The Pure Classic C-D6, and devices like them, are enjoying quite the comeback. Once in seemingly terminal decline, radio is back on the up and if you’re anything like me, you’re quietly impressed by the myriad DAB channel options out there. Heart 90s to propel you out of bed in the morning, Classic FM to crawl back there a few hours later.
Tapping into the retro joy that comes from a music system that includes a DAB/FM radio, CD player and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, the Pure Classic C-D6's old-school stylings look the part but won’t suit everyone. It’s squarely designed (literally) for sitting somewhere in a corner of your living room, destined to live out its days there. This isn’t portable and it’s sizeable enough that you won’t even want to move it between rooms unless you have absolutely to.
However, it has charm. Like other Pure radios, it has all the essentials you could need wrapped up in an easy to use shell. Setup is a matter of plugging it in and leaving the radio to pick out dozens of DAB radio channels before you highlight your presets.
A remote control simplifies matters further, though I was baffled at not finding any batteries in the (huge) box. A couple of dials on the front also help matters. You’re honestly not going to get lost here.
At £179.99 or €199.99 (and currently only available in the UK and in Europe), cheap the Pure Classic C-D6 is not. But it is a Bluetooth speaker, DAB/FM radio and CD player rolled into one, which makes it a bit better value.
Once unboxed, it’ll live happily in your living room or on your bedside cabinet and fulfil seemingly all your audio needs at a steady, if not always exciting, pace.
Is it one of the best DAB radios we've had the pleasure of testing? Let's see.
Pure Classic C-D6 review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future / Jennifer Allen)
Released April 2024
Cost £179.99 / €199.99 (currently only available in the UK and Europe)
The Pure Classic C-D6 was released in the UK and Europe in April 2024. It costs £179.99 or €199.99 depending on your region, making it a relatively mid-range option compared to the competition.
It’s cheaper than something like the Pure Evoke Home (at £399.99) or on a par with the Roberts Revival RD70, but with the addition of CD playing support.
The non-portable DAB music system market is a fairly niche one if you want all these features, so the Pure Classic C-D6 feels fairly well priced for what it offers.
Pure Classic C-D6 review: Specs
Pure Classic C-D6 review: Features
(Image credit: Future / Jennifer Allen)
Remote control
Extensive connectivity options
Alarm feature
The Pure Classic C-D6 is huge, more on which later. Fortunately, such abundant heft means there’s a lot going on here. The all-in-one unit is packed with options which are easily found by scrolling through the various dials.
At its heart, the Pure Classic C-D6 is a DAB/FM radio but it’s also possible to use it as a CD player, plug in a USB stick or pair a device with it via Bluetooth. In theory, you don’t actually need another speaker or music system in your living space as the Pure Classic C-D6 covers all the bases – it's also got an aux-in.
Its Bluetooth 5.3 is supremely stable and robust – no risk of drop outs here. Switching between the modes takes a mere moment, with no noticeable lag while you go through your options. It’s a relatively minor thing but one that’s immediately noticeable.
The Pure Classic C-D6 is purely wired so there’s no point worrying about battery life – it needs to be plugged in. Again, due to the not insignificant weight of the Pure Classic C-D6, you won’t be moving it around anyhow.
Features score: 5 / 5
Pure Classic C-D6 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future / Jennifer Allen)
2 x 15W speakers
Crisp sound
Limited bass
No one is buying the Pure Classic C-D6 and expecting energetic audio that captivates you in every way – reliability and convenience rule all here. That’s not to say that the Pure is poor quality aurally, but it lacks some oomph in the bass department. For instance, you may not notice the precise details of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.
Instead, it does the job just fine while you listen to the radio. Heading over to a 90s-themed channel, I enjoyed being reminded of my youth with the kind of audio quality I expect from my car’s reasonable-but-unremarkable DAB radio. It’s the perfect line in fine.
That trend continues regardless of how you listen. Bluetooth and even CD playing are available here and it all sounds just... fine. No complaints, but no wow moment either.
Sound quality: 3.5 / 5
Pure Classic C-D6 review: Design
(Image credit: Future / Jennifer Allen)
It’s huge
Clearly laid-out buttons
Appealing display
The Pure Classic C-D6 is huge, even for what it offers. It’s designed to be fitted sturdily on a shelf or in a unit in your living room so that it can stay there forever more. Potentially, you don’t need any other basic audio equipment in that room so that’s fine but it’s good to plan ahead.
The 15W speakers sit comfortably either side of a middle section devoted to the controls, screen and CD player. The TFT LCD display is fairly sharp and straightforward, with the buttons and dials around it making intuitive sense. Such a design means it’s easy to figure out everything you need to do and I didn’t really need to go anywhere near the manual to become a pro at navigating my way between all the Pure's various functions. There’s also a remote control for when you don’t fancy walking over to the machine.
Turn the Pure Classic C-D6 around and there’s the aux-in port and USB port, neatly hidden away but also easily accessible when the time comes.
It comes in either coffee black or cotton white with a faux wood exterior adding to the suitably retro vibe. I wasn’t a fan at first but the design did grow on me. It also looks and feels reasonably sturdy.
Design score: 4 / 5
Pure Classic C-D6 review: Value
(Image credit: Future / Jennifer Allen)
Mid-range pricing
A strong investment
The Pure Classic C-D6 is designed to be a long-term commitment. Place it in your home and you’re all set for the long haul thanks to its extensive connectivity options.
If you want a nice and simple solution for all your audio needs, it’s fairly well priced. There’s always something like the Roberts Revival RD70 but, though it looks nicer, that lacks features like CD-playing functionality.
Spend more and you could get the Pure Evoke Home, but that’s only really necessary if you want built-in Spotify Connect and podcasts rather than simply casting across from your phone.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Pure Classic C-D6?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Pure Classic C-D6 review: Also consider
How I tested the Pure Classic C-D6
Tested for 10 days
Used at home exclusively
Over 10 years of audio reviewing experience
The Pure Classic C-D6 lived happily in my home office for most of the 10 days I spent reviewing it, with a brief sojourn to my living room. Throughout the working day, it played in the background.
That meant talk radio with a mixture of LBC, BBC Radio 5 Live, and BBC Radio 4. It also meant listening to music via the DAB stations as well as through Bluetooth and my iPhone 14 Pro playing Apple Music and Spotify.
For the CD player, I dug out a few old CDs to see how things worked there. The Pure Classic C-D6 was my main source of audio-based entertainment while I worked.
Over the past 10 years or so, I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones and earbuds as well as more than a few DAB radios, too. These all covered a wide variety of price ranges.
The Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless form part of what appears an increasingly important trend for true wireless in-ear headphone manufacturers to have a range of products that cover a fairly wide spread of prices – that is, at least, where the more established and high-profile manufacturers are concerned. Sennheiser has enjoyed a reasonable amount of success with its midrange(ish) ‘Accentum’ range, so this variant seems a logical move.
Initial impressions are, it’s fair to say, mixed. On the page, the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless look specified to compete with the best noise-cancelling earbuds in the business (even if the most up-to-the-minute codec they’re compatible with is plain-vanilla aptX). In the hand, they don’t look or feel anything special at all. Once you’re wearing the earbuds, though, you’ll appreciate the carefully ergonomic shape and the long-term comfort provided.
But while there’s plenty to enjoy about the sound the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless make, performance is just as mixed as the first impressions. The presentation is spacious, confidently organized and tonally balanced, with smoothly realized frequency response, too. A lack of animation and energy undermines this good work, though, and noise-cancellation that doesn’t do all that thorough a job seals the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless’ fate…
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: Price & release date
Released in May 2024
List price: $179 / £169 / AU$349
The Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless are on sale now – they officially launched on 21 May 2024. They’re priced at $179 in the United States, £169 in the United Kingdom, and AU$349 in Australia. Which, let’s not pretend otherwise, puts them up against some pretty stiff competition…
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: Specs
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: Features
Up to 28 hours of battery life (earbuds plus charging case)
7mm ‘TrueResponse’ dynamic drivers
Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC, aptX and LC3 codec compatibility
As far as wireless connectivity is concerned, the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless have plenty going on. They use Bluetooth 5.3 as a base, and there’s compatibility with aptX and LC3 codecs as well as the more common SBC and AAC alternatives. Meanwhile, a firmware update is promised that will bring Bluetooth LE and Auracast to the party, too.
No matter the specifics of how you get your digital audio information on board, though, it’s delivered by a couple of Sennheiser’s TrueResponse dynamic drivers. They’re 7mm each in this application, and they’re good for a frequency response of 5Hz to 21kHz – at least according to the manufacturer.
As long as you don’t get carried away where volume levels are concerned, you should be able to eke as much as eight hours' performance from the earbuds before they need recharging. That’s with noise-cancellation switched off, of course – switch it on and you’re looking at more like six hours. The palm-sized little charging case holds more than two further full charges, which means you’re looking at a best-case scenario of, Sennheiser says, 28 hours before you have to visit any mains power. Recharging is available via the USB-C slot on the case, and the Accentum True Wireless are also compatible with Qi-certified charging pads.
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
The active noise-cancellation that’s available here is a hybrid system that can be set to ‘off’, ‘on’ or ‘anti-wind’ – there are three ‘transparency’ positions, too (‘low’, ‘mid’ and ‘high’).
Control of the ANC, and plenty more besides, is available in Sennheiser’s exemplary Smart Control app that’s free for iOS and Android. It may not be much to look at, Smart Control, but it’s stable, logical and reliable – which puts it ahead of any number of nominal rivals. Here’s where you can manage your connections (the earbuds can connect to two devices at the same time), create custom EQ settings using a five-band equaliser (with presets for ‘podcast’, which forces the midrange forward, and ‘bass boost’, which does exactly what you’d expect), and rearrange the layout of your touch controls.
Each earbud has a capacitive touch surface, and different numbers and/or lengths of presses can put you in charge of play/pause, skip forwards/backwards, volume up/down, answer/end/reject call, summoning your voice assistant and cycling through your ANC options.
In quite a few ways, the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless are an engaging and enjoyable listen. But there are some areas in which they lag behind the best of their rivals somewhat.
