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Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable review: a premium dual-digital streaming turntable that falls short of its price
1:53 pm | October 17, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Victrola Stream Sapphire: Two-minute review

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is another first from Victrola, bringing Sonos compatibility and lossless Wi-Fi vinyl streaming together in one hefty unit. Very few of the best turntables on the market boast anything like the feature-set this deck aims to deliver. An Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, supported gamely by a nice carbon-fibre tonearm, produces exactly the fidelity you’d hope, and with minimal tracking errors out of the box. Its wireless fidelity is impressive, too, though an Ethernet connection or a supercharged Wi-Fi plan will be necessary to unimpededly avail of it.

The Victrola Stream Sapphire's convenience, particularly in tech-forward households, is plain to see. What isn’t, however, is quite how this convenience commands a four-figure price point. For one, the Sapphire shares a great deal in common with its less expensive range-mates, and even lacks some of their better features. Meanwhile, a noisily starting platter, flabby tonearm lift and sharp front plate indicate quality control issues.

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is, quite frankly, a bit of a disappointment. It has the bones of a good record player, and some compelling tech-y foresight with its multifarious connectivity, but it doesn’t do altogether much to convince you of its retail price, even with its most compelling elements in mind. If you’ve the cash, and a hankering for unparalleled convenience in wirelessly casting vinyl around your tech-futurist home, this was made for you – and you alone.

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Price and release date

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable on a wooden table

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • $1299.99 / £1499.99 / approx. AU$2890
  • Launched on October 1, 2024

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is the latest in Victrola’s 'Stream' range of turntables and, unsurprisingly, bears a great deal in common with the Stream Carbon – the brand’s (and, indeed, world’s) first Sonos-compatible record player.

The Stream Sapphire, however, is a first of all its own – combining as it does Sonos compatibility with Wi-Fi-borne UPnP audio streaming, to create a truly connectible wireless record player. This peerless connectivity comes at a price, though, with the Sapphire commanding a not-insignificant $1,299.99 / £1,499.99 / approx. AU$2,890.

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Specs

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Features

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable showing a Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Sonos and Lossless UPnP Wi-Fi streaming
  • Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge
  • Upgraded motor

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is a plussed-up version of the brand's Stream Carbon. It retains its chassis’ form and its carbon-fibre tonearm construction, but also features some key upgrades – including a quieter motor, a heavier plinth (with a real walnut veneer) and an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. The biggest difference, though, is in its wirelessness.

The Stream Sapphire shares the rare wireless Sonos connectivity of Victrola’s Stream series, but also boasts UPnP compliance – this means that your turntable can stream lossless audio to any Wi-Fi-enabled speaker or audio device in your home tech ecosystem.

This is a phenomenal prospect for the tech-futurist homesteader, where seamless, wireless and simultaneous playback in every room is made not just possible but easy – to say nothing of the ease with which you can target specific zones for listening in. And all this, of course, in glorious 24-bit/48kHz. This wireless connectivity is obviously killer, but it’s not going to be ubiquitously useful as a feature; this premium turntable targets a narrow slice of a wide commercial market, and stakes a great deal of its retail price on its appeal to that slice.

As such, the turntable forgoes some basic features that the average user might look for, such as a bypass switch for the phono preamp, or even an on-off switch for the auto-stop function (both of which, incidentally, you will find on the much cheaper, Bluetooth-enabled Victrola Stream Onyx). Even though the Stream Sapphire has some wow-worthy connectivity options, it falls short in some basic ways – ways in which considerably cheaper players are excelling.

  • Features score: 3/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Sound quality

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable with a closeup of the tonearm

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Undeniably excellent dynamics
  • Rich, complete sound representation
  • Stable playback

Victrola’s less expensive Stream turntables, which share some similarities, have previously caught flak for occasional instability in-play. Thankfully, the Stream Sapphire’s motor is indeed improved, providing a good deal more torque and doing away with much of the imprecision that plagued its range-mates. There was initially a bit of a disconcerting squeak when starting and stopping records, though this did seem to abate with time.

Via RCA, the Stream Sapphire sounds excellent. The Ortofon 2M Blue does a great deal of the heavy lifting, with an incredible full range of frequency responsiveness that, at some points, seems to test the readiness of the Sapphire’s built-in preamp. Indeed, it’s a rare turntable that lays bare the shortcomings of my own austere living room hi-fi.

The preamp is good, though, and handles the wide dynamic range of Pile’s All Fiction incredibly well. Nothing’s squashed or sausaged, and every leap or fall is felt in near-exactly the way you’d like to feel it in the room, with the band. This dynamic acuity serves everything incredibly well, from sharp and explosive drums in Loops and Poisons to a compelling sparseness in quieter moments (Blood, Lowered Rainbow).

Plaid’s Peel Session 2, meanwhile, is a textural delight across the board, from plinky synth-pings to smooth, fulsome sine-wave basslines. It’s refreshing to listen to records and not be immediately hit by some shortfall in EQ. To clumsily borrow a phrase from the Super Smash Bros. lexicon: everyone is here!

Stealing Sheep’s Big Wows gamely combines the glisten and glitter of the 1980s shimmer-synth arpeggiation with the raw and robust attack of live instrumentation, all of which play ball even through my admittedly undersized bookshelf speakers. Instrument placement in the stereo field is fantastic, as are the vocals, which are otherwise handled unsurprisingly well. Pile’s Rick Maguire sears in over his maximalist arrangements and Stealing Sheep’s three-piece harmonies couch themselves ideally within their synthy beds.

It's not all praise. I need to pull the Stream Sapphire up on some slight overcorrection in places. Plaid’s wubbie low-end can sometimes overwhelm, and sometimes airier treble moments can build up to excess. The 2M Blue cartridge is also quite sensitive to surface dust, so you can expect poorly cleaned records to be a bit poppier (in the literal sense) than usual. But these are trifles against the greater successes of the unit, which is generally a stable and hugely responsive thing.

Wirelessly, the Stream Sapphire sounds as good as its specs promise – when it works. The Sonos connection is prone to ‘skipping’, i.e. losing connectivity, even when latency and performance settings are set with performance over fidelity in mind. Incidentally, selecting ‘Prioritize Connection’ in the Victrola Streaming App’s Streaming Mode menu results in some of the most 'YouTube 2007' sound transmission you’ve ever heard (worse, arguably, than the skipping).

Reliability aside, there’s a lot to like when the Sonos streaming works at its best – Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf is big, rich and fully present, making the most of the Sonos One’s unduly massive bass responsiveness. This turntable will undoubtedly represent a great deal of worth for those with an extensive intra-home Sonos setup, but perhaps only with a great internet connection as well.

  • Sound quality score: 4/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Design

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable, with light-up knob, on a wooden table

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Some neat digital functionality
  • Inconsistent setup experience
  • Missed lessons from prior models

It’s hard to talk about the Stream Sapphire’s design without harping on for some time about less tangible aspects of its design – namely, the various digital fenagling associated with getting it to do the Streaming bit of being a Stream turntable.

Using the Victrola Stream app appears simple enough; the app has a handy step-by-step instructional on physically putting your turntable together, which will be a cause of relief for a fair few less confident setter-uppers. But here's where the wheels come off a bit. If this writer has to engage with a button labeled ‘Wi-Fi Setup’ again in their natural life, there will be a reckoning.

Even after successful Wi-Fi Setup (cue Sideshow Bob-esque ‘uunnnrhrnrnrhrnrhr…’), you can look forward to around half an hour of vainly swapping between apps to have one technology see the other – an effort not helped by the sometimes-confusing deployment of the illuminated knob on the Sapphire, which does nothing unless actively connecting or attempting to connect. This lack of feedback is a patience killer.

This fenagling is eventually (and thankfully) rewarded, and from here you can start to appreciate the Victrola app’s nicer touches – such as its in-app ‘Simultaneous Mode’ for playing wired and wirelessly. Thanks to this, your wireless speakers can work in concert with your wired hi-fi, without any real (further) headache. There’s even a slider for ‘knob illumination’, from which you may derive as much mirth as you’d like.

While the Stream Sapphire has its fair share of ‘new bits’, UPnP connectivity and improved motor inclusive, it still has more in common with its predecessors than it has to distinguish it. This turntable had an opportunity to repeat and improve upon the Stream range’s design and, while it’s succeeded in some places, it has fallen unfortunately flat in others.

The Stream Sapphire has especially earned this writer’s ire for using the same practically useless dust cover design as its Stream and Hi-Res siblings: a single folded (and slightly reinforced) sheet of plastic that sits on the platter and over the tonearm, and which can only be used between records. When you’re spending this much on a turntable, you’re invariably coming across the kind of audiophiles that have Big Opinions™ about playing records under closed dust covers – but one senses that this isn’t what governed Victrola’s thinking here.

The turntable also features the same tonearm assembly as its siblings. This tonearm assembly is fine, great even, but not for a four-figure turntable where you’d expect to be able to adjust VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle). VTA isn’t the be-all-end-all that some would claim, but it should be something you’re empowered to adjust yourself.

In short, the Stream Sapphire has some nifty tricks, and a nifty walnut veneer to encase them in, but while much of its charm might have worked with its cheaper models, this model falls disappointingly short.

  • Design score: 2.5/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Value

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable bird's eye veiw

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Great sound, but not for its price
  • Quality control issues raise questions
  • Fewer QoL features than cheaper Victrola units

The Stream Sapphire sounds inarguably good, thanks to both the quality of the cartridge and the unusual quality of wireless connectivity on offer. It’s a rare thing on this digital front, too, combining Sonos and UPnP capability in a convenient manner never before seen in a turntable. But do these grand designs translate to cold, hard value? In this writer’s opinion: no.

More specifically, these features don’t feel nearly enough to justify the Stream Sapphire’s price – not when other, essential expectations from this price bracket aren’t being met. Though its sound reproduction is excellent, conventional wired turntables less than half the price are as good if not better – as such, the price tag is only justifiable by its digital, wireless performance, which is inconsistent in its own way.

Furthermore, you’d expect a higher level of quality control for the price you pay, rather than encountering issues with the turntable's most essential mechanical aspects. For my review unit, the tonearm lift system felt broken, its lever loosely flabbing about either extremity of its reach and only catching the lift in a seemingly incidental manner. The aluminium front panel was also burred enough in some places to catch my fingers.

Further still, you’d expect a great deal more in difference between this unit and its half-priced Sonos-streaming predecessor, or even its near-$1000 / £1000 cheaper little sibling in the Bluetooth-friendly Hi-Res Onyx. The similarities between this and its budget counterparts are many, and there are even some features conspicuously missing.

In all, the Victrola Stream Sapphire is an incomparable, even untouchable device, but merely for having no direct competitors whatsoever. It’ll appeal to those who can afford to spend four figures on tech convenience, and few else – which is a good thing, as myriad better deals can be had for a fraction of the price.

  • Value score: 2.5/5

Should you buy the Victrola Stream Sapphire?

Buy it if...

You’ve invested in some hot UPnP speakers
There are some incredible Wi-Fi-compliant speakers on the market from such vaunted brands as KEF and Devialet. If you’ve spent the money on these, the convenience of the Stream Sapphire may be worth the cost to you.

Your house is Sonos’d up to the nines
If you’ve spent thousands on a fully integrated, through-home Sonos setup, and want the best Sonos-capable wireless turntable money can buy, this is absolutely the product for you.

You value convenience more than money
Setting up a cohesive at-home digital audio-streaming network isn’t easy. If you’ve the cash to buy something like this, and hate the idea of building your own hi-fi master-stack from scratch, then the Stream Sapphire is pretty much designed with you in mind.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best analog fidelity
This is, of course, angled at those wanting a primo vinyl-streaming experience – but if you want your records to sound their absolute best in the analogue sense, there are better-specced turntables with your name on.

You’re happy to DIY your hi-fi
The built-in Sonos and UPnP connectivity is novel, but not inherently as valuable as the Stream Sapphire’s asking price. You could buy a better-sounding, more reliable turntable, a DLNA-compliant media hub, and a full complement of compatible wireless home assistant speakers, all for a good deal less than this turntable alone.

Victrola Stream Sapphire: Also consider

Victrola Stream Carbon
Victrola’s Stream Carbon is the Stream Sapphire’s vastly cheaper ancestor, and the first to market in the Stream range. This turntable provides the very same Sonos compatibility – and strikingly similar specs otherwise – for significantly less.
Read our Victrola Stream Carbon review here.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2
Cambridge Audio is one of the definitive hi-fi brands, and its Alva TT V2 is a definitive turntable in its own right. A direct-drive motor, a high-fidelity moving coil cartridge, and aptX HD Bluetooth connectivity place the Alva TT V2 in the upper echelons of possible fidelity.
See our full Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 review

How I tested the Victrola Stream Sapphire

Back panel of the Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable, showing Ethernet and RCA ports

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Tested for 3 weeks
  • Used in living room hi-fi setup as primary turntable
  • Predominantly tested through Cambridge AV amplifier and Celestion speakers
  • Wireless testing conducted with Sonos One

The Victrola Stream Sapphire became my primary living room turntable for three weeks. The RCA outputs fed my dependable Cambridge Audio Azur 540R amplifier and Celestion F1 bookshelf speakers. For wireless connectivity, I must give thanks to dear friend Joe Lynch for the lending of his Sonos One-centered sound system (and our shared perspiration in connecting to it). I used personal favourite records with which I am intimately familiar, and with which I was able to get a feel for the Stream Sapphire’s character both wired and wirelessly.

First reviewed: October 2024

JLab Go Pop ANC review: some of the best ultra-cheap noise cancelling earbuds on the market
6:46 pm | October 15, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

JLab Go Pop ANC: one-minute review

The JLab Go Pop ANC have all the hallmarks of an instant budget favorite. These wireless earbuds pack in plenty of quality in the audio department, with particularly impressive bass and treble, strong active noise cancellation and a tiny, lightweight design.

By covering these core essentials, it's already hard to believe the JLab Go Pop ANC are only $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99. However, JLab has gone beyond the basics by including companion app compatibility, which lets you fully customize touch controls – a great addition for the amount you expend.

Earbuds in this price range don’t often feature ANC and although you won’t get the near-silence that some of the best wireless earbuds might offer, overall quality here is good. It’s certainly enough to keep conversations muted and loud noises dulled when you’re out in public. Similarly, sound quality – although not mind-blowing due to a relatively narrow soundstage – is still up-to-standard, thanks to energetic bass and treble output.

With a great seven hours worth of battery per bud (with ANC on), high-comfort feel and IP55 waterproof rating, you’re getting more than your money’s worth from the JLab Go Pop 4, so don’t be surprised if they appear in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds sometime soon.

JLab Go Pop ANC inside charging case being held in someone's hand

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: price and release date

  • $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99
  • Launches on October 15 in the US
  • Expected to launch in Q1 2025 in the UK and Australia

The JLab Go Pop ANC are set to launch on October 15 in the US and although there’s no confirmed release date for the UK and Australia, it seems likely you'll see them on sale sometime in the first quarter of 2025. We’ll keep you updated with full availability info as it comes.

I tested the Black color variant, but if you want to jazz things up a bit, you’ll also be able to grab them in either Fuchsia or Teal. But arguably the main draw of these wireless earbuds is their ultra-low price. They’ll be just $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99 at launch, so you’re going to be hard pressed to find better value ANC buds.

JLab Go Pop ANC review: specs

USB-C cable on JLab Go Pop ANC charging case folded in

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: features

  • Solid ANC
  • Companion app compatibility
  • Customizable touch controls

The JLab Go Pop ANC surprised me in that they offer a fairly personalized user experience.

At the core of this is the JLab app, which offers a handful of tasty options. This includes customizable touch controls for each earbud, allowing you to choose between play/pause, volume controls, skip/previous track, voice assistant and EQ controls. I personally love touch controls, but if you find them irritating, fear not – you can deactivate them entirely in the JLab app.

