The Samsung QS09F is a beast of a soundbar. With a 7.1.2 channel configuration for under $999, this could be one of the best soundbars if you need something compact yet powerful. There’s a built-in subwoofer and two side-firing surrounds for truly wide sound and immersive Dolby Atmos.

As per Samsung’s naming conventions, the QS90H is a part of 2026’s new soundbar lineup. Last year’s models had an “F” suffix. Unsure why Samsung skipped “G”, but if you see a soundbar with an “H” in the name, it’s new in 2026 (and old thereafter).

So what separates the Samsung QS90H from the rest of the new lineup? The QS90H can do it all. It’s one soundbar with a four-woofer built-in sub, surrounds, and thirteen speakers in the soundbar itself. This is an incredible performance for a one-bar device. Want to find out more? Keep reading this Samsung QS90H review.

Samsung QS90H review: Specs

Samsung QS90H review: Price & availability

The Samsung QS90H is $999 from Best Buy and £899 from Amazon U.K. Although an objectively huge amount of money, you get a soundbar, a subwoofer, and surrounds for that $999 — and you don’t have to make extra space in your living room.

I’ve also tested the fantastic-value Samsung QS750F ($899) and the gorgeous mid-range Samsung Q600F ($599). I’d recommend the Q600F if you’re not concerned with Wi-Fi music playback and the QS750F if you want separate sub and rears. However, these are 2025’s models now. I would be more than happy to use a 2025 models — the sound is still industry-leading as I write this in 2026 — but it’s just something to note if you’re the kind of person who always wants the newest tech.

I’ve also reviewed the fantastic JBL Bar 1300XMK2. I would recommend this wholeheartedly if you want the best home cinema setup without needing to fork out on AVRs, floor standers, and the like.

Samsung QS90H review: Design

The QS90H looks like any other soundbar. It won’t win any design awards, but it won’t steer attention away from your TV, either. It’s a pretty long 49 inches, so anything smaller than a 55” TV will look strange. I tested with the LG G6 OLED 55” and I’d say even that looked a bit weird.

The only frustrating design aspect is the HDMI port. Both the power port and HDMI port are angled, so you need a side-oriented cable. Of course, the soundbar comes with an angled power cable and HDMI, but if you want an aftermarket HDMI, you’ll need to find one that fits under the soundbar.

Controls

There are a few controls on the soundbar itself: volume up/down and power. There’s the classic Samsung remote with all the usual controls: input, Bluetooth, volume, woofer volume, sound mode, channel volume, and settings. I honestly did most of the controlling via the SmartThings virtual remote on my phone.

Features

I’ll go into app features in more detail below, but you’ve got all the expected features: sound modes, a few AI features, EQ adjustment, channel level adjustment, night mode, virtual mode, bass enhancement, and dialogue enhancement.

Samsung QS90H review: App

SmartThings is by far my favorite smart home app. It just makes sense. It’s easy to navigate, straightforward for newcomers, and has zero connectivity hiccups.

As you can see, there’s a huge array of smart features: “SpaceFit Sound Pro”, “Active Voice Amplifier Pro”, “Sound Elevation”, and “Auto Volume”. Last year, “SpaceFit Sound Pro” only worked with an AI-powered Samsung TV, but I was able to turn it on with my LG G6 OLED. However, SpaceFit Sound Pro isn’t a traditional room calibration tool that sends out sound waves and analyzes them with built-in microphones, à la Klipsch or JBL. Honestly, I didn’t notice a huge difference between SpaceFit on and off, which is a shame.

You can also adjust each channel individually.

You can control the woofer volume, “side”, “center”, “wide”, and “front top”. I got the best sound with “side” and “wide” up to the max. I got a touch more height with “front top” set to max, but I still didn’t reach the huge highs I did with the JBL Bar 1300XMK2.

Finally, there’s wireless Dolby Atmos — but this is locked behind recent AI-enabled Samsung TVs. You can also sync up your Roon, Spotify, Tidal, and Alexa.

Samsung QS90HS review: Sound quality

I test every soundbar with “Top Gun: Maverick” on 4K Blu-Ray, TV streaming, and music on Qobuz via AirPlay.

Movies

I watched “Top Gun: Maverick”, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”, and “Fight Club” on 4K Blu-ray.

The opening scene in “Top Gun: Maverick” is ideal for testing width, height, high-frequency sound, and bass simultaneously. I activated “Voice enhancement” and “Bass enhancement” in the SmartThings app, which brought all the high-frequency sounds to the center of the soundstage. Whooshing planes, whirring engines, flicking ropes, and tinkling metal diegetic sounds were focal and loud without pinching or overpowering the bass-heavy “Danger Zone”. I didn’t struggle to hear anything — this was a perfect performance.

Dialogue was clear, even in flight scenes with distortion from the radio. Engines were loud and clear, layered under the dialogue with zero overpowering. There was a touch of over-processing in some of Maverick’s radioed dialogue, but this was seriously negligible. It didn’t impact my viewing experience in the slightest.

There wasn’t as much height as I would like, which is a consistent issue with Samsung soundbars. The QS750F sounded expansive, but not massively high. If you want serious, room-filling height, you might want something like the JBL Bar 1300XMK2.

In the first dogfighting scene, the planes whooshed around the side of the soundscape, while the radioed dialogue and soundtrack were clear in the foreground. When the planes spiralled, I could feel it around me. However, I couldn’t hear the planes that were supposed ot be above me, which means the soundbar struggles with height. I think some more sophisticated room calibration might mitigate this in the future.

Next, I watched “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”. The soundtrack in this movie was super expansive. Each violin motif sounded like it was coming from around me. The twinkling sound effects were particularly powerful.

It’s unlikely your kids would notice this, but the treble crackled when the spaceship took off in the opening scene. I didn’t notice any treble issues during the rest of the movie, though, or elsewhere in testing.

Lastly, I watched “Fight Club”. The sped-up sound effects squelched through the soundbar with fantastic width. Dialogue was clear and audible and the soundtrack sounded textured and controlled. Again — this was a perfect experience. No notes.

TV

To test TV performance, I watched “Heated Rivalry” on NOWTV, a British streaming service. I watched using “AI Adaptive Sound” in the SmartThings app, and upped the width and side channel volume to the max.

The soundbar heightened surround sound: in a locker room celebration scene, I could hear the spraying champagne and excited chatter in the background clearly, even over the exuberant soundtrack. There’s an aquarium scene later in the episode and the underwater-style diegetic sound effects married perfectly with the ethereal ambient OST.

Music

To test music playback, I listened to a number of songs on Qobuz. “Beatback” by Fcukers is an electronic track with a powerful bassline and groovy synth modulations in the verses and a breathy female vocal. The bass sounded particularly excellent, clear, rich, and propulsive, but the percussion sounded a touch underwater. Even so, the vocals were textured and sonorous.

Next, I played a psych-rock track, “Apocalypse Dreams” by Tame Impala. I switched off “Voice enhancement”, which massively improved the sound quality. It’s a shame there’s no dedicated music mode, but I recommend turning off both “Active Voice Amplifier Pro” and “Voice enhancement” to get the best from your music. The bass, again, was powerful and rich, but the treble was a touch pinchy.

Lastly, I played a guitar-led bluesy track: “Pigeon” by Faye Webster. This song has smooth guitars, nostalgic keys, and a soft female vocal. The vocals sounded particularly beautiful; super complex and warm. There’s some really nice stereo imaging after the first chorus that sounds immersive and all-consuming. The softer percussion didn’t pinch — the guitars were smooth throughout. This song sounded the best out of all the tracks I listened to, likely due to the sparser, warmer, smoother soundscape.

Samsung QS90H review: Verdict

The Samsung QS90H is the best all-in-one soundbar I’ve tested, and I’d go so far as to say it’s the best all-in-one on the market right now. I knocked off half a star for the sound height issues, but this isn’t to say the soundbar is lackluster, because that’s completely untrue. This is a powerful, controlled, and adept soundbar with a monumental soundstage.

If you want the “best” home cinema experience possible, you should probably look to spend a little more on something like the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 or the Samsung Q990H. However, if you’re short on space or don’t want to spend more than $1,000, then you will not be disappointed by the QS90H.

I loved testing the Samsung QS90H and would have zero reservations about buying this soundbar for myself. If you want a multi-channel experience without needing rears and a sub, there’s very little else I’d recommend.

As a single mom, it’s a miracle I remember my son when packing the car to leave the house for a weekend break (I’m joking). I’ll always forget something, and last weekend, it was the baby monitor.

My son is two-and-a-half, so while it’s not as much of an essential as it was a year ago, I like to be able to keep an eye, or an ear, on the tiny Houdini, especially when he’s sleeping somewhere new. Luckily, I’d seen this simple hack to turn the best AirPods and your iPhone into a combined baby monitor. It’s one all parents should know about ahead of the summer vacation period.

How to use your AirPods as a baby monitor

Ok, so you won’t be able to see your baby using this hack, but you’ll be able to hear him or her. All you’ll need is your phone and your AirPods (or Beats) headphones. Once you pop your headphones in your ears, you’ll be able to use your AirPods Live Listen feature to leave your phone in the room with them and listen to your tot from somewhere else in the house.

Here’s how to do it:

• Wear one or both of your AirPods or Beats headphones. The list of headphones that work with this feature includes: AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Fit Pro, or Powerbeats Fit. You’ll also need an iPhone with iOS 26 or later installed.
• To turn on Live Listen, go to your iPhone’s Settings, then scroll to Accessibility.
• From here, go to Audio & Visual, Live Listen, then tap Start Live Listen.
• From your lock screen, swipe down to go to the Control Center.
• From here, click on the ear icon, and select Live Listen — this will only work if you have a headphone in.

You’ll then be able to hear your baby should they cry. I found that the Live Listen was surprisingly sensitive, and I was able to hear him waking up and moving around after his nap before he called out for me. A game changer for traveling, or if you’re as forgetful as I am!

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The Sennheiser RS 275 are a pair of TV headphones, designed to let you enjoy movies, TV and multimedia without bothering family, roommates or neighbors. I’m an avid LOTR fan, and I regularly re-binge the Extended Editions, often taking me late into the night. I’ll usually get an angry, volume-related text from my wife upstairs at about 1am — just as the Rohirrim launch their awe-inspiring, tear-jerking charge into the fray on Pelennor Fields. So the RS 275 are, on paper at least, right up my street.

After a few weeks of testing, I’m happy to say these are a wonderful addition to my lounge setup. They’re not perfect, lacking the soundstage and subbiness of a proper surround system or soundbar. Their passive noise cancellation, meanwhile, isn’t the best, and they’re pricey in the U.S.

However, the sound quality is generally excellent, with a bright treble to bring out fine details, a clear mid-range for vocals, tidy bass, plus strong stereo imaging. There’s a wealth of connectivity and customization options, too.

Are these the best headphones for TV? Find out more in my full Sennheiser RS 275 review.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Specs

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Price & availability

Unfortunately, the Sennheiser RS 275 headphones ain’t cheap. In the U.S., they cost $299 from Amazon, while in the U.K. they’re a slightly more palatable £219 from Richer Sounds. That’s about the cost of a cheap soundbar, so if these will be your only audio output aside from a TV speaker (if you live in a dorm or something), I think that’s a reasonable price.

However, if you already have, want, or need a soundbar or speaker system, the RS 275 will be a secondary purchase. And that makes the $299 MSRP a little trickier to justify. I suppose the ‘cost:benefit’ analysis will depend on how much flak you’re getting for watching TV, and how often.

Thankfully, you’re not stuck for cheaper alternatives. The older Sennheiser RS 175 ($349) are regularly on sale for as little as $139. Then there’s the $159 Sennheiser RS 120-W, which are often reduced to the $100 mark.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Design

The RS 275 look like typical Sennheiser cans: jet black, understated but obviously high quality. The plastics feel premium; the headband is (mostly) nice and squishy; while the earcups are thick and padded, yet lightweight and breathable. I tested the RS 275 during a heatwave here in the U.K., with some extremely humid nights, and my ears never got sweaty. The headset is also super lightweight, so it never fatigued my neck.

My only issue, comfort-wise, is that the squishy headband padding doesn’t extend that far down the band itself. The last two inches have no padding. I didn’t have an issue, but I can see it being a problem for different head shapes.

Included is a headphone stand, which doubles as a platform and cable-tidy for the wireless transmitter. It helps keep my TV cabinet tidy, so I’m a big fan.

Controls

The RS 275 offer a few different control options. There are the on-ear controls for power and volume, plus sound mode and source controls on the transmitter. They’re all pretty self-explanatory and easy to get to grips with. Everything can also be controlled via the Sennheiser smartphone app, though, which I’ll cover below.

Connectivity

The RS 275 feature four connection methods to your TV: Bluetooth, optical, USB and HDMI. You’ll want at least USB or HDMI connected, as these power the transmitter. You can hook up via Bluetooth directly to your TV, but I’d advise using the transmitter as it enables higher quality codecs, including aptX, aptX Adaptive, PCM/LC3 and AC3 (Dolby Digital).

The transmitter uses Bluetooth version 5.4 and features Auracast, so you can hook up multiple Auracast-compatible Bluetooth devices and hear the same audio stream. That means you can watch movies with friends and family, yet still not wake the neighbors.

I mostly used the optical and USB connections. There won’t be a huge difference between any of the wired connections, really — by the time the signal reaches your ears via the transmitter using, say, the lossy AC3/Dolby Digital codec, it’s no longer high-res anyway regardless of how it came out of the TV or Blu-ray player. Note that optical is prone to timing issues, especially when scrubbing forward or back through a Blu-ray (the app has a feature to help with this).

The headphones also have two-device multipoint connectivity, so you can hook up to your phone and TV and switch quickly between the two to take a call.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Sound quality

As these are TV headphones, I primarily tested the Sennheiser RS 275 by watching “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Black Hawk Down (Extended Version)” on 4K Blu-ray. I also streamed “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)” on Amazon Prime TV, and “I Will Find You” on Netflix.

Movies

The RS 275 won’t compete with a surround system or one of the best soundbars, but that’s not to say they don’t sound good. The sound is really clean, with expansive treble and tons of mid-range clarity that brought out details I’d never heard, even in my most familiar movies.

In “Black Hawk Down” I’ve never before heard Mo Alim’s voice so perfectly distorted and crackly as he shouts through a megaphone in the early massacre scene. It was like I was in the room with Atto in the interrogation scene — his cigar pack ripping and match striking, then the metallic door latch clanking as the general entered.

There’s so much clarity that, weirdly, you start hearing things you don’t want to hear — in the Atto scene above, the effects sounded hyperrealistic to a fault, giving away that they’re actually quite obviously foley.

Vocals sound great, too. Even in noisier scenes throughout “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “Black Hawk Down”, I was never struggling to hear what any characters said.

Bass was fairly nice and well-textured in musical elements, although the headphones lack sub-bass response, sapping impact from heavy sound effects like explosions and aircraft in “Top Gun Maverick” and “Black Hawk Down”. Still, these are headphones, so you can’t expect the power delivery down low that you’d get from a subwoofer.

Separation is really strong. In the “Top Gun Maverick” opening scene, I could hear the clanking of machinery amidst the sound of engines and the “Danger Zone” soundtrack. Stereo imaging is solid, too. In “Black Hawk Down”, I could hear voices on each side in the busy Mogadishu marketplace, and in a scene with two choppers, I could distinctly hear the lighter Little Bird blades in my left ear, with the slower Black Hawk thrum in my right.

Admittedly, the RS 275’s soundstage isn’t that wide — expected given these are closed-back headphones. On the other hand, the closed-back sound gave a level of intimacy that I really enjoyed in certain scenes. I felt like I was inside Maverick’s helmet as he spoke to his colleagues over radio: the sound of his voice muted by his own helmet, with his colleague’s walkie-talkied voice piping in over the radio.

TV

In “I Will Find You” on Netflix, vocals were unfailingly clear, even whispered tones, while that bright treble shone again for gentler effects like handcuffs clanking. Here, too, I relished that closed-back intimacy — when the main characters were talking through a prison phone, for example, it sounded like I was in the visitor’s booth with them.

Admittedly, without the sheer loudness of movie effects and scores, I began to have trouble with passive noise cancellation, or a lack thereof. I could hear the radio in my kitchen playing, as well as road noise from outside my house, breaking the immersion.

Audio modes

The RS 275 have three modes: 3D for surround sound; Speech for vocal priority; and Plus, which combines the first two. Honestly, I didn’t find much use for them. Speech and 3D mostly resulted in a tinny, compressed sound. Plus mode, meanwhile, just sounded like listening underwater. I can see Speech being useful in situations where vocal audio is just terribly mastered, but in everything I watched, the RS 275’s default tuning was good enough.

Mileage will probably vary depending on how an individual film or TV’s audio is mastered, but honestly, the default mode sounds good enough to just forget the gimmicks.

Music

Although they’re primarily intended as TV headphones, the RS 275 headset is actually a pair of HDR 275 headphones. That means they double up as music cans, and it’s nice to know you can pick them up for a few tunes between movies.

I tested with my usual playlist on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles, and was pretty impressed. It’s the same story as above: a clean mid-range and airy treble, highlighting vocals and percussion; warm, refined bass; plus decent stereo imaging.

Listen along to my audio testing playlist on Qobuz.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Call quality

The Sennheiser RS 275 can be used like a traditional set of headphones. This means they have a microphone for calls. Unfortunately, it’s not the best, and my voice sounded quiet and tinny. However, I can’t knock too many points off here, as these are primarily intended to be used for movies and TV, which you’d want to pause for a call anyway — so you can just use your phone’s built-in mic.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: App

The RS 275 pair up to the Sennheiser SmartControlPlus smartphone app, which connects over Bluetooth (regardless of how the headset is connected to your TV). The app is pretty slick, and gives you full control over using and updating the RS 275. It’s the only way to fully control the RS 275, so I have no choice but to recommend using it — but thankfully, it’s great.

I found the app particularly useful for switching between connectivity channels to get the best sound for whatever media I was watching, checking which codecs were in use on-the-fly, and tweaking audio delay for sound/video sync issues over optical connection.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Battery life

The RS 275 offer up to 50 hours of playback, according to Sennheiser. And I have no reason to doubt that. After watching two movies and most of a TV season, I still had 70% charge left, which was very impressive.

When you do need to charge them, using the USB-C port on the transmitter will recharge the headphones fully in just 2 hours, which is pretty quick. Realistically, if you stay on top of juicing them, you shouldn’t experience much downtime at all.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Verdict

As I mentioned above, as a night owl and a movie lover, I am the RS 275’s target audience. As a tech reviewer by profession, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know TV headphones were a thing, and so never knew I needed them. But I’m not sure I can go back now.

The RS 275 aren’t perfect. They’re pricey, they lack the bass and width of a proper sound system, and their passive noise reduction isn’t the best. However, place them in context, and none of that really matters. They’re designed to circumvent loudspeaker systems, so you can’t blame them for lacking the attributes of a subwoofer or Atmos setup. And realistically, they’re intended for use at night when it’s quiet.

But used as intended, the RS 275 are excellent, with clean sound, strong separation, decent stereo imaging, great comfort, plus a wealth of control and connectivity options. These ones are staying on my TV cabinet for good.

The HEDDphone TWO GT are a set of premium audiophile open back headphones from German audio manufacturer HEDD. Slightly counterintuitively, the TWO GT aren’t a successor to a ONE GT, but rather a redevelopment of the HEDDphone TWO (which themselves follow up the original HEDDphone).

The TWO GT pack tweaked AMT drivers and a warmer sound profile than the TWO, pitching them more towards leisurely home listening rather than pure, detail-oriented reference use.

With their striking yet comfortable aesthetic and unerringly premium German build quality, the TWO GT do much to justify their high price. Add on the utterly fantastic sound quality, and the TWO GT ought to be, at the very least, a serious shortlist candidate for any discerning listeners in search of new cans.

Could these be some of the best headphones for audiophiles? I think so. But read my full review to find out more.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Specs

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Price & availability

The HEDDphone TWO GT cost $2,199 / £1,899 from HEDD. However, if you have your own cables already, you can save a bit of cash by buying the ‘UNPLUGGED’ variant without cables included, which cost £1,472 / $1,699.

While they objectively cost a lot of money, in the context of audiophile headphones, the TWO GT aren’t priced beyond the pale. In the audiophile landscape, $2,199 is just getting started. The Meze Audio Elite, for example, will set you back $4,000, while my other high-end cans, the Audeze LCD5-S, cost $4,500. I’m not saying those aren’t great headphones, but to a large extent there’s a law of diminishing returns at play here. The HEDDphone TWO GT sound utterly fantastic, so I don’t see why you’d really need to go further unless you want something specific that other cans offer.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Design

What do you get if you cross a set of F1 pitwall headphones with a WWE-worthy stash of anabolic steroids? The TWO GT, obviously. These are absolute chonkers, and frankly, if I had to wear them anywhere outside the house, I’d probably feel a little self-conscious. Luckily, I don’t have to — like most audiophile open-back cans, these are intended for indoor (and, more specifically, home) use only.

They look great though: blacked out and replete with German neo-futurism. And besides, they wear their large size and hefty 1.2lb curb weight extremely well, proving effortlessly lightweight and comfortable atop the ol’ noggin.

That’s thanks to an unashamedly overengineered suspended headband. It’s a piece of padding suspended on a strip of synthetic fabric that weaves in and out of the main carbon-fiber headband. It distributes the weight extremely well, and also offers lots of adjustment. Sure, the end result isn’t any different from other suspended straps — a la Audeze LCD-X or Meze Poet. But it’s cool, different, and complements the general extra-ness of the overall aesthetic.

Included with the TWO GT are two sets of ear pads: one gloriously soft set of lamb’s leather; one vegan velour for the less carnivorous of disposition. I prefer the lamb’s leather pads, but both are incredibly thick and comfy anyway, so if HEDD had just given me the velour pads, I wouldn’t have complained. Also, while it’s nice to see a vegan option included, I find it kinda weird that they ship with both instead of letting you select one or the other at checkout — sure, a vegan won’t have to wear the lamb’s leather pads, but they’ll still have been forced to buy them, which isn’t much better.

Build-wise, these things earn their price. They feel premium. They feel special. They feel German. This is a double-decade set of cans at least, make no mistake. I love the loose-weave braided cables included (with the standard model), too, which feel super premium. Additionally, there’s a fabric hard case included, which features a cable storage compartment. This is much less bulky than the aluminum hard case that came with my Audeze LCD5-S, making the TWO GT easier to travel with.

Connectivity

The HEDDphone TWO GT are passive headphones, which won’t surprise any audiophiles. I’ll cover their amplification requirements below, but their unpowered nature means there are no mod-cons like wireless connectivity, battery life, ANC, etc.

They connect to your amplifier via a wired connection, and HEDD is generous with the included cablewear on the standard variant (the UNPLUGGED variant comes with no cables). There are two cables, one balanced 4.4mm, one unbalanced 6.35mm, with two adapters — a 4.4mm to XLR 4-pin adapter and a 6.35mm to 3.5mm — chucked in too.

Drive

As passive headphones, the TWO GT must be powered. You’ll want to use a DAC/amp to handle both the digital audio conversion and power. With an impedance of 41Ω and a sensitivity of 88dB / 1mW, they’re not too tricky to drive. HEDD suggests a minimum power of 200mW, but recommends around 1,000mW for peak performance. I powered the headphones using my FiiO K15 (up to 30,000mW), which was comfortable at 85% volume on the medium gain setting, and the iFi iDSD GR2 (up to 2,173mW), which I needed to run at about 80% volume without any added gain.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Sound quality

Like other HEDD gear, the TWO GT use AMT transducers. These drivers employ a series of folded metal diaphragms to push and pull air, rather than the cones or wafer-thin layers of metal filaments used respectively by dynamic and planar magnetic drivers.

Historically, AMT drivers have been great for use as dedicated tweeters or mid-range speakers, but lacked bass response. To solve that, HEDD employs its “Variable Velocity Transformation” (VVT), which actively modulates the profile of the folds for response down as low as 10Hz. In short: bass good.

I tested the TWO GT using Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles. I streamed in lossless hi-res or CD quality via USB-C through the FiiO K15 and iFi DSD GR2 DAC/amps.

Bass

As you can see on the manufacturer’s frequency response curve, the TWO GT’s tuning is deliberately slightly warm, but it’s not aeons from the neutral tune of the HEDDphone TWO or HEDDphone D1. The TWO GT offer rich, enveloping bass, but nothing overwhelming. You could definitely still use these cans for reference or studio work.

As far as easy bass, the TWO GT relayed beautifully the thick, undulating double bass of Odetta’s Hit or Miss, as well as the powerful electronic bass warbling of Burn Water’s Ikigai.

When it comes to the trickier stuff, there’s less oomph in the sub region by default. However, the TWO GT can handle it if you dial in some extra low down power. I mostly used my FiiO K15 DAC/amp, as I like its clean, natural feel without EQ. But in songs where I wanted more sub bass — like the last 20 seconds of SOHN’s Antigravity — I switched to my iFi DSD GR2 and used the ‘XBass’ bass boost mode for a few dB extra at 20-30Hz. The TWO GT still weren’t as subby as my planar- and slam-plate-fitted Audeze LCD5-S, but did a respectable job, gently vibrating my temples (with no distortion whatsoever, I might add).

Mids

As I mentioned, while warm, the TWO GT are still well balanced across the curve, with a prominent, clean mid-range. There was a pleasantly-expressed, natural timbre to acoustic guitars, with a gorgeous woody resonance to 49 Winchester’s riff in Russell County Line. In Melvins’ dual-riffed sludge-fest, Honey Bucket, the lower mid-range packed bags of texture, with plenty of crunch to those distorted guitars, while strong separation let me pick out the individual riffs.

The upper mid-range also packs bags of resolution and natural timbre: vocals in Blusher’s Last Man Standing sounded full and lifelike, and I could pick apart the individual voices and whispered backing vocals throughout harmonies.

Treble

The treble is fairly bright. Personally, I felt myself wanting a tad more sharpness on certain tracks — typically it was busier, older recordings like Honey Bucket and The Who’s Eminence Front where I craved just a little more snap to cymbals and hi-hats. This is mainly down to personal preference and individual ear anatomy, though, and can simply be EQ’d or otherwise tweaked to taste. Using my iFi GR2, I applied a GTO digital filter with the Kenwood K2 HD upsampling mode, which worked a treat, adding that smidge of extra definition I was looking for up top.

Soundstage

As open backs, the TWO GT are plenty spacious. I could track the haunting, industrial percussion in Chris Stapleton’s Death Row fading backwards out of earshot. SOHN’s Antigravity, meanwhile, felt truly wide, the reverby opening percussion effects pinging inwards and outwards on a distinct horizontal plane.

Listen along to my testing playlist below, on Qobuz.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Verdict

It’s really difficult to fault the HEDDphone TWO GT. Sound, comfort, build quality — it’s all there. The only major points I can really knock off are for the huge size and objectively high price, although with the caveat that, in the crazy arena of audiophile gear, they’re not priced beyond the pale. In terms of performance, you’re getting a hell of a lot here, and personally this is the sweet spot for me, in terms of audiophile sound versus cost.

Sure, if you want deeper bass, from both an extension and power standpoint, then I’d advise looking into warmer-tuned planars from the likes of Audeze or Meze, but that’s a sheer preference thing. And besides, the TWO GT can get respectably bassy if you play about a little with your DAC/amp. Wanna know the only really bad thing about reviewing the TWO GT? I’ll tell ya: It’s that I have to give them back.

Are the Technics AZ100 some of the best earbuds you can get? Well, that’s what the next 1,000 words are for: Me to know and for you to find out. But if you want me to let you in on a little secret, come closer… Yes. Yes, they are.

With powerful, yet balanced bass, emotive and natural mids and clear treble, the sound quality is worth the $300 price tag. If you only listen to heavy genres like grunge you might be a little disappointed by the slight lack of detail in super muddy tracks, but for most people, I’m sure this isn’t a huge issue. I only noticed it in two of the many songs I listened to during testing. The clarity and control in every other genre more than made up for it.

So, ready to find out more about these premium earbuds? Of course you are.

Premium sound quality with a capital P

To test sound quality, I listened to a variety of genres on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles. Obviously, I listened to much more music than I’m going to discuss here, but I’ll choose three standout tracks from different genres.