They’re certainly an open, spacious listen – even when playing something as dense and multi-layered as Paul’s Boutique by Beastie Boys. The soundstage they create is large and easy to understand, and there’s just as much attention paid to spaces and silences as to the actual occurrences in the recording. The Accentum True Wireless are properly organised and take charge of recordings – their authority and control is never in question. If you need a complex recording opened up and made easy to comprehend, you won’t go far wrong here.
It’s a similar story where tonality and frequency response are concerned. There’s very little coloration to the tonality of the Accentum True Wireless – they’re basically neutral, and don’t really stick their oar into the sound of a recording all that much. And while claims for a frequency response down to 5Hz are predictably optimistic, there’s no arguing with the depth or substance of the bottom end the Sennheiser are capable of generating. The fairly iron-fisted control of bass sounds means rhythms get decent expression, too.
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
And the good news continues from higher up the frequency range. The midrange takes advantage of the Sennheiser's open nature, allowing voices plenty of space in which to operate, and at the top end there’s a fair amount of substance if not quite as much bite and shine as is ideal. The Accentum True Wireless are even-handed and unified, so no area of the frequency range is underplayed or overstated. Detail levels are reasonably high at every stage, too.
Where these earbuds come up noticeably short, though, is where the demands of both the broad and fine dynamics are concerned. There’s a rather one-level, undemonstrative quality to the way the Sennheiser present recordings that robs them of a lot of animation – so even if you’re listening to something as energetic and upbeat as King of the Jungle by Ezra Collective, there’s a fixed level of intensity at which the recording operates. The Sennheiser are reluctant in the extreme to deviate from this, aren’t all that interested in making an especially big leap from ‘quiet’ to ‘loud’ and, in the crudest terms, drain much of the entertainment from what really ought to be a spirited and upfront listen. This matter-of-fact presentation doesn’t suit the material in the slightest.
The noise-cancellation that’s on offer here is a little less than inspiring, too. On the plus side, there’s no alteration to the actual sound the Accentum True Wireless make when ANC is switched on, but the downside is that the Sennheiser do only a partial job on external sounds. High frequencies, in particular, seem able to evade the noise-cancellation algorithms with ease.
Sound quality score: 3.5/5
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: Design
5.5g per earbud, 41g charging case
Available in three finishes
IP54 rating
It’s possible for true wireless earbuds to be perfectly well constructed and flawlessly finished, and yet look and feel not remotely special – and that’s what’s happened here. The Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless are built and finished to the manufacturer's long-established standard, and quite obviously will stand up to all sorts of careless treatment. And yet they don’t look or feel in any way premium. The plastics from which they’re constructed are hard, unyielding and slippery. In all honesty, the Sennheiser present as less expensive than they are.
That’s not to say they’ve been thoughtlessly designed, you understand. They’re gratifyingly compact, for starters: the charging case is just 29 x 49 x 52mm (HxWxD), and the slender earbuds are just 5.5g each. In combination with a choice of four sizes of silicone ear tip, the design of the earbuds means they fit snugly and comfortably and will stay that way for hours on end.
An IP54 rating means they can safely be used in pretty much any realistic circumstance, and a choice of three finishes (white, black or blue) helps their desirability quotient, too. Just a little, mind you.
Design score: 4/5
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: Value
Thorough specification and stamina for the money
Solid (if uninspiring) build quality
Against tough rivals, they don't win for sound or ANC
There’s value to be had here in the thoroughness of specification, quality of build and finish, battery life and cachet that comes from owning a product from a brand with a big reputation.
You’re not exactly short of choice where true wireless in-ear headphones at this sort of money are concerned, though, and when held up against the best of their rivals the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless don’t represent great value – the sound they make is compromized, the noise-cancellation they offer isn’t amazing, and the look and feel is nothing special either.
Value score: 3.5/5
Should I buy the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless?
Buy them if...
Don't buy them if...
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: Also consider
How I tested the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless
With iOS and Android devices
Using a variety of codec standards
With all sorts of music
During a good week or so of constant use, my Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless were connected to a MacBook Pro, an iPhone 14 Pro and a Samsung Galaxy S23 in order to investigate different codecs and sources of music. The music itself was of many different file types and sizes, and many different styles. And I made sure to take the Sennheiser with me while I was out and about, in order to check out comfort and ANC as well as claims for battery life.
The Skullcandy Set USB-C earbuds stand as a stylish and well-priced option for those favoring the way of the wire, and they stack up well against some of the best wired headphones value-wise. Even if you own some of the best wireless earbuds, Skullcandy’s offering can still be of great use if you forget to charge your pesky Bluetooth ones.
I’ll be upfront – the Set earbuds don’t whip up top-drawer sound, and many tracks I listened to lacked the depth I’d grown accustomed to from competitor SoundMAGIC’s E11D model. To be specific, the audio isn’t the most full-sounding, something I sensed when listening to Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon. Percussion in the background, the looping guitar lick, and the smooth bass all sounded a little bit feeble on these buds compared to the E11D’s.
With that said, sound quality is still decent, especially given the Set earbuds’ list price of just $31.99 / £29.99 (about AU$50). A lot of the more budget buds out there present listeners with borderline-repulsive, tinny audio, and these never subjected me to such horrors. The Skullcandy Set earbuds offer pretty good all-round sound; it's just a bit thin on detail and dynamism. Even at louder volumes, I was satisfied with the audio output on show and didn’t feel as if it was overly distorted or constrained.
Skullcandy says the Set earbuds have a “noise-isolating fit”, thanks to the included ear gels. These won’t totally reduce noise from your surroundings, but they definitely do a solid job of keeping you tuned in to your music. Unfortunately, one unwelcome sound you may well hear is the Set’s rustling wires, especially when touching the cables or making sudden movements during listening sessions.
In spite of this, the ear gels are actually very pleasant to wear, and I happily kept the Set wired earbuds in for two full days in the office without feeling any discomfort. Not only that, they stayed in without me needing to constantly fiddle with them to find the perfect fit. This earns Skullcandy’s wired in-ears plenty of points in my book – many similar products either cause me irritation after an hour or so, or need to be repeatedly reinserted into the ear. The Set earbuds also come with small- and large-sized gels so you can find the best feel.
Continuing on a positive note, I’m a big fan of the earbuds’ design. They sport a sleek, curved look, and come in four snazzy colorways. You can go for a more versatile True Black (the version that I tested), or select one of the three new color options in 'Triple Threat' finish, which Skullcandy tells us "mimics the scratches, gouges and dings that prove your board is getting the love it deserves". These include Sunset (orange), Snow (white), and Ocean (blue), all of which capture their respective theme with panache.
The buds also come with a call and music controller attached, which has a nice glossy finish, although functionality-wise, it’s a bit limited. It has a play/pause button in the form of the Skullcandy logo, which can also be used to take or hang up calls and skip songs. Additionally, it has a microphone that maintained clarity at various speaking volumes and distances and, despite a bit of background static, it was certainly good enough.
However, that’s where it ends for the controller, which is a bit of a shame. Whenever I wanted to turn a track’s volume up or down, I had to reach into my pocket and adjust this via my phone – something that frustrated me when walking home in the pouring rain one evening. Skullcandy says that the earbuds are designed for use “from work to workout”, but this issue, along with the loud rustling noises from the cable, suggests that these aren’t the ideal pick for a workout after all.
A design feature that could be useful, if like me you’re taking walks during downpours, is the Set earbuds’ IPX4 rating, which means the buds are protected against splashing water from any angle. IPX4 certification is pretty common for a lot of models at this price point, and ensures that the Set buds resist sweat if you use them during a run or similarly intensive activity.
One small but notable thing I appreciated about the Set earbuds is that Skullcandy hasn’t made outrageous promises about game-changing sound, revolutionary design, or world-class noise isolation – we’re just told that if “simplicity is your thing” and you’re looking for an “all-day earbud”, they’re a worthy choice. This level of honesty helps to keep expectations closer to reality, something which many competitors fall flat on. So, despite the “from work to workout” tagline feeling a little questionable, these still deliver the quality that many will hope to receive from a set of cheaper wired earbuds.
(Image credit: Future)
Skullcandy Set USB-C review: Price and release date
Released on June 1, 2020 in True Black
Released on March 19, 2024 in 'Triple Threat' colorways
$31.99 / £29.99 (about AU$50)
Skullcandy’s Set USB-C earbuds are available on its US and UK digital stores, but unfortunately don’t feature on its Australian site. The buds have been available in True Black since 2020, and Skullcandy re-released the model in three vibrant Triple Threat colorways in March 2024, at the same price point. They aren’t the absolute cheapest option in the realm of USB-C buds, but still won’t set you back much, coming in at $31.99 / £29.99 (about AU$50).
You can grab alternatives for a bit less, such as the Apple USB-C EarPods and Belkin’s SoundForm wired earbuds (both of which cost less than $25), but you may be left wanting more, sound quality-wise. Indeed, neither of these deliver particularly great sound quality, with Skullcandy’s Set USB-C buds offering solid audio output for only a few dollars more.
Skullcandy Set USB-C review: Specs
(Image credit: Future)
Should you buy the Skullcandy Set USB-C?
Buy them if...
Don't buy them if...
Skullcandy Set USB-C review: Also consider
Skullcandy Set USB-C review: How I tested
(Image credit: Future)
Tested across a week-long period
Used in the office, at home, and while walking
Predominantly tested using Spotify on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
I whisked the Skullcandy Set earbuds away for a week of travelling (between my apartment and the office), and tested them while walking and while seated. I mainly used the buds on my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 using Spotify, but I also tried listening to music via Tidal on the FiiO M11S hi-res music player.
When trying out the Skullcandy Set earbuds I listened to tracks from the TechRadar testing playlist and beyond, and also watched YouTube videos. To test the microphone quality, I recorded multiple voice notes, and spoke at a variety of volumes, distances, and pitches. I also made calls to ensure the controller worked as described, and to once again determine microphone quality.
The 1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 earbuds pack in an impressive number of features that make them a tempting purchase at their $49.99 / £39.99 (approx AU$75) asking price. While some of these features don’t always work perfectly, they perform adequately for the price, but it’s the sound quality that really impresses.