I touched on EQ options there – and these are very good. There are three presets – JLab Signature (a fairly exciting sound with more of a bass/treble focus), Balanced, and Bass Boost. You can also alter EQ to your personal taste with a Custom option. In a similar vein, there are also Music and Movie modes to choose from, depending on the sort of media you’re consuming.

The main event, though, is ANC. You can adjust the strength of this with an in-app slider or simply switch between Noise Canceling and Be Aware mode – the latter of which lets in more ambient sound. And ANC quality itself is good overall. You’re not going to get the near-silence you'd expect from some of the best noise cancelling earbuds, though. What the Go Pop ANC can do is effectively dull external noise – I was unable to clearly make out conversations when in the office and playing music at medium-high volume. You can’t ask for much better at this price-point.

Finally, you’re getting good battery life out of these buds. They can survive for approximately 24 hours with a fully juiced charging case and you’ll get seven hours out of each earbud with ANC on. When testing this over the course of an entire work-day, I found the seven-hour timeframe to be accurate after listening at medium-high volume.

  • Features score: 4.5/5

JLab Go Pop ANC inside charging case, against a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: sound quality

  • Sparkling treble; impressive bass
  • Mids not so prominent
  • Limited tinniness and distortion

For some super-cheap wireless earbuds, the JLab Go Pop ANC fare well in the audio-quality realm. It’s worth noting upfront, you’re not getting great audio here. The soundstage is pretty narrow and details won’t be fully realized. As you’d anticipate, there’s nothing fancy on offer like ‘lossless’ audio codecs, so if you’re an audiophile, it might be worth looking elsewhere (and perhaps spending a little more too).

But for buds like this, none of that matters all that much. For the most part, I used the default JLab Signature EQ setting and found that bass was surprisingly impactful and treble was sharp enough to add some flair to the overall listening experience.

When listening to I Want You by Moloko, instrumental separation was admittedly quite limited, with the complex mix a little constrained. However, the actual punch of the bass was still satisfying, synths had a cutting, prominent edge and there was little-to-no tinniness, even at high volumes.

I also tried tuning into Black Eye by Allie X. The track’s all-action intro was replicated well; the depth of the drum machine came through nicely and the dynamism of the bouncing bass line – which connects up to the lower-mid range – was responsive. I didn’t sense incredible agility or explosiveness when listening to this track, but for some budget wireless earbuds these replicated the intended energy accurately.

If you’re really into podcasts, these earbuds might not be ideal for you, though. Mids can be pushed a little bit towards the background, so vocal-heavy media doesn’t always sound perfectly clear. Of course, you can make EQ adjustments in the JBL app to partially offset this, but these earbuds are really at their best when leaning into their strengths in the lower and higher-end frequencies.

Audio is decent for calls, however. I made a phone call, Messenger video call and Google Meet video call and the quality was decently clear across the board. The only problem here is that higher-pitched sounds have a bit of a hiss, but this is a pretty common issue, even with a lot of the more expensive wireless earbuds out there.

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

JLab Go Pop ANC outside of charging case on a stone surface

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: design

  • Pleasingly lightweight
  • Super-small build
  • Admittedly a tad cheap-looking

Something that I instantly loved about the JLab Go Pop ANC was their ultra-lightweight, compact build. These factors combine to give them a truly minimalistic profile – both in terms of feel and aesthetic. I happily kept these buds in across multiple full work days without any irritation or discomfort.

Looks-wise, I have mixed feelings here. Given their price, I wasn’t expecting beautiful quality, but I still wasn’t won over by the plastic JLab logo etched on the outside of each bud. That is me nitpicking, though. Ultimately, these are a little cheap-looking across the board, from bud to charging case, but they aren’t off-putting by any means.

Another design aspect that could be better is the color options. Don’t get me wrong, the fact there are options at all is a nice touch – but both the purple/maroon Fuchsia and the Teal colors didn’t do it for me. They lack vibrancy, but don’t have a mild, classy look either, floating in an awkward middle ground. The classic Black will be perfectly fine for most, however.

Practically speaking though, these are very well designed. The charging case is tiny, perfect for carrying in your pocket. It also has a USB-C cable that's folded inside the base of the case, which is incredibly handy for charging on-the-go (although if you were hoping for a new USB-C to USB-C cable for general use, you'll be disappointed; this one's permanently attached to its product). The buds themselves are also IP55 rated, meaning they’re both sweat and splashproof – ideal for workouts or if, like me, you live in a rainy English city.

  • Design score: 4/5

USB-C cable on JLab Go Pop ANC charging case folded out

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: value

  • Incredibly cheap wireless earbuds
  • Very impressive sound quality at this level
  • ANC at this price-point a rarity

OK, spoiler alert, these get full marks in the value department, but honestly, reader, I expect you saw that coming. ANC, app compatibility and solid audio quality all for less than $30 / £30 / AU$70 – that’s truly exceptional.

ANC especially is a massive win for wireless earbuds in this price range. It’s quite unusual to find this feature for so little – not to mention that the actual ANC quality is admirable. In the context of its cost, the sound quality is strong here too. Sure, it’s nothing mind-blowing and audiophiles will likely find a few faults – but their exciting sound signature is still very much enjoyable.

  • Value score: 5/5

JLab Go Pop ANC outside of charging case on a stone surface

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the JLab Go Pop ANC?

Buy them if...

You’re on a budget but want ANC
Active noise cancellation at $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99? Go on then. There aren’t too many competitors offering ANC for this little and given the actual quality is good here too, these buds are an absolute steal.

You want some small, lightweight buds
These buds are absolutely tiny – even their case is as diminutive as it gets. On top of that they feel about as heavy as a feather, which combined with their high-comfort fit makes them ideal if you want to lock in for a long listening session.

Don't buy them if...

You’re an audiophile
Right, so as much as the sound quality here is great for the price, it’s still not going to be enough to impress audiophiles. There are no fancy Bluetooth codecs here like LDAC and the soundstage is a tad narrow. As a result, audiophiles, you’ll almost certainly have to splash a bit more cash to get the rich sound quality you crave.

You’re a fashionista first, listener second
For all their perks, I can’t lie, these buds haven’t won me over looks-wise. The plastic JLab logo on the buds isn’t the easiest on the eye and the color options weren’t my thing either. If you want to look a bit more stylish, it may be worth looking at another strong budget option, like the (still) amazing Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW.

JLab Go Pop ANC: Also consider

EarFun Air Pro 3
The EarFun Air Pro 3 are probably the closest competitor to the JLab Go Pop ANC when it comes to pound-for-pound value. With solid ANC and sound quality, Bluetooth LE Audio support and a lightweight design they hit all of the right notes. Their stem-like look might not be for everyone, so weigh up whether that more out-of-the-box appearance is for you before picking them over these brilliant JLab buds. Read our full EarFun Air Pro 3 review.

Sony WF-C700N
Right, these are admittedly a fair step-up over the JLab Go Pop ANC price-wise. However, I’ve seen these go on sale for as little as $98 / £67 on Amazon UK and US respectively – that’s great value. I personally own these buds and you get impressive, customizable sound, plenty of fun features and perfect comfort levels. The ANC here is very competent too, so given that these are budget earbuds, you’re not sacrificing much at all on quality. Read our full Sony WF-C700N review.

JLab Go Pop ANC review: How I tested

  • Tested over the course of one week
  • Used in the office, at home and while on walks
  • Predominantly tested using Spotify on Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

I tested the JLab Go Pop ANC over an intense week-long period, keeping the buds in for the majority of my work days. I used them at the office, while at home and when on walks to grasp the competency of ANC in multiple environments.

Although I predominantly tested these wireless earbuds using Spotify on the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, I did also try using them while using both Tidal and YouTube. When listening to music, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a wide variety of genres but also tuned in to hours worth of bangers from my personal library.

Where appropriate, I compared these to my Sony WF-C700N earbuds on metrics such as comfort, audio quality, ANC capabilities and features.

JLab Go Pop ANC in-ear

(Image credit: Future)
  • First reviewed: October 2024
  • Read more about how we test
JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds review: ‘feature-packed’ is an understatement, but JBL’s own cheaper version makes them a tough sell
11:30 am |
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: | Comments: Off

JBL Tour Pro 3: Two-minute review

Sometimes, we can become victims of our own success. Are the new JBL Tour Pro 3 some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds I've ever tested? They're emphatically the most feature-packed I've ever used, bar none, and that is wholly commendable. A quick scroll through the on-screen menu options is testament to that. These flagship earbuds do so much; to your music, to the voice of anyone you talk to during calls, to the ambient sounds around you, to your in-game experience, to broadcast audio to your friends – I could go on (I will go on, don't worry).

So why do you sense a 'but' coming? Well, since the arrival of the January 2023-issue JBL Tour Pro 2 upon which this third-gen flagship set are built, JBL has offered much of its once-flagship tech to the cheaper Live 3 earbuds (which come in three flavors: 'toothbrush-head' Beam, 'open-ear-ish' Flex and 'no-tail' Buds propositions) including that super-impressive smart case. Which is good, right?

Yes, except it means that justifying the price hike from $199.95 / £179.99 for the excellent JBL Live Beam 3 up to $299.99 / £279.99 for the Tour Pro 3 isn't easy. And making a case for buying the flagship set only becomes harder when you discover that the more budget set is now available for a bit less; a quick UK scan proved you can buy the Live Beam 3 for £149.99 – and I'd suggest that they're amazing value for that money.

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

(Image credit: Future)

So what are the upgrades here? Let's not mess around, I'll tell you right now: you now get two color choices – black and a new 'latte' caramel-type finish – and the screen is 30% larger than the older Tour. Also the case a little smaller than that of the Tour Pro 2, but it's still bigger than the Live Beam 3.

The headline-grabber is that this case is now a transmitter (see the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 or LG Tone Free T90S for similar) meaning that with the included 3.5mm-to-USB-C cable, you can hook up to the in-flight movie system in your airplane seat (say) and broadcast the audio to your buds – but like B&W's option, it'll do it in high-quality audio, this time using LE Audio and the LC3 codec.

The JBL Tour Pro 3's case is also one of the first registered Auracast source devices in portable audio, which means anyone in the vicinity with Auracast-enabled headphones (there aren't too many about right now, but they're coming) could also join to hear the sound being transmitted, and you can add a password if you don't want random listeners hooking up to your broadcast.

JBL's Spatial Audio 360 is onboard too, which now includes head-tracked, device-agnostic immersive audio helped by an updated algorithm; L/R balance optimization; 12 EQ bands to tailor things sonically and JBL's new Personi-Fi 3.0 update. Personi-Fi helps to personalize the sound to your liking, creating a sound profile based on your hearing by giving you an otoacoustic test of sorts (more on this later).

Under the driver housing there's now a hybrid 10.2mm cellulose dynamic driver coupled with a 5.1mm x 2.8mm balanced armature setup, which splits the audio signal so different frequencies go to their optimized drivers. Codec support is also better: in addition to SBC and AAC, hi-res LDAC joins the party when listening wirelessly – great news for Sony Xperia or other Android phone owners.

JBL also claims its new AI algorithm means the company's True Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0 with 'smart calibration' is actually able to tackle what it calls 'incident noises' – think unusual, one-off sounds rather than constant jet engine cabin noise.

If that sounds like a lot for it to offer over the Live Beam 3, it is and it isn't. The difference in screen size is negligible to the eye and for me the case is a touch on the bulky side to be truly pocketable. It'll come down to whether you want that head-tracked spatial audio (which is very good indeed), the transmitter in the case, and/or an Auracast source device. If you're not worried about those last two perks, I cannot build a compelling case for paying the significant price hike over the Live Beam 3.

Add to this the fact that for me, the Tour Pro 3 earbuds themselves are on the large side (despite the addition of foam tips as well as silicone, I struggled to get them to stay put in my ears) plus the fact that, like the cheaper set, you still need to make a compromise in terms of on-ear control options and you'll see why I can't give them the full five stars – or the 4.5-star verdict their cheaper siblings get – despite the plethora of perks.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Price & release date

  • Unveiled on August 21, 2024
  • Priced $299.95 / £279.99 / (approx.) AU$545

OK, so the JBL Tour Pro 3 are not cheap. What to say about the asking price? Well, the aforementioned flagship Bowers & Wilkins earbuds (which coincidentally launched on the same day and also offer a case transmission feature – but no spatial audio processing) are even more expensive, at $399 / £349 / AU$699.

Elsewhere, Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds also come in at $299 / £299 / AU$449; Technics' excellent EAH-AZ80 are $299 / £259 / AU$499 as well, and the Final ZE8000 MK2 are $399 / £289 (around AU$609), where available.

It's worth noting that the older Tour Pro 2 launched in January 2023 at MSRPs of $249.95 / £220 / AU$350, so there's been a $50 / £50 price hike this time around. Given the upgraded specs listed, you could say that the new asking fee doesn't seem unreasonable. On the other hand, I really think the small matter of the splendid $199.95 / £179.99 / AU$249 JBL Live Beam 3 remains a thorn in this Pro set's side…

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds held in a hand, with navy floral background

(Image credit: Future)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Specs

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Features

  • Excellent spatial audio with head-tracking
  • Case retransmission feature adds value
  • Noise cancellation is good rather than excellent

Before I launch headfirst into what the Tour Pro 3 do incredibly well, if you want Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or AirPods Pro 2 levels of active noise cancellation, you don't quite get it from JBL Tour Pro 3. When I deploy ANC (and here you can select from a seven-step slider or pick 'Adaptive ANC' to have JBL's algorithm sort it) I do feel the noise floor drop, but that cocooned, bubble-of-silence feeling is never quite achieved.

This may be in part to the fit and seal I was personally able to get – despite the in-app 'Check my best fit' test telling me I'd got it just fine and toggling 'Auto compensation' on, in the ANC customization tab (which promises to check wearing and ear canal status to adjust ANC in real time) the Tour Pro 3 never felt incredibly secure in my ears, and this does contribute to sound leakage and passive isolation.

However fervent the claims JBL makes about its souped-up True Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0 with 'smart calibration' (the company says it does a good job of nixing 'incident noises' as well as regular low-level constants), I never quite feel it. Don't get me wrong: there is a marked difference to the level of extraneous noise that seeps in, but it isn't wholly cancelled, and the Tour Pro 3 never perform as well as the options listed above in this area.

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds held in a hand, with navy floral background

Quite a deep-set design for stemmed earbuds. (Image credit: Future)

Now, the really very good bits: spatial audio. Oh, it's good. When I cue up Rod Stewart's Handbags & Gladrags, the drums sit over on my right as flutes join in, somewhere behind my brainstem. Honestly, as I deploy head-tracking and turn my head slowly away from my phone, I notice when Stewart belts a little too close into the mic, or a key is miss-played in a chord – or that there's actually a conversation barely audible, during the last chorus. You don't get this head-tracked spatial audio support with the cheaper Live Beam 3. Is it worth the $100 / £100 price hike? If they only fit a little better for me, probably… but I'm getting ahead of myself (the sound and design sections come later).

Now the screen: it's just as snappy as the one you'll find on the JBL Live Beam 3 and although marginally bigger, it doesn't do an awful lot more. Functional screens (ear tip sound settings; toggling between Bluetooth and transmitter mode; options within spatial sound) are here, but the chief benefit here is still the lock-screen wallpaper.