First, I played “Violence” by Grimes using “Dynamic” EQ. This electronic track has a stuttering, string-like synth motif with pulsing bass layered under Grimes’ iconic floaty vocals. The bass sounded phenomenal: controlled yet powerful, all-encompassing yet balanced, indomitable yet complementary. Grimes’ vocals were brought to the focus of the track, and I could hear the texture in her voice, and the delicate synths weren’t overpowered. This track sounded utterly divine. I was immediately in awe.

I switched it up to “Celebrity Skin” by Hole. I switched to a custom U-shaped EQ, which highlighted the sub-bass and super high-end. This brought out the cymbals in the right ear and warmed up the crunchy guitars in the lower-mids. This didn’t sound quite as clear as the Grimes track, so I played “Moaning Lisa Smile” by Wolf Alice, another grungey female-led track (but much newer). I couldn’t clearly hear the sliding guitar during the chorus, so I upped the treble, but it still eluded me. I was a little disappointed by this — it’s there, but quiet.

Overall, though, the sound quality is sublime. This is what wireless earbuds should be about — clever, controlled sound that takes itself seriously and has a whale of a time while doing so.

Actually useful companion app

The Technics Audio Connect app boasts a litany of customization and control options. You can do literally everything you could think of. If I were to describe every function, we’d be here all day, and I know you’re all busy people — so let’s just discuss the standouts.

There’s an ear tip fit test that uses mics to analyze which ear tip suits your ears. I was told to use “Small”, but I found “Extra Small” fitted me best.

You can also activate Conversation Mode, which will activate transparency mode with one tap of the earbuds. The app can also decrease environmental calls if the person you’re speaking to is in a noisy environment, which is cool.

Of course, you’ve also got the usual suspects: EQ adjustment, ANC customization, and there’s the user manual, too.

As you can see, the Technics Audio Connect app looks sleek, is easily navigable, and has a ton of helpful features. I’d recommend downloading it and checking it out if you get these earbuds.

But a polarizing fit

However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows over here in Technics land. The bubble had to burst eventually, right? And in this case, it’s my concha (figuratively) bursting from the sheer size of the earbuds. Technics claims the AZ100 are smaller and lighter than the AZ80, and I don’t disagree. They are, technically, smaller and lighter than the predecessor.

But they’re not smaller enough. I could only wear these earbuds for around an hour before needing a break. I have super small ears, which I acknowledge and take into account when I review earbuds, but it’s not just me this time. I gave them to my boyfriend, who has normal man-sized ears, and he said they were too big. This is with the XS ear tips, by the way.

I know high-quality drivers need space (like that random guy you met online), but there’s a limit. This was a similar issue with the Denon PerL Pro — the earbuds sound lovely, but I could only wear them for an hour at a time. Conversely, I can wear my AirPods Pro 2 for six hours (until the battery runs out; yes, six hours is pathetic) without my ears aching.

I think you’d be fine if you have large ears, but small-eared folk: heed my warning!

Would I recommend the Technics AZ100?

In short: Yes!

I’m a huge fan of the controlled yet balanced bass, the faithful treble, and the clear mids.

There are only two downsides for me: the overly large concha fit and the slight muddling in heavy genres. If you have medium-to-large-sized ears and you don’t really listen to grunge, these won’t be problems for you at all.

I recommend the AZ100 for anyone who wants premium-feeling earbuds without going for the usual big names of Apple, Bose, and Sony. If you value lovely sound and a premium vibe, then the AZ100 are definitely for you.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple’s premium AirPods Max 2 just crashed by $100 at Amazon
• I gave my kid the JBL Junior 320 headphones: they look cheap but sound surprisingly good
• I tested the Denon Home 600 — and it’s one of the most ambitious smart speakers yet

I've been using the first-generation AirPods Max since they debuted over five years ago. So I have no trouble recommending their follow-up, the AirPods Max 2, when I see a welcome price drop courtesy of Amazon.

Right now, the AirPods Max 2 are $100 off at Amazon, bringing them down to $449. At a time when Apple is raising prices across the board, this kind of deal is worth taking advantage of.

It's not the only AirPods deal at Amazon right now, either. The retailer is currently discounting the AirPods Pro 3 and the AirPods 4 with noise cancelling.

If you're an Apple user and want to pick up a pair of the best headphones, now could be the time to do it.

While I'd contest other over-ear speakers will give you better overall sound, more control and certainly better portability — I can't knock the AirPods Max 2 when it comes to simplicty and comfort.

I don't mean to say the Max 2 sound bad — far from it. They have a wonderfully wide soundstage with a balanced output that won't overpower you in any one area, regardless of genre. The treble is bright and, as our reviewer noted, the low-end is "rich yet balanced, with propulsive, deep sub-bass and a detailed, clarified upper-bass."

Alongside the sound are pitch-perfect physical controls that sit on the outside of the anodized aluminum ear cups. The buttons have a reassuring travel to them, and the Digital Crown is a much better way of interacting with volume than touch controls in my honest opinion.

Finally, if you're a die-hard Apple user, then there's no substitute for the ease with which the AirPods plug into your existing setup. If you're working on a MacBook and suddenly get a call coming into your iPhone, the headlines will switch automatically. Done with work and pick up one of the best iPads to watch a video? The AirPods Max will follow along with you like a loyal puppy.

The only drawback I can really point to is that because they don't collapse, they aren't a good option as a pair of travel headphones. For everything else, though, the AirPods Max 2 are a great purchase.

When it comes to tech made for children, one of the defining features tends to be low prices. However, those budget prices usually mean cheaply made devices.

Unlike more expensive options such as the iClever Auraa ($65) or the more premium Puro Sounds Labs BT2200-Plus ($99), the JBL 320s are nearly featureless. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

With kid-friendly headphones, the important things to consider are comfort, durability, sound quality, and whether they have a volume cap to protect young ears. Beyond that, extra features are nice to have but not necessary.

With that in mind, I spent a couple of weeks testing out the $20 JBL Junior 320 wired headphones. Does a low price mean poor quality or does it live up to the reputation? I found out, plus a few thoughts from a real kid.

Hard plastic shell

If it weren’t for the JBL branding, I was surprised the Junior 320s even came in a box, much less with a cloth carrying bag that ripped almost immediately — I would have thrown it away anyway.

They come in two colors: blue or purple, with a hard plastic making up most of the build. The earbuds come pre-wrinkled, so they look like they’re already well-worn, which isn’t pleasant to look at. Honestly, it feels cheap.

This is a personal pet peeve, but I found the headband noticeable and irritating over long listening sessions. My son wasn’t bothered by it. This is likely because the headphones are designed for a kid's head.

The headphones do come with stickers that kids can use to personalize the plastic bits or cover walls somewhere they shouldn’t.

Long live wires

These headphones are wired with a 3.5mm jack, which is not removable. However, I gave the wire a few hard tugs like a kid might and found it pretty sturdy. I’m sure an enterprising child could rip the wire off, but I think it’s strong enough for most.

The wire features a simple controller that lets you pause or start audio and a microphone for chatting over FaceTime with a tablet or phone if you let your kids use those.

I’m a big fan of wired connections, especially as it means there’s no battery to charge, but I do realize these headphones won’t work for those with devices that no longer offer 3.5mm ports. Still, most kid-friendly tablets and music devices still have that port, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem that these don’t have Bluetooth connectivity.

Surprising sound

Some of my favorite headphones are made by JBL, like the company's flagship Tour One M3, which has a big, bassy sound. I put on the 320 headphones with my expectations on the floor.

And honestly, they managed to step over the bar pretty easily. Yes, they lack the depth of their more expensive sibling, but I was surprised at how clean the mids and trebles sounded while the bass had a bit of punch.

I listen to a lot of podcasts as well, and cheap headphones can make them sound flat. The 320s won’t elevate that experience, but if you’re using these with a tablet on a road trip, your kids won’t complain they can’t hear Bluey.

If you’re dropping down to the Junior 320 headphones from something more robust, you might not enjoy them. However, I found listening on these perfectly fine; it certainly didn’t make the experience unlistenable, which many cheap cans do.

No ANC, but that may not matter

Many kids' headphones now promote ANC as a way to protect kids’ ears because they’re not cranking the volume to hear their shows, games or music over outside noises. This is one area the 320s are lacking, but it also means the price isn’t as high, something I'll never complain about.

I’m personally not sure that ANC is important for kids' headphones, especially when you need to get a child’s attention.

That all said, the important thing is that, as an ear-friendly headphone, the volume is capped at 85dB, meaning over long listening sessions, even at high volume, you or your child’s ears are more protected compared to headphones that can go higher. The JBL Junior 320 headphones have that cap.

What the kids are saying

I asked my son to try out the JBL Junior 320 headphones over a couple of sessions with an iPad mini while he played Zoombinis. He seems to gravitate toward the headphones that let him plug in, so the 320s were perfect with the wired connection.

He also said he liked how light they were and deemed them comfortable enough. He’s not an audiophile yet, but he liked the sound.

He is younger, so heavier headsets might feel uncomfortable. I’ll note that JBL lists the 320s at 4 ounces (116 grams). iClever doesn’t list the weight of the Auraa headphones we tested, but a food scale put them at 232 grams or just over 8 ounces. Not too much heavier, but noticeably more mass than that JBL set.

Verdict

With everything in the world steadily getting more expensive, every penny counts. If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that will protect your little one's ears but also won’t break the bank, the JBL Junior 320 headphones do the job.

These headphones are pretty featureless, and the wired connection can be limiting. Plus, the soundscape won't blow anyone away, but I don't know that most kids will care.

At $20, the JBL Junior 320 headphones are ones you can take a flyer on for your kid. They’re durable, feature that important volume cap, and won’t hurt your wallet too much if they disappear in your kids' room never to be seen again.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested JBL’s newest flagship soundbar — and it’s proof you don’t need to spend $2k on a full home theater setup
• Apple's iOS 27 beta 3 update finally introduces a brilliantly clever and streamlined control interface for AirPods Adaptive mode, empowering users to instantly fine-tune ambient noise blending intensity with just a simple tap
• The Marshall Acton IV won me over with its charming retro design and incredible sound — and it’s earned a permanent spot on my coffee table

The Denon Home 600 has all the makings of one of the best smart speakers. Sound is the most important thing, right? You’ll be pleased to know that the Home 600 sounds fantastic. There’s enviable balance across the entire frequency range, rich bass, and energetic mids.

So why only a 3.5-star rating? Why not 5? Two reasons: one, the price. $799 is a lot to spend on a home speaker that doesn’t even have its own built-in smart assistant. Two, the companion app: HEOS works, but it has major issues. While not as speaker-breaking as Sonos’ headline-making app problems last year, HEOS just feels like it was designed to be frustrating. And when you’re spending $800 on a speaker, there’s simply no room for these rookie errors.

But if you want a seriously good home speaker that will have your guests going “Ooh” and “Aah”, then you’ll definitely want to learn more. To find out, keep reading this Denon Home 600 review.

Denon Home 600 review: Specs

Denon Home 600 review: Price & availability

There’s no way around it: the Denon Home 600 is very, very, very expensive. It’s a whopping $799 from Amazon U.S. and £599 from Amazon U.K. This is considerably pricier than any competition — the Bose Lifestyle Ultra ($299, although more comparable to Denon’s $399 Home 200 in size), the Apple HomePod 2 ($299), Google Audio Home Speaker ($119), and even its smaller sibling, the Denon Home 400 ($599). Even Sonos’s Era 300 is $499 — yes, $300 cheaper than the Denon Home 600.

There’s not really anything in the Home 600’s ballpark. It’s bigger, heavier, and more expensive than any other home speaker I’ve come across. This is a speaker. No, this is a Speaker. Capital letters required here.

Denon Home 600 review: Design

Just like the Denon Home 400, the Home 600 is beautiful. It’s huge, at almost 18 inches wide and 9 inches deep. Obviously, I don’t know the layout of your home, but this speaker didn’t fit anywhere in my apartment. The Home 400 looks beautiful on my mantlepiece, but the 600 was too deep to fit here. I had to put it on the coffee table. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend it for small homes.

If you’ve got the space, though, it’ll look gorgeous in your place. The speaker comes in charcoal or stone — obviously, I tested stone. The mesh cover is pleasing to the eye, and the buttons are tactile and accessible. I especially like the brushed metal casing and the tactile plastic on the front speaker; features like this just make it feel more elevated and elegant than Bose, Sonos, and Apple’s equivalents.

Another thing that makes the Home 600 feel elevated? The 5.1 speaker configuration. Yes, the Home 600 has five speakers and a built-in subwoofer, all with individual pre-amps. In real terms, this means the speakers aren’t fighting for power, and the speaker itself has an impressive 170W of audio power.

Connectivity

Apart from the gargantuan size, what sets the Denon Home 600 apart from other smart speakers is the range of connectivity options. Rather than just being a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth speaker — which it can do — it also has hi-res USB-C playback and a 3.5mm input.

As this is a home speaker, I listened via the HEOS app and Spotify Connect.

Smart home features

As with the Denon Home 400, the Home 600 isn’t actually a “smart speaker” in the traditional sense… in that it can’t actually function as a smart speaker. If you have a HomePod, you can add the Denon Home collection to your Apple Home, but the speakers don’t have a native smart assistant. Consequently, you cannot use them as you might expect — no “Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes” or “Hey Google, put a note in my calendar”. The speakers simply do not function like this.

As I don’t have a HomePod, the Denon Home 600 was effectively just a home speaker with AirPlay and Bluetooth (and USB-C playback). Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great speaker, but this is a pretty major con if you’re looking specifically for a smart speaker. You’d be better off with the Google Nest, Bose, a Sonos, or Apple HomePod 2.

Denon Home 600 review: Sound quality

As with the Denon Home 400, the 600 sounds great. It has a range of connectivity options, as discussed above, which will impress audiophiles more than, say, the Bose Lifestyle Speaker. Due to its positioning as a smart/wireless speaker, I tested via Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles, built into HEOS.

Before listening, the HEOS app will prompt you to calibrate your sound based on the room. You don’t have to do anything other than tell the app how close the speaker is to a wall.

First, I played Call Me by Blondie. The ravenous guitars were powerful and rich through the Home 600, and the vocals were clear and expansive. Every layer of the track was nicely balanced, and I could even hear the synths skating across the guitars. Blondie sounded great here.

Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day is a little heavier, with louder guitars, more overwhelming bass, and more raucous percussion. The Home 600 did struggle a little separating the vocals here — Billy Joe Armstrong’s own guitar drowned him out, so I had to turn down the bass. This helped poor Billy Joe to be heard over the instrumental, but the vocals were still a little quiet.

I listened to a few more rock songs from a similar era — Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and Muse — and it was just the Green Day track that suffered from suppressed vocals.

Last, I played Tambourine by The Dare, an electronic track with wobbly synth notes and processed vocals. This song sounded fantastic, with powerful, punchy bass and trickling synth notes clear in the top end of the track. It was super wide, clean, and overall just a fantastic performance.

The Denon Home 600 sounds fantastic. It has a wide, high soundscape with delicate handling of soft, high-frequency sounds. The low-end is controlled, but can be insistent and powerful with the bass upped to max. Although I wish the treble was a little less sharp in some genres — rock particularly — this didn’t upset me that much.

Oh, and when I grouped the Home 400 and 600? Magic. I just wish the speaker wasn’t held back by HEOS usability issues… which I’ll get into now.

Denon Home 600 review: App

If you’re familiar with Denon/Marantz products, you’ll likely also be familiar with HEOS. I’m in a love/hate relationship with HEOS. On the one hand, its new design is visually appealing.

On the other hand, it can be just ever-so-slightly frustrating. As I now have the Denon Home 400 and Denon Home 600, I can group my speakers to play the same music or ungroup them to play different songs. Well, kind of. You can group the speakers easily, but if you want to switch the master speaker, you can’t. You have to manually play the same playlist from the secondary speaker and manually turn off the master speaker, and then regroup. Yep, annoying.

However, if you want to stream through both speakers via Spotify, you have to do this from Spotify itself rather than HEOS. Confused? Yeah, me too. Here’s a screenshot so you can see what I mean.

HEOS is a quirky app. For example, you need to go into the ‘Rooms’ tab and activate your desired speaker before searching for music; otherwise, it will play using the last active speaker. You can’t click on the name at the bottom and select from your connected speakers. Again — confused? Me, too.

You also can’t use the built-in streaming services as normal in HEOS. For example, you can’t click on an artist name to view the artist page. You can either choose from Qobuz’s playlists or search for your own. If you want to peruse your own playlists, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the Qobuz widget. On top of this, after a song finishes, HEOS doesn’t play the rest of the playlist. It autoplays from previously played tracks. You have to click ‘Play all’ or ‘Shuffle’. It’s just little things like this that make HEOS a touch non-user-friendly.

So while HEOS is quirky, it just depends on whether you have the will and patience to learn. At $800, though, a companion app shouldn’t be quirky. It should just work. But this unfortunately seems par for the course. Remember the Sonos app drama last year? What is it with audio brands releasing fantastic speakers with unfortunate app issues?

Denon Home 600 review: Verdict

The Denon Home 600 is an incredible speaker. Sorry, Speaker (if you remember the lame joke I made at the start of this review). It sounds gorgeous, with lively bass and subtle detail in the high-end. With two Denon Homes, the grouped room playback is awesome.

However, this speaker has a 3.5-star rating for a reason, and that reason is HEOS-shaped. I want to give this speaker 4 stars, because its sound and design deserve it. But HEOS is a relentless beast intent on making me want to pull my hair out. There are quality-of-life issues that require fixing before I can wholeheartedly recommend the Denon Home 600. The Home 400 was cheaper, so these issues were easier to overlook. But $800? Nah. It’s gotta be perfect if you’re asking for almost a grand.

If you can look past app issues, then you won’t be disappointed by the Home 600. It sounds beautiful, looks beautiful, and comes so close. Just ignore HEOS, play direct from your streaming app, and it could be a 4.5-star product.

I've been a Spotify Premium user for over a decade. That means, over the years, they've had quite a lot of my money. I get to listen to any song I want at any time I want, and as a self-proclaimed audio fanatic, that's a big deal. But I don't think I've always been getting my money's worth.

I used to simply pay for my subscription and listen to my regular playlists. But since learning about the perks that come with a Premium account, Spotify has become my one-stop shop for most of my downtime.

So, if you want to squeeze the most out of your subscription too, you can keep reading to discover how to get the most bang for your buck with my favorite Spotify Premium perks.

Free audiobooks

As an avid reader, I recently discovered the bliss that is a good audiobook. I usually lean towards thrillers or biographies that can feel more like a podcast when listening, but they've changed the way I complete daily tasks. They can speed up mundane actions like cooking and cleaning by transporting your mind somewhere else entirely.

I would much rather have the physical book (as a kind of trophy), so I wouldn't spend my money on an audiobook. However, with my Premium Spotify subscription, I can get 15 hours of free audiobook listening.

Most audiobooks are longer than this, but you can simply keep listening the following month. I've found that 15 hours is more than enough for me, though.

It's also worth bearing in mind that your unused hours won't roll over to the next month, so you need to use your full 15 to get bang for your buck.

Peloton workouts

If you have a Peloton machine such as the bike or treadmill, an All-Access Membership will cost you $49 per month, but you can get workouts from Peloton included with your Spotify Premium subscription. Since discovering this, I have saved so much money by taking pilates and barre classes from the comfort of my home instead of heading to the gym for supplementary classes.

The subscription gives you access to thousands of ad-free on-demand classes, which include strength training, yoga, barre, pilates and running. While it's not likely to supplement your gym membership, depending on your activity level, it's perfect for when you're too busy to make it to a class.

Audio quality

By paying for a Spotify Premium subscription, you get access to improved audio quality settings. I honestly think it's a shame that you have to pay extra for this, but them's the rules.

In September 2025, Spotify Lossless became included with a Premium subscription, but to activate it, you need to head into your app settings and alter your streaming quality. This is because Spotify automatically caps the streaming quality to save your mobile data.

When listening at home, and if you have an unlimited data plan, you should take full advantage of the sound quality available to you and adjust the audio quality to the highest possible settings.

AI prompted playlists

I've talked about Spotify's generative AI playlists before, and after using them for months, they've quickly become one of my favorite Premium features.

Prompted playlists use generative AI to create personalized playlists based on prompts you give in the app and your listening data. By analyzing my listening habits, the app gives me playlists I love listening to every single time.

If I want to listen to music but I'm not entirely certain what I'm in the mood for, this is my favorite way to shake things up. And I've actually discovered some of my favorite artists and songs this way.

So, do you think you'll try out any of these features to get the most out of your subscription? Let me know in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve been testing Spotify’s generative AI to make my playlists — and it’s redefining my music taste
• I don’t want to sacrifice audio quality just because I’m working out, and the Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 open earbuds are the answer
• I ditched the AirPods to test the newest affordable open-earbuds for working out — and I can't recommend them highly enough

The Edifier MR5 are some of the best budget-friendly studio monitors I’ve ever tested, and certainly some of the best speakers you can buy these days. Although they’re not quite as precise as pricier alternatives — think the Cambridge L/R S ($459) or Dali Kupid ($600), they’re excellent for well under $400.

With a veritable feast of connectivity types — we’re talking Aux, RCA, TRS, XLR, and Bluetooth — and a litany of customization options in the Edifier ConneX app, these monitors will be great for any content creator, music producer, or even casual listener. Heavier music fans might be better with the much cheaper Edifier R1280T or the Edifier S880DB MKII, but acoustic, pop, and electronic fans need look no further.

So, are the Edifier MR5 worth their salt, or can you find better seasoning elsewhere? Short answer: worth it. But to find out the full story, keep reading this Edifier MR5 review.

Edifier MR5 review: Specs

Edifier MR5 review: Price & availability

The Edifier MR5 are $349 from Amazon U.S. and £279 from Amazon U.K. This makes them considerably more expensive than the Edifier R1280T ($149), my personal turntable speakers, and the Edifier M60 ($199). If you’re on a budget, I’d recommend getting one of those speakers instead — they’re cheaper, but still sound awesome. That’s not to say the MR5 aren’t worth it — they are — but every penny helps, right?

I’ve also tested the mid-range Cambridge L/R S ($549) and the premium-on-a-budget Edifier S880DB MKII ($449), both of which are your more punchy, louder speakers rather than the accurate studio-monitor-sound-profile of the MR5.

Edifier MR5 review: Design

The Edifier MR5 look like your standard Edifier speakers. They’re quite large, at 10 inches high, 6 inches wide, and 11 inches deep. I wouldn’t recommend them for small setups or for people who value a pretty speaker.

They don’t look as striking as the Edifier S880DB MKII, so I’d recommend those if you want an eye-catching speaker. Alternatively, I’d recommend the DALI Kupid ($600) (but you need an AVR), or the Kanto UKI ($269).

Controls

The MR5 have just one on-speaker control. You’ve got the volume dial on the front of the speaker and a headphone output. Of course, you can also control the speakers via Edifier’s ConneX app, which I’ll discuss in more detail below.

You’ve got a treble and bass (lovingly named “high” and “low”) on the back of the speaker, but I’d like to see these knobs on the front in future. It’s quite annoying to turn the speakers around just to increase bass.

Connectivity

If you need studio monitors that can do it all, the MR5 might just be it. On top of the standard RCA and aux connectivity ports, the MR5 also have Bluetooth, RCA, and even XLR. This is ideal for studio musicians or home producers who need the highest possible quality. If you’re using broadcast mics, then you’ll need an XLR connection for the best quality. Unfortunately, the MR5 don’t have USB-C listening.

I found connecting to Bluetooth and Aux easy. There’s really nothing else for me to say! These speakers work as advertised.

The array of connectivity types might be a little too much for casual home listeners — in that case, I’d recommend the aforementioned R1280T.

Edifier MR5 review: App

As with other Edifier products like the M60 and the S880DB MKII, the MR5 are compatible with the ConneX app. You have to connect via Bluetooth to be able to control the speakers, but the speakers should remember your settings for analog listening sessions. When I first unboxed the speakers, I had to update the firmware. This took 10 minutes, so bear in mind if you wanted to get listening straight away.

In terms of the app functions, there are actually some unique features. You can customize a 9-band EQ, choose between ‘Music’ or ‘Monitor’ EQs, and calibrate the room with the “Acoustic Space” configuration (decrease decibel level to compensate for wall placement). You can also configure desktop placement and cut-off frequencies from 20Hz to 100Hz. I didn’t notice a huge difference when I activated “Desktop control”, but “Acoustic Space” did make a difference to the bass. I kept it on 0dB.

As you can see, these functions are less gimmicky than those on the S880DB MKII, so I would actually recommend downloading this app and having a play around.

Edifier MR5 review: Sound quality

To test sound quality, I listened to a variety of genres on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles. I listened via Aux and Bluetooth. Of course, Aux provided the most “accurate” sound, but Bluetooth sounded good, too.

I played “Atomic” by Blondie via Bluetooth. The soundscape was incredibly wide. The opening guitars and synths sounded expansive and detailed, and the flitting keyboard notes darted around the guitar melody with verve. Debbie Harry’s voice sounded fantastic; clear, detailed, and sonorous. There was no pinching at the top of the treble or in the cymbals.

After, I played “The Nightlife” by Honey Dijon. This house track is built over a swallowed synth motif, which rolls across the soundscape in what sounds like a full circle. The stereo imaging on these speakers is fantastic. I could feel the synth moving from left to right, up, down, and back again without moving my head. The treble did sound a little too bright so I reduced the “high” knob, which helped.

Lastly, I played “Citizen Erased” by Muse. This episodic rock track has a duplicate guitar + bass riff, so is great for testing heavy instrument separation. The percussion sounded great, with a bright snare drum and twinkling cymbals. The sludgy guitars weren’t as separated as I’d like, but the synth alarm sounds flickered across the soundscape like fireflies. I’d get these speakers if you

Although everything sounded good, and I’d gladly use these speakers as my main speakers at home. I’d recommend these speakers more for electronic, pop, or acoustic fans than for messy guitar music.

Edifier MR5 review: Verdict

Although somewhat ugly, the Edifier MR5 are great midrange speakers with good spaciousness and clarity. On top of having fantastic sound, they also boast a veritable feast of connectivity options — XLR, RCA, TRS, Aux, and Bluetooth. Hello? Did someone say spoiled? We’re eating tonight, guys.

There’s also basic room calibration in the form of “Acoustic Space” and “Desktop Control”. Obviously, if you want true room calibration, you’ll want to check out the Dirac-powered Klipsch The Sevens II ($2,000), but this is great for $300.

Would I buy these speakers? If I had a large desk space, 100%. The sound is rich and clear, and although some heavier tracks weren’t as detailed as I’d like, for electronic, pop, and acoustic, these studio monitors are fantastic. The MR5 are another home run from Edifier. When will it end?

Summer is here — and with it comes plenty of beach days and pool parties! If you need a bluetooth speaker that can keep up with all the fun vibes, you've come to the right place.

I've been scouring Amazon for affordable speakers and to my surprise, I found a bunch that are under $100. Even better? They come from top brands like Bose, JBL and Anker. Plus, several hold top spots on Tom's Guide's list of best waterproof bluetooth speakers we've tested.

If you're ready to upgrade your bluetooth speaker without depleting your wallet, keep scrolling to check out my favorite Amazon speaker deals starting at just $22.

Quick Links

• shop all speaker deals on Amazon
• Tribit PocketGo: was $29 now $22
• Anker Soundcore 2: was $45 now $33
• JBL Go 5: was $54 now $44
• Ultimate Ears WonderBoom 4: was $99 now $51
• Bose SoundLink Micro: was $129 now $79
• JBL Flip 6: was $129 now $83
• Soundcore Boom 2: was $129 now $90
• Bose SoundLink Flex (Gen 2): was $149 now $99

Best Bluetooth Speaker Deals

Shop more deals

The Sennheiser HD 550 are a set of mid-range open-back headphones, designed for critical listening. For a reasonable price (relatively speaking), they offer exceptional, high-end audio. Get them on sale, though, and they’re an absolute bargain.

They’re not totally perfect, with a cheap-looking design that doesn’t fold, and only a thin fabric bag supplied for storage, which feels a little stingy at this price. Those issues are minor, though, and matter very little when the HD 550 are actually on your head.

Performance-wise, there’s virtually nothing to complain about, as long as you want a neutral, rather than warm sound profile. So, could these be the best headphones for you? Probably. Read my full Sennheiser HD 550 review to find out.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Specs

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Price & availability

The Sennheiser HD 550 cost $349 at Amazon, although we’ve seen them drop to $199 at Amazon during sales events, so it’s worth holding out for a deal. Even at their full MSRP, though, I think they’re extremely good value for money (as you’ll see later). In the U.K., they’re a veritable bargain, costing just £179 at Richer Sounds.