The case feels solid and, even in white, has stood the test of time in use for me – and they weren’t given an easy ride. The materials used don’t scream cheap-and-cheerful – the matte finish on the outer case is tactile and has proven to be durable, and the buds themselves feel well made.
The only slight downsides in terms of the design are that the PistonBuds Pro Q30 may not prove the most comfortable fit for those with petite ears due to their wide and shallow inner ear stalks. And the touch detection area on the earbud posts is rather small, making it tricky to use the touch controls at times.
These earbuds are definitely a welcome upgrade over their predecessors, the 1More PistonBuds Pro, and could prove the ideal purchase for those on a limited budget. Especially if you still want great sound quality and the ability to fine-tune your listening experience, whether that’s through the 12 different equalizer presets or by creating your own custom EQ.
While it would be unfair to expect top-performing active noise cancellation for this price, the ANC on offer is more than adequate, capable of blocking out a fair level of ambient noise and effective in tuning out consistent distractions such as aircon humming.
The battery life on offer is also perfectly adequate. It’s certainly nothing to get excited about, and it’s disappointing that during my testing the earbuds weren’t able to make it to the claimed seven and a half hours of continuous playtime, instead lasting just under seven hours. If listening for long hours is a priority for you, but you don’t want to shell out on higher-end headphones, then check out our best wireless earbuds guide for some alternatives. Alternatively, if you’re looking for earbuds that are better suited to petite ears, take a look at our best earbuds for small ears guide.
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review: Price and release date
Released in December 2023
List price: $49.99 / £39.99 (about AU$75)
Released at the end of of 2023 as a welcome upgrade over their predecessors – the mediocre sound of which we touched on in our 1More PistonBuds Pro review – the 1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 promised to deliver more in the form of additional active noise cancellation capabilities, customizable EQ settings, and upgraded Bluetooth 5.3 LE Audio. And this is all despite being one of the cheapest offerings from the 1More range, coming in at $49.99 / £39.99.
The PistonBuds Pro Q30 earbuds are currently available in the USA, Europe, and Japan, but at the time of writing they don’t appear to be available in Australia.
1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review: Specs
1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review: Features
Multiple noise-cancelling modes
12 presets and customizable EQ
Battery life could be better
1More certainly hasn’t held back when it comes to the number of features on offer from these earbuds – especially given the price. While some of these features can be a little hit-and-miss at times, on the whole the PistonBuds Pro Q30 offer a great listening experience.
The touch controls work fine, although it took me a while to perfect the adjustment technique due to the small touch-sensitive area on the earbud post – even after using the earbuds for several months, I was still struggling to hit the target every time. It’s worth noting that my long gel nails may also have played a part in this, as it further reduced the contact from my fingertip – so if you happen to have nails on the fabulous side you may find buds with a post-less design, like the JLab Go Air Pop, more user-friendly.
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
The 1More Music app is straightforward to use and houses a bunch of useful features – quite an impressive stack of them, in fact, considering the price of the earbuds. If you like to fine-tune your listening experience, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a decent range of 12 equalizer presets, plus you have the option to customize EQ the setting too. There is a little bit of lag when switching between presets on my iPhone 12 Pro, with the app taking a couple of seconds to catch up, but it’s only a minor inconvenience.
Another little frustration is the display of the EQ presets. Half of the options are displayed too far to the right of the screen so, while you’re still able to select the preset, you can’t read what it is. This doesn’t make them redundant, though, as once selected, the EQ preset name is displayed at the top of the screen, and you’ll likely learn where each of them sits. This issue wasn't present on the iPad app.
At first, I couldn’t get the earbuds to connect to my iPad without first going into my iPhone settings to unpair them. In contrast, higher-priced alternatives such as the Marshall Motif II A.N.C will allow you to connect to more than one device without manually adjusting the settings. When I explored the app further, I found an Experimental Features section hiding in the top-right menu, which has a dual-device connection feature, and after enabling this I was able to connect to my iPad and iPhone simultaneously with standard Bluetooth multi-point pairing.
Smart Playback, which is 1More’s wear-detection feature, works fairly well for the most part – but occasionally, the music doesn’t resume once you’ve put the earbuds back in. If you want more control over when your music starts or stops, there are options to set the earbuds to Auto-Pause & Play, Auto-Pause Only, or No Smart Playback. At times, however, either turning off smart playback didn’t work, or the touch controls were overly sensitive when putting the buds in my ears, as this sometimes set the music off.
Despite this, without fail, even with Smart Playback off, the earbuds still detected when I’d taken them out of my ears, and turned off the active noise cancellation. The ANC is automatically re-enabled when you put the earbuds back in your ears, which is helpful when it comes to preserving battery life.
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
The active noise cancellation performance is good for the price. Some cheaply priced earbuds can sound like the volume has just been bumped up when ANC is enabled, but this is not the case with the PistonBuds Pro Q30. The Strong ANC setting does an okay job of filtering out a lot of office noise, like chatter, mouse clicks, or keys clacking, but most notably it did a fantastic job of filtering out bass-range sounds, such as the loud humming from the air-con system above me.
Unfortunately, a white-noise-like effect from the ANC itself is sometimes noticeable in the background of quieter tracks. Pass-through mode, which is supposed to enable you to hear your surroundings and keep up with conversation while your music is playing, has a background hum similar to airplane cabin white noise. Some users may be better at tuning this out, and I was able to after a little while, but it’s worth noting that it’s nowhere near as natural-sounding as the same feature in the likes of the Sony WF-C700N or Nothing Ear (a).
I was also impressed with the clarity and prominence of my voice over the built-in microphones. It’s always hard to accurately judge the quality of the microphones during calls due to the number of variables, such as connection quality, but I did find that I had to switch back to my handset when making a call on a windy April afternoon, as the recipient couldn’t hear me through the wind noise. When testing in controlled conditions, however, the microphones in these earbuds performed miles better than those in similarly priced earbuds such as the Speck Gemtones Play.
Unfortunately, the battery life underperformed during testing. The earbuds survived for just under seven hours, even though 1More claims the PistonBuds Pro Q30 will play continuously for seven and a half hours with the ANC off. During testing, the battery life of the earbuds was reduced to just over five hours when Spatial Audio was enabled, although this was at least as advertised. While this isn’t the end of the world if you don’t intend to listen for hours at a time, if you enjoy listening to music all day without having to pause to charge the buds or if you want ANC or spatial audio on, these may not have the longevity you need.
Features score: 4/5
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review: Sound quality
Great sound quality for the price
Impressive level of detail
Volume levels don’t disappoint
When it comes to sound quality, the PistonBuds Pro Q30 earbuds certainly hold their own. The bass isn’t overpowering, and they don’t struggle with the treble either. These earbuds pack a punch, and are generous when it comes to volume level, too.
The difference in volume level was particularly evident when compared to the Speck Gemtones Play earbuds. When following the TechRadar testing protocols and playing our curated tracklist on repeat at 50% volume, the sound coming from the Gemtones Play was barely audible, whereas the PistonBuds Pro Q30 sounded like mini Bluetooth speakers when they were on my desk.
These earbuds deliver a nice level of detail. Listening to Rains Again by Soliji was a great experience. The rainfall that punctuates the beginning of the track is clear enough that it doesn’t mush together into static, and you can hear so much detail in the vocals. They had no issues handling the treble of the high vocal notes either, even on the default EQ setting, which some budget earbuds can struggle with.
Continuing with the default Studio EQ preset, when listening to St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins the earbuds provide impressive detail again, picking up subtleties in the physical impact of the drums being hit – when the Acoustic EQ preset was selected and Spatial Audio enabled, it sounded like I was right there in the room with the band.
The same preset also skillfully handled the raw and high-hitting vocals of the Moloko track I Want You. Further fine-tuning can be achieved by selecting other presets, with Lounge, in particular, delivering satisfying results – the earbuds did well to keep up with the massive variety of instruments, vocals, and synths that are thrown at them on this track.
It’s impressive that the PistonBuds Pro Q30 can deliver an all-round good-quality listening experience, even on the default EQ preset, meaning that it’s possible to feel relatively satisfied without having to mess about with different settings. This has previously proven a problem with other earbuds in this price range, as they aren’t always capable of delivering crisp vocals while maintaining dynamic sound from other elements.
Sound quality score: 4/5
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review: Design
Available in two colors
Good build quality
Comfortable to wear
The PistonBuds Pro Q30 are available in black and gold, or white and silver, with a matching case. I was given the white and silver earbuds to review, and, to be honest,I was a little disappointed that I didn’t receive the black and gold version – mostly because that color combination is one of my favorite things, but also because white cases have the potential to get grubby, fast.
It’s been a pleasant surprise, however, to find that after several months of being transferred between pockets and bags or left out in various locations, the case still looks good, other than a few minor scrape marks, which is forgivable after so many months of being thrown into bags and pockets with house keys, and the like. Unlike the black Speck Gemtones Play case, which showed signs of wear within the first hour, the PistonBuds Pro Q30 case has proved itself to be durable, even in white.
The majority of the case has a matte finish, with a glossy top panel that bears the 1More logo. This is a nice detail, but it does show fingerprints when it catches the light. There’s a small indicator light on the front panel that displays a green light if the case is over 80% charged, amber if the charge is anywhere above 20%, or red if the charge has fallen below 20%.
The hinged lid feels sturdy, while still being easy to open and close. Cases that open this easily always make me a little nervous, but I didn’t experience any issues with it – and even if the case were to open up in my bag, the magnets in the case do a great job of keeping hold of the earbuds, even when the case is given a good shake.
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
The build quality of the earbuds themselves is satisfactory. The white and silver variation features a mostly gloss finish apart from the satin-finished silver section at the top of the post, and the little 1More logo on the middle of the post. When it comes to weight, these earbuds are pretty standard, at 4.6g per bud, making them comfortably light to wear.
The touch controls are located on the earbud posts, and they’re not as easy to use as the controls on traditional bud-shaped headphones like the JLab Go Air Pop earbuds due to the limited surface area. They also lack a single-tap function, which is disappointing. As default, the touch controls are set to play or pause the track being played with a double tap, and launch your device's voice assistant with a triple tap.
