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The Verge’s favorite audio gear

Ever since Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville recorded an almost undecipherable version of the French song “Au Clair de la Lune” in the mid-19th century, it’s been clear that the technology that you use to produce and listen to sounds can affect your experience. Even now, about 150 years later, the quality of your gear can… Read more

How Sonos wireless headphones could stand out from the crowd (because they’ll need to)

Home Features (Image credit: German Patent and Trademark Office) Sonos is developing a pair of wireless, potentially noise-cancelling, over-ear headphones. The company hasn’t confirmed as much, but filed patents and subsequent rumours and reports all point in the same direction. They could be officially unveiled as soon as next month – Sonos is hosting a… Read more

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek explains how the company plans to help artists (and itself) make money

Photo Illustration by Alex Castro | Photograph by Spotify The company wants to be at the center of creator monetization Spotify hosted an event on Monday to discuss its ambitions in audio, and one message came through loud and clear: the company wants to play a major role in helping creators make money. During the… Read more

Spotify HiFi tier (finally) launching to offer CD-quality streaming

Home News (Image credit: Spotify) Spotify HiFi is official. Almost four years after it was first teased, a CD-quality tier is finally coming to the world’s most popular streaming service, the green giant has revealed during its ‘Stream On’ online event today. Spotify will join the likes of Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer and Amazon in offering… Read more

Spotify HiFi is a lossless streaming tier coming later this year

Spotify is going hi-fi. Well, “HiFi.” It’s taken longer than competitors like Tidal and Amazon Music, but today, the leading subscription music service announced a new lossless streaming tier that will allow listeners to get the most from their digital music library. The news came at the company’s Spotify “Stream On” virtual event. Spotify HiFi… Read more

Earfun Air Pro

Our Verdict By adding noise-cancelling to a budget wireless earbuds winner without compromising on its established sound, Earfun has another hit on its hands For Solid, accurate bass weight Effective noise cancelling Classy build and finish Against Harsh upper midrange Mention the name Earfun six months ago and you’d probably have been met with quizzical… Read more

Furosystems Aventa e-bike review: ice breaker

Ease your way into the joys of commuting by electric bike Aventa is a new electric bike with a secret: its battery is removable despite the clean design. London-based Furosystems just launched the Aventa series of pedal-assist e-bikes into the European market. A more powerful US model is planned for later this year, or early… Read more

25 of the best tracks for testing bass

Everybody loves low frequencies, right? To celebrate all things bass we’ve rounded up a list of some of our favourite test tracks when it comes to the bottom end. Volume isn’t everything, quite the opposite, so expect subtlety and detail, as well as the occasional trouser-flapper. Whether you’re listening to a stereo system or a… Read more

Nvidia: RTX 3060 vBIOS Prevents Removal of Hash Rate Limiter

Home News (Image credit: Shutterstock) Yesterday, excellent news from Nvidia landed — namely that it is putting the brakes on hashing performance of the RTX 3060. Whether this tech will also come to other GPUs in the lineup is currently unclear. To make it up to miners, Nvidia is coming out with a special line… Read more

Focal Clear Mg Professional aim to be market-leading pro headphones

Home News (Image credit: Focal) Five years into its manufacture of high-end headphones, Focal has now launched an enhanced version of its Clear circumaural open-back headphones geared more towards music creators. The Clear Mg Professional sport similar 40mm drivers with ‘M’-shaped inverted domes, but they’re made out of magnesium rather than an aluminium/magnesium alloy. The… Read more

Moon 680D

Our Verdict Moon’s 680D network streamer couples refined sound quality and fine build with a generous features set For Refined, well-imaged presentation Articulate and fluid midrange Fine build and finish Against Needs more sonic punch Bluetooth not aptX HD If you’re the kind of person who judges hi-fi by its specifications, high-end network streamers present… Read more

B&W Music App delivers complete music control to Formation multi-room range

Home News (Image credit: Bowers & Wilkins) Bowers & Wilkins has launched a new Music App that lets you control music across the B&W Formation range of products. The B&W Music App works with Qobuz (including hi-res, 24-bit 96kHz files), Tidal, TuneIn, Dash Radio (in certain markets), NTS Radio and SoundCloud. More services will be… Read more

How to transfer your music from Google Play Music to YouTube Music

Google Play Music is closing very soon. The shutdown started in September in Australia and New Zealand, and since in other territories. In the UK, this is happening on 24th February. What does this mean? Well, for one you won’t be able to stream tunes either through the mobile app or via your desktop. “We… Read more

That Was Then… Sonus Faber Extrema

Home Features (Image credit: Sonus Faber) Launched back in 1991, Sonus Faber’s original Extrema were seen as the culmination of everything the Italian manufacturer had learnt in its first decade. Up to that point, the brand had carved out a useful niche at premium price levels, with a limited range of compact standmounters that were… Read more

Burmester announces “several” new core hi-fi and Reference Line products for 2021

Home News (Image credit: Burmester) To commemorate Burmester’s late founder, Dieter Burmester, who would have turned 75 yesterday, Burmester Audiosysteme GmbH is announcing several new products to be released in 2021. What’s new on the menu? Plenty, actually. Burmester is promising a slew of “new products such as music centres, power amplifiers, and a new… Read more