Audio - Organizer

I wanted to love Skullcandy’s workout headphones, but one big issue makes them a poor fit

1:30 pm | October 19, 2025

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active: Two-minute review

Gym-goers or athletes who also care about their music quality surely know how few over-ear headphones are designed specifically for fitness; our list of the best workout headphones doesn’t have a single pair and my own fondness for them is tempered by just how rare they are. Most buyers instead have to buy workout earbuds, or repurpose normal over-ear headphones for their workout needs (and get very warm ears).

The Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active are a welcome addition to the anemic market segment, coming with a few features and design considerations which make them a step above rivals… though there are some curious deficiencies too.

You’d think US-based audio company Skullcandy would be a prime fit for workout headphones, due to its emphasis on bassy products and funky designs, and it is – its website has an entire section dedicated to ‘Gym & Workout Headphones’. But those are, like most companies’ offerings, just headphones that can be used to exercise. The Crusher 540 Active is different, as it’s designed intently for that purpose.

The ‘Crusher’ in the name points to one of the cans’ best features and the selling point for every member of this line. The 540 Active has a bass slider which can increase the bass from ‘normal’ to ‘quite bassy’ to ‘my head is shaking’, boosting the low end in an ill-tuned but energetic way. If you’re a gym user who loves bass-heavy thumping audio to help you push yourself to the max, this is a fantastic addition.

Dedicated Skullcandy fans might scroll down and notice that the Crusher 540 Active sounds startlingly similar to another pair of cans from the company called the Crusher Evo, and they cost exactly the same in most regions. I too was baffled by how similar these cans are and apparently fans were too, prompting Skullcandy to write a Reddit post detailing the differences.

The differences lie in a few design considerations: the soft pads can be removed and easily washed, perfect for people who get sweaty at the gym, and the band was designed to have a tighter clamp fit. This latter point, unfortunately, doesn’t have a noticeable effect, and the 540 Active frequently fell off my head at the gym when I was lying down. This could be a deal-breaker for some people, depending on your workout routine.

Audio-wise, you’re getting what you pay for; these headphones sound good but not quite great. However, the app offers perhaps the best personal audio test I’ve used in headphones so far, and the ability to crank the bass to 11 would make a nuanced audio design moot anyway.

I’ve mentioned a few features that I like so far, and they’re definitely the highlights of the Skullcandy, but beyond the bass and personal audio modes there’s a noticeable lack of extra features. I was surprised when first looking at the app to see how few tools were offered – but perhaps it’s best that you don’t use the app much, given the connection problems I had (more on these later).

You’re probably still wondering if I recommend the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active as workout headphones, and after testing them for several weeks, I’m not too sure either. They were great for running, great for workouts where I stayed upright, and good for general listening. But I found myself pre-emptively removing them during my gym sessions when I had to do a prone exercise, due to the fit – so you’ll have to ask yourself what your fitness life looks like and whether you need to do such workouts, before buying them.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Price and release date

The Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active on a sofa. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in summer 2025
Costs $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99
Few similar rivals

The Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active were released in summer 2025, and you can pick them up for $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99.

At that price they match the Crusher Evo and aren’t too far off other over-ears from the brand, slightly cheaper than the Crusher ANC 2 and more than the Hesh 540 ANC, so they’re a mid-range pick within Skullcandy's oeuvre.

Here’s where I’d normally compare the headphones to other options on the market going for the same thing, but the over-ear workout headphone market is so slim that there aren’t really any bespoke options to speak of.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Specs

Drivers	40mm
Active noise cancellation	No
Battery life (ANC off)	40 hours
Weight	312g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0
Waterproofing	NA

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Features

Bass slider for extra... bass
40 hours of battery
Useful sound personalization

It might offend some that I’m going to discuss the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active’s titular feature in this section rather than the ‘sound quality’ one, but at the end of the day the crushing bass is more of a novelty and a boost mode than it is a genuine way of refining your music.

I’m talking about the slider on the Active’s left cup, my allusion to which in the ‘design’ section may have raised eyebrows (if you didn’t read the introduction and haven’t seen any of Skullcandy’s Crusher headphones before).

This slider lets you control how bassy your music is, with the lowest setting matching other workout headphones and the highest one literally making the cans shake on your head. I was blown away by just how bassy music can get if you pick the right track and turn the mode to full; it felt like walking into a sticky nightclub from one of London’s late-night streets.

Audiophiles won’t like this mode, as this boosted bass is somewhat formless and unreliable in what it augments, but I found it infectiously fun to play around with nonetheless. There’s an inescapable novelty to having your head literally shake as you listen to ridiculously-amplified house or hip-hop. Some music just isn’t affected by the boost though, especially acoustic and classical tracks, but it was great fun to see just how the Crusher 540 would affect a song.

There’s no ANC here to cut out the chaos of a gym, but I found the earcup cushions were pretty good at blocking out a lot of noise passively anyway.

The battery life clocks in at 40 hours according to Skullcandy, which is, roughly speaking, an average figure for over-ear headphones, but given the lack of active noise cancellation it might come off a bit low.

On your phone or tablet, the Skullcandy app gets you some extra tools (not the Skull-IQ app which I’ve used for the brand’s earbuds, as that won’t work – judging by Play Store reviews, lots of people have made the same mistake as I). I had a few connection problems wherein the app wouldn’t pick up the paired headphones, but usually hard-closing and reopening it fixed the issue.

The app offers you a Personal Sound listening test to apply an automatic EQ to your music, and it’s one of the simplest and easiest examples of this test that I’ve ever used, as you’re simply prompted to select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on whether you can hear a series of beeping tones played. Its analysis of my hearing also matched what other tests have told me, so it seems fairly accurate.

You can also use the app to switch between three standard EQ presets: music, podcast (which boosts treble but strips bass) and movie which reduced treble slightly. There’s no custom EQ for you to make your own mix, so audiophiles will have to rely on SkullCandy’s judgements.

Various EQ modes are the only features you get from the app, so if you were hoping for a smorgasbord of extra tools, you’ll be disappointed.

Features score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Design

Plenty of buttons on cups
Doesn't clamp onto head strong enough
Cups are removable for cleaning

On the surface, the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active might just look like your standard over-ear headphones, but the devil’s in the detail.

Just look at the cups, for one example of that – they’re loaded with far more buttons and dials than you’d usually see. The left cup has the USB-C charging port, a 3.5mm jack, the aforementioned bass slider and a surprisingly-small power button while the right cup has volume up, play/pause and volume down. Neat touches like slightly-different-feeling buttons ensure it’s easy to work out via touch what you’re reaching for.

The design changes continue to the material, with intentional picks for the gym-going intended buyer. According to Skullcandy, the foam cups have a coating to protect them against sweat, and can be easily removed and cleaned if you do get them mucky – I found them really simple to remove although reattaching them was a lot more fiddly. The band is designed to avoid grime as much as possible.

Thanks to the breathable material, and the cans’ light body, I found the headphones comfortable to use, even if I was exercising and sweating. The brand deems the cups ‘Sweat & Water Resistant’ although I couldn’t find an official IP rating anywhere.

Skullcandy’s also using a tech here which it calls Clamp Force Secure Fit, designed to give the cans a rigid fit so they’ll stay on your head when you’re working out, but while that’s great in theory it didn’t work in practice. The headphones would regularly slip off my head when I was prone, which is quite frequent depending on my workout routine, and I found myself taking them off every time I needed to lie forward or backward. That’s not exactly ideal for gym use, although I didn’t face the problem when staying upright or running.

A neat (though small) design trait is that you can fold the cups in on the body to make the headphones more portable – I wish more brands would let you do this.

You can buy the Crusher 540 Active in black, white or pink, which is a much more slender list of offerings than Skullcandy’s other Crushers (the ANC 2 has 10 options listed on the brand’s site, while the Evo has six).

Design score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Sound quality

40mm drivers per cup
Scooping bass, especially with slider
Vocals lack some sparkle

I’ve already mentioned that the bass slider lets you turn the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active into a head-worn sub-woofer, but for the purposes of this section let’s imagine I’ve got the slider set to its lowest setting.

Even when bass is stripped out like this, it’s still a prominent part of the sound mix – these are workout headphones after all, and ones made by Skullcandy no less, so scooping bass is part and parcel of what you’re paying for. The mids benefit from this to an extent too, though there were a few times in my testing when I found vocals lacking the power and sparkle that some other headphones lend to treble.

As you can probably expect from the price, you’re not getting the most crystal-clear audio quality or nuanced sound stage, and I did hear some distortion on certain songs. But those all reflect the changed priority values that gym-going or jogging users will want, and I wasn’t disappointed at all when listing.

Skullcandy says that both cans have 40mm drivers in them, which is the same as the Crusher Evo. Having heard the 540 Active and understanding how they tick all the workout-headphone boxes, the company’s confirmation that these are the Evos but tweaked for exercise users, makes total sense.

Sound quality: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Value

Paying for novel features...
... which won't be for everyone

At $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99, the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active aren’t the cheapest over-ear headphones in the world (although they’re certainly not premium models). That price isn’t going to the workout features – the Evo costs the same amount – and as I’ve already discussed, these didn’t always tick the boxes as workout headphones anyway.

What you’re actually paying for is the novel bass feature, which is what separates the Crusher 540 Active from other headphones you might be considering. And if this feature sounds great, then the price is certainly justified.

However if you don’t think you’ll make good use of the bass slider, or think the novelty will wear off quickly, there are other over-ears to pick up which are cheaper – and may perform just as well, or better, for a workout.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active?

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The bass slider and listening test are great, though more features would have been appreciated.	3.5/5
Design	The loose grip hurts the suitability for workouts, but otherwise the design is fine.	3.5/5
Sound quality	While the sound quality is just decent, it's exactly what exercise-minded buyers will want.	3.5/5
Value	If you're buying the Skullcandy for the extra features, it's decent value, but other buyers will be paying unnecessarily more.	3.5/5

Buy them if…

You’re a huge bass-head
Some people stopped reading this review when I mentioned a bass slider which gets your head literally shaking. I probably don’t need to tell you to buy Crushers if that sounds like a fantastic selling point to you.

You sweat a lot
The easily-removable and cleanable ear pads will be great news to people who sweat a lot, as you’ll be able to easily freshen up your cans.

You’re not great at tweaking EQ settings
No equalizer here, but the personal audio mode will help you find your perfect audio mix without you faffing over buttons and sliders.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You’ll need to lie down with them
Wearing these rules out sit-ups, press-ups, bridges, skull crushers, and more – if your workout routine relies on these, then maybe earbuds are best.

You’re not interested in fitness
Well done for reading a whole fitness headphone review without wanting headphones for this purpose, but some of the unique features here will only benefit people doing a workout.

You want funky-looking cans
Skullcandy specializes in funkily-colored or -designed headphones, but the 540 Active are some of its few options that don’t come in all sorts of patterns and hues.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Also consider

	Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active	SkullCandy Crusher Evo	Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2	Earfun Wave Pro
Drivers	40mm	40mm	6mm	40mm
Active noise cancellation	No	No	Yes	Yes
Battery life	40 hours	40 hours	14 hours (buds) 56 hours (case)	80 hours
Weight	312g	312g	5g (buds); 47.5g (case)	268g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	NA	NA	IP68	NA

Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2
The Jabra Elite 8 Gen 2 cost more than the Skullcandys and are in-ears instead of over-ears, but sound great and offer top noise cancellation. I include them here as we rank them as our best workout earbuds.

See our full Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 review

Earfun Wave Pro
When I tested these older earbuds, I took them to the gym a few times and they worked fine. They have memory foam cups which won’t be damaged as much by sweat, have a fantastic battery life so you can forget charging them much, and sound really good for the price. Most importantly, they’re quite cheap.

See our full Earfun Wave Pro review

How I tested the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active

Tested for at least three weeks
Tested at home, on runs and at the gym

I spent at least three weeks testing the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active before writing this review. They were paired to my Android phone for the entirety of it, using Spotify, Netflix and a few other apps.

I did a lot of the testing at my local gym and on runs around my local area, as I've mentioned. I also listened at home, on public transport and on walks too.

This isn't my first Skullcandy review for TechRadar although I didn't test the original Evo. I've been reviewing devices for the brand for six years now including in-ear, open-ear and on-ear headphones.

First reviewed in October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

I love this headphone amp/DAC’s confident sound, but it’s far from the only game in town

12:00 pm | October 18, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers DACs Gadgets Hi-Fi | Comments: Off

FiiO QX13: Two-minute review

Another day inevitably brings another FiiO product – and today’s FiiO product is the QX13 USB headphone amp/DAC. It’s an established product type, sure, but anyone with even a passing interest in the company knows FiiO seldom does things by halves.

So $219 / £199 / AU$349 buys a small, beautifully made device built from either carbon fiber or aluminum, and fronted by some heftily toughened glass. On the inside there’s the usual FiiO over-engineering, from the ESS SAbre DAC arrangement to the Texas Instruments amplification, and on the outside there are a couple of audio outputs, and a small and extremely informative full-colour display (ideal for those who can read all the way down to the bottom line in the opticians without any help). FiiO even provides a protective leather case that attaches magnetically to your iOS or Android device in the interests of both tidiness and swankiness.

Connect via USB-C to a smartphone, games machine, laptop or anything else that could do with an audio leg-up, and the improvements are both obvious and wide-ranging. In almost every respect, but especially where soundstaging, detail retrieval and dynamic impetus are concerned, the QX13 is a significant step on in quality.

If it wasn’t for the device’s tendency to hit treble sounds with quite such vigor, it would be approaching ‘ideal’ and be part of the best portable DACs around.

FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC in its magnetic protective casing on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

FiiO QX13 review: Price and release date

Release date: July 2025
Price: $219 / £199 / AU$349

The FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC is on sale now, and in the United States it sells for $219. In the United Kingdom it's around $219, while in Australia it goes for something like AU$349.

This puts it towards the top of the ‘USB headphone amp/DAC dongle’ market but, as we shall see, FiiO has done its best to make that price seem fair enough…

FiiO QX13 review: Features

ESS Sabre ES9027SPRO DAC
Texas Instruments op-amps
Powerful ‘desktop’ mode

You’ve got to hand it to FiiO – it hasn’t let the requirement for the QX13 to be as compact as possible prevent it absolutely piling on the specification.

At the heart of the product is an ESS Sabre ES9027SPRO digital-to-analog conversion chipset. Capable of dealing with resolutions up to a giddy 32bit/768kHz and DSD512, it features eight channels arranged in parallel and a couple of low-noise ES9312 regulators dealing with output matching on each audio channel. Amplification is provided by half a dozen Texas Instruments op-amps arranged to reduce crosstalk and minimize interference.

Thanks to this optimized layout and also to the efficiency of its heat dissipation, the QX13 can deliver comparable power to full-size headphone amplifiers when it's in ‘desktop’ mode. Meanwhile, its high-precision power regulator can adjust the headphone amplification where gain and output power is concerned, in real time.

Part of the efficiency of the heat dissipation is thanks to the carefully shielded digital and analog boards. This also, of course, allows for more precise signal processing at every stage. Once it’s decoded from digital to analog, the signal passes through several stages of expansion and enhancement in an effort to deliver as complete an account of the information as possible.

There’s more, of course – there’s always more when FiiO is involved. The use of XMOS crystal oscillators allows the QX13 to be compatible with the 10-band lossless PEQ that’s available via the web or the Android FiiO control app. UAC 1.0 mode means the QX13 is compatible with PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and other gaming devices. It’s compatible with the company’s compact ‘ESTICK’ power bank.

But by now you get the picture – FiiO seemingly has a limitless supply of kitchen sinks it’s prepared to throw at every device it manufactures.

Features score: 5 / 5

FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

FiiO QX13 review: Sound quality

Positive, detailed sound
Spacious and organized presentation
Rather over-confident high-frequency reproduction

Unsurprisingly, the FiiO QX13 passes the first test (‘does it improve on the unassisted sound of the average laptop or smartphone?’) in quite some style. It’s an altogether fuller, more convincing and more enjoyable listen than you can achieve simply by plugging your headphones into the output socket of a device like this.

It’s a remarkably open and organized listen. The soundstage it creates during a 24bit/96kHz FLAC file of Paul Simon’s 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover is expansive, carefully controlled and equally carefully laid out. Each element of recording relates naturalistically to each other, but each has a discrete pocket of space in which to operate; the sound is at once focused, unified and spacious. The spaces between each element are given the necessary prominence, and the QX13 keeps these silences very dark indeed.

Frequency response is fairly even. From the bottom end to the very top, the FiiO gives every area more-or-less equal emphasis – it’s slightly tilted towards the higher frequencies, but not fatally so. And at every point, it identifies, retains and reveals an impressive amount of detail. If there is minor, fleeting information regarding tone or texture in a recording, the QX13 has no problem placing it in convincing context.

It’s similarly adept when it comes to the dynamics of harmonic variation in a voice or an instrument, too, and where the broad dynamic shifts in intensity during a 16bit/48kHz FLAC file of Beak’s Carob Honey are concerned, the QX13 fairly steams through them. The amount of dynamic headroom it has available is significant.

The bottom of the frequency range is tightly controlled, and the attack and decay of individual notes and/or hits is so closely observed that rhythmic expression is confident and direct. The midrange communicates in the same positive, eloquent way; there’s really no mistaking a vocalist's attitude when they’re described by the FiiO.

From the lowest frequencies to the highest, there’s a common tonality to the QX13’s presentation that creates a strong impression of singularity and of ‘performance’. At the top of the frequency range, though, the FiiO overplays its hand just a little. It attacks high-frequency information with absolute zeal, and it doesn’t take much (even a mild lack of sympathy where source machine, content or partnering headphones are concerned will do it) for treble sounds to become slightly hard and overly assertive.

This is what I mean by ‘slightly titled towards the higher frequencies’, and it’s this trait that means the QX13 doesn’t pass the second test (“does it represent value for money when judged against its peers?”) with anything like the same breeziness as it does the first. That this FiiO has a fistful of sonic talents is not up for question, but whether it’s the best-sounding device of its type and price must remain a live question.

Sound quality score: 4 / 5

Display of the FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC, showing speed playback options, on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

FiiO QX13 review: Design

Carbon-fiber or aluminum construction
Magnetic leather case for ultimate iPhone convenience
64 x 31 x 13mm (HxWxD)

You’ve two choices where the finish of your QX13 is concerned: carbon-fiber or aluminum.

The former consists of 21 layers of material that adds up, according to FiiO, to a device that’s six times stronger than steel. This version of the QX13 weighs in at just 33.7g, whereas the aluminum alternative is a whole 39.2g, but it does feature a laser-engraved rear panel that, suggests FiiO, makes for an ‘elegant yet advanced’ appearance. Mind you, you won’t be seeing much of either material if you slip the QX13 into its protective leather case. FiiO has, in one of those ‘so simple it’s brilliant’ moments of inspiration, made the case magnetic - so it will cling to your iPhone in the manner of a MagSafe. If you’re an Android user, there’s a magnetic ring provided in the packaging to perform the same function.

The little 64 x 31 x 13mm (HxWxD) device is beautifully made, no matter the material you prefer, and the standard of finish is very good, too. FiiO is to be congratulated on its use of third-generation Corning high-strength glass for the majority of the front panel – its scratch-resistance is second to none.

Design score: 5 / 5

Cover for the FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

FiiO QX13 review: Usability & setup

50.5mm IPS screen
Hybrid 3.5mm output
60- and 120-step volume adjustment scales

As far as setting up the QX13 goes, things couldn’t really be more straightforward. It features two USB-C sockets, one of which is for charging the battery and the other for data transfer – both can be connected simultaneously, and FiiO provides a short length of braided USB-C / USB-C cable to help.

There’s a switch to engage or disengage ‘desktop’ mode, and at the top of the device there are 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm output sockets. The smaller one can be specified as an SPDIF if you want to connect your QX13 to a larger system digitally, so it’s just a question of making the necessary connections and away you go.

Or, at least, away you go provided you have the required dexterity to get the FiiO set up to your satisfaction. The screen is bright and clear, most certainly - but it tries to include too much information in one go (file type, file size, volume level, mode confirmation, UAC type, EQ setting, you name it). The set-up menus themselves are typically FiiO in their thoroughness but the size of the font that’s been used is necessarily small, and the few physical buttons available to navigate them are small too.

Ideally you’ll have eyes like a hawk and fingers like cocktail sticks. Otherwise there could be a fair bit of back-and-forth to get what you want, and some squinting to ensure you’ve got it once the device is functioning.

Usability & setup score: 3.5 / 5

3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced ports of the FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

FiiO QX13 review: Value

You can’t judge the value for money of a product like this on the basis of the amount of stuff your money buys – a portable USB DAC/headphone amp needs to be small and light. No, you judge it on the way it’s made, the way it’s finished, the way it’s specified and, most importantly, the way it makes your USB-C device and headphones sound.

And in all these respects, it’s very decent value for money indeed, but the quirks of its audio character mean it’s not quite the no-brainer FiiO was undoubtedly hoping for.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should you buy FiiO QX13?

Buy it if...

Your USB-C-equipped device could do with some audio assistance
The QX13 improves on the native sound of smartphones and laptops to quite a degree.

You have some good wired headphones
And if you have some good wired headphones on a cable that terminates in a balanced 4.4mm connection, even better.

You admire some thorough (and small-scale) engineering
How does FiiO squeeze it all in? It’s a question as old as electricity itself…

Don't buy it if...

Your eyesight isn’t all it might be
Some of the information displayed on the screen is beyond ‘tiny’.

Your fingers are of similar size to those of King Charles III
The physical controls require deft, rather than sausagey, digits.

You’re especially sensitive to high-frequency sound
The FiiO attacks the top of the frequency range in quite determined fashion.

FiiO QX13 review: Also consider

Helm Audio Bolt
It’s not as thoroughly specified as the FiiO QX13, but the Helm Audio Bolt is not to be underestimated where audio quality is concerned. If you can live without a display and a magnetic holster, this is a very compelling alternative.
Read our in-depth Helm Audio Bolt review to learn more

Magnetic case of the FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

How I tested the FiiO QX 13

Various headphones
Various audio file types and sizes
Various sources of music

I mostly used the FiiO QX13 with my Apple MacBook Pro, but I also tried it out with a Google Pixel 8 smartphone and a FiiO M15S. Two of these three products benefited no end from the QX13’s d-to-a conversion and headphone amplification.

I listened to plenty of music of various genres, various file sizes and types, and I listened for well in excess of a working week.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

I love this headphone amp/DAC’s confident sound, but it’s far from the only game in town

12:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers DACs Gadgets Hi-Fi | Comments: Off

FiiO QX13: Two-minute review

If it wasn’t for the device’s tendency to hit treble sounds with quite such vigor, it would be approaching ‘ideal’ and be part of the best portable DACs around.

FiiO QX13 review: Price and release date

Release date: July 2025
Price: $219 / £199 / AU$349

The FiiO QX13 headphone amp/DAC is on sale now, and in the United States it sells for $219. In the United Kingdom it's around $219, while in Australia it goes for something like AU$349.

This puts it towards the top of the ‘USB headphone amp/DAC dongle’ market but, as we shall see, FiiO has done its best to make that price seem fair enough…

FiiO QX13 review: Features

ESS Sabre ES9027SPRO DAC
Texas Instruments op-amps
Powerful ‘desktop’ mode

You’ve got to hand it to FiiO – it hasn’t let the requirement for the QX13 to be as compact as possible prevent it absolutely piling on the specification.

But by now you get the picture – FiiO seemingly has a limitless supply of kitchen sinks it’s prepared to throw at every device it manufactures.

Features score: 5 / 5

FiiO QX13 review: Sound quality

Positive, detailed sound
Spacious and organized presentation
Rather over-confident high-frequency reproduction

Sound quality score: 4 / 5

FiiO QX13 review: Design

Carbon-fiber or aluminum construction
Magnetic leather case for ultimate iPhone convenience
64 x 31 x 13mm (HxWxD)

You’ve two choices where the finish of your QX13 is concerned: carbon-fiber or aluminum.

Design score: 5 / 5

FiiO QX13 review: Usability & setup

50.5mm IPS screen
Hybrid 3.5mm output
60- and 120-step volume adjustment scales

Usability & setup score: 3.5 / 5

FiiO QX13 review: Value

And in all these respects, it’s very decent value for money indeed, but the quirks of its audio character mean it’s not quite the no-brainer FiiO was undoubtedly hoping for.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should you buy FiiO QX13?

Buy it if...

Your USB-C-equipped device could do with some audio assistance
The QX13 improves on the native sound of smartphones and laptops to quite a degree.

You have some good wired headphones
And if you have some good wired headphones on a cable that terminates in a balanced 4.4mm connection, even better.

You admire some thorough (and small-scale) engineering
How does FiiO squeeze it all in? It’s a question as old as electricity itself…

Don't buy it if...

Your eyesight isn’t all it might be
Some of the information displayed on the screen is beyond ‘tiny’.

Your fingers are of similar size to those of King Charles III
The physical controls require deft, rather than sausagey, digits.

You’re especially sensitive to high-frequency sound
The FiiO attacks the top of the frequency range in quite determined fashion.

FiiO QX13 review: Also consider

How I tested the FiiO QX 13

Various headphones
Various audio file types and sizes
Various sources of music

I listened to plenty of music of various genres, various file sizes and types, and I listened for well in excess of a working week.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

I spent two weeks testing the JBL Grip, and it’s the ideal shower-friendly audio companion – but it won’t be replacing my Flip 7

6:56 pm | October 17, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers | Comments: Off

JBL Grip: two-minute review

The JBL Grip is a new entrant into the audio giant’s Bluetooth speaker lineup, sitting between the Clip and Flip lines. It has a seltzer-can-inspired look, attractive ambient lighting, and a highly durable exterior. Yes, it really has all the key design elements covered. But does the Grip sound any good? I tested it for two weeks to find out.

I’ve got to say, the JBL Grip is a pretty solid sounding speaker overall. Of course, it’s a pretty small model, so there are some limitations in terms of bass response, and when volume is pushed up high, music can sound pretty one-dimensional. But still, you’ll get clear, well-balanced, and decently punchy sound from this small cylindrical model.

Arguably the best thing about the JBL Grip, however, is its brilliant all-round design. I’m a big fan of its can-sized dimensions, and when you combine that with its textured exterior, it's both satisfying and easy to… well, grip. Like a lot of the best Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Grip is also dust and waterproof thanks to its IP68 protection against the elements, making it ideal for shower or beachside listening.

It’s also a real beauty, with the speaker coming in an appealing range of colors. I tried out the purple model, but there’s also pink, red, blue… you name it! An ambient lighting panel on the reverse side of the speaker is also very easy on the eye, though I do wish there was a light mode that synced to the speaker’s output for more immersive listening – something I’ve seen on speakers like the Marshall Bromley 750.

