I never play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on mute. I love hearing the grass crunching under my character’s shoes, the cutesy language that all of the villagers speak, and, of course, the sound effects tied to all of the emotes, like the signature piano noise that plays right before you’re about to get messed up by a bunch of angry bees.
But what makes the game really worth listening to closely is the music — specifically K.K. Slider’s tunes. He’s the king of cool, a crooning pup star among a bunch of normies that inhabit your island. And for the kind of dreadful year that 2020 was shaping up to be when New Horizons released, hearing K.K. Slider’s work was a beam of positivity that took me and my apartment over completely.
If you’ve played Animal Crossing games before, then you may already know several of the songs. But despite seeing him guest DJ every night at Club LOL in New Leaf for the 3DS — my first serious foray into the franchise — the music didn’t really resonate with me then. Maybe it was the small screen or the tiny speakers. But when I hear one of K.K. Slider’s tunes in New Horizons with my Switch docked, I want to get up and dance… or at least engage in some serious head-bobbing. And for much of last year, that deep catalog of tunes was all I was humming between sessions.
Most of New Horizons’ music is comprised of acoustic, playful pop and light jazz grooves, but K.K.’s music dives more deeply into capturing different moods and genres. “K.K. Ska,” for instance, is a pop tune that can apparently be repurposed for wholesome memes. It didn’t really hit me just how good this song was until I heard it attached to this very cheerful video on YouTube.
If that kind of music doesn’t strike your fancy, how about something like “K.K. Cruisin’,” “K.K. Groove,” or “K.K. Metal”? The catalog of tunes runs the gamut of new and older popular genres, plus a few oddities to show off Nintendo’s music-writing chops even more. The art team clearly had fun designing the album covers, too.
“K.K. Jazz” cops the signature styling of a Blue Note Records jazz album — label insignia, two-toned layout, and all. Given the way New Horizons took off after launch, it’s no surprise people started drawing their own K.K. Slider-inspired album art for real music.
Nintendo isn’t subtle about its inspirations for K.K. Slider’s album art.
Most of the songs in New Horizons aren’t new, but my enjoyment this time around had a lot to do with Nintendo’s methodical rollout (or withholding, depending on how you look at it) of K.K. Slider. Instead of having him immediately available to jam out, he’s struck it big as a musician and doesn’t have time for you and your island until you’ve proven it’s a happening place. It’s the end goal for the narrative of New Horizons, and it feels like a real achievement.
While you work toward that goal, you can buy different K.K. Slider songs through the Nook Stop PC located in the Resident Services building. It’s usually possible to get a new song every couple of days. And with enough time, you’ll have a sizable catalog of songs that can play from a stereo in your home or a boombox to set up outside for other villagers to listen (and sometimes hum along) to. The music even sounds different, depending on the kind of stereo you purchase. Some gadgets add crackles to make K.K.’s songs sound like they’re on vinyl, and buying the full DJ kit really adds a lot of bass.
Nintendo could have easily let the player stream K.K. Slider tunes through the Nook Phone. Instead, it turned the game’s main musical act into something you had to work toward and pay dearly to fully experience.
According to the Animal Crossing hub on Fandom, there are 95 original compositions in the game. It’s well worth asking K.K. Slider to play one of them during his weekly visits, as you’ll get both a live acoustic performance and a bootleg for later use in a stereo at your home within the game. If you don’t want to go through that, just load some songs on YouTube. And if you really want to fall down a rabbit hole, people have contributed an endless trove of DIY covers in K.K. Slider’s vocal styling on YouTube.
Now that we’re at the anniversary of the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there aren’t many stones (proverbial, or otherwise) that I’ve left unturned. But whenever I do boot up the game, I’m always pleased to hear the songs that helped make my experience of living through 2020 a bit more pleasant.
(Pocket-lint) – Despite being well known for invoking nostalgic memories of big wooden speaker cabinets and crackling vinyl, Klipsch is a brand that has adapted with the times. Its first pair of true wireless earbuds was such a great-sounding pair that it became one of our favourites for pure music enjoyment.
The second-generation – the aptly named Klipsch T5 II True Wireless – comes with lots of refinements in terms of design and performance, and also comes in two Sport models, one with exclusive McLaren F1 design. In this review, we’re focusing on the regular model.
Design and build
IP67 water- and dust-resistant
Colours: White / Gunmetal
Physical control button
6 pairs of oval tips
Charging case
It’s in the design department you’ll notice the biggest difference between the T5 and the T5 II. Starting with the first thing you get to: the case. Thankfully, the main ethos remains same, as it still looks friggin’ cool – almost like a chunky Zippo lighter. It’s smaller and thinner than the previous version, but there’s a solidity and durability to it. It feels like it might hurt you if you dropped it on a toe, and gives a reassuring clank when you open and shut the lid.
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As for the ‘buds, these almost keep to the same essence too. It’s a similar hard-to-describe shape, featuring a tapered oval design but, again, the second-gen is slimmer, smaller and lighter than the originals. That also means that in the non-Sport model, there’s nothing holding these ‘buds in your ears except for the redesigned oval silicone tip.
The tips extend out from underneath the main body in an unconventional design, but once stuck inside the entrance of our ear canal, we found the fit was secure and steady. These ‘buds never felt like they’d fall out – and didn’t gradually push their way out either. Since the silicon tips are soft and thin, they give just the right amount of pressure. In our ears, the pre-applied tips were the perfect fit, but the T5 II comes with six different sizes, so you should easily find a pair that works for you.
Another interesting change is that there’s one single button on the outside, which depresses really easily to ensure that when you press, it gives easily and doesn’t lead to that feeling that you’re just pushing an earbud deeper into your ear. The button gives in once it feels even the remotest bit of resistance, which makes good sense.
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Around the edge of that button is a metal collar, which makes up that outer surface. It’s more than just decoration though, it’s an external antenna to ensure there’s nothing getting in the way of that connection between the ‘buds and what you’re connecting them to.
The main takeaway here is that the T5 II is a lightweight and secure package. Not so secure that we’d recommend using these in-ear in the gym or when out running, but that’s what the Sport models are for instead.
Despite that, with an IP67 water- and dust-resistance rating, the ‘buds should survive pretty much anything anyway. Whether inside your ears, or inside their own metallic bunker/charging case.
Sound
5mm dynamic moving coil micro speaker
10Hz – 19kHz frequency response
EQ control
With frequency response as low as 10Hz, the 5mm drivers inside the Klipsch ‘buds produce sound you wouldn’t expect to hear from such small drivers. Of course, human hearing only really goes as low as 20Hz at a push – but it’s that control at the lower end of the sound spectrum where these earphones definitely excel.
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With the equaliser (EQ) set to its default flat mode, there’s still plenty of bass, without it being overwhelming, but – more importantly – you still get clean and bright notes at the top end.
We love how acoustic bass drum kicks retain that feel of air moving around the kick pedal or inside the drum every time the skin is struck by the pedal. Or in songs like Hey Ma by Bon Iver, you get the full airy feel of the bass and mid notes swelling near the beginning or, later on, the muted bass note plucking. What’s more, in that same track, the subtle percussive noises are clear without dominating the primary elements of the track.
The Klipsch T5 II is adept at tackling any genre of music, and will give you the right feel from those acoustic songs, but is sonically strong with more synthesised tracks too. Crank up Leon’s Better in the Dark and enjoy the way the bass sounds when the synth and bass drum strike at the same time, without crumbling.
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Of course, you can adjust the EQ, so if you need even more bass you can get it, but we found there was plenty from the default setting. In fact, we never felt the need to tweak the default sound profile. But it’s nice of Klipsch to give that option for those users who have preferences.
Features, performance and calls
8 hours playback + 24 more hours in the case (32 hours total)
Quad mic system for external noise cancelling during calls
Bluetooth 5.0 + signal boosting external antenna
Transparency mode
To get the first thing out of the way: there’s no active noise-cancelling (ANC). An increasing staple feature in the world of premium in-ears, but we’ve often argued that with a good set of well-fitted in-ears, it’s not as noticeable as it would be on over/on-ear cans. Passively, the T5 II does a good job of blocking out noise thanks to those soft tips.
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Although ANC isn’t a feature here, you do still get an audio transparency mode, which uses mics around the ‘buds’ casing to let in and amplify noise from around you. Using the Klipsch Connect app you can switch it on and select how much transparency you want – it works pretty well but isn’t always all that effective once you have music playing.
It’s also worth noting that the ‘buds don’t feature any automatic play/pause feature when you remove them from your ears. There’s no proximity sensor for this, which is a bit of a shame.
On the plus side, you do get to pair the T5 II with up to eight different devices – although only one can be connected at a time.
With those external antennae doing their job, we found the wireless connectivity to be very strong. Walking from room to room and leaving the music source where it was, we struggled to make these in-ears drop connection. It’s a similar story with voice calls: you get strong performance here as well, with calls coming through clearly.
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As battery life goes, it’s very unlikely you’ll ever need to worry about it much. With a maximum of eight hours outside the case, thee T5 II will comfortably get you through your commute to work – well, when we all eventually return to work – and the case will keep recharging in the interim another four times over. That’s well over a full day of non-stop listening time.
Verdict
The first-generation Klipsch T5 was one of our favourite pairs of true wireless earbuds. The second generation takes what was great and refines it, making for a truly stunning pair of ‘buds.
Sure, a few advanced features might be absent – there’s no proximity sensors or active noise-cancelling – but in all the ways that matter, the T5 II performs really well. For music lovers, at this price, you’ll struggle to find anything that sounds better or packaged in as neat and stylish a product.