Elsewhere, JBL really has thrown everything and the kitchen sink at these earbuds. Top of the pile is Personi-Fi 3.0, but here again I find myself backtracking to the Live Beam 3 and trying to justify whether they're worth a price hike. I absolutely loved Personi-Fi 2.0, in the Live Beam 3, and I'm not 100% sure how this has been upgraded – because I once again took the test (which involves listening to various tones and lifting your finger from a button when you can no longer hear them) to create a test report and your own personal augmented profile, and once again I got the self-same result. I still love the effect of it in the Tour Pro 3, but I can get it for cheaper in the Live Beam 3…

Call-handling is again very good, thanks (again) to the numerous options you have available to enhance the experience, including Sound Level Optimiser, which balances the volume of the voice on the other end of the line; Sound Setting, to increase the bass or treble of the voice at the other end of the phone, or keep things "natural"; Voice Setting, aka same thing but for your own dulcet tones in the call; VoiceAware, which is a slider to control how much of your own voice you'd like to hear during calls; and Private Call Mode, which actually lets you remove one bud and use it as a mic – ie. to talk a little quieter and keep the conversation on the down-low. Again, it's all very good, but you can get it in the Live Beam 3 too, for less.

You get the same six EQ presets as the Live Beam 3 too, or the ability to create your own, plus Adaptive EQ for automatic adjustments in real-time with the option of toggling on "Low Volume EQ" to boost highs and lows if listening at low volumes, plus "Leakage Compensation", to help the sonics if the tips you've fitted don't offer a perfect seal.

And of course, here you also get a transmitter mode. Do you take a lot of flights? You'll love it and so will the person sitting next to you, who won't entangle themselves in any headphone cables when trying to politely nip past you and your tray table. Also, the Tour Pro 3's case is an Auracast source device, if you've got friends with (new, Bluetooth 5.2 and later) earbuds that can join the party. Will I personally use these features often? No. But they are extra perks in a set of earbuds that already offered myriad features.

The JBL Tour Pro 3 offer an admirable battery life of up to 44 hours in total – 11 hours from the buds plus three more full charges with ANC off. If you're always using ANC, it's eight hours plus three more full charges with ANC on, for a 32-hour total. During my testing I got just over eight hours and 20 minutes from them on a single charge with ANC deployed, which is very impressive. And that claim of an additional three hours of listening with a quick 10-minute speed charge? Yup, all good – and very useful.

  • Features score: 5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 a trio of JBL Headphones app Personi-Fi screen-grabs

Personi-Fi 3.0 is just as good as 2.0…  (Image credit: JBL)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Sound quality

  • Admirable separation and detail in head-tracked audio
  • A zealous mix; brims with energy
  • Plays nice and loud at 50% volume

I knocked the JBL Tour Pro 2's sound quality and the good news is, it's a different story with the Tour Pro 3. Your codec support here includes LDAC if you own an Android device to deploy it, which won't do much for your lowly Spotify streams but will help you get the best from Tidal Max tracks, Apple Music playlists or Qobuz albums.

The rumble at the outset of Grian Chatten's The Score is deftly handled and gives way to the detailed and textured Spanish guitar. The album continues to Last Time Every Time Forever and something I haven't felt since testing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra happens: I forget I'm wearing earbuds for a second because the head-tracked spatial audio sounds so convincingly like it's coming from below my chin. Sadly, this only lasts until I turn my head sharply (as that dislodges the right earpiece) but you can't knock the talent of the driver array here.

Switching to Free Fallin' by Tom Petty, jangly guitars, a resolute easy drum and Petty's vocal are present with ample room to shine, in a cohesive mix that never sees one instrument or musical passage vying for enough space to be impactful. When backing vocals come in to echo the words "Ventura Boulevard", there's a level of detail to the dynamics to the mix similar to the kind you get with the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8.

Also, the Tour Pro 3 play nice and loud, even at 50% volume, which means those battery claims are bang on. (Often find yourself whacking the volume up to get robust audio from your earbuds? Impacts the stamina doesn't it? Not a problem here.)

In direct comparison, the zealous and energetic presentation of the Tour Pro 3 may have one very small shortfall, and it's to do with the timing. It's not a cluttered or disorganised performance by any means, you understand, but I tap my feet more readily during what I call the 'marching band' section of this track (where Phil Jones switches up the time signature on his drums) when listening to the Bowers & Wilkins earbuds.

Again, it's only a very minor issue and only notable in direct comparison, but the JBL earbuds lose out just fractionally for regimented accuracy across the frequencies here – as if the two drivers under the hood haven't quite married up perfectly. It's a difficult concept to explain without going overboard, so know that it isn't a big issue at all. If pushed to expand on it, it's as if the B&W product keeps a wholly tight grip on every musical strand, constantly, and the JBL earbuds just very occasionally loosen one, through the treble.

  • Sound quality score: 4.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

It's a small detail, but this rubberised section so useful (Image credit: Future)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Design

  • Driver housings feel a little thick
  • On-ear functions still require a compromise
  • Not-so pocketable case

One thing I really like about the JBL Tour Pro 3 is the rubberized section on the back of the case that offers traction when placed on most surfaces. If, like me, you tend to gesture a lot when you talk (or love a good dance al desko) often swiping your earbuds case to the floor with a flourish, this won't happen here.

The JBL Tour Pro 3's case opens like a satchel (think AirPods) rather than a suitcase (think JBL Live Beam 3) and while it feels well-made, the case is a little too bulky to slip into my pocket anonymously. Also, there isn't a lanyard hole here, as there is with the Live Beam 3, which was a fun way to showcase your lock-screen wallpaper.

My issue with the JBL Tour Pro 3's design and where they lose marks in this section is the size of the driver housings. Now, I know I've said before that actually, deeper 'concha-fit' designs – see the Technics EAH-AZ80 – often look a little big and end up feeling anything but. Sadly, that's not the case with the Tour Pro 3. Despite supplying foam tips as well as silicone, the addition of a stem and a deeper housing makes for a poor fit, for me. I still struggle to keep them in my ears.

Now, fit is obviously subjective, but I know (after compiling a list of the best earbuds for smaller ears) I'm not alone in finding certain options easier to accommodate in my bijou ears than others. This set of earbuds will not be making an appearance in the above buying guide.

A JBL Live Beam 3 earbuds and a Tour Pro 3 earbud, held in a hand, to show the relative depth

The Tour Pro 3 (right) is a deeper design and doesn't feel as ergonomic or secure as the Live Beam 3 (left). (Image credit: Future)

I do have one more minor negative though, and it's the self-same minor issue I encountered with the JBL Live Beam 3. Basically, you need to ditch a set of functions again. To explain, you can customize what tapping each bud controls, but the sums don't work. Your command options are Playback Control, Ambient Sound Control, and Volume Control – ie. three-fold. But humans typically have only two ears and thus only two earbuds to give jobs to, so one useful thing is left out of the mix.

It could be worse; earbuds that don't offer a way to tweak the volume of music without having to dig out my phone (or ask Siri) annoy me most, but while the JBL Tour Pro do offer volume control, assigning that to my left earbud and Playback Control to my right means foregoing on-ear ANC > Ambient aware > Off tweaks. The touchscreen gives you another way to quickly access the ANC, Ambient or TalkThru modes besides my phone, it's true, but at this level I think it's not unreasonable to expect a comprehensive set of on-ear controls that covers the lot simultaneously – because other options, such as the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, do.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

(Image credit: Future)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Value

  • The most fully-featured earbuds around
  • …but sadly, the JBL Live Beam 3 exist
  • Can't offer the full suite of on-ear controls at once

As I've tried at length to explain in this review, the JBL Tour Pro 3 are a very interesting proposition and to justify their price hike over JBL's talented Live Beam 3, you do get head-tracked spatial audio, Auracast broadcasting, a slightly bigger screen, a case retransmission feature for in-flight entertainment systems, plus additional foam eartips and processing that claims to compensate for the tips you've chosen.

On paper and in the flesh, they're stuffed to the gills with features. The problem is the existence of the excellent, cheaper, also screen-enhanced earbuds the company released in January 2024, instantly making those once-flagship perks afforded by a smart screen available for much less.

Are the extras listed above enough to represent great value? I think for most people, no. Yes, the Denon PerL Pro-esque Person-Fi hearing tests are excellent, but for me, they're no different to those you'll get within the much cheaper JBL Live Beam 3. Both are very good indeed, and one can be had for significantly less money (aka, better value). And the thing is, the cheaper set fit my ears much better than the flagship Tour Pro 3's bulkier driver-housing…

  • Value score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 held in a hand

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the JBL Tour Pro 3?

Buy them if...

You prioritize natural head-tracked spatial audio
These earbuds don't care which streaming service you're listening to, simply toggle it on and hear the sound open out all around you – and fix itself as you turn your head to each sonic article.

You like to wear your heart on your sleeve
This is the biggest smart screen JBL's ever put on a case, so you'll get a few millimeters more of lock-screen wallpaper.

You have an Android phone
Your Sony Xperia phone (and other Androids) will let you have at LDAC quality streaming using the JBL Tour Pro 3

Don't buy them if...

You have smaller ears
The buds are on the large side, and they feel it.

…and smaller pockets
I mean physically: the case is pretty big. Then again, they're not exactly wallet-friendly either, so deep pockets are metaphorically preferable here too… 

You want the best ANC on the market
Here, AirPods Pro 2, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra or even the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 will serve you better.

JBL Tour Pro 3: Also consider

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8
I think these are the best-sounding buds you can get, with superior noise cancellation than the JBL as well, and they also have the audio transmission features. But they're very pricey, and there's no spatial audio, so take a read of my full Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 to see if they're right for you.

JBL Live Beam 3
I've already talked a lot about these, but the pitch is simple: most of the best features of the Tour Pro 3, for a much lower price. Definitely take a read of my JBL Live Beam 3 review to see if they're right for you.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Want device-agnostic, head-tracked spatial audio as well as some of the best ANC in the business? It's here in the September 2023-issue earbuds from Bose. It's rare that we get to call Bose the cheaper option, and they aren't here – but they're only slightly more expensive than JBL's flagship offering. You'll have to forego multi-point connectivity, wireless charging support, and a modicum of detail sonically speaking, but maybe noise-nixing takes priority for you, and that's ok. You can read more in-depth in our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review.

Cambridge Audio Melomania M100
The ANC is very good indeed here, too – as is the sound quality. And to top it all off, you get the option of Matt Berry on voice prompts (his "Waiting to pair!" is sublime). You don't get a case with a screen on it, mind – and the fit is good rather than exceptional, but the M100's still a viable cheaper rival, depending on your priorities. Our Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 review will help you sort through the details.

How I tested the JBL Tour Pro 3

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for three weeks; listened against the competition
  • Used at work and home
  • Listened to Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless tracks and Spotify

The JBL Tour Pro 3 became my musical companions for nearly four weeks – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period, as per our guidelines on how we test wireless earbuds.

I wore them to work on weekdays (running to the station; on the London Underground; at the office), and during a weekend on Weymouth sea-front – the best way to test blustery wind interference from mics during calls I've ever found.

To better test the comfort and security of the Tour Pro 3, I even wore them during a cycle along the promenade, and while they did ping out onto the street, they seem virtually uncrushable (since I believe another bicycle may have gone over it).

To check the audio quality across the frequencies, I listened to TR's playlist (spanning everything from acoustic mixes to electronica) on Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal, but I also tested using podcasts and albums on Spotify, plus YouTube tutorials (mostly about how to duck-dive while surfing because I still can't do it, in case you wondered) on my MacBook Pro. I compared them directly against the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, AirPods Pro 2 and JBL Live Beam 3.

I’ve been testing audio products well for over five years now. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in a previous life, sound quality, fit and user experience always take priority for me – but having heard how effective ANC can be when done well, I have grown to love immersing myself in a cocoon of silence also.

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

  • First reviewed: October 2024
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: a chic mini party speaker that brings the bass –if not every feature you might like
6:30 pm | October 14, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Speakers | Comments: Off

Ultimate Ears Miniroll: Two-minute review

Parties in 2024 are about to get a bit bassier with the new Ultimate Ears Miniroll, a small-form Bluetooth speaker that wants to find its way onto our list of the best party speaker by virtue of the fact that it’s much smaller than all of its rivals.

A revival of the UE Roll from 2015 and UE Roll 2 from a year later, this is now Ultimate Ear’s smallest speaker by a country mile (and also a good few inches). It sits alongside the sonically superior, but much less totable, Wonderboom 4, as well as UE’s more pricy alternatives. Yes, that’s right, it’s not just small but it’s affordable too.

You only have to pay $79 / £69 / AU$99 for the UE Miniroll so it undercuts most of the competition, although a few other major audio brands also have lightweight party speakers like this for roughly the same (or less).

‘Miniroll’ is a funny name – the new UE speaker is bigger than the Roll and Roll 2, and probably doesn’t have any link to the sponge treat manufactured by former chocolate company (and now faux-chocolate company) Cadbury’s.

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)

But while Cadbury’s has sadly gone downhill in the eyes of many, Ultimate Ears has only improved on the formula of its older speakers. The sound offers loads of bass, marking a notable improvement in audio capabilities over the previous two Rolls. The use of a USB-C port and a longer battery life also make this a more tempting option for people who may consider buying older tech.

Some of the best features of the Roll are here too. I found the carry strap incredibly handy, as I could attach the Miniroll to bags, pieces of furniture or even body parts (well, my wrist) to make it easy to carry around. 

The speaker isn’t perfect though, as there’s no smartphone app to bring extra features or offer customization. There’s no equalizer either, something many rival party speakers offer, which will likely put off people who’d find the bass just a little 'too much'. I also wished there was a way to skip or rewind songs, as many other speakers offer, to stop me having to use my phone for these tasks.

Some may also find the max volume a little too low for ‘parties’, especially since bass doesn’t carry as well as treble, though I guess ‘intimate social gathering speaker’ doesn’t have the same ring as ‘party speaker’. I can see this being a great pick for hikers or picnickers who want some tunes, or group runners who blast music to get everyone through that pre-breakfast 5k, rather than for traditional house parties or gatherings.

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Price and release date

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)
  • Released in September 2024
  • Costs $79 / £69 / AU$99

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll was unveiled and released in mid-September 2024, ready for an outdoor party speaker to be almost obsolete in the wintery northern hemisphere.

The price of the Ultimate Ears Miniroll is $79 / £69 / AU$99, so it’s the cheapest wireless speaker currently offered by UE, and is one of the more affordable options on the market. It also undercuts the two UE Roll models which went for $99 / £99 / AU$149.  The Wonderboom is the closest sibling in price at $99 / £89 / AU$149.

In fact, if you’re looking for a party speaker as compact as the Miniroll, the market’s not burgeoning with good-quality options. Your best alternative is the even cheaper (but not quite as chic, and a little older now) Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 (now available for $59 / £59 or around AU$85) followed by the JBL Clip 5, which sells for $79 / £59 / AU$89, so both are actually a bit cheaper in most regions.

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Specs

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Features

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)
  • Can link up to other Minirolls
  • No equalizer or app
  • 12 hour battery life

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll struggles most in the features department because… well, there barely are any.

Unlike with some other UE speakers, the Miniroll doesn’t have a smartphone app, so it doesn’t let you utilize features of some of its rivals. There’s no equaliser, for example, or even different EQ presets for you to toggle between. You can’t change audio codec, fiddle with Bluetooth options or use a ‘find my speaker’ function.

There’s no outdoor mode either, which in other UE devices (it's the 'tree button' on the underside of the Wonderboom 4) strips bass in favor of treble to make the speaker easier to hear over distance. Of all the missing features this is the one I would have liked to see most – as with any bassy speaker, quality (and audibility) quickly drops off if you walk away from the Miniroll.

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)

One thing you can do is connect the Miniroll to its siblings, in order to sync up multiple speakers. However unlike many other UE devices (but like the Wonderboom), you can only pair it to others of its make – ie, other Minirolls. So while your Boom, Megaboom, Everboom, Epicboom and Hyperbooms might all be having their own little party, the Minirolls will have to form their own shindig. According to UE the Miniroll can pair to an unlimited number of other Minirolls though, as long as your budget is equally infinite.

The battery life stretches to 12 hours on a single charge, which is longer than most parties I get invited to. Its a lasting power which positions the Miniroll as a handy device for people going on hikes or camping, as does its design.

Charging is done via USB-C, with a little port just above the strap.