The lights on the JBL Grip are customizable via the JBL Portable app, which opens up a range of other options too. There’s PlayTime Boost if you want to get an extra couple hours of playtime, stereo group if you want to use two Grip speakers in stereo mode, and a range of EQ options, including a custom option.

On top of that, the JBL Grip supports Auracast, meaning you can link a bunch of compatible JBL speakers up to it for additional loudness and coverage.

At $99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129, the Grip isn’t exactly cheap for what it is, though it's hardly unfathomably expensive either. For me, I think its marginally larger sibling, the JBL Flip 7 just feels like a better value buy. It offers considerably better sound, with regimented, pumping bass and full-bodied, detailed sound. But it’s also got better battery life and the same durability – with only a slight increase in size and price.

Overall, though, I still think that the Grip is a neat addition to JBL’s vast lineup of Bluetooth speakers. If you’re digging its hand-held design and you want a sub-$100 option with personality, it’s one of the best models available to you right now – and you should totally get a Grip (thank you, I'm here all week). But if you’ve got a little more money to play with, I’d still recommend going for the Flip 7, which is an exemplary Bluetooth speaker.

JBL Grip held in hand — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: price and release date

$99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129
Launched in September 2025

The JBL Grip was launched in September 2025, and is the very first speaker in its line. It’s priced at a mid-point between the Clip 5 and Flip 7, and will typically cost $99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129. You can purchase this speaker in a range of colors too, including: Black; Blue; Pink; Purple; Red; Squad (camo); and White.

JBL Grip review: specs

Weight	0.8lbs / 0.4kg
Dimensions	2.5 x 6 x 2.6 inches / 64 x 153 x 65mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Battery life	14 hours
Speaker drivers	1x 16W full range driver
Waterproofing	IP68

Button controls on top of the JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: features

Customizable lighting
Multiple EQ options in JBL Portable app
Commendable 14 hour battery life

The JBL Grip is equipped with just about everything you could want from a small Bluetooth speaker. And if you download the JBL Portable app, you get access to a whole lot of customization options.

For instance, the app features light adjustment, which lets you select from the following effects: freeze; bounce; trim; switch; and neon. You can also select from a small pool of colors and adjust brightness to get the precise look you want. It would be nice if there was a slight effect that synced to your music, but I still like the degree of personalization available here.

Another thing you can tailor to your taste is EQ. There are a handful of presets to choose from, like JBL Signature, Chill, and energetic. However, you can also create your own sound with the custom seven-band equalizer. This works nicely and I did stick with a custom tuning for a considerable chunk of my time with the speaker.

There’s even more to discover, though, like stereo pairing if you’ve got a second Grip, and Auracast connectivity, which enables you to link a load of compatible speakers for increased volume – models like the JBL Xtreme 4 and JBL Charge 6 support this.

Before we tie things up, a quick word on battery life. Technically, you can get up to 14 hours of playtime from this model, but that’s with volume low, minimal lighting, and use of the PlayTime Boost function – an option that essentially reduces sound quality for two additional hours of listening.

Usually, you’ll get up to 12 hours of listening, which is pretty solid for a model of this stature. You can fully recharge it in 3 hours too.

All in all, the Grip has just about every base covered. Sure, it doesn’t have an integrated mic for clear, hands-free calling – something you’ll find on a rival like the Edifier ES20. But still, there’s plenty of functionality to sink your teeth into.

Features score: 4.5/5

JBL Grip light panel — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: sound quality

Clear, well-balanced audio with AI Sound Boost
Some limitations with small size, especially at high volumes
Decent weight to bass, but Flip 7 blows it out the water

As you may expect, the small size of the JBL Grip does come with some sonic limitations, but for a model in this weight class, it performs well overall.

When tuning into Black Eye by Allie X, the deep drum machine sounded fairly commanding, while vocals remained clear in the mix. In the track’s intro, strings suddenly pierce through, but these sounded a little restricted on the Grip – the attack just sounded a little blunt or dulled, reducing the dramatic tone.

In Never Would by M-High, I was again treated to surprisingly deep, impactful bass – but not at the expense of controlled, decently detailed percussion in the treble range. With volume pushed to the 90-100% mark, low end did sound a little thin, and instrument separation was diminished, resulting in a slightly narrow sound. But that’s pretty common for a lot of small speakers, in fairness.

Similarly, tracks with booming sub-bass won’t be replicated all too well on the Grip due to some inherent restrictions. If you’re looking for almighty low-frequency output, I’d suggest checking out one of the best party speakers instead, like the JBL Xtreme 4.

Still, overall bass performance is solid, especially as you can set a custom EQ with enhanced low-end output, if you’d prefer. And in less bass-heavy genres, the Grip performs very admirably. In Rains again by Solji, soaring vocals remained emotive, with the breathiness in the performance audible throughout – that’s even without higher-res codecs like LDAC or aptX.

The speaker’s wraparound design also means you get a pleasing listen from all angles, with AI Sound Boost also onboard to optimize output for “bigger sound with less distortion”.

I compared the Grip to the Flip 7, and if you want the best sonic quality in a small body, that’s where I’d suggest spending your money. The regimented bass and more full-bodied sound is simply intoxicating. Having said that, the Grip does perform nicely – you’ll just have to make a few sonic sacrifices to enjoy its smaller form factor and sleek design.

Sound quality score: 4/5

Button controls on front of the JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: design

Rugged, durable exterior with IP68 rating
Easy to grip and ultra light
Attractive looks with fun array of color options

I’m not always bowled over by the look of JBL’s Bluetooth speakers, but I actually love the Grip’s design.

When I visited JBL at the Nordisk Film studio in Copenhagen, an employee noted how research was undertaken in the food and drink industry finding that consumers widely preferred the slim and tall soda can style over the traditionally shorter and stubbier alternative. As a result, the Grip is made to resemble the former, and is “inspired by the proportions of a seltzer can”.

I for one love the shape and size of the Grip. As its name suggests, it’s easy to grab on to, with its textured exterior providing additional grip. Its also pleasingly light, earning it top-class portability.

Playback controls are elegantly positioned towards the ‘lid’, while power, Auracast, and pairing buttons sit on the top. A light control button can be found on the reverse side, where you can also find a fabric loop that can be used to hook the speaker onto something.

As is typically the case with JBL, the Grip comes in a beautiful array of colors, including: Black; Blue; Pink; Purple; Red; Squad (camo); and White. I tested the Purple variant and it really stands out from the crowd in the best way, and the inclusion of a light panel compliments the vibrant colorways even further.

But the good times keep rolling. Yes, the JBL Grip is extremely durable, largely thanks to its impressive IP68 dust and waterproof rating. This means that the speaker is fully dustproof, and can be submerged in 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. That makes it perfect for listening in the bath or shower, or even at the beach. JBL also calls the Grip ‘drop-proof’, so it truly is a hardy lil’ fella.

Design score: 5/5

JBL Grip review: value

Not exactly cheap for its size
JBL Flip 7 offers superior overall sound-per-pound value
Still, plenty of quality here

JBL has positioned the Grip right between the Clip 5 and Flip 7, pricing it at just under $100 / £90 / AU$130.

Now, that’s hardly super expensive, but it's not exactly cheap for a speaker of this size. The mightier, more detail-oriented Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2 is on-sale pretty regularly for around the same cost, and the larger JBL Flip 6 can often be found at a similar price as well.

On top of that, the new Flip 7, which we awarded a glowing five-star review, feels like a slightly better value pick, at least in some territories. OK, in the US, it’s a full $50 more, but in the UK, you can pay just £20 more for the Flip 7, and experience significantly better audio, with rumbling low-end output and improved dynamics. You’ll also get more playtime in an only marginally larger, heavier package.

I want to give the Grip its flowers, though. It's still a solid sounding, aesthetically pleasing, and feature-rich Bluetooth speaker. And for less than $100 / £90, I think a lot of consumers will enjoy its soda-can dimensions, durable build, and fun lighting.

Value score: 4/5

Reverse side of JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the JBL Grip?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Customizable lighting, strong EQ options, multi-speaker pairing.	4.5/5
Sound quality	Good overall clarity and balance, noticeable compression at higher volumes.	4/5
Design	Beautiful looks, top-class dust and waterproofing, durable construction.	5/5
Value	A quality speaker that’s not exactly expensive, some rivals provide better bang for your buck.	4/5

Buy it if...

You want a hardy audio companion to take out and about
One of the best things about the JBL Grip is its incredible durability and protection against the elements. It has IP68-rated dust and waterproofing, meaning it can take a dunking underwater without a hitch – perfect for shower or beach-side use!

You want a vibrant, stand-out speaker
In typical JBL fashion, this speaker comes in a range of eye-catching colors, including purple, red, and squad (camo). The ambient lighting only makes it stand out further from the crowd, making this a great pick for any colorful tech lovers.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best sound quality around
The JBL Grip sounds good overall, given its size, but it didn’t exactly blow me away, sonically speaking. If you want the best sound quality around, a small rival like the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Generation is our top pick.

You’re looking for a speaker to get the party going
This model has a 16W power output, so it's not ideal if you want a powerful speaker for parties. If that’s what you’re after, I’d go for a larger model like the LG xboom Grab – or even the Tribit Stormbox Blast 2, if you wanna go all out.

JBL Grip review: also consider

	JBL Grip	Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4	Edifier ES20
Price	$99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129	$99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149	$89.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99
Weight	0.8lbs / 385g	0.9lbs / 420g	0.7lbs / 326g
Dimensions	2.5 x 6 x 2.6 inches / 64 x 153 x 65mm	4.1 x 3.8 x 3.8 inches / 104 x 95.3 x 95.3mm	3.6 x 3.7 x 2 inches / 90.4 x 93.7 x 49.7mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.4
Battery life	14 hours	14 hours	15 hours
Speaker drivers	1x 16W full range driver	2 x 40mm active drivers; 2 x 46.1 x 65.2mm passive radiators	1x 43mm full-range driver
Waterproofing	IP68	IP67	IP67

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
If the JBL Grip is the seltzer can, then the UE Wonderboom 4 is the traditional 12 fl.oz / 330ml can of Coca Cola or mug of coffee. It’s shorter, stubbier, and similar to the Grip in many ways. It has a great waterproof rating, solid audio, and good battery life. Read our full Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 review.

Edifier ES20
This one’s a little smaller, but I absolutely loved my time with it. The Edifier ES20 is a square-shaped small speaker that combines retro style with customizable ambient lighting. It dishes out surprisingly punchy audio, has IP67 dust and waterproofing, and even makes use of a noise-cancelling enabled mic for clear hands-free calls. Read our full Edifier ES20 review.

JBL Grip review: how I tested

Person holding fabric hook on JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

Tested for two weeks
Used at home and at Future Labs
Tested using Spotify and Tidal

I spent more than two weeks testing out the JBL Grip, using it instead of my typical go-to Bluetooth speaker, the Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2. I exhausted all of the Grip’s features, using a range of light customization options and listening across a variety of spaces.

For the most part, I used the Grip in my kitchen while cooking and cleaning – but I also used it while taking showers and for analytical listening at our music testing room at Future Labs. Here, I went through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a range of genres. I also listened to songs from my personal library – via both Tidal and Spotify.

More generally, I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones, earbuds, soundbars, and more here at TechRadar, where I have a particular focus on audio-visual technology. I’ve tested most of the Grip’s competition, so I know what it takes for a speaker to stand out in a highly convoluted market.

First reviewed: October 2025
Read more about how we test

I reviewed Marshall’s first ever party speaker and it sounds as beautiful as it looks – but at some cost

4:00 am | October 16, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers | Tags: LG | Comments: Off

Marshall Bromley 750: two-minute review

Expectations are undoubtedly weighing heavily on the Marshall Bromley 750, which is the very first party speaker that the audio specialist has released.

Why? Well first of all, Marshall has had a pretty impressive run in 2025, nailing its typical Bluetooth speaker launches, like the Kilburn III, but also new product categories, like home theater. But also, Marshall’s first party speaker comes with a hefty price tag to match its hefty form factor. Specifically, it will set you back $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799.

So, can the Bromley 750 maintain Marshall’s momentum in 2025 while also competing with the best party speakers around in spite of its considerable cost? Well yes, actually, it succeeds on both counts. Here’s why.

First of all, let’s talk sound – probably the most important aspect of any speaker! The Bromley 750 sounds as you’d expect. With its 500W of Class D amplification, you’ll get almighty bass output, but especially in Dynamic listening mode, you’ll still be treated to clear, defined mids and expressive, controlled treble.

One of the most interesting additions the Bromley makes is its sound character control. This lets you adjust audio on a scale of Dynamic to Loud. When you lean more towards a dynamic configuration, you’ll get a pleasingly nuanced, detailed listen, even in the absence of LDAC or aptX.

However, if you swing things the other way, there’s more of an emphasis on raw power. Bass is ramped up and you’ll get a less analytical listen, but this is very useful if you need maximum loudness for a giant outdoor area, for instance.

Whether you’re using Bluetooth, 3.5mm, or USB-C audio, you’ll be able to adapt EQ to suit your personal needs and taste – something I expect from all the best Bluetooth speakers. However, this doesn’t work with the XLR/6.35mm combo ports, which otherwise function without a hitch and offer delay/reverb effects via the speaker’s physical controls.

Perhaps my main criticism of the Bromley 750, though, is that its app is sort of disappointing. You can’t remotely adapt EQ for the speaker or alter sound characteristics, and there’s simply not that much to experience in there. That’s a shame given that the Marshall Heston 120 made great use of its revamped, feature-rich companion app.

Elsewhere, though, there’s still a lot to love about the Bromley 750. I was a big fan of its adjustable lighting, its impeccable 40-hour battery life and its high quality finish to name a few things.