If you love music, we think you’ll love the sound produced by the Klipsch T5 II. There’s little to rival the quality on offer here.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Grado T220
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Grado has a similar approach to Klipsch – in that it’s all about the sound – and the T220 sounds fantastic. In fact our first listen left our jaw on the floor, it was that good. It has some downsides though, like a finicky design and sensitive touchpad.
Read the review
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Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
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If you want all the bells and whistles in a great sounding pair of buds, Bose has the ones for you. QC Buds have excellent noise-cancelling, great sound overall, plus a comfortable and secure fit.
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Like many people, I have spent much of the pandemic rekindling my love of bike riding. When I’m out, I usually want to be able to listen to something as I’m riding so I don’t get too bored. The problem, of course, is that blocking noise from the outside world is a very bad idea when you’re on a bike. It’s incredibly dangerous when you’re riding in a city — especially a city with little to no bike infrastructure to protect you from cars.
So I have gone on a short quest to solve this problem with open-ear headphones. Open-ear headphones do exactly what you expect: let you listen to music or podcasts while keeping your ears open for traffic or whatever else is around you.
It turns out that when you’re testing open-ear headphones for riding a bike, your feature priorities are nearly inverted. Sound quality is nice but suddenly way less important than getting a secure fit on (or near) your ear. Noise cancellation is right out — it’s literally the opposite of what we’re going for here. Volume also ends up mattering a lot.
Of the five or six different options I’ve tried, those different priorities drove my decision-making. My top pick doesn’t have great sound, but it’s the least hassle to use while pedaling around.
AfterShokz Aeropex
The best open-ear headphones on a bike: AfterShokz Aeropex
The best headphones to use when you’re biking are the $159.95 AfterShokz Aeropex bone conduction headphones. They work by pressing two fully enclosed “speakers” up against your head right in front of your ears. The audio then travels (conduces) through your literal skull into your eardrums, leaving your actual ears completely open to the world.
There are many reasons not to love bone conduction headphones. While generally comfortable, it does eventually get tiring to have vibrating pods pressed into your head. It’s the sort of feeling you’re not really conscious of until you are, if that makes sense. They have a big band that swoops behind your neck, too, which can get caught on a collar.
I also don’t like that they use a proprietary charger, which I am guaranteed to lose.
AfterShokz Aeropex
Then there’s sound quality, which I’d place somewhere just above the original pack-in Apple wired earbuds and below every decent pair of Bluetooth headphones. The Aeropex headphones sound okay, but mainly that’s relative to other open headphone options.
But again: those priorities are inverted. The Aeropex do look a little silly, but they never interfere with my helmet strap or my glasses (sometimes they’ll get caught up in a mask strap, though). It turns out that the most complicated part of open-ear headphones is the method they use for physically placing the sound next to your ear — and the Aeropex do a great job of it.
You can get loud-ish stereo sound out of them, letting you make sense of podcasts in moderate traffic. Bone conduction isn’t magic, though: when your environment gets truly loud, they’ll be drowned out just like anything else.
If you want to save a little money, AfterShokz makes a few less expensive models (which I haven’t tested). They come in multiple sizes as well, so you may need to try and return one to get a proper fit.
Galaxy Buds PlusPhoto by Chris Welch / The Verge
Use the buds you already have in just one ear: Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus
If you aren’t biking a ton or just don’t feel the need to spend the extra money, there’s a decent chance the wireless earbuds you already own could be a good option for you.
Correction: earbud. It’s really not that safe to wear both earbuds while biking in the city, especially when they either seal up your ear or have some sort of noise cancellation. I personally wouldn’t even recommend using two headphones with a passthrough mode — those features have gone wonky on me too many times.
Your state may even have a law against using two headphones (or headphones at all) while on your bike.
In any case, the move is to just put one earbud into the ear that faces away from where traffic will be — in the US, that’d be your right ear. It leaves your left ear open to hear (and react to) the world around you.
There are lots of pros to this method. You don’t have to spend more money. You can just keep using the buds you already have. And if it’s an ear-sealing style of bud, it should mean that you don’t need to turn the volume up super loud to be able to hear it.
The cons should be obvious: when it comes to sound quality, you’re getting half of stereo (or, if your phone is smart enough to realize it’s connected to only one bud, proper mono). That’s good enough for podcasts, but might be frustrating for music. There’s also the fact that you’re using one earbud much more than the other, which could mean it has a shorter overall life span.
If you’re wondering which earbud is best for this method, my advice is to go for the Galaxy Buds Plus. They secure into your ear with a solid seal and they have a long battery life. Most importantly, though: no stem. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an AirPod go skittering across the pavement because I wasn’t careful enough with my helmet strap. The Buds Plus offer the best balance of price, sound quality, battery life, a secure fit, and most importantly: not sticking out of your ear, ready to be knocked out.
There are lots of other earbuds you could use, but again the most important thing here is that they fit securely to your ear even when there’s other stuff taking up space behind it: mask straps, helmet straps, or glasses.
Bose Sport Open Earbuds
Custom open-ear headphones: Bose Sport Open Earbuds
The headphones that actually inspired me to go find something I could use while riding were the recently announced $199.95 Bose Sport Open Earbuds. In theory, these would have been perfect. In practice, they were a big disappointment.
Good stuff first: the Bose Open Earbuds sound great. Bose, it turns out, appears to know a thing or two about acoustics. These work differently than bone conduction headsets or traditional earbuds. There’s a large ear hook that floats the speaker module directly above your ear hole, pointing sound waves right at it.
The combination of the speaker’s proximity and its relative size means that Bose can get great sound despite leaving your ears open to the world. They do a very good job of overcoming ambient traffic noise, too.
Unfortunately, they did an absolutely awful job of staying on my ear. I admit that everybody’s ears are different so they might work for you — but for me they were hard to fit on and went flying off all the time.
Bose Sport Open Earbuds
They also suffer from a problem I’ve mentioned before: we’ve got more stuff hitting our ears now than ever. Eyeglass or sunglass temples and these earbuds do not mix. Neither do mask straps or bike helmet straps.
Even so, I hung on to the Bose Open Earbuds with the idea that I might use them at home or in the office. I really do like wearing open earbuds around the house. It’s much less fatiguing that sticking an earbud into your ear canal or wearing a heavy set of cans. It’s also easier to just pause it and talk to people.
Alas, the Bose Open Earbuds are terrible for office or working from home because they utterly fail to support multiple devices. They do the thing where if they’re connected to your computer and you want to switch them to your phone, you have to manually disconnect them from the computer first.
There may be people who don’t care about any of those problems and who have the right ear shape for these headphones — and I will admit I am jealous of them. These sound better than they have any right to, but when I’m on a bike, sound quality simply isn’t at the top of the priority list.
Headphones in your glasses: Bose Frames Tempo
When I reviewed the Echo Frames from Amazon, I realized that simply having little always-available and unobtrusive Bluetooth headphones is great. It sounds dumb, but not having to put in or take out headphones changes your relationship to audio — it’s just always available, always there when you want it.
Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a set of glasses with Bluetooth speakers that don’t have some kind of significant compromise. With the Echo Frames, it was battery life (and, well, looks).
With the Bose Frames, it’s a much simpler problem: I’d like to use headphones in situations where sunglasses don’t make sense.
I’m not against “single-tasker” tech solutions to problems, but the $249.95 Bose Frames take it too far. You can get different lenses for them, but they’re really not the sort of thing you’ll want to use outside of some specific contexts. Bose has other styles, but all of them are very much techie speaker eyeglasses instead of subtle.
Sena R1 Evo bike helmet
Speakers in your bike helmet: Sena R1 Evo
The $159 Sena R1 Evo smart helmet is one of the gadgetiest gadgets you can gadget on your bike. It’s a bike helmet that includes:
A local, nine-channel mesh intercom system
Bluetooth “headphones”
An FM Radio
A blinky tail light
A voice-driven interface (for some reason)
A companion smartphone app
I own and use the Sena R1 Evo as my bike helmet and I’m here to tell you that the first feature I mentioned, the mesh intercom, is great. The rest? Not so much.
The mesh intercom just uses local radio to keep an open channel with other, compatible Sena systems. When you’re riding along, you can simply talk and hear other people you’re riding with as long as you’re relatively close (I’d say less than a third of a mile with line of sight, less without line of sight). It’s so much more convenient than needing to get within talking or shouting distance to have a conversation.
The rest of the features are less impressive. The problem with the Sena system is that the speakers are simply too far away from your ears and too quiet to be audible when there’s ambient noise. Out on a quiet trail: awesome. In a city: nope.
The smartphone app doesn’t look very modern, but it does the job of configuring the helmet with your FM stations and preferred mesh intercom channels. The built-in smart assistant (“Hey Sena”) is sadly a mess. I triggered it accidentally more often than intentionally and when I did want it to work, it had a difficult time recognizing my voice commands.
I can’t speak to its safety specs, but it’s not MIPS if that matters to you. The taillight on the helmet is also fairly dim, I wouldn’t consider it a replacement for a proper taillight on your bike or back. I should also note that you can’t have music and the mesh intercom on at the same time, you have to switch modes manually.
Despite all that, I like this helmet and will keep using it — especially since my partner and I often go riding together.
Open-ear headphone options
Using a Bluetooth speaker strapped to your bike
I mean if you want to annoy everybody else around on you, it’s a choice.
(Pocket-lint) – Google offers the Nest Hub Max and second generation Nest Hub, as the two devices within its smart display portfolio. The second generation Nest Hub succeeds the older Nest Hub, formerly known as Google Home Hub, which you might find cheap now.