  • Features score: 3/5

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Design

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)
  • Small compact body
  • Incredibly handy carry strap
  • IP67 protected, survives up to 1.2m drop

The key selling point of the Ultimate Ears Miniroll is its design – it’s mini and feels lovely in your hand. A little pebble of a gadget, it weighs only slightly more than a smartphone at 279g, and measures 122 x 105 x 48 mm so it’s incredibly slender.

If you don’t trust measurements, trust me: it’s really easy to carry around whether it’s in the hand, strapped to a bag, inside said bag, or even slipped into a pocket (yes, it fits in my pockets, although that really muffles the audio).

Strapping it to a bag comes thanks to a rubbery strap, which is locked to the Miniroll at one end and is hooked and removable at the other. This gives you lots of versatility in how you attach the Miniroll to things, especially with a gap in the strap letting you hang it from objects. This was my preferred way of using the speaker, hanging it from doorknobs or cupboards – the multitude of ways to position the speaker is great for positioning it in rooms or attaching it to various rucksacks. Ultimate Ear's promotional material even shows someone attaching it to a dog.

Image 1 of 3

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

I could hang the Miniroll in my living room... (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 3

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

...or in my kitchen... (Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

...or on my wine rack. (Image credit: Future)

One annoying element of the design comes into play here though, in combination with the speaker’s heavy bass (more on that later). Sometimes when on certain objects, the natural vibrations from the bass would cause the speaker to wobble, and it fell off boxes I put it on several times. Likewise when I hung it up, it’d sometimes shudder from the bass and start to sway – I can’t put it on my bedroom door because the bass makes it repeatedly knock into the wood panel. It’s an odd situation and I had to always think about where I placed the Miniroll.

On the top of the Miniroll are a volume up and volume down button, which should surprise no-one given that the buttons are a giant + and -. The edge of the speaker has the power button as well as the play/pause one, which can also be held to enable pairing with other Minirolls (more on that later). There’s no button to skip or restart tracks so you’ll have to rely on your phone for that.

If you’re worried about damage, the speaker is IP67 rated – that means it’s totally protected from dust particles and can be immersed in water for a depth of a meter for up to half an hour. It’s drop-proof but only up to 1.2 meters, which is something else to bear in mind when placing the speaker – my rucksack is higher than that off the floor and so are most of the tables I’d put it on.

As you can see from the pictures, I tested the pink Miniroll – Calming Pink, as UE calls it – and there’s also black (Gentle Black), blue (Majestic Blue) and white (Revive Gray).

  • Design score: 4/5

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Sound quality

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)
  • (No need to) turn up the bass
  • Volume not suitable for large parties
  • Lack of equalizer limits appeal

I’ve referred to the Ultimate Ears Miniroll as a ‘party speaker’, but I should qualify that ‘party’ part of the phrase – this isn’t for big gatherings in Beverly Hills mansions or beach parties with hundreds of people. Think ‘D&D party’ size – this isn’t the loudest speaker in the world and it will best suit medium- to small-sized groups.

In my (very studious) tests, the Miniroll sounded decent at up to 5 meters distance, but when I got to 10m it was hard to hear parts of the song (partly from the volume, but partly from other sounds being more prominent). I found the Miniroll great for playing music in my bedroom, but unlike some other speakers I’ve tested, its sound didn’t carry through my entire (two-person) flat. If you’re going on a trip with this attached to your bag, you’d better keep your friends close if they want to hear music.

The UE Miniroll isn’t so quiet that it’s going to disappoint you, but you need to temper your expectations in keeping with its size – UE does have bigger speakers if you want to entertain a large number of listeners.

In terms of the audio itself, the Miniroll is a bassy little creature, and I was pretty surprised by just how much bass the thing eked out. I’ve already written about how it literally vibrates from what it’s putting out!

The bass is admittedly a little muddy, and the sheer nature of physics means it doesn’t carry that far (thanks, physics), but bass-heads near to the speaker will really pick up what it’s putting down.

As with any bass-heavy speaker, treble and mids suffer the consequences of this heavy lean, and both lack an extra ounce of detail – they also distort a little at higher volumes. However, balanced treble and audiophile-quality mids aren’t something it'd be truly fair to demand from party speakers at this price. It’s certainly not necessary for the Macarena.

  • Sound quality: 3.5/5

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Value

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)
  • Form factor makes it appealing for portable music
  • Some users might prefer other speakers

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll fits its niche really well: it’s cheaper and more portable than many other Bluetooth speakers, with a decent battery life, sufficient protection from life’s bumps and a really handy strap. With that in mind it’s hard to argue that the Miniroll isn’t good value – it’s much better for a certain type of user than other options in the market.

However, if you’re just looking for an affordable Bluetooth speaker for your house or garden, you can find options with better audio and a couple of extra features for a similar price. They just lose portability as a trade-off.

  • Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Ultimate Ears Miniroll?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Also consider

How I tested the Ultimate Ears Miniroll

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for two weeks
  • Tested at home and on some trips

I tested the Ultimate Ears Miniroll for over two weeks, during which time I used them alongside my Android smartphone.

Most of the testing was done at home but I also took it on a few day trips and picnics to see how well it works outdoors. Mostly I used the speaker for music streaming but I also tested it with spoken word podcasts a little bit as well.

I've been reviewing audio products at TechRadar for 5 years, including other Ultimate Ears products.

  • First reviewed in October 2024
Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable review: a primo player that deftly marries quality, cost and convenience
11:30 am | October 12, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT: Two-minute review

The Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT is a fresh entrant from the good ship AT that continues its successes in matching quality with affordability. This pre-calibrated plug-and-play machine delivers fuss-free playback and a great rounded sound, all of which can be enjoyed wired or wirelessly, via foolproof Bluetooth connectivity.

Digging in a little, there’s some room for improvement when it comes to sound but, in a break from tradition for budget players such as this, the stylus can be upgraded to another Audio-Technica needle with consummate ease. The body is also a little lightweight, but the turntable is nonetheless stable and plays records near-flawlessly, thanks to its beefy motor.

Will it be appearing in our best turntables list? Well, the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT's little flourishes make it both a fun and reliable turntable to use. It won’t be replacing anyone’s pride-and-joy record players, mind, but it is a great candidate for someone’s first. From producing solid sounds to taking care of your records, this is a fantastic option for a budget player that reaches beyond the stereotypes of its category.

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Price and release date

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT on a wooden table with the dust cover down

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • $249 / £219 / AUS$599
  • Launched on July 31, 2024

Audio-Technica has curried a lot of favor over the years, between its pro-sumer headphone offerings, pioneering efforts in cartridge design and, of course, its ever-evolving roster of well-regarded record players. 

The Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT is the latest in its entry-level automatic turntable range, and supersedes the AT-LP60XBT, a capable, if slightly flimsy-feeling, record player that’s deservedly won out over other entry level players in its orbit. The AT-LP70XBT is undoubtedly an improvement and flaunt some major changes, from a new chassis design to a dramatically improved tonearm and stylus system.

While some things have changed for the better, the point of the AT-LP70XBT remains the same and the new changes only cement Audio-Technica’s supremacy in this corner of the market. Against dozens of other automatic and Bluetooth-compliant turntables, this one wins out on a fair few fronts.

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Specs

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Features

Close-up of Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable's J-shaped tonearm

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • aptX Adaptive Bluetooth transmission
  • AT-VMN95C stylus
  • Built-in phono preamp

The Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT is a fully automatic turntable, designed with ease-of-use firmly in mind. As such, it is a simple record player, which does away with the finicky aspects of cartridge alignment and calibration.

This is usually a cause for concern in cheap automatic turntables, which suffer for their overweighted tonearms and imprecise tracking. Yet here, with a carefully weighted tonearm and a fixed, aligned cartridge, it’s a newbie-friendly benefit. Many cheap entry-level turntables also suffer from the provision of an underpowered motor, and again the AT-LP70XBT rises above; it’s belt-driven, and its motor is both plenty strong and plenty quiet.

The turntable has an integrated cartridge system, but which utilises Audio-Technica’s VM95 series’ replaceable styli. It comes equipped with the VMN95C, an entry-level conical stylus with a passable sound to it – but with a little aftermarket expenditure, you can upgrade the stylus to most any other in the series. This assembly is encased in an all-in-one J-shaped tonearm, so shaped to benefit from reduced tracking errors (and also as something of a wink and nudge to Audio-Technica turntable tonearms of old).

The AT-LP70XBT’s loudest feature is its Bluetooth connectivity, which enables you to send audio to any compatible receiver of your choosing. Whether casting audio to your wireless headphones or your kitchen Bluetooth speaker, you’ll have a riot with this feature. The Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT supports both SBC and aptX Adaptive codecs – a single press of the dedicated Bluetooth button has it searching for devices to connect to, and this writer encountered no difficulties in getting it to pair.

  • Features score: 4.5/5

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Sound quality

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable, with the dust cover open, on a wooden table

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Robust, dependable playback
  • Charmingly rich sound for price
  • Sometimes a tad hollow

This turntable is a gratifyingly sturdy play, and delivers reliable performance somewhat beyond its own remit. The pre-installed AT-VMN95C stylus is conical, which provides smooth and unproblematic playback, albeit at the expense of some definition. Though basic, it is still a serious leg up on its predecessor’s cartridge, and on those typically offered by other automatic turntables in this bracket.

The first test was Radiohead’s There There 12in single, which was every bit the sonorous sledgehammer you’d hope. Big driving toms cut through by throaty, clanging guitars, with Thom Yorke’s voice carried cleanly and smoothly through the rest. However, higher-end elements were found to be a touch bright, Jonny Greenwood’s erratic guitar stabs being the chief culprit.

The low end is surprisingly well-served by this turntable, as proven by There There, but also by records of an altogether heavier constitution. Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf is rich, deep, full and just as gratifying as it should be on any medium, while Slift’s Ummon kicks proverbial right from the drop. How, on something this cheap?

This comes with caveats, though. Elsewhere, this low-end representation can be a little indistinct; bloomy, as opposed to focused. Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul’s Topical Dancer is a record rich in spongy subs and textured bass synths, some of which are resultingly underserved; Esperanto’s sliding bass hook resonates imprecisely, and the big kicks of It Hit Me encroach upwards, sometimes squashing the rest of the track.

Tactile elements, however, are a joy. The thrilling transients of Blenda’s beat and kalimba samples, and of Ich Mwen’s propulsive drums, are lightly smoothed but otherwise distinct, even three-dimensional. In heavier scenarios, this clear high end can veer into overrepresentation, QOTSA and Slift both suffering a little from spiky string-squeal and tissy hi-hats.

The Bluetooth transmission is as clear as you could ever ask for, sending a generally unbothered signal to my kitchen Bluetooth speaker. It sounds clean, clear and wholly representative, which is obviously great – however, the turntable’s shortcomings elsewhere are rendered a little more naked for this. Pile’s All Fiction sounds amazing in its quieter moments (Blood’s sparseness translates near-perfectly), but a bloomy low end and shelved high end in louder tracks lead to a slight mid-scooped hollowness.

In short, the AT-LP70XBT doesn’t sound perfect. But it does sound good, and a darn sight good-er than most anything else in its weight class. While it could never measure up to better-specced turntables outside its price class, it scores highly here for its impressive stability, surprising depth and otherwise clear voice – a difficult find in other budget turntables.

  • Sound quality score: 4/5

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Design

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT toggle switch concealed in the turntable's tonearm pivot

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Plussed-up aesthetics
  • Truly plug-and-play
  • A little underweight

For looks, the AT-LP70XBT is a considerable improvement on its elder. The J-shaped tonearm is slinkier and satisfyingly uniform, while the ensleekified body features control buttons and switches re-located for maximum minimalism. That includes the automatic mechanism’s 7in/12in toggle switch, once a prominent top-mounted lever and now smartly concealed in the tonearm pivot. Speaking of automatism, the AT-LP70XBT’s automatic mechanism is slow but sure, and activated with a satisfyingly mechanical clunk.

With this smart-lookin’ redesign comes the smallest of gripes, though: there’s nowhere for the provided 45rpm adapter to live on the unit anymore. This is a shame, for sure, but one easily forgotten when you see just how pleasingly the tonearm lift blends into the tonearm pivot’s surround. Mmm.

The AT-LP70XBT loses a point or two when compared (perhaps unfairly) to manual turntables at or slightly above its price range – the weight is one such point, the other is adjustability. Where most turntables worth their salt will have a half-inch headshell that allows you to replace your cartridge with whatever you’d like, and an adjustable counterweight to calibrate for said cartridge, the AT-LP70XBT is pretty firmly set in its ways, by both a fixed cartridge system and a fixed-weight tonearm.

You might be hearing the distant screams of a thousand spectral gear-heads about now, and that’s because I’m about to suggest that this turntable’s fixed nature isn’t that much of a big deal. Indeed, it’s a smart move for easily intimidated newcomers to the format, and a simple way of foolproofing aspects of the turntable which could otherwise (and in unfamiliar hands) cause harm to a record collection.

Besides, the fixed cartridge system here is a dramatic improvement on the LP60XBT’s ubiquitous, good-but-not-great AT-3600L-toting tonearm. Here, the tonearm effectively contains the moving-magnet assembly from Audio-Technica’s AT-VM95 series, meaning it’s compatible with any VMN95-series stylus. The AT-LP70XBT ships with the cheapest, the VMN95C conical stylus, but with a little extra expenditure (and an exceedingly simple pull-and-replace operation) you can replace it for a better stylus with ease.

The pre-weighted tonearm gives a tracking force of 2.05g – comfortably in the mid-range of the 1.8g to 2.2g recommended tracking force for all AT-VMN95-series styli – and hence, in principle at least, never in need of adjustment for the entirety of the turntable’s lifespan. For this turntable’s purposes, perfect!

More generally, the AT-LP70XBT is a little on the light side. This is with thanks to its plastic chassis, but thankfully the unit retains a low center of gravity, and so squats  reassuringly on your furnishing of choice. That being said, try not to nudge said furniture too much thereafter.

  • Design score: 4/5

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Value

Back panel of Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT showing RGB cables

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Excellent performance for price category
  • …but expensive enough to give you pause

It’s difficult to talk about the value prospect of the AT-LP70XBT without being hugely subjective about it. While manual turntables elsewhere are considerably more precise, tweakable, upgradeable, and even high-fidelity out of the box, the AT-LP70XBT isn’t really trying to be any of those things.

The AT-LP70XBT was never meant to be a customisable last-turntable-you’ll-ever-buy affair. Instead, it’s aiming at being the best in a crowded field of often-lacking automatic turntables, offering reliable performance and great sound as an accessible appliance, as opposed to an audiophile-appeasing starter turntable. As such, it might not be of much value to anyone that already knows their hi-fi onions, but represents a massive amount of value to someone getting into (or back into) records as a format.

This turntable rightfully runs rings around most of the turntables that share its attributes, and as such would be a killer purchase – if it came in slightly cheaper than $249 / £219 / AUS$599. That UK price point, in particular, is an awkward one – close to the £200 mark but just high enough to give you pause; does its convenience outweigh the better sound and less plasticky construction of its manual turntable competitors? This reviewer has a soft spot for the AT-LP70XBT, but this corner of the budget price bracket is a toughie regardless.

  • Value score: 3.5/5

Should you buy the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT?

Buy it if...

This is your first record player
It’s a plug-and-play device from start to finish, and the perfect on-ramp for someone starting their vinyl journey. No calibration, no adjustments, and barely any fiddling with the Bluetooth functionality – just you, your speakers of choice and your first records.

You’re a fellow of convenience
The automatic functionality is slow, deliberate and extremely handy; you can trust this thing’s mechanisms with your records, and you aren’t sacrificing a great deal of fidelity for the privilege either.

Don't buy it if...

You value customisability
While the AT-LP70XBT does benefit from an upgradeable stylus, your options are still limited. If you want a solid base turntable for your hi-fi, with the possibility of upgrading to a moving-coil cart in the future, you need to look elsewhere.

