It’s time for this week’s edition of Trusted Recommends. Here’s everything the team at Trusted Reviews ranked highly over the last seven days.
The list includes a laptop, a gaming headset, a soundbar, a mid-range TV and a number of vacuum cleaners and antivirus packages. Read on to discover what impressed us this week…
Bitdefender Total Security
First up this week we’ve got Bitdefender Total Security. This antivirus product equips its user with a definitive suite of security products at a reasonable price. The package includes a VPN, a password manager and parental controls, along with malware protection on par with Windows Defender.
However, renewal costs are high if you subscribe online and some rivals have performed better in recent tests.
Score: 4/5
Corsair HS55 Stereo
Next, we’ve got the Corsair HS55 Stereo. This affordable gaming headset has a comfortable and lightweight design, decent audio performance and is compatible with Xbox, Playstation, PC and mobile devices.
There are also additional customisation options with Corsairs iCue software, though there’s no virtual surround sound and the mic is somewhat thin-sounding.
Score: 4/5
Alienware x17 R2
The Alienware x17 R2 is the gaming brand’s largest laptop, offering fast processing speeds, an excellent screen and a sturdy chassis.
The biggest cons here are the poor battery life and high price. Nevertheless, this is one of the best 17.3-inch gaming notebooks you’ll find right now.
Score: 4/5
Vacmaster Captura
The Vacmaster Captura is a low-priced upright vacuum cleaner with a nine metre power cable that does well on most surfaces. There’s a Lift Off mode for added flexibility and it’s bagged design makes emptying easier without spreading dust.
Pet hair pick-up could be better and the Lift Off mode isn’t as flexible as Shark’s Lift-Away equivalent, but this is a great vacuum cleaner for its price.
Score: 4/5
Sonos Ray
This week’s first 4.5 star product is the Sonos Ray. This soundbar is a smaller, simpler and cheaper alternative to Sonos’ pricier devices that is designed to improve upon your TV’s audio without any bells and whistles.
There’s no HDMI input or microphones to support a voice assistant, but the audio is clean and powerful with a surprising amount of bass and you’ve got the option of surround sound.
Score: 4.5/5
Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2
The Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 is a Bluetooth turntable that offers fantastic hi-res wireless audio in a convenient package. The Alva TT successor features aptX HD Bluetooth streaming, an integrated, switchable phono stage and a high-output moving coil cartridge.
It’s not the best audio quality you can get for this price. Rival turntables offer better sound but this comes at the cost of convenience and some of the Alva TT V2’s specifications.
Score: 4.5/5
Numatic Henry Allergy HVA160
The Numatic Henry Allergy HVA160 is a powerful and reliable plug-in cylinder vacuum cleaner. It offers the same high quality performance as the regular Numatic Henry, but with an extra HEPA filter to keep dust and dirt locked away, making it a better choice for allergy sufferers.
The vacuum can be difficult to push across some surfaces and it isn’t the neatest to store, but the negative points are minor here.
Score: 4.5/5
LG OLED65C2
Our first 5-star review of the week is the LG OLED65C2. The 2022 iteration of LG’s mid-range C-series OLED TV features a brighter OLED evo panel, improved motion and a better design than its predecessor, along with excellent upscaling and gaming features.
If you’re not a fan of OLED TVs, you might want to give this one a miss, but otherwise there’s very little to dislike about the C2.
Score: 5/5
Microsoft Defender Antivirus
This week’s second and final 5-star product is Microsoft Defender Antivirus. This antivirus suite is efficient, accurate and fully integrated into Windows 10 and 11. There are family controls and per-folder ransomware defence and, best of all, it’s completely free.
You won’t be able to receive updates on Windows 7 and 8.1 devices, but for Windows 10 and beyond this is a good, hassle-free antivirus option.
Score: 5/5
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