With a very similar design apart from physical size, how do Google’s two Nest Hub’s compare? Here are the similarities and differences. You can read how the old Nest Hub and new Nest Hub compare in our separate feature.
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What’s the same?
Design
Interface
Main features
The Google Nest Hub Max and the original and second generation Google Nest Hubs all feature the same design with a screen with white bezels that offers the appearance of floating on the speaker base. The second generation Nest Hub has an edgeless screen however, while the Nest Hub Max and Next Hub both have a lip at the edge of their displays.
A microphone on/off button is positioned at the top on the rear of the three devices – this button also turns the camera off on the Nest Hub Max – while volume controls are on the left on the rear.
The three devices feature the same interface and they offer many of the same features including smart home control, built-in Chromecast support, Google Assistant and its range of offerings, the ability to use them as a digital photo frame, as well as the ability to watch YouTube, Netflix and Disney+.
What’s different between the Nest Hub Max and the Nest Hub?
Despite offering a very similar design, interface and features, there are a few differences between the Google Nest Hub Max, the second generation Google Nest Hub and the original Nest Hub.
Display
Nest Hub Max: 10-inch, 16:10, HD, touchscreen
New Nest Hub/Nest Hub: 7-inch, LCD, touchscreen
The Google Nest Hub Max has a 10-inch touchscreen display, putting it in the same category as the Amazon Echo Show.
The Google Nest Hub and second generation Nest Hub meanwhile, have a smaller 7-inch touchscreen LCD display, falling into a similar category to the smaller Echo Show 8.
Size
Nest Hub Max: 250.1 x 182.55 x 101.23mm
New Nest Hub/Nest Hub: 178.5 x 118 x 67.3mm
As the Google Nest Hub Max has a larger display, it is unsurprisingly a larger device overall too.
The increase in size makes the Hub Max the better device for viewing content from across the room, while the second generation Nest Hub and original Nest Hub are better suited for a bedside table, for example.
Sound
Nest Hub Max: 2.1 speaker arrangement
New Nest Hub/Nest Hub: Full-range speaker
The larger footprint of the Google Nest Hub Max allows for a 2.1 speaker arrangement compared to the second generation Nest Hub and original Nest Hub’s full-range speaker.
It means you get bigger sound from the Nest Hub Max and while the sound of the Nest Hub Max doesn’t match that of speakers like the Sonos One, it is a big improvement on the Nest Hub. The second generation Nest Hub does offer 50 per cent more bass than the original Nest Hub though so its sound should be closer to the Hub Max.
Camera
Nest Hub Max: Built-in 6.5MP Nest camera
New Nest Hub/Nest Hub: No camera
The Google Nest Hub Max has a camera at the top of the display, which the second generation Nest Hub and original Nest Hub do not. In place of a camera, the second generation Nest Hub and original Nest Hub have an ambient sensor to adjust the display brightness according to its surroundings.
The camera on the Nest Hub Max is a Nest camera, which means it offers most of the same features as the Nest Cam IQ, including intruder alerts if you have a Nest Aware account. There are no familiar face alerts however, and no night vision, but the camera within the Nest Hub Max is still an excellent addition for those that want the advantage of a security camera too.
Without a Nest Aware account, you can still see what’s happening in the room you place the Nest Hub Max into, as well as use it for Google Duo video calls and Face Match for up to six people. It also allows for gestures like holding your hand up to pause or play audio, which is great in use.
Features
Nest Hub Max: Google Assistant, YouTube/Netflix/Disney+, Chromecast, smart home control, digital photo frame, music, Duo audio and video calls, gestures, Face Match, security camera
New Nest Hub: Google Assistant, YouTube/Netflix/Disney+, Chromecast, smart home control, digital photo frame, music, Duo audio calls, gestures, sleep tracking
Old Nest Hub: Google Assistant, YouTube/Netflix/Disney+, Chromecast, smart home control, digital photo frame, music, Duo audio calls
The Google Nest Hub Max, second generation Nest Hub and original Nest Hub offer many of the same features, including control of any compatible smart home devices, access to YouTube, Netflix and Disney+, displaying Google Photos, playing music, and the plethora of features offered by Google Assistant.
The Nest Hub Max has a couple of extra features thanks to that built-in Nest camera. You’ll not only be able to take part in Duo video calls but the Nest Hub Max doubles up as a security camera too, whilst also offering Face Match and gesture control, as we mentioned above.
The second generation Nest Hub also offers some additional features over the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max however. It doesn’t have a camera, but it features Google’s Soli chip inside, which not only allows for Quick Gestures like the Nest Hub Max, but it also offers sleep tracking when placed on a bedside table. You can read more about the sleep tracking feature in our separate feature.
Price
Nest Hub Max: £219
New Nest Hub: £89.99
The Google Nest Hub Max usually costs £219 in the UK, but you get quite a lot for the extra £130 over the cost of the second generation Nest Hub.
The original Nest Hub was priced at £139 when it first launched, but its price then dropped to £79.99 in the UK. You’ll likely find it cheaper now the second generation Nest Hub has launched.
The second generation Nest Hub goes on sale for £89.99 in the UK. It is available to pre-order now.
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Colours
Nest Hub Max: Chalk and Charcoal
Nest Hub: Chalk, Charcoal, Aqua and Sand
New Nest Hub: Chalk, Charcoal, Mist and Sand
The Google Nest Hub Max is available in Chalk and Charcoal colours.
The original Google Nest Hub is available in four colours, including Chalk and Charcoal, as well as Aqua and Sand.
The second generation Nest Hub is available in four colours, including Chalk, Charcoal and Sand like the original, as well as Mist.
Conclusion
The Google Nest Hub Max is pretty much a larger, more expensive version of the 7-inch Nest Hub, but it adds a few extra, useful features for the increase in price. The second generation Nest Hub has some extra, but different features compared to the Nest Hub Max however.
The Nest Hub Max’s built-in camera not only offers video calling through Google Duo, but it doubles up as a great security camera, whilst also offering gesture control and Face Match for up to six people, both of which are excellent features.
The second generation Nest Hub meanwhile, has the Soli radar chip on board to also offer gesture controls like the Nest Hub Max, as well as sleep tracking when on a bedside table.
The decision between these devices will therefore likely come down to where you want to put your Google-made smart display, as well as what you want to use it for. For the bedroom, the smaller Nest Hub is perfect for a bedside table with sleep tracking an added bonus, whereas the Nest Hub Max is an excellent addition to a kitchen or living room.
(Pocket-lint) – Google has launched a second generation Nest Hub, which succeeds the three-year old Nest Hub and sits alongside the Nest Hub Max. The name stays the same – Nest Hub – though you’ll find it called new Nest Hub, Nest Hub second generation and Nest Hub 2 in this feature to help differentiate it from the older model.
We’ve put the specifications of the new Nest Hub against the old Nest Hub to see what has changed and what are the differences are.
Design and display
Old Nest Hub: 7-inch floating display, fabric-covered base, three colours
New Nest Hub: 7-inch floating display, fabric-covered base, four colours
The Google Nest Hub features a 7-inch floating display that sits on a fabric-covered speaker base. It measures 178.5 x 118 x 67.3mm and it weighs 480g.
At the top of the LCD touchscreen display is an Ambient EQ Light Sensor and far field microphones, while the back of the display features volume controls and a toggle to turn the microphone on or off. There’s also a power port.
The new Google Nest Hub has a very similar design to the Nest Hub, though it makes some refinements. There’s a floating display with a fabric-covered base, an Ambient EQ Light Sensor and far field microphones, but there isn’t a lip around the display on the new Hub, making for a more seamless finish.
You’ll find the volume controls and switch to turn off the microphone on the back though so as with the Nest Mini and Google Mini, it’s mainly internals that have changed from the original Hub, aside from some small changes.
The Nest Hub comes in Chalk and Charcoal colour options in the UK, as well as a Sand option in the US. The second generation Nest Hub is available in four options, comprising Chalk, Charcoal, Sand and Mist.
Hardware and specs
Nest Hub: Full-range speaker, two-mic array, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
The Google Nest Hub comes with a full-range speaker, along with a two microphone array. It offers both Wi-Fi support and Bluetooth 5.0 and it has Chromecast built-in and support for multi-room audio.
The second generation Google Nest Hub offers an improvement in audio quality, with Google claiming it delivers 50 per cent more bass than the original Nest Hub. It’s also thought to have moved to a three-microphone array, which should make for a better experience when using Google Assistant and puts it in line with the Nest Mini and Nest Audio.
The new Nest Hub also features Google’s Soli chip, which will be used for sleep tracking and gesture controls, and it also has Thread on board – like the Nest Hub Max – which should make controlling some smart home devices easier.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on board again for the Nest Hub 2, as well as Chromecast support and multi-room audio.
Features
Old Nest Hub: Google Assistant, Translator mode, smart home control, music, YouTube, Netflix
New Nest Hub: Additional sleep tracking, gesture controls
The Google Nest Hub offers a number of features, including things like translator mode, the ability to watch Netlflix, control smart home devices, listen to music, watch YouTube, read news, and everything that comes with Google Assistant of course. It can also be used as a digital photo frame.
The Nest Hub 2 offers everything the current Nest Hub does but with a couple of additional features. The Nest Hub second generation is able to track your sleep thanks to the Soli chip when on a bedside table, which will then link to Google Fit. The feature is called Sleep Sensing and it uses Motion Sense enabled by Soli to detect movement and analyse movement and breathing.
Sleep Sensing can also help you detect sleep disturbances like coughing and snoring, as well as light and temperature changes in the room to better understand what could be impacting the way you sleep.