The HD 550 compete with the likes of the Philips Fidelio X3 ($349 MSRP, but can also be found for under $200), Grado SR325X ($349) and Meze Audio 105 AER ($399). Personally, I prefer the Meze cans, which feel a little more premium and special with Meze’s typically striking aesthetic, and have a warmer (slightly bassier) profile. If you want that neutral tuning, though, which I understand, it’s Sennheiser all the way.

Likewise, if you simply can’t stretch the balance to the $399 105 AER, the HD 550 are a fantastic budget alternative if you can pick them up for that sub-$200 sale price. I've no qualms recommending that course of action.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Design

My only major gripe about the HD 550 isn’t actually that major. I personally think they’re kinda ugly. I find the long oval earcup design rather dated, and, dare I say it, uncannily ‘anatomical’ in appearance — the way they drop down from the headband resembles a particular diagram from biology class.

Meanwhile, the plain finish reminds me of the ultra-cheap Sennheiser cans we used in music class. But, realistically, when they’re on your head, looks don’t matter. I guess I’m just spoiled by having the Meze 105 AER at home.

I’ve also been testing the retro (and U.S.-made) Grado SR325 recently, whose mid-20th-century styling is absolutely stunning in my opinion. The HD 550 comfort and sound quality are both in a different league, though, so my advice is still to go German if you’re torn between the two.

While they're not pretty, the HD 550 are built like all Sennheisers I've tested: extremely well. They're light, but this hasn't come at the sacrifice of sturdiness. There’s no rattling or shaking, as I’ve experienced with some “premium” headphones (looking at you, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2). The plastics might look a little tacky but they're of high quality, and the metal grate on the back of the earcups feels premium, too.

With Sennheiser, whether it’s the $40 CX 80U or $399 Momentum 5, it doesn’t make a difference — everything the brand makes is built to an exacting standard, and I love that.

The HD 550 don’t fold, which isn’t a huge issue as they’re intended for home use — because they’re open backs, you’ll damage the drivers by exposing them to the elements. There’s no proper case for them, though, just a soft pouch, so be careful when storing that nothing else crushes them. At $349, a thin pouch feels more than a little stingy to me. The Meze 105 AER, by contrast, come with a hard-shell case and cable pouch, although the Grado SR325 come with literally nothing but a cable, so I suppose it could be worse.

Comfort

Comfort-wise, I didn’t have high hopes for the HD 550 — that plasticky finish rekindled memories of the Sennheiser HD 400U and their super-thin headband. Thankfully, I was proven wrong, and the HD 550 are really comfortable to wear.

There are no frills — no suspended headband design, as on the 105 AER — just a spongey, padded leatherette headband and some soft synthetic velour earcup pads. Depending on the shape of your head, I can see the two metal brackets either side of the headband padding might dig in, although I didn’t have this issue. The velour ear pads are squishy, comfy and breathable, and I had no issues with them getting hot or sweaty after a few hours use, although admittedly I was in an air-conditioned room. A huge step up over the (frankly unacceptable) raw foam pads on the Grado SR80 ($175) and SR325.

Sennheiser makes a big deal about how light the HD 550 are, and about how much attention has been paid to clamp force — specifically, the reduction thereof. Guilty on both counts but, y’know, in a good way. After several hours I had no neck ache from weight, and no pressure on my temples from clamping.

Connectivity

There’s really very little to the HD 550, connectivity-wise. These headphones are designed for critical wired music listening at home, and for gaming, so there’s no wireless, no onboard controls, and nothing fancy. They plug in via a cable, with a 3.5mm jack and 6.3mm adapter included.

Drive

The HD 550 are easy headphones to drive, with a sensitivity of 106.7dB/V, which equates to 98.5dB/mW given their 150Ω impedance. In layman’s terms, that means with 1mW of power fed in, the HD 550 will output 98.5 decibels of sound, which is nice and loud.

1mW isn’t a lot of power, so you can run these cans from your laptop, or even your smartphone, and get loud enough sound. Ideally, though, you’ll want to use a DAC/Amp, which can deliver more power and better digital audio conversion, for a tighter overall sound than running straight from a phone or laptop.

Initially during testing, the only DAC/Amp I had at hand was the iFi GR2, which was monumentally overpowered. Even at volume level 1 (0 is mute, 100 is full), the sound was painfully loud. I just stepped down in power to the FiiO K11 R2R, which was perfect, and delivered slightly richer bass than running straight from my MacBook Pro.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Sound quality

The HD 550 use a 150Ω dynamic driver, which Sennheiser proudly claims is built by the manufacturer itself in Ireland (as opposed to being built by a third party in China, I guess). According to Sennheiser, these drivers deliver supreme fidelity across the frequency range, precise channel matching and a wide soundstage. And yeah, that’s about right.

The HD 550 boast Sennheiser’s famously neutral sound. Personally, I prefer the warmer tune of the Meze 105 AER. But there’s still a nice amount of bass on the HD 550. They have no problems with the easy stuff down to about 60Hz or so, in electronic songs like Burn Water’s bassy-as-hell Ikigai, for instance. The bass that’s there sounds textured and well-controlled, too, with no distortion, bleeding or muddying on heavy rock tracks like Melvins’ Honey Bucket.

However, there’s not much extension into tricker subby stuff, despite the response range bottoming out at a low 6Hz on paper. The closing 20 seconds of SOHN’s Antigravity is composed primarily of the deepest sub bass known to mankind, which the HD 550 weren’t able to replicate very well. In fairness, the only headphones I’ve used that even come close to relaying what that song is supposed to sound like (i.e. on a large hi-fi speaker system) are the SLAM-plate-fitted Audeze LDC5-S, which vibrate my skull during the song’s close… but cost $4,500. In short, it’s a tough track, and I’m not marking the HD 550 down here — they’re just not designed to be subby.

My favorite thing about the HD 550 is the spotlessly clean mid-range. Guitars in particular sound absolutely great, with so much presence, precision and dynamism audible in the riffs of Honey Bucket and of QOTSA’s Medication. They’re not just suited to guitary business either: the oscillating opening synths of Dadi Freyr’s electropop Hot Damn had bags of punch and texture. It was like being in da club.

Then there’s the treble, which is gloriously detailed. I was picking out the softest of ethereal backing vocals in Ikigai, and even the trailing reverb of Chris Stapleton’s vocals bouncing off the recording studio’s walls in Death Row. It’s not too bright, though, so I never found myself fatigued or suffering ear-ache from cymbals.

The soundstage is likewise fantastic. Imaging is solid for the money, and I could pinpoint the plethora of production elements in The Who’s Eminence Front. And as open backs, there’s plenty of width and openness to the sound, too, with Antigravity’s almost disorientingly spatial intro pinging inwards and outwards in distinct layers from/to my ears. Lovely.

Listen along to my audio testing playlist on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Verdict

If you’re after highly detailed sound on a modest budget, I can’t think of any better headphones to buy. Okay, they don’t look as premium as rivals at the same MSRP, and I feel a bit shortchanged by the pouch, but those are minor issues. Bass isn’t the punchiest, either, so if you’re after a slightly warmer profile I’d recommend the Meze 105 AER instead. But if it’s the neutral profile you like — which many do, it simply comes down to preference — then the HD 550 are it.

I’ll end on an anecdote: after I finished testing, I passed the HD 550 to my colleague, Erin, who took a listen and summed things up just about perfectly, saying “this is how music is supposed to be listened to.”

I've tested $3,000 soundbars. I've tested $67 soundbars. And I've tested pretty much every level in between. At some point, the price-vs-performance ratio must plateau, right? Yes, kind of. Once you're looking at more than around $2,000, I'd forget a soundbar and get either floor-standers, built-ins, or buy each piece individually. You'd probably get a better overall sound.

But if you want an all-in-one, JBL's finally got the answer for you: the JBL Bar 1300XMK2. I tested the original last year and loved it, so I was incredibly relieved when the upgraded version blew me away, too.

The Bar 1300XMK2 has a ton of features that make it one of the best all-in-one soundbars, but the painless calibration, fantastic width and height, and ease of use make it unbeatable. Here's why the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 is now my favorite soundbar for a true movie theater experience.

Home movie theater in 3, 2, 1...

The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 has 23 drivers. Yep. 23 drivers. There are 19 drivers in the soundbar itself, one in each rear, and two 8-inch woofers in the sub. This is an incredible amount of speaker power. You're looking at an 11.1.4 channel configuration. In real terms, this means you've got upfiring sound, side-firing sound, and front-firing sound. And in real, real terms, this means you get truly immersive Dolby Atmos, powerful bass, and crystal-clear dialogue.

In my 4.5-star review, I wrote, "Every flying scene [in "Top Gun: Maverick"] was particularly outstanding." When Maverick flies in hypersonic, the bass "rumbled through the subwoofer with immense energy and depth." But it wasn't just the low-end: "Each siren blare and alarm was clear over the pounding bass. Equally, the Bar 1300XMK2 balanced high-frequency diegetic sounds like rustling papers and ticking clocks with similarly diegetic dialogue perfectly."

In short, this is a soundbar to end all soundbars. If I could take one soundbar home forever, it'd be the Bar 1300XMK2.

Power-per-penny math

Alright, let's do some soundbar math. Just a forewarning: this is just for fun. This is not supposed to be the pinnacle of what makes a good soundbar. Obviously, your personal experience and personal watching/listening style means more than power-per-price. My intention here is to shine a light on just how powerful the JBL is.

The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 has a max output of 1570 watts. If we take the MSRP of $1,699 and divide it by the 1570W power, this works out to $1.08 per watt.

Another of my favorites, the Samsung QS750F, costs $899 with 345W, which works out to $2.60 per watt.

One of the most high-end soundbars I've tested is the Yamaha True X Surround 90A, which will set you back $3,499 for 630W of power. This works out to $55.53 per watt.

In essence, the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 is a darn powerful soundbar, subwoofer, and rears combo. When I was testing the soundbar, the walls and floorboards were shaking. One of my colleagues came upstairs and asked me what I was doing!

Would you try the JBL Bar 1300XMK2, or would you rather something smaller (and cheaper)? If I had $1,200 to spend on a home theater setup, it would 100% be the 1300XMK2.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple's iOS 27 beta 3 update finally introduces a brilliantly clever and streamlined control interface for AirPods Adaptive mode, empowering users to instantly fine-tune ambient noise blending intensity with just a simple tap
• The Marshall Acton IV won me over with its charming retro design and incredible sound — and it’s earned a permanent spot on my coffee table
• ‘Easy on the eyes and ridiculously stunning sound’ — I tested the Marshall Stanmore IV home speaker and it’s coming for Sonos’ crown

I test a lot of audio gear, including speakers. Not just Bluetooth speakers, of course: smart speakers, home speakers, you name it. Sometimes, when I test a speaker and notice that it costs the same as another speaker, my mind can't help but pit them against one another. I'm a tech reviewer, after all, that's my job! But what happens when one's a Bluetooth speaker and the other is a mains-powered home speaker?

That's what happened this week when I reviewed the beautiful Marshall Stanmore IV. It's a mains-powered speaker and the latest addition to the fourth iteration of Homeline, Marshall's series of indoors home speakers. I awarded it 4.5-stars and the coveted Editor's Choice Award in my review. And you know what else received the same score?

The JBL Xtreme 5. Though I didn't review it — my colleague Erin did — I've listened to it and I agree with everything she said in her review. The Xtreme 5 costs the same as the Stanmore IV: $399 in the U.S. Of course, the Xtreme 5 is a rugged speaker that can be used outdoors, which is quite the opposite of the Stanmore IV. So, if you had to choose one, which is right for you? I know which is right for me, so let's get into it.

Outdoors or at-home listening?

The biggest question to ask yourself when deciding between the JBL Xtreme 5 and the Marshall Stanmore IV is this: "Am I taking it outdoors, or leaving it at home?" If the answer is outdoors, then the Xtreme 5 is the natural choice.

This speaker is extremely rugged, capable of surviving drops and falls. It's IP68-rated, making it waterproof and the most durable speaker on the market right now.

In terms of portability, the Xtreme 5 weighs 6.4lbs and features a carry strap, so you can lug it around on your shoulder. And just because it's designed for the outdoors doesn't mean you can't use it indoors either. Bluetooth 6.0 wireless and lossless USB-C wired playback make it the speaker that can do everything, really.

But I wouldn't be so quick to write off the Stanmore IV either. Sure, you can't really use it away from a plug but if it's pure power and rock 'n' roll sound you're after, this is the speaker to get. The main advantage of a mains-powered speaker is that it delivers consistently high volume, as the mains power drives the internal amplifiers at full capacity, delivering a great dynamic range. Battery-powered Bluetooth speakers, on the other hand, often try to conserve energy so they can't always play at consistently high volumes.

The Xtreme 5 can get loud, but the Stanmore IV can get very loud. I've soundtracked dinners on my balcony with the Stanmore IV. Even when it's been playing indoors, it's been loud enough to hear outside. Dynamic Loudness, which is Marshall-speak for fine-tuned frequencies that sound the same regardless of the volume, plays a key role here too, as you can listen at the highest volume without any noticeable distortion. Marshall's 'Made of Loud' motto makes a lot of sense now.

There is another...

To quote the great philosopher Yoda, "There is another." The Marshall Stanmore IV isn't the only new kid on the block, or addition to the Marshall Homeline IV, if you will. There's also the Marshall Acton IV, which is basically a smaller (and cheaper) version of the Stanmore IV. It looks near-identical and its internal hardware is almost the same too — except that it has a smaller, 4-inch woofer compared to the Stanmore IV's 5-inch woofer.

In a similar vein, the JBL Xtreme 5 isn't the only speaker that dropped in March 2026. I reviewed the JBL Go 5 when it came out and I absolutely loved it. It quickly became my go-to for taking outdoors, as I loved its pocketable form factor.

Just like the Xtreme 5, the Go 5 is also IP68-rated and drop-proof. If the Xtreme 5 is out of your budget, the Go 5 is a fantastic sub-$60 speaker. And this is a nice segue into why we're all here: the speaker I'd choose...

We have a winner

This is a personal take, but I'm not a fan of carrying around big speakers when I go on a picnic with my partner or friends. Thing is, I'm never going to be blasting my tunes outdoors — I don't like disturbing the local wildlife. All I want is a portable speaker that's loud enough to soundtrack a small gathering without disturbing anyone else.

The JBL Go 5 does just that — and truth be told, many other small speakers do, too, like the Tribit StormBox Mini+ (which, since reviewing, I still use today). If push came to shove and you asked me to choose between the JBL Xtreme 5 and the Marshall Stanmore IV, I'm going with the Stanmore IV. I love having a speaker that's plugged in all the time, and playing tunes on it when my partner and I are cooking, or she's making art and I'm playing a video game.

If I had to spend $399 on one speaker, the Stanmore IV would be an easy decision for me. It's got the retro looks, the loud and ridiculously stunning sound, and connectivity in spades, and it feels like the perfect home speaker. The Xtreme 5 is no doubt awesome in its own right, but it's just not for me. My ideal combination is a powerful home speaker and a tiny pocketable speaker — so I'm sticking with the Stanmore IV and the Go 5 for as long as I can.

More from Tom's Guide

• The JBL Go 5 is one of the best budget speakers I’ve tested, and it offers stellar sound for just $54
• ‘Easy on the eyes and ridiculously stunning sound’ — I tested the Marshall Stanmore IV home speaker and it’s coming for Sonos’ crown
• JBL Xtreme 5 review: The most rugged, bassiest, and gnarliest Xtreme yet

We're now into July, which means we've done six full months of testing here at Tom's Guide in 2026. From coffee machines, through to vacuums, gaming handhelds, laptops and phones — not only is it our job to put tech through its paces, it's what our journalists, editors and contributors love to do.

I'm Pete, Senior Reviews Editor here at Tom's Guide, and I head up our reviews coverage on site. My team of dedicated reviews writers alone have lab tested and reviewed hundreds of products already this year, with the wider Tom's Guide editorial team having testing dozens more. If you've not had your finger precisely on the pulse of the latest tech this year, well, I don't blame you — it's hard to keep tabs on everything. That's why we exist.

To help, I've gathered the Tom's Guide team's favorite products from 2026 so far. Obviously, I can't fit everything into a single article, so I asked our subject experts across the site to give me their top picks, too. I've also curated the top five highest scorers, which stand above the rest. Every product on here has been tested by us, hands-on, as part of a full, extensive review.

Read on to see the tech Tom's Guide loved in the first half of 2026.

Tom's Guide's Top 5

Every product on this list has scored at least four stars, earning our TG Recommended or Editor's Choice badges. But there are five products on this list that scored our full five stars after testing. These are the best of the best so far this year. To save you some time, here are the links to our reviews.

• DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review ★★★★★
• 007 First Light review ★★★★★
• KitchenAid Artisan Plus review ★★★★★
• Gozney Dome XL Gen 2 review ★★★★★
• Samsung S95H OLED review ★★★★★

Keep reading to see the rest of our top tested picks for 2026.

AI

Rokid Glasses

After 5,000 miles in the Rokids, we were seriously impressed
Score: ★★★★☆

The best smart glasses without a display are cool and all, but their features are usually rather limited to just asking questions about what you see. The Rokid Glasses proved to me that adding a screen turns that superpower into an ambient computing platform — offering features only when you need them and disappearing into the background in some stylish specs.

With that display, you get real-time conversation translation with text subtitles so you’re not having to try to listen to your smart glasses talk over the person in front of you. And the multi-modality unlocked by asking a question and just getting answers you can see makes them much more subtle. Not to say they’re perfect — the camera quality for snapping pictures suffers in low light and some features are very China-specific (like Alipay). But arm these with Google Gemini in setup, and they’re a genuinely helpful companion on your face for a decent price.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Rokid Glasses review

Cameras & drones

GoPro Mission 1 Pro

GoPro's return to form in the action camera game
Score: ★★★★½

After years essentially re-releasing the same Hero cameras with minor tweaks, GoPro has finally pushed itself. The Mission 1 Pro is pricey, but it’s the first GoPro I’ve been excited about in a while. It seriously impressed me with its powerful and versatile video credentials in testing, namely open gate 8K and a wealth of shooting features that make it ideal for its target market: professionals. Thanks to revised processor architecture and a shiny new battery, I managed to extract unparalleled battery life and thermals versus other action cameras in my standardized battery tests. GoPro is back!

Pete Wolinski, Senior Reviews & Cameras Editor
Read Pete’s full GoPro Mission 1 Pro review

DJI Osmo Pocket 4

The best all-around tool for content creation
Score: ★★★★★

I awarded the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 our full five stars in my review, and that’s because I literally couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Aside from the fact that it’s not available in America (yet?) due to tariffs and DJI’s ongoing feud with the U.S. government. The Osmo Pocket 4 improved on its predecessor in every single way that mattered: video, stabilization, storage, thermals, battery life, and more. If you’re after a single tool for professional-looking content creation, I really can’t think of anything better to recommend.

Pete Wolinski, Senior Reviews & Cameras Editor
Read Pete’s full DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review

DJI Avata 360

Although a little late to the 360 party, DJI absolutely smashed it
Score: ★★★★½

The DJI Avata 360 does exactly what you want a drone to do: make flying fun. It stakes its claim as the best 360° drone around (granted, there are only two at the time of writing, but still!) and its twin lenses capture every single angle in 8K at 60fps. 120MP hi-res stills, user-friendly editing software, and exceptional build quality make it the drone to buy today. It also undercuts its main competitor, the Antigravity A1, and with dual ways to fly (FPV and with a standard controller), the Avata 360 is versatile and oh-so-powerful. Every day I still think about it — and as someone who’s tested many, many quadcopters, that’s saying a lot.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full DJI Avata 360 review

Computing & gaming

MacBook Neo

Our favorite budget laptop, literally ever
Score: ★★★★½

Value for money in laptops has become a bit of a running joke this year (thanks, RAMageddon). But of all the companies building notebooks, I didn’t anticipate it would be Apple to deliver the goods and give you an honest-to-god well-priced system. Yes, there’s been a $100 increase recently, but even with that, the premium aluminum build quality, great display, tactile keyboard and zippy performance of that A18 Pro makes for a great system for the day-to-day essentials.

I must admit, to see Apple actually having fun with colors in its MacBooks is a refreshing change from the blacks and silvers of its more expensive lineage. All of this comes together into a laptop that has terrified the budget Windows laptop market, and the best ultra portable we’ve tested this year.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read our full MacBook Neo review

Asus Zenbook Duo (2026)

Dual OLED panels = chef's kiss
Score: ★★★★½

Yes, this is a dual-screen OLED beauty of a premium laptop; Asus has really paid attention to the design and ergonomics of a system like this. But the real superpower is what lies inside that shell. Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (codenamed Panther Lake) has been a truly generational moment for Team Blue in its Windows laptops, and it comes down to huge updates to both the performance and power efficiency.

Those new CPU cores and efficiency architecture they’re built onto gives this a gargantuan battery life that would make a MacBook blush, while the superpowered GPU (alongside XeSS 3) gives this some serious gaming laptop chops too. Usually, you had to be considerate of just what you wanted to do with your Windows laptop and decide on the strengths and compromises around that. With anything that sports an X9 chip like this, though, that’s no longer a compromise you have to make.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) review

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+

A true next-gen gaming handheld
Score: ★★★★☆

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ delivers the performance jump I’ve been waiting years for. With Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme chip, games are pulling a 20 to 30+ FPS advantage over AMD Z2 Extreme handhelds. Battery life gets a big boost too. I could hit the same performance as the Z2 Extreme at half the power consumption. Combine that with its major redesign bringing more Xbox-like controls, better haptics, and its large 8-inch 16:10 display, and you’re getting, in my opinion, one of the best handheld gaming consoles of 2026.

Paul Antill, Video Producer
Read our full MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review

007 First Light

Forget GoldenEye: this is the best Bond game ever
Score: ★★★★★

Gamers are being treated to a licensed games renaissance right now. The days of cheap cash-ins launched to coincide with a new blockbuster movie are over. But even in this golden era for video games based on popular media franchises, 007 First Light surpasses expectations.

Forget GoldenEye, First Light is the best James Bond game ever. With its ludicrously cinematic gameplay, compelling narrative that focuses on a younger Bond (played by Patrick Gibson), and deep commitment to authenticity, 007 First Light is easily the best thing to come out of this long-running spy series in 20 years, movies included. There’s a reason it was only the second video game I’ve given the full five stars. Whether you’re a longtime Bond fan or a newcomer, 007 First Light is quite simply unmissable.

Rory Mellon, Senior Entertainment Editor
Read Rory's full 007 First Light review

Epomaker Glyph

Nikita's dream keyboard
Score: ★★★★½

I’ve tested close to 100 keyboards in my time as a reviews writer, and it isn’t often that I get to proclaim, “I’ve found my dream keyboard.” Ever since I tested the Epomaker Glyph, it hasn’t left my desk, and it’s my daily driver when I’m at the office. Typewriter-like aesthetics, a return lever that acts as an Enter or Backspace key, beautiful RGB lighting, a creamy sound profile, and a typing experience that’s nothing short of stunning — all of these characteristics come together to deliver what’s probably the best mechanical keyboard I’ve used for typing. I’m a speed demon when I’m bashing out 109 words per minute of this thing.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full Epomaker Glyph review

(A note from Nikita's editor, Pete: "I can confirm, the Glyph genuinely hasn't left her desk!")

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36

Pro performance for under $1,000
Score: ★★★★½

It’s no secret that MSI knows how to make a great gaming monitor, and its MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 is one of the most beautiful displays I’ve ever tested. Blistering 360Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time for buttery smooth gameplay? Check. Ridiculously accurate colors and wide color coverage? Yep. AI sleep and wake features that are actually useful and not just a gimmick? Oh yeah. And all of this is packed into a sleek design with plenty of ports. Not much to complain about here, really.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 review

Viture Beast AR glasses

Beast by name, beast by nature
Score: ★★★★½

I’ve traveled the world testing all of this year’s biggest AR glasses releases, and Viture Beast stands head and shoulders above the pack as the best I’ve used this year (so far). There’s three reasons why: picture quality, comfort and features. Viture’s color science and fidelity really shines in those micro-OLED displays with a massive 58-degree field of view. There’s a little edge fringing on the sides, but given the massive vision field, it’s unlikely you’ll notice it. And this is packed into a nice-feeling pair of glasses with a soft-touch coating that sits gently on your ears with optimal weight balance. Cap it all off with plenty of customization built in, plus the SpaceWalker app for multi-monitor home office setups, and the Beast are…well…pretty beastly for work and play.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Viture Beast review

Fitness

Fitbit Air

The best Whoop alternative, and subscription-free
Score: ★★★★☆

The Fitbit Air is my fitness tracker of the year so far. Discreet and distraction-free (no screen), this is a fitness tracker that's easy to use, lightweight, and oh-so-comfortable. Just $99 and subscription-free for core features, it offers a week of battery life and covers all the holistic metrics you'd expect from a modern device, like heart health, sleep quality, daily movement, and workouts. For most people, this is the best screen-free fitness tracker you can buy, and the new Google Health companion app makes viewing all your health data a dream.

Jane McGuire, Managing Editor, Fitness
Read our full Fitbit Air review

Salomon XT-6

Hike, shop or relax in comfort and style
Score: ★★★★½

The Salomon XT-6 shoes have become a staple in my closet. Whether I’m heading to the store or hitting up a challenging trail on the weekend, I know I’ll be supported. I wore these hiking sneakers on a city break, where I clocked over 93,000 steps and didn’t have a single complaint. Not only that, the multidirectional lugs kept me stable on even the trickiest terrain, as I hiked in mud, over rocks, and through water.

On top of their technical ability, the XT-6s are a fashion statement, worn all over New York by fashion-forward celebs; these shoes have earned a coveted spot in my daily rotation — although you’ll find me cleaning the mud off them after each adventure.

Ashley Thieme, Staff Writer
Read Ashley’s full Salomon XT-6 review

Homes

Dyson V16 Piston Animal Cordless

A powerful cordless Dyson that's perfect for pet owners
Score: ★★★★☆

I’ve tested my fair share of Dyson vacuum cleaners in my time, but I must say that the V16 combines all of my favorite features in one cleaner. First, its upgraded ‘Fluffy Cones’ head is designed to be used on both carpets and hard flooring without the need to swap over attachments. This is a great time-saver, and lets me quickly zip around my home without pausing. Perhaps my favorite feature is the dust-detecting green light which reveals those hidden dustballs lurking underneath furniture and in corners. Plus, it’s lightweight and easy to store, which is why it’s now my go-to for daily maintenance, and why I awarded our Editor’s Choice badge.

Cynthia Lawrence, Homes Editor
Read Cynthia’s full Dyson V16 Piston Animal Cordless review

KitchenAid Artisan Plus

The latest version of KitchenAid's legendary mixer, and the best one yet
Score: ★★★★★

I got to test KitchenAid’s newest stand mixer, the Artisan Plus, and it’s even better than I imagined. I’d been happily using KitchenAid’s Artisan stand mixer as my go-to appliance for a good few years, and I really didn’t see how it could be improved, but it has. It may only seem like a few tweaks, but they have made a big difference. From the sliding speed control that just glides, to the in-bowl light, which illuminates the mix — and let's not forget the double-edge flex beater that cleans the bowl as it sweeps past— I loved it so much during testing that I gave it a 5-star rating.

Camilla Sharman, Staff Writer
Read Camilla’s full KitchenAid Artisan Plus review

Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2)

The undisputed king of pizza ovens
Score: ★★★★★

If you’re a dedicated — and I mean dedicated — at-home pizza maker, the Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2) is the closest you’ll come to actually building a pizza oven from scratch. It can run on either gas, wood, or charcoal, has dual temperature probes, and is big enough to fit a 16-inch pie with room to spare. I loved its easy-to-ready displays, and the design of the oven is just gorgeous, too. Yes, it’s huge and it’s expensive (I’ve made equally good pizzas in much cheaper ovens), but this is the oven that’ll signal you’re the real pizzaiolo in your neighborhood.