The case is charged via a USB-C cable – a short charging cable is included in the box, and this plugs into the bottom of the case. This is fairly standard placement across other earbuds, but personally I’d prefer the charging port to be on the back of the case; this would then make it possible to place the case upright on a surface when the cable's plugged in, making it easier to take the earbuds out or replace them while the case is charging.
Design score: 4/5
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review: Value
Great audio performance for a budget price
Disappointing earbud battery life
Durable, good-quality design
You’re getting a lot more than you pay for with the PistonBuds Pro Q30 earbuds. The sound quality is beyond impressive for the sub-$50 price tag, and I can’t rave about this enough. Even considering the battery life issues and tricky touch controls, thanks to the decent ANC performance and fantastic audio, these earbuds are excellent value for money. There are alternative options in the same price range that can offer longer battery life, but few compete with these earbuds when it comes to sound quality.
Value score: 4.5/5
(Image credit: Future / Cesci Angell)
Should I buy the 1More PistonBuds Pro Q30?
Buy them if...
Don't buy them if...
1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 review: Also consider
How I tested the 1More PistonBuds Pro Q30
Tested for five months
Tested at home, in the office, on walks, and commuting
Used to listen to music, podcasts, and YouTube content
I tested the 1More PistonBuds Pro Q30 earbuds over the course of five months. I tested them according to our TechRadar standardized testing, including listening to a curated playlist so that I could fairly compare different earbuds, checking the quality of the microphones, and real-world measurement of battery life.
I tested the wearability, sound quality, and features by using them to listen to music, podcasts, and YouTube content whilst at home, in the office, commuting, and generally when out and about.
The Sonos Ace are finally here. The leaks were true, and Sonos' first headphones were finally, officially unveiled to the world. But they’ve been launched into a saturated market filled with the best headphones, made by some of the biggest names in audio – brands that have now secured themselves loyal fanbases. And at their very core, a pair of headphones is just a pair of headphones, so what does Sonos Ace bring to the table that should convince you to switch allegiances – or to invest in a pair of over-ear headphones for the very first time?
The Sonos Ace's feature-list is long: angled 40mm drivers, active noise cancellation with a transparency mode, multi-point pairing, Snapdragon Sound hi-res Bluetooth with aptX Adaptive, USB-C lossless wired audio, 3.5mm wired connectivity, Dolby Atmos spatial audio support with head tracking, the ability to play 3D audio from a Sonos Arc soundbar (with support for more Sonos soundbars to come in an update) – lots to tempt you.
In my opinion, a pair of the best over-ear headphones will lose me or secure me with their fit. Let me tell you up front that I really don’t wear over-ear headphones… until now that is. The Sonos Ace are the first pair I would wear.
Why have I gone over-ear headphone-less until now? I’ve found them to either be too uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time; they make my ears too hot and sweaty; they ruin my hair (it’s OK to be vain, right?); and I personally find the best earbuds to be superior both in terms of sound and noise isolation.
The Sonos Ace has completely changed my perception.
Having spent some time with them ahead of their launch (we're still working on our full, exhaustive final review), the Sonos Ace are some of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn – thanks to a lightweight build, the use of plush memory foam and vegan leather, and a hinge mechanism that promises every user will get the perfect fit.
Let’s talk about fit, baby
(Image credit: Future)
The main cause of my epiphany is how the Sonos Ace fit on my head. Over-ear headphones are a totally different beast to their in-ear counterparts. The latter usually ship with various sizes of ear tips to help individual users find the most snug fit. Over-ear headphones don’t have this luxury, instead they have to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, which is no easy feat.
Where the Sonos Ace headphones excel for me is the aforementioned intuitive hinge mechanism. And said mechanism is stylishly implemented – it’s chromed to provide a contrasting accent against the soft white or black color of the headphones, and is integrated inside the ear cup as opposed to being visible on the outside (which Sonos points out is preferable for people with long hair, though that's not a concern for me). It also has enough movement to ensure no matter who’s wearing them, the ear cups remain glued to the side of the head.
The internal hinge mechanism on the Sonos Ace headphones is responsible for ensuring a secure fit. (Image credit: Future)
Admittedly, the Sonos Ace headphones aren’t the only ones to provide this kind of adjustment. The Apple AirPods Max – with which the Sonos Ace have drawn a number of similarities in the looks department from onlookers – employ a similar, pivoting ear cup design. But Apple’s set of premium headphones weigh 73g more than the Sonos Ace, and while the Cupertino cans have a knitted mesh headband to help alleviate that weight, in my opinion it doesn’t quite do enough. In my brief experience wearing the AirPods Max, I found them too heavy to wear for long periods. I’m sure current owners will disagree, and that’s perfectly fine, but I haven’t encountered any such issues with Sonos’ first headphone attempt.
However, as much as I love the comfort levels here, I'll hand over to TR's Managing Editor for Entertainment, Matt Bolton, for a brief counterpoint:
"I've been finding the Sonos Ace very comfortable in terms of the headband, but as a glasses wearer, I've struggled with wearing them for long periods. They're pushing my glasses' arms in a little firmly, creating a sense of soreness over an hour or so. I noticed particularly while using them to watch a movie via my Sonos Arc, since there was no distraction at all. It's possible that adjusting how I have them on my head will improve things, but I found them less comfortable than my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones – and my also glasses-wearing partner agreed, and she has a smaller head."
Slim pickings
(Image credit: Future)
Did I mention I could be considered vain earlier? Well, here's another picture of me.
Another facet in my disdain for over-ear cans is their (usually) large profile. I’m personally not a fan of rocking a major extension of my ears while walking down the street. The best similarity I can provide is that I feel I look like Makka Pakka from the children’s TV show In the Night Garden… gormless expression and all.
Sony, Sennheiser, and even Apple, I would argue, are all guilty of bestowing large, protruding ear cups to their headphone designs. Sonos, however, has managed to implement a much slimmer profile that I find much more attractive. It is still plainly obvious I’m wearing a pair of over-ear headphones, but their slim profile cuts a less noticeable silhouette.
To me, it screams premium, and the soft white finish of the pair I received is a smart choice by the audio maestro. Sonos could have opted for the more plain white finish of its speakers, but in the words of its director of design, it would have looked too “techie”. The soft white finish, by contrast, is less 'in ya face' and a startling reminder of how much influence a color can have on a product.
Physical touchin’
Whatever happened to physical button controls? Aside from a power button, most pair of modern over-ear headphones employ various forms of swipe gestures and taps to control playback. It’s meant to be intuitive and perhaps ‘cool’, but in my experience I’ve found it to be a bit of a gimmick. They generally require you to tap on an exact point on an ear cup but, since you can’t physically see what you’re doing, it rarely results in the desired action the first time. Swiping to adjust volume or track selection I find yield more successful results, but at the cost of looking a bit silly.
The silver Content Key can be used to carry out 7 different functions (Image credit: Future)
The Sonos Ace use physical buttons for all controls – no taps or gestures here – and the brand has cleverly created a single button to handle a ton of different actions. The Content Key on the right ear cup can play or pause a track, can be used to skip a song or go back to the previous song you were listening to, can adjust volume levels, answer or reject calls – and, finally, can instantly switch to pick up whatever's coming from your Sonos Arc soundbar.
Also on the right ear cup is a button to adjust noise cancellation settings, or summon the voice assistant of your device. On the left ear cup is a power button that also handles Bluetooth pairing.
Sounding out
The Sonos Ace headphones also come in black, matching the black coloring of its speakers (Image credit: Future)
Okay, I've talked about comfort enough, let's talk about sound quality. As I said, our full Sonos Ace review is still being worked on, but I can say already that they deliver a well-balanced, detailed presentation.
Bass control and impact are good, as is detail. The equalizer settings within the recently updated (and somewhat controversial) app – which wasn't without its issues it must be said – enable you to adjust bass and treble, and to good effect. I'm normally a bit of a bass fanatic, but I've not yet felt compelled to turn the Ace's bass level up to the maximum of 5.
Here's more from Managing Ed Matt Bolton, from his experience: "As is usually the case with Sonos, mids are really well-represented, and they feel a bit more forward than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. At this stage, I wouldn't say that's a good or bad thing, it just feels like a different sound profile. Out of the box, the Sonos are a little warmer and more excited, the Bose offer a little more bass extension and more expansiveness in a slightly more neutral-feeling balance.
"I've also tried them with my Sonos Arc, and they do a fantastic job with dialog especially, and the head tracking works excellently for keeping the center channel right on your TV. I haven't been blown away by the 'spatial audio' feeling so far – but I need to spend more time with them to make a full judgment on that. But the system of switching from phone to TV and back works seamlessly for me, and setting it up in the app gave me no issues either.
"It did, however, highlight the reason that Sonos probably hasn't enabled using them with the Sonos Wi-Fi system at this time: it massively cuts battery life to use them this way. I dropped 10% of the remaining battery life per hour, which would make about 10 hours in total – compared to 30 hours claimed by Sonos for Bluetooth listening. And one thing I noticed is that, while they auto-pause when you take them off, they don't automatically turn off if you don't play anything for a while, so you might find that they've run down their battery if you're not careful.
"The noise cancellation is a step behind the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. It's still very good, and will stand tall among the best noise cancelling headphones, but when using them in the exact same environment, the Bose cut out noticeably more outside noise."
(Image credit: Future)
Should you buy the Sonos Ace?
From my time wearing the Sonos Ace, I haven’t felt inclined to take them off. Not just because of the sound, but because of how they fit.
They're clearly very accomplished headphones, and while the lack of support for Sonos system in general will disappoint serious fans, their connectivity with the Sonos Arc (and more of Sonos' soundbars in the future) is a really nice addition that works seamlessly.
Their high price feels generally justified – the performance and general feel of them is good enough to battle with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and AirPods Max – and the Sonos Ace beat them both when it comes to pure features when you add it all up. But noise cancellation is definitely behind the Bose, so we'll reserve final judgment until we finish our full Sonos Ace review.
But I think that if you want a very premium, very stylish, very nice sound pair of headphones, you won't be disappointed.
It’s not often one can call a radio cute, but the Roberts Revival Petite 2 is exactly that. Somehow, it has a smaller footprint than my computer mouse and is also shorter than my guinea pig (who is also called Mouse, and is just as cute), but what you need to know is that this is a truly portable radio that can be easily tossed into your bag ready to emerge looking adorable. (Note: do not throw guinea pigs in bags.)