Additionally, the Nest Hub 2 has Quick Gestures, or gesture controls like the Nest Hub Max, allowing you to raise your hand to pause a track for example. Thread is also on board, meaning the Nest Hub 2 should make controlling compatible smart home devices easier.
Price and conclusion
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The Google Nest Hub 2 offers an identical design to its predecessor, but makes improvements on the hardware and feature side of things.
The audio quality is said to have improved and features like gesture controls and sleep tracking should make an already great device, even more useful.
In terms of price, the Nest Hub 2 costs £89.99 in the UK, which is less than what the original Nest Hub launched at. It means it continues to be a cheaper option to the Nest Hub Max and an option without a camera.
It’s worth noting that if you’re not interested in the extra features or improvements to audio that the Next Hub 2 offers, you might find the original Nest Hub at a great price now.
You can read all the details surrounding the Nest Hub 2 in our separate feature.
(Pocket-lint) – Google’s second generation Nest Hub features a similar design to its predecessor, along with a few improvements and extra features. Its size puts it in direct competition with Amazon’s Echo Show 8, but which should you buy?
We’ve compared the Google Nest Hub to the Amazon Echo Show 8 to help you work out how they differ in terms of design and features, and which might be the right one for you and your home.
Design and display
Nest Hub: 7-inch display, four colours
Echo Show 8: 200.4 x 135.9 x 99.1mm, 8-inch display, two colours
The Google Nest Hub has a very similar design to its predecessor, offering a 7-inch floating display on top of a fabric-covered speaker base. The display is edgeless, ditching the lip found on the original Nest Hub, but it still offers a white bezel surrounding the LCD screen on all colour options.
At the top of the display is the Ambient EQ Light Sensor and far-field microphones, while a volume toggle is positioned on the rear of the display, as well as a microphone mute physical toggle switch and power port. The Nest Hub comes in Chalk, Charcoal, Sand and Mist colour options.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 meanwhile, has an 8-inch display with a triangular-shaped, fabric-covered speaker on the rear. The display has a slight lip at the edge, but it’s a neat and compact design overall. Colour options are black and white, with the bezel surrounding the display respective to each colour.
There’s a front-facing camera in the top right of the display within the bezel, while the top of the device has a camera cover toggle, microphone on/off button, volume up and down buttons and microphones. There’s also a power port and 3.5mm audio output on the rear.
Echo Show 8: 2-inch speaker with passive bass radiator, 4 mics, 1MP front camera
The Google Nest Hub has a full-range speaker on board, which is said to offer 50 per cent more bass than the original Nest Hub. There are three far-field microphones – like the Nest Audio and Nest Mini – and there’s an Ambient EQ Light Sensor.
The Nest Hub also features Thread – allowing for easy control of compatible smarthome devices – and importantly, it comes with Google’s Soli radar chip, which allows for gesture control and sleep tracking.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 has 2-inch speakers with a passive bass radiator. It has four microphones on board, and it also has a 1-megapixel front camera with built-in cover as we mentioned.
The Echo Show 8 runs on the MediaTek MT8163 processor and there is a 3.5mm audio output.
Both the Nest Hub and the Echo Show 8 feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Features
Nest Hub: Google Assistant, digital photo frame, Netflix/Disney+/YouTube, Quick Gestures, sleep tracking
Echo Show 8: Amazon Alexa, digital photo frame, Netflix/Prime Video, video calling, Alexa calling
The Google Nest Hub runs Google Assistant so it offers all the features that brings with it, including setting timers, playing music, using the translator mode, checking the weather, finding out the news etc. You can also watch Netflix, Disney+ or YouTube on the Nest Hub, use it as a digital photo frame, control smart home devices and audio call through Google Duo.
Thanks to the Soli radar chip on board, the Nest Hub offers support for Quick Gestures – allowing you to raise a hand to pause music for example – and it also offers sleep tracking when placed on a bedside table for the person closest to the display. Sleep information will appear on the device in the morning, as well as through Google Fit.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 runs Amazon Alexa, and all the features that come with Alexa, which like Google Assistant include timers, music, weather, jokes, news and games. You can also watch Prime Video or Netflix on the Echo Show 8, use it as a digital photo frame and control smart home devices.
The camera on board the Echo Show 8 enables you to video call friends and family, but the Echo Show 8 also offers Alexa calling, allowing users to call any friends or family with an Echo device or the Alexa app.
Both the Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show 8 support multi-room audio, though only the Nest Hub offers Chromecast built-in.
Price
The Google Nest Hub is available to pre-order now and costs £89.99. As mentioned, it comes in four colour options: Chalk, Charcoal, Sand and Mist.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 costs £79.99. It comes in two colour options: Black and White.
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Conclusion
The Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show 8 are similar in terms of what they offer, with a couple of differences, but the main difference is the Nest Hub runs on Google Assistant and the Echo Show 8 runs on Alexa.
If you already have Google Assistant-enabled speakers, then you’ll likely want to stick with it and therefore the Nest Hub will be the one for you, while those with Alexa will likely want the Echo Show 8.
If you’re new to the smart display arena, then the Nest Hub offers some interesting features over the Echo Show 8 in terms of sleep tracking, gesture control, the ability to watch Disney+ and the Thread protocol for easier smarthome control. The Echo Show 8 has a larger display though, as well as Alexa calling and video calling thanks to the built-in camera.
Elon Musk is getting in on the NFT gold rush by selling a new electronic music track he’s apparently produced as an NFT. Yes, you’ve heard that right — it’s a song about non-fungible tokens, which Musk appears to have minted (or plans to mint) on the blockchain. Musk did not include a link to the NFT, so it’s not clear if it’s already live or if Musk plans to initiate the sale at a later date. It’s also not clear on which platform Musk intends to sell the NFT.
We also don’t know if the song has a name, but we have some clues. The looping video attached to the song Musk posted to Twitter on Monday displays the words “Vanity Trophy” orbiting around a golden orb affixed to the top of a literal trophy reading “HODL,” short for the phase “hold on for dear life.”
The HODL acronym, though it’s believed to have potentially originated as a drunken misspelling of the word “hold,” is both online slang and a kind of rallying cry for the bitcoin community, because it ostensibly encourages crypto enthusiasts not to sell their tokens. It’s worth noting here that Musk is a huge proponent of bitcoin. Tesla invested $1.5 billion in the cryptocurrency last month and plans to accept it as form of payment for its electric vehicles in the future.
At various points in the short video, the words along the trophy shift from “computers” to “never sell” while a female vocalist sings lyrics over top like “NFT for your vanity” and “computers never sleep.” Did I mention that the trophy also has little gold dogs, or “doges” if you will, rotating around it, too?
As for the song itself, well… there’s not a lot to say. It’s loosely a techno song if you want to dig into the genre (with some electro house vibes thrown in), and that’s appropriate considering Musk named himself the “technoking” of Tesla in a real filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission this morning.
It’s not very good, though by the standards of Musk’s previous work in the electronic music scene — the certifiable not-quite-a-banger “Don’t Doubt ur Vibe” — I’d say it’s an improvement.
(Pocket-lint) – The Garmin Lily is pitched as a smartwatch for women. Garmin says it’s the smartwatch we’ve been waiting for: “classic enough to make a statement and modern enough to keep you connected”.
With a patterned lens over a greyscale touchscreen and a super small and compact design, is the Garmin Lily really the smartwatch women would want – or is the non-targeted wider market a far better place to pick from?
Compact design
Dimensions: 34.5 x 34.5 x 10.15mm / Weight: 24g
Classic and Sport models
Six colour options
14mm bands
The Garmin Lily is small – very small in fact – which is probably why Garmin has specifically pitched this device at women. It would get completely lost on a larger wrist. With a 34mm casing, it’s 6mm smaller than the 40mm Apple Watch, but its strap is much slimmer too, making for a very feminine device overall.
Pocket-lint
Some will love its simplicity and elegance, while others will find it just too little. Compare the Lily to the likes of the Garmin Vivomove or Vivoactive ranges and you’re looking at a device that’s a fraction of the size.
In terms of finish though, the Lily is stylish and the design is versatile – it looks good with sportswear as well as dressier outfits. We aren’t quite sold on the patterned lens, though, which sits over the touchscreen – which, by the way, only appears when you flick your wrist – but the polished bezel, lugs and detail on the buckle are all nice touches.
Pocket-lint
Flip the Lily over and you’ll find the heart rate monitor (HRM) on the underside of the lightweight casing, along with the charging pins. We had the Sport model so our review unit has a silicone strap, which is soft and comfortable to wear. There’s also a Classic model, with a more classic strap.
Interesting display
16-level greyscale TFT LCD display
1 x 0.84-inch, 240 x 201 pixels
Patterned lens coating
The Garmin Lily has a 1-inch touchscreen display that sits behind a patterned lens. It’s a clever design, though as we mentioned previously, we aren’t huge fans of the actual pattern that Garmin has chosen.
Pocket-lint
The touchscreen is greyscale so there are no rich and vibrant colours like you would get on the Apple Watch or Fitbit Versa, making it a little less exciting than other smartwatches available. The touchscreen is nice and bright, however, so we had no issues seeing it in brighter conditions.
The screen is responsive too, when it’s actually on and you are navigating through the various options. The flick-of-the-wrist action or pushing the touch button at the bottom of the screen to get it on is less responsive though.
There were multiple occasions where we had to flick our wrist several times to wake the display up. The touch-sensitive button works fine, but you have to hit it in exactly the right spot – and the size of the device can make this fiddly.