You’ve got a killer hi-fi
This is a great turntable in its field and for its type, but does not belong in every set-up. If you’ve already spent the cash on an enviable hi-fi set-up, you’ll immediately notice where the AT-LP70XBT falls short sound-wise.

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT: Also consider

Fluance RT81
Though it's neither an automatic nor a Bluetooth-friendly turntable, the Fluance RT81 does have fidelity, adjustability and customisability well and truly covered. If you want a bit more flexibility in your hi-fi, this could be the starter turntable for you.
Read our Fluance RT81 review here.

Victrola Eastwood II
The Eastwood II is an all-in-one affair that can both stream its vinyl output to Bluetooth, and receive Bluetooth audio to its built-in amp. It’s not automatic, and its tonearm bears more in common with the AT-LP70XBT’s inferior predecessor, but if your hi-fi needs are minimal then this could be the money-saving option for you.
Read our Victrola Eastwood II review here.

How I tested the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable, with the dust cover open, on a wooden table

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
  • Tested for 4 weeks
  • Used as primary turntable in living-room hi-fi system
  • Predominantly tested through Cambridge AV amplifier and Celestion speakers, as well as a Soundcore Bluetooth speaker

The Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT became my primary living-room turntable for a month. The RCA outputs fed my dependable Cambridge Audio Azur 540R amplifier and Celestion F1 bookshelf speakers; for Bluetooth, I connected to a Soundcore Motion 300 speaker in another room. I used personal favourite records with which I am intimately familiar, and with which I was able to get a feel for the AT-LP70XBT character both wired and wirelessly.

First reviewed: October 2024

AirPods 4 review: they’re good, but you can do better for the price
5:51 pm | October 11, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: | Comments: Off

Apple AirPods 4: Two-minute review

Apple's AirPods 4 – which are the cheaper version of AirPods 4 at $129 / £129 / AU$219, not the more expensive model with active noise cancellation and some other extra features – are the latest version of Apple's open-ear wireless earbuds. Designed for people who don't want anything inside their ear canal, the AirPods 4 sit just outside it, and they stay remarkably stable and sound nice while doing it.

But the main refrain you're going to hear throughout this AirPods 4 review is that if you don't mind in-ear tips, you can get better sound quality and a more flexible set of features for a lower price among the best budget earbuds.

There are good reasons for Apple users to stick with AirPods though, because all their best features work with Apple tech exclusively, as you'd expect. The head-tracked spatial audio is so impressive with movies, the auto-device switching between Apple tech is really useful, and it's generally a seamless experience.

The sound is fulsome and fairly dynamic, and it's easy to have a good time listening to all kinds of tracks, thanks to their superb balance between frequencies. But there's a lack of fine detail compared to the mid-range competition that means music lacks that extra realism and deep satisfaction. The open-ear design allows a lot of sound to leak in as well, which interferes with the audio fidelity.

The issue for people at large is the lack of standard Bluetooth multi-point pairing, which means you only get seamless switching if you have multiple Apple devices. Nearly all the best wireless earbuds at a similar price offer multi-point pairing, which means you can switch from an iPhone to a Chromebook or Windows laptop easily – and those earbuds also offer better sound, the option of active noise cancellation, and on-ear volume control – for a lower price than the AirPods 4.

These earbuds do the job for their intended Apple audience, with some great unique features and a good design (I really like the pinch controls) and fit. But if you want real bang for your buck, look to the $119 / £79 / AU$149 Sony WF-C700N or the $99 / £99 / AU$169 Nothing Ear (a).

AirPods 4 outside of their case on a table

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Price & release date

  • $129 / £129 / AU$219
  • Released on September 20, 2024
  • The cheapest current AirPods

With an official price of $129 / £129 / AU$219, the AirPods 4 wander dangerously into 'mid-range earbuds' territory for earbuds with a feature set that's closer to those of budget buds. Apple does now offer discounts on its earbuds around sales events (which didn't use to be the case), but I doubt these will drop under $100 / £100 for quite a while.

It's not a bad price for a pair of good-sounding earbuds with excellent spatial audio, but basically all the competition at this price offer active noise cancellation – including the $99 / £99 Nothing Ear (a), for example.

Apple AirPods 4 review: Specs

Apple AirPods 4 review: Features

  • Good features for Apple devices
  • No cross-platform multi-point pairing
  • No on-ear volume control

As we expect from AirPods, the AirPods 4 only give you the full power of their features if all your devices are Apple-made.

They offer fast pairing with Apple tech, and will auto-switch between any bit of Apple tech you're signed into with your Apple ID, which means they're effectively 'paired' with all your devices at once, whether that's an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or Apple Watch. Just start playing something on a new device while wearing them and you can automatically switch, or choose to switch in some cases. It works extremely well, and is a slick benefit of buying into Apple's cosy ecosystem.

While they can be paired with non-Apple devices, you won't get access to most of the features mentioned here, and they don't support Bluetooth's standard multi-point pairing, meaning that if you have an iPhone and a Windows laptop, you'll only get the good features when you’re using the AirPods with your iPhone, and there's no easy switching to your laptop.

They offer head-tracked spatial audio when used with Apple devices, which is a highlight. This means that when listening to anything in surround sound or Dolby Atmos, it'll seem like the sound is coming from a set of static speakers around you that don't move even when you move your head, like a home theater system. I've never been a big fan of this with music because I just tend to move around too much while listening for it to make sense (though I enjoy spatial audio without head-tracking for music, where it just creates a kind of bubble of expanded sound around your head), but spatial audio with movies is just fantastic.

You get a convincing feeling of surround sound, with your device as the 'center' of the home theater effect, and the feeling of speakers all around you. When you're watching movies on a long journey, it really helps you to feel like you're less trapped in a space, and makes the experience more engaging and immersive. I love it.

Speaking of journeys, one nice touch with AirPods (and many of the best Beats headphones) is that you can share audio between them, so two people can watch the same show on an iPad together while traveling.

There's limited support for Apple's Find My service here: the app can tell you where you last had them, and the AirPods can 'call home' via the Find My network of other people's iPhones to tell you roughly where they are. But these don't have the precision finding of the AirPods Pro 2 (where your iPhone can literally point you towards them), or the ability of the AirPods 4 with ANC to play a sound to help you find them.

AirPods 4 case held in a man's hand

(Image credit: Future)

They support 'Hey Siri' so you can ask Apple's assistant for things, though frankly I don't find Siri useful enough to want this turned on. Similarly, the AirPods 4 support Apple's 'Announce Notifications' feature, where Siri's voice will read you out notifications that have arrived on your iPhone or Apple Watch, which I also have turned off. It certainly can be a useful feature in a clutch, but as an Apple Watch user I already have quick access to my notifications on my wrist, and that route doesn't interrupt my podcast.

Still, if you use Announce Notifications (you'll be given the option when you first pair), you can also use the AirPods' new gesture controls to respond to certain notifications by nodding or shaking your head. For example, when my Apple Watch asks if I'm doing an outdoor walk, I can nod to confirm and start the tracking.

These gestures are smartly implemented, with a blip of audio feedback when the AirPods detect that you're moving your head. You'll need to move your head fairly definitively to confirm, so perhaps left, right and left again to reject a notification with a shake of the head, but it's very clear if and when the AirPods are picking up the gestures, though I felt like the head motions I made were a little too exaggerated to be subtle – while waiting with other people to cross a road, I can only assume that people thought I was vehemently agreeing with a radio call-in show or something.

Also for controls, you've got pinchable stems on the earbuds, basically borrowed from the original AirPods Pro. You can pinch to play/pause, double-pinch to skip tracks, triple to skip back, hold to trigger Siri. I really like this control system, because it's comfortable (you don't push the buds into your ears while pressing a button) and works if you're wearing gloves (unlike touch-only systems). However, you can't pinch for on-ear volume control, which seems very miserly.

Apple's claim of five-hour battery life was, frankly, extremely disappointing, but the good news is that in my battery testing at 50% volume the AirPods 4 took seven hours and five minutes to run down from 100% to nothing. Apple says you should get another 25 hours from the case (though that could be as much as 34 hours based on my testing), and that five minutes of charging in the case provides the buds with around an hour of listening time.

Five hours is way behind the curve on battery life, and while seven hours is acceptable for such lightweight buds, it's still not amazing considering there's no ANC here. We measured 9.5 hours from the Nothing Ear (a) with ANC turned off.

There's no wireless charging here, unlike the more expensive models – just USB-C charging.

The microphone quality is very good, as is common for Apple's earbuds. The voice is a little quiet (common for earbuds in general) and there's a little bit of digital artefacting to the sound, presumably coming from the clean-up and processing Apple is applying, but speech is clear and represents your voice well, and that's all we need.

  • Features score: 3.5/5

AirPods 4 bud held in a hand, showing the speaker section

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Sound quality

  • Very well balanced
  • Good bass and energy
  • Loss of fine detail

Compared to Apple's previous cheapest AirPods, the AirPods 4 are in another world of sound quality, even without considering spatial audio. They're a bigger, more natural, and more dynamic listen, and I enjoyed music with them.

The bass feels well presented and full, and while it's not super-deep, it underpins things exactly as it's supposed to. It may not hit unctuous levels of sub-bass, but it's really well controlled, so something like the bassline of Allie X's Black Eye bounces along as it should – some cheaper headphones will lack the range for a full bounce, or each beat will hit with a thud. The AirPods are nimble enough to handle this kind of thing.

The mid-range is clear and well resolved, capable of letting individual instruments stand out even among more crammed songs, such as when Moloko's I Want You gets super-busy with lots of overlapping sounds – the AirPods are capable of holding onto each strand, and making sure it doesn’t just turn into a mess of noise. Vocals of all types are lifted out of the mix well.

The treble is similarly well represented, and there's plenty of sparkle in high-frequency details so they shimmer among the rest of the mix. In terms of being a good representation of the bones of music tracks, the AirPods 4 work great, especially since they're reasonably dynamic as well, shifting up a gear in good time when songs pop off.

The problem is that they're soft on fine detail, and it means they're limited to being a fun listen rather than a truly satisfying one, or one that lets you engage with your music at a high level.

The open-ear design that lets in more outside sound doesn't help with this – fine detail is exactly what you lose most from being able to hear chatter or traffic – but I listened in multiple environments and the issue is still there.

When the fine resolution is lost, the realism of the track is lost. That doesn't matter in every track (I wasn't exactly missing it in Eric Prydz' Call On Me, I was just bopping along), but there's a clear difference in a few tracks. Sonny Rollins' St. Thomas is a track that should really put you among the instruments, because it's built around the slight scrape of a drumstick or the click of a tongue on a reed – but that's basically lost when listening on the AirPods 4. The track sounds like a recording, a diminished facsimile, not the close-to-real audio that it can do.

Rains Again by Solji is another clear example – it opens with a heavy rainfall sound that becomes static on headphones that can't deal with the complex detail, but stays as distinct drops on headphones that can deal with it… and on the AirPods 4, it's more in the static column.

With movies, spatial audio works excellently, providing convincing sound that moves around you, doing a great impression of a home theater. There's also a great sense of impact to bassier sounds and a good elevation of treble details – it's exciting to watch action movies this way, and the AirPods' ability to be dynamic is effective here too.

However, dialogue isn't represented as well as effects in the mix, so feels quieter and more unclear, relatively speaking – and with sound leaking in through the open-ear design (and no ANC), it's the first thing to get muddied by outside noises. I compared the AirPods 4 to my AirPods Pro 2, and while the dialogue is a similar level in the Pro 2, the other sounds are closer to that level, so you can just crank the volume up and get a good experience. With the AirPods 4, turning the volume up means effects become a bit much when dialogue gets to the right level.

The lack of fine detail also hits here – for example, during The Matrix's helicopter rescue scene, the cascade of water from the sprinklers becomes a hiss of sound in the background, but again other headphones can pick out the drops. I don't mind this as much here as with the music, though – it's better to have it, but it isn't essential.

I don't think the AirPods 4 are bad for sound at all, but when the competition is as hot for music fidelity as the Sony WF-C700N and the Nothing Ear (a), they pale.

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

AirPods 4 being placed back into their case

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Design

  • Secure open-ear fit
  • Smallest case yet is great
  • IP54 rating for buds and case is good

I've never been a fan of this kind of earbuds design, where they're held in place by the areas of skin around your ear canal – I much prefer the fit of an in-ear tip. However, the AirPods 4 are the best and most comfortable version of this design so far, and I can happily wear then for an extended period without feeling like they're sore or applying pressure, which hasn't always been the case for me. However, when taking them out after a long time, I can slightly feel where they were sitting, so they won't convert me from in-ears just yet.

They're very secure, and didn't shift in any meaningful way during my general use – i.e., mostly while walking or working. They stayed secure while I was jogging too, though I can't promise that this will also be the case for long-distance runs or other workouts.

They're extremely light at 4.3g per bud, which helps with comfort, and they stick out of your ears less far than the AirPods Pro 2 do, which might please some people. And while not everyone likes the stick design, I think it works well for balancing the weight, and this is arguably the most subtle and perhaps preferable version of the design so far.

The case is Apple's smallest AirPods case to date, and I really appreciate that as well – some buds makers perhaps forget that people often just want to slip this stuff into a pocket and not feel it pressing against them. There no reason not to carry these buds with you everywhere, and that's useful.

A nice touch is that the charging light is now totally hidden behind the white of the case – when it's illuminated it appears out of nowhere. A less-nice touch is that the pairing/reset button is now a touch element on the back with no indicator, rather than a physical button, and given that this will mostly be used when people are in a pinch, I think the clarity of a real button was better.

I found that the AirPods 4 are a little harder to grab out of their case than previous models – you'll develop a technique for getting a grip to overcome the magnets, but I suspect that, like me, many people will take a couple of days to get in the groove.

The IP54 waterproof rating for both the earbuds and the case is impressive – not too many mid-range or budget earbuds offer both. This means they should keep dust out, and be fine against water splashes, including rain if you get caught outdoors for a short time.

Incidentally, if you're wondering if it's possible to tell the difference between these AirPods 4 and the ANC model: not from the buds. They are truly identical apart from a tiny printing of the model number. The ANC case has telltale speaker holes on the bottom, though.

  • Design score: 4/5

AirPods 4 case showing the charging port

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Value

  • Cheaper headphones offer better sound
  • …and better cross-platform features
  • But for Apple-only users, they have big advantages

The AirPods 4 are aimed at people who are big on Apple tech, so I'm taking that into account when scoring their value. But as you've likely already picked up in this review, for sound quality, or if you have an iPhone and a Windows laptop (for example), they don't excel for bang-per-buck.

You'll get the extra realism and detail pop in music that these AirPods lack from the likes of the Sony WF-C700N and the Nothing Ear (a), as well as active noise cancellation to make sure you can really hear it. You'll get Bluetooth multi-point with both those devices as well – and even hi-res audio from the Nothing. They both have on-ear volume control as well (and the Nothing even pinch the great pinchable gestures from the AirPods).

However, if you are all-in on Apple, the auto-switching between all your devices without pairing, the (admittedly limited) Find My support, and the excellent spatial audio all help boost the value here. It is frustrating that the AirPods 4 with ANC offer lots more features, though, including wireless charging, and improved Find My support in the case, in addition to the ANC itself.

Let's not forget the design: some people really don't want ear tips, and my recommended alternatives have them. So if your preference is not to have tips, there's added value to these because of their shape. But still, on balance, I don't think they offer any better value than average.

  • Value score: 3/5

AirPods 4 next to their open case on a table

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the AirPods 4?

Buy them if...

You want Apple's cheapest earbuds
If you really want Apple's unique tech that works with all your Apple devices, and you want to spend the minimum, these tick the key boxes, and sound fun while doing it.

You hate in-ear tips on earbuds
The options that really beat the AirPods 4 tend to use in-ear tips, so if you don't want that style, these become a much better option.