Ultimately, the Marshall Bromley 750 makes for a fantastic debut in the party speaker world. It is expensive, even compared to some similarly-sized rivals, and app controls could be better. Still, this thing offers addictive audio, beautiful lighting, and plenty of playtime. As a result, I’d recommend it to those who have the cash.

Marshall Bromley 750 light active — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: price and release date

$1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799
Launched in September 2025

The Marshall Bromley 750 released in September 2025 and is the audio specialist’s first ever party speaker. It has a list price of $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799, meaning it's pretty pricey, but it is constructed of premium materials and delivers extensive battery life alongside powerful audio.

Marshall Bromley 750 review: specs

Weight	52.7lbs / 23.9kg
Dimensions	25.7 x 16.3 x 14 inches / 652 x 413 x 355mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, USB-C, RCA, 2x XLR/6.35mm combo jacks
Battery life	40 hours
Speaker drivers	2x 10-inch 150W woofers, 2x 5.25-inch 50W mid-rangers, 2x 1-inch 7W tweeters, 2x 0.8-inch 14W tweeters
Waterproofing	IP54

Person plugging microphone into the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: features

Multiple ports, including XLR/6.35mm slots for karaoke / instruments
Entertaining range of lighting options
Impressive 40 hour battery life

The Marshall Bromley 750 is a versatile party speaker, and offers a range of connectivity options to help you keep things fresh. Of course, there’s Bluetooth 5.3, but there’s also USB-C and 3.5mm ports for wired listening.

Interestingly, though, if you look at the reverse side of the Bromley, you can also discover RCA ports for keyboards and turntables, as well as XLR/6.35mm combo ports for microphones and electro-acoustic guitars.

One of my colleagues performed Mama’s Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert using a mic, and it sounded great. The speaker has delay and reverb effects on-board too, and these worked very nicely indeed. The only other thing worth noting about this is that you can’t alter EQ while using the XLR/6.35mm combo ports, which some may hope for.

My favorite feature of the Marshall Bromley 750 is certainly its integrated stage lights. There are three different modes – an ambient setting, and two dynamic alternatives that react differently depending on audio output. The lights look absolutely fantastic, and really help to further immerse listeners in the music. You can also trigger a burst of strobe lighting by pressing the ‘M’ button.

Speaking of the ‘M’ button, its function can be altered in the Marshall app. But this isn’t the shiny new version of the app used by the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar: its the older variant. Unfortunately, the app feels a little underbaked. You can alter volume, listen to an Auracast broadcast, or adjust the standby timeout, but that’s about it.

I wish the app enabled EQ adjustment – something that you can access with physical controls. The app also omits control over the reverb and delay effects for karaoke and instrument use. It would also be good to have control over the new sound character feature – which enables you to tailor audio more towards a ‘dynamic’ or ‘loud’ style.

Back to the positives, though, and I have to say that the Bromley 750’s battery life is excellent. 40 hours of playtime for a speaker of this size? That’s phenomenal. A similar-sized rival like the JBL PartyBox 720 is capable of up to 15 hours, which is fairly standard – that really puts the Bromley’s massive playtime into perspective.

On top of that, the Bromley 750 has a replaceable battery, which means that even if your 40 hours of play run out, you can substitute another one in to extend the party. There’s no multi-speaker pairing, which some may miss, but otherwise there are a lot of features to enjoy on Marshall’s debut party speaker.

Features score: 4.5/5

Marshall Bromley 750 replaceable battery half ejected — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: sound quality

Mighty 500W power output
Meaty yet regimented bass performance
Sound character control works great

The Marshall Bromley 750 isn’t necessarily the most powerful party speaker on the market, but believe me, it can get plenty loud enough for just about any setting.

I brought the speaker to the parking lot outside Future Labs and listened to some house tunes with my friends, and it was almost as if I threw my own mini-rave. In fact, one colleague inside the office noted that they could hear the Bromley while using ANC headphones – pretty impressive, right?

But it's one thing being powerful, and another sounding great. Luckily, the Bromley 750 does both.

When bumping Can’t Resist by Jamback, the high-pitched percussion cut through with intent, never sounding harsh, even at high volumes. Vocals in the mid range weren't obscured in the mix, either, even with the track’s deep bass pumping throughout. The rapid kick drum never sounded lethargic and low-frequency output was both textured and impactful. The speaker’s ability to reach down to 20Hz means that it can also handle sub bass with finesse.

Similarly, with Unknown Territory by Kolter, high-pitched percussive elements were expressive yet controlled, while the bass sounded seriously meaty – but also well-regimented. Spacey synths were also well separated, enabling a decently nuanced listen, even in the absence of higher-resolution audio codecs like LDAC or aptX.

The sound character control function works very well on the Bromley, and makes it a versatile speaker for more lowkey indoor occasions or busy outdoor gatherings. At the music testing room at Future Labs, I tuned into Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz – it's only right to listen to some Rock on a Marshall speaker, after all.

Here, I set the dial almost entirely towards ‘Dynamic’. With this setting, bass was balanced, not overbearing, giving vocals the space to sound clear and defined. Now, when I tried cranking up loudness to the three-quarter mark and beyond, bass was too smothering for the setting, resulting in a more compressed, one-dimensional quality.

But again, this isn’t the sort of situation where you’ll need to depart too far from dynamic listening. And even outdoors or in large indoor spaces, you'll likely be able to keep the dial somewhere between Loud and Dynamic, where audio still sounds fantastic. Even if you do set loudness to the max, you’ll still be treated to almighty bass, and get all the power you need for use in a huge, busy outdoor environment.

One more thing – the Bromley 750 has an impressive soundstage thanks to the use of Marshall’s 360-degree true stereophonic sound. This works well, and creates a wide, well-adjusted sound from almost any listening angle.

Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Marshall Bromley 750 with microphone — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: design

Classic Marshall look is a hit once again
Beautiful lights and physical controls
Very hefty, but handle makes it easy enough to transport

If you’ve read my Marshall Kilburn III review – or basically any piece about Marshall products – you’ll know that I typically love the way the audio specialist designs its products. And the story remains the same for the Bromley 750, which looks brilliant as well.

I adore the premium speaker grille and the way its shimmering lights beam behind it. I’m also partial to the faux-leather exterior, luxurious physical controls, and easily accessible connectivity ports.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – the Bromley is one hefty lad. Yep, at 52.7lbs / 23.9kg, you may not think this thing is the easiest to lug around. But luckily, the Bromley is equipped with a suitcase-style handle and wheels, meaning you can roll it around to wherever you want to place it. Wheeling it rarely felt clunky, making it easy enough to transport.

On top of that, the Bromley has handles on either side if you need to lift it up some stairs, as I did.

Another aspect of design worth discussing is the Bromley 750’s IP54 rating. This means that it has some limited dust protection, as well as shielding against water splashes from any direction.

Now, is an IP54 rating anything special? Well, perhaps not. But still, for a speaker of this kind, it's certainly in-line with the competition. And it still goes a step further than many thanks to a drainage function, which dislodges any excess moisture in the case of a particularly rainy day, for instance.

Design score: 5/5

Power buttton and control knobs on the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: value

Comes at quite the cost
But does offer plenty of quality in return for investment
Repairability can likely boost longevity too

The Marshall Bromley 750 is by no means cheap. It has a list price of $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799, meaning that it will be a real investment – even compared to some rivals in this weight and size class.

For instance, the JBL PartyBox 720, which was released at around the same time, is not only more powerful than the Bromley 750, but cheaper too – $200 / £100 / AU$300 cheaper, to be exact.

In fairness, though, Marshall offers slightly better protection against the elements, much better battery life, and a more luxurious look than its rival from JBL. Is that worth the extra cash? Well, that will just depend on your needs and preferences.

Even if the Bromley is expensive, a couple of things make it well worth the investment. First of all, it's an absolute beauty. This thing is a statement piece – you won’t necessarily have to wheel it away to your garage for future use. It could conceivably fit into a living room set up for personal listening and for aesthetic purposes.

Secondly, the Bromley 750 is repairable, with Marshall offering authorized repair services as well as spare parts for its first party speaker. Pair that with the replaceable battery, and this model feels well protected against future wear and tear.

Of course, this is also an excellent-sounding, fairly feature-rich party speaker, so even if the price tag is high, you’ll get oodles of quality for the spend.

Value score: 4/5

Handle on the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Marshall Bromley 750?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	I wish the app had more controls, but the lighting, connectivity options, and 40 hour battery life are excellent.	4.5/5
Sound quality	Powerful, regimented bass, effective sound character control, solid instrument separation.	4.5/5
Design	Mesmerizing lighting, luxurious exterior, splashproof with drainage system in place.	5/5
Value	Some more powerful rivals can cost less, but you get premium build and playtime in return.	4/5

Buy it if...

You’re a regular party host
If you’re someone that loves to throw a good party every now and then, the Bromley 750 could be a great investment. Awesome audio, buckets of power, and karaoke capabilities… what more could you ask for?

You love the Marshall look
If you’re a fan of the Marshall aesthetic, then you’ll almost certainly be rocking with the Bromley 750 as well. With an attractive faux leather exterior, high-quality grille, and gorgeous lighting, you’re in for a treat with this one.

Don't buy it if...

You’re looking for the ultimate value pick
The Bromley 750 is an expensive beast, and a few similar-sized rivals are available for a little less too. Of course, you’re getting almost unbeatable battery life and fantastic build quality here, but you’ll have to assess whether that’s worth the additional spend over competitors.

You’re a little low on space
If you don’t have a healthy portion of space, the Bromley 750 may be overkill for you. At 25.7 inches / 652mm tall and 16.3 inches / 413mm wide, this thing will require some serious room – and with a weight of 52.7lbs / 23.9kg, it's pretty heavy too.

Marshall Bromley 750 review: also consider

	Marshall Bromley 750	JBL PartyBox 720	LG xboom Stage 301
Price	$1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799	$1,099.95 / £799.99 / AU$1,495	$299.99 / £299.99 / AU$449
Weight	52.7lbs / 23.9kg	68.3lbs / 31kg	14.7lbs / 6.7kg
Dimensions	25.7 x 16.3 x 14 inches / 652 x 413 x 355mm	16.4 x 37.1 x 16 inches / 416 x 942 x 406mm	12.3 x 12.2 x 11.1 inches / 312 x 311 x 282mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, USB-C, RCA, 2x XLR/6.35mm combo jacks	Bluetooth 5.4, 3.5mm, 2x XLR jacks	Bluetooth 5.4, 3.5mm, 6.3mm (mic/guitar) USB (MP3 playback)
Battery life	40 hours	15 hours	12 hours
Speaker drivers	2x 10-inch 150W woofers, 2x 5.25-inch 50W mid-rangers, 2x 1-inch 7W tweeters, 2x 0.8-inch 14W tweeters	2x 9-inch woofers, 2x 1.25-inch dome tweeters	2x 2.5-inch midrange drivers; 1x 6.5-inch woofer
Waterproofing	IP54	IPx4	IPX4

JBL PartyBox 720
OK, we’ve not reviewed this one just yet (watch this space though), but it's one of the obvious rivals to the Bromley 750, so it's worth a comparison. The PartyBox 720 has much more in-your-face multicolored lighting, as opposed to the more ambient style of the Bromley 750 – some will like that, others may find it overbearing. As I mentioned earlier, this model is more powerful, yet still cheaper than the Bromley, though that comes at the cost of no dustproof rating and a significantly smaller (yet still solid) battery life.

LG xboom Stage 301
Here's something a little different (and significantly cheaper). The LG xboom Stage 301 is a wedge-style Bluetooth speaker that offers deep yet clean bass output, effective AI-assisted audio output, and immersive dual-bar lighting. It also supports karaoke and DJ modes. If you don't quite need all the power of the Bromley 750, this could be a strong smaller option for you. Read our full LG xboom Stage 301 review.

How I tested the Marshall Bromley 750

Handles on the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Tested across the course of one week
Used indoors at Future Lab and outdoors in a parking lot
Predominantly tested using Tidal

I tested the Marshall Bromley 750 across the course of one week, spending most of my time with it at the music testing space at Future Labs, but I also spent a while with it in the parking lot as well.

During the testing period, I spent hours on end blasting tunes from a variety of genres, with bass-heavy bangers and legendary rock ballads as starring players. I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which is standard practice for me when trialing audio gear, but I also tuned into some songs from my personal library.

When listening to music, I typically used Tidal, but I also tried bumping some tunes from my library on Spotify in light of the recent lossless update. I listened at a variety of angles and volumes, exhausted all of the lighting options, and messed around with the Bromley’s karaoke and instrument capabilities.

First reviewed: October 2025
Read more about how we test

I tested these brilliant OneOdio over-ears and they’re now my favorite budget headphones –by a mile

11:30 pm | October 14, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC | Comments: Off

OneOdio Focus A6: two-minute review

Let me cut right to the chase: the OneOdio Focus A6 are the best budget headphones I’ve ever used. Loud, bassy, attractively designed and sporting sturdy software support, they offer everything you could reasonably ask for from a pair of sub-$100 cans. And then some.

Just how much have OneOdio’s affordable (but definitely not cheap-feeling) over-ears impressed me over the course of a month's testing? I have such a high opinion of them, I’ve actively chosen to use these cans in my free time over my Apple AirPods Max. And for context, Crew Cupertino’s high-end headphones normally retail for over five times what OneOdio is currently asking for the Focus A6s – and yes, both models can do USB-C wired Lossless audio.