Pocket-lint
There’s also no always-on display option within the settings. This feature would of course drain the battery – which isn’t great anyway, more on that later – but it means the patterned lens is very prominent when the touchscreen isn’t on, which is most of the time. Many of the clock faces available are simple and perfect for having on all the time so we’d have liked this as an option.
The Garmin Lily is packed with features – some of which are excellent – but it misses out on a couple of important ones. Let’s start with what it does have though.
Pocket-lint
There’s heart rate monitoring, respiration rate tracking, blood oxygen monitoring (VO2 max), stress tracking, advanced sleep tracking, and Garmin’s Body Battery monitoring, along with menstrual cycle tracking and hydration tracking – the latter two of which are manual (and, just to make note, available on many other Garmin products too).
You’ll also find the standard activity tracking features you’d expect, such as step counting, elevation, reminders to move, calories burned, distance, and intensity minutes.
Other features include 5ATM water resistance (which is down to 50m depth) and basic swim tracking, smartphone notifications, weather notifications, the ability to control your smartphone music, text response and call reject functionality (for Android users) and running cadence.
Pocket-lint
Sounds like a lot, we know. And it is. But you’ll get those on other Garmin products, by and large. And the Lily misses out built-in GPS – which seems like a major omission for Garmin – and especially at this price point. It’s a bit baffling really.
The Lily does offer Connected GPS, but that of course requires you to take your phone with you when you run or walk. It also doesn’t offer Garmin Pay and there aren’t as many specific workout options available compared to the likes of Apple Watch.
Performance and battery
The Garmin Lily’s battery life is claimed to last for up to five days, but we struggled to get three out of it. On a couple of occasions we got less than two. Turning off blood oxygen monitoring helped to extend the life – as this cuts into the battery life significantly – but it definitely wasn’t a five-day device in our experience.
Pocket-lint
In terms of other features though, the Lily performs well. Though we would really like to see more activities to select, like Hiit, the Lily was on par with the Apple Watch Series 6 for the way it measured any runs or high intensity workouts we did.
The heart rate monitor responds quickly during Hiit – something we didn’t find happened with the Fitbit Sense – and our runs were almost identical in terms of statistics to the Apple Watch.
Sleep tracking is also great on the Lily – if you want to go to bed wearing a watch – and we love the idea of Garmin’s Body Battery feature, although we wish it didn’t always tell us we were basically running on fumes.
Pocket-lint
Smartphone notifications, however, are disappointing. Garmin calls the Lily a smartwatch, but it isn’t really – or at least not compared to the likes of the Apple Watch.
Best smartwatch 2021: Top smartwatches available to buy today
By Britta O’Boyle
·
For those on Android, you can reply to texts and reject calls on the Lily. But for iOS users, you can only clear notifications, making it a little pointless and pretty much just a battery drain.
Garmin Connect app
Android and iOS compatible
The Garmin Connect app offers a number of extra features on top of those found on the Lily itself. It’s also where you’ll find all the collected data, allowing you to delve a little deeper.
The Connect app is easy to use once you know how – much like the Lily itself. It’s not as clear as the Fitbit app, but there’s heaps of data to go through if you want. There is also no paywall on Garmin for some features, like Fitbit has done with its Fitbit Premium subscription.
At the bottom of the Connect app, you’ll find five tabs: My Day, Challenges, Calendar, News Feed and More. The first is likely the one you’ll use most, giving you a summary of your activity, including heart rate, Body Battery, stress, steps, calories. Tapping on each category will give you further breakdowns.
To see a summary of all the activities you have specifically tracked using the Lily, you can tap on your profile at the top of the Garmin Connect app. You can also see a summary of your statistics here too, like personal records.
To change settings – such as selecting which activity options appear on the watch – tap on the circle at the top of the Connect app with the Lily in it. From here, there are alert settings, general settings, appearance and activity tracking settings to go through, among others.
Pocket-lint
On the Lily itself, tapping on the touch-sensitive button at the bottom of the display will take you to the main menu, which includes Watch Face, Activities, Settings and Clocks.
Swiping down from the top of the main screen will take you to a quick setting menu with options like Do Not Disturb and Notifications. Tapping on the Notifications icon is the only way to see past notifications that have come through on Lily from your smartphone.
Swiping right to left or left to right on the main screen of Lily will take you to My Day, with further swipes detailing health stats, calendar appointments, weather, menstrual tracking, hydration, Body Battery, and intensity minutes.
Verdict
The Garmin Lily is a small, lightweight, elegant device that is comfortable to wear, and has an interesting design. That’s the summary of its good features.
But there’s just too much lacking – the most prominent of which is no built-in GPS. Even without this feature available the battery life is poor compared to what’s promised, smartphone notifications are pretty pointless – in that you can’t do anything with them – and we aren’t especially keen on the patterned lens design either.
If you’re after a watch that offers good activity tracking in a very small and dainty package – and don’t mind taking your phone with you when exercising – then the Lily has its share of positives. But Garmin’s own range offers more features at similar prices, so we’d look there – accepting the result will be a physically larger product – to get more of the features that matter.
Also consider
Garmin
Garmin Vivoactive 4s
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The Garmin Vivoactive 4s has all the features the Lily offers, but it offers built-in GPS, more sports apps, Garmin Coach, Music and Garmin Pay. It comes in a 40mm option so while it is bigger than the Lily, it offers a lot more in that extra size.
Best Garmin watch compared
Pocket-lint
Apple Watch SE
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The Apple Watch SE isn’t too much more expensive than the Garmin Lily – especially not if you’re looking at the Classic model – but it offers a lot more in the smartwatch department for Apple iOS users, and it has plenty of great fitness tracking features too.
We’re glad people still enjoy reading about hi-fi; it’s what keeps us in a job, after all.
There have been plenty of insightful words committed to paper about our industry and the technologies, brands and history that define it, so we’ve listed some of our favourites in a hope that one (or several) might make it onto your bookshelf.
More than a handful of notable players in the hi-fi community – including PS Audio CEO Paul McGowan, Wharfedale founder Gilbert Briggs and esteemed hi-fi journalist Ken Kessler – have penned books on the field, while a number of the industry’s most respected brands have published definitive guides on their rich histories.
There’s also no shortage of painstakingly thorough explainers on speaker design, engineering and the like. We even travel to the other side of the speakers to find out what goes on inside the studio.
So whether you want to learn more about the subject, or are simply after a collectible on your favourite brand, we hope there’s a book for your library or coffee table on this page.
How to choose the right speakers and get best sound
The Art of Impossible: The Bang & Olufsen Design Story (2016)
(Image credit: Bang & Olufsen)
Considering Bang & Olufsen’s ever-faithful commitment to style and design, it comes as little surprise their books are so nicely presented you feel you should wear silk gloves while turning the pages.
A behind-the-scenes look at B&O’s design philosophy and manufacturing process, illustrated by an impressive collection of hundreds of sketches and photographs – the company archive is something that helps make its anniversary books so special too – The Art of Impossible is an ode to the company’s landmark products, from its early creations in the 1930s to the Beolab 90, and the design principles and people behind them.
See The Art of Impossible at Amazon
Rega: A Vibration Measuring Machine (2016)
(Image credit: Rega)
There are few people better placed to talk about turntables than Rega founder Roy Gandy. Here, with the help of his friend Bill Philpot and hi-fi journalist Paul Messenger, Gandy presents his thesis on hi-fi turntable engineering, and how it all revolves around making a machine that most accurately measures vinyl groove vibrations.
A Vibration Measuring Machine is both exhaustively and entertainingly informative. It takes us from the company’s humble beginnings in 1973, when Gandy and his business partner Tony Relph (their surnames amalgamated to form the brand name) began making turntables in their evenings and weekends, to the comprehensive engineering principles involved in turntable design and the practicalities around manufacturing.
See A Vibration Measuring Machine on Rega.co.uk and Amazon
Principles of Digital Audio (2010)
(Image credit: Ken Pohlmann)
Currently in a sixth edition since first being published in the mid-1980s – not surprising considering the ever-advancing nature of the subject – professor emeritus Ken C Pohlman’s definitive guide on digital audio is a crucial, academic read for those interested in sound engineering.
A thorough explainer on everything from conversion and compression to storage and streaming to transmission and coding, it has served as a reference book in the industry for more than three decades.
See Principles of Digital Audio on Amazon and Waterstones
99% True: Almost a National Bestseller (2019)
(Image credit: Paul McGowan)
Paul McGowan, CEO of Colorado-based hi-fi brand PS Audio, has a story to tell. And what a story it is.
“From his not-so-innocent youth growing up in the shadow of Disneyland and summer evenings in the innocent 1950s, to his dope-smoking, snake-eating, draft-dodging, loony-bin misadventure through Europe, to his struggles to build a thriving enterprise from a stack of dusty albums.” Not a bad sell, eh?!
99% True is an autobiographical account of a colourful and passionate music man’s journey from mischief-maker to managing director, shedding light on American history and the high-end audio industry on the way. It’s just up to you decide what makes up the hundredth of the book that isn’t true.
See 99% True at Amazon
KEF – 50 Years of Innovation in Sound (2011)
(Image credit: KEF)
If you own, or have owned, a KEF product, a flick through of this book may well reaffirm your admiration. An insightfully written and beautifully photographed record of the company’s first five decades, released to celebrate its half-century in 2011, 50 Years documents the history of one of Britain’s most iconic hi-fi companies.
Its co-authors – Dr. Andrew Watson, former head of acoustics and technical communications at KEF, and esteemed hi-fi journalist Ken Kessler – trawled through the vast KEF archives of printed documents, photo libraries, employee recollections and business records to tell the brand’s story. And comprehensive listings of every product produced by KEF, including every drive unit, are included too.