This isn’t a matter of form over function either, as the Roberts Revival Petite 2 offers surprisingly loud sound for the size. It’s crisp, clear and all you could want from a DAB radio which also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker.
The only bulky part of the Roberts Revival Petite 2 is its solid, extendable aerial arm – but that’s a necessary and welcome addition. The model before it had a rubberised antenna string which could be attached to the back, but it really didn’t cut it for finding and maintaining an FM radio signal (yes, it does both). That’s solved now, meaning the Roberts Revival Petite 2 never misses an opportunity to shine.
At $99 / £99 / AU$195, it’s fairly competitively priced too. It’s a portable little beauty with a battery life of up to 20 hours before you need to connect the USB-C port to a power source.
Simple to use with an attractive OLED screen, the Roberts Revival Petite 2 is that little gadget you take with you on your travels, to have music and radio following you whoever you go. It’s certainly vying for a place in my heart as one of the best DAB radios going and one of the best Bluetooth speakers of recent times.
Roberts Revival Petite 2 review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Released November 2023
Cost £99 / €149 (sadly currently only available in the UK and Europe)
The Roberts Revival Petite 2 was released in the UK and Europe in November 2023. It costs £99 / €149 depending on your region (availability has not yet stretched to the US or Australia, sadly), so it’s fairly inexpensive for a DAB radio from a trusted name, but not the cheapest.
It’s cheaper than something like the sizeable Pure Woodland, which is £40 more, but there’s always the increasingly dated looking and battery dependent Sony XDR-P1, which is slightly cheaper but lacks the winsome, retro-but-smaller looks of the Roberts model.
The Pure Woodland was released in the UK and Europe in July 2023, costing £139.99 and €149.99 in those respective markets, which places it squarely in the mid-range market. All of which means Roberts has found a nice niche little market here, if the sound is good…
Roberts Revival Petite 2 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
DAB And FM radio, plus Bluetooth speaker
20 hour battery life
3.5mm headphone jack
If you’ve looked at the original 2021 Roberts Revival Petite, you’ll notice what the sequel does so much better – it has a telescopic antenna which reaches out enthusiastically to ensure a strong signal whether listening via DAB or FM.
The priority here is with the DAB radio side of things, as it automatically starts here, but it’s nice to have the option of an FM radio too – for more nostalgic listening sessions.
A quick tap of the source button takes you through your options here, with Bluetooth 5.0 available for pairing up with your phone or tablet. It’s reliable and I didn’t suffer any dropouts. Switching between the sources is seamless too, so you don’t have to commit to anything specific if you don’t want to. Want to play a chosen song, then head straight back to the DAB station you were listening to? You’re all set here.
The Roberts Revival Petite 2 reports up to 20 hours of battery life and in my time with it, that’s about right. This is a distinctly low maintenance radio in every way. It just happily ticks along in the background with a straightforward USB-C cable for charging as needed. There’s also a headphone jack on the back if you want to listen more privately using some of the best wired headphones (but in case it needs to be mentioned, Bluetooth connectivity is one way; you can't send the Petite 2's tunes to a set of wireless Bluetooth headphones, say – you'd have to use your phone). An alarm function can be accessed by holding in the source button, making the Petite 2 a great option for your bedside table too.
Features score: 5 / 5
Roberts Revival Petite 2 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
40mm driver
Surprisingly lively
Huge volume range for its size
The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is a very small radio, so of course you shouldn’t come here expecting an exceptional aural journey of discovery and oodles of snappy bass clout. However, the device is surprisingly lively.
Catching up on nostalgia with Heart 90s FM, songs like Queen and George Michael’s Somebody to Love shone through still sounding detailed and crisp. More dance-focused tracks like Eiffel 65’s Blue still sound good even if the bass isn’t quite as hefty as you’d like in an ideal world. Switch over to talk-show stuff and the rants on LBC Radio sound crisp and clear.
Volume levels are also surprisingly impressive. Most of the time, I was content listening to the Roberts Revival Petite 2 at increment levels 4-6, but you can crank it up higher. The higher volumes do lead to some distortion, but I’m not convinced anyone will need to go past 14 or 15 on its 0-20 scale. The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is pretty loud for the purpose, quite early on in its volume range.
Sound quality: 4 / 5
Roberts Revival Petite 2 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Iconic Roberts design
Easy to use buttons and control knob
Incredibly small
Is it possible to fall in love with a radio? The Roberts Revival Petite 2 might make you question some things. It looks fantastic. It has Roberts’ iconic styling which is always appealing, but it’s the sheer size of the thing that makes you fall for it. It’s not as long as my computer mouse, has a lower profile than a mug or a canned beverage, and is dinky in every sense of the word (except the sound).
Living up to its name means the Roberts Revival Petite 2 is adorable. Just lift up the antenna and it’s all set to make your life better. Turning it on instantly switches to the DAB side of its output with a clear source button allowing you to switch to FM or Bluetooth. The buttons are chunky and attractive looking, with perhaps the only flaw being that they could have a tactile bobble on them to help those with sight issues.
The dial on the middle is a good size and perfect for moving through the channels with a satisfying “clonk” under your fingers. You will find yourself originally thinking the dial adjusts the volume though – a minor irritant that you’ll learn to get past. A small but clear OLED display helps you see what you’re picking. It’s tiny but clear enough, with the option to dim it as needed.
There are seven different colors with the one I tested being the midnight blue variety. Others include sunburst yellow, duck egg, pastel cream, pop orange, dusty pink, and black. And they all look delightfully classy.
Design score: 5 / 5
Roberts Revival Petite 2 review: Value
(Image credit: Future)
Mid-range pricing
Incredibly stylish for the price
Good long-term investment
Core competition for the Roberts Revival Petite 2 include radios such as the Pure Woodland (more robust but less attractive) and the cheaper Sony XDR-P1 which looks hideous in direct comparison.
So, you can get something cheaper than the Roberts Revival Petite 2, but nothing that looks as good as this – or as lightweight to carry around.
Value score: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Roberts Revival Petite 2?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Roberts Revival Petite 2 review: Also consider
How I tested the Roberts Revival Petite 2
(Image credit: Future)
Used the Roberts Revival Petite 2 over 10 days
Listened to DAB radio, FM radio and music via iPhone 14 Pro and Bluetooth
Over 10 years experience testing audio equipment
It’s high praise that the Roberts Revival Petite 2 is one of those rare devices that I don’t particularly want to box up and say goodbye to. It fits into my living space perfectly, both in terms of practicality and aesthetics.
It spent most of its time with me either on the window near where I work, or following me around the house – in the kitchen while I cleaned, the living room while relaxing, anywhere I needed music.
Sometimes it was connected via USB-C but often, I just ran it off the onboard battery, before plugging it in every once in a while when it wasn’t in use.
It is so easy to use, it made me listen to the radio more – and reminded me of how nostalgic certain music stations can make me feel. That meant listening to a lot of Heart 90s and 00s, but also I listened to a lot of talk radio including LBC and Radio 5 Live.
When using Bluetooth, I connected my iPhone 14 Pro to it and listened via Spotify and Apple Music.
The iFi Zen DAC 3's arrival comes with high expectations. iFi had hit it out of the park with the original Zen DAC, and hit it further still with the next model's replacement, which means the pressure of expectation on this Zen DAC 3 is significant.
Visually, it’s an evolution rather than a revolution – and that’s the case where specification is concerned too (although the switch from USB-B to USB-C is very welcome indeed). At a glance, the biggest change of all is in the asking price – this latest model breaks the $200 / £200 / AU$200 barrier, and not by pennies.
It turns out to be well worth it, though. Whether it’s used to power a desktop system or as a way of introducing your laptop or smartphone to your full-on audio system as a credible component, the Zen DAC 3 does sterling work. It’s a musical, informative and entertaining listen, a device that is able to analyse a recording fully but not at the expense of engagement.
All of which means it’s without meaningful competition among the best portable DACs where the price/performance/functionality ratio is concerned. Which in turn means I am very excited indeed by what Zen DAC 4 might be like…
iFi Zen DAC 3 review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Became available to buy on April 16, 2024
Priced at $229 / £229 / AU$229
The iFi Zen DAC 3 is on sale now, and in America it goes for $229. In the United Kingdom, it’s priced at £229, while in Australia it's AU$229. So for once, Antipodean customers aren’t getting an overtly rough deal – quite the opposite, in fact.
This represents a fairly chunky price rise over the outgoing Zen DAC 2 and original iFi Zen Dac, it’s worth noting. If the increase in performance over its predecessor is similar to the increase in price, though, it will be well worth it…
iFi Zen DAC 3 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
PCM 32bit/768kHz, DSD512 and MQA decoding
Fixed and variable output gain
Balanced and unbalanced outputs
First things first: powering the iFi Zen DAC 3 can be done a couple of ways. The rear panel features a USB-C socket for data transfer – but this can also be used to power the iFi at the same time, which simplifies cable management no end. Of course, there’s also a 5V power socket for connection to mains power – powered this way, the USB-C is free to handle just data and a cleaner signal path is the result.
Incoming data is processed by a 16-core XMOS microcontroller before it’s delivered to a Burr Brown four-channel ‘True Native’ DAC chipset that’s capable of dealing with 32bit/768kHz PCM files, DSD512 and double-speed DXD. ‘True Native’ refers to the chipset’s separate PCM and DSD pathways, meaning both file types stay bit-perfect in their native form right until the moment of conversion to analogue.
The Zen DAC 3 is an MQA decoder too, so Audirvana, Roon and Tidal users can have the full ‘three unfold’ decoding process take place on board rather than have their source player perform the first couple of unfolds.
Getting the converted audio information out again can be done in a few different ways. If you’re using the Zen DAC 3 with headphones, you’ve a choice of 6.3mm unbalanced or 4.4mm balanced outputs – both sockets are on the fascia. If you’re sending the analogue signal to an external amplifier, powered speaker of what-have-you, there are unbalanced stereo RCA outputs and a balanced 4.4mm output on the rear fascia. If you’re using one of these last two outputs methods, you’ll also need to use the ‘variable/fixed’ switch that sit between them – ‘variable’ allows the iFi to function as a pre-amplifier, with volume control retained, while ‘fixed’ means the iFi becomes just another line-level source.
