Despite some rumours that OnePlus would jump onto the wire-free earbud bandwagon, the company has not decided to ditch all their wires. Instead, it has released a newer version of last year's Bullets Wireless, in the inventively named Bullets Wireless 2. Obviously a new product means new features, but just how different are they compared to last year? Fortunately, I have both pairs in my possession, and can tell you just how different they are. Read More >>
The only earbuds more recognisable than the tortured white teardrops that are AirPods might be Powerbeats. These things look like rubberised hoop earrings glued to plastic boxes, flipped upside down and strung together with a naff wire. Well, at least they used to look like that. Beats just released a new truly wireless model called Powerbeats Pro, and they feel like a revelation. I can’t believe how much I like these earbuds and want to wear them and don’t even feel embarrassed when I do. Read More >>
Sony has been the king of noise-cancelling headphones for the past couple of years, but a new royal has arrived: the new Master & Dynamic MW65. This finely crafted set of cans represent the company’s first attempt at noise-cancelling over-ear headphones, which might seem like a disadvantage. However, Master & Dynamic’s greatest strengths shine through in the headset’s luxurious design and exquisite sound quality. (Before you get too excited: The MW65 headphones are £450. Pretty isn’t cheap.) Sony still has a lot to offer in this battle, but it should guard the throne carefully. Read More >>
In the long history of recorded media, Sony’s MiniDisc format barely registers as a blip on the timeline. In hindsight, it was doomed from the start—forced to compete with immensely popular CDs and an emerging threat called MP3s. But despite now having instant access to millions of songs on my phone, there’s a part of me that deeply misses MiniDisc: a dead format that somehow still feels futuristic. Read More >>
Bowers & Wilkins got a new Silicon Valley-based parent company three years ago, and now, the classic British audio brand has a new line of premium wireless speakers. The new Formation Suite starts at £900 for a very alien-looking thing called the Wedge and tops out at £3,500 with the even more alien-looking Duo. Based on the sales pitch, these new wireless speakers can do anything a Sonos system can do and cost three times as much. Read More >>
It doesn’t matter how amazing they sound, or how flawlessly they cancel noise; your fancy headphones are all but useless if they’re too clunky to actually carry around. Inspired by the metal links on a watch strap, the MKo1 Rollers from Luzli feature a neat head strap design that can be rolled up tight and compact for easily stashing in a bag. What’s not quite as neat is the headphone’s obscenely expensive price tag and limited functionality. Read More >>
It took four years to do it, but Sonos and Ikea have finally revealed their new wireless speakers. The so-called Symfonisk series includes a bookshelf-style speaker that doubles as an actual bookshelf and a lamp with a speaker in its base. Like a lot of Ikea furniture, the two new products are quirky and practical. They’re also full-fledged but low-priced Sonos speakers. Read More >>
If you prefer Apple's music streaming service to Spotify, or whoever else is out there, you're a bit stuck when it comes to smart speakers. The HomePod is a pricey bastard, after all, even with the new £40 price cut. But thankfully times have changed, and Apple Music has arrived on the Amazon Echo for people in the UK. Read More >>
If the second generation of AirPods seemed underwhelming, the new Powerbeats Pro by Beats might just get your blood moving. They’re truly wireless earbuds designed for sports and equipped with the new Apple-made H1 chip, superior sound quality, as well as an eye-popping nine hours of battery life. In other words, the Powerbeats Pro earbuds can do everything the new AirPods can—but better. Read More >>
It’s no mystery that Sonos speakers are popular. In fact, there’s a good chance if you know somebody with a wireless speaker system, you know somebody with a Sonos system. Getting started with a single Sonos One—complete with Alexa capabilities—will cost you just £200. This got us wondering. Sonos might be the most popular wireless speaker system out there, but is it the best? Read More >>
Today is the day that Huawei revealed the P30 and P30 Pro, after much leaking and speculation as to what the phones might involve. Being a good tech company it also used this opportunity to throw an extra product out into the world: a pair of earphones called 'Freelace'. Earphones that have a pretty bizarre charging system, and I'm not sold on how practical it is. Read More >>
9to5Mac reported on Monday that it has dug up imagery hidden in the freshly released iOS 12.2 update of what appears to be a new version of Apple’s Beats Powerbeats headphones, dubbed Powerbeats Pro, that really are wireless. It also seems to have once again teased its AirPower charging mat on packaging for second-generation AirPod charging cases. Read More >>
Everybody loves to compare the new Samsung Galaxy Buds to Apple’s AirPods. It’s pretty obvious. Samsung and Apple make popular phones, and now both companies have truly wireless earbuds to pair with them. I’ve spent two weeks with the $130 Galaxy Buds. They’re frankly pretty awesome. But are they better than AirPods? That depends on who’s using them. Read More >>
All earbuds are, at least in my experience, a trade-off of one kind or another, especially true wireless earbuds with words like “sport” or “active” in their name. Ergonomics, battery life, and sound quality all fight for representation in a vanishingly small form factor, at best striking an acceptable balance of mediocrity between all three. Frustrated with many of the other buds I’d tried out, I had hoped the Jaybird RUN XTs would be the pair to solve this conundrum. Read More >>
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