See 50 Years of Innovation in Sound at Amazon
Loudspeakers: The Why and How of Good Reproduction (1948)
(Image credit: GA Briggs)
While the advancement of audio technologies and hi-fi equipment has come on dramatically in the last five decades, the very fundamentals of speaker design haven’t changed as much as you might think. That is why this Holy Writ on loudspeaker development, by one of British hi-fi’s most notable figures, is still relevant more than 70 years after it was written in 1948.
The late Gilbert Briggs, who built his first speaker in the cellar of his home in West Yorkshire and went onto found Wharfedale in the 1930s, penned more than one notable book in his lifetime. But his first, Loudspeakers: The Why and How of Good Reproduction, is a comprehensive introduction to audio: a thorough primer on the principle theories of loudspeaker design, covering everything from magnets, cones, cabinets and baffles to impedance, frequency response, crossover networks and phase. And then some.
See The Why and How of Good Reproduction on Amazon
Quad: The Closest Approach (2003)
(Image credit: Ken Kessler)
Another definitive guide on one of the industry’s most iconic brands makes it onto this list here. Ken Kessler puts ink to page once more, this time to celebrate Quad as one of Britain’s oldest, most respected and innovative hi-fi companies.
An audiophile coffee-table book if ever there was one, this beautifully illustrated, 240-page hardcover Quad bible is far from light on insight covering the company and its CV full of classic products. It features words from company founder Peter Walker and audio engineers Tim de Paravicini (founder of EAR Yoshino) and Gordon Hill, as well as reproductions of AES technical papers and, of course, Quad’s famous ads.
See The Closest Approach at Amazon
The Producer’s Manual (2011)
(Image credit: Paul White)
If you want to know how a recording should sound, thus how accurately your hi-fi system is representing that, it’s good to have some understanding of what goes on in the studio. Paul White’s The Producer’s Manual is an easy-to-follow starting place for producers and those who just want to learn, covering everything from compression to microphone techniques – and delivering on its promise to bring together all you need to take a mix from initial recording to final master.
See The Producer’s Manual on Amazon
High Performance Loudspeakers: Optimising High Fidelity Loudspeaker Systems (2018)
(Image credit: Martin Colloms)
An encyclopaedic lowdown on loudspeaker design and performance from a designer’s point of view, High Performance Loudspeakers is engineer, design consultant and hi-fi critic Martin Colloms’s magnum opus.
Constantly evolving since it was first published in the late 1970s, this book examines electro-acoustics to the Nth degree, and is now in its seventh edition. This latest version incorporates bang-up-to-date analysis on ultra-compact systems and DSP integration, as well as musings on recent technological advancements such as Devialet’s Speaker Active Matching system.
See High Performance Loudspeakers on Amazon and Waterstones
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio (2015)
(Image credit: Robert Harley)
In this does-what-it-says-on-the-tin book, Robert Harley – editor-in-chief of Absolute Sound – channels his three decades of reviewing experience into almost 600 pages of advice on how to make the most of high-quality hi-fi.
It covers topics such as how to identify great-value kit and any weak links in your system, how to set up and tweak your system to provide optimum performance, and how to become a more appreciative listener – starting at the basics with each topic and getting more comprehensive as the chapter goes on.
Now in its fifth edition, it includes the newer aspects of modern-day music consumption: music servers, streaming, wireless networking and high-resolution downloads.
See The Complete Guide to High-End Audio at Amazon
MORE:
Our pick of 40 of the best 1990s albums to test your speakers
Some tips on how to build the perfect hi-fi system
Here are 9 of the best vinyl documentaries to buy, rent or watch for free
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Microsoft’s new $99 Xbox Wireless headset isn’t perfect, but it’s the best attempt at being an Xbox gaming headset and an everyday set of wireless headphones I’ve tried yet. It’s compatible with the Xbox Wireless protocol, making it easy to pair with any Xbox One or Xbox Series X / S console. It’s also compatible with Bluetooth (version 4.2, SBC codec), and better yet, it can connect through both protocols simultaneously. So you can take a call or have audio from any app come through from a phone, tablet, or a PC mixed in with the sound coming from your Xbox console.
This is far from the first gaming headset to do this, or even do it well. Microsoft’s latest headset just stands out as being particularly impressive for the number of things it gets right for $99. Its design is stellar, a logical fit in the company’s headphone lineup. Next to the Series X, it looks the part with a touch of glossy green detailing around the ear cup dials, covered in matte black plastic. The little holes in the recessed areas between the faux leather ear pads and the dials seem to be there just for cosmetic reasons, but it looks fantastic nevertheless.
Crucially, these are comfortable, even though my head size nearly pushes them to their size limits. The sidearms require two hands to make adjustments, which I like. There’s no worry that they’ll resize just from being moved around. And while I wish this model had a bungee-style headband and swiveling ear cups like most SteelSeries headsets, not having these features didn’t equate to comfort issues here.
In addition to how the headset looks, its functionality is similar to the Surface Headphones, with twistable dials on the outside of each ear cup for adjusting elements of the audio. Unlike the company’s more premium headphones, there’s no active noise cancellation here (I’d complain, but they’re $99), though the passive noise isolation is better than average for this price. The left dial acts as a chat and game audio mixer, so you can tune your playmates down a bit during a dialogue-heavy cutscene or vice versa. I appreciate that Microsoft put it front and center. On the other dial is the volume control. Twist to increase or decrease, nice and simple — no buttons necessary.
Over on the right ear cup, there’s a USB-C port for charging. Microsoft includes a USB-C to USB Type-A cable to charge it, but you’ll get all of the same headset features if you plug into a Windows 10 machine with your own USB-C to USB-C cable. That’s not the case when plugged into a MacBook Pro, which won’t work over a wired connection with the headset. You can still connect to a macOS device and use the headset over Bluetooth, though.
There are only two buttons on the headset: one to manually mute the bendable microphone (an LED on the inner section of the boom microphone angled toward your face is illuminated when the mic is hot), and another that serves as the all-in-one pairing and power button, both of which reside on the left ear cup. Most gaming headsets require days of continued use to fully learn their respective button layouts, but this one’s dead simple. I would have taken one more button if it served as a multifunction button to control my device over Bluetooth, but Microsoft has limited the headset to just two buttons. There’s no way to independently control, say, a phone outside of just adjusting the volume.
The sound performance from this headset is better than I expected. During my tests, I listened to Spotify, and the music sounded good enough to stick with this headset instead of automatically reaching for my Sony 1000XM3s. People with a knack for stellar audio quality will find quibbles, like that the sound can come off as muddled at times, and the soundstage isn’t as expansive as you’d find in a more expensive set of headphones. But again, these are $99 and meant for gaming first. And for that price, I’m pleased.
Hopping over to gaming, I instantly booted up Doom (2016) on the Series X. The soundtrack and all of the various hellish sound effects have an adequate amount of crunch and punch, and I was head-banging to the music while I played. It sounded as it was intended to sound, though, again, the same nitpicks apply here as they do for music. When there’s a lot happening in the mid and high frequencies, the sound can lack clarity if you’re listening closely. I didn’t notice that as much in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, for instance. This headset works with the Dolby Atmos (Microsoft is giving buyers a trial of Dolby Atmos with purchase that will last until the end of September) and DTS: X paid apps available for Xbox and PC, which might enhance the sound. But for the purposes of this review, I tested just the out-of-the-box experience.
The battery life and range are competitive with other gaming headsets I’ve tested in this price range. Microsoft claims 15 hours per charge, and both times I ran the non-replaceable battery down during testing, it lasted for about that long. I was able to roam about my studio apartment, straying about 25 feet or so from the Xbox without experiencing any drop-outs. It started cutting out when the signal had to go through multiple walls, but that’s to be expected. As for charge speeds, Microsoft says it can gain four hours of use out of a 30-minute charge, or a full charge in three hours. In case you were wondering, you can use the Xbox Wireless headset while it’s being charged, but obviously, it’ll then take longer to recharge.
To give you a sense of how this headset handles connections, I first paired the Xbox Wireless headset to my PC with Microsoft’s USB Wireless Adapter (not included with this headset, but it operates on the same Xbox Wireless protocol as the consoles) for music and to take some video calls. Pairing the headset required pressing and holding the pair button for four seconds and doing the same to the Wireless Adapter. To use them on the Xbox Series X, I had to run through the same process. Frustratingly, the headset can’t handle juggling between two previously paired devices that use the Xbox Wireless protocol, so I had to manually re-pair it when I wanted to hop between my PC and the Xbox. I don’t want to overblow this issue, though. Microsoft’s pairing process for Xbox accessories is very simple. This won’t be a problem at all if you connect to your PC via Bluetooth (as I imagine most people will) since the headset can connect to both concurrently.
If you’re someone who’s likely to lean heavily on the concurrent wireless connection feature, I like that this headset automatically lowers the audio streaming from the Xbox Wireless protocol device when a call is incoming so you can hear it. You can adjust the volume of just your Bluetooth device with its own controls, but not from the headset itself. Cranking the volume with the dial makes it louder for both devices you’re connected to.
The Xbox Accessories app on PC and Xbox lets you fine-tune adjustments.
The level of customization this headset allows is also impressive for the price. Through the Xbox Accessories app for Windows 10 or Xbox, you can adjust the equalizer (movie, music, game, heavy bass, and speech are the presets, or make your own) and boost the bass. Additionally, there’s an auto-mute feature that can mute noises happening in your surroundings. There are three levels (low, medium, and high), and Microsoft says each step up will increase how aggressively the mic mutes things that aren’t your voice. During a video call, it seemed to work as intended, if not better than I expected. The person on the other end said that my speech wasn’t getting cut off, which is something that can happen with these kinds of features, and that happenings in the background weren’t noticeable. Of course, the effectiveness of this auto-mute feature can vary depending on your household situation. If you’re skeptical, it’s easy enough to just tap the mute button to avoid potential embarrassment.