Don't buy them if...

You don't own Apple gadgets exclusively
The lack of standard Bluetooth multi-point means no quick switching between, say, an iPhone and a Windows machine. So why not buy something that has that, and has better sound and ANC?

You travel a lot
AirPods 4's small size is great for travel, but they let in so much sound from outside that you won't hear your music very well. Get something with active noise cancellation.

Apple AirPods 4 review: Also consider

Sony WF-C700N
Sony's superb buds offer fantastic fidelity in music, solid noise cancellation, control via the Sony app, and Bluetooth multi-point. We've championed them since their launch, and you can read why in our full Sony WF-C700N review.

Nothing Ear (a)
If you like the stick design and pinch control of AirPods, these offer that, along with even better sound and ANC than the Sony option above, for just a little more cash than the Sony. These are the mid-range buds to beat right now, as our Nothing Ear (a) review explains.

How I tested the AirPods 4

AirPods 4 worn in a man's ears

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested over three weeks
  • Connected to an iPhone, iPad Pro and MacBook Air
  • Tested alongside AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2

I reviewed the AirPods 4 as part of my typical daily routine, using them at home, at the office, and while commuting. I have an iPhone 13 Pro, MacBook Air M1, iPad Pro, and an Apple TV 4K, so they were used just as Tim Cook intended.

For testing sound quality and battery life, I followed the procedures laid out in our explainer on how we test earbuds.

I had the AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2 available for any direct comparisons that were useful, across Apple's current earbuds lineup.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: October 2023
FiiO FT1 review: FiiO’s first closed-back over-ear headphones let down by hit-and-miss sound
3:19 pm | October 10, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

FiiO FT1: Two-minute review

The FiiO FT1 are the company's very first pair of closed-back over-ear headphones and, given FiiO's extensive catalogue, it's strange to think there could be any kind of gap in the FiiO product line-up. But, in the established FiiO manner, the company has done its utmost to provide value for money.

A pretty modest outlay buys you balanced and unbalanced connections, a quantity of acoustically optimised black walnut wood for the earcups, a pair of oversized (60mm) dynamic drivers with a very promising claimed frequency response, an impressive degree of passive noise isolation, and Hi-Res Audio certification from two very credible audio organisations.

Comfort is good, and the FiiO FT1 are as pleasing where tactility is concerned as they are visually. The only false note (at least until you fire them up and start listening) is the relative bulk of their travel case – the headphones don’t fold anything like flat.

But while there’s lots to like in the FiiO sound – detail levels and nicely judged tonality in particular – it’s hard to get beyond the fact that the FT1 are a rather two-dimensional and unyieldingly energetic listen. There’s a forcefulness to the way they present music that’s not always appropriate, and as a result they’re far from the no-brainer best-in-class wired headphones FiiO was undoubtedly aiming for.    

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones on a white table

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Price & release date

  • Released on August 21, 2024
  • Priced $159 / £139 / AU$239

The FiiO FT1 have been on sale since mid-August, and they will set you back $159/£139 – pricing is yet to be confirmed for Australia, but you’re looking at AU$239 or something quite like it. 

That's an aggressive price for headphones as eye-catchingly specified, both inside and out, as this – and exactly the sort of thing we’ve all come to expect from FiiO. That doesn’t mean the FT1 are without competition, though – hard-wired, closed-back over-ear headphones from the likes of Austrian Audio, Beyerdynamic and HiFiMan (to name but three) are all ready to serve as an alternative.

Fiio FT1 review: Specs

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones on a white surface

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Features

  • 60mm dynamic drivers
  • 3.5mm- and 4.4mm-terminated cables
  • ‘Hi-Res Audio’ certification

As a pair of passive headphones, the Fiio FT1 are predictably short on features. Those features they do have, though, seem to be rather more upmarket than the asking price might suggest.

For instance, the FT1 are supplied with two 1.5m lengths of silver-plated oxygen-free copper cable. One is terminated in the usual 3.5mm unbalanced connection, the other in a rather more esoteric 4.4mm balanced alternative. Each cable splits at the other end – each earcup must be hard-wired – and ends in a 3.5mm connection, which means it should be pretty straightforward to upgrade the cables if you think it necessary.

The audio information travelling up the cable is delivered to your ears by a couple of 60mm dynamic drivers that are mostly built from wood-fibre. Each one is backed by a W-shaped suspension gasket and features an oversized (25mm) voice coil. FiiO reckons this arrangement offers wide frequency response – 10Hz to 40kHz, so it says – and minimal driver break-up. It also results in a fairly low impedance of 32ohms, which means the FT1 should be no trouble to drive efficiently. A conical baffle plate in front of each driver is designed to allow the drivers to be positioned parallel to the wearer’s ears, which theoretically will reduce standing waves.

There’s nothing theoretical about the FT1’s hi-res audio capability, though. Both the Japan Audio Society and the Consumer Electronics Association have certified these headphones to be Hi-Res Audio capable. 

  • Features score: 5/5

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones, with cables, on a white surface

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Sound quality

  • Upfront and vigorous sound
  • Punchy and detailed 
  • Cramped and relentless presentation

In some ways, the FT1 sound just as enjoyable as many other products in the FiiO catalogue. There are areas of sonic performance in which they are easily a match for the best of their price-comparable rivals. 

Certainly they don’t lack where drive and attack are concerned. No matter if it’s a 320kbps file of Caribou’s Odessa, a 16bit/44.1kHz WAV copy of Wet Leg’s I Don’t Wanna Go Out or a 24bit/88.2kHz FLAC file of Giorgio by Moroder from Daft Punk, the FiiO sink their teeth in. They’re a vigorous, upfront listen and can summon the sort of levels of attack that make even quite laid-back recordings sound lively. This forward, up-and-at-’em attitude generates a fair amount of sonic excitement, no two ways about it.

Low frequencies are deep, nicely shaped and reasonably well controlled, so there are few issues where rhythmic expression or simple bass thump are concerned. Above there, the midrange is detailed and quite insightful, especially where vocalists are concerned, and share a nicely consistent tonality with everything that’s going on above and below. At the top end, the FT1 press on gamely, but give treble sounds just enough substance to balance out the bite and crunch that’s their primary characteristic.

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones playing music from from a portable music player

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

The frequency range hangs together well, with no area given particular prominence and no area underplayed. Overall tonality is well judged, and fairly neutral to the point that it’s your source player, rather than these headphones, that will have the biggest influence here. And the eye for detail the FiiO demonstrate, even down to the small harmonic variations apparent in a solo instrument or in transient events, makes for an information-rich presentation.

But where soundstaging is concerned, the FT1 begin to struggle a little. Closed-back headphones, almost by definition, present a sound that’s more confined than the open-backed alternative – but these FiiO headphones struggle to create a meaningful sense of three-dimensionality. Their presentation is narrow and flat, with no real ‘front/back’ definition available to complement the ‘left/right’. Consequently, their stage is small-scale and quite cramped, and with every element of a recording involved in a scrap for elbow room at the front of the stage, once it involves more than a couple of elements it inevitably sounds congested and confined.

When you combine this lack of breathing space with the remorselessly upfront attitude, there’s a sort of relentlessness to the FT1 sound that, in the worst circumstances, can actually be quite oppressive. There’s a crowded, invasive sensation that’s not unlike someone reading over your shoulder or otherwise invading your personal space. There’s just no relief in the way the FiiO FT1 present music, and it can be quite a tiring overall experience as a result.

  • Sound quality score: 3/5

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones earcup

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Design

  • Black walnut earcups
  • -26dB sound insulation
  • 12-step headband adjustment

While there’s nothing at all unusual about the overall design of the FT1, there is one element that immediately makes these headphones stand out at their price point: the earcups are backed by a decorative, and expensive-looking, quantity of black walnut wood.

The acoustic properties of wood have been established for a number of centuries now, so there’s no need to explain FiiO’s thinking here. But as well as the inherent benefits of the material, there’s no denying it makes the FT1 look distinctive, distinguished and a fair bit more costly than they actually are.

Moving forward from the back of the earcups, the FT1 are fitted with quite generously padded earpads that are covered in a comfy breathable plastic. The headband, meanwhile, is equally judiciously padded, and covered with pleather on the outer surface and a suede-like material on the inner.

The headband connects to the earcups via slender length of metal, and the same material is used for the exposed headband adjustment mechanism. There are 12 steps of adjustment available which along with some nicely considered clamping force, means the FT1 wear their 340g weight quite lightly. The yoke arrangement allows the earcups to rotate horizontally and for pitch – but they don’t fold, which means the supplied travel case is on the bulky side.

FiiO reckons the FT1 provide class-leading sound insulation for a product of this type of -26dB. It’s achieved this by including sound-absorbing cotton, an acoustic damping tube and spiral-shaped ‘resonance dissipation’ chamber between the inner part of the wooden earcup and the driver itself. So as well as the inherent advantage of a closed-back design where sound leakage is concerned, the FT1 allow less sound in than the average.

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones displaying walnut earcups

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
  • Design score: 4.5/5

Fiio FT1 review: Value

  • Premium materials
  • Impressive specification
  • Rather hit-and-miss sound

You’ve read this far, so you know what’s coming. Where the standard of build and finish is concerned, where the quality of the materials is concerned, where comfort is concerned, the FT1 really hit the mark. Their specification, all-extended frequency response, class-leading passive noise-isolation and your choice of silver-plated balanced and unbalanced connecting cables, are impressive too. 

The value proposition is quite fundamentally undermined by the headphones’ forceful and confined audio characteristics, though. There’s precious little space in the sound, and a rather invasive and in-your-face quality that’s far from helpful in the medium-to-long term.

  • Value score: 3/5

Should I buy the Fiio FT1?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Fiio FT1 review: Also consider

They may look incoherent where the FiiO FT1 look quite glamorous, but there are a couple of Austrian Audio models (the Hi-X15 and Hi-X50) that bracket the FiiO in price and offer a fair bit of the balance and composure the FT1 are missing. 

Or, if you think the FiiO are on the small side, there’s always the excellent (and frankly massive) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro – they have the sonic insight and poise the FT1 are crying out for. 

How I tested the Fiio FT1

  • Wired to a laptop, a headphone amp and a digital audio player
  • Connected using both balanced and unbalanced cables
  • Using a variety of music of various file types and sizes

Though they’re obviously designed for at-home use, it’s important to get as complete a perspective as possible, so as well as connecting the FT1 to my Apple MacBook Pro (both directly and via an iFi iDSD Diablo 2 headphone amp/DAC) I joined them to a FiiO M15S digital audio player via the 4.4mm balanced cable. I even used them on an aeroplane, which got me looks that were not all admiring.

I listened to a variety of music, of course, of various file types and from 320kbps to 24bit/192kHz resolution. And I did all of this, on and off, for the best part of a working week.

  • First reviewed: October 2024
Dali IO-8 review: great-sounding noise-cancelling headphones, but ‘entry-level’ this is not
11:00 am | October 8, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones | Tags: | Comments: Off

Dali IO-8: Two-minute review

The Dali IO-8 are the wireless over-ear noise-cancelling result of the company's attempts to cater for more mainstream customers. A brand like Dali should have more than one pair of wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones in its line-up, of course, especially when the one pre-existing pair it does have costs pennies less than £1,000 in the UK. Yet, even at a price of £599, the aforementioned word ‘mainstream’ is perhaps not the first that should spring to mind for the new Dali IO-8. 

With one fairly notable exception, the IO-8 are specified to compete at this fiercely contested price point for the best noise-cancelling headphones crown. They’re very acceptably built and finished, from high-quality materials (although the real leather isn’t going to excite vegan customers). Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX Adaptive compatibility, 30 hours of battery life with ANC engaged, 24bit/96kHz support, 50mm full-range drivers with 10Hz-43kHz frequency response… these are all welcome features. The ability to work passively, with no requirement for power, when wired via an analogue connection, is a very nice touch too. 

Only the lack of a control app sounds a slightly bum note, no matter how Dali might seek to spin it as a virtue.

Dali IO-8 over-ear headphones, in their carry case, on a wood surface

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Dali IO-8 review: Price & release date

  • Released on October 8, 2024
  • Priced $899 / £599 / AU$TBC

The Dali IO-8 wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones launched on October 8, 2024, and in the United Kingdom they currently sell for £599. In the United States they’ll cost you $899, while in Australia the going rate has not officially been confirmed, at the time of publishing (but it'll be around AU$1,165 or thereabouts). 

These are affordable wireless headphones by Dali standards, true, but everything’s relative, isn’t it? This sort of money can buy you some extremely well-regarded alternatives from brands that don’t necessarily consider $899 to be ‘entry-level’...

Close-up of Dali IO-8 over-ear headphone outer earcup

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Dali IO-8 review: Specs

Inner earcups of the Dali IO-8 over-ear headphones on a wood surface

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Dali IO-8 review: Features

  • 50mm free edge full-range dynamic drivers 
  • Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC, AAC, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive compatibility
  • 35 hours of battery life

As far as the ‘wireless’ part of ‘wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones’ goes, the Dali IO-8 use Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity, and have compatibility with SBC, AAC, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive codecs. But it’s also possible to use them via a wired connection – the USB-C socket on the right earcup can be used for data transfer as well as for charging the battery, and connected this way they’re able to deal with digital audio files of up to 24bit/96kHz resolution. Obviously you can give them even larger files to deal with, but these will be downscaled before the digital-to-analogue conversion takes place.

Dali provides a USB-C / USB-A cable in a reasonably compact travel case, and also includes a 3.5mm / 3.5mm analogue alternative. There’s a 3.5mm input on the left earcup, and if you make an analogue connection to a source player the Dali don’t even need to be powered on. Flat battery? No problem: the IO-8 can be used passively, which is a definite bonus.

Mind you, letting the battery run flat will smack of negligence. The Dali will run for 35 hours from a single charge with active noise-cancelling switched off, and if you switch it on that figure drops to a still-competitive 30 hours. The ANC itself (or ‘audiophile active noise-cancelling’, as Dali rather self-importantly has it) has ‘on’, ‘off’ and ‘transparency’ settings, and the company has tuned it for maximum sound quality rather than maximum noise-cancellation.

Dali IO-8 over-ear headphones earcup with on/off switch, battery life and USB-C socket

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

No matter how you get your audio information on board, it’s delivered to your ears by a couple of 50mm free edge full-range dynamic drivers that are good, suggests Dali, for a frequency response of 10Hz-43kHz. Just as it does with its full-size speakers, Dali has built these drivers from a paper fibre material with randomly aligned fibres of varying lengths to create a light-yet-stiff diaphragm with optimal damping.

As far as control is concerned, there are a couple of options here. Each earcup features a couple of mic openings – Dali has used cVc technology for telephony, and these mics also allow communication with your source player’s native voice assistant. In addition to its USB-C input, the right earcup features a combination of push- and touch-controls covering ‘play/pause’, ‘volume up/down’, ‘skip forwards/backwards’, ‘answer/end call’ and ‘power on/off/Bluetooth pairing’ as well as cycling through your ANC options or choosing between two EQ settings (‘hi-fi’ or ‘bass’).

What’s conspicuous by its absence, though, is a control app. Dali wants to make a virtue of this – it’s tuned the IO-8 to sound as good as they can, goes the rationale, and the last thing the sound quality needs is the end user sticking their oar in. Whether or not you think an outlay as significant as this ought to buy a swanky control app a la Bowers & Wilkins, Bose and all the rest of them is a question of personal preference.