Mike Prospero, U.S. Editor-in-chief
Read Mike’s full Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2) review

Fellow Espresso Series 1

Beginners or pros, coffee snobs or otherwise — this one is for everyone
Score: ★★★★½

When Fellow designed the Espresso Series 1, it looked at the other espresso machines out there and thought, “I’m going to do something different.” And different the Espresso Series 1 is. When I tested this machine, I loved that it provided coffee-snob-approved features while still being usable for complete beginners. On top of having a litany of customization options on the machine itself, I loved having the app, which walked me through how to make every type of coffee ever invented. You may think this is too ambitious, but for me, the Espresso Series 1 hits all its marks and comes out victorious.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full Fellow Espresso Series 1 review

Phones

Apple iPhone 17

A surprisingly solid update over the previous generation
Score: ★★★★½

Apple launched more new phones than in any previous year, but the iPhone 17 remains my favorite for several reasons. One thing that makes it stand out is that it finally got a long-overdue upgrade to a 120Hz refresh rate, making its screen look even more fluid than before in testing. On top of that, I really love how it didn’t get a price hike and still managed to get double the starting storage.

John Velasco, Senior Phones Editor
Read John's full iPhone 17 review

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The phone that'll get better over time
Score: ★★★★½

When it comes to Android phones, nothing caught my eye more than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung’s flagship received all the iterative updates it deserved, but one particular new feature stood out most: the Privacy Display. It works like magic, making the screen look dark when someone tries to peek at it from the side. You can even customize it to block out specific parts of the display — like when you’re messaging someone. This exclusive feature is what sets it apart from everything else.

John Velasco, Senior Phones Editor
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review

Sleep

Saatva Zenhaven Mattress

What you should be sleeping on in 2026
Score: ★★★★½

The Saatva Zenhaven latex mattress blew our socks off during testing, thanks to its naturally cooling and supportive sleep feel for eco-conscious shoppers. Handcrafted in the US from (mostly) organic materials, the Zenhaven boasts a flippable design with a different tension on each side: Luxury Plush and Gentle Firm. We appreciated how one side boasted more cushioning for side sleepers, while the unyielding feel of the firmer side best-suited back and stomach sleepers. At $3,549 at full MSRP it’s a splurge, but cheaper during Saatva mattress sales. However, it’s worth noting that latex mattresses can last up to 20 years, so we think it’s worth the investment.

Nicola Appleton, Sleep Editor
Read our full Saatva Zenhaven Mattress review

Fitnexa SomniPods 3

If you struggle sleeping, these earbuds are for you
Score: ★★★★☆

The Fitnexa SomniPods 3 are compact sleep earbuds that helped me sleep better in even the most disruptive environments (like my neighbor's son playing basketball at unsociable hours). Fitted with built-in white noise, excellent active noise cancelation, plus sleep tracking features, they’re an easy recommendation for any troubled sleepers. But the real stand-out feature for me is the Fitnexa app. Here, your own AI coach waits for you, ready to provide personalized advice based on your sleep tracking data, activity logs and food diaries. The info isn’t quite on par with a qualified sleep professional but thanks to the wealth of data to draw from, it was pretty spot on in testing, helping take the SomniPods from sleep earbud to all-round sleep enhancer.

Ruth Jones, Senior Sleep Writer
Read Ruth's full Fitnexa SomniPods 3 review

Smart home & security

Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+

A fantastic way to improve security on a budget
Score: ★★★★☆

Blink has long been one of our favorite budget smart home brands, and its newest battery-powered video doorbell furthers its reputation as a value leader. The Battery Doorbell 2K+ delivered very good 2K video in our testing — not the tops, but for a sub-$100 device it was more than acceptable. And, while it runs on AA batteries, they’ll last up to two years on a charge. You can also use this video doorbell without a subscription (you’ll need to purchase a separate adapter), but Blink’s subscription price is relatively affordable.

Mike Prospero, U.S. Editor-in-chief
Read our full Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+ review

TV & Audio

Samsung S95H OLED

Supreme picture quality, even in bright rooms
Score: ★★★★★

I’ve tested countless TVs, but the Samsung S95H is the first unit in several years that truly surpassed all my expectations. It completely shatters the familiar rules of OLED, obliterating ambient glare and delivering an unprecedented, jaw-dropping brightness in the self-emissive category. Even the floating metal bezel (a design choice I fully assumed I'd hate) adds a striking, premium presence I grew to love. Between its breathtaking performance and how seamlessly it transitions into a decor piece via Samsung Art Store support, this is a flagship that stands as a definitive standard-bearer.

Kate Kozuch, Managing Editor
Read Kate's full Samsung S95H OLED review

AirPods Max 2

Everything is dialed up to 11
Score: ★★★★½

It’s impossible to be a tech lover and not have strong opinions about Apple’s new AirPods Max 2. Some people love them, some people hate them, but I’m firmly in the first camp. The AirPods Max 2 are headphones that know what they’re about, and they’re not apologizing for it. With gorgeous anodized aluminum ear cups and an all-metal headband, they’re not the lightest cans in the world, but the sound more than makes up for it.

Every detail is clear, mids are melodic and vivacious, and the bass is balanced, rich, and warm. Of course, you’ve also got industry-leading smart tech features like Live Translation and integrated Siri, but Apple users looking for the best headphones need look no further than Apple’s own.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full Apple AirPods Max 2 review

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO

Open earbuds that make no sacrifices
Score: ★★★★½

The Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO have completely changed the way I think about open-earbuds (and I’ve tested a lot). Up until testing the ZEROs, I’d accepted that if I wanted ambient awareness, comfort and stability while working out, I’d need to sacrifice sound quality — but they prove that’s not the case. They provided me with the detailed listening experience I love from Beyerdynamic’s other headphones, without compromising bass performance, delivering perfectly balanced sound. I wear them when I’m working, running, or hiking in the rain (thanks to IP54 durability). They’re the only open earbuds I’ve tested with no compromises.

Ashley Thieme, Staff Writer
Read Ashley’s full Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review

JBL Xtreme 5

The party speaker for summer 2026
Score: ★★★★½

The JBL Xtreme 5 came, it saw, and it conquered. JBL really understood the assignment with the surprise follow-up to 2024’s Xtreme 4. Everything about the Xtreme 5 oozes confidence: the deft, controlled bass that’ll have your floorboards shaking and your bones quaking; the literally unbeatable IP68 rating that protects it against rain, sand, and drops; the gorpcore, utilitarian design; and of course the rugged 24-hour battery life. This is the party speaker of 2026. I’ve tested hundreds of audio products and Bluetooth speakers, but the Xtreme 5 is a special one.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full JBL Xtreme 5 review

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The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 has a lot to live up to. Its predecessor completely blew me away with its movie-theater-accurate sound and unbeatable ease of use. So is the MK2 enough to be one of the best soundbars?

If you couldn’t tell from the 4.5-star rating, yes. Yes it is. This is the easiest (and, arguably, the most affordable) way to achieve cinematic Dolby Atmos at home. Dialogue is crystal-clear, even in bombastic action scenes, and high-frequency detail sounds aren’t swallowed by bass. The sound is just unbeatable at this price.

At $1,699, this isn’t a cheap product by any means. But if you know anything about home theater, you’ll know that this actually isn’t too expensive for an 11.1.4 channel configuration — with 25 individual drivers. Want to find out more? Keep reading this JBL Bar 1300XMK2 review.

JBL Bar 1300XMK2 review: Specs

JBL Bar 1300XMK2 review: Price & availability

The JBL Bar 13000XMK2 is $1,699 from Amazon U.S. In the U.K., you’re looking at an MSRP of £1,299, but it’s currently “Coming Soon” on JBL’s site. Strangely, though, you can grab it from Amazon U.K. for around £1,160.

Although this four-digit MSRP looks expensive, I promise you, it’s worth every penny and is actually cheaper than similarly spec’d soundbars. The power in this speaker is almost unparalleled. Of all the soundbars I’ve tested, only the $900 Samsung QS750F has a better performance-per-penny ratio.

I’ve also tested the KEF XIO and the Yamaha True X Surround 90A ($3,499), both incredible soundbars in their own right, but both will set you back considerably more than the JBL — without a sub and rears, too.

JBL Bar 1300XMK2 review: Design

In a word, the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 is powerful. This soundbar was rattling my floorboards, vibrating my skeleton, shaking my walls. With a whopping 2470W of power, this is a killer sound system. Thankfully, the soundbar also knows where to put that power.

There are a whopping 23 drivers in this 11.1.4 channel setup. The subwoofer itself has two 8-inch drivers, on top of the 19 drivers in the soundbar itself. In real terms, this means the 1300XMK2 is a behemoth, with sound worthy of a movie theater.

In terms of looks, the 1300XMK2 is your average soundbar. It’s not particularly gorgeous or particularly revolting. The bar itself is 40 inches long, so I’d recommend using it only if you have a 65” TV and up, otherwise it might look strange.

The subwoofer is huge and a frankly massive 26 pounds, so, again, only get this if you have space.

Controls

You can control the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 via either the remote or your phone. The remote is long and lightweight, with pleasantly tactile buttons. It’s much bigger than Bose’s soundbar remote, but feels more plasticky than Samsung’s.

Unlike the KEF XIO, you can control the soundbar settings while watching TV. You can adjust subwoofer volume and surround volume directly from your phone. I found this responded instantly with zero stuttering.

The on-bar buttons are minimal: just volume up and down. I don’t miss the buttons on the bar — I only really ever use my phone and remote anyway.

Features

I’ll discuss the app features in detail just below, but the Bar 1300XMK2 has a huge range of features. There’s automatic room calibration, broadcast mode, EQ adjustment, night mode, PureVoice mode, and smart mode.

One feature is missing, though: 4K / 120Hz pass-through for gaming. The Bar 1300XMK2's pass-through HDMI port is limited to 60Hz, so if you wanted to run your console through the soundbar (if you’re short on HDMI ports), unfortunately, you won’t be able to play at a 120fps frame rate in 4K. Not great news for FPS or other fast-paced games.

In fairness, this feature isn't ubiquitous with soundbars, and it'll only be an issue if you have no HDMI 2.1 port free on your TV. But this was a complaint we had about the previous model, so it's disappointing to see no improvement here on the new one.

JBL Bar 1300XMK2 review: App

I’ll go through all the main features one by one: room calibration is exactly as it sounds. The soundbar sends out sonic pulses to the rears, which helps position the sound waves for 360° audio. This was the first thing I did when I unboxed the soundbar and it made my movies sound super immersive.

As you can see, the JBL One app is well-designed and visually appealing, and I experienced no connectivity issues.

Next: broadcast mode. This enables you to keep the surround speakers connected to the soundbar even when you’re in different rooms. So, in theory, you could listen to a movie playing in the living room while you’re in the bathtub. Not sure why you’d want to, but you can.

You can also connect your phone to the surrounds and use them as individual speakers, and they have Auracast. In theory, you can link them up to JBL speakers like the Xtreme 5.

Of course, night mode and EQ adjustments are exactly what you might think — night mode reduces bass for fewer subwoofer-related sleep interruptions, and EQ allows you to completely customize the soundbar’s output.

Smart mode is interesting — it’s effectively a “standard” “Music” and “Movie” mode you can toggle to come on automatically or manually. Smart mode adjusts the sound mode based on the input. For example, if it detects a DVD player, it will activate movie mode, and if you play via a music streaming service, it will activate music.

JBL Bar 1300XMK2 review: Sound quality

I test every soundbar with “Top Gun: Maverick” on 4K Blu-Ray, TV shows on Netflix, and music on Qobuz via AirPlay.

Movies

As always, I watched “Top Gun: Maverick”. The opening scene was bassy and powerful; the male vocals in “Danger Zone” led the soundscape, with the delicate metallic clinking and whooshing ropes present in the high-end.

Every flying scene was particularly outstanding. The first scene, with Maverick flying in hypersonic, rumbled through the subwoofer with immense energy and depth. Each siren blare and alarm was clear over the pounding bass. Equally, the Bar 1300XMK2 balanced high-frequency diegetic sounds like rustling papers and ticking clocks with similarly-diegetic dialogue perfectly.

Dolby Atmos performance was also phenomenal. In the first dogfighting scene, the planes raced overhead as if I were truly outside. The soundtrack was bombastic without overpowering the screeching jet engine sounds, and the radio dialogue was surprisingly clear. I wanted a touch more width in the rears, even when I increased the surrounds’ volume to max — but this is me being pedantic. The overall performance was astounding.

Next, I watched “The Wild Robot”, which has exemplary Dolby Atmos performance. During the swimming scenes, I could hear the main character goose splashing in the water as if the water was all around me.

After, I watched “No Time To Die”. The opening scene with the wind whistling over the snowy lake was fantastic; the crunching snow underfoot was delicately balanced over the tense, string-heavy OST. The shattering lake sounded piercing and, of course, the famous car chase scene sounded powerful and dramatic. I actually physically jumped when the grenade exploded. The subwoofer was putting in overtime; every bullet, engine rev, and collision made the entire room shake.

TV

To test the JBL Bar 1300XMK2, I watched several TV shows on Netflix, NOWTV (a U.K. streaming platform), and Disney+. NOWTV has full Dolby Atmos, so really brought the best out of the Bar 1300XMK2.

When I watched “Heated Rivalry”, the skating sound effects were clear over the synth-heavy electronic soundtrack. Softer diegetic sounds like clothes ruffling and clinking of cutlery in restaurant scenes were audible and separated from dialogue and soundtrack. This is one of the best surround-sound soundbars I’ve ever tested. dialogue felt like it was coming from around me, and scene texture effects were balanced and natural. No notes — this was a perfect experience.

I also watched “Euphoria”. The dialogue, soundtrack, and bullet sound effects were all clear. I never needed to rewind for missed dialogue even in loud scenes, nightclub scenes, or action scenes.

Music

This is kind of cheating, because it’s the theme song of “No Time To Die” (one of the movies I used to test the 1300XMK2), but it sounded utterly marvelous through this soundbar. Billie Eilish’s voice was melodic, textured, and I could hear her every breath, every layer of her vocal cords. The bass and percussion in the second verse were balanced and emotive.

On Qobuz, I played “Hexagons” by Muse, a track built over arpeggiated guitar notes and rolling synths. The vocals were clear and emotive, just like the previous track, and the percussion was clear. The bass wasn’t as well-rounded as you’d expect from some of the best speakers, but, of course, this is a soundbar.

JBL Bar 1300XMK2 review: Verdict

Overall, I have nothing bad to say about the JBL Bar 1300XMK2. Sure, the 4K pass-through is limited to 60Hz, but if you’re not a gamer, this might not be an issue. For me, and most other movie lovers, you’ll be oh so pleased with the Bar 13000XMK2.

I loved the previous version, and one of its two flaws has been fixed: audio doesn’t stutter after long pauses. While the second “flaw”, its lack of 4K pass-through at 120Hz, remains, I’m not overly concerned with this for movie lovers. Gamers might need to check out something like the Samsung Q990H ($1,1997).

If you value movie-theater-accurate sound, a wide soundstage, immersive Dolby Atmos, and great smart features (AirPlay, calibration), then the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 is the one for you. This is one of the easiest ways to get a full home theater experience at home.

You don’t need to break the bank to get good sound quality. If you’ve got £59 to spare, the Honor Earbuds 4 are a fine choice. Packing dual titanium-coated drivers, the Honor Earbuds 4 boast impressive audio performance with powerful bass — though the treble can sound tinny at times. With long battery life, a user-friendly companion app, and a comfortable fit, you wouldn’t think these buds cost under £60.

But what does remind you that these are budget earbuds is the lack of LDAC support, cheap-looking design, and equalizer that can’t be customized. If none of those things matter to you and you want a cheap pair of earbuds for casual listening, then these are worth considering.

To find out if these are the best cheap wireless earbuds for you, read my full Honor Earbuds 4 review.

Honor Earbuds 4 review: Specs

Honor Earbuds 4 review: Price & availability

The Honor Earbuds 4 were first revealed in October 2025 and became available in select global markets in April 2026. With a retail price of £59, they can be bought directly from Honor’s U.K. website.

These are great wireless earbuds for budget-conscious buyers. The Honor Earbuds 4 are priced similarly to the CMF Buds 2 Plus (£49), the JLab JBuds Pods ANC (£59) and the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 (£49). They’re also cheaper than the EarFun Air Pro 4+ (£89) and the EarFun Air Pro 4 (£99). Though they face fierce competition from the aforementioned rivals, the Honor Earbuds 4 are up to the challenge as they boast surprisingly impressive sound quality and long battery life.

Honor Earbuds 4 review: Design

The Honor Earbuds 4 come in either Black or White, and I tested the former. They sport a drop-stem design, similar to the EarFun Air Pro 4+, and just like the Air Pro 4+, the Honor Earbuds 4 look… fine? They won’t win any awards for their design, that’s for certain, as the glossy finish looks and feels a little cheap, and both the earbuds and the case feel a bit too plasticky. These are sub-£60 earbuds, though, so you shouldn’t expect world-class looks anyway.

Weather-proofing

The Honor Earbuds 4 are IP54-rated which isn’t uncommon in this price range. This means they’re protected against dust and can be used in the light rain and during workouts without risk. The CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 and the CMF Buds 2 Plus are both IP55-rated, as are the pricier EarFun Air Pro 4+. The core difference between IP54 and IP55 is water resistance. IP54 offers basic protection against splashes, and IP55 offers more robust protection and can even withstand low-pressure hosing — though I doubt you’d be washing down your earbuds that way.

Comfort

The Honor Earbuds 4 are extremely comfortable for all-day wear. Each bud weighs just 0.18oz, similar to most other earbuds I’ve tested. In my testing, I barely felt them in my ears, and I didn’t feel any discomfort even after wearing them for six straight hours. Just because they’re that light doesn’t mean that they fall out of your ears either.

Controls

These earbuds feature touch controls located on the buds’ stems. By utilizing a combination of pinching and swiping, you can play/pause music, change tracks, adjust the volume, cycle through ANC modes, and answer or reject calls. The controls can be remapped and customized via the companion app (more on that shortly). I found the controls responsive during my testing as all my commands were registered instantaneously.

Connectivity

As is the nature of wireless earbuds, the Honor Earbuds utilize Bluetooth 5.3 and feature multi-point connectivity to connect to two audio sources simultaneously. They worked like a charm with my MacBook Air M2 and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. The earbuds support SBC and AAC codecs but there’s no LDAC or LC3 (Android only), so you can’t stream hi-res audio. This is a little disappointing given that both the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 and the CMF Buds 2 Plus pack LDAC.

The Honor Earbuds 4 feature highly effective wear detection too, where playback automatically pauses when you remove an earbud and resumes when you put it back in. It worked as intended in my testing.

Honor Earbuds 4 review: Sound quality

The Honor Earbuds 4 are dual 11mm and 6mm titanium-coated drivers which cover a frequency response range of 10Hz to 20KHz — so the entirety of the average human hearing spectrum. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the Honor Earbuds 4’s performance, for the most part. I listened to my usual array of testing songs on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for hi-res audio.

Punchy bass with plenty of low-end impact is the Honor Earbuds 4’s speciality, and I couldn’t help but bob my head to the bassline in ‘Baby Driver’ by 070 Shake. The distorted bassline landed with plenty of oomph, lending a meaty backbone to Shake’s ethereal vocals. Full-bodied without becoming bloated, every kick drum had a satisfying sense of weight. The Honor Earbuds 4 maintained good control especially as the beat dropped towards the end of the track, and the layered bass response made the song feel more immersive than ever.

I then listened to ‘Afterthought’ by Tame Impala to test the Honor Earbuds 4’s dynamics. The opening felt intimate, and the earbuds ensured that the restrained percussion and soft synth textures sounded spacious, and there was plenty of room for all the instruments to breathe. The bass, again, felt controlled but powerful, while Kevin Parker’s primary vocals stayed front and centre, and backing vocals swirled around my head.

While the Honor Earbuds 4 sound mostly great, ‘Three Drums’ by Four Tet revealed discrepancies in the treble performance. I felt like the earbuds’ treble tuning occasionally leaned toward the overly bright side, where the cymbals’ textures and upper harmonics started to sound tinny. Some of the hi-hats felt like they were piercing through the rest of the soundstage too. Though not overwhelming, it was noticeable enough for me to skip to the next track.

Overall, the Honor Earbuds 4 boast superb sound for a pair of £59 earbuds — and as long as you don’t mind the treble being a bit overzealous every now and then, you’ll be happy with them.

Listen along to my review with the Honor Earbuds 4 testing playlist:

Honor Earbuds 4 review: App

If you want to customize the Honor Earbuds 4, you’ll need to download the user-friendly Honor AI Space app on either iOS or Android. Once you’ve either logged in or created a new account, you’ll be able to choose one of four EQ presets, remap the touch controls, adjust ANC modes, and even ring your earbuds if you’ve lost them.

While it’s nice to have EQ presets to choose from (Bass Boost, Treble Boost, etc.), you can’t customize your own EQ, which is a little disappointing given that similarly priced buds, like the JLab JBuds Pods ANC and the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2, offer custom EQ.

What you do get, though, is access to AI Translation — Honor’s taken a leaf out of Apple’s book here. There’s a Chat mode as well as an Interpreter Mode. Chat Mode is useful for face-to-face conversations where both you and the other person wear an earbud each, and the app translates your conversation into one of 11 languages.

Interpreter mode, on the other hand, is like Live Translation on the Apple AirPods Pro 3 ($249), where the earbuds translate spoken words directly into your ears — handy for when you’re traveling to a foreign country. I found the AI translation to be quick and mostly accurate in my testing. This is a great feature to have on such a cheap pair of earbuds.

Honor Earbuds 4 review: ANC

Honor says that its Earbuds 4 are capable of canceling out up to 50dB of sound — and the buds’ active noise cancelation (ANC) is certainly effective. Indoors, I couldn’t hear myself or my coworkers typing away on their mechanical keyboards, or the kettle boiling when I was standing right next to it. My boss had to wave at me a few times because I simply couldn’t hear him.

But outdoors, even with the ANC set to Ultra, I could still hear cars zooming past me, and sounds from the construction site too. I wasn’t expecting much from these sub-£60 buds, though, and they feature good ANC for the most part. If you want even better ANC, I’d recommend the CMF Buds Pro 2 which my colleague was extremely impressed with.

The Honor Earbuds 4’s ANC can be set to Cozy, Moderate and Ultra, but to be honest, the level of the ANC remains pretty much the same. There’s also an Awareness mode for when you want to be able to hear your surroundings. It works well and doesn’t impact the sound quality negatively.

Honor Earbuds 4 review: Call quality

Mic and call quality on the Honor Earbuds 4 is good, and I tested it by calling my partner. She said I sounded clear and that my words didn’t feel like they were bleeding into one another. I then spoke to her in a crowded parking lot to test the AI Call Noise Cancelation. She noted that my voice sounded slightly metallic, which it usually doesn’t when I’m using my Marshall Monitor III ($379), but it didn’t negatively affect the overall call quality.

Honor Earbuds 4 review: Battery life

If it’s long battery life you’re after, the Honor Earbuds 4 should be your port of call. With ANC off, the earbuds are rated for nine hours or a total of 46 hours with the case. The earbuds’ battery drops to five hours with ANC enabled.

In my testing, it took the Honor Earbuds 4 just under nine hours to run out of charge — living up to Honor’s claims. This testing was done with ANC disabled and music playing at approximately 50% volume.

The Honor Earbuds 4’s battery life is similar to that of its competitors. The CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 are rated for 11 hours (43 hours with case) while the JLab JBuds Pods ANC can last up to 10 hours (56 hours with case). Meanwhile, the CMF Buds 2 Plus are rated for a whopping 14 hours (61.5 hours with case). Honor’s offering even trumps big-name buds, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2 ($299) which are rated for a measly six hours. Nice one, Honor.

Honor Earbuds 4 review: Verdict

There’s a lot to love about the Honor Earbuds 4. The comfortable, all-day fit, powerful bass, user-friendly companion app, and AI live translation features make the Honor Earbuds 4 worthy of a recommendation. I’ve been extremely impressed with its soundstage… for the most part, as the tinny treble leaves you wanting more. In addition to all those goodies, you get long battery life too.

But the Honor Earbuds 4 aren’t perfect. Unfortunately, the EQ isn’t customizable and there’s no LDAC support — both of which are offered by the CMF Buds 2 Plus and the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2. Oh, and the Honor Earbuds 4 look quite cheap too.

If those are compromises you don’t mind making, and all you want is meaty bass response and a pair of earbuds that you can wear all day, then the Honor Earbuds 4 will serve you well. They cost just £59 — less than the average weekly shop for someone in the U.K.!

iOS 27 beta 3 introduces a faster way to adjust your AirPods' Adaptive mode intensity. Instead of digging through multiple settings menus to fine-tune ambient noise blending, you can now control everything directly from the primary settings page for your AirPods or AirPods Pro using a streamlined new interface.

It's one of those quality-of-life improvements that makes everyday adjustments actually intuitive. If you've ever wished controlling Adaptive mode was more accessible, this update solves that problem. Here's how to find the new feature and use it.

What AirPods Adaptive mode actually does

Adaptive mode blends Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode together, automatically adjusting to your changing environment. When you're on a relatively quiet street, it lets more ambient sound in so you're aware of your surroundings.

The system continuously monitors your environment, automatically scaling up noise cancellation to suppress sudden loud sounds and maintain a comfortable listening volume.

Adaptive mode balances isolation and awareness, but because preferences vary, customizable intensity adjustments let you fine-tune exactly how much ambient noise or blocking you want.

More from Tom's Guide

• AirPods finally get a custom EQ in iOS 27 — here is how to fix your sound
• Stop using your AirPods like basic earbuds: 3 features you're probably overlooking
• iOS 27 beta now lets you customize Siri's pace and expressivity — here's how to do it

Marshall’s done it once again. The Marshall Acton IV is the latest addition to the fourth iteration of Homeline, the brand’s lineup of home speakers. Now featuring RCA ports for connecting turntables as well as Auracast for pairing it with other Homeline speakers, the Acton IV is one of the best smart speakers around. Energetic but controlled bass combined with refined mids and clean treble results in a truly enjoyable listening experience.

The Acton IV sports Marshall’s retro and classy aesthetics and is a sight to behold. Amp-like controls, a user-friendly companion app, and room-filling sound make it a winner. But there’s still no voice assistant support and no Wi-Fi streaming — both of which are offered by the likes of Sonos and Denon.

Should you still buy it? Read my full Marshall Acton IV review to find out.

Marshall Acton IV review: Specs

Marshall Acton IV review: Price & availability

Launched in July 2026, the Marshall Acton IV succeeds the four-year-old Acton III. It joins the Marshall Stanmore IV ($399) to form the fourth iteration of the British brand’s Homeline series — its lineup of mains-powered home speakers. The Acton IV has a retail price of $299 / £259, the same as the Acton III at launch.

The Acton IV’s sub-$300 price puts it firmly in the mid-range category — and it’s a great Sonos alternative. It’s a lot cheaper than both the Sonos Era 300 ($449) and the Denon Home 350 ($749) but you also sacrifice voice assistant and Wi-Fi support by saving on the Acton IV. The Acton IV is a little pricier compared to the Audio Pro Addon C5 MKII ($219) and the Klipsch The One Plus ($274) but in my opinion, Marshall’s offering is worth the extra dough for its looks alone.

Marshall Acton IV review: Design

It’s hard to argue against the Marshall Acton IV’s styling. Similar to other Marshall speakers, the Acton IV sports a retro, stylish design that’s sure to draw eyeballs to it — in the best way possible. The speaker is available in Black or Cream primary colors, each with brass and gray accents.The gray mesh grille that covers the front, along with the brass Marshall logo, adds a vintage feel to the Acton IV.

Similar to many of Marshall’s other speakers, the Acton IV doesn’t sport any garish RGB lighting so it looks classy. The only lighting you get is the red LED indicators located on the top plate, which indicate the different active settings.

The Acton IV is designed to stay put in one place. It’s a mains-powered home speaker, after all. It measures roughly 10 x 5.9 x 5.6 inches and weighs 5.84lbs, so it isn’t exactly portable. It isn’t too heavy, though, as I’ve carried it to and from the office in my backpack. Compared to the Sonos Era 300 which sports a more rounded shape, the Acton IV is a rectangle, and it’s nearly the same size as the Audio Pro Addon C5 MKII, but smaller than the Klipsch The One Plus. It didn’t take up much space on my bookshelf or my coffee table.

Weatherproofing

The Acton IV is a home speaker designed for indoors, and as such, it doesn’t have an official IP waterproof rating. Also, because it needs to be plugged into mains, I wouldn’t recommend using it in the shower or even in your garden when it’s raining. If you want a weatherproof speaker, you may want to consider one of the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, like the IP68-rated JBL Xtreme 5 ($399) or the Tribit StormBox Mini+ ($39) if you’re on a tight budget. If you want a rugged speaker in Marshall’s style, the Marshall Middleton II ($329) is IP67-rated while the Marshall Kilburn III ($379) is IP54-rated.