Two other small but cool features in the Xbox Accessories app let you tweak how bright the mute light is, making it easier to see in your peripheral vision. You can also customize the level of mic monitoring or how much outside sound is fed through the mics and then funneled into your ears.
Up until now, the $150 Razer Kaira Pro was the Xbox-specific headset I told people to get because it’s comfortable, and it supports Bluetooth in addition to the Xbox Wireless protocol. Microsoft’s new Xbox Wireless headset is well ahead of that model in terms of design, ease of use, and functionality — all in a more affordable package.
If it fits my head and can also fit around the Series X, it should fit you fine.
If Microsoft is to be judged compared to Sony on how well it designed a headset to accompany its latest consoles — as it inevitably will be — this one handily edges out the Pulse 3D even though they’re the same price. Sony’s model is comfortable and looks equally dashing next to the console it was made for, and it has a 3.5mm headphone jack and 3D Audio support in its court. But it’s tough to compete with the Bluetooth support and button-lite design built into Microsoft’s model. I would have loved it if a USB dongle was included for more support with devices, like the Nintendo Switch. But by design, it can’t connect to other gaming consoles. Microsoft is keeping this one in the family. If you’re in the family, though, you’re in for a treat.
Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
Correction: The Xbox Wireless headset can get four hours of use from a 30-minute charge. This review incorrectly stated that a 15-minute charge could get you three hours of use. We regret this error.
Last week everyone was fixated on the “Right Up Our Alley” drone video that made us all nostalgic for bowling alleys. On Friday night, a VP at drone company DJI tweeted this video of a drone flight through a mostly-empty movie theater in Minnesota, and I don’t know about you but I really miss going to the movies. This video makes that longing about 100 times worse.
According to its YouTube page the video is by SkyCandy, and is a one-take fly-through of Mann theaters’ Plymouth Grand in Plymouth, Minnesota. It was filmed using a DJI Air Unit and Rotor Riot Cinewhoop.
The video is just over a minute long, but the drone takes us through the lobby — after being welcomed through the front doors by a masked theater employee— where people are deciding what to see, and buying tickets “for the 7:30 show,” according to the audio. There’s some very familiar-sounding background music playing in the lobby portion that I couldn’t quite identify, but it felt exactly right.
Next we fly by the concession stand where a couple snags a bucket of that overpriced movie popcorn, then we spin past the bar where we can overhear the bartender telling his patron, “you name it, I’ve seen it,” before heading down a long hallway into one of the actual theaters.
There are so many empty seats in that theater it actually felt a little sad— but then we briefly hear a familiar pre-movie sound: someone forgot to mute their iPhone. Rude! But funny. We end up looking at and then flying “into” the movie screen where guess what’s playing (I thought for one second it might be Tenet, but no): The beginning of the video we’ve been watching. Wild!
For those of us who haven’t been to a movie theater since social distancing started last year, this video is a welcome, wistful reminder of the joys of seeing a film on the big screen. One more thing to put on the “things I’m going to do when everything gets back to normal,” which hopefully will be sooner rather than later.
I have been listening to robot-made music all week. No, not Daft Punk, but randomly generated music posted every hour by a Twitter bot, @MelodyBot3456. As you’d expect from auto-generated music, the short songs (if you can call them that) are often bizarre and regularly veer in unexpected and hilarious directions.
Each song applies a random instrument, tempo, time signature, and key to melodies that, most of the time, make absolutely no sense. Take this one, for example, made with an instrument called “Mario Paint” that only vaguely sounds like something from Mario Paint’s famous music composer:
Or this one, which a friend described as like a computer trying to make a Black Keys song in a weird time signature:
Or this one, which brings me to tears of joy every time I hear it, played by an instrument called “1812 Cannons” (which are surely inspired by the glorious cannons at the end of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”).
Sometimes, however, the bot inexplicably churns out something that’s kind of good. This song wouldn’t feel out of place in the right video game:
And this one just slaps:
I strongly recommend just scrolling through the bot’s tweets yourself and listening to anything that sounds vaguely interesting. Most of them will probably make you laugh, and every once in a while you’ll find a gem. The account has been around since July 2019, so there’s a lot to listen to.
I will leave you with my absolute favorite melody from the week, performed by robot claves. It’s absurd.
Teaching AI systems to understand what’s happening in videos as completely as a human can is one of the hardest challenges — and biggest potential breakthroughs — in the world of machine learning. Today, Facebook announced a new initiative that it hopes will give it an edge in this consequential work: training its AI on Facebook users’ public videos.
Access to training data is one of the biggest competitive advantages in AI, and by collecting this resource from millions and millions of their users, tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Amazon have been able to forge ahead in various areas. And while Facebook has already trained machine vision models on billions of images collected from Instagram, it hasn’t previously announced projects of similar ambition for video understanding.
“By learning from global streams of publicly available videos spanning nearly every country and hundreds of languages, our AI systems will not just improve accuracy but also adapt to our fast moving world and recognize the nuances and visual cues across different cultures and regions,” said the company in a blog. The project, titled Learning from Videos, is also part of Facebook’s “broader efforts toward building machines that learn like humans do.”
The resulting machine learning models will be used to create new content recommendation systems and moderation tools, says Facebook, but could do so much more in the future. AI that can understand the content of videos could give Facebook unprecedented insight into users’ lives, allowing them to analyze their hobbies and interests, preferences in brands and clothes, and countless other personal details. Of course, Facebook already has access to such information through its current ad-targeting operation, but being able to parse video through AI would add an incredibly rich (and invasive) source of data to its stores.
Facebook is vague about its future plans for AI models trained on users’ videos. The company told The Verge such models could be put to a number of uses, from captioning videos to creating advanced search functions, but did not answer a question on whether or not they would be used to collect information for ad-targeting. Similarly, when asked if users had to consent to having their videos used to train Facebook’s AI or if they could opt out, the company responded only by noting that its Data Policy says users’ uploaded content can be used for “product research and development.” Facebook also did not respond to questions asking exactly how much video will be collected for training its AI systems or how access to this data by the company’s researchers will be overseen.
In its blog post announcing the project, though, the social network did point to one future, speculative use: using AI to retrieve “digital memories” captured by smart glasses.
Facebook plans to release a pair of consumer smart glasses sometime this year. Details about the device are vague, but it’s likely these or future glasses will include integrated cameras to capture the wearer’s point of view. If AI systems can be trained to understand the content of video, then it will allow users to search for past recordings, just as many photo apps allow people to search for specific locations, objects, or people. (This is information, incidentally, that has often been indexed by AI systems trained on user data.)
Facebook has released images showing prototype pairs of its augmented-reality smart glasses. Image: Facebook
As recording video with smart glasses “becomes the norm,” says Facebook, “people should be able to recall specific moments from their vast bank of digital memories just as easy as they capture them.” It gives the example of a user conducting a search with the phrase “Show me every time we sang happy birthday to Grandma,” before being served relevant clips. As the company notes, such a search would require that AI systems establish connections between types of data, teaching them “to match the phrase ‘happy birthday’ to cakes, candles, people singing various birthday songs, and more.” Just like humans do, AI would need to understand rich concepts comprised of different types of sensory input.
Looking to the future, the combination of smart glasses and machine learning would enable what’s referred to as “worldscraping” — capturing granular data about the world by turning wearers of smart glasses into roving CCTV cameras. As the practice was described in a report last year from The Guardian: “Every time someone browsed a supermarket, their smart glasses would be recording real-time pricing data, stock levels and browsing habits; every time they opened up a newspaper, their glasses would know which stories they read, which adverts they looked at and which celebrity beach pictures their gaze lingered on.”
This is an extreme outcome and not an avenue of research Facebook says it’s currently exploring. But it does illustrate the potential significance of pairing advanced AI video analysis with smart glasses — which the social network is apparently keen to do.
By comparison, the only use of its new AI video analysis tools that Facebook is currently disclosing is relatively mundane. Along with the announcement of Learning from Videos today, Facebook says it’s deployed a new content recommendation system based on its video work in its TikTok-clone Reels. “Popular videos often consist of the same music set to the same dance moves, but created and acted by different people,” says Facebook. By analyzing the content of videos, Facebook’s AI can suggest similar clips to users.
Such content recommendation algorithms are not without potential problems, though. A recent report from MIT Technology Review highlighted how the social network’s emphasis on growth and user engagement has stopped its AI team from fully addressing how algorithms can spread misinformation and encourage political polarization. As the Technology Review article says: “The [machine learning] models that maximize engagement also favor controversy, misinformation, and extremism.” This creates a conflict between the duties of Facebook’s AI ethics researchers and the company’s credo of maximizing growth.
Facebook isn’t the only big tech company pursuing advanced AI video analysis, nor is it the only one to leverage users’ data to do so. Google, for example, maintains a publicly accessible research dataset containing 8 million curated and partially labeled YouTube videos in order to “help accelerate research on large scale video understanding.” The search giant’s ad operations could similarly benefit from AI that understands the content of videos, even if the end result is simply serving more relevant ads in YouTube.
Facebook, though, thinks it has one particular advantage over its competitors. Not only does it have ample training data, but it’s pushing more and more resources into an AI method known as self-supervised learning.