  • Features score: 4.5/5

Dali IO-8 review: Sound quality

  • Detailed and expansive sound
  • Positive, dynamic presentation
  • Great low-end expression and agility

If you’ve heard any of Dali’s more expensive loudspeaker designs lately, the combination of talents the IO-8 demonstrate when playing music, of any type, won’t come as any kind of surprise. If you haven’t, though, well… it’s like this…

The IO-8 are remarkably insightful, detailed headphones. No element of a recording is too fleeting to elude them, and they have the happy knack of being able to put even the most transient events in a singular recording like Children Crying by The Congos into convincing context. Their remarkable facility for detail retrieval and expression is not at the expense of the bigger picture, either. The Dali create a large overall image, and it’s only when you peer closely at it that you realise just how alive with detail it is. 

There’s a sensation of directness and of positivity to the way these headphones deliver music, a sensation of engagement that some similarly priced alternatives forgo in an effort to sound somehow more ‘accurate’. There’s no lack of precision to the IO-8, no lack of apparent fidelity – but they’re no dry tool of analysis. The idea of music as entertainment does not escape them, not even for a moment.

They have ample bite and shine at the top of the frequency range, but it’s controlled to the point that there’s never any glint of hardness, even in a Lee Perry production that is constantly on edge where treble sounds are concerned. The transition into the midrange is seamless, and once there the Dali communicate with absolute assurance and no little articulacy. They can relay a vocal performance's minutiae with the sort of effortlessness that makes for a direct and unequivocal listen.

Dali IO-8 over-ear headphones 3.5mm cable socket

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

At the bottom of the frequency range there’s a great combination of weight, texture and momentum. Listening with the ‘hi-fi’ EQ setting selected, the Dali offer straight-edged attack, rhythmic certainty, a decent amount of punch and an absolute stack of tonal and textural variation. Switch to ‘bass’ and while the amount of low-end presence increases noticeably, it’s not at the expense of any of the other work the Dali do with bass information. For my money it’s a slightly less naturalistic setting, but those who crave a bit of wallop won’t be disappointed.

Tonality is carefully neutral, and the frequency response is delightfully even from the very bottom of the frequency range to the very top. The broad dynamic shifts in intensity apparent in a 24bit/96kHz FLAC file of Stay Lit by Holy F*** are described in full – the IO-8 have no problem putting considerable distance between ‘loud’ and ‘quiet’. And the harmonic variations that are apparent in every instrument in this recording are given plenty of expression, too.

The Dali summon a large and persuasive soundstage, organizes it with utter authority and makes specific elements of even very complex recordings easy to identify and individualize. But at the same time it offers a very persuasive sensation of togetherness and singularity to recordings – there’s always an impression of ‘performance’ to the way it presents music.

Noise-cancelling, predictably, falls squarely into the ‘very good’ category rather than the very brief list headed ‘as good as Bose’ (single occupant: Bose). The IO-8 can do a reasonably thorough job on external sounds and keep those external distractions at bay, sure, but just as importantly, it does so without affecting the sonic characteristics in the slightest.

  • Sound quality score: 5/5

Dali IO-8 review: Design

  • ‘Iron’ black, or ‘caramel’ white finishes
  • Real leather contact points
  • Weighs 325g

It comes to something, doesn’t it, when ‘round’ counts as a design flourish? But the fundamental design of over-ear headphones is so established that the perfectly circular earcups and earpads of the IO-8 is about the only part of their appearance that’s even remotely unusual.

They’re expertly built and finished, mind you, and from very upmarket and tactile materials. The round plate that covers the outside of each round earcup is of brushed and anodised metal, while the contact points of the inside of the headband and the earpads themselves are of memory foam covered in genuine leather (so long, vegans, it was nice knowing you). An outer section of the earpads and the entirety of the outside of the headband are covered in hard-wearing textile. 

The headband adjustment mechanism is mostly concealed inside the headband itself, and it moves with nicely judged resistance. At 325g the IO-8 are far from the heaviest wireless over-ears around, and both the hanger arrangement and clamping force are so judicious that they remain comfortable for hours at a time. And unlike quite a lot of rival products, the Dali are not so big that they exclude the smaller-headed among us.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Dali IO-8 over-ear headphones' headband and hanger arrangement on a wooden surface

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Dali IO-8 review: Value

  • High-quality sound at a crowded price point
  • Comfortable, look good, excellent battery life
  • No control app, plus non-vegan 

You buy expensive headphones in order to enjoy high-quality sound, right? If so, then there’s no arguing with the value on offer here – the Dali IO-8 are by no means your only choice at the price, but they have nothing to apologize for when it comes to the way they sound.

And if you’re able to overlook the lack of a vegan option, the standard of build and finish is well up to standard, too. The IO-8 look and feel good and they’re comfortable for hours on end, with the battery life to prove it.

If you think this sort of money should buy a control app, you’ll certainly get no argument from me. But I have to wonder what it would be for – after all, the way Dali has voiced these headphones is unlikely to be improved by my fiddling with EQ settings, and the company has already indicated that the ANC is implemented to the maximum level it’s happy with. It would be nice to be able to integrate all my favorite music streaming services into one hub, of course, but I’ve seen enough ropey control apps to know that ‘no app’ is better than ‘annoying app’.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy Dali IO-8?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Dali IO-8 over-ear headphones carry case on a wood surface

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Dali IO-8 review: Also consider

Apple AirPods Max
I’m contractually obliged to mention the Apple AirPods Max here. They’re a great option for iPhone and iPad users, to be fair, with a nicely realized sensation of spatial audio when connected to a sibling device, but I’ve yet to see anyone good-looking enough to wear them without looking like a bit of a ‘nana.
See our in-depth Apple AirPods Max review for more info.

How I tested the Dali IO-8

  • Connected wirelessly, via USB-C and via 3.5mm analogue
  • Powered and passively
  • Indoors and out

They’re adaptable by the standards of wireless headphones, the Dali IO-8, and so I listened to them when wireless connected to an iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S digital audio player. I also listened to them via a USB-C connection to an Apple MacBook Pro (loaded with Colibri software in order to play authentically high-resolution content). 

I also listened to them with the battery switched off and a hard analogue connection made to both the FiiO and the MacBook Pro, too. I listened to them at my desk and on public transport, I listened to lots of different styles of music, delivered via lots of different digital audio file types and sizes. And I did all of this, on and off, for well over a week. 

Focal Diva Utopia is the ultimate stereo speaker system for anyone who can afford it – here’s our review
7:00 pm | October 2, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Speakers | Tags: | Comments: Off

Focal Diva Utopia: Two-minute review

Let’s be polite in our choice of word, shall we, and describe an asking price of $39,999 / £29,999 / AU$59,999 for a pair of wireless active speakers as ‘punchy’? Focal has leveraged both its own long-established expertise (and that of its sister company Naim) and spent five years developing what the asking price insists must be the most accomplished, least compromised wireless music streaming system you can buy.

Certainly it looks the part, as long as you consider ‘the part’ to mean ‘striking and dramatic’. The quality of construction is unarguable, and the finish is currently unique in the world of loudspeakers. There are numerous control options, all of them expertly implemented. And it’s specified without apparent compromise, to the point that it’s ready to do unashamedly high-performance things to all your favourite music no matter where it’s stored.  

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to performance, there’s virtually nothing to take issue with. As long as your room is large enough for the Diva Utopia to stretch out and properly express itself, it will reward you with a sound that combines muscularity, insight, scale and attack with the sort of deft manoeuvrability and rhythmic positivity that makes every listen an event. It’s a staggeringly accomplished system with a list of talents as long as your arm – which, in the context of the asking price, is exactly as it should be.

 Will they enter our best stereo speakers roundup very soon? That's hardly fair since most products within our guide are a mere fraction of the Diva Utopia's asking fee. That said, if you've got this kind of money, they're well worth it, and we never make such statements glibly. 

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

Focal Diva Utopia review: Price & release date

  • Released October 2, 2024
  • Priced $39,999 / £29,999 / AU$59,999

The Focal Diva Utopia launched on 2nd October 2024, and in the United Kingdom they cost a not-inconsiderable £29,999 while in the United States they will set you back an equally significant $39,999. The price in Australia is AU$59,999.

Need I say with undue emphasis that this is an awful lot of money for a wireless audio system in a pair of loudspeakers? That expectations in every respect – design, build, finish, specification, performance, you name it – are, inevitably, sky-high? That anything less than across-the-board excellence must count as a failure? No pressure then, Focal…

Focal Diva Utopia three screenshots of the app

(Image credit: Focal)

Focal Diva Utopia review: Features

  • 800 watts of Class AB power in total
  • 32bit/384kHz native DAC resolution
  • Numerous analog and digital input options

Apparently Focal has, in conjunction with sister company Naim, been working on the Diva Utopia for the past five years. Obviously that’s quite a chunk of time for a product to be in development – but it’s sufficient time for a product’s feature-set to be specified without apparent compromise, too.

Each Diva Utopia is a three-way bass-reflex speaker. Near the top of the front baffle there’s a 27mm pure beryllium ‘M’-shaped inverted dome tweeter – it sits behind a red/black ‘double’ grille that appears to change colour and brightness as you move around the speaker. Beneath it there’s a 165mm ‘W’ mid/bass driver with tuned mass damper surround and a ‘neutral inductance circuit’ motor of the type Focal has been refining for quite some time. 

On each of the speaker’s side panels there are a pair of 165mm ‘W’ bass drivers arranged in a push/push configuration. The output of this quartet is augmented by a downward-firing bass reflex port that vents against the fixed boundary of the speaker’s integrated aluminium plinth.

There’s a total of 400 watts of Naim Audio-designed Class AB amplification on board each speaker to power this driver array. The tweeter and the mid/bass driver get 75 watts each, and the remaining 250 watts is divided between the four bass drivers. Focal reckons this is an arrangement that’s good for a frequency response of 27Hz - 40kHz.

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

As is the way with the majority of products of this type, one speaker does all the heavy lifting where connectivity is concerned. So one of the Utopia Diva has just a mains power socket and an RJ45 socket for making a hard-wired connection to its partner on its rear panel, the other is taking care of business. It features the same mains power input and RJ45 system link, and also has the same substantial heat-dissipating radiator arrangement that’s more than a little reminiscent of Naim’s statement Statement amplification. But it also incorporates an RJ45 for Ethernet, a Type 2.0 USB-A slot, a digital optical input, a line-level stereo RCA input, and an HDMI eARC socket. With the possible exception of a phono input for use with an unamplified turntable, it’s difficult to know what else Focal might have included where physical connectivity is concerned. 

Wireless stuff is handled by Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Adaptive codec compatibility, and dual-band wi-fi. Wi-fi (or Ethernet, if you prefer) brings Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect into play – the Diva Utopia is UPnP-compatible, too, although it’s not Roon Ready. Internet radio is available, and both Qobuz, and QQMusic via QPlay (for Chinese customers) are also accessible via the dedicated control app. All incoming digital signals, whether wired or wirelessly received, are dealt with by a 32bit/384kHz DAC that’s also compatible with DSD128. 

Focal has deployed UWB (ultra wide band) technology to ensure latency between the two speakers is negligible. When the speakers are connected wirelessly, resolution tops out at 24bit/96kHz - but use the supplied RJ45 cable to make a physical connection between the two and 24bit/192kHz can be yours.  

  • Features score: 4.5/5

Focal Diva Utopia review: Sound quality

  • Deftly dynamic presentation
  • Scale and muscularity combined with detail and insight
  • Requires a fair bit of breathing space

Just imagine what a story it would be if the Focal Diva Utopia, with its remarkable looks, extensive specification and terrifying price-tag, didn’t actually sound all that good? What a story that would be…

But it’s a story that will have to wait for another day – because in the simplest terms, the Diva Utopia sounds bloody marvellous. It’s a profoundly accomplished, endlessly engaging and thoroughly enjoyable listen, a system that revels in any and every type of music, and that is seemingly capable of wringing the last drop of detail from a recording.

No matter if it’s decoding, amplifying and delivering an Amazon Prime Video stream of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Distant Sky via its HDMI eARC socket, dealing with a (pre-amplified) vinyl copy of Mary Lattimore’s And Then He Wrapped His Wings Around Me or giving the treatment to a TIDAL Connect stream of a 24bit/96kHz FLAC file of What Goes On by The Velvet Underground, the Focal system is is complete command of the material. It combines iron-fisted low-frequency behaviour, unarguable dynamic potency and a forensic level of insight that ensures you always feel like you’re getting a complete account of a recording - and at considerable scale.

Low-frequency presence is, unsurprisingly, significant. The system digs deep and hits hard, but loads bass information with an absolute stack of detail concerning tone and texture, and is so positive and straight-edged in its control that rhythmic expression is never a concern. It’s deft enough to skip through a complex double-bass part, muscular enough to attack a hip-hop drum pattern, dynamic enough to make the harmonic variations in a timpani obvious. 

Above there, the midrange communicates in an absolutely explicit, torrential manner. No transient detail is too minor or too fleeting to escape it, and no singer has yet made a recording that can’t have the nuance of emotion, attitude and character of their performance teased out of it. At the top of the frequency range, the Focal is more than substantial enough to give treble sounds proper presence, detailed enough to make the gauge of, say, a cymbal obvious, and attacking enough to really sink its teeth into the brightest and/or splashiest high-end stuff.

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

The tonal balance is carefully and convincingly neutral, and the crossover between the drivers is imperceptible. The entire frequency range hangs together as if it was being produced by a single driver, and there’s no understatement or overplaying of any particular area. The Diva Utopia is a naturalistic as they come where this sort of thing is concerned.

Dynamic headroom is superabundant, as seems only reasonable when you consider the sheer amount of power that’s on tap here. When Michael Tilson Thomas shifts the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and Chorus into top gear during Orff’s Carmina Burana the sheer amount of drive and attack that the system can summon is almost shocking. But all of this barn-burning intensity is not at the expense of subtlety – when the going gets mild and contemplative, the Focal can cosset with the best of them. And no matter the specific circumstances, the soundstage the Diva Utopia creates is large, three-dimensional and entirely convincing. Even a full-scale orchestra with massed chorus enjoys sufficient elbow room. 

Everything the system does, it does without seeming to make all that much of an effort. There’s an almost casual authority about the way it goes about things, a suggestion that ‘there’s plenty more where that came from’. I’m not sure if the Diva Utopia can be provoked into sounding in any way stressed or otherwise uncomfortable – all I know is I haven’t been able to do so. And believe me, I have tried. 

It follows that downsides are few. In fact, it’s really only the amount of breathing space the system needs that is noteworthy. I’m going to go ahead and assume that anyone with 30 grand to spend on a couple of speakers has a fair amount of space in which to position them – but in a room that’s anything less than ‘really quite large’ the Diva Utopia can overwhelm. And that, really, is about the only note of caution I can sound.     

  • Sound quality score: 5/5

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

Focal Diva Utopia review: Design

  • High-density moulded polymer cabinet
  • Gray felt finish (with other colors to follow)
  • Floor-spikes or castors 

Each Diva Utopia loudspeaker is 121 x 42 x 56cm (HxWxD) and 64kg – and consequently is quite imposing. But while Focal has obviously designed this system for optimum performance, it hasn’t allowed the opportunity to inject a little visual drama into the ownership experience to pass it by.

The cabinets here are made from high-density moulded polymer, and are structurally reinforced to produce a rigid structure that rejects vibrations almost entirely. Each one stands on an injected aluminium base that is pre-fitted with castors – these can be swapped for chunky, high quality floor-spikes that are also supplied, along with discs they can stand in to protect your floor’s finish. The angularity of the cabinet, especially the top section that houses the tweeter, is a) recognisable to anyone who’s familiar with the Utopia range, b) dictated by sound acoustic principles, and c) more than a little reminiscent of an H.R. Giger creation. 

Focal has finished these cabinets with a robust, tactile grey felt cloth – it combines, says the manufacturer, elegance and minimal environmental impact. Other colors are likely to be available in the future.