There’s so much to like here and, well… hear. I can honestly say the Focus A6s are comfortably the best headphones I’ve ever reviewed that clock in at well under $100 / $100. Incredibly well-balanced at both high and low ends, they can electrify your ears during searingly accurate vocal performances while also rumbling your lobes when you crave the deepest bass lines.

When it comes to software, OneOdio has gone above and beyond with these headphones. A simple-to-use yet pleasingly sophisticated companion app outshines the offerings of some far pricier cans, making the Focus A6s an ideal choice for music buffs or even gamers thanks to its software’s various tweakable features.

Though noise cancelling on the Focus is strong, but not quite class-leading, the A6s still do an admirable job of dampening down distracting outside sounds mid-hectic commute. Throw in AI-bolstered mic features that help strengthen vocal performance during calls while also quietening your surroundings, and you’re looking at a set of budget over-ears that overdeliver at their price point. And that’s before your factor in their support for Bluetooth 6.0.

Considering they cost less than 60 bucks, the Focus A6s really are astounding. There’s no other set of cans I’ve enjoyed reviewing more in 2025. With that said, there are other options at this price point that are seriously worth considering. Be it the near peerless 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 or the Sony WH-CH520. When it comes to the best cheap headphones, options are plentiful.

I currently have more pairs of headphones in my apartment than I do shoes and I don’t say it lightly when I declare the OneOdio Focus A6s are now my favorite. Yes, that does include the aforementioned Apples. I’m legitimately amazed the Chinese firm has delivered such an impeccable set of cans at a barely believable price for the quality on offer here.

Read on, and I’ll tell you exactly why the Focus A6s aren’t just the most pleasantly surprising set of headphones I’ve perhaps ever tested, but are also some of the best cans available right now. Holy smokes do I love these headphones.

OneOdio Focus A6 over-ear headphones on a Parisian stool — (Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)

OneOdio Focus A6 review: Price and release date

Release date: July, 2025
Price: $55 / £55 / AU$112 (approx.)

The OneOdio Focus A6 have been on global release since July 7, 2025. Available in both Midnight Black and Ivory Blush, these cans retail for an extremely reasonable $55 / £55 / around AU$112 on Amazon and many other major sites.

I’ve already seen the A6s go for lower than the official MSRP in semi-regular sales here in the UK, so don’t be surprised if these excellent over-ears drop to even more bank balance-friendly prices when Black Friday season swiftly swoops around.

Aggressively priced isn't the half of it...

OneOdio Focus A6 review: Specs

Weight:	240g
Drivers:	40mm
Battery life:	75 hours; 40 hours (ANC on)
Active noise cancellation:	Yes
Connectivity:	Bluetooth 6.0; USB-C wired Lossless support

OneOdio Focus A6 review: Features

Above average ANC
Intuitive to use, robust app
AI-enhanced call features

If the OneOdio Focus A6s were to cost $255 rather than $55, I’d still consider their feature set to be strong. But at the latter, ultra-attractive price? Damn, these over-ears are tough to top in the budget category.

First and foremost, they’re future-proofed up the wazoo. These are some of the earliest Bluetooth 6.0 headphones to hit the market, and though I didn’t have any such devices on hand to test them with, I massively appreciate OneOdio including such a forward-looking feature in such cheap cans.

Next up, Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). Here, the A6s once again prove they’re no slouch. While I have heard superior ambient sound-slaying features in the best noise-cancelling headphones, OneOdio has nevertheless delivered a set of over-ears that can subdue most of the distracting outside sounds most daily commutes bring about.

The firm claims that with ANC enabled, there’s a 98% increase in noise reduction. In real-world terms, on several noisy train journeys, that number seems generous in the extreme when comparing ANC On with Transparency modes. Still, enabling noise cancelling definitely does make a difference, even if it’s not quite a game-changing one.

As someone who loves the out-of-box audio the Focus serve up, I still appreciate the fact there’s an optional and extensive OneOdio app. Once installed, said software allows you to access additional Wind Noise Reduction and Wind-resistant Transparency modes. Even better? You can also enable three preset EQ modes, plus a further three custom ones, with little fuss.

Tweaking bass and treble sliders is very definitely my bag and I’m particularly fond of the A6s’ generous suit of custom EQ settings. The features don’t stop there, though. Thanks to this cleanly designed app, you can also enable a handy Find My Headphones mode, dual device connection settings and a Gaming Mode which reduces audio latency to just 0.065s.

The A6s’ AI-powered microphones also make these cans a top choice if you regularly make and take calls. Although I didn’t test them under the most glamorous conditions – most of my time with the Focus’ mic involved phoning the bank about my home insurance – I found that audio was always clear. Considering my apartment doesn’t always support the best data signal, the fact the people I was calling never had an issue hearing me didn’t go underappreciated.

With one foot in the future, and the other very firmly imprinted on all the audio features you expect in 2025, OneOdio has done a great job at offering users an option-rich set of headphones. The breezy yet broad-reaching companion software is very much the sumptuous cherry atop a delicious sonic sundae.

Features score: 4 / 5

Inner earcups of the OneOdio Focus A6 over-ear headphones on a Parisian stool — (Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)

OneOdio Focus A6 review: Sound quality

Loud, bass-filled, detailed sound
Confident audio clarity at high, mid and low ends
Superb for songs, shows and movies

Ah, the biggie. The OneOdio Focus A6s utterly smash it here. From a pure performance standpoint, these are the boomiest, best-rounded over-ears I’ve listened to since my beloved Apple AirPods Max. There’s not much to fault on the A6s' sound quality.

To prefix the songs I tested on the Focus A6s, I battled against every fiber of my 40-year-soul and tried to embrace the kidz… with surprisingly ear-arousing results. Somewhat indebted to No Scrubs by TLC, Tinashe's No Broke Boys is a bass-bringing banger. Despite rocking a chorus with machine-gun-rapid lyrics that could shake tectonic plates, the A6s’ mightily impressive bass never overly distracts from the words being sung.

Sombr’s fellow chart-conquering mega hit 12 to 12 also thrills on OneOdio’s headphones. The retro-facing synth-pop star’s latest once again brings the bass big style, despite the astonishingly chinned musician’s larynx sounding like it could soar through clouds. It’s a spellbinding and complementary mix of frequencies that really shows off the A6s’ range. Yes, I’ll admit: I ‘might’ have a thing for the low end.

Seeing as my knees have yet to disintegrate, and I’m desperately trying to stay relevant, arguably the song of 2025 Golden by KPop Demon Hunters sounds utterly fabulous on the A6s. Somehow dovetailing between soul-stirring treble highs and a bassline that’s deeper than the Mines of Moria, it’s as strong an advert for the Focus’ incredibly assured all-round audio as I can think of.

Speaking of which… wow. I could not resist listening to my most beloved piece of movie music ever on the A6s. With the first teaser for The Rings of Power season 3 recently revealed, I simply had to relive my favourite movie musical moment from the 2001 epic that started it all. The great Howard Shore’s The Breaking of the Fellowship is one of the silver screen scoring's most uplifting orchestral pieces I’ve ever heard. Its swelling strings sound as sweeping as all of Middle-earth on OneOdio’s first-class headphones.

If you want a solid, sweaty workout worthy of the A6s’ all-round variety, and are interested in watching one of the best streaming shows of 2025, please consider Alien: Earth. I had a chest-bursting chuckle catching up with the sci-fi prequel’s first six episodes on the Focus.

In episode 2 Mr. October, the skittering high-frequency clawing of a Xeno’s ghastly feet, followed by the good ol’ squelchy mids of a barely alive victim, proceed with a straight-up WWE style move from H.R. Giger’s iconic beastie (that brings a glass-breaking frog splash) – all this is just electrifying audio. Looking to watch some of the best Disney Plus shows on your tablet? Definitely consider the Focus A6 based on Earth’s ear-delighting dread.

Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

OneOdio Focus A6 review: Design

Comfort is never an issue
Build quality exceeds the price tag big time
A winning retro look

The Focus A6s look classy without ever trying too hard to grab your attention. These are grown-up headphones for users who want minimalist cans that still rock some unique flair. They aren’t overly showy, but once you get used to their particular aesthetic, I’m sure you'll appreciate them.

Probably the most eye-catching aspect of the Focus are their “CNS-machined CD pattern, nano-sandblasted, anodized aluminum finish” earcups. Apologies if I’ve just made you want to regurgitate your most recent meal with some PR guff. In real world speak, some lovely materials combine to create cups that bring to mind the look of classic vinyl.

This bold build quality combines with classy flickers of gold on the Midnight Black model I’ve been testing. I had to look hard for the fine detail that has gone into the design of the Focus, which is to be applauded.

They're also very comfortable, which is important for headphones that boast such strong battery life. While I appreciate the stylish metallic top of the Focus A6, my lobes are bigger fans of some supremely comfy earcups.

Over dozens of hours of listening, the fit of the Focus never once bothered my ears. Not only do the cups provide constant comfort, the fact they also snappily rotate 90 degrees with minimal effort is another big box ticked.

The power on/off, volume up/down and ANC buttons are also easy to navigate on OneOdio’s latest cans. I almost never had difficulty discerning between the different controls after a brief period of getting acclimatized to their location.

My only slight criticism? On a few occasions, I found the on-cup controls to be a little too sensitive. Something I discovered when accidentally turning off these cans while leaning back a little too quickly on the reclining chair in my living room.

Overall, though, the A6s are confidently designed headphones that show a pleasing eye for detail if you really peer at their earcups.

Design score: 4.5 / 5

Earcups of the OneOdio Focus A6 over-ear headphones on a Parisian stool — (Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)

OneOdio Focus A6 review: Value

Quality cans delivered with almost no cut corners
Sound better than over-ears that cost triple their price

The Focus A6 are nothing short of tremendous value for money. Packed full of features, well built, boasting both super-strong audio and top-tier battery life, the OneOdio Focus A6 are a stunning price at just $55 / £55. Heck, I’ve even seen them go for a tenner less in my native Blighty since their release just a few short months ago.

Let me make this as clear as I can: I’m struggling to think of a better value set of high-quality budget over-ear headphones I’ve ever had the pleasure to use… and I’ve been buying cans for a quarter of a century. Yes, I’m roughly as old as the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Value score: 5 / 5

OneOdio Focus A6 over-ear headphones held by the headstrap over a Parisian stool — (Image credit: Future / Dave Meikleham)

Should I buy the OneOdio Focus A6?

Section	Notes	Score
Features	Stacked at the price point; excellent, easy-to-use app for EQ setting tweakage.	4 / 5
Sound quality	Big, full bass; few are the cheap headphones that are this satisfying.	4.5 / 5
Design	Subtly gorgeous earcups and oh so comfortable.	4.5 / 5
Value	The new word in value, OneOdio does an incredible job for less than $60.	5 / 5

Buy them if…

You want great value, and even better audio
It’s borderline unbelievable how good the Focus A6s sound for such a cheap price tag. Regardless of whether money is tight or not, you’re going to struggle to find a set of headphones in 2025 that deliver better audio than these awesomely rounded cans.

Strong software is key
OneOdio’s companion app is utterly on point. Simple to use, yet fairly broad in the amount of tweakable options it provides, even some of the best headphones out there (regardless of cost) rarely provide such all-encompassing software.

Don't buy them if…

You don’t want to tweak settings
Straight out of the box, these headphones’ audio performance underwhelms. To get the most out of them, tinkering with Earfun’s app settings is essential.

OneOdio Focus A6 review: Also consider

	OneOdio Focus A6	1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51	Sony WH-CH520
Drivers:	40mm composite	40mm dynamic	30mm
Active noise cancellation:	Yes	Yes	No
Battery life:	75 hours ANC off; 40 hours ANC on	100 hours; 65 hours ANC on	50 hours
Weight:	240g	246g	137g
Connectivity:	Bluetooth 6.0, USB-C wired passthrough	Bluetooth 5.4; 3.5mm	Bluetooth 5.2; USB-C
Waterproofing:	N/A	N/A	N/A

1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
The current conquerors of the budget market remain the best cheap cans you can buy today thanks to their highly customizable, satisfying sound. ANC, build quality and battery life that also seriously impress for such affordable headphones.
See our full 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review

Sony WH-CH520
These well balanced cans from the iconic Japanese giant are some of the best cheap headphones you can buy, even a couple of years after their release. Strong battery life and an awesome app bolster their credentials.
See our full Sony WH-CH520 review

How I tested OneOdio Focus A6

Tested for over a month
Used at home, outdoors and on public transport

I tested the OneOdio Focus A6 over roughly five to six weeks. Over that period I primarily paired these over-ears with my iPhone 14 Pro and Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (2024). To get a handle on how good these cans’ ANC is, I used the Focus A6 on outdoor walks in bustling city areas and on several busy train journeys.

As for content, I listened to a whole bunch of my favourite tunes, several movies, a couple of the best Apple TV+ shows, and a number of my regular go-to podcasts to judge the quality and versatility the A6s' audio is capable of delivering.

Meze Audio 105 Silva: Two-minute review

The Meze Audio 105 Silva are open-back headphones that don’t act like open-back headphones – and I think I’m a fan. Where open-backs usually trade bassy fullness for structure and measure, the 105 Silva do a bang-up job of reinforcing low-end for a gratifyingly pillowy result; this pillow lies beneath some of the best treble performance I’ve heard in a mid-range pair of headphones, too, with beautifully-balanced air and a keen-yet-forgiving transient response.

These headphones excel as at-home headphones, and especially so if you’ve a tranche of remastered jazz records to listen through. The more brick-wall limited a song is, though, the less fun you’re likely to have with these, dynamics-hungry as they are.