Controls

Keeping in line with Marshall’s design philosophy, the Acton IV features amp-like physical controls located on the top plate. They’re all fairly straightforward to understand. You get a Source button to swap between AUX, RCA and Bluetooth inputs; three dials to adjust the volume, bass and treble; and a joystick to go to the next or previous song as well as play/pause playback.

I appreciate having onboard bass and treble controls, both of which can be adjusted on a scale of one to 10. These negate the need for the companion app (more on that shortly), as you don’t need to fire it up every time you want to adjust the equalizer. All the buttons and knobs give great tactile feedback when pressed or turned.

There’s a customizable M button, too, which is also found on the Marshall Bromley 750 party speaker ($1,299) and the Marshall Milton ANC headphones ($229). Via the app, you can customize it to change the EQ or activate Spotify Tap to instantly start playing music without toggling it on your phone.

Connectivity

I’ll start this off by saying that no, the Acton IV does not feature Wi-Fi connectivity or voice assistant support, like the Sonos Era 300 and the Denon Home 350 do. This isn’t rare in this price range, as the Klipsch The One Plus doesn’t feature Wi-Fi streaming either. You may want to consider either the Denon or the Sonos if you want superior wireless streaming with lossless hi-res playback.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what the Acton IV does have. The Acton IV utilizes Bluetooth 5.3 to connect to your smartphone, laptop or other Bluetooth-enabled device. There’s support for SBC, AAC, LC3 and LDAC codecs, which gives it a leg-up over the Klipsch The One Plus and the Audio Pro Addon C5 MKII, both of which feature SBC and AAC support only. Compared to AAC and SBC, LC3 offers better efficiency and stability, while LDAC operates at a higher maximum bitrate, thereby minimizing detail loss. In lieu of Wi-Fi streaming, you can use LDAC for hi-res streaming instead.

Connecting via Bluetooth is extremely easy as, when you power on the Acton IV for the first time, it immediately puts itself into pairing mode. For connecting new devices, all you need to do is hold down the Source button.

Wired connectivity is in spades, too. Located next to the controls is a 3.5mm AUX port, and on the Acton IV’s underside, you’ll find RCA ports (which you won’t on the Acton III) for plugging in the best turntables, CD players, or even a TV. Thanks to the Source button, you can keep all your devices connected and swap between inputs as and when needed.

The Acton IV is Auracast-enabled, like its predecessor. But a new feature is that you can now connect the Acton IV to other Homeline speakers, like the Stanmore IV. I tested this as I had both speakers at hand, and it worked like a charm. I placed the Acton IV in my living room and the Stanmore IV in my bedroom, and I was able to play the same tunes through both. Setting this up took just under five minutes, too.

If you want to connect old Homeline speakers with it, like the Acton III and the Stanmore III, you’ll need to purchase the Marshall Heddon physical hub ($299) which uses Wi-Fi to transmit to other Marshall speakers via Auracast. If you buy two or more Homeline speakers together, Marshall happily throws in the Heddon for free.

Marshall Acton IV review: Sound quality

Though it be but little, it is fierce… or whatever it was that William Shakespeare said. The Marshall Acton IV is fitted with two 25W Class D amplifiers which power its dual 0.75-inch tweeters, as well as one 60W Class D amplifier to power its 4-inch woofer. The speaker covers a frequency response range of 37Hz to 38KHz. Marshall says that it has improved the tweeters and waveguides to create “a better, wider soundstage” — and that it does.

To test the Acton IV, I listened to my usual array of testing songs on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for hi-res audio. I kicked things off with Lana Del Rey’s ‘Taco Truck x VB’ with the bass and treble set to five each. The song’s first half landed with a warm, almost analog character that suits the Acton IV’s tuning. Lana’s vocals sat front and centre without sounding too clinical, and every breath felt textured and layered. When the song pivoted into the second section, the beat dropped with rounded, confident low-end impact, and the kick drum had plenty of oomph to it. The track’s dynamism was replicated beautifully and it sounded highly immersive.

To test the balance between treble and bass, I listened to ‘Elephant’ by 070 Shake. The treble remained smooth throughout, as the shimmering synth and ambient effects lit up the soundstage without becoming fatiguing. The bass sounded powerful but controlled, and even though the track doesn’t feature overwhelming sub-bass, the Acton IV gave each note satisfying weight. The song felt alive, and having listened to the entirety of Shake’s album ‘Petrichor’ on it, it felt like the speaker was built for her sound.

The Acton IV looks and feels like a rock and roll speaker, so I had to give ‘Fear of a Blank Planet’ by Porcupine Tree a couple of spins. The opening electric guitars entered with real substance, with the distorted riffs carrying a distinctive crunch. As the drums kicked in, the Acton IV made the dense recording with layered guitars, intricate drumming, and understated vocals sound extremely energetic.

Marshall has also made tweaks to what it calls Dynamic Loudness. It says that subtle adjustments have been made to the high and low frequencies and by doing so, music sounds free of distortion and remains consistent at all volume levels. Having tested the speaker by listening at the lowest and highest volume, I can confirm that this is almost true.

The aforementioned songs sounded just as detailed even at low volumes. I found volume between two and four ideal for listening to lo-fi tracks when concentrating on writing this review. But at the highest volume, the tracks sounded a little distorted and muddy, and not particularly enjoyable. Also, bear in mind that the Acton IV can get very loud. When I was listening to it on the highest volume, I was certain my neighbors were going to knock on my door and tell me to turn it down!

Listen along to my review with the Marshall Acton IV testing playlist:

Marshall Acton IV review: App

The Marshall Acton IV is accompanied by the Marshall Bluetooth app on iOS and Android. The app sports a clean interface with plenty of signposting, and it gives you plenty of control over the Acton IV’s settings. You can customize the five band equalizer or choose one of five EQ presets, assign a function to the ‘M’ button, adjust the brightness of the LED indicators, and update the Acton IV’s firmware.

In addition to all this, you also get access to Placement Compensation where you can tailor the sound based on whether the speaker is close to an edge or flush against a wall or corner. The speaker then corrects for any nearby reflective surfaces that may affect the sound. It’s worth spending a few minutes fiddling with Placement Compensation to get the best sound depending on the speaker’s placement.

Marshall Acton IV review: Verdict

The Marshall Acton IV is designed for music lovers needing a good-looking home speaker that can get very loud. Sporting a beautiful design, the Acton IV is sure to add a retro charm to your living space. But that’s not even its biggest selling point — it’s the room-filling detailed sound. The bass is powerful but controlled, while the treble is vibrant without ever becoming fatiguing.

In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, you get RCA input too for plugging in your record player. While there’s no Wi-Fi streaming, which both Denon and Sonos offer, the Acton IV is Auracast-enabled and can be connected with other Homeline speakers to create a multi-speaker setup. There’s no voice assistant, though, which may also have you considering alternatives.

But if you want a speaker that sounds stupendous and you don’t care about smart features, then the Acton IV should be your port of call. For its looks alone, it has earned a permanent spot on my coffee table.

If, like me, you love listening to music when you’re chilling, cooking or doing basically anything else indoors, you need one of the best smart speakers — and few are better than the Marshall Stanmore IV. The fourth iteration of Stanmore improves on its predecessor by introducing enhanced bass response, plus a wide soundstage to deliver an immersive listening experience.

The Stanmore IV is well-designed and extremely well-built, and it features Bluetooth, RCA and AUX inputs for most, if not all, devices you own. The bass is powerful while the treble is smooth and defined, and the speaker can get very loud without distortion. While it’s missing Wi-Fi streaming and voice assistant support — something its closest rival, Sonos, offers — this is the home speaker to get if you want full-bodied sound above all else.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Marshall Stanmore IV review.

Marshall Stanmore IV review: Specs

Marshall Stanmore IV review: Price & availability

The Marshall Stanmore IV was announced on 7 July 2026 along with the Marshall Acton IV, both of which form the brand’s lineup of home speakers, known as Homeline IV. It’s the fourth iteration of and the successor to the Marshall Stanmore III which came out four years ago. The Stanmore IV has a retail price of $399 / £349 — so it’s $20 pricier than the Stanmore III’s launch price.

The Stanmore IV is also pricier than the Acton IV ($299), but that’s the extra you pay for a bigger speaker and no distortion when playing music at the highest volume. Price- and features-wise, the Stanmore IV competes with the Sonos Era 300 ($449) and the Klipsch The Three Plus ($399). The Era 300 could be worth the extra spend if you want Wi-Fi streaming and voice assistant support, though, neither of which the Stanmore IV can manage.

Denon’s Home lineup is another rival, but with the Denon Home 350 ($749) and the Denon Home 600 ($799) costing nearly double, they may be out of your budget. The Stanmore IV is, then, an excellent speaker for those who don’t want to spend a fortune on full-bodied sound.

Marshall Stanmore IV review: Design

The Marshall Stanmore IV is a chonky boi, and as a mains-powered speaker, it’s meant to be kept plugged in and in one spot. Measuring 13.78 x 7.99 x 7.28 inches and weighing a whopping 8.81lbs, I highly doubt you’ll be lugging it around unless you’re moving houses. The Stanmore IV is a little bigger than the Klipsch The Three Plus and significantly bigger than the rounded Sonos Era 300. It fits nicely on my bookshelf and window sill.

There's no doubt that Marshall knows how to make a good-looking speaker. We’ve seen it with the Bromley 450 ($799), the Kilburn III ($379), and the Middleton II ($329), to name a few. The Stanmore IV is no different. It shares similar design philosophies to its stablemate, the Acton IV. It’s available in black or cream, with brass and gray accents to deliver one of the most stunning speakers I’ve had the pleasure of testing.

Adding to the speaker’s minimalist charm is its lack of any garish RGB lighting, and any form of illumination is limited to the red LED settings indicators on the top plate. Build quality is top-notch so you’re getting bang for your buck here. From the faux-leather vinyl finish to the quality of the knobs and buttons, Marshall has spared no expense to deliver what feels like a long-lasting speaker.

Weatherproofing

Just like the Acton IV, the Stanmore IV is a mains-powered home speaker designed for indoor use. It doesn’t have an official IP waterproof rating so I wouldn’t recommend using it in the bathroom or outside in the rain. You may want to consider one of the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers for outdoor use, such as the IP67-rated Marshall Middleton II, the IP68-rated JBL Xtreme 5 ($399), or the Tribit StormBox Mini+ ($39) if you’re on a really tight budget.

Controls

Controls on the Stanmore IV are identical to the Acton IV’s. The dials and buttons are located on the top plate. These include the Source button to swap between Bluetooth, AUX and RCA inputs; three dials for adjusting the bass, treble and volume on a scale of one to 10 each; a joystick for changing tracks and pausing playback; and a customizable ‘M’ button that, by default, plays Spotify, thereby negating the need to launch the app via your phone.

All the controls are easy to understand and don’t take long to get a hang of. Having onboard bass and treble dials is especially handy as you don’t need to fire up the companion app every time to adjust these. The ‘M’ button can also be customized to swap between EQ presets. The controls also give great tactile feedback when pressed — and the amp-like power button makes me feel like a rockstar every time I turn on the Stanmore IV.

Connectivity

Similar to the Acton IV, the Stanmore IV doesn’t feature Wi-Fi streaming or voice assistant support. These are home speakers and while they look very smart, they aren’t smart speakers, so you may want to consider the Sonos Era 300 if you want superior, lossless hi-res playback. The Klipsch The Three Plus doesn’t feature Wi-Fi connectivity either, so you’re limited to Bluetooth playback on both speakers.

The Stanmore IV utilizes Bluetooth 5.3 with support for SBC, AAC, LC3 and LDAC codecs — the Klipsch The Three Plus supports only SBC and AAC. LC3 offers better stability and efficiency compared to SBC and AAC, and LDAC can be used for hi-res streaming in the absence of Wi-Fi… although Wi-Fi streaming is still more hi-res than Bluetooth LDAC because it doesn’t compress the music files. Again, you’ll need to spend the extra $50 on the Sonos Era 300 for that.

Alongside wireless connectivity, you also get a 3.5mm AUX port located next to the controls, and RCA ports for connecting your record player on the speaker’s underside. You can keep all your devices plugged in and simply use the Source button to swap between them as and when needed. The ports are now located on the speaker’s underside, as opposed to on the back of its predecessor. This means that you can now place the Stanmore IV (and the Acton IV) flush against walls without compromising on space or sound quality.

The Stanmore IV is Auracast-enabled and can now be connected to its Homeline IV sibling — its predecessor could pair with another Stanmore III only, so this is a new feature. I was testing both the Acton IV and the Stanmore IV at the same time so I connected them together which took mere seconds, and it worked like a charm.

If you already own Homeline III speakers, you can grab the Marshall Heddon hub for $299 to connect all your speakers together. The Heddon uses Wi-Fi to transmit to other Marshall speakers, making it worth the investment for multi-room setups. If you buy two or more Homeline speakers, Marshall will throw in the Heddon for free, too.

Marshall Stanmore IV review: Sound quality

The Marshall Stanmore IV is fitted with two 25W Class D amplifiers to power its dual 0.75-inch tweeters, and one 60W Class D amplifier for its 5-inch woofer, and it covers a frequency response range of 36Hz to 38KHz. I tested the speaker by listening to a few songs on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for hi-res audio — and I’ve been thoroughly impressed.

Though it’s a single-box speaker, the Stanmore IV boasts a very wide soundstage, and I immediately noticed this when listening to Tame Impala’s ‘Apocalypse Dreams.’ The swirling synths, shimmering guitars and reverb-soaked vocals extended beyond the cabinet, delivering an almost three-dimensional quality. The speaker’s instrument separation is commendable as it allowed every effect and melody to remain distinct but without losing cohesion.

I then listened to ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Dire Straits, and it was perhaps the best the song has ever sounded to me. The opening resonator guitar sounded beautifully textured with crisp, shimmering detail, and the treble never once turned harsh. The Stanmore IV’s warm, rich tuning complements the song perfectly, lending it an analog feel while preserving subtle nuances, such as Mark Knopfler’s breath work. As the arrangement swelled, the Stanmore IV handled the dynamics effortlessly, allowing the percussion instruments to occupy their own space without overpowering the acoustic guitar.

Bass on the Stanmore IV is deep and controlled, as was made apparent to me when listening to ‘Intro’ by The xx. The iconic bassline held real weight and filled the room without becoming bloated or overpowering. Each note plucked on the bass started and stopped cleanly which helped the song maintain its hypnotic rhythm. It made me feel like that scene of Jon Hamm dancing at the club in ‘Your Friends & Neighbors.’

The Stanmore IV can get very loud too — louder than you’ll realistically need when listening to music indoors. But what I appreciate about the Stanmore IV’s loudness is that even at the highest volume, music doesn’t sound distorted or muddy — an issue I had with the Acton IV. Marshall’s fine-tuned Dynamic Loudness comes into play here, where the brand has made subtle adjustments to the high and low frequencies, thereby ensuring that music sounds free of distortion regardless of the volume.

If you want a pure rock ‘n’ roll sound that’s consistent across the volume spectrum, few speakers are better than the Stanmore IV.

Listen along to my review with the Marshall Stanmore IV testing playlist:

Marshall Stanmore IV review: App

To customize the Marshall Stanmore IV, you’ll need to download the Marshall Bluetooth app on either iOS or Android. Sporting a clean interface with plenty of signposting, the Marshall Bluetooth app is easy to navigate and enables you to adjust nearly every Marshall device’s settings. You can use it to customize the Stanmore IV’s five-band equalizer, assign a custom function to the ‘M’ button, adjust the brightness of the LED indicators, and of course, update the firmware.

Marshall has also added a Placement Compensation function to the app. You can select whether the speaker is close to an edge or corner, or flush against a wall, and the Stanmore IV will then correct for any nearby reflective surfaces that may affect the sound quality. It’s quick to do and changes are instantaneous, so it’s worth taking a couple of minutes and playing around with it to get the best possible sound.

Marshall Stanmore IV review: Verdict

Home speakers are perfect for, well, at-home listening, and the Marshall Stanmore IV delivers beautiful, immersive sound quality that doesn’t give you much to complain about. It’s an easy speaker to recommend if your priorities are premium design and superb sound quality over smart features, like voice assistant support. The wide, room-filling soundstage, powerful yet controlled bass, and vibrant treble make the Stanmore IV a joy to listen to.

Adding to the Stanmore IV’s charm are its amp-like tactile controls and drool-worthy design. Unlike its smaller sibling, the Acton IV, the Stanmore IV maintains distortion-free sound even at high volumes, making it a great choice for soundtracking dinner parties. Throw in versatile wired inputs and Auracast for connecting other Homeline IV speakers and you’ve got yourself a winner.

If you aren’t fussed about the lack of Wi-Fi streaming and voice assistant support, and can’t swing the extra dough on Sonos or Denon, the Stanmore IV is an exceptional speaker. Sometimes, sounding brilliant is all a home speaker really needs to do.

A reference to what is "almost certainly" a new pair of AirPods has been spotted in the code for Apple's iOS 27 beta 2 by developer Sam Henri Gold — which when you line up the features with recent leaks, it matches up with the much rumored AirPods Ultra.

The code includes a mention of a system prompt for a product codenamed B790 to work with Visual Intelligence. While Henri Gold initially assumed this was referring to Apple's long-rumored smart glasses, the team at MacRumors pointed out the AirPods Pro 3 were codenamed B788. So, he revised his finding, saying that "B790 is almost certainly the new AirPods and not glasses."

Why a pair of AirPods would need access to Visual Intelligence is down to another persistent rumor we've been hearing for some time: the next AirPods may have integrated cameras. These won't be designed for taking pictures or video like the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, but instead they'll act as visual input for Siri.

The new earbuds, dubbed AirPods Ultra, are believed to be dropping in 2027 according to an earlier report from Bloomberg. In practice, users wearing them will be able to ask Siri about their surroundings without having to use their iPhone camera to provide context. Reportedly, the design will remain the same as the current AirPods Pro apart from small LEDs that display when the earbuds are capturing information from the outside world.

The timeline makes sense. Apple revealed the AI-powered Siri this spring at WWDC and aims to follow up with the iPhone Fold / Ultra in September. Next year, the company celebrates the 20th anniversary of the iPhone and is believed to be planning an ecosystem of AI products to accompany it.

But is development actually happening?

From that above snippet of news and the previous reports from the last few months, you'd assume the AirPods Ultra to be a done deal. However, over the weekend one particular leaker claimed development has been put on ice.

A leaker known as 'Kosutami' has taken to X with a blunt post saying the AirPods with cameras have been "suspended." We don't get any reasoning or proof of this, but the tweet has done enough to get mentioned in a variety of news posts — including this one.

I, for one, find it tough to imagine Apple would abandon a project like this. The company will be all too aware of discomfort from some consumers about cameras on wearables.

But if Apple sticks to its privacy-centric messaging and is able to meaningfully improve Siri's capabilities with this add-on, it would seem a logical next step. We already know AirPods are one of Apple's best-selling and most popular products, so using them to leverage Siri's abilities is a no-brainer providing the public gets on board with it.

Of course, all this is very early speculation since we're still around nine months out from spring 2027 and 14 away from next year's iPhone 20 September event. That's a long time to wait for the arrival of the AirPods Ultra and more than long enough for Apple's engineering team to get ahead of any problems or roadblocks. Like how are the cameras supposed to work for people with long hair?

At any rate, "suspended" and "cancelled" are two entirely different things. But let me know below if you think AI cameras in AirPods are a good idea. And in the meantime, you can actually get the non-camera equipped AirPods Pro 3 at a slight discount at Amazon right now.

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• Android 17 officially rolls out to Pixel devices with new features — screen reactions, bubbles, gaming mode, and more
• I just tested the phone everybody thinks is a preview of the iPhone Fold — God, I hope they’re wrong
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The Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 are some of the best workout earbuds I’ve had the pleasure of testing. They have seriously impressive audio quality that can be further improved with EQ customization in the companion app. They’re comfortable to wear all day long, whether I’m working out or just working from my desk. The 36-hour battery life also makes these buds a winner, and 11 hours in each bud makes them perfect for all-day wear.

Unfortunately, there’s no wear detection with the buds, so any audiobook fans are going to need to be sharp with pausing their listening. The touch controls are also very sensitive, but I ended up turning them off in the app to make things easier for myself, so this wasn’t a deal-breaker.

I love these earbuds, and if you want to find out why, you can read my full Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review below.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: Specs

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: Price & availability

The Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 open-earbuds are available for purchase on Amazon U.S. for $199 or on Amazon U.K. for £159. The earbuds come in three colors: White, Black, or Sport.

These earbuds have a hook style, much like the JLab Epic Open Sport, which I love for working out. The budget JLab buds are $114, but only come in one colorway, so the Beyerdynamics offer more style flexibility.

Hook earbuds are very secure for running, but you could also try wrap-around headphones like the H2O Audio Tri 2 PRO ($199). These use bone conduction technology, and the sound quality is nowhere near as good as the Beyerdynamic.

Speaking of excellent Beyerdynamic sound quality, you could also pick up the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO ($179), which are clip-style open-earbuds (my personal favorite). If this were a toss-up between the Amiron ZERO and the Amiron 200 buds, I’d go for the ZERO, but check out the rest of the review to decide which ones will work best for you.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: Design

The Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 are hook-style open earbuds that wrap around the top of your ear and sit with the speaker directed towards your ear canal. I like these buds, although my personal preference is clip-style open-earbuds — like the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO or the EarFun Clip 2 ($99) — which offer a more secure fit. I tested the white colorway and think they look very sleek.

The Amiron 200 buds have an IP54 durability rating, making them ideal for outdoor training, such as running, without worrying about light rain or sweat affecting their performance. Unfortunately, these buds don’t have wear detection, so your music will keep playing even when you take them off; just remember to hit pause — especially if you’re listening to an audiobook, which I learned the hard way.

Comfort

I’ve been wearing the Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 earbuds for working out and all day at my desk, and I hardly notice them. They’re incredibly lightweight at just 0.4 ounces per bud, and the earhooks fit very securely. I’ve noticed some movement with HIIT workouts, but nothing that feels disruptive to their performance.

Like with other open earbuds, there is some sound leakage. This is to be expected and doesn’t cause any disruption until you start creeping over 50% volume — but I didn’t need to, as the audio is clear and well-defined even at low volumes.

Controls

The Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 have very responsive touch controls — overly sensitive, in fact. There were a couple of instances where simply brushing my hair away would trigger the controls, which was a little annoying, so I ended up turning off these controls in the Beyerdynamic app.

Connectivity

The Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 earbuds use Bluetooth 5.3 and offer a 49-foot connection range. This meant I could walk around and get on with tasks without having to take my phone.

The buds only support SBC and AAC audio codecs, so they don’t offer any hi-res capabilities, but they’re great anyway. I’m a big fan of the level of detail in Beyerdynamic products, so there’s no love lost there.

You can connect the buds to two devices at once via multipoint connectivity, making them great for my workday, where I often need to switch devices for calls.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: Sound quality

The Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 earbuds are very impressive, with a wide soundstage that can cope with a variety of genres. They’re open earbuds without the usual sound quality sacrifice, and that’s down to Beyerdynamic’s engineering. I’m a big fan of its studio headphones, like the DT 270 Pro, for detailed listening, and was also recently blown away by the audio performance of the Amiron ZERO clip-on earbuds.

Firstly, I listened to The Louvre by Lorde to check out the bass performance. When I listen to this song with other earbuds, I often notice the lower vocals becoming muddy; however, that didn’t happen here. The Amiron 200 earbuds have amazing instrument separation, allowing the bass notes to melt into the background, while the vocals remain the focus of the track.

I listened to Bags by Clairo to test the mid performance, as the song combines forceful drums with a brighter synth. The earbuds do a great job of finding a balance between the two. The driving drumbeat remained at the forefront throughout the song, even with the introduction of the brighter synth.

To test the treble and vocal performance, I listened to Edge of the Earth by The Beaches. This song has a repetitive groove that focuses on the rhythm and lead guitar. The vocals here were very crisp, and the layers of harmonies remained prominent with reverb — after testing lots of open buds, believe me, not many open earbuds can achieve that. The lead guitar also stood out and wasn’t overwhelmed by the rhythm guitar.

While I love the sound from the Amiron 200 earbuds, I would choose the Amiron ZERO buds because they have an even closer replication of in-ear buds.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: App

After testing a whole host of companion apps for audio products, the Beyerdynamic app is one of my favorites. It’s not overly complicated and gives you quick shortcuts to make alterations with just a few taps.

For sound customization, there are EQ presets to enhance things like bass or loudness, or you can create a custom EQ. I made a V-shaped EQ, which is what you’ll find in most commercial headphones since it complements a wide range of genres, and this worked well for me.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: Call quality

I called my mom while wearing the Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 earbuds (my usual microphone test) while running, and she was impressed with the audio. She noted that the mic on these buds isn’t as clear as the Amiron ZERO buds but is still better than my Apple AirPods 3.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: Battery life

The battery life on the Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 is very impressive, offering 36 hours with the charging case. The buds themselves have 11 hours of battery life each, which is more than enough to last me all day. This is almost double the battery life of the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO, so the 200 is the better choice for longer listening sessions.

The 36 hours from the Amiron 200 are far more impressive than the more expensive Bose Ultra Open Earbuds ($299), which only have 27 hours of playtime.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 review: Verdict

The Beyerdynamic Amiron 200 open-earbuds are an impressive addition to my collection. The sound quality is on par with some of my favorite in-ear earbuds, and the simple but useful companion app features an EQ to make the sound even better. I’m also impressed by the 36-hour battery life. I can listen all day and rely on them for trips where I may not be near a charger for a few days.

Unfortunately, there’s no wear detection on these buds, but if that’s something you need, you can look at the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO instead. I also found the touch controls on the Amiron 200 to be overly sensitive, but this isn’t a deal-breaker as they can be turned off in the app.

I’d recommend these buds to anyone who’s looking for a reliable pair of buds for working out or everyday use in an office environment.

Way back at the end of March, I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to test the new AirPods Max 2. With an all-new H2 chip, improved ANC, and a more vibrant sound, they were (and still are) some of the best headphones I've ever had the pleasure of using.

But not everything came new and improved. Much to everyone's chagrin, Apple made zero upgrades to the design or battery on the AirPods Max 2. This decision was a little baffling, if you ask me. The most common complaints with the predecessor? Poor battery life and extremely heavy weight. So why didn't Apple fix these for the "upgraded" version?

Alas, this is still a mystery, but three months later, I've spent a lot of time with the new AirPods Max 2. I've been using them as I'd use my normal headphones — at work, on the bus, at the gym, out and about — and I'm intimately familiar with them now.

Sound quality? Connectivity? Style? Top marks all round

The AirPods Max 2 are the best-sounding headphones at this price point, and I'm sorry to say this, but there's very little competition. While the Bose QuietComfort Ultra ($449) have superior ANC and comfort, the sound is too bassy and muddy for my personal sonic palate. And while the Sony WH-1000XM6 ($459) are, again, much comfier and have better call quality, there's some vibrancy missing in the sound for me.

But the AirPods Max 2 sound perfect. I honestly could not improve them. They sound so good that I forget I'm wearing headphones and feel like the music is traveling directly from the artist's mouth into my brain. The treble is clear and vibrant, the mids are balanced, detailed, and expansive, and the bass is well-rounded and rich without overpowering soft details. Yep, I have nothing bad to say about the sound quality at all. It's my perfect signature.

Connectivity is another thing I take really seriously. I want my headphones to move with me, from my phone to my laptop, and back to my phone again. Thankfully, because I have an iPhone and a MacBook, the AirPods Max 2 do just that. I can listen on all my Apple devices without having to fiddle with my settings, and this is a luxury I can't live without now.

Last, and also kind of least, is the style. I'm not the kind of person who will buy headphones purely for aesthetics, but it helps when they're pretty. Thankfully, the AirPods Max 2 are supremely pretty. The anodized aluminum ear cups are super premium and the minimalist, sleek Apple design is so simple yet effective. No egregious touch controls (unlike Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM6) and a weight-bearing mesh headband make these my perfect headphones.

Sorry, but I'm an AirPods Max 2 apologist. I feel like Apple designed them just for me.

But those "AI features"? I've not touched them once

Some people may disagree with me here, and that's fine. Life would be boring if we all shared the same opinions! But I'm not the kind of person who wants, or needs, AI in her headphones. I've gone my whole life without having a (disobedient, cloth-eared) personal assistant living in my headphones, so why would I need one now?

The Live Translation feature? Sure, I've used it for fun. I've used it after my Duolingo lessons to check I've got my pronunciation right. I used to live in South Korea, so I've used it to test my (dwindling) Korean skills.

