Skip to main content

Best Products of 2015: Home Theater

LG's 4K OLED casts inky shadows so black, they simply swallow the competition

best-of-2015-home-theaterWinner
LG EF9500 4K Ultra HD OLED TV

Each year, we get to review the best TVs from all of the top manufacturers. Usually, picking the “best” is an arduous task – the competition is fierce and plentiful – but making a call this year was a piece of cake. Frankly, LG’s first flat 4K Ultra HD OLED TV is everything we were hoping to get in 2015 … and then some.

Contrast is perhaps the most important aspect of a TV’s picture quality, and when it comes to contrast, OLED technology reigns supreme. Since OLED pixels are self-emitting (they make their own light) they are able to go completely black when turned off. True black is the basis for the best possible contrast, and, ultimately, picture quality.

Recommended Videos

The brightest LCD TVs in the world may dazzle with their brilliance on the short term, but OLED’s deep blacks and a complete absence of halo effect and other backlight anomalies wins out on the long term.

There is no television that can do what the LG EF9500 can do

Samsung, Sony, and Panasonic all deserve recognition for redefining what LED televisions can, do. But OLED remains vastly superior, and now a 55-inch or 65-inch OLED isn’t much more expensive than a competing flagship LED TV.

With LG’s best OLED yet, expect those perfect blacks, brilliant and luscious colors, and one of the thinnest TVs you’ve ever seen. It makes everything you watch look its absolute best. You’ll also get a slick motion-controlled remote control and our favorite smart TV interface, WebOS.

Bottom line: There is no television that can do what the LG EF9500 can do.  Own this TV, and you’ll be the envy of everyone on the block … at least until LG comes out with its next OLED TV.

Runners up

Sennheiser Orpheus

Sennheiser-Orpheus
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t get hung up on the $55,000 price – yes, we know it’s more than your car – Sennheiser’s Orpheus headphone system gave us the most moving, life-altering sonic experience we’ve ever had. Imagine being placed on an emotional roller coaster where the soundtrack is the ride. More importantly, though, all the next-gen tech at work here will change headphones in the future, and that gets us really excited.

Sprout by PS Audio

Sprout-by-PS-Audio
Image used with permission by copyright holder

No audio device introduced in 2015 makes as much sense as the PS Audio Sprout. This handsome all-in-wonder is a phono preamp, headphone amp, DAC, Bluetooth receiver, and speaker amplifier, all housed in a super-handsome, compact chassis. After using it daily for six months, we’re convinced we can’t live without it.

Caleb Denison
Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…
These 8 out of 10 headphones have an incredible early Prime Day deal
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4

Amazon's Prime Day 2025 is fast approaching, but there's no need to wait if you're looking for headphone deals as we've already found one that you shouldn't miss. The retailer has slashed the price of the Sennheiser Momentum 4 by 30%, bringing them down to $315 from $450 originally. The $135 discount on these wireless headphones may not last long though, so if you want to get them for a more affordable price than usual, hurry with your purchase so you don't lose this chance.

BUY NOW

Read more
You Asked: Budget Sony OLED? Does TV Tech Surpass Human Perception?
You Asked Ep 97

On today’s episode of You Asked: Panasonic Mini LED or LG QNED? What’s the best Sony OLED to get that won’t cost you as much as the A95L? And with such good sound and picture quality from the latest TVs and speakers, how much more can they even improve?

Panasonic W95A vs. LG QNED80T

Read more
Hisense U6 4K TV on sale in early Prime Day deal — 85-inch model is 30% off
Hisense 2025 ULED TV U6 Series.

Prime Day 2025 won't officially start until next week, but Amazon already slashed the prices of some 4K TVs for those who can't wait to buy upgrades for their home theater setup. Here's an offer that you should consider -- the 85-inch Hisense U6 Series 4K TV for $1,398, following a 30% discount on its original price of $2,000 for savings of $602. If that screen's too large for you, you can also get the 65-inch model for $662 instead of $1,000 for a 34% discount, or savings of $338, and the 55-inch model for $480 instead of $800 for a 40% discount, or savings of $320. These TV deals will only be available for a limited time, so you better hurry as it doesn't look like they'll still be around when Prime Day launches.

Buy Now

Read more