The 105 Silva are also as gratifyingly comfortable as any of the best wired headphones, with a well-designed self-adjusting headband and some decadent velour-enrobed ear-cushions to slip yourself between. I think Meze Audio have achieved almost precisely that which they aimed to achieve with this mid-range set, but that the narrow soundstage and fluffy low end could turn some fundamentalist open-back adherents away. More for me, maybe!

Meze Audio 105 Silva headphones on a light wooden table — (Image credit: Future)

Meze Audio 105 Silva review: Price and release date

Released July 23, 2025
$499 / £469 / AU$999

Meze Audio has been mucking up the hi-fi industry since 2010, and, in my opinion, has done for headphones what Pro-Ject did for turntables back in the 00s – just see the much-pricier Meze Audio Poet for reference, at a cool $2,000 / £1,899 / AU$3,550.

And the 105 Silva are much cheaper than their excellent siblings – think high-quality European design, assembled in Europe and sold at a price that makes you go “wait what? OK!”.

I make no attempt to hide my love for Meze headphones past, be they the 99 Classics that still get use in my studio, or the ultra-high-end Poet that blew me away not too long ago. The Silva sits between these two, being a mid-range pair of open-back headphones designed exclusively for the cosy, immersive listen.

The Meze Audio 105 Silva are the second pair of headphones in the 105 series, and a clear development on the 105 AER that came before. Gone are the art deco PC-ABS earcups, replaced with a fetching mid-century walnut-heavy design; gone is the close, sumptuous tuning of the 50mm dynamic drivers, replaced with a brighter, broader and altogether more ‘fidelitous’ approach (if I may neologise).

Silva is a Romanian word, meaning ‘forest’. Meze Audio wants you to look at those sumptuous walnut ear cups and envision nature; to slip between those outrageously-comfortable ear pads and feel safety; to experience the softness of its sound profile and feel nurtured. Can such bucolic Transylvanian headphones promise such bucolic Transylvanian serenity?

Meze Audio 105 Silva review: Features

5Hz - 30kHz frequency response
42 ohms impedance
USB-C DAC adapter

Meze Audio’s 105 Silva headphones are passive, open-back listening headphones – the ideal platform for at-home enjoyment of your eclectic record collection, your esoteric FLAC library or your immersive audiovisual storytelling experience. No schmancy tech gimmicks here; just great sound and you.

The 105 Silva deliver that great sound through some prodigiously-engineered 50mm drivers. A carbon fibre-reinforced cellulose composite dome combines durability with a lightness of weight, making for a considered reproduction of high-end information and a clever attenuation of unwanted resonances; the dome is encircled by a semicrystalline polymer torus, titanium-coated for fast attack and precisely grooved for more resonance control.

The result is a pair of headphones that exists in two states simultaneously: tension and relaxation, taut transients and thrumming bass. But more on this shortly. For specs, you’ll find an impressive frequency range of 5Hz - 30kHz and a 42-ohm impedance; the latter’s a tiny bit disappointing, if only for the fact that these aren’t smartphone fare. There’s more potential posed by driving these drivers a little harder from your hi-fi than there is convenience for keeping the impedance low, in my humble and completely subjective opinion.

Being passive headphones, the 105 Silva are of course wired for sound, and use dual-twisted, Kevlar-wrapped OFC cable to supply said wiring. Each ear cup hosts a mono TS port, so you can attach and detach with ease for transport; you can also be sure that each channel of audio is robustly connected. It’s naked, minimal and minimises points of failure all-round – all of which amount to top marks from me.

For those of that use smartphones for all things audio, you can still enjoy the 105 Silva out of the box, too; Meze Audio has lovingly included a custom 3.5mm TRS to USB-C adapter, which includes its own DAC. This is the techiest thing you’ll find in the box, and a good thing too.

Features score: 4 / 5

Meze Audio 105 Silva review: Sound quality

High-end response is peerless for the price
Nice, airy mid-range
Bass surprisingly fulsome

As you would expect from most open-back headphones above a certain budget-price threshold, the Meze Audio 105 Silva are a pair dead-set on tactility. Between some measured soundstaging and delightful transient control, these cans deliver something comfortingly immersive above all else.

World Brain’s Minute papillon is a lassez-faire melange of syncopated synths, je-ne-cest-quoi ambiance and other such French-transplant turns of Romantic phrase; the 105 Silva resolve its light-stab electric pianos and dead-straight drums with a playful air. High-end information is delivered with space and grace, sharp enough to carve out its own place in your ears but soft enough not to insist upon itself in the process.

Andy Shauf’s debut collection of small-folk heartbreakers The Bearer Of Bad News, meanwhile, is a good carrier for both the dynamic potential of the 105 Silva and their incredible stereo imaging; I’m Not Falling Asleep is all slurred clarinets and ever-resonating piano before a huge, sparse beat and Shauf’s plaintive tone.

Separation between elements is impressive, too. The end section of I’m Not Falling Asleep is just voices and clarinets in stereo-spread choral harmony, and Shauf’s stacked voices seem as if to coast above the woodwinds like an air-hockey puck would on one of the good machines.

A little later in the record, Wendell Walker brings some excellent resolution of distance; close-strummed guitars and distant piano bass, diametrically opposed but united with a gloriously-staged, wrap-around drumkit that spikes up through the warmth with polish, presence and power. Even with the most maximalist, blown-out feats of electro-pop heft in my library – particularly, Normalize by Gelli Haha – there’s a palpable sense of space behind the sausaged synth-basses and punching-bag-to-the-face kicks.

Well-spaced as these elements are, there is a surprisingly close limit to their spread. These aren’t the widest headphones I’ve tried, sure, but the surprise is that I’ve heard wider closed-backs. Indeed, the 105 Silva, to me, exhibit some behaviours more redolent of closed-back designs than others.

This is reinforced by the overall bass response of those carefully-tuned 50mm drivers. Though brighter and airier than 105 drivers prior, here the low end is still suitably springy, and enjoys an unusual bloomy fullness. Open-backs typically don’t possess this fulsomeness, as they allow that placeless subby energy to dissipate outwards; here, though, there’s a sense of constructive interference usually reserved for closed-back systems. And it’s kind of glorious.

The 105 Silva do seem to respond better to some sounds than others. The aforementioned Normalize suffers for its brick-walled, low-dynamic clown-pop maximalism, where the Silva seems not quite sure on how to handle the lack of real movement. Listening to high-dynamic live-instrument arrangements, like Billy Valentine And The Universal Truth’s jazzy re-imagining of We People Who Are Darker Than Blue, feels like finally unlocking the Universal Truth of these headphones; the thing they were designed for.

The 50mm drivers handle bloomy double-bass with active measure, as if an occult hand were manually pushing the fader up for moments of “a-ha!” crescendo. The transient response is keen but not sharp, and the breath behind each saxophonic missive a textural delight. ‘Cosiness’ seems the ultimate state these headphones strive for.

Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Meze Audio 105 Silva review: Design

Gorgeous-looking things
Gratifyingly simple practical design
And deeply comfortable, too

These headphones are an obvious winner in the aesthetics camp; have you seen them?! Everything about the design is tasteful, from the materials and proportionality of the earcups to the highly-satisfying minimalism of the metal bands that connect them. Walnut, pleather and velour present a united front of understatedly decadent luxury – an enticing wear if ever you saw them.

Speaking of wearing them, the 105 Silva’s headband is a lightweight and lightly-cushioned self-adjusting affair. I’m extremely impressed, again, by the coincident simplicity and practicality on display here. There’s no aggressive ratcheting or re-adjustment; the 105 Silva simply rests exactly where it needs to, with a softness of touch a far cry from the intrusive clamp other such headphones deign to visit upon your potentially-sensitive bonce.

Speaking of sensitivity, I have known no headphone more comfortable than a Meze Audio headphone – especially with the plush, velour-enrobed ear-cushions provided on the 105 Silva. Similar comfort has been experienced on Sennheiser ‘phones past, but none so gratifyingly smooth about the concha.

The 105 Silva come in a sturdy contoured fabric hardcase, with a reassuring firmness and even more reassuringly weatherproof zip; if you did fancy taking these out and about, this right here is a trustworthy receptacle for such adventures. There’s also a neatly-designed cylindrical soft case within, for your cables and adapters and whatnot – so designed to nestle within the Silva’s headband, and to not risk any jostle-related damage in transit. It’s a simple gesture, but one that sparks a not-inconsiderable amount of joy in me.

In all, there’s nothing really to fault the 105 Silva on design-wise. There’s comfort by the spade, eye-candy by the trowel and simplicity at the core of it all. A serene pair.

Design score: 5 / 5

Meze Audio 105 Silva review: Value

Incredible comfort in the listening experience
…but one you pay a price for
Sound profile could be divisive, too

Value’s always a difficult thing to pin down with audio products, and especially so when the audio product in question isn’t all-singing, all-dancing. It’s easier to signal that something’s worth the whack when it’s got more features than you’ve got fingers, even if those features exist on products one tenth the price.

So, when it comes to a pair of passive headphones like the Meze Audio 105 Silva, there’s a lot of figurative weight in one place: the quality of the listening experience. I’m in no position to say that you need to spend this much money in order to have fun with your music collection – but, if you like the sound of soft tactility hand-in-hand with thick sonority, maybe it would help.

Bear in mind, too, that this unique listening experience is backed up by a prioritisation of listening comfort, and by attention-to-detail in pursuing the same. There’s balance in that self-adjusting headband, and in those Goldilocks ear-cushions. All this, steeped in minimal mid-century modern aesthetic, as if to say, “Romania does hygge too”.

I’ve had more fun with cheaper headphones before, and I’ve had far less fun with more expensive headphones too. I do think the 105 Silva have a great deal going for them aesthetically and ergonomically, which goes a long way to justifying their position in the market; the sound, though, is the singular thing about which most decisions ought to pivot – and the Silva’s unique performance could make this subjective decision either really easy, or really hard, for the prospective buyer.

Value score: 4 / 5

Meze Audio 105 Silva review: Should you buy them?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The inclusion of a custom 3.5mm TRS to USB-C adapter, which has its own DAC, is a classy touch	4 / 5
Sound quality	The 105 Silva excel with respect to high-end reproduction, with all the ear-candy detail you could ask for. The bass is a little more bloomy than you might expect from open-backs, but this is (often, at least) to their credit.	4.5 / 5
Design	These are some singularly fetching headphones, with that tasteful walnut-imbued mid-century earcup design and that minimal-yet-maximal PU leather headband. You won’t begrudge having these adorn your desk, to say the least.	5 / 5
Value	The 105 Silva offer incredible comfort, both literally and with respect to sound profile. That bloomy bass could be enough to switch some off, but the rest is Goldilocks-level balance.	4 / 5

Buy them if...

You value comfort
The 105 Silva are astonishingly comfortable listening headphones, both literally and figuratively. They hug your face and they hug your inner ear in near-equal measure, with plush cushioning and plusher bass.

You like jazz
The secret to the 105 Silva is fully revealed with dynamic music and largely-acoustic instrumentation; between a silky mid-range, musical handling of transients and a robust low-end that rises to the occasion, you have a pair of headphones that buries your face lovingly in jazz arrangements.

Don't buy them if...

You’re choosing open-backs for the soundstage
Despite their open-back nature, the Poet do not quite ‘breathe’ the same as other open-backs this writer has tried and enjoyed. I’m reminded more of closed-back headphones by the fit and feel, as well as the dimensionality of sound.

You’re looking for a wide soundstage
The soundstaging is fun, particularly with ticky-tacky high-end flourishes, but ultimately the 105 Silva sit quite close to your ears on the width front. There are wider ‘phones out there!

Meze Audio Poet review: Also consider

	Meze Audio 105 Silva	Meze Audio 105 AER	Sennheiser HD 505
Type:	Over-ear	Over-ear	Over-ear
Open-back or closed-back:	Open-back	Open-back	Open-back
Driver:	50mm dynamic; bio-cellulose, titanium-coated semicrystalline polymer	50mm dynamic, bio-cellulose, PEEK	38mm dynamic
Frequency range:	5Hz - 30kHz	5Hz - 30kHz	12Hz to 38.5kHz
Impedance:	42 ohms	42 ohms	120 ohms
Connector:	Dual 3.5mm TS output	Dual 3.5mm TS output	Proprietary locking cable output
Weight:	354g	336g	237g
Extras:	Carry case, soft pouch for cables, 3.5mm TRS to dual 3.5mm TS cable, 3.5mm TRS to USB-C adapter w/ integrated DAC, 3.5mm TRS to 6.35mm TRS adapter	Carry case, soft pouch for cables, 3.5mm TRS to dual 3.5mm TS cable, 3.5mm TRS to USB-C adapter w/ integrated DAC, 3.5mm TRS to 6.35mm TRS adapter	Drawstring pouch, stereo cable with 3.5mm TRS plug, 3.5mm TRS to 6.35mm TRS adapter

Meze Audio 105 AER
Meze Audio's 105 AER are a slightly cheaper member of the same open-back over-ear family, with a darker tuning and hence, a little less width than the Silva. If you like a more intimate headphone experience – and don't mind eschewing some tasteful walnut in the process – the AER resolves excellently.
Read our Meze Audio 105 AER review for more

Sennheiser HD 505
The Sennheiser HD 505 set of open-back headphones is decidedly cheaper than Meze’s 105 Silva – and wears that affordability a little more readily on its sleeve, too – but doesn’t disappoint when it comes to fidelity. If you’re wanting a more accessible introduction to the open-back format, this is a good starting point.
See our in-depth Sennheiser HD 505 review for more

Meze Audio 105 Silva review: How I tested

Tested for 3 week(s)
Used as listening headphones, at home
Predominantly tested via Edifier MR5 headphone output, through Universal Audio Volt 4 interface

The Meze Audio 105 Silva spent three weeks adorning my fancy new Ikea desk, in my attic office. There, they were my primary set of headphones for focused listening to my digital library of FLACs and 320kbps MP3s – with some ancillary listening on Spotify – via my Volt 4 audio interface and Edifier’s MR5 monitor speakers’ headphone output.