Usually, when AI models are trained on data, those inputs have be to labeled by humans: tagging objects in pictures or transcribing audio recordings, for example. If you’ve ever solved a CAPTCHA identifying fire hydrants or pedestrian crossing then you’ve likely labeled data that’s helped to train AI. But self-supervised learning does away with the labels, speeding up the training process, and, some researchers believe, resulting in deeper and more meaningful analysis as the AI systems teach themselves to join the dots. Facebook is so optimistic about self-supervised learning it’s called it “the dark matter of intelligence.”
The company says its future work on AI video analysis will focus on semi- and self-supervised learning methods, and that such techniques “have already improved our computer vision and speech recognition systems.” With such an abundance of video content available from Facebook’s 2.8 billion users, skipping the labeling part of AI training certainly makes sense. And if the social network can teach its machine learning models to understand video seamlessly, who knows what they might learn?
McIntosh has released details of its reference in-car audio system, which will feature in the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV, due in mid-2021.
This is the latest fruits of the American hi-fi brand and car’s partnership (announced last September), following the launch of the McIntosh sound system inside the Jeep Grand Cherokee L earlier this year.
The McIntosh MX1375 Reference Entertainment System is the company’s first-ever ‘automotive reference system’ and will be available exclusively in the Grand Wagoneer. The set-up boasts 23 speakers and “one of the highest performing 12-inch subwoofers in the industry.” It will be powered by a 24-channel 1375-watt amplifier.
There’s no word on pricing yet, but McIntosh points out that splashing out on the MX1375 gets you the firm’s Adaptive 3D Surround Processing capabilities, which aim to provide an “immersive listening experience”.
If the reference system proves a little rich for your blood, you can opt for the McIntosh MX950 Entertainment System, which will be available in the Grand Wagoneer Series I and II, as well as the Wagoneer Series III. The same system found in Jeep’s Grand Cherokee L, the MX950 comprises 19 speakers, a 10-inch subwoofer and a 17-channel, 950-watt amplifier.
(Image credit: McIntosh / Jeep)
(Image credit: McIntosh)
It’s not the first time McIntosh has teamed up with an American icon. In the early noughties, the US-based audio maker developed custom systems for Harley Davidson motorcycles and the reissued Ford GT.
No expense has been spared this time around, though. McIntosh’s acoustics experts are said to have had “free rein” to create the best possible audio system design, with the aim of enveloping passengers in a convincing live music experience.
“When we were developing the MX1375 Reference Entertainment System, we set up a McIntosh Reference room next to the Wagoneer team’s facility to ensure the best parts of the home system experience made it into the Grand Wagoneer,” said McIntosh president Charlie Randall.
And yes, those iconic blue meters are present on the vehicle’s infotainment display.
McIntosh isn’t the only hi-fi brand hitting the road. Sonos will offer its audio kit in the upcoming Audi Q4 E-tron, while Naim has recently teamed up with Bentley.
MORE:
Vroom with a view: the best in-car audio tech and trends
Read our review of the Naim for Bentley in-car audio system
An in-depth look at the McIntosh MA9000 integrated amplifier
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The true wireless earbuds market has never been more crowded than it is in 2021. With so many to choose from, finding the best earbuds can seem daunting. But the vast selection is actually a good thing: not only are there excellent picks for everyday buds to carry in your pocket, but you’ve also got a slew of options that prioritize things like noise cancellation, fitness, lengthy battery life, and comfort.
Even if you don’t consider yourself any kind of audiophile, it’s important to find a set of earbuds that sound good to you. This means different things depending on the person: do you want head-rattling bass or something more balanced with an immersive soundstage? You’ll want to find a pair with a good, reliable Bluetooth connection — all of the below picks check off that box — and enough battery life to last you through a normal day of intermittent listening.
Remember that getting the most out of earbuds requires a good seal in your ear. Always try the various ear tip sizes that come with whichever buds you purchase — and don’t be afraid to experiment with different sizes in each ear. Ears are funny like that. Many of these earbuds have apps you can install on your phone to further personalize their sound and controls the way you want.
If you’re looking for the overall best noise-canceling earbuds, you’ll be very happy with Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds. They have best-in-class noise cancellation and sound great.
But if you’ve got other priorities, there is a range of great options from Apple, Beats, Jabra, Sennheiser, and Ultimate Ears that won’t disappoint. This guide covers higher-end wireless earbuds. If you’re on the hunt for more affordable options, check out the best cheap wireless earbuds to buy.
Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds are the best noise-canceling wireless earbuds you can get.Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
1. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
Best noise-canceling earbuds
The QuietComfort Earbuds offer very powerful active noise cancellation, but what’s equally nice about them is how customizable the ANC is. You can choose between 11 different levels of noise cancellation (based on how much of the outside world you want mixed in) and set three favorites to cycle between when you double-tap the left earbud.
Bose’s premium earbuds put out fantastic audio with punchy bass. Their transparency / ambient mode is second only to Apple in how natural it sounds. And even the voice mics work well, so you really get the whole package — as you should for this kind of money.
The AirPods Pro remain the best wireless earbuds for iPhone owners because some of their best features only work with other Apple products.Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
2. Apple AirPods Pro
Best wireless earbuds for the iPhone
There’s no beating the interplay between AirPods and Apple’s other devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The AirPods Pro don’t offer the best sound quality of our top picks, but it’s perfectly satisfactory to many people. And the active noise cancellation is right up there with Bose.
But it really all comes together if you’re in Apple’s ecosystem and also own a Mac or iPad. The AirPods Pro can automatically hop between devices based on which one you’re using, and on iPhone or iPad, spatial audio delivers immersive surround sound when watching streaming video apps. They’re fantastic for making calls with, and Apple continues to pull ahead of competitors when it comes to ease of use.
Here’s a tip: if none of the included ear tips get you a perfect seal, I recommend a set of memory foam tips like those from Comply or Dekoni.
The Jabra Elite 75t are the best wireless earbuds if you want to pair with two devices simultaneously.Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
3. Jabra Elite 75t
Best wireless earbuds for multitasking
Jabra is pretty much the only company making true wireless earbuds that support “multipoint” for two simultaneous Bluetooth connections. So you can pair them up with a phone and your laptop or tablet at the same time. Jabra’s mobile app offers a ton of customization over the controls, EQ, and even includes bonuses like white noise or nature sounds if you’ve got situations where they’d be handy.
Jabra Elite 75t
$130
$150
14% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Jabra’s Elite 75t earbuds offer pleasing bass-heavy sound, reliable performance, and can connect with two devices — like a phone and laptop — at the same time.
$130
at Amazon
$130
at Best Buy
The newer Elite 85t earbuds add more effective noise cancellation to the mix, but the 75ts are on sale so frequently that they’re still the go-to pick if multitasking is important to you. They pack a wallop when it comes to bass — but not to the point where it overwhelms the rest of the mix.
Jabra backs them with a two-year warranty in the event you experience any hardware issues. (I’ve had a 75t bud stop taking a charge out of nowhere, so it can happen.)
The Powerbeats Pro have been around for some time now, but they still rank as the best wireless earbuds for fitness.Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
4. Beats Powerbeats Pro
Best wireless earbuds for fitness
Nothing has managed to unseat the Powerbeats Pro as the best fitness earbuds since their release in 2019. Their ear hook design keeps them planted on your ears during intense exercise, they can endure your sweatiest workouts, and the nine hours of continuous battery life should get you through just about any marathon. And the sound quality is killer, with plenty of bass to keep you motivated and moving.
And since Beats is owned by Apple, the Powerbeats Pro can also take advantage of features like audio sharing, auto device switching (like the AirPods Pro), and a dead-simple pairing process.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus can last for up to 11 hours on a single charge, which blows away many competitors.Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
5. Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus
Best wireless earbuds for battery life
They can last 11 hours on a single charge. That’s what I consider marathon battery life for true wireless earbuds, and few other companies have managed to keep up with the longevity of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Plus. They lack active noise cancellation, so that helps them keep playing for longer, but even then, 11 hours is quite a feat. Like the Jabras, these are often on sale and easy to grab at a discount.
Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 2 are the best wireless earbuds in terms of sound quality.Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge
6. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
Best wireless earbuds for sound quality
Sennheiser’s second swing at true wireless earbuds improve on the original Momentums with a more comfortable fit and the addition of active noise cancellation. But everything about these earbuds is second fiddle to their sound quality: the Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds put out dynamic, expressive, and wonderfully detailed audio. They’re the sort of buds that will bring out things in your favorite music you haven’t noticed before.
But that upgraded sound quality comes for a hefty $300 price. If you want arguably the best sound that true wireless earbuds can deliver, these are it. But all of these other picks sound plenty good in their own right.
You’re not going to find any silicone ear tips that can match the UE Fits and their custom tips, which mold to match your ear shape in seconds.Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
7. UE Fits
Best wireless earbuds if comfort is everything
If you often have difficulty finding ear tips that fit your ears comfortably, it doesn’t really get better than the UE Fits. These earbuds include special tips that mold to the shape of your ear during a 60-second fitting process that you activate with UE’s app. They get warm during molding (but not uncomfortably so) and you can feel them adapting to the contours of your ear canal.
Once the process is done, you’re left with custom earbuds with a fit that’s as close to perfect as you’ll ever find — unless you visit your local audiologist for a professional mold, and that gets expensive fast. Ultimate Ears has a fit “guarantee” and will send you a second set of tips should your first molding attempt go awry. The UE Fits are quite good, last for up to eight hours of continuous playback, and they’re rated IPX4 for water resistance.
UE Fits
$249
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The UE Fits come with unique ear tips that permanently mold to the unique shape of your ears in just 60 seconds. This allows for a much better fit that you can comfortably wear for hours.
$249
at Ultimate Ears
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