The analogue signal can be subject to a couple of processing options before it leaves the Zen DAC 3, too. ‘Power Match’ occurs at the amplification stage, and is a gain boost for more demanding headphones. ‘XBass+’, meanwhile, is designed to ‘enhance bass without compromising the clarity of the midrange’ – readers of a certain age will recognise a ‘loudness’ button when they see one.
Features score: 5/5
iFi Zen DAC 3 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
Punchy, insightful sound
Great tonal balance
Open and well-defined
To be perfectly honest, the only way you can prevent the iFi Zen DAC 3 sounding like corking value for money is by using hopeless headphones or feeding it badly compromised digital audio files. As long as you avoid the sort of poverty-spec stuff served up on Spotify’s free tier and don’t use headphones that don’t cut the mustard, the Zen DAC 3 will be an endlessly informative, entertaining and, above all, musical listen.
So with a pair of FiiO FT3 headphones attached to the 4.4mm output and a 24bit/96kHz file of Fugazi’s Waiting Room playing, the iFi is an uncomplicatedly enjoyable machine. It gets all the technic aspects of music-making right – many of them in fine style – but it never loses sight of the fact that music is an entertainment and needs to be perceptible as such.
The soundstage the Zen DAC 3 conjures up is open, properly defined and allows every element of the recording the space it needs in which to express itself. The spaces and silences are given their due prominence, and despite the rigorous nature of the separation here, the entire thing hangs together as a complete and unified whole. If you switch ‘XSpace’ on the big stage becomes bigger still – but it’s at the expense of a little of the previously straight-edged definition.
The tonal balance is just fractionally warmer than neutral, but that’s no bad thing and it doesn’t prevent the iFi both controlling its low frequencies properly and offering a lot of variation where low-end tone and texture are concerned. In fact, this level of detail and insight is available throughout the frequency range – but the Zen DAC 3 never sounds drily analytical. It’s simply attentive to both the broad and the fine details in a recording, and is able to contextualise them confidently.
There’s real positivity about the way the iFi expresses rhythms, and it is more than potent enough to make the big dynamic variations in this recording absolutely obvious. It’s similarly adept with the more nuanced dynamics of harmonic variation, too, and does particularly good work in revealing the character and attitude, as well as the technique, of singers (along with all the other midrange information).
It’s a punchy and rapid listen, attacks the top of the frequency range with proper determination and offers clean frequency response from the top end to the bottom. ‘XBass+’ is probably too much of a good thing, but in virtually every other respect the iFi Zen DAC 3 is an uncomplicated pleasure to listen to.
Sound quality score: 5/5
iFi Zen DAC 3 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
'Sunlit bronze’ fascia controls
35 x 158 x 115mm (HxWxD)
456g
The vaguely trapezoid shape of many an iFi product is an established design vocabulary now, and at first glance you’d be hard-pushed to tell the Zen DAC 3 from either of the machines that preceded it.
There have been some changes where design is concerned, though - mostly to the fascia that is recessed into the single piece of curved metal that serves as the bulk of the chassis. The physical controls (a small push/push button to switch ‘Power Match’ on or off, a slightly larger equivalent to deal with ‘XBass+’ and a relatively large volume control in the centre) are all in a finish iFi rather flowerily calls ‘sunlit bronze’ – and there’s a strip of material in the same colour running the width of the fascia. It encircles each of those controls and both the 6.3mm unbalanced and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs.
This division allows the fascia of the Zen DAC 3 to be two-tone - below the line it’s the silver/grey colour of the main body, above it’s darker and the surface is slightly hammered in texture.
Around the edge of the volume control there’s a light that changes colour depending on the type and size of digital audio file the iFi is dealing with. If the device is below you (sitting on your desktop, for instance) it’s just about visible – look at the Zen DAC 3 from dead ahead, though, and it disappears.
The desktop is a good spot for the iFi, for many reasons. As far as ‘design’ is concerned, its 35 x 158 x 115mm (HxWxD) dimensions will do nicely – small enough to leave space on the desk for other stuff, big enough to let you know it means business.
Design score: 5/5
iFi Zen DAC 3 review: Usability and setup
(Image credit: Future)
USB-C input for both power and data
‘XBass+’ and ‘Power Match’ analogue processing modes
Can be used in conjunction with Zen CAN headphone amp
As befits a product with such narrow, focused functionality, the iFi Zen DAC 3 is simplicity itself to set up and use. For once, a ‘quick start’ guide is more than adequate.
The USB-C socket on the rear is how digital audio information gets on board, and it can also power the Zen DAC 3 if the 5V power input isn’t an option in your use case. After that, it’s simply a matter of connecting one of the iFi’s analogue outputs – one of the two headphone sockets on the fascia, or the 4.4mm balanced or unbalanced stereo RCA outputs on the rear. If you’re using one of the rear outputs, you then select ‘variable’ or ‘fixed’ depending on whether you want to use the Zen DAC 3’s volume control or not.
Usability and setup score: 5/5
iFi Zen DAC 3 review: Value
(Image credit: Future)
Priced higher than the Zen DAC 2
Great value for money
Safe to say the iFi Zen DAC 3 represents good value in every respect. It’s properly built and finished, it’s specified to do a thorough job, and with the price uppermost in your mind it’s a very capable performer indeed. There are better desktop headphone amp/DACs available, but they’re all more expensive and not by just a little.
Value score: 5/5
Should I buy the iFi Zen DAC 3?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
iFi Zen DAC 3 review: Also consider
How I tested the iFi Zen DAC 3
(Image credit: Future)
Tested for a week
With an Apple MacBook Pro and Samsung Galaxy S3
Alongside a variety of headphones and file formats
I used the Zen DAC 3 at my desk for a solid week or so, mostly to deal with digital audio information stored on an Apple MacBook Pro but I also streamed music via a Samsung Galaxy S23.
I used a variety of headphones, which is how I established that iFi isn’t all that keen on inferior models, and a wide variety of music of various file types and sizes, which is how I realised the iFi is a bit sniffy about really compressed content.
Indeed, alongside the much-anticipated reveal of the Sonos Ace, the audio brand quietly dropped the second-generation Roam. The Sonos Roam 2 sticks with a compact, ultra-portable design that doesn’t take many big swings. Moreover, the price is still $179 / £179 / AU$299.
I’ve had the opportunity to spend a few days with one – and no, that isn’t enough time for a full review yet. So, for now, I’m not going to go deep into the sound quality or battery life, but these are my early first impressions of the Roam 2. Sonos made one big change that really makes a good wireless speaker even better.
Finally, a Bluetooth button
As I alluded to above, Sonos added a button here. You may recall that the first generation Roam only had a single button at the back, which was used for powering up the speaker and swapping to a Bluetooth connection. It was easy to cause fumbles in that you couldn’t just get set up with a simple press right out of the box but rather needed to add it to the broader Sonos wireless ecosystem. Remember, the Roam, and now Roam 2, doubles as a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speaker.
The fix? Sonos added a dedicated Bluetooth button on the back, and folks, it gets the job done. I simply powered on the Roam 2, in this lovely shade of blue named “Wave,” and was off to the races. I then held the Bluetooth button for a second or two and connected to the device from my iPhone. Within seconds, I was able to stream Ghosts by Bruce Springsteen and So American by Olivia Rodrigo. It was as easy as that; the Roam 2 really does the job of being just a Bluetooth speaker much better and more succinctly than its predecessor.
Of course, when it comes time to add the speaker to the Sonos ecosystem, the app – yes, the new one – will guide you through that process. For me, I had to hold the volume up and volume down buttons on the top of the Roam for a few seconds, and then it was added to my Sonos ecosystem.
Aesthetically, the Bluetooth button is the only major change to the Roam 2. There is still a USB-C port on the back, which is still fit for only charging, and the power button. The top is also home to the same four physical buttons as the original: microphone on or off, volume down, play or pause, and volume up. The front grille still features a Sonos logo, but it doesn’t stick out as much since it’s painted to match the color of your speaker.
The Roam 2 can still rock, and the battery is rated at the same 10 hours
The original Roam wasn’t shy about producing vibrant, loud sound, and from listening to a few songs on the Roam 2, it still meets that level. TechRadar actually called the original “the best Bluetooth speaker on the planet,” and while there are more competitors, the Roam 2 is setting itself up for high performance.
While playing Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen, the speaker mimics the wall of sound effect quite nicely, letting you hear the various elements of the mix. “Racing in the Street” sounds powerful, highlighting the piano, Springtseen’s vocals, and the clash of the rest of the band kicking in – saxophone, bass, backing guitars, and drums all at once.
It also handles pop music well, like bad idea right? by Olivia Rodrigo and I Can Do It With a Broken Heart by Taylor Swift. Both vocals come through clearly, regardless of where they fall in the range. The Roam 2 also does an excellent job of producing the rest of the mix with fairly clear separation.
Again, these are not final thoughts, but the Sonos Roam 2 sounds great, and I look forward to testing it in the elements as I journey down to the Jersey Shore. It's IPX67-rated and can handle dirt, sand, and water.
What I haven’t been able to test fully or all that much as of yet is the battery life. Sonos promises it still meets 10 hours of playback, but in the world of Bluetooth speakers, that really isn’t all that long. I’m hopeful that maybe there are some under-the-hood improvements, but at the minimum, I hope it meets the full promise for playback. Again, volume and Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi connection will impact this.
The outlook
From a selection of new shades to keeping with the audio quality we’ve come to expect, the Sonos Roam 2 is making an excellent first impression. I especially like the “Wave” blue option and appreciate that it’s not a hassle to set up if I’m only looking for Bluetooth. I also think that makes it more appealing to folks outside the Sonos ecosystem.
So, while it’s not a redesign, adding more audio hardware, or even a bigger battery, it’s a solid quality of life improvement that may encourage you to get a Roam 2 if you’ve been waiting or might make you give a Sonos speaker a chance.
If you’re already sold, Sonos is already taking orders and shipping the Roam 2 in five shades: Black, White, Olive, Sunset, or Wave.