First reviewed: October 2025
Read more about how we test

Audiophiles on a budget need to buy these wireless earbuds now – I’ve tested them and they’re the real deal

1:00 pm | October 11, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC | Comments: Off

Soundpeats H3: Two-minute review

While you’ll most likely know Chinese headphone company Soundpeats from its dime-a-dozen budget buds, this rare foray into the mid-range market is still enough to pique interest… and to open wallets, because let me be clear: these are some of the best cheap headphones I’ve tested all year.

The Soundpeats H3 (no, you’re not expected to have heard of the H2) look like and sound like premium earbuds, and they make easy work of rivals at their price point, such as the AirPods 4.

The unique selling point here is the specs list, as the buds each have three drivers per earpiece (the AirPods, for example, have one) which let them handle the extremes of the audio spectrum with grace. They offer a vivid, insightful and well-defined sound, an expansive soundstage and support for a range of audio codecs.

I personally appreciated how Soundpeats didn’t follow the example set by most other mid-range and budget audio brands: the buds don’t turn the bass up to 11 to excite, at the expense of balanced sound, making them an option that offers something distinct from other buds you might be considering.

Audiophiles on a budget should add this to the shopping list straight away – and I do not write that lightly.

The premium sound is reflected in the design, with both the buds and case looking chic and classy. The earpieces also fit well and I never had problems with them falling out, which isn’t something I can say about many non-stem earbuds.

If there are issues with the Soundpeats H3, or at least reasons to temper your expectations, it’s in the features department. The battery life and active noise cancellation (ANC) are both a little below what I’ve experienced in other similarly-priced earbuds, and I had some app connection troubles (these didn’t affect streaming music, just using Soundpeat’s apps for some extra functionality).

Despite these small setbacks, the Soundpeats H3 are still exemplary earbuds that have certainly earned their way onto personal ‘best headphones’ list of 2025.

Soundpeats H3 review: Price and release date

The Soundpeats H3 on the arm of a sofa. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in September 2025
Costs $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$142
Slightly pricier than AirPods (in most regions)

The Soundpeats H3 were released in September 2025, as a follow-up to 2021’s Soundpeats H2 – given that the new buds cost almost twice as much as their predecessors, and look vastly different too, it seems that the name is the only thing these buds have in common.

The new earbuds cost $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$142 (no, that’s not a typo, the buds are inexplicably cheaper in Australia compared to the rest of the world, given that an exact conversion would put them closer to AU$280).

That’s not cheap cheap like most Soundpeats earbuds, and it means the H3 bumps shoulders with the $129 / £129 / AU$219 AirPods 4, but any buds that serious audiophiles will be considering will cost a fair bit more. Top picks from Sony, Apple and Bose have much higher price tags.

Soundpeats H3 review: Specs

Drivers	12mm + dual balanced armatures
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	7 hours (buds) 37 hours (case)
Weight	6g (buds) 53g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IPX5

Soundpeats H3 review: Features

ANC is fine, but can be beaten by rivals
7/37 hour battery life (ANC off)
Occasional app connectivity problems

According to Soundpeats, the H3 last for 7 hours of listening time before needing to be charged. From my testing, this figure is presumably with ANC turned off, as I listened with it turned on and just scraped the 5 hour mark.

Soundpeat’s figures continue to 37 hours for the case, which again would be lower if your noise cancelling is hogging all the charge. That’s still a fair amount higher than many other rivals though, so I can’t knock it.

Another case of ‘fine, but not the best’ comes with the noise cancellation, which will certainly take the edge off surrounding sounds but not remove them. Some of the environments I was in when testing the buds included the gym, near busy roads, on the train and on a flight, and the H3’s ANC would rarely totally remove a sound, but was decent at reducing its volume so your music could sit over the top.

I can’t say the same about Transparency mode, however, which seemed to amplify ambient noise while muffling voices – that’s the opposite of what it’s meant to do.

In an apparent attempt to make my testing job harder, Soundpeats offers two different apps which you can use to control the buds (they work independently, so you only need one, but to do my job well I have to test both): there’s the SOUNDPEATS app (all caps in the name, not my excitement) as well as PeatsAudio.

SOUNDPEATS has the same features as PeatsAudio but also a little bit less visual flair… when it picks up the buds, which wasn’t always the case during my testing. Sometimes I had to re-enrol the buds in the app to listen.

You can use the app to toggle what the touch controls do, change the volume and language of voice prompts, turn on LDAC, connect to multiple devices, test your buds’ fit to see if you’re wearing them properly and, in theory, play with a 9-band equalizer. I say ‘in theory’ because every time I tried opening this part of the app, I got an error message in Chinese and also an error screen saying an error occurred in English, so could never try it. This happened even when I reset the app and the earbuds.

PeatsAudio, meanwhile, has most of the features of SOUNDPEATS but the EQ actually worked. I sometimes found that LDAC toggled itself though, once when I was looking at (and not touching) the toggle on the app. Unless I’ve unknowingly been cast in a new Paranormal Activity movie, that’s a possible bug.

Features score: 3/5

Soundpeats H3 review: Design

The Soundpeats H3 in a man's ear. — (Image credit: Future)

Light, well-fitting buds
Handy touch controls
Bulky carry case

I’ve never given Soundpeats kudos for original design, mostly because it’s never deserved any, but that’s certainly different now. The Soundpeats H3 have a unique and, dare I say, classy design.

It starts with the charging case, which I’ll readily admit is too big to comfortably fit in a pocket, but it makes up for it with its looks. The shell is transparent so you can see the buds while a gold trim blends well with the black; opening the case reveals the buds as well as a leather-esque patterned design. Admittedly the panel pleading “Hear the difference” looks a little gauche, especially with its inconsistent font that sees the ‘f’s descend to different levels, but this error triggers the editor in me instead of the tech reviewer in me, so I’ll let it slide.

Talking of letting things slide, let’s slide out the buds. These are in-ears with no stem; the whole thing sits in your ear. I’m generally skeptical about the reliability and fit of buds like this, as I’ve tested too many that are too heavy and fall from your ears, but the Soundpeats H3 worked a dream. They sat comfortably in my ear, never falling out and barely being noticeable during listening.

I’m a fan of how the shape of the H3’s body loosely resembles an ear, making the buds look like a part of the body when worn. This has a functional benefit too, with a small raised section at the far side of the body to the bud bearing a little hook, which helps keep the bud in place.

Each bud has a touch control and I found these fairly convenient to use. It feels like you can tap anywhere to trigger the function, instead of on one specific area, so you won’t waste time hammering away at your ear hoping to pause your music.

One thing that could be better here is the waterproofing which, at IPX5, sits below quite a few rivals. That marks the buds as being fine against sweat and rain but not water immersion or jets of water.

Design score: 4.5/5

Soundpeats H3 review: Sound quality

Three drivers per bud
Lovely neutral sound
Range of codecs supported

The Soundpeats H3 being held in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

Why do these buds rate so highly? This section. The Soundpeats H3 come with three drivers, more than most rival buds: there’s a 12mm dynamic driver paired with two balanced armatures which in tandem, according to the company, ensure the entire audio spectrum is covered.

It works too, with the H3 perhaps the best-sounding mid-range earbuds I’ve ever tested that don’t have a bass focus (an important distinction given that many rivals focus on powerful bass more than Soundpeats has).

Treble is clearly the focus here. The balance, brimming with clarity and making vocals and higher-frequency instruments sparkle with energy and clarity, is refreshing and insightful. This extends to mids, which get to make a rare and detailed appearance, after getting somewhat overlooked in the vast majority of similarly-priced wireless earbuds.

Lower frequencies aren’t as powerful as on many rival buds, but they’re better-defined too, which more than makes up for it – the integrated bassline these buds provide sits well in the mix without ever dominating or encroaching.

There’s a lovely sound separation going on too, spacing and layering each musical passage and instrument in a way that justifies the use of multiple drivers.

Not content with a solid array of hardware, Soundpeats has included support for a wide variety of wireless audio codecs too, including aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LDAC, AAC and SBC. I only briefly tested with LDAC for fear of running down the battery (unless the app turned it on without telling me…) but the buds’ release at the same time as Spotify Lossless is a lovely little treat for audio reviewers.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Soundpeats H3 review: Value

I’ve got an ongoing list of great-value mid-range wireless earbuds that I can recommend to people who ask for my advice – placement on the list boils down to whether or not I’d buy it myself if, god forbid, I stopped getting sent buds to test.

The Soundpeats H3 certainly earn a place on the list. They may not have the features of rivals but the audio chops more than make up for it. They sound great and, more importantly, distinctly different from most same-priced rivals – all for half the price of other audiophile-grade earbuds.

Value: 4/5

Should I buy the Soundpeats H3?

Soundpeats H3 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Middling battery life and ANC, with some app connection problems.	3/5
Design	Attractive and lightweight buds, albeit with a bit of a big case.	4.5/5
Sound quality	The specs list doesn't lie with these well-tuned buds.	4/5
Value	They're not the cheapest buds ever, but they're a lot more affordable than other equally-great sounding buds.	4/5

Buy them if…

You like stem-less buds
It's rare that I rate in-ear buds that don't have stems, as they often have balance or fit issues, but not here.

You like detailed, expansive-sounding tunes
Bass-heads might look away, but we don't need them anyway (jokes! You're very welcome here). These are some of the best-sounding earbuds that don't focus too heavily on 'excitement' via low end clout.

You value codec support
I've tested some great-sounding buds that don't go the extra mile by supporting extra, higher-resolution Bleutooth codecs. Soundpeats has you covered if you want high-quality music wirelessly.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You need top-notch ANC
The noise cancellation isn't terrible, but plenty of other similarly-priced buds will beat the H3 for blocking out background sound.

You're a devout app user
While some earbuds users ignore the app, people who do spend time on PeatsAudio or SOUNDPEATS might find them frustrating.

Soundpeats H3 review: Also consider

	Soundpeats H3	OnePlus Buds 4	AirPods 4	Skullcandy Method 360
Drivers	12mm + dual balanced armatures	11mm + 6mm	Custom Apple design	12mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Battery life	12mm + dual balanced armatures	11 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)	5 hours (buds) 30 hours total (with case)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)
Weight	6g (buds) 53g (case)	4.73g (buds) 40g (case)	4.3g (buds); 32.3g (case)	11g (buds) 77g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	IPX5	IP55	IP54	IPX4

Apple AirPods 4
Given the similar price, these are a natural competitor, but despite their popularity we're not overwhelmed by the AirPods. Soundpeats H3's audio, look and battery life all win out here.

See our full Apple AirPods 4 review

OnePlus Buds 4
If you want top-notch ANC, these slightly-cheaper buds are what you need, and they're also unlike the Soundpeats in that the audio mix clearly favors bass. They're for a very different kind of user, but that means that if you're not keen on the H3, they might have what you're looking for.

See our full OnePlus Buds 4 review

How I tested the Soundpeats H3

Tested for 21 days
Tested at home, in the office and on walks

I tested the Soundpeats H3 for at least three weeks in order to write this review.

For testing, the buds were connected to my Android phone and I used music platforms including Spotify, Tidal, Netflix, YouTube and various games. I tested at home, on walks around my neighborhood and on various modes of transport, including trains and planes.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for six years now, including many earbuds across a wide range of prices.

First reviewed in October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Bowers & Wilkins’ new elite over-ear ANC headphones more than justify their price tag in this class-leading way…

3:33 pm | October 9, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones | Tags: AAC | Comments: Off

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2: two-minute review

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless noise-cancelling over-ear headphones don't exactly rip up the rule book and start again from previous models. But if they're among the best headphones and over-ear headphones on the market, is that really a bad thing?

Some significant aspects of specification are retained from 2022's Px8, or lifted from Bowers & Wilkins' more affordable (and rabidly well-received) Px7 S3 – in fact, the most obvious changes are visual. The Px8 S2 are slightly more low-profile and lighter than the product they replace, and have at least one authentic design flourish in the way the cable is partially exposed in the aluminium body of the arms and headband.

They are, however, a fairly obvious improvement when it comes to their active noise-cancellation and a decisive step on where sound quality is concerned. The Px8 S2 are a deeply accomplished and entertaining listen, able to create a large, well-defined and properly unified soundstage, reveal a huge amount of carefully contextualized detail, and stream through the most challenging dynamic shifts without sounding even remotely stressed. Add in super-smooth frequency response and nicely neutral tonality, and they’re very close to being the complete solution.

No, they can’t do as complete a job on outside distractions as the very best active noise-cancelling headphones around, but they’re really not all that far off. And besides, the inability to utterly negate the sound of an aircraft (or its passengers) is a small price to pay for sound quality that’s as rewarding as this.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 over-ear ANC headphones on a white surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Price and release date

Release date: September 24th, 2025
Price: $799 / £629 / AU$1,299 (approx.)

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones are on sale now, and in the United States they're priced at $799. In the United Kingdom they sell for £629, while in Australia you’re looking at AU$1,299.