But I've not used it for its intended purpose, and I really don't think I will.

The same can be said for the "improved" Siri integration. Siri is a glorified egg timer at this point, and I just use my brain instead of asking Siri. The likelihood is, she wouldn't listen anyway. Girl's got serious obedience issues — she needs military school, stat.

Of course, don't take my negativity as gospel. You may love having these features. Maybe you're always on vacation and need to communicate with people who don't speak your language, or you're super busy and need to check your calendar hands-free. But that's just not me.

These features are great if you need them, but don't ditch your non-smart headphones if you're anything like me.

But they're not for everyone

There are three types of people who should not buy the AirPods Max 2.

1. No iPhone? No MacBook? No iPad? Don't get the AirPods Max 2.
2. Can't drop $500 on headphones? Don't get the AirPods Max 2.
3. Want "audiophile" sound? Don't get the AirPods Max 2.

There's very little point in investing in extremely expensive headphones if you don't have the ecosystem they're built for. Even though you can use AirPods Max 2 with an Android phone, you don't get the full experience. You can't customize any settings or take advantage of the AI smart features.

If you have an Android, I would recommend getting the Sony WH-1000XM6 instead, which are some of the best headphones you can get, period.

Again, if you can't afford $500 on headphones (me neither), then you shouldn't buy the AirPods Max 2. To put it kindly, they're overpriced. I would go for the Soundcore Space One Pro, JBL Live 780NC, or the CMF Headphone Pro. At $199, $249, and $99 respectively, these headphones sound good, look cool, and won't break your bank.

And, finally, arguably the touchiest of all subjects — sound quality. Don't get me wrong, I love how the AirPods Max 2 sound. They scratch that audio itch perfectly. But I know Apple's sound signature can upset some people. In that case, you should invest more in headphones like the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 or the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. Both headphones offer superior sound — and an even steeper price tag to match.

Am I going to keep using the AirPods Max 2? 100%. They are my perfect headphones. As someone who takes connectivity, ANC, and sound quality seriously (everything else I can take or leave), the AirPods Max 2 are ideal. They automatically switch between my MacBook and my iPhone and they block out every speck of sound. Of course, the best part is the sound quality — Apple's sound signature must have been designed solely for me. It's everything I want and more.

Even so, I know the AirPods Max 2 are overpriced, and that battery life makes them a pretty controversial product. But what do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• 9 Anker headphones and speakers I recommend for your next summer getaway
• I tested the minimalist Cambridge Audio L/R S — and they’re some of the most premium-feeling midrange speakers on the market
• Ruark Audio Sabre-R review: Bookshelf speakers for grown-ups

The Grado SR80 are some interesting headphones. Retro tech is making a comeback, and these open-back, on-ear headphones definitely look (and sound) the part. Are they the best headphones if you value clarity and detail above all else? No. But are they fun, unique, and ideal for vintage lovers? Yes, totally.

The open-back design brought enviable expansiveness to my music, and electronic and acoustic genres sounded particularly good. While the headphones struggled with heavier, layered genres — like hard rock or gritty shoegaze — for the most part, a lot of this texture felt artistic. No, they’re not hi-fi cans, but that’s fine. They’re retro in every sense of the word.

Could the Grado SR80 be the perfect wired headphones for you? If you’re the kind of person who can’t get enough of the vinyl crackle, then, yes, without a doubt. To find out more, though, keep reading this Grado SR80 review.

Grado SR80 review: Specs

Grado SR80 review: Price & availability

The Grado SR80 are $175 from Amazon U.S. and £175 from Amazon U.K. I think this is a pretty steep price for what are essentially very plasticky headphones with raw foam earcups. Sure, they're supposedly handmade in the U.S., but When you can get the FiiO JT7 for $119 and the FiiO JT3 for $69, I’m a little confused why Grado is charging so much for the SR80.

There’s no major difference between these headphones. I would actually say both the FiiO options have superior build and sound quality.

If you want to spend a little more and get some grat mid-range open-back headphones, I’d recommend the Sennheiser HD 599, which are usually around $239.

Grado SR80 review: Design

The Grado SR80 are extremely eye-catching. They’re retro, cool, and right on trend. The open-back design brings a utilitarian vibe and the foam pads make them look like they’d fallen straight out of the ‘80s. I can see why this design might be quite divisive, but personally, I love it. Retro tech is headline news, baby, and the SR80 are on the front page.

Although they look super cool (to me), I will say that the SR80 don’t feel like $175 headphones. They look and feel like they should cost well under $100, which is a major con. Of course, you don’t buy headphones so people around you know how much money you have (unless you do…) but if I’m spending almost $200 on headphones, I want them to look like they cost $200. Not $80.

Comfort

The Grado SR80 are extremely uncomfortable. This is their main major drawback and the only thing preventing me from recommending them widely. Grado claims the steel spring brand allows users to customize the inward pressure, but it made no difference to the comfort when I wore them. The headphones clamped onto my head and squashed my ears, and I could only wear them for around thirty minutes before needing to take them off.

This design is a double-edged sword, though — the drivers are super close to your ear to give an immersive sonic experience; however, the drivers are super close to your ear — meaning they hurt. I’d like to see Grado provide a deeper foam pad or cushioned driver cover to help mitigate this issue.

I wore the FiiO JT7 and FiiO JT3 for hours before needing to remove them, so I was quite disappointed when I had to keep removing the SR80. I wanted to keep listening!

Controls

As the Grado SR80 are analog, wired headphones, there are no controls like you might expect on Bluetooth headphones. You’ll need to control music playback via your input device.

Connectivity

Again, as these are analog, wired headphones, there’s no Bluetooth or microphone. You’ll need to plug the headphones into a DAC (if required) or directly into your device. They have a low impedance of 38 ohms and an SPL of 98dB at 1mW, so they're easy to drive straight from a device. I listened on using my MacBook Air M2 and had no issues at all.

Grado SR80 review: Sound quality

To test sound quality, I listened to a variety of genres on Qobuz, our best streaming service for audiophiles, using the Campfire Audio Relay DAC.

I played “Fame is a Gun” by Addison Rae, a synth-led pop track with breathy, high-pitched female vocals. The vocals were clear, the rotating synth motif floated pleasantly at the back of the track, and the percussion kept everything lively. As these are open-back headphones, they’re naturally more expansive than closed-backs, and it really came through. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine the singer was behind me.

After, I switched genre to “Yor Zarad” by Angine de Poitrine. This experimental instrumental track is built from just a guitar, bass, and drums, all of which came through clearly on the SR80. I would have liked a little more clarity in the frantic guitars, as some of the faster notes bled into one another, and when the bass came in, some detail was lost, but I still enjoyed listening.

Last, I played the indie track “Bad Habit” by Cherry Glazerr. This song has synth notes and guitars layered underneath a processed female vocal. This was the murkiest of all the tracks I listened to, but I’m not entirely displeased by it. The synths were clear, and the drum machine claps weren’t overly sibilant; however, the choruses were a little too textured. I would have liked more clarity and accuracy, but, again, this is a stylistic choice some listeners might lap up.

The Grado SR80 don’t have the same clarity you might expect from ‘audiophile’ headphones like the Sennheiser HD 599 or the FiiO JT7. Although expansive, there’s a textured patina suckered to the top of the soundscape. It reminds me of the sonic equivalent of watching a movie shot on 35mm film. It’s not as clear as, say, IMAX, but it’s not murky or low-quality. It’s artistic. While some people might not like it, there’s a point.

I will say that heavy rock genres sounded quite disappointing — harder Cherry Glazerr tracks, some newer Muse songs, and nu-metal in particular — but if you’re predominantly an electronic or acoustic listener, you might love the SR80. On the whole, I did really like the SR80 sound, hence the overall positive 3.5-star rating.

Grado SR80 review: Verdict

The Grado SR80 are not perfect headphones, but they are entertaining. While the 3.5-star rating might appear like a “bad” score, it’s not at all. 3.5 stars means the headphones are “very good” by the Tom's Guide scoring criteria. But there are better options for less. If you’re serious about embarking on your audiophile journey, I’d recommend the $70 FiiO JT3 or the $130 FiiO JT7. Both of these headphones are much comfier and cheaper.

That’s not to say the SR80 won’t be great for the right user, though. If you’re more interested in the retro vibe, which includes a vinyl-like texture on your music itself, and you’re not the kind of person who finds on-ear headphones uncomfortable, I don’t think you’d be disappointed by the SR80.

While they’re not high-clarity, high-detail headphones, the Grado SR80 have a great personality and will definitely make a retro music lover happy.

Anker is one of my go-to brands when it comes to value. Whether I'm carrying one of their chargers in my backpack or wearing one of their earbuds at the gym, the brand is renown for making reliable and affordable gear.

Below I've rounded up some of my favorite Anker gear for the home, school, or for your next weekend getaway. I've also included some Anker gear my colleagues have tested and recommend. (For more personal recommendations and deals, check out our guide to the best 4th of July sales).

Anker Summer Essentials

The Cambridge Audio L/R S are some of the best speakers I’ve tested. At just 7 inches tall and 9 inches deep, these are relatively compact — but boy, do they sound larger than their measurements might suggest.

And just look at them. Aren’t they gorgeous? Not only do they look a treat, with the copper-colored tweeter and the smooth, almost tactile exterior, but they feel incredibly well-made too. Although quite pricey at $549/£399, here you’re investing in sound, functionality, and appearance.

Sound is by far the most important thing when it comes to speakers, so you’ll be pleased to know that the L/R S sound divine. For me, they were missing a smidge of vivaciousness, but I still had a ball listening to them, and I’m sure 99.999% of you would, too. Want to find out more? Keep reading this Cambridge Audio L/R S review.

Cambridge Audio L/R S review: Specs

Cambridge Audio L/R S review: Price & availability

The Cambridge L/R S are premium home speakers with a premium price. A pair will set you back $549 from Amazon U.S. and £399 from Amazon U.K. Obviously, this is a much better deal in the U.K. — hi-fi just is inherently more expensive in the U.S., even without tariffs.

Cambridge Audio also makes the L/R M (£1,199), which work with Cambridge’s StreamMagic app and have built-in streaming capabilities. If you’ve got even more to spend, you could check out the L/R X (£1,799, releasing in July 2026), which are the L/R S on steroids. These are the aspirational older siblings of the L/R S, with dual woofers and proprietary tweeters.

If you want a similar performance for a little less, I’d recommend checking out the Edifier S880DB MKII ($449). Alternatively, you could look at the Edifier R1280T (my personal turntable speakers, $149), which don’t have Bluetooth but more than make up for it in affordability. Edifier does make a Bluetooth version — R1280DB ($199), who’d have thought — for all those wireless lovers.

For those short on space, I’d go for the Kanto UKI ($269) or the Edifier M60 ($199), both of which are compact speakers and sound great for their size.

Cambridge Audio L/R S review: Design

The Cambridge Audio L/R S are beautiful, beautiful speakers. They look uber modern, with no mesh grille covering and two visible drivers. The 21-mm aluminium tweeter is a gorgeous, rich copper color, and the 3-inch woofer meshes well with the speaker body. Whatever color you choose — white, black, navy, or wood — I bet it will look great in your home.

The speakers not only look great, but they feel well-made, too. The exterior is smooth, almost tactile, and the switches on the master speaker are high-quality. I have no issues with the design at all: everything is sleek and feels intentional.

Connectivity

As active speakers, you don’t need an amp or a phono if you’re using the speakers with a laptop or TV or phone. However, if you want to listen on your turntable, if it doesn’t have a phono pre-amp, you’ll need a separate one.

The L/R S have a huge array of connectivity types: Bluetooth aptX HD, RCA aux, optical, and USB-C playback. I mostly used USB-C and Bluetooth, both of which sounded excellent.

The speakers don’t come with a USB-C cable, an RCA cable, or an optical cable, so if you want to utilize these connectivity methods, you’ll have to supply them independently.

Controls

There are controls on the back of the master speaker and a high-quality remote. Rather than taking inspiration from Edifier’s slightly gimmicky circular touch remote, Cambridge Audio has (thankfully) gone back to basics with the L/R S’s remote. It’s a standard long remote with an equally standard layout. You’ve got play/pause, volume controls, EQ controls, and playback controls.

All very simple — but that’s what the L/R S are all about. They’re designed to let their quality speak for itself.

Cambridge Audio L/R S review: Audio quality

To test the Cambridge Audio L/R S, I listened to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles. I tested over both USB-C and Bluetooth.

I listened to “Getaway” by Fcukers, an electronic trip-hop-inspired track built over a cello riff, twinkling piano notes, and breathy female vocals. The tambourine shimmered gently at the back of the soundscape, allowing the string motifs to take centre stage without overpowering them. The bassline was controlled, tight, and balanced, and the space-gun sound effects tied everything together nicely. This song sounded great.

Next, I played “The Sickness in You and I” by Muse. This heavier rock track boasts crunchy nostalgic riffs and some fantastic stereo imaging. This song was an immersive marvel; when the percussion comes in on the left speaker with the guitars teeming across the soundscape, I wanted to replay it over and over. Despite being compact speakers, the stereo imaging of the L/R S is utterly excellent. If you listen to a lot of music mastered for stereo, these speakers will definitely get the best from your tunes.

Last, I played “Never Get Enough” by Lianne La Havas, a track with acoustic verses and intense choruses. The speakers handled the change in bass well; the clarity of the acoustic guitar and La Havas’s voice was a standout in the verse, while the insistent bass came through well in the chorus.

Although most genres sounded excellent, I did wish for something more. The treble is clear, and there’s a surprising amount of bass for such small speakers. However, the mids aren’t as energetic as I personally like in speakers. Tracks sound balanced and clean, but they’re missing some vivaciousness and propulsiveness in the lower midrange. Don’t get me wrong — they still sound good, and you should still seriously consider them if you want immersive speakers with fantastic spatial imaging. But they didn’t pull at my heartstrings like other speakers have done in the past.

Cambridge Audio L/R S review: Verdict

The Cambridge Audio L/R S are fantastic speakers. If you want a pair of home speakers that’ll make your music sound delectable, clear, and balanced, look no further. Even better if you value immersive spatial imaging above all else — these speakers will seriously impress you in that area.

The only thing holding the speakers back is a lack of oomph in the lower mids. For compact speakers, you can’t really expect perfection, though, and the L/R S still sound charming. If you need reliable, balanced speakers for your desk, turntable, TV, or anything in between, they’ll do you proud.

At $549/£399, they’re not exactly the cheapest speakers on the market, so I’d recommend only getting them if you’re serious about leveling up your home listening experience. But what a listening experience it would be.

The deals just keep coming! Yes, Amazon's Prime Day sales may be over, but Best Buy is already running a huge 4th of July sale that's offering lots of great bargains. We covered the Best Buy TV sale earlier and now we're rounding up the best Bluetooth speakers, which you can get right now with some pretty deep discounts.

Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes and sizes and have a variety of price points to match. We've started our selection with some good value Soundcore and Marshall offerings that are ideal for taking to the beach or lounging by the pool. We've then turned our attention to some feature-packed offerings from the likes of JBL before rounding out with some seriously high-end speakers from the likes of Sony and Klipsch.

For more amazing deals, make sure to check out our guide to the best 4th of July sales.

The Sabre-R are a set of mid-range bookshelf speakers from family-owned British manufacturer Ruark Audio. In time-honored British fashion, Ruark started life in a leafy English suburb, with a middle-aged man (in this case, Brian O’Rourke) hand-making his own speakers in a shed.

Now owned by Brian’s son, Alan, the ethos at Ruark is (as it has been since the shed days) to make audio gear that the staff would want to use and own themselves. Products have to sound and look the part.

And that sums up the Sabre-R speakers perfectly. They combine excellent fidelity with Ruark’s typical understated elegance. There’s one major shortcoming, which is a lack of raw bass power in the very low range. But if you’re after a compact set of high-end speakers for your lounge, kitchen, turntable or whatever, these are worth serious consideration.

Find out more in my full Ruark Audio Sabre-R review.

Ruark Audio Sabre-R review: Specs

Ruark Audio Sabre-R review: Price & availability

The Ruark Sabre-R desktop speakers are available in charcoal or walnut colors and cost $999 direct from Ruark, as well as from specialist hi-fi retailers across the country. Ruark is still working on distributing its products more widely in the U.S., although you can find some of its range (not these) at Nordstrom.

In the U.K., where the brand is better established, the Sabre-R are much easier to find. You can snag a pair at Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks, John Lewis, or from Ruark itself for £699.

This obviously makes the Sabre-R a considered purchase, rather than an impulse one. They’re pricey, but premium hi-fi gear always is. And besides, in the wider context of high-end audio gear, which can happily reach into five- and six-digit price tags, $999 is still a fairly tame price.

If you’re on a tight budget, though, check out the Edifier R1280T, which pack decent performance for under $200. For a little more, the $499 Edifier S880DB MKII offer ‘premium-brand-worthy’ sound; while the Kanto Ora Ren cost $699 and offer plentiful bass performance.

Ruark Audio Sabre-R review: Design

The Sabre-R are, in my opinion, absolutely stunning. As you can imagine given my job, I bring home a lot of tech. While my house is generally cluttered with all kinds of gizmos and gadgets, very little passes the bar to get into our lounge. But the Sabre-R sailed straight through, with a gleeful “what are those?!” from my wife.

That’s down to the Sabre-R’s typical Ruark elegance. Clean lines, high-quality materials, dark wood finishes. It’s timeless. These are speakers you want in your home — an accessory to any grown-up’s decor. They’re available in either walnut or charcoal variants. I have the charcoal model, which I prefer — they look a little sleeker and more understated, yet you still get a dash of that premium-feeling wood finish on the lower cabinet frontage.

As bookshelf speakers, the Sabre-Rs are fairly compact, measuring 11.4 x 6.9 x 8.5 inches. However, you obviously need to factor in an amplifier (ideally the Ruark R610 music console, which the Sabre-Rs are intended to be paired with) and its power cables, plus speaker cables. The result of all that was everything looking a little messy on my actual bookshelf. Instead, I first stuck them on my lounge TV stand, before moving them to my kitchen/dining room sideboard — I tend to spend more time in the kitchen, and that’s where we tend to host people, so this was the ideal spot for maximum usage.

Connectivity

There isn’t much to say about the Sabre-R connectivity-wise. These are passive speakers so it’s fairly straightforward. You’ve got a set of binding posts on each speaker, with sockets for single-wire connection and removable bridges for bi-wire.

Ruark Audio Sabre-R review: Sound quality

The Ruark Sabre-R’s sound quality is, for the most part, excellent. During testing, I streamed some music at CD quality via AirPlay using my Denon AVR-X4800H. However, I mostly streamed in hi-res via the Ruark R610 music console and Qobuz Connect.

The Sabre-R offer a typically warm, hi-fi profile, with deftly controlled bass — it’s everywhere you want it, nowhere you don’t. In electronica, where one wants lots of bass, it’s there: the dense, pulsating bassline of Burn Water’s Ikigai sounded gloriously thick, with plenty of power and no distortion. Yet the live-recorded basslines in folk, blues, rock etc, never felt overwhelming or boomy — Odetta’s Hit or Miss being a prime example.

The only issue I had in the low end was a lack of extension in the sub-bass region, as the Sabre-R's frequency response bottoms out at 45Hz. It’s not a problem for most songs, but makes a difference in those tracks where you’re supposed to feel something as well as hear it. Through the right speakers, for instance, the last 20 seconds of SOHN’s Antigravity are experienced more in the solar plexus than through the ear canals. I had to crank the Sabre-Rs up nearly to their max to get anywhere close, but that came with a shedload of distortion.

I’ve read that the Sabre-R’s very low end response improves over time as the drivers wear in. However, if you want that raw low down oomph straight outta the box, I’d be looking to the Cambridge Audio L/R X instead, which cover down to 35Hz and have a downfiring second woofer for plenty of addictive subbiness.

But anyway, back to the good stuff. Mids are energetic and textured on the Sabre-Rs, while treble is expansive and clean. The result is especially lively, immediate-sounding vocals, whatever the genre, whatever the timbre. Even in busier productions, like The Who’s Eminence Front, or with softer, breathier voices like Phoebe Bridgers’ in Kyoto, vocals were given the space and prominence they needed. Obviously, this is a boon for powerful voices too: John Fogerty’s righteous (and essentially shouted) indignance in CCR’s Fortunate Son; Phil Collins’ gleeful post-breakup gloating in I Don’t Wanna Know; Chris Stapleton’s reverbed, melancholic wails in Death Row. I’m not usually a vocals man, but I damn well became one with the Sabre-Rs.

Guitars sound fantastic, too, and there’s plenty of instrument separation, again thanks to that well-defined mid range. Melvins’ Honey Bucket and Metallica’s Seek & Destroy both use simultaneous distorted riffs, which I could tell apart from one another with ease. Detail never feels lost, either, thanks to that expansive treble. I could hear the softest percussion in Mk.Gee’s Dream Police, and the gentle, ethereal backing vocals in Burn Water's Ikigai.

Ruark Audio Sabre-R review: Verdict

All in all, if you’re looking for a set of speakers that’ll do everything, from detailed high fidelity listening through to room-filling bass at parties, the Sabre-Rs probably ain’t it — they just lack that pure sub-bass power. Again, I’d spend a little more on the Cambridge L/R X, or drop similar money into the Kanto TUK + Sub 6V — both will get that raw, room-filling subbiness that vibrates up through your body.

The Sabre-Rs aren’t really supposed to be that, though. They’re a little more refined than that — a little more mature, if I may be so bold. If you don’t care about shaking windows and just want a set of speakers for relaxed detail listening, with that smooth hi-fi sound but no overpowering low end, well, these are for you. They’re perfect for kicking back in your lounge chair on a Sunday afternoon to some laidback vinyl playback, or soundtracking small gatherings with audio-appreciative friends. And man, they’re pretty.

Prime Day is over — but not all the deals are. Bose's sales have stuck around for a little bit longer, and it's a rare chance to make huge savings. Bose headphones, speakers and more are up to 50% off right now. But hurry, because the discounts might disappear before long.

The deal I'm most excited about is the Bose QuietComfort Headphones on sale for $179, which is 50% off. If you're traveling this summer, the active noise canceling on these headphones is some of the best around and will save your ears from airplane chatter and every other kind of distraction!

Keep scrolling to see more of the best Bose deals. I also recommend checking out our Amazon promo codes.

Quick links

• shop all Bose deals at Amazon
• Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen: was $129 now $99
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds: was $179 now $129
• Bose QuietComfort Headphones: was $359 now $179
• Bose TV Speaker: was $279 now $199
• Bose SoundLink Plus: was $269 now $179
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen: was $299 now $249
• Bose SoundLink Max: was $399 now $279
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen: was $449 now $379
• Bose Smart Soundbar: was $549 now $399

Best Bose deals

More Audio deals

Prime Day 2026 is behind us, but 4th of July sales are just getting started and Bose is offering huge discounts across the board.

For a limited time, Bose headphones and speakers are up to 50% off at Amazon. If you're hoping to score some new audio devices for summer, you're going to want to jump on these lingering deals ASAP. For instance, you can grab the Bose SoundLink Flex for just $99. Need some new headphones? You can't go wrong with the Bose QuietComfort Headphones for $179. They're currently a whopping $180 off.

We don't know how long these rare Bose deals will last, so we recommend adding to cart immediately. Keep scrolling to check out the rest of my favorite picks from the sale.

Quick Links

• shop all Bose deals on Amazon
• Bose SoundLink Flex (Gen 2): was $149 now $99
• Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Earbud: was $179 now $129
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2: was $279 now $149
• Bose QuietComfort Headphones: was $359 now $179
• Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: was $299 now $199
• Bose SoundLink Max: was $399 now $279
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2: was $449 now $369

Best Bose Deals

Shop more deals

I recently got my hands on the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3. I popped it out of the box, charged it up and switched my music on. Not only did it sound amazing, I’ve been using it for weeks since and still haven’t had to recharge.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, because Tribit consistently makes some of the best Bluetooth speakers. And since it’s Prime Day right now, you can score a saving on it that makes it an even better value.

I know Bluetooth speakers aren’t a new concept, but I’m the kind of person who always uses my phone’s speaker for music. I wasn’t expecting to feel such a real difference from a device that’s not much larger than my phone and costs about twenty times less money.

When I was testing it out, I was blasting tunes so loud that they could be heard all through my house. And probably down the street, too. It brought a new dimension to the tracks I was listening to and a truly 3D-feeling soundscape. My soundtrack of choice the first time I used it was from Pikmin via the Nintendo Music app, and the naturalistic environmental sounds surrounding my ears from every direction made me feel like I was out experiencing the world right alongside the bite-sized creatures from the video game.

It’s rated for 24 hours of battery life. I’ve been using it for an hour or so a day for weeks since I got it, and the battery still hasn’t died on me. And reminder — this tiny speaker measures just about the same size as the palm of my hand.

A magnetic design (literally)

One of my favorite features about the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 is that it’s magnetic. I’m always short on desk space, so I struggle to fit even this tiny speaker amongst my other stuff. But thanks to this speaker, I discovered that my desk has magnetic metal legs. Boom, better music and less clutter on my desktop all in one. It’s also great that I can stick it on my fridge door while I’m cooking in the kitchen. And if you’re outdoorsy, you could also mount it on your bike’s handlebars, or attach it to your backpack using the rubber strap.

I’m not the only person at Tom’s Guide who loves this speaker. My colleague Ashley Thieme wrote about it in her Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review and had a ton of praise for its strong, bassy sound. I’m not too bothered about tweaking EQ for my music (sorry, audiophiles,) but take note that it is possible with this speaker. Use the Tribit app and you can tweak the sound exactly to your preferences.

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 has impressed me so much that I’d recommend it to just about anyone. In fact, multiple members of my family have already said they’re going to steal it off of me. So I guess I’ll either have to keep my speaker under lock and key or pick up a few more of them to hand out in the coming weeks.

I'm very picky when it comes to what headphones I use. I personally love Sony's EQ settings on their headphones, so I always gravitate towards their newest audio gear because I know I'm going to love it.

And while Sony has recently brought out the 1000X The Collexion headphones and has the flagship WH-1000XM6 on sale too, you'll have a hard job trying to get me to move on from my WH-1000XM5 headphones. Why? Because to me, they are perfect.

I love everything about them, from the sound to the ANC to the fit. And what's even better is that they're currently 50% off! For Prime Day, you can grab the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $198 at Amazon.

• shop all Prime Day deals at Amazon

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are available in four different colors, including Smoky Pink (which I use and love), Black, Midnight Blue and Silver, so there's an option for everyone.

But when there’s a new version available, why would you buy the old model? Trust me, I hear ya — but the two sets of cans actually have a lot in common. I mean, they’re both some of the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy. One's just a little bit newer.

You get the same 30-hour battery life, and the sound profile isn't drastically different either.

If you want the comfort and stunning sound profile that comes with owning a pair of Sony’s flagship headphones — but are also conscious about your budget — then picking up the previous model is the best option.

We're tracking all the best Prime Day audio deals

As I write this, I'm listening to Noah Kahan's new album with the Tribit StormBox Micro 3. That's because it's quickly become one of my favorite Bluetooth speakers that can cope with anything I throw at it (including the current 100ºF weather here in the U.K).

It's one of many budget speakers I've come to love after hundreds of hours of testing, and it's reached its lowest price since release for Amazon Prime Day. But it's not the only one — many of the speakers I use regularly have had their prices slashed too.

I've compiled a list of all of my favorite budget here, and they're all under $50 — bargain!

Best cheap Bluetooth speaker deals: Quick links

• Tribit StormBox Micro 3: was $64 now $47 @ Amazon
• Tribit PocketGo: was $29 now $18 @ Amazon
• Tozo PE1: was $29 now $18 @ Amazon
• Anker Soundcore 2: was $45 now $31 @ Amazon

We're tracking all the best Prime Day audio deals

I wasn't planning on partaking in Prime Day this week, but then I noticed that the earpads on my primary headphones are peeling and the cord connection is starting to fail. I need some new cans.

At one point, I had a pair of the excellent JBL Tour One M3 over-ear headphones, but my wife's Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones started failing, and I let her borrow the M3s. I never got them back.

Fortunately, right now, Amazon has slashed the price to $249, the lowest I've ever seen, knocking $200 off. These high-end headphones are soft, feel luxurious, and remain supremely comfortable over a long listening session.

Plus, they're JBL, so you know the sound is quality, and at this price, it's a deal you don't want to miss.