The FiiO FW3 are the second true wireless earbuds proposition from FiiO, after the inaugural FW5. They are relatively entry-level earbuds (although it really depends where you live, as we’ll get onto below). The Chinese company's heritage is in IEMs, portable music players and larger audio streamers and, other than a few loop earbuds, these are its first true wireless earbuds update. Can they challenge the best earbuds in the business? Well, not quite… but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
FiiO's relative inexperience in this type of product could explain why the FW3 are pretty good if you're using them indoors – and really struggle in other real-world use cases. If, for instance, you’re listening to the FiiO FW3 in a sound-controlled room, you’ll be hearing audio that’s pretty decent for the price. It’s a little bright and pretty tight, but the FiiO Control app lets you take matters into your own hands. Here, not only is there an in-depth EQ tool, but you can add low pass filters and pan sound between your left and right earbuds. Nice!
But leave home and the FiiO struggle. When out and about, I had persistent Bluetooth issues with the FW3. The buds would lose connection and even turn off for no reason. Sometimes they’d reconnect with tweaked audio settings. Sometimes they wouldn’t turn back on at all.
There’s no noise cancellation here, neither active nor passive, so honking horns and angry bus drivers will ruin your lovely customized music. Think you can drown out background noises with the FW3’s admittedly high max volume? Feel free to try, but you’re about to encounter as much peaking as someone trying to climb all of the Seven Summits.
(Image credit: Future)
A final nail in the coffin of the FW3’s outdoorsiness is a total lack of an IP rating – better remove them when rain clouds start to gather.
The case is bigger than rival wireless bud charging cases, though it’s not overwhelmingly huge. However, it feels cheap in the hand and, most importantly, frail. I could probably crush it in one hand if I tried.
The battery life is pretty weak too, as during testing the buds lasted for noticeably less than their seven-hour stated time. I found this out the hard way when they conked out on my half way through a journey.
So the ideal audience for the FiiO FW3 is people who’ll use them indoors, without the burden of the big case, low battery life or the need for noise cancellation. I enjoyed them a lot more during the testing period when I was sat at home, rather than commuting or in the office.
If that’s you, you’ll find these to be decent value buds with some useful features. And if you live in the US, where the buds are a lot cheaper than in the UK, you can upgrade that ‘decent’ to a ‘good’.
FiiO FW3 review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Unveiled in June 2023
Costs you $69.99 / £95 (around AU$100-$180)
It’s hard to place the FiiO FW3 in terms of market segment as it depends on price; in the US they cost a very reasonable $69.99 but in the UK their £94.99 asking price raises them a price bracket (that coverts to about $120, so nearly twice as expensive!).
Some sites report that the FW3 originally retailed for $99 in the US; at the time of writing this review, $69 is the official listed RRP on FiiO's website, so it's what I'm going with.
As with most of its true wireless earbuds, FiiO doesn’t sell the FW3 in Australia, but for some context the US price converts to $100, while the UK one converts to $180. So depending where you live, the FW3 are either competitive low-cost earbuds, or are verging on being mid-range ones.
The FW3 went on sale at the end of June 2023, several months after their pricier siblings, the FW5.
FiiO FW3 review: Specs
FiiO FW3 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
Bluetooth connectivity issues plague listening
FiiO Control app brings loads of features
Underwhelming battery life
Sadly I've got to mark the FiiO FW3 down for a very annoying aspect: the Bluetooth connection was unreliable.
The first blemish on the record is that they kept glitching and cutting out during multiple testing periods. This was always when I was out and about, with my phone in my pocket and the buds in my ears. Music wouldn’t stop, but it’d flicker and temporarily drop out, like a small candle flame that I’d blown on.
The second black mark was when I wasn’t outside, but at home, with buds and phone in close proximity. Several times both earbuds would turn off, unprompted, and turn back on again. I’d have to resume music myself. A few times only one earbud turned off, and would automatically reconnect. And, before you ask, it wasn’t a battery issue, as they had sufficient charges.
If you can’t rely on your earbuds to stay connected to your phone, it’s hard to enjoy using them. I’ve seen other reviewers and testers comment on this issue so it’s clearly not just an issue with the testing pair I used.
(Image credit: Future)
The buds have Bluetooth 5.2, which is supposed to maintain a reliable connect of 10 meters, and yet these drop-outs were happening when they were within a single meter of each other. Most annoying, though, was that the L/R balance seemed to change sometimes between these cut-outs, and I’d have to fix it in the app.
Speaking of the app, it’s called FiiO Control – and frankly it’s a game-changer for letting you tweak and fiddle audio to your taste. For audiophiles, you can fiddle with an in-depth EQ, balance sound between the left and right earbuds, change the max volume of both music, alerts and calls, add a low pass filter and even change the Bluetooth codec you’re streaming with. That’s a lovely range of features.
Non-music toggles exist too: you can turn the bud indicator lights on or off, turn on a game mode for improved latency, and also turn on a battery health mode that stops your buds overcharging, to increase their longevity in the long run.
Earbuds aficionados will find several common features missing here though. The main one is active noise cancellation – your only way of avoiding background noise is to drown it out. Another is wear detection, so when you remove the buds, they’ll continue to play music. They won’t stop until you both put them in the case and close the lid (or pause your music). You also can’t customize what the buttons on the buds do, and you’re locked to the default control scheme.
In terms of battery life, the FiiO FW3 weren’t really impressive. FiiO’s official stat is seven hours of use but in my testing I didn’t get quite that far – let’s all it an even six, although even that seems optimistic. The official stat for the case itself is 21 hours, which struggles to hold up to the competition. What’s that giant case for if not to house a chunky battery?
Features score: 3/5
FiiO FW3 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Distinctive earpiece top-plate pattern
Lots of eartips included in box
Bulky, cheap-feeling charging case
The FiiO FW3 are certainly compelling-looking earbuds. Or should I say ‘com-shell-ing’?
They’re small in-ear buds that you pop right into your ear. There's no stem to speak of, and instead the bulk of the non-tip part of the buds are a round, bottle-top-looking shape with a pattern on top. I’ve been comparing this pattern to a shell, though maybe that’s just my desire to head to the beach speaking; you can decide what you think they look like yourself.
The buds are fairly light, weighing 6.2g each, and with eight pairs of eartips included in the box, you’ll almost definitely be able to find a fit that’s suitable for you. I never had the buds fall out, though vigorous head shaking did threaten to dislodge them. My advice would be: don't do that.
(Image credit: Future)
FiiO’s website doesn’t state an IP rating for the buds, so it’s best to assume they don’t have one. Don’t wear these in rainy weather or while rolling around on the beach.
Each earbud has two physical buttons; it takes a little bit of getting used to in order to naturally find them in relation to each other, and early on in testing I kept pressing the wrong one. However, they’re physical clicky buttons, which makes them a lot easier to use than haptic or sensor ones, and I eventually got used to the process of pressing them. I always had to use two fingers though, one to press and the other to stabilize the earbud, otherwise I’d end up just pushing it out of my ear.
Unfortunately, the FW3’s case doesn’t seem to have had the same design consideration that the buds do. It’s pretty chunky as far as charging cases go, weighing 68.4 x 43.9 x 33.5 mm, though it weighs only 57.2g with the buds inside. It’s also made out of cheap-feeling plastic, and has the USB-C charging port as well as four LED indicators to tell you the remaining charge.
Design score: 3.5/5
FiiO FW3 review: Sound quality
V-shaped sound with high max volume
Some peaking, especially in mid
In-depth EQ options in app
(Image credit: Future)
The best thing to say about the FiiO FW3’s sound is that it’s very customizable, using the aforementioned app. You can eke out some extra bass or elevate the treble line to suit your taste, so they could be a good first pair for people who aren't sure what exact kind of sound they prefer.
That’s doubly the case given that these buds won’t exactly impress audiophiles if you stick to the default settings. The sound is roughly V-shaped, but in a very shallow ‘V’, with lower- and higher-frequency sounds lifted a little bit over mid, but not so much that mid is totally lost. Just mostly.
Fortunately, that equalizer rides to the rescue: you can really pull out a lot of extra bass, focus on the mids, or throw the trebles into the stratosphere. You’ll need to spend quite a bit of the time in the EQ settings, though, with few presets and all your toggles split between a few different menus.
(Image credit: Future)
The FW3 has a nice high max volume, a trait you’ll find yourself utilizing in lieu of ANC in order to drown out background noise. However, doing so will (as you might imagine), reveal peaking issues that are less audible at lower volumes.
These issues mainly affect mid sounds, which can at times sound tinny, and bumping up that volume can see it affect treble to a lesser extent too. The audio isn’t terrible though: it’s largely on par with what you’d expect for headphones at this price.
At least the buds have a nice bustling spec sheet. The FW3 are compatible with various higher-resolution Bluetooth technologies such as Snapdragon Sound and let you choose your Bluetooth codec from options including aptX Adaptive, aptX, AAC, LHDC or LDAC, though the app notes that the latter is ‘experimental’. Essentially thugh, you’ll be able to notice a difference when listening to higher-res audio on here.
Sound quality: 3/5
FiiO FW3 review: Value
(Image credit: Future)
Misses many features of similar-priced buds
As mentioned in the above price section, the value proposition of the FiiO FW3 depends on where you live, as they’re a lot cheaper in the US. So UK-based readers, do me a favor: pretend I'm saying the below paragraphs after several pints at the pub. It's not wrong, but I might be being unduly positive about some things.
The FW3 mostly match other same-price rivals in terms of several features, including their music quality, their battery life, their design and their range of non-audio features like gaming latency. The EQ and touch controls beat out many other similarly priced earbuds I've tested.
However, they miss out on a few features that rivals have, which some users might consider mandatory. The lack of an IP rating, active noise cancellation, wear detection or the ability to customize the bud button controls could rightly have you looking elsewhere.
Value: 3.5/5
Should I buy the FiiO FW3?
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
FiiO FW3 review: Also consider
How I tested the FiiO FW3
(Image credit: Future)
Tested for over 2 weeks
Tested at home, in the office, on public transport and on walks
I tested the FiiO FW3 for over two weeks to write this review.
The buds were used at my home, in my office, on walks around my neighborhood and also during a weekend getaway, which included lots of public transport use. They were paired to my Xiaomi Mi Note 10 for most of the time but I also connected them to my iPad Pro for TV streaming.