It’s certainly a point of difference from high-gloss colors or wood finishes, and it gives the speakers a slightly ethereal look. The division between the side panels (which also include contrasting grille covers for the side-firing bass drivers), where the obligatory illuminated ‘Focal’ logo sits proudly, is brilliantly consistent – Tesla could learn a thing or two about panel gaps from Focal, that’s for sure. The overall quality of the finish is basically flawless and, even if it’s not your cup of tea, you can’t deny that it makes the Diva Utopia look distinctive.  

  • Design score: 5/5

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

Focal Diva Utopia review: Setup and usability

  • Focal & Naim control app
  • Voice assistant-compatible
  • Zigbee remote control handset

Obviously these are large, heavy loudspeakers. But Focal has gone to reasonable lengths to make installation and set-up as straightforward as possible.

The speakers arrive with the castors pre-fitted, and it’s actually quite straightforward to wheel them out of their necessarily large boxes using the little wooden ramp that’s inside. After that, it’s easy enough to get them positioned as you’d like (although if you decide to put them on the supplied floor-spikes, as you really should, you’ll need the help of at least one additional volunteer). 

The system also ships with a ‘Zigbee’ remote control that will be familiar to anyone with experience of Naim electronics over the last decade or so. The Diva Utopia is also compatible with your preferred voice assistant – but it’s the Focal & Naim app where the real action is. As well as the usual stuff like saving some favourites and assigning presets, checking for firmware updates and what-have-you, it also features a comprehensive room correction routine into which the end user gets an unusual amount of input (although Focal’s assertion that it is ‘fun’ is, I am prepared to say here and now, a false alarm). It allows you to enable or disable specific inputs to keep the homepage nice and clean, trim the output level of specific inputs, and plenty more besides. The app was in ‘beta’ at the time of testing, but even in less-than-perfect shape it proves clean, logical, reliable and stable. 

  • Setup and usability score: 5/5

Focal Diva Utopia review: Value

You might argue that $39,999 / £29,999 for a wireless music streaming system can’t possibly represent value for money, and to be honest you won’t get much of an argument from me. 

But what I would point out is that it’s possible to build a high-end music system of the more traditional type and spend way more money than this, that the Diva Utopia is an architectural talking-point as well as a superbly adaptable music system, and that quality like this where both industrial design and sonic performance are concerned seldom comes cheap. 

On a pound-for-pound basis it’s difficult to make the case that you’re getting notable value here – but if you can afford it, I say go right ahead. I know I will if my numbers ever come up… 

Should you buy the Focal Diva Utopia?

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

You want what is definitely the best wireless streaming system costing less than six figures
It doesn’t have a huge amount of competition at the price, it’s true - but nevertheless the Focal Diva Utopia is a tremendously accomplished product

You have a fairly large room in which to put it
These are big speakers that are capable of big sound – and they will prove altogether too much of a good thing in smaller spaces…

You enjoy muscular, poised and endlessly communicative sound
If there’s an aspect of music reproduction that the Diva Utopia isn’t in complete command of, I’ve yet to identify it

Don't buy it if...

You think this sort of money should buy amplification for a turntable
If a system is really going to be all-in-one (or even all-in-two) then a phono stage for use with a record player really needs to be on the menu

You’re a Roon subscriber
Focal has its reasons for shunning Roon, but well-off music streaming aficionados tend to have music on a number of different platforms that it’s nice to aggregate…

You have a badly behaved cat
That felt finish is a visual and tactile delight – but if I owned the Utopia Diva, I’d be concerned that I wasn’t the only one who thought so…

Focal Diva Utopia speakers in a hi-fi listening room

(Image credit: Future)

Focal Diva Utopia review: Also consider

As far as all-in-two music streaming systems are concerned, there’s not a lot of competition for the Diva Utopia at a similar sort of price – even the never-knowingly-underpriced Bang & Olufsen can only offer its Beolab 28 high-resolution wireless stereo speakers, and they’re around half the price of the Focal. 

Of course, it’s possible to build a system that does much of what the Diva Utopia can do by checking out amplification, passive loudspeakers and a music streamer at around ten grand a pop - but that’s not going to have the same sort of visual impact or ergonomic tidiness of the Focal. The Diva Utopia, then, currently seems to be number one in a field of one…  

First reviewed: October 2024

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Xiaomi Buds 5 review: great-sounding cheap earbuds but sadly, there are issues
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Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Xiaomi Buds 5: Two-minute review

Like most Chinese tech companies, Xiaomi's product portfolio runs the gamut from smartphones and fitness trackers to tablets, air fryers, electric scooters and massage guns, and while you may know the company for a few of those gadgets, headphones may not be one of them. And it's true that the company has yet to feature in our roundup of the best earbuds we've tested, although we keep checking with reviews just like these. 

So while the likes of the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra smartphones may be stealing headlines and winning hearts (we gave both 4.5/5), the Xiaomi Buds 5 have more of an uphill battle in order to win listeners over. And as you'll soon find out, the buds' favorite direction is actually 'down'.

The Xiaomi Buds 5 are new headphones that are some of Xiaomi's higher-end audio offerings, but still certainly fall into the 'best cheap headphones' category, bumping up against many options from rival audio brands as well as from market stalwarts.

There's a lot to like with the Xiaomi Buds 5, but enough to dislike that you may not want to put up with the good parts.

My main issue, which plagued testing from the day I started until the day I finished, was the fit of these earbuds. Without any silicone tip, or much of an arch in the design to hook them into your ear, the Buds 5 just refuse to stay in place. They'll start to slip if you so much as walk, and a head shake or jump will see them tumble from place. I found myself repeatedly pushing them back into my ear if I had to go on walks with them in.

I thought the issue was down to my ear shape but (after heavy sanitization) I made a few other people test them out too. They all commented, unprovoked, that the buds felt very loose. A decent fit in a design that doesn't use ear tips to achieve a seal something Apple's worked on extensively for its AirPods 4 rollout, and Xiaomi could learn a little for the Cupertino giant here. 

So you're only going to be able to enjoy your music if you're sitting still, or doing gentle activities like chopping veg for dinner or vacuuming your apartment. But then you're going to have to contend with an app that I found to be quite buggy.

Many times during testing, I'd pop the buds in my ears only to find that some key features weren't working. I found that the buds needed to be manually reconnected in the app for these features to work, with ANC and my custom equalizer only enabled after this. I can't imagine that this is an intentional feature, so I can only presume that it's a bug (hopefully, one that an update will fix).

These are two major issues but there are a few things that I'd consider significant 'cons' on better earbuds: the noise cancellation, battery life and call quality are all middling to poor.

So with that all in mind, why have I given the Xiaomi Buds 5 a fairly reasonable score? Well, it's largely down to the sound quality: they have a really distinctive and appealing audio balance that leans heavily on bass without losing trebles and mids. It's zealous, it's punchy and it's oh-so likeable! Music is high-quality, thanks to support for a few big codecs, and Harman Kardon tuning helps you appreciate your songs in a roaring and bordering on warm balance. That's if you can enjoy your music before the buds fall from your ears!

A few more features win the Xiaomi Buds 5 points too, including an audio-recording feature that you can enable straight from your ears, really convenient gesture controls, and a svelte and lightweight carry case. Honestly, the poor app and irritating fit let these otherwise promising earbuds down. 

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Price and release date

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Unveiled in September 2024
  • Sells for £69.99 (roughly $90, AU$140)
  • On sale in Europe for now

The Xiaomi Buds 5 were announced in late September 2024, alongside the Mi Smart Band 9 and a range of smart-home products.

You can pick up the buds for £69.99 (roughly $90, AU$140) which makes these contenders for our round-up of the best cheap earbuds. Based on precedent, Xiaomi could release a pricier Pro version down the line, and its full audio range extends from pricier open-ear sports buds to some staggeringly cheap buds under its Redmi sub-brand.

At that price you’d be comparing these to a few rivals from other mobile brands including the CMF Buds Pro 2 and OnePlus Buds Nord 3 Pro, as well as the fantastic Sony WF-C510 and Earfun Air Pro 4.

There's no news on a release outside Europe just yet and Xiaomi doesn't release much of its tech in the US, but in Australia we could well see it go on sale based on precedent.

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Specs

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Features

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Middling battery life and ANC performance
  • Offers novel audio recording feature
  • App has some bugs

The Buds 5 do offer active noise cancellation, but it’s nothing to write home about. There are two modes: Balanced and Deep, with an adaptive mode that’ll toggle between the two depending on your environment, but neither are particularly hardcore. They’ll take the edge off of annoying background noises but not muffle them in any significant way, and the lack of passive noise isolation from the buds’ design doesn’t help either.

The battery life of the buds isn’t fantastic, clocking in at 6.5 hours with ANC turned off according to Xiaomi. The company doesn’t provide a figure for listening time with it turned on, but I got the buds to last a touch over 5 hours with ANC deployed. The case will keeping ticking for a lot longer though, with 39 hours of playback when ANC is off according to Xiaomi. Based on my aforementioned figures, I’d estimate that you’d get 30 hours with ANC on.

For the rest of the features we need to jump into the app, but there’s a problem here. The Xiaomi Earbuds app had a big issue which affected the use of many of the Buds 5 features, and I can’t tell if it’s an intentional one or a bug.

Every time I put the earbuds in my ears, the app wouldn’t automatically realize that they were connected – I’d have to load it up and press ‘connect’. Before I did this, features including ANC control and the ability to tweak settings wouldn’t work, and it was an irritating extra step every time I wanted to listen to music. Other options don't do it; I can't imagine why it would be desirable. 

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)

Some of the features offered by the buds are standard ones that we’ve come to expect in wireless earbuds (not that all rivals offer them, so their presence in the Xiaomi Buds are welcome). These include changing the gesture controls, toggling wear detection, setting up dual-device connectivity, checking the buds’ battery life, changing ANC modes and finding the buds if you’ve misplaced them.

The Xiaomi Earbuds app offers an equalizer, albeit one hidden away in the Audio Effects menu, as well as a few simple presets like Enhance Voice or Decrease Bass. I found myself using the Harman AudioEFX preset mostly, which I’ll explore in more detail later on.

You can also use Audio Effects to turn on ‘Dimensional Audio’, which is presumably Xiaomi’s answer to Spatial Audio, a feature that plenty of earbuds offer in order to make music sound like it’s surrounding you. However, this feature in the Buds 5 transports you to one space in particular: the cellar underneath a nightclub bar. It seems to simply slather on oceans of artificial reverb, as though you’re hearing tunes through several layers of brick, making music sound awful. Avoid!

One novel feature the Xiaomi Buds 5 offer is an audio-recording feature. While most earbuds will do this, as they’ll replace the audio input of your phone while connected, Xiaomi bakes this feature into the app, and also lets you enable it as a gesture control for the buds. 

It’s not a feature that everyone will find hugely useful, but I can see some finding it handy in certain situations. I found it convenient as a way to leave myself voice memos without having to find a pen and paper or my smartphone, and I see it being handy for anyone who likes hands-free note-taking like this. Just bear in mind the laws where you live regarding recording people without their consent, something the app does remind you about.

  • Features score: 3.5/5

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Design

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Earbuds keep slipping out
  • Touch controls on the bud
  • Lightweight carry case

Unlike many of its rivals and contemporaries, Xiaomi hasn’t put a silicon tip of the Buds 5. It didn’t for its predecessors, saving that for the Pro equivalents. It’s a shame because my biggest gripe with the earbuds is that they had trouble staying in my ears, a problem eartips would likely fix. 

This problem didn’t occur if I was seated or keeping my head relatively static, but when walking (or doing any other kind of movement) the Buds 5 would quickly start to slip – I’d have to constantly be re-adjusting the fit and pushing the buds back into my ears. 

Not only was this indescribably irritating, but buds that are half out the ear aren’t delivering on their full sonic potential, and also fall foul of sensitive wear detection too. This issue ruled me out form using the buds in the gym, and I stopped using them when cooking too as I didn’t want to push them back into my ears with messy hands – or have them fall into the pot. 

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)

Each bud has a small button on the stem that you can squeeze for various controls: single, double, triple and long presses for different functions. It takes quite a hearty press to trigger the function but a light ‘click’ lets you know that your action was successful.

The buds are relatively light, weighing 4.2g each. They have an IP54 protection which means they’re safe from splashes of water and ingress of dust, but immersion in water will wreck them.

The Buds 5 come in a shiny plastic chrome-looking case, which I think is pretty neat-looking even though the reflections make taking review pictures an absolute nightmare!

Opening this clam-shell case reveals the entirety of the buds, unlike many other cases which hide the stems in the body – because of this I found it really easy to remove the buds when I wasn’t paying attention, as the process was less fiddly than almost all rivals on the market.

The case weighs 36.6g and comes with a USB-C port for charging, and not a lot else. You can pick up the buds in silver, white and black, and your choice affects the case and the buds.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Sound quality

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Great audio for price
  • Tuning from Harman Kardon
  • Support for good list of codices

The Xiaomi Buds 5 have 11mm drivers and tick quite a few audiophile boxes. These include support for a range of codecs including AAC, SBC, LC3, aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive, connectivity using Bluetooth 5.4, and support for Bluetooth Low Energy. They also have an audio balance tuned by Harman Kardon, continuing a partnership between Xiaomi and the audio specialists which has also extended to its smartphones and speakers.

When I first started listening to the Xiaomi Buds 5, I was surprised just how much bass they offered for in-ear buds, and of all the buds I’ve tested recently they’re second only to Nothing’s recent audio offerings in terms of sheer thump-power (that’s the technical term). 

In the default audio balance, the Harman AudioEFX, here’s a distinctive focus on lower-focus instruments and pitches, making for a balance so warm that you’d think Xiaomi had used some tech from one of its kitchen gadgets. I can see some people loving the mix, and others really not getting on with it, but the other presets can balance the sound a little better.

Whether you like the balance or don’t, it’s hard to deny that the quality is great for the price; I don’t notice significant peaking or distortion, and the treble and mid were still palpable in the mix even if they weren’t the priority. Music had a level of energy that I’ve longed for in other similarly-priced rivals that I’ve tested.

Marring the otherwise-great audio quality is the bud fit issue that I mentioned before – music sounds great when the buds are sitting comfortably in your ears, but as soon as they begin to slip out you’ll be losing that music magic.

As mentioned earlier there’s an equalizer mode and I see most people relying on the presets due to the way they’re laid out in the app. These largely deliver on the promise in the title: increased bass, focus on voice and so on, with the default mode delivering the most nuanced mix.

  • Sound quality: 4/5

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Value

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Better audio than you'd expect for the price
  • Perhaps hold out for a Pro model

When I first started testing the Xiaomi Buds 5 I didn’t know the exact price they’d launch for, and the cost that I guessed they’d retail for ended up being a slight amount more than the actual price. That is to say, I thought the earbuds would cost more than they do.

That’s mainly down to the audio chops: between the sound quality, specs list and Harman Kardon tuning, Xiaomi seems to have hit exactly what it aimed at, whether or not it’ll be to everyone’s specific tastes. You’re also getting all the features you’d expect for earbuds at this price and they mostly seem to work well.

The one thing I should flag though is the prospect of Pro buds: in the past Xiaomi’s Pro options have had silicon tips, unlike the standard models, and these would fit my ear fit issues. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend the Buds 5 if a reasonably-priced Buds 5 Pro could be around the corner.

  • Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Xiaomi Buds 5?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Also consider

How I tested the Xiaomi Buds 5

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for two weeks
  • Tested at home, in the office and on trips

The Xiaomi Buds 5 enjoyed a testing period of two weeks, though I used the buds for longer than that while I was writing the review itself. They were mainly connected to my Android phone though I paired them to a few other devices, including an iPad and Windows laptop.

Testing was mostly done at home or in my office but I also used the earbuds on a few walks and on public transport. I mostly listened to music using Spotify but also listened to spoken word, played games and watched TV shows on Netflix.

I've tested tech for TechRadar for over 5 years now and that includes countless Xiaomi devices and rival budget earbuds. I tested all of the Buds 5's close contemporary rivals.

  • First reviewed in September 2024
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