Two big names in hi-fi just announced cool new curved stereo speakers: one passive, the other active, take your pick

The new Wharfedale Denton 1S updates a modern classic
Fyne Audio Cubit 5 has impressive connectivity and power
£649 and £549 respectively

If you’re looking for compact and stylish hi-fi speakers, you’re spoiled for choice this week as two popular speaker companies have revealed brand new models.

First up is Wharfedale, who have unveiled a reinvigorated version of their classic 1970s Denton speakers in a passive, modern design.

And if you prefer self-powered active speakers with their own amplification, Fyne Audio’s Cubit 5 speakers are designed to connect to almost anything without the need for any other components.

Wharfedale Denton 1S: main features and prices

Wharfedale’s original Denton loudspeaker was launched in 1974 and became an instant classic: it looked much more contemporary than its plated rivals and delivered impressive sound thanks to clever speaker design.

The 2026 version, the Denton 1S, is just as forward-thinking: rather than imitating the original, it’s more of an homage, with similar flexibility, but much more advanced driver technology and anti-resonant materials.

The driver here is all-new and places a 25mm silk dome tweeter concentrically within a 165mm polypropylene mid/bass cone to deliver aligned and coherent sound. It’s paired with a computer-modeled crossover and a new EQ that Wharfedale calls the “Brilliance switch”; if you go from normal to maximum, the response increases by 1.5 dB between 2 and 4 kHz for placement close to the wall. Bass extension is down to 45Hz (-6dB), which is impressive for such a compact package.

The Denton 1S is available in three colors: black, blue and white. The RRP is £649 (around $867 / AU$1,209) per pair and it will be available from the end of May.

Fyne Audio Cubit 5: key features and pricing

A pair of Fyne Audio Cubit 5 speakers in white on either side of an Apple iMac. They are all on a light wooden desk in front of a window on a sunny day

(Image credit: Fyne Audio)

Fyne Audio is a Scottish hi-fi manufacturer of some renown, and its new Cubit 5 is a compact active bookshelf system with up to 240W of power and high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/96KHz. It features Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD and AAC, and rather than just plugging in a standard Bluetooth module, Fyne says its circuit has undergone extensive development to provide the cleanest possible path to the amplifier module.

There’s a lot of connectivity here. The Cubit 5 has a built-in phono stage for your turntable; analog and optical digital inputs; HDMI-eARC; and a subwoofer output for extra bass. The driver is Fyne’s latest 5″ (125mm) IsoFlare unit, and the bass reflex port is front-mounted so you can place the speakers close to walls without noise.

There are five finishes here: black, titanium pearl, olive green, pebble gray and arctic white. All models will be available from June 2026 with an RRP of £549 / $749 (around AU$1,023).