Neither I, during the cup of coffee I had with the M3, nor my partner truly utilized the included USB-C smart transmitter. However, my colleague Erin Bashford found it to be the best part of the Tour One M3.

"JBL's newest premium headphones, the Tour One M3, have broken my brain. Not because they're terrible — quite the opposite," Bashford said. "Because they come with the one thing I wish all the best Bluetooth headphones would include: a USB-C transmitter (alongside Bluetooth, of course)."

The transmitter lets you quickly swap between devices. Working away on your MacBook? You can easily hop over to your iPhone or Android in seconds. In theory, you can connect these headphones to anything with a USB-C port. My wife uses it with the Switch 2 to play Stardew Valley.

Plus, and equally as important, it comes with a 3.5mm jack. These headphones can connect to darn near anything with a USB-C or 3.5mm aux port.

I won't pretend that at $249 for Prime Day,a pair of Tour One M3 headphones isn't an investment, but it's one I don't think you'll regret, especially considering their normal price. These headphones don't have the social cachet of an AirPods Max 2 or Beats headset, but maybe they should.

HEADPHONES

We're tracking all the best Prime Day headphones deals

As someone both deep in the Apple ecosystem and a music lover, I know a thing or two about AirPods. I've tested every single pair of AirPods — so the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 ANC, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods Max 2. I know which ones are worth the high Apple price tag, and which don't pull their weight.

It just so happens that all of these AirPods are discounted right now thanks to Prime Day. You can save a huge $150 off the brand-new AirPods Max 2 — the over-ears' first-ever discount, by the way — and you can save $60 on the AirPods Pro 3.

But which of these models is actually the best earbuds money can buy? Are the AirPods Max 2 actually the best headphones nowadays? I'll tell you exactly which pairs you should buy and which you should skip — and I'll even throw in some cheaper alternatives.

The AirPods I'd recommend

I have a pair of the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods Max 2, and while you can't get the Pro 2 anymore, they're the earbuds that started my love affair with Apple's audio gear.

The AirPods Max 2 are my personal favorite over-ear headphones in the world. The sound quality is just unbeatable at this price point, they look great thanks to the anodized aluminum ear cups, and the button controls are straightforward. No messing around with egregious touch controls (like Bose, or Sony...) and no unwanted interruptions due to an errant finger. The battery life could be better, but this is something I can forgive.

The AirPods Pro 3 are the best iPhone earbuds you can get — the sound quality is rich, bassy, but detailed and vibrant. The silicone ear tip and algorithm help block out literally 99% of ambient noise, and the 8-hour battery life is a great improvement on the previous model.

I recommend both of these AirPods with every fiber of my being.

The AirPods I wouldn't recommend (yet!)

If you want entry-level AirPods, I would honestly wait until a bigger sale. The AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 ANC are good, but you can get better earbuds for cheaper — even when they're discounted.

If you need earbuds right now, I'd recommend grabbing the super-budget CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2, which have a Dirac-tuned EQ that fakes immersive 360° audio (and boy, does it work). These earbuds are just $37 at Amazon right now, which is just unfathomably cheap.

Then, if you really want AirPods later and they're majorly discounted, you can always grab them at $69-$99 instead.

We're tracking all the best Prime Day headphones deals

At long last, Google has refreshed its smart speaker lineup with the new Google Home Speaker; first announced in the fall of 2025, it took nearly nine months for the device to come to market, and replaces the six-year-old Google Nest Audio as the top-shelf smart speaker in the company’s portfolio.

Things have changed a lot since Google last released a smart speaker. During that time, AI got real big, so now the assistant powering the Google Home speaker can do a lot more than just turn on your lights.

So how does the Google Home Speaker stack up against the best smart speakers? I’ve used it for a few days and compared it against its main rivals, the Apple HomePod mini and the Amazon Echo Dot Max, to find out.

Google Home Speaker review: Price and availability

The Google Home Speaker went on sale on June 24, 2026 for $99. You can get it in one of four colors: Jade (green), Berry (red), Porcelain (white) and Hazel (grayish black). However, the Jade and Berry colors are exclusive to the U.S.

The Google Home Speaker replaces the Google Nest Audio, and, for the moment, the Google Nest Mini, both of which are no longer for sale at Google’s online store.

Google Home Speaker review: Design

The Google Home Speaker looks a bit like someone took the Apple HomePod mini and smushed it a little

There are two touch-sensitive buttons on the top of the speaker to control the volume. You can’t see the buttons, as they’re hidden by the fabric, but if you tap the top of the speaker, two LEDs turn on to show you their location. You can’t tell which is volume up or volume down by sight; you’ll have to tap them to find out which is which. Tapping the top of the speaker will also play/pause your music.

Google had similar hidden touch-sensitive buttons on its previous smart speakers with an equally mixed reception; the Mini’s buttons had to be deactivated because of their finicky nature. I just find it annoying that you have to give the speaker an extra tap.

Similar to the Echo Dot Max, the Google Home Speaker has a circular ring of LEDs which changes color based on the circumstance; for example, it turns white when Gemini is listening, multiple colors when it’s thinking, and orange when the microphone is off.

Also on the base of the speaker is a physical switch to disable its microphones, which is a commendable feature. Less so is the nonremovable power cord; break it, and you’ll have to replace the whole device.

Google Home Speaker review: Sustainability

As with most companies’ claims, Google throws out some numbers which are ultimately a little vague. Google says the speaker and its adapter is “Made with at least 37% recycled materials based on product weight.” Whether that means the metal or plastic parts is unclear.

By comparison, Amazon says the Echo Dot Max is made from 23% recycled materials; the fabric parts are made from 98% post-consumer recycled fabric, while the plastic is made from 41% post consumer recycled plastic.

The Apple HomePod mini uses 99% recycled rare earth elements, and 35% or more recycled plastic in multiple components.

Google Home Speaker review: Audio performance

Where the Nest Audio had a 75mm woofer and a 19mm tweeter, the Google Home Speaker has a single 58mm driver. I didn’t have the older Nest to compare the two side-by-side, but the tl;dr is that the Google Home Speaker performs well for its size.

I played a variety of tracks on the Google Home Speaker, as well as the HomePod mini and Echo Dot Max, and though there were some subtle differences between them, they weren’t all that disparate.

I might give a slight edge to the Echo Dot Max; it’s the only device that has two speakers (an 0.8-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch woofer) which helped midtones stand out a bit more than the Google Home and the HomePod mini, which has a single 2-inch driver

Mids sounded a bit compressed, such as Billy Joel’s voice in “Movin’ Out.” Joel’s voice sounded better and warmer on the Echo Dot Max, and there was also better bass. However, the HomePod mini sounded the best of the three.

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead” sounded best on the Echo Dot Max, as it was able to better separate the mids and highs; the Google Home Speaker and HomePod mini mushed things a bit.

Not surprisingly, bass was just ok, I threw on some old-school Snoop Dog “Who am I (What’s My Name)?” and the groove was much better on the Echo Dot Max and the HomePod than Google’s speaker.

Google Home Speaker review: Google Gemini

The hardware may be new, but the bigger upgrade inside the Google Play Speaker is Gemini, which is far more capable and powerful than Google Assistant.

Gemini for Home works with all of Google’s smart speakers and displays, but only the newer ones — Nest Audio, Nest mini (2nd Gen), Nest Hub Max and Nest Hub (2nd Gen) — will support the full Gemini for Home experience, as well as Gemini Live, where you can have a more natural, free-flowing conversation.

To test out Gemini on the Google Home Speaker, I asked it a series of questions, which it answered correctly, and was much more engaging than the old Assistant. For example, when I asked “Hey Google, what’s a good recipe for chicken wings?”, Gemini responded with a wide range of options, as well as certain things that it thought were popular.

I then asked Gemini to save the recipe, and it told me it created a note, but not where it was saved. I was able to find it in my Google Keep folder.

I also tested Gemini on sports, and here, it was a bit slower on the uptake. I asked ““Hey Google, did France win today?” and received the response “No, France did not play today,” although they had just defeated Iraq in the World Cup.

I then followed up with “Are you sure France didn’t play today?” and Gemini quickly corrected itself, gave me a summary of the game, and told me that Les Bleus secured a spot in the round of 32.

Google Home Speaker review: Subscription costs

You get Gemini for Home for free with the Google Home Speaker, but to make the most out of Gemini (and the speaker), you’ll need to sign up for a Google Home Premium subscription. Otherwise, you won’t get conversational Gemini, among other things.

If you sign up for Google Home Premium Standard ($10/month or $100/year), you get the following:

• Gemini Live (Get expert help, brainstorm ideas, and learn new topics)
• Help me create (lets you describe to Gemini the smart home routine you want to create)
• Sound detection (Smoke/carbon monoxide alarm and Glass breaking)
• 30 days of video event history

If you sign up for Google Home Premium Advanced ($20/month, $200/year), you get those features as well as these:

• Search video history - Quickly search your camera history by just asking
• Daily summaries - Ask about what you missed when you were away
• 60 days of video history
• 10 days of 24/7 video history
• Descriptive notifications
• Event descriptions

If you’re more invested in Gemini, you can also get the Standard plan as part of a Google AI Pro subscription ($20/month), and the Advanced plan with Google AI Ultra ($99/month).

Google Home Speaker review: Home theater features

Similar to its rival smart speakers, the Google Home Speaker works well with the Google TV Streamer to create a home theater experience. You can pair either a single speaker or two to the streaming device; if you pair two, you can also set up spatial audio. Dolby Atmos is supported, and the Google TV Streamer can also convert HD audio into a proprietary spatial audio format.

Amazon takes things a step further with its Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio speakers, as you can create a full surround sound experience with up to five speakers.

Google Home Speaker review: Smart Home functionality

As a smart home device, the Google Home Speaker is less capable than its Apple and Amazon rivals. For example, the HomePod mini has temperature and humidity sensors; the Amazon Echo Dot Max can act as an eero mesh router extender and has ambient light and temperature sensors, as well as presence detection.

Those other sensors make the other smart speakers far more functional. For example, you can create an Apple Home or Alexa routine to turn on your air conditioner if the temperature as measured by a speaker rises above a certain level, or if it senses someone entering the room.

Google Home Speaker review: Bottom line

Smart speakers aren’t quite the commodity they once were; Like Amazon, Google has gone from releasing a new model every year to waiting more than half a decade between the Nest Audio and the Google Home Speaker.

And that’s fine. There’s only so much you can do, though both Amazon and Apple have done more with their smart speakers than Google in terms of embedding additional sensors to make their devices more integral to a smart home ecosystem.

As smart home assistants, both Alexa and Google are very capable, especially now that they’ve gained extra AI abilities. If you’ve already started using either smart assistant, it’s unlikely that you’re going to switch your smart home from Alexa to Google or vice versa.

At this point, a smart speaker is more or less a delivery mechanism for the smart assistant of your choice. If you already own a Google smart speaker and it’s working well, there’s no real reason to upgrade, unless you want to create a Google-centric home theater system.

I've been covering Apple products for the better part of 13 years now, and that includes keeping a close eye on any potential discounts that might pop up during big sales event. It's rare to see any serious discounts on Apple products, even during big sales events. But it seems as though the ongoing Prime Day sales event is bearing fruit.

Some of you may have realized that Prime Day often comes with a bunch of junk deals. Whether we're talking minor discounts that aren't even worth bothering with, or retailers masking the usual price as a grand and generous price cut. The fact Apple sales are so rare means you don't usually have that problem. You're not likely to see major discounts that knock a several hundred dollars off the price tag, but you will still get you save a few bucks here and there.

One particularly enticing deal I've seen has knocked the iPhone Air down from $999 to $839 at Best Buy. That's a $130 saving on one of the latest, and arguably most durable, iPhones. The AirPods Pro 3 have also had a price cut at Amazon, dropping from $249 to $179, while the entry-level 11-inch iPad Air is now $519 instead of the usual $599.

Here are the best Apple Prime Day deals we've seen so far.

Apple Prime Day deals: Quick Links

• iPhone 17 Pro Max: Free w/ select unlimited plans @ T-Mobile
• Apple AirTag (2nd Gen): was $29 now $24 @ Amazon
• Apple AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $179 @ Amazon
• Apple AirPods Max 2: was $549 now $399 @ Amazon
• iPhone Air: was $999 now $839 @ Best Buy
• Apple Watch Series 11: was $249 now $179 @ Amazon
• iPad mini 7: was $499 now $474 @ Amazon
• iPad Pro M5 11" (Wi-Fi/256GB): was $999 now $899 @ Amazon

Top Apple Prime Day discounts available right now

Prime Day iPhone deals

Prime Day Apple Watch deals

Prime Day iPad deals

Prime Day MacBook deals

We all love free stuff

There's no better discount than free, right? Well you can head over to T-Mobile and pick up the iPhone 17 Pro Max absolutely free, so long as you tick the right boxes. Best of all, there's no trade-in required.

According to T-Mobile switching from your existing carrier with your current number will net you a free flagship iPhone when you sign up for an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan.

The Better Value plan also qualifies for this deal, though you will need to sign up to multiple lines if you want the free phone. New customers will need three lines with 2 eligible port-ins. Existing customers that have been on a post-paid plan for at least five years are eligible if they open 3 new lines. Go5G Next and Go5G Plus plans are also eligible for existing customers signing up for one new line with one port-in.

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Free w/selected plan @ T-Mobile

Enjoy premium sound for a lot less money

Just like its predecessor, the AirPods Max 2 are great headphones that suffer on account of their wildly high price tag. Fortunately the Prime Day sales seem to have fixed that problem somewhat, by knocking $150 off the price tag. This means you can pick up a pair of Apple's premium headphones for $399 at Amazon.

As we said in our AirPods Max 2 review, the new headphones feel like Apple dialled everything from the original up to 11. You get great sound, hi-res audio support, a premium aluminum design and improved active noise cancelling not to mention premium AirPod features like Siri integration, live translation, personalized spatial audio and more.

Apple AirPods Max 2: was $599 now $349 @ Amazon

Keep track of all your things with ease

Easily Apple's cheapest products, AirTags are a great way to keep tabs on all your things. Bags, keys, luggage, you name it. Better still, Prime Day has knocked the price of Apple's tracker down to $24. It's only a $5 savings, but every dollar counts at times like this.

The second generation AirTags also come with upgraded features, including a louder speaker, increased range, improvements to precision tracking and more. ALl for a newly-discounted price.

Apple AirTag 2nd Gen: was $29 now $24 @ Amazon
Apple AirTag 2nd Gen 4-pack: was $99 now $89 @ Amazon

The thinnest iPhone, with a nice price cut

If you're after a phone that's light and durable, Apple thinks that the iPhone Air is the one for you. Normally this phone would set you back $999, but Best Buy has knocked the total down to just $839 for an unlocked device. That saves you $160, and means you get all the same great features as the iPhone 17 — plus all the latest Siri AI features that are only available on two other iPhones.

Just be aware that it only has one camera, and the battery life isn't as good as you'd find on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

iPhone Air: was $999 now $839 @ Best Buy

Discounted wristwear at Amazon

If smartwatches are more your thing, check out this deal on the Apple Watch 11. Amazon has knocked the newest Apple Watch down to $279 for Prime Day, saving you $120 off the usual asking price.

The Apple Watch 11 comes with an extra durable screen, with twice as much scratch protection as before, alongside a 24 hour battery life, hypertension detection alerts, the usual slew of fitness and health tracking sensors and a choice of 42mm or 46mm sizes. Though, for this price you will have to take the smaller option.

Apple Watch Series 11: was $399 now $249 @ Amazon

Big savings on the Apple Watch Ultra 3

If you want an Apple Watch that's a little more high-brow and rugged, then the Apple Watch Ultra 3 might be a better option than the Apple Watch 11. The downside is that it costs significantly more money, which is where the Prime Day sales come in.

Amazon has knocked the Apple Watch Ultra 3 down to $649, which is $150 off the normal price. It's still an expensive accessory, but that's still a hefty chunk of change to be spared.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 has a 49mm display made from sapphire glass, satellite communication support, a durable titanium case, multi-day battery life, a customisable Action Button and all the same features you'd find on a normal Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: was $799 not $649 @ Amazon

The cheapest iPad is now slightly cheaper

Even a die-hard Android user like myself can admit that Apple's tablets are a step above the rest — even if some of the more premium models are very expensive. But that's not the case with the entry-level iPad 11, which is now $299 at Amazon. That's a saving of $50, which is almost enough to buy you the discounted Apple Pencil (USB-C) at $59.

The iPad 11 is a basic device, with an 11-inch display, and few extravagant features to talk about. But that's the beauty of it, since it lets you pick up an inexpensive tablet and use it for basic tablet things. Like streaming movie, writing notes, doing school work and so on.

Apple iPad 11: was $349 now $299 @ Amazon

Grab the latest MacBook Air with $150 off

It's actually pretty common to see small discounts on new (or very recent) MacBooks during big sales events like Prime Day. This year has been no exception, though it seems the discounts are a little bit more generous that usual.

The MacBook Air M5 with a 13-inch screen can now be purchased for $949 at Amazon. That's $150 off the usual price, and it means you can pick up one of the best MacBooks for much less than Apple would normally demand of you. For your money you get a machine with strong performance, the same premium design as older MacBook Airs, a vivid display and 512GB of storage space.

Our main issue with the MacBook Air M5 was the price tag, and the $100 price bump compared to older models. $150 off removes that complaint, and adds a little extra discount on top.

MacBook Air M5 (512GB): was $1,099 now $949 @ Amazon

iPad Air has a good mix of performance and affordability  — especially at this price

If you want a powerful iPad experience, but don't want to pay for an expensive iPad Pro, then there's always the iPad Air. The newest iPad Air model is now down to $519 at Amazon, saving you $80 on the usual price.

The best way to think about the iPad Air is that it has the best of everything. It's cheap enough to be more accessible, but it also offers great performance on account of the M4 chipset inside. Not to mention the excellent display, sleek and lightweight design, alongside solid battery life.

There are some things missing, like Face ID , but for the most part this is the iPad to go for if you plan on using your tablet for anything beyond basic streaming, reading and note-taking.

Apple iPad Air M4: was $599 now $519 @ Amazon

I don't know about you, but I love listening to music whenever possible. Though I usually use earbuds or headphones to do so, I like jamming to my favorite tunes by listening to them through the best Bluetooth speakers too, especially if I'm hanging out with my partner. Or soundtracking a party. Or performing karaoke in the shower. Or dancing to Tame Impala while I cook.

Technology has come leaps and bounds, and today, we're spoilt for choice when it comes to speakers. With so many choices, where do you even start? Luckily for you, I review speakers for a living, and this Amazon Prime Day, I've handpicked my top deals, starting from just $27.

Yep, the Tribit StormBox Mini+ is down to just $27! It's the speaker I use at home, and for its size, it can get very loud. But what about those who don't want a small speaker and want a big, boombox-style one with Earth-shaking bass? You're in luck: the JBL Xtreme 4 is 34% off right now, and this deal saves you $130.

Fans of rock 'n' roll may want to consider picking up the Marshall Acton III, available for just $179 this Prime Day, and its drool-worthy looks and tactile amp-like controls are a sight to behold. Or if you want a party speaker that doubles as a guitar amp and karaoke machine, how about the Marshall Bromley 750, which is down to its lowest-ever price of $999 right now?

And there's a lot more where that came from! Keep reading for the best Prime Day speaker deals you can grab this week.

Meet your Bluetooth speakers deals expert

Quick links

• Shop all Amazon Prime Day deals now
• JBL Flip 7: was $149 now $94
• JBL Xtreme 4: was $379 now $249
• JBL Charge 6: was $199 now $159
• JBL Go 5: was $54 now $44
• Bose SoundLink Max: was $399 now $279
• Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen): was $139 now $99
• Marshall Emberton III: was $179 now $99
• Marshall Acton III: was $299 now $179
• Marshall Stanmore III: was $399 now $249
• Marshall Bromley 750: was $1,299 now $999
• Tribit StormBox Lava: was $139 now $94
• Tribit StormBox Micro 3: was $64 now $47
• Tribit StormBox Mini+: was $34 now $27
• EarFun UBoom L: was $79 now $52
• 8BitDo Retro Cube 2: was $55 now $49

Best Prime Day JBL deals

Best Prime Day Bose deals

Best Prime Day Marshall deals

Best Prime Day Tribit deals

Best Prime Day miscellaneous deals

We're tracking all the best Prime Day speaker deals

Prime Day is officially in full swing, and if you’ve been holding out for a pair of premium headphones that truly justify their reputation, the Sennheiser Momentum 4's deserve a spot in your cart.

These are my absolute go-to daily headphones. Whether I'm blocking out outside chatter, surviving a long-haul flight, or just getting lost in a favorite album, they consistently deliver unmatched audio clarity and noise cancellation.

Right now, Amazon has slashed the price to just $179, knocking over $100 off. Having put these through their paces every single day for years, I can confidently say they easily outperform everything else I own. If you want elite sound without the elite hefty price tag, don't sleep on this deal.

• See all Amazon Prime Day Deals right now!

There's a few reasons why these cans earned a 4.5-star rating in our Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review.

First and foremost, the sound quality is what made me a huge fan. Music feels genuinely alive on the Momentum 4s, with a depth and clarity that makes you start noticing things you'd missed in songs you've listened to a hundred times. Podcasts, playlists, films — everything just sounds better than it has any right to at this price point.

Comfort is the other thing that keeps coming up when I wear these. The earcups are well padded, the fit is light, and I can go hours without thinking about the fact that I'm wearing headphones at all. For long commutes or full work days, this matters.

The noise cancelling does its job without the uncomfortable pressure you get from some ANC headphones, which is a more common complaint than brands like to admit. Transparency mode is a quick tap away when you need to tune back in to the world around you, and it's seamless enough that switching between the two becomes second nature.

You also get an amazing 60 hours on a single charge, meaning I only plug mine in about once a week, even though I use them every single day. The Momentum 4 Wireless are also great for calls. Whether I’m working in a noisy coffee shop or out on a windy walk, the mic keeps my voice clear and blocks out the background chaos.

If you just want a pair of headphones that work perfectly without any fuss, these are it. I didn’t expect to get this attached to them, but I really can't see myself switching to anything else.

At $179 for Prime Day, they're still an investment, but they are an absolute steal for the quality you get. They might not get the same mainstream buzz as Apple or Beats, but they absolutely should.

Prime Day 2026 is officially here and this year there are tons of discounts on Bose gear. You can save 50% on the Bose QuietComfort Headphones right now, 30% on the Bose SoundLink Max, and $150 off the Bose Smart Soundbar.

I've tested well over 100 audio products by this point, including all the best soundbars, best headphones, best earbuds, best speakers, and everything in between. When people ask me for recommendations, one of the first brands I go to is Bose. Did you know Dr. Bose literally invented ANC? You'd expect the Bose QuietComfort line to have the best ANC in the world — and you'd be right. If you want to shut out the rest of the world, I wholeheartedly recommend checking out any Bose headphones or earbuds.

We're tracking all the best deals so you don't have to, so be sure to check our Prime Day liveblog, TV deals liveblog and the best Apple deals.

Best Bose Prime Day deals: Quick links

• Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen: was $129 now $99 @ Amazon
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds: was $179 now $129 @ Amazon
• Bose TV Speaker: was $279 now $199 @ Amazon
• Bose QuietComfort Headphones: was $359 now $179 @ Amazon
• Bose SoundLink Plus: was $269 now $179 @ Amazon
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2nd Gen: was $299 now $249 @ Amazon
• Bose SoundLink Max: was $399 now $279 @ Amazon
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen: was $449 now $379 @ Amazon
• Bose Smart Soundbar: was $549 now $399 @ Amazon

Best Bose Prime Day deals

We're tracking all the best Prime Day audio deals

Owning one of the best soundbars is the best way to upgrade your home cinema with very little headache, and there's zero competition. Although serious hi-fi nerds poo-poo soundbars, some people don't have the time, space, or patience to deal with AVRs, floorstanders, wall-mounted speakers, and the like. Sometimes a soundbar is all you want.

And boy, have I got the soundbar for you: the KEF XIO. The XIO is KEF's first foray into the home theater market, and it's a bullseye. Almost everything about this soundbar is excellent: the sound is seriously cinematic, it has powerful bass, and ridiculous Dolby Atmos. The main downside is the app, but if you're not the kind of person who uses soundbar apps, this will be a non-issue.

Here's why I recommend the KEF XIO for everyone willing to invest in their home sound — and how you can save £200/20% right now.

Sound as immersive as a movie theater

The KEF XIO is one of the most impressive soundbars I've ever tested, sonically. It has enviable width and height and makes movies come alive. I tested the soundbar with 4K UHD Blu-rays and standard 5.1 content on streaming services, and everything sounded excellent.

In my 4-star review, I wrote, "Dolby Atmos performance is utterly fantastic, especially in "Top Gun: Maverick". Every single flying scene had unbeatable height and width, and the planes seemed to fly over my head. I was incredibly impressed with this."

Certain movies were just made to be used with soundbars like this, and "Top Gun: Maverick" is one of them. If you grab this soundbar, you will not be disappointed if you use it with the right media.

I added, "Flying scenes sounded outrageously good; the bass rumbled in my chest when the jets took off". I could feel the planes moving around the room, could feel the engines in my chest, could hear the radio dialogue coming from behind me. I was seriously, seriously impressed with this soundbar.

The KEF XIO has a 5.1.2 channel configuration, which means it has five front- and up-firing speakers, one built-in subwoofer, and two side-firing speakers (that act as surrounds). This configuration is what gives that genuine Dolby Atmos performance — you want at least 3.1.2.

Another reason why the XIO sounds so good is its built-in, automatic calibration. KEF uses Intelligent Placement Technology built into the XIO. The soundbar uses microphones to map out your room (imagine a robot vacuum mapping out its territory) and then optimizes its sound based on things like placement height, wall size, and ceiling height.

Automatic calibration is a must-have if you want to get the very best out of your soundbar: the JBL Bar 1300X is also capable of this, as is Klipsch's Flexus line.

Save £200 if you're in the U.K.

For my fellow Brits, you can save £200 on the KEF XIO right now. It's not a discount, per se; more of a long-term reward. If you purchase before July 2nd, you get £200 cashback.

If you're in the U.S., you can save when you buy the XIO with a subwoofer and receiver — so a $3,399 purchase becomes $2,679. This isn't as good a deal as the U.K.'s — what if you don't want the subwoofer and receiver? — but I'll be on the lookout for Amazon deals.

KEF is also offering this discount for the following: Kube 8 MIE, Kube 10 MIE, Kube 12 MIE, KC62, but I haven't used these subwoofers, so I can't vouch for them. I can, however, vouch for the XIO — it is one of the most immersive, room-filling soundbars I've ever had the pleasure of testing.

Every sound effect was crystal-clear, every line of dialogue was pronounced and audible. As I've discussed above, the Dolby Atmos performance was seriously impressive and made me feel like I was at the movies.

If you can afford it, you won't be disappointed by the KEF XIO. It officially stole my heart.

We're tracking all the best Prime Day soundbar deals

Right now, both Walmart and Amazon have excellent discounts for the Apple AirPods Max 2. Both retailers have knocked the AirPods Max 2 down to $399 (normally $549) ahead of Walmart Deals and Prime Day this week.

Nicely, these deals cover every colorway, so you have options. And, if you don't mind used, Amazon has the orange version for $379.

The AirPods Max 2 just launched in March of this year, and this is the first major discount we've seen for Apple's high-end over-ear headphones. In our AirPods Max 2 review, we praised the refreshed headphones for their rich, complex sound, calling it an upgrade done right.

"If you like how AirPods Pro or AirPods Max Gen 1 sound, you are in for a treat with the AirPods Max 2. Apple has taken everything from its predecessor and dialed it up to 11."

The Max 2s come with personalized spatial audio, Siri integration, Live Translation, and head gestures, making them more useful and smarter than their predecessor.

Unfortunately, especially these days, the normal $549 price tag is high. Now, that's not as much of a worry because at $399, the AirPods Max 2 outshines many of the best headphones.

There are two flaws you should know about if you're considering these headphones. They are a bit heavy weighing nearly a pound and the battery life is the same 20 hours as the previous AirPods Max headphones.

However, if those aren't a problem for you, then we highly recommend you snag a pair of AirPods Max 2 for Prime Day.

HEADPHONES

We're tracking all the best Prime Day headphones deals

As a fitness editor, I review the best fitness tech for a living, and one of the recent launches I’ve been most impressed with is the Apple AirPods Pro 3, which have built-in infrared sensors pulsing 256 times a second, tracking your heart rate from your ears.

