining widespread attention in 2024. Back in February of that year, it demonstrated router hardware that provided 2-mile coverage for months while running on coin batteries.

By September, that range had extended to 10 miles. Most recently, at CES 2025 in January, Morse Micro showcased Wi-Fi routers capable of delivering 250Mbps over a 10-mile radius.

Via EENewsEurope

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