Testing included watching TV on Prime Video on the iPad, listening to music streamed from Spotify and saved on my mobile, playing games, listening to podcasts, making phone calls and doing video chats.
I've been testing gadgets at TechRadar for over five years, which includes loads of low-cost earbuds, including some mentioned in the competition section. And the FiiO FW3 were tested back-to-back with the OnePlus Buds 3, which are priced similarly.
The Klipsch The Three Plus is a slightly awkwardly named wireless speaker with ambition. Despite being the rough size and price of some of the best wireless speakers and looking quite like a wireless speaker too, The Three Plus is, in fact, an all-in-one audio system. An all-in-one system with quite impressive functionality and specification, what’s more.
A selection of wired and wireless connection options means the Klipsch can support quite an array of sources, up to and including a turntable. It’s able to deal with fairly hi-res content without alarms (as long as it’s via an appropriate source). It’s a good-looking, well-made and quite tactile device, and it’s happy to sit more-or-less anywhere that it’s not too boxed in. It’s even got a pretty decent control app.
And in almost every circumstance, it’s an enjoyably upfront and lively listen. Detail levels are fairly high, determination to attack a tune from the bottom up is obvious – but the Klipsch is not blunt or lacking in finesse. Heard through any of its inputs other than the phono stage, it confidently combines attack with dexterity. The phono stage itself, though, is not the most accomplished when it comes to drive or detail retrieval – which means it’s a ‘nice to have’ rather than your go-to input. Anyone after a single-box system to accompany their turntable might have to save up for just a little longer…
Q Acoustics' music system know-how, all the way to the floor… (Image credit: Future)
Klipsch The Three Plus: Price and release date
$399 / £379 / AU$529
Announced September 25, 2023
The Klipsch The Three Plus is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it’s priced at £379. In the United States it sells for $399, while in Australia the going rate is AU$529. They were first announced on September 25, 2023.
On one hand, in terms of form and function there’s a lot of stuff here for that money here. On the other hand, the Klipsch is attempting to muscle in on territory already hotly contested by brands as credible as Denon, Panasonic and Ruark (to name just three). There’s only one way to find out if The Three Plus makes any sense or not…
(Image credit: Future)
Klipsch The Three Plus review: Features
120 watts of power
2 x 57mm full-range drivers, 1 x 133mm subwoofer, 2 x 133mm passive radiators
Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC codec compatibility
On the outside, The Three Plus might seem to be featureless at first glance. The extraordinarily brief control interface on its top surface, which consists of an ‘input selection’ button and little coloured confirmatory LED light plus a nicely tactile volume control wheel, is pretty much your lot — until you look at the back of the box.
Here’s where your physical inputs live. There’s a digital optical input (good for resolutions of up to 24bit/96kHz), a stereo RCA input that’s switchable between line-level and phono level (so the Klipsch is ready to deal with a turntable if you so desire) and a USB-C input that lets smartphones, thumb-drives, PMPs and what-have-you join your system. The socket can be used for reverse charging, and Klipsch specifically suggests it’s capable of powering a WiiM Mini in order to facilitate network streaming too.
Wireless connectivity, meanwhile, is handled by Bluetooth in 5.3 guise – it’s compatible with SBC and AAC codecs. And the Bluetooth chipset Klipsch has deployed means The Three Plus features ‘Broadcast’ mode – which means the speaker can transmit (as well as receive) Bluetooth information. Transmissions are limited to mono, true, but as many as 10 ‘Broadcast’-enabled speakers can receive and play the signal; the scope for a simple, and extensive, multi-speaker system is obvious. Bear in mind the speaker(s) receiving the signal cannot broadcast it any further, so the range of your system will depend entirely on the primary speaker.
Once your audio information is on board, the digital stuff is pored over by a digital-to-analogue converter that can definitely deal with 24bit/96kHz content – whether or not it needs to downscale this resolution of content is a question Klipsch seems unwilling to answer. The analogue stuff, of course, needs no such attention. Once it’s in the analogue domain, it’s amplified by an all-in total of 120 watts of Class D power before delivery to what Klipsch describes as a 2.1-channel speaker driver array. This consists of a couple of 57mm full-range drivers, bolstered by a 133mm subwoofer that’s supported by a pair of 133mm passive radiators.
Features score: 5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Klipsch The Three Plus review: Sound quality
Assertive, upfront and enjoyable sound
Maintains its sonic characteristics in most circumstances
Considers ‘loud’ to be a total virtue
Quite a lot of this review is spent discussing how usefully compact and elegant a device the Klipsch The Three Plus is. But now the talk turns to sound quality – and it’s safe to say there’s nothing compact or especially elegant about the way it sounds. This is a big, bold-sounding device, and while it’s not lacking the poise that might make the description ‘inelegant’ seem appropriate, I get the strong impression that decorum is not uppermost in its mind.
With one notable exception, The Three Plus maintains its attitude across any of its inputs. No matter if you’re streaming a FLAC of John Cale’s Fear is a Man’s Best Friend via Tidal, listening to a 24bit/96kHz file of Weyes Blood’s And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow via the USB-C input or a CD of Double Drums by Peace Orchestra, the Klipsch is consistent. It came to get down, and it wants to take you with it.
The easiest way to create an impression of sonic ‘excitement’ is via the lower frequencies, of course, and the Klipsch is far from shy here. Bass presence is considerable – but it’s properly controlled and carries a lot of information regarding the details of tone and texture, so The Three Plus stops short of being a blunt instrument. If it’s frankly unlikely punch you want from your unassuming little tabletop device, though, you came to the right place. The Klipsch absolutely motors through low-frequency stuff, keeping momentum levels high and rhythms on the front foot.
The midrange just about manages to keep its head above water, though, and here just as elsewhere The Three Plus extracts a very worthwhile amount of detail. It’s able to grant vocalists the emotional weight and character they require, and it’s actually quite communicative. The presentation is spacious enough to allow the midrange to operate without too much hassle from the bottom end and, while there’s a fairly obvious point-source of sound, the Klipsch never sounds crowded.
Integration through the frequency range is good, and at the top end there’s just about enough bite and shine to balance out the enthusiasm of the bottom end. Tonality is on the warm side of neutral, but not fatally so – and despite the number of drivers and radiators at work here, there’s very agreeable togetherness and singularity about the way The Three Plus presents even quite complex recordings.
The Klipsch is one of those devices that sounds quite loud even when it’s playing quite quietly – its upfront attitude and generally assertive nature are always apparent. But there’s still a fair amount of dynamic headroom available, even if it doesn’t so much go from ‘quiet’ to ‘loud’ but rather from ‘loud’ to ‘louder still’. Even at quite oppressive volume, though, it’s quite composed and doesn’t sound stressed.
The one outlier here is the phono stage. A vinyl alternative of Fear is a Man’s Best Friend lacks a fair bit of the streamed version’s drive and attack – it’s strangely matter-of-fact and lacking both dynamism and insight by comparison. It’s by no means a disaster, the phono stage here. But it doesn’t take all that much of a listen to establish that it’s the input through which The Three Plus sounds least confident and least engaging.
Sound quality score: 4.5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Klipsch The Three Plus review: Design
178 x 355 x 213mm (HxWxD)
Walnut or matte black real wood veneer finishes
4.8kg
Obviously you’ll make your own mind up about the way The Three Plus looks – but for my money, the combination of a surface that’s covered in a real wood veneer (matte black as well as the walnut of my review sample is available), acoustic cloth tightly wrapped around all four sides, and a little metal strip housing the product’s few physical controls is very nice indeed. The Klipsch, I reckon, looks and feels like a premium item.
At 178 x 355 x 213mm (HxWxD) it’s nicely proportioned, and can be as discreet just as readily as it can be a feature of your decor. Despite the way its drivers and passive radiators are arranged, it’s relaxed about positioning (up to a point – it won’t thank you for being slotted into a space where it’s boxed in on all sides). And the standard of build and finish is certainly up to the sort of level the asking price demands.
Obviously, if you want to exploit its wider connectivity rather than just use it as a Bluetooth speaker, you’ll need to give it a bit of room – all its physical connections are at the rear, after all. Other than these practical considerations, though, the design of the Klipsch is as accommodating and as gratifying as can be.
Design score: 5/5
(Image credit: Klipsch)
Klipsch The Three Plus: Usability and setup
Klipsch ‘Connect’ control app
A (very) few physical controls
Self-contained simplicity
It’s difficult to know how the Klipsch The Three Plus could be any friendlier or more straightforward. As long as you take a moment’s care when positioning it (make sure surfaces to the left and right aren’t too close), it’s an absolute piece of cake to live with.
You can control volume using the wheel on the top of the cabinet, and you can cycle through your input options here too. Otherwise, it’s all about the Klipsch ‘Connect’ control app that’s free for iOS and Android. The app is clean and logical, reasonably responsive and useful – here’s where you can check for updates, control playback, select input, fiddle with a three-band EQ (and its five presets) and deploy ‘night mode’ (in order to squash dynamic range and subdue low-frequency response).
Usability and setup score: 5/5
Klipsch The Three Plus: Value
Obviously there are the few little issues with ultimate sound quality, but taken on the whole it’s difficult to argue with the value that’s on offer here. Consider the quality of build and finish of The Three Plus, its decorative nature, its extended functionality and its generally very agreeable sound – and then consider how much Klipsch is asking.
Value score: 4.5/5
Klipsch The Three Plus review: Should you buy it?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Klipsch The Three Plus review: Also consider
Klipsch The Three Plus review: How I tested
Tested every available input
Played all sorts of music and different file types
Tried it out in a range of locations
I tested the Klipsch The Three Plus over the course of a working week, and listened to it pretty much all day every day. I positioned it on an equipment rack, on a bookshelf and on a chest of drawers. I used each of its physical inputs at some point (to listen to a turntable, a CD player and a portable music player) as well as connecting a smartphone and the same portable music player via Bluetooth. I played all sorts of music, and in terms of digital audio I listened to many different types and sizes of file. I listened to it at big volumes, and as quietly as it is prepared to go (which is not, as I mentioned, perhaps as quiet as it might be).