I’ve used the AirPods Pro 3 for countless workouts, and love the ability to leave my watch behind and still get heart rate monitoring. My colleague Nick Harris-Fry tested the heart rate monitor of the AirPods Pro 3 against a chest strap while running and was also impressed.

These are, by far, some of the best workout headphones on the market, and the good news is, right now they are on sale in an early Amazon Prime Day deal.

To use the heart rate tracking on the buds, you need to start a workout in the Fitness app on your iPhone, where you’ll see the headphones connected and your live heart rate during workouts.

If you also have an Apple Watch connected, Apple says readings from the heart rate sensor on the watch and the headphones will both be looked at, and the most accurate one will be used for the workout recording.

During our testing, the AirPods Pro 3 have kept up with a heart rate monitor strapped to the chest, and have proven to be far more accurate than the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

They also have a redesigned fit, and I’ve found them to be the most comfortable AirPods to date. I’ve worn them for 20-mile runs and found they’ve stayed perfectly in place. The biggest tactile change to the AirPods Pro 3 is the squishy tips at the end of the buds. This foam infusion feels different from the silicone used on the older models, and makes them a lot more comfortable for hours of wear.

I've sifted through the dregs of Amazon so you don't have to — and I've found savings for five of my highest-rated soundbars. As one of Tom's Guide's resident soundbar reviewers, I've tested enough of these home cinema bad boys to know exactly which ones are worth your time (and money).

It's not even Prime Day yet, and Samsung, Sony, and Bose have all slashed prices on some of their best soundbars, including the super-budget Sony HT-S100F, Bose Smart Soundbar (usually $550!), and my personal favorite mid-range soundbar, Samsung Q600F. I genuinely didn't believe this price when I saw it — $371. For a — really good — soundbar and subwoofer? Its launch price was $599! Is this real life?

I wouldn't wait for Prime Day with deals like this, but if you want to stick around for the Tom's Guide Savings Squad to save the day, we've selected the best Prime Day deals on everything from TVs to headphones to coffee makers to smart watches.

Best early Prime Day soundbar deals: Quick links

• Sony HT-S100F: was $118 now $98 @ Amazon
• Klipsch Flexus Core 100: was $349 now $249 @ Amazon
• Sonos Beam Gen 2: was $499 now $369 @ Amazon
• Samsung Q600F: was $599 now $371 @ Amazon
• Bose Smart Soundbar: was $549 now $399 @ Amazon

Best early Prime Day soundbar deals

We're tracking all the best Prime Day soundbar deals

Small, portable Bluetooth speakers can sound really good, but let's be honest: if you're soundtracking a large gathering or party, a small one isn't going to cut it. You need a proper party speaker for that, one that gets incredibly loud and makes your guests feel like they're at a concert. How about one that hits a staggering 121dB, then?

The Soundboks Mix is perhaps the loudest speaker I've tested yet. It's loud, but even at the highest volume, music doesn't sound too distorted, and the treble and mids remain surprisingly clear. Bass is nothing short of Earth-shaking, and the room-filling sound leaves you drooling. But...

Yeah, there's always a "but." It's part and parcel of testing and reviewing products, because few (if any) are perfect. The Mix is no different. Even though I love its sound profile, its drawbacks have left me feeling shortchanged — and when $799 is on the line, you want bang for your buck. There is one speaker out there that's great value for money, and sadly, it ain't the Mix.

Shake the ground

One of the Soundboks Mix's biggest selling points is that it's get ridiculously loud. At a whopping 121dB, the Mix sounds loud enough to vibrate a glass off a desk if you're indoors, or shake the ground when you're outdoors. Metaphorically speaking, of course — I didn't actually manage to drop a glass off a countertop.

All that's to say is that you can certainly be the life of the party with the Mix. Whether you're head-banging to bass-heavy rock or dancing to electronic dance music, the Mix has you covered. Two 72W Class D amplifiers powered by a 10-inch woofer and a 1.2-inch dome tweeter cover a frequency response range of 40Hz to 20KHz — typical for a speaker of its demeanour.

Regardless of the tune I listened to, I was impressed. Lana Del Rey's vocals in ‘First Light’ sat front and centre and sounded remarkably clear. The warmth, texture and emotional nuance were reproduced accurately, while subtle details in her delivery found themselves in the spotlight without sounding too clinical. The treble in rock tunes, like ‘Elma’ by Yin Yin and ‘Echoes’ by Pink Floyd, shone and sounded vibrant without cutting through the rest of the soundstage.

None of that would matter, however, if the Mix didn't do what a party speaker is designed to do: make you dance to electronic tracks, and it manages to do so. The bass in ‘Lights Burn Dimmer’ by Fred Again and Jaime T sounded controlled and tight with the EQ set to Indoor. It didn't overpower the rest of the soundstage. Switching the EQ preset to Bass+ made me feel the song in my bones. It was loud and made the ground beneath me shake. I could feel my teeth chattering.

Turning the volume all the way up to 10 (as you might do if you're hosting a party outdoors) revealed a weakness, though. The bass was still room-filling, but it sounded wobbly and uncontrolled, like the Mix was struggling to keep up with it, or was feeling overwhelmed by it. Truth be told, that's not great news for a party speaker — especially for one that costs just under $800... which, very nicely, brings me to my next point.

Nowhere to hide when the competition is so good

When I was testing the Soundboks Mix, I couldn't help but think to myself, "This speaker could be the best party speaker around... if it wasn't competing with the Marshall Bromley 450." The Bromley 450, Marshall's second-ever party speaker, is a top-notch product that doesn't skimp on features on sound quality. I've thoroughly tested that speaker too, and knowing what it offers for the same money has further highlighted the Mix's flaws to me.

One of the first things I noticed about the Mix was its lack of ports. All you get is a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm jack for wired playback. The Bromley 450 goes above and beyond here, with two XLR/6.35mm combo ports for microphones and acoustic/electric guitars, and RCA ports for keyboards and turntables. It essentially doubles (or triples) as an amplifier and a karaoke machine.

You've then got the Mix using an old version of Bluetooth: 4.2. That's not bad, per se, but it isn't good either for a speaker that came out in March 2026. Bluetooth 4.2 is an old version at this point. That means shorter range and no way to stream LE or hi-res audio, so you're stuck with the basic SBC codec.

The Bromley 450 has yet another ace up its sleeve: 360° True Stereophonic surround sound, which means that regardless of where you're standing in a room, you'll hear the same exceptional sound. This makes listening to your favorite tunes more immersive, something the Mix can't achieve.

Combine all of this with the wobbly bass and you've got yourself a clear winner. The Mix costs $799 / £599, and the Bromley 450 retails for $799 / £549, and for the same price, you get versatile connectivity options, better Bluetooth and LE audio, 360° sound, and even integrated stage lights that react to the music.

I know which speaker I'd personally buy. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

More from Tom's Guide

• I just tested Soundboks’ portable party speaker — and it’s so close to be being great
• I just tested the ‘best party speaker of 2026’ — here's why you should buy the Marshall Bromley 450
• Forget Bose — there's no better party speaker on the planet than the brand-new Marshall Bromley 450

Sometimes, a small speaker isn’t loud enough to soundtrack an evening with friends or a big party. You need a party speaker for that, and the Soundboks Mix is a solid choice. Soundboks’ portable party speaker is built extremely well and is protected against the elements, thanks to its IP65 rating. The sound? Nearly exquisite. The Mix delivers powerful, Earth-shaking bass, vibrant treble, and precise, balanced mids.

But is it the best Bluetooth speaker for the money? It costs $799 and features some noteworthy flaws, such as wobbly bass at high volumes, Bluetooth 4.2 only, no 360° sound, and more. If those are compromises you’re willing to make, then the Mix could be perfect for you. Trust me, it sounds really, really good.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Soundboks Mix review.

Soundboks Mix review: Specs

Soundboks Mix review: Price & availability

Launched in March 2026, the Soundboks Mix is the Soundboks 4’s smaller sibling, and it effectively replaces the Soundboks Go as the brand’s most portable party speaker — it’s priced as such too. While the 4 costs $999, the Mix retails for $799 / £599 at Amazon. Given how loud it gets, the Mix is a great party speaker for anyone who doesn’t want to spend nearly a grand on the bigger model.

The Mix is Soundboks’ answer to the Marshall Bromley 450 ($799) and the JBL PartyBox 520 ($879). It’s got the specs and sound to go toe-to-toe with the Bromley 450, too, but is it worth buying instead of the Marshall? I've reviewed both, so let’s find out.

Soundboks Mix review: Design

The Soundboks Mix looks very similar to the Soundboks 4 — similar to how the Marshall Bromley 450 and Marshall Bromley 750 ($1,299) share design philosophies. You’re getting bang for your buck here as the Mix feels very well-built, featuring an ABS and polycarbonate cabinet, silicone ball corners to protect it from getting damaged, and a detachable steel grill. All in all, it feels sturdy and durable.

The Mix doesn’t sport any garish LED lighting that makes it look tacky, like on the JBL PartyBox 520 — although I do wish it had some integrated stage lights, like the Bromley 450 does. Branding is fairly minimal too, with the logo sitting in the top left corner. You can buy the speaker in black only, which is no bad thing; the Bromley 450 and PartyBox 520 come in single colors too.

As Soundboks’ most compact party speaker, the Mix doesn’t feel too heavy and doesn’t take up much space either. It measures 18.9 x 13.4 x 10.6 inches and weighs 21.38lbs, so it’s about 5lbs lighter than the Bromley 450. To move it around, you can use the built-in carry handle, which is fine, but because there’s only one located in one corner, the Mix feels a little unwieldy to move around. This problem could have been easily solved by installing a suitcase-style handle smack dab in the middle of its side, à la Bromley 450.

But hey, you can buy a strap to turn the Mix into a backpack… for $59. And it doesn’t come with a charger... which you can also buy separately for $59. The Mix feels to speakers what EA is to gaming: full of microtransactions.

Weatherproofing

If you want a rugged party speaker that you can use outdoors without worrying too much about it getting rained on, the Mix is a great choice. The speaker is IP65-rated which means it’s fully dust-tight and protected against rain and moisture. That’s slightly better than the Marshall Bromley 450 which is IP55-rated. When I was testing the Mix outdoors, it started drizzling and knowing that the speaker was IP65-rated reassured me.

Controls

There isn’t a lot going on in terms of controls on the Mix. All the physical buttons and volume dial are located on the speaker’s right edge, and these include the volume knob, TeamUp button for wirelessly linking up to five Soundboks speakers together, and the power button for, well, turning the speaker on and off. That’s about it. The buttons give good tactile feedback when pressed, and are fairly straightforward to understand.

Connectivity

The Mix utilizes Bluetooth 4.2 to connect wirelessly to your smartphone, laptop or other devices, and it features multipoint connectivity for simultaneously connecting up to two devices. Bluetooth 4.2 is disappointing, though, as it means there’s limited codec support, so you only get the standard SBC codec. No AAC and no LE audio, unfortunately.

This older version also limits the speaker’s maximum operating range to 40m only. Not great for a party speaker. What if you’re soundtracking a big gathering and you’re far away from the speaker, and the connection drops when you move out of range? That’s one way to kill the mood.

In comparison, the Marshall Bromley 450 utilizes the newer Bluetooth 5.3 with support for AAC and LC3, and sports many more connectivity options, such as RCA and two XLR/6.35mm combo jacks for plugging in instruments or microphones. One thing the Mix and Bromley 450 have in common, though, is 3.5mm wired playback. But if you want a versatile party speaker, I’d choose the Bromley 450 any day.

Like I alluded to earlier, there's a TeamUp button on the Mix for wirelessly connecting up to five Soundboks speakers. There's also a Bond button with arrows, located right under the TeamUp button. When it lights up in green, it means the speaker is connected to another speaker it has been linked to in the past. You can also become the "Host" when other speakers are connected to yours, and control them via the smartphone app (more on that shortly).

Soundboks Mix review: Sound quality

There’s no dearth of tech squeezed into the Soundboks Mix’s portable body. It packs two 72W Class D amplifiers powered by a 10-inch woofer and a 1.2-inch dome tweeter. It can go all the way up to 121dB — a little louder than the Marshall Bromley 450 (100dB). The Mix covers a frequency response range of 40Hz to 20KHz, which is typical for party speakers as it delivers crisp highs and deep bass, perfect for pop, rock, EDM, what-have-you. I listened to my usual mix of testing songs on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for hi-res audio.

To test the Mix’s midrange performance, I listened to ‘First Light’ by Lana Del Rey, and I was instantly impressed. Lana’s vocals sat front and centre with remarkable clarity, and the speaker captured and accurately reproduced the warmth, texture and emotional nuance that define the James Bond theme song. Subtle details in her delivery, such as her short, sharp breaths, shone without sounding too clinical or like they were piercing through the soundscape. I also appreciated the Mix preserving the tonal balance even at the highest volume — the track never once sounded distorted, and it still sounded engaging and cinematic.

There’s nothing the Mix can’t handle, and it manages to deliver vibrant treble without making it sound too overzealous. The psychedelic/electronic guitar notes landed with impressive clarity and shimmered in ‘Elma’ by Yin Yin, while the drums’ hi-hats added depth to the track without becoming harsh or fatiguing.

Similarly, in Pink Floyd’s ‘Echoes,’ I thoroughly enjoyed the delicate balance between cymbal work and the ambient or atmospheric sound effects. The Mix added a brilliant airiness to the track, making me feel like I was there with the band as they recorded the song at Pompeii.

But this is a party speaker, after all, so I had to test it by listening to an electronic track you can dance to. ‘Lights Burn Dimmer’ by Fred Again and Jaime T highlights the Mix’s greatest strength: bass. With the EQ set to Indoor, the bass sounds very controlled and tight, giving the track a great backbone without overpowering the rest of the soundstage. I then tried the Bass+ EQ preset which turns the bass all the way up to 10.

While the song still sounded powerful and the bass was room-filling, I couldn’t help but notice that the bassline sounded wobbly, like it was too much for the Mix to handle. This was indoors so I tried this preset outdoors, and the bass still sounded slightly muddy — an issue I never encountered when testing the Marshall Bromley 450.

It’s also important to note that the Mix doesn’t feature 360° surround sound, which means that you can only really appreciate music when standing directly in front of the speaker. If you want a more immersive listening experience, and want your party guests to be able to hear your tunes regardless of where they’re standing, I’d recommend the Bromley 450 which features True Stereophonic 360° sound.

Listen along to my review with the Soundboks Mix testing playlist:

Soundboks Mix review: App

The Soundboks Mix is accompanied by the brand’s app for all its speakers, and it’s available for free on iOS and Android. This is one area in which the Mix upstages the Marshall Bromley 450. The Bromley 450’s app is decent but not great, and the Mix offers a lot more in terms of customization.

Via the user-friendly app, you can make adjustments to the five-band custom equalizer, choose one of three EQ presets, control other Soundboks speakers you’ve paired with the Mix, control the volume, and, of course, update the firmware. I also like that the EQ presets have quirky descriptions. For instance, the Bass+ preset is described as, “More bass, just like you wanted. Yes, you.” I dig it.

Soundboks Mix review: Battery life

The Soundboks Mix offers superb battery life as it can last up to 40 hours between charges. Battery life will naturally depend on the volume and EQ presets, and happily, the app tells you how long the speaker will last when certain EQ presets are active. If you’re playing at full volume or have the Bass+ preset enabled, the battery life drops to eight hours. You can use any USB-C cable to charge the Mix.

Both the Marshall Bromley 750 and the Marshall Bromley 450 also pack 40-hour batteries. The Mix upstages the JBL PartyBox 520’s 15-hour and the Sony ULT Tower 9’s 25-hour batteries, too.

Similar to both the Bromleys, the Mix’s battery pack is removable and it can even be used to charge your smartphone, laptop and other devices. This is a handy feature to have especially if you’re out and about and not near a charging outlet.

Soundboks Mix review: Verdict

The Soundboks Mix isn’t without its compromises, but when it comes to sound quality, it still delivers a wonderful listening experience. Party speakers need to put out big sound, and the Mix can get incredibly loud without distortion. Earth-shaking bass is balanced well with detailed treble and mids, and though the bass can get a little wobbly at high volumes, it’s still enjoyable.

Designed to withstand the elements, the Mix is IP65-rated and is reinforced to stand the test of time. That said, for the same price of $799, the Marshall Bromley 450 offers better value for money. More ports for hooking up instruments, better connectivity thanks to Bluetooth 5.3, and 360° sound.

If all you want is full-bodied sound, the Mix is a great choice, but the extra versatility of similarly-priced rivals stops it achieving one of our very highest scores.

After testing the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO open-earbuds, I’m certain that everyone will love them. The sound quality makes them some of the best earbuds I’ve ever tested, and the open-ear design means they’re perfect for anyone needing to listen out for ambient sound around them.

Open-earbuds aren’t for everyone since noise-cancelling is a must for some, but these buds will change your mind. They’re extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time, given their lightweight design, and the IP54 durability rating makes them a great companion for anyone sporty or who spends a lot of time outdoors in all-weather conditions. The customizable EQ settings in the companion app also meant I could make the most of my music.

My only issue is the battery life, which at 20 hours isn’t exactly competitive. It’s not a deal breaker for me, but it is something to keep in mind if you’re considering these buds. To find out more, you can keep reading this full Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review.

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: Specs

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: Price & availability

The Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO open-earbuds are available to purchase from Best Buy for $179 in the U.S. and on Amazon for £129 in the U.K. The earbuds are available in three color designs, including Black, White and Sport.

They’re on the more expensive side of open-earbuds, but they also come with the best sound quality I’ve experienced in this style of bud. My favorites up until now have been the Soundcore Aeroclip earbuds, which cost $129. But I think the extra $50 is well worth it for the Amiron’s better sound.

And while the Amiron ZEROs aren’t exactly a budget option, they’re still a whole lot cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which cost $299. However, the Bose buds have an extra seven hours of battery life on the Beyerdynamics.

You could also look at the cheaper EarFun Clip 2 earbuds, which cost $99. They offer awesome performance and comfort. They also have a whopping 40 hours of battery life with the charging case.

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: Design

There’s no denying that the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO are good-looking earbuds. The design is completely minimalistic, unless you get the Sport colorway, which has bright orange accents — that’s sure to make you stand out. But the Black and White color options are far more subtle.

The buds hook around the cartilage of your ear like a cuff, and I much prefer this design to hook-style open-earbuds like the JLab Epic Open Sport ($114). The cuff style feels a lot more secure. I’d also recommend this style to runners rather than wrap-around headphones like the H2O Audio Tri 2 PRO ($199), especially if you have long hair like me.

With a durability rating of IP54, the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO are protected against water splashes and dust, making them well-suited to resisting sweat during your workout or coping with unpredictable weather.

The buds also have wear detection, which I find useful as I never want to miss a second of my music, but you can switch this off in the app if you prefer.

Comfort

Since they’re lightweight at just 0.2 ounces per bud, the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO earbuds are extremely comfortable to wear all day long. Since these are open ears, you can hear everything going on around you, so I always felt comfortable in my surroundings when out and about.

It’s worth considering that since these are open-earbuds, there’s a lot of sound leakage. My colleague Erin sits next to me in our office and said it sounded like the earbuds were actually in her ears instead of mine — sorry, Erin.

Controls

The Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO have touch controls that are customizable through the Beyerdynamic app. This is easy to do, and you can use a series of taps to skip through and play and pause songs.

I found the touch controls responsive, even when moving around, such as when I was out hiking. I usually prefer to have button controls for more deliberate touches, but the touch-sensitive controls are really great here as they quickly beep to let you know how many taps you’ve made, and therefore what function is taking place.

Connectivity

The Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO use Bluetooth 5.4. They have a connection range of 15 meters (50 feet), so I was able to walk away from my phone and move around without worrying about losing connection. The buds only support SBC and AAC codecs for wireless audio, so they have no hi-res capabilities, but the audio sounds great anyway.

You also get multipoint connectivity for pairing the buds with up to two different devices. You can control these connections in the Beyerdynamic app, and it’s very easy to set up. It made it easy to switch between my phone and laptop when working in the office.

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: Sound quality

Beyerdynamic makes some of my favorite detailed listening headphones, the DT 270 Pro. Despite being open-earbuds, the Amiron ZERO are no different — they’re perfect for appreciating the finer details of your music.

The earbuds have a wide soundstage that lets me appreciate the layers of the music and take in all the instruments at once, while still hearing the ambient sound around me. I created a V-shaped custom EQ for the earbuds, as this is the way I prefer to listen to my music. This increases the bass and treble while decreasing the mids, and it's the type of default EQ setting you’ll find on most commercial headphones.

To test out the bass performance from the earbuds, I listened to Television/So Far So Good by Rex Orange County. There’s rumbling bass throughout this song, and the earbuds did a good job of keeping the lower frequencies warm and balanced throughout. I had no issues with distortion here, which can often be the case with open-earbuds.

For the mids, I listened to The Downtown Lights by The Blue Nile, as it uses a driving drum beat and bright synth sounds. The whole song was well-defined, and the guitar sounded clean throughout. The drums also stood out even though they’re very far back in the soundstage.

The treble performance of the earbuds is great, too. I listened to Soda by Nothing But Thieves, as the lead singer’s vocals are incredibly strong, but can sometimes become lost if the balance isn’t quite right. The vocals were crisp and clean, with good replication of the reverb. The detail from the whole song is impressive, and I felt like I was listening with studio headphones with the benefit of an open-ear design.

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: App

As discussed, most of the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO’s settings — like the touch controls — can be customized in the Beyerdynamic app. The app is simple but effective, putting everything you need in one place without too many bells and whistles. It’s much easier to use than rival apps from EarFun or Soundcore.

For music customization, the app has a five-band EQ where you can use EQ presets and create a custom EQ. I enjoyed using all of these settings, and it gave me a lot of different options based on what I needed from the particular track. I may have settled on my favorite V-shaped EQ for the most part, but I appreciated having the option to change it up every so often.

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: Call quality

To test call quality, I called my mom while using the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO earbuds (my standard microphone test), and her voice sounded crisp and clear. On the other end, she said I also sounded clear, and much better than I sound when I use my Apple AirPods 3.

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: Battery life

When up against other open-earbuds, the battery life of the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO looks disappointing. The earbuds have a total battery life of 20 hours with the charging case, with six hours from the earbuds on a single charge.

The EarFun Clip 2 earbuds have a whopping 40 hours of battery life, and the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have 27 hours. Despite the disparity, I’m personally able to overlook the battery shortfall since the overall performance of the Amiron ZEROs is so impressive, and six hours is likely to be enough time for one listening session anyway.

You can see the battery percentage and remaining hours in the Beyerdynamic earbuds in the companion app. The case charges with a USB-C cable and a 10-minute charge gives two hours of listening time, which I found ideal for a quick juice-up before leaving the house.

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review: Verdict

The Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO open-earbuds are, for me, the ones to beat. After a year of testing open-earbuds from many different brands, these are the only ones I’ve tested with performance to match a pair of in-ear earbuds.

They have excellent sound quality with impressive detail, and the intuitive app makes using the earbuds even better. The customizable EQ settings also give complete control over your music. They’re lightweight and totally comfortable to wear for long periods of time, while the IP54 durability rating means they’re reliable come rain, shine or sweat.

Nothing’s perfect, and I do have a qualm with the Amiron ZEROs… but it’s a small one. The battery life just isn’t as strong as other open-earbuds on the market. This isn’t the end of the world, though, and it’s certainly not a dealbreaker considering how amazing the sound quality is.

Open-earbuds aren’t usually for everyone, but the Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO could and should be.

Multiple reports suggest Apple has big plans for an ecosystem of AI products, but the lack of progress with Siri AI has been an obstacle. Now that Siri AI has been unveiled, and set to roll out to iPhones later this year, progress can finally be made on those devices. That includes the long-rumored camera-equipped AirPods, which some have referred to as "AirPods Ultra."

According to a new report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple is set to release those AirPods sometime in late 2027. This means they will likely launch around the same time as the iPhone 20, which is being released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone's release.

The report notes that the AirPods are set to be the first wearable AI product Apple releases, and will be built around communicating with Siri AI. That includes being able to speak to the AI as normal, while also adding extra input via the AirPods' built-in cameras.

How the AirPods Ultra will work

The cameras themselves are not designed for recording video or taking photos, and are instead meant to offer Siri some visual input. The idea is that users can ask Siri about different objects or the environment, and have the AI understand what's going on without needing to look through an iPhone camera — as has been the case so far.

It's not entirely clear what kind of cameras are included, and past reports suggested that they could be infrared to enable hand gestures. However, considering Siri is supposed to be able to see things from those cameras, it's likely they're going to be pretty traditional camera lenses — albeit rather small and low-powered. If that's the case, it's going to be interesting to see how Apple stops these AirPods from being hacked or jailbroken in order to record video from your ears.

What AirPods Ultra could look like

Gurman says that these new AirPods will resemble the AirPods Pro, with the only major design difference being the presence of both the camera and status LEDs that are visible to other people. Those lights are supposed to show others whenever the AirPods are sending data to the cloud for processing.

The AI AirPods were expected to launch this year, but the issues Apple faced with Siri saw them pushed back. Don't expect them to be the only AI wearables Apple has to offer, either. Gurman has reiterated that Apple's AI glasses are supposed to launch at the end of next year too, and the rumored AI pendant will likely arrive in the near future.

The AirPods are apparently further along the development process than both of these. The earbuds are said to have reached "advanced stages of development," with Apple actively testing them alongside iPhone 20, iPhone Fold 2 and iOS 28.

This seems a little early, considering we're still around 15 months out from the 2027 iPhone launch event. But I suppose being proactive about these things ensures problems can be solved early, rather than scrambling to fix them at the last possible minute.

It's going to be a long wait before these AirPods Ultra actually arrive, even if there aren't any issues that crop up over the next several months. But, hopefully, as time goes on we'll be hearing more leaks and rumors about what Apple has in store.

More from Tom's Guide

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• I just tested the phone everybody thinks is a preview of the iPhone Fold — God, I hope they’re wrong
• Apple finally brings built-in drawing tools to iOS 27 Messages — here's how to try it

Whether you're looking for the best noise cancelling headphones or in search of the best cheap running headphones, the next few days will be brimming with headphone deals. Amazon is offering hundreds of discounts on my favorite brands and I'm here to show you the Prime Day headphone deals worth your money.

As an AirPods Pro owner, my favorite deal right now is the AirPods Pro 3 for $179 at Amazon. It's a new price low for Apple's earbuds which my colleague Kate Kozuch called the best AirPods you can buy right now. Meanwhile, the JLab Go Pods ANC are on sale for just $20. My colleague and fellow runner Nick Harris-Fry called these an outrageously good value and his favorite cheap workout earbuds.

Not an earbuds fan? No problem! Below I've gathered all the best Prime Day headphone deals you can get right now. From Bose to Sony, these are the audio deals we recommend and stand behind. For more deals and personal recommendations, check out our Prime Day deals page and the Tom's Guide Savings Squad.

Quick Links

• shop all early Prime Day deals on Amazon
• Jlab Go Pods ANC: was $36 now $20
• Sony WH-CH520: was $59 now $38
• Beats Flex Wireless: was $69 now $49
• Apple AirPods 4: was $129 now $99
• Beats Solo 4: was $199 now $129
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2: was $279 now $149
• AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $179
• Bose QC Ultra 2: was $449 now $379
• Sony WH-1000XM6: was $459 now $398

Headphones

Earbuds

Prime Day is still a week away — but after seeing these Bose deals, it feels like the savings event has already begun! The brand is already slashing prices on its popular audio gear, with discounts reaching up to $130 off select devices.

If you're in the market for a speaker to tote along to the pool or beach this summer, I recommend the Bose SoundLink Micro for just $99. Hoping to grab a new pair of earbuds? The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are currently 47% off. When it comes to headphones, you can't go wrong with the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra for $329 — a discount of $120!

We don't know how long these rare Bose deals will last, so we recommending adding to cart ASAP. Keep scrolling to check out the rest of my favorite picks from the early Prime Day sale. Also, check out the Tom's Guide Savings Squad for more personal deal recommendations.

Quick Links

• shop all Bose deals on Amazon
• Bose SoundLink Micro: was $129 now $99
• Bose SoundLink Flex (Gen 2): was $159 now $149
• Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2: was $279 now $149
• Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: was $299 now $199
• Bose QuietComfort Headphones: was $359 now $329
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: was $449 now $329
• Bose Smart Soundbar: was $549 now $399

Best Bose Deals