‘Premium’, then, is the word I’ll be applying.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Specs

Weight:	310g
Drivers:	2 x 40mm dynamic full-range carbon cone
Battery life:	30 hours (ANC on)
Control:	app; voice; physical
Bluetooth:	5.3 with SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless compatibility

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 over-ear headphones inside a semi-hard carry case — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Features

40mm full range carbon cone dynamic drivers
Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless compatibility
30 hours of battery life

Even pricey wireless headphones tend not to be overburdened by features. ‘Pricey’ is a fairly accurate way to describe the Px8 S2 and, sure enough, their feature-set is all business – there are no fripperies here.

Bowers & Wilkins has retained the 40mm full range carbon cone dynamic drivers that first appeared in the original Px8 – but a new and altogether stiffer chassis, upgraded motor system and voice coil, plus some revisions to the driver fixings are all intended to offer worthwhile improvements to sound quality for the S2. The company has ported the amplification and DSP engine from its wildly successful Px7 S3 headphones for use here, but some bespoke tuning is intended to ensure the Px8 S2 outperform their extremely well-regarded (and quite a bit more affordable) siblings.

Wireless connectivity is via Bluetooth 5.3, and the Px8 S2 are compatible with SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless codecs. Bowers & Wilkins assures me that compatibility with both spatial audio and Bluetooth LE will be along ‘in due course’ via an OTA update – I'll mentally add on that missing 0.5 mark when it arrives. Wired listening, meanwhile, happens using the USB-C slot on the left earcup – it can be used for data transfer as well as charging the battery, which is why the company supplies USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm cables in the tidy semi-hard travel case. Battery life, by the way, is an entirely competitive 30 hours, and a 15-minute visit to the mains equates to around another seven hours' playback.

The mic-count has risen to eight (over the six fitted to the Px8) and all are involved both in telephony and active noise-cancellation. Six mics monitor external conditions and the other two assess the output of the drivers for the adaptive ANC system Bowers & Wilkins has specified. And naturally the mic array is involved with voice-assistant interaction, too.

Features score: 4.5 / 5

Carry case of the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 over-ear headphones — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Sound quality

Spacious, detailed and dynamic sound
Super-smooth frequency response
Consistently enjoyable no matter the source or content

Where out-and-out sound quality is concerned, it’s hard to lay a glove on the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. That they’re more accomplished in some areas of music-making than others is not the same as suggesting they're in any way lacking; it’s just that where they really excel, they leave their nominal competition gasping.

Perhaps the three most obvious areas are the size and coherence of the soundstage they create, their ability to power through the biggest dynamic variations without breaking audible sweat, and the forensic levels of insight they have into recordings. If it’s scale, variation and detail you want from your headphones, you’ve come to the right place.

All of the above is illustrated beautifully by a listen to a 24bit/48kHz FLAC file of Our Love is Distorting by Múm. The big shifts in attack, intensity and outright volume are expressed in full, and everything that happens occurs on a spacious, carefully defined and even-more-carefully unified soundstage. The amount of detail, both broad and fine, the Px8 S2 are able to extract, reveal and contextualize is equally impressive. Nothing is overlooked, nothing is overstated, and the notion that there may be further information the Bowers & Wilkins have somehow overlooked seems straightforwardly daft.

In every other respect, too, the Px8 S2 are more-or-less admirable. Their low-frequency presence is deep and substantial, packed with tonal and textural variation and controlled so carefully at the onset of individual sounds that rhythmic expression is confident and believable. Their midrange reproduction is open and positive, which allows voices of all kinds to communicate not only their tone and technique but also their attitude and character. At the top end, there’s more than enough substance to counterbalance the bit and crunch with which the headphones invest treble sounds, and the whole frequency range hangs together evenly, with no area hogging the spotlight and no area underrepresented.

The earcups of the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 over-ear ANC headphones on a white surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Tonality is quite carefully neutral, so the inherent heat in Otis Redding’s Hard to Handle is conveyed just as eloquently as the chilliness of Aphex Twin’s Come On You Slags!. The Px8 S2 seem entirely comfortable at either extreme.

All of this applies no matter your music's source or the standard of its packaging, either. Naturally there are qualitative differences to be discerned if you decide to listen to the Múm recording as a 192kbps Spotify stream rather than as the hi-res Tidal alternative, but the fundamental character of the Bowers & Wilkins never shifts.

When it comes to active noise-cancellation, Bowers & Wilkins must – just like every other brand – accept it’s competing for second place behind whichever Bose product is closest in asking price. That’s the case here just as surely as it is everywhere else, but that doesn’t alter the fact that the noise-cancellation here is about as good as the company has every delivered, and it’s going to be more than sufficient for those who aren’t expecting an uncanny blanket of silence from their headphones.

That tier of brands all contending to see who can be ‘almost as good as Bose’ is significant, and Bowers & Wilkins is now a part of that particular conversation.

Sound quality score: 5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 over-ear headphones, with Bluetooth light on, on a white surface — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Design

310g
Aluminum and nappa leather feature heavily
Impeccable standard of build and finish

You have to give Bowers & Wilkins a fair amount of credit where the design of the Px8 S2 is concerned. Over-ear headphones, by their very nature, tend to be quite generic lookers but this is a pair that manages to look and feel understated yet luxurious, upmarket and sophisticated, all at once.

The use of materials, with tactile (and, at first, quite aromatic) nappa leather and burnished aluminum to the fore, is carefully judged; and their application is just as astute. The way arms and headband adjustment feature a recess in order for some cable to be exposed is a very nice touch, as well as being a nod to the company’s very first headphones from 2010, the P5. The company logo is embossed, just a fraction, on the outside of the earcups, and the laser-cut edges of the earcups add a tiny bit of bling.

At 310g the Px8 S2 are actually just a fraction lighter than the headphones they replace, and the combination of sensible clamping force and expert hanger arrangement means they’re a comfortable wear for hours at a time. There’s just the right amount of memory foam beneath the soft leather of the earcups and headband (both of which are now renewable or replaceable by a qualified technician), and unless you’ve been blessed with ears much larger than average you’ll find the Px8 S2 fit very nicely indeed.

Design score: 5 / 5

Outer earcups of the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 over-ear ANC headphones — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Usability and setup

Physical controls
Bowers & Wilkins ‘Music’ control app
Can access your native voice assistant

‘Setup’ isn’t all that much of a thing here, to be honest. You either connect your Px8 S2 to your source of music wirelessly using Bluetooth, or physically using one of the supplied cables connected to the USB-C slot. ‘Usability’, though, is a different matter.

The Bowers & Wilkins are attentive and sharp-eared enough to be easily controlled using your source player’s native voice assistant. If it doesn’t have one, or if you’re not especially enamoured with the sound of your own voice, though, you have other options.

Some small, tidily integrated buttons on each earcup take care of ‘play/pause’, ‘volume up/down’, ‘skip forwards/backwards’, ‘power on/off’ and ‘Bluetooth pairing’. They’re on the small side, but unless you’re terminally ham-fisted you should be fine. There’s also a button that can have its function defined by the user (choose between ‘summon voice assistant’ and ‘cycle through ANC options’, which are ‘on’, ‘off’ and ‘pass-through’) in the company’s ‘Music’ control app.

The app itself is stable, usable and quite in-depth, while also allowing you to integrate quite a few of the more credible music streaming and internet radio services. It has a five-band EQ with which you can fiddle around the edges of the sound (assuming you’re rather heretically ignoring the Bowers & Wilkins ‘True Sound’ preset). You have the ability to adjust the sensitivity of the ‘wear sensor’, to amend ‘streaming quality’ to prevent tearing through your data allowance when you’re out and about, and plenty more besides. I’ve used quite a few equivalents from alternative brands to control quite expensive headphones lately, and I can safely say this among the best around.

Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

Screenshots of the Bowers & Wilkins app, while using the Px8 S2 over-ear headphones — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Value

Wide-ranging specification
Reassuringly expensive look
Class-leading sound

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 work well on every level. They sound great; they’re an expensive-looking object without being in any way opulent; they’re built to last; they’re a pleasure to wear and to operate.

You can, of course, get within touching distance of the Px8 S2 experience if you buy less expensive headphones (not least from Bowers & Wilkins itself) but there’s just no arguing with the value for money the Px8 S2 represent both where the tangibles and the intangibles are concerned.

Value score: 5 / 5

Control buttons on the earcup of the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 over-ear headphones — (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Should I buy the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2?

Section	Notes	Score
Features	Lots going, with even more to come thanks to an upcoming OTA update.	4.5 / 5
Sound quality	Spacious, detailed and dynamic regardless of source – a class-leader.	5 / 5
Design	Impeccable standard of build and finish; nappa leather and aluminum offer premium feel.	5 / 5
Usability and setup	Easy to setup, with control buttons, an app and native voice control.	5 / 5
Value	Superb finish and sound make the Px8 S2 worth the outlay.	5 / 5

Buy them if…

You like a bit of sophisticated industrial design
There are a few understated flourishes here that set the Px8 S2 apart.

You’re all about sound quality
The positives outweigh the negatives in this respect to an almost comical degree.

You know a nice control app when you use one
The Bowers & Wilkins ‘Music’ app is one of the better examples out there.

Don't buy them if…

You’re after top-of-the-shop noise cancellation
The Px8 S2 are merely ‘very good’ rather than ‘great’.

You want everyone to know where your money’s gone
The premium nature of these headphones is alluded to rather than shouted about.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review: Also consider

Sony WH-1000XM5
If you want all the whistles and bells of extended functionality while still enjoying very agreeable sound and a fair serving of perceived value, Sony’s venerable WH-1000XM5 remain strong contenders. Appreciably more affordable than the Px7 S3, they’re excellent all-rounders, though they have to concede to the Bowers & Wilkins where outright sound quality is concerned.
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review

Focal Bathys MG
Throw caution to the wind and a pair of Focal Bathys MG ($1,299) can be yours. Quite honestly, this is how much you need to spend if you want a pair of headphones demonstrably better than the Px8 S2.
Read our full Focal Bathys MG reviewView Deal

Apple AirPods Max
Or you could always put $549 Apple’s way for a pair of AirPods Max, if the whole ‘sophisticated, understated’ thing doesn’t do it for you…
Read the full Apple AirPods Max review

How I tested Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2

Wireless connections to an iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S digital audio player
A variety of music, a variety of file types and sizes
Indoors and outdoors

I connected the Px8 S2 wirelessly to an iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S digital audio player. One is very much more accomplished than the other, it’s true, but both allowed the headphones to explain a fair amount about the way they go about things – and I wore the Bowers & Wilkins both indoors and out when connected to these devices.

I also used them at my desk, connected via USB-C to a Colibri-equipped Apple MacBook Pro loaded with hi-res content.

Edifier ES20: two-minute review

I’ll be honest, the Edifier ES20 took me off guard. This super-small Bluetooth speaker is powered by a 6W driver and is less than 10cm in height and width. But it really does punch above its weight. And not only sonically – also in terms of its looks, feature-set, and battery life.

Yep, this tiny, square-shaped model impressed me in almost every area. Let’s start where it matters most: audio quality. Largely due to its physical limitations, the Edifier ES20 isn’t capable of deep rippling bass or ultra-imposing loudness, but there’s still a lot to love. Bass response is rapid and impressively deep, but mids never feel obscured, while instruments in the treble range come through sounding controlled, yet expressive.

OK, the Edifier ES20 only makes use of the SBC codec – a lot of the best Bluetooth speakers would offer AAC, and maybe LDAC for good measure. But still, I was impressed with the clarity of my favorite tracks. If you want a more nuanced listen, you could pair a second ES20 up for stereo sound.

Another area the ES20 impressed me in was the looks department. It has a retro vibe to it, similar to models like the Marshall Willen II, or speakers from Klipsch. I’m a big fan of that, and when you pair its classy aesthetic with appealing (and customizable) ambient lights, this thing really has it all.

There’s even more to love, though. 15 hours of playtime is very solid – that’s a couple more hours than a lot of rivals in this weight class can offer. In addition, I was a fan of the ES20’s modest price point, especially in the UK and Australia – for reference, it's $89.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99.

Just generally, it has everything you’d want from a model like this. It’s compact, light, IP67 dust and waterproof rated, and great-sounding. There are some small imperfections worth noting, though. Firstly, the sound of the ES20 is noticeably compressed at peak volumes, especially when you crank things up all the way to 100%. That’s common for small speakers, and I’d recommend getting a larger model anyway if loudness is your aim – the Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2 is a still-compact but significantly more powerful pick.

Another thing is that the ES20’s EQ options are seriously lacking. There are four modes: Music; Gaming; Movies; and Outdoor. I don’t think that having a single ‘Music’ calibration is enough – especially when there’s no custom option and the modes that are here sound a little too similar to one another.

Still, it’s important to look at the bigger picture. And that tells me that the Edifier ES20 is an excellent small-sized speaker that really nails it where it matters. Sure, the EQ options are lacking, but the default tuning sounds plenty good enough. Tie that together with luxurious looks, a generous helping of battery life, and wonderful waterproofing, and the Edifier ES20 is easy to recommend.

Person holding the Edifier ES20 — (Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES20 review: price and release date

$89.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99
Launched in June 2025

The Edifier ES20 was launched in June 2025 as part of Edifier’s new ‘ES’ range. That apparently stands for ‘Elegant’ and ‘Superb’, or ‘Edifier Sound’. Anyway, enough of that! This speaker has a list price of $89.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99, meaning it's a fair bit more pricey in the US, compared to other territories – more on that later. You can purchase the ES20 in either black or white.

Edifier ES20 review: specs

Drivers	1x 43mm full-range driver
Dimensions	3.6 x 3.7 x 2 inches / 90.4 x 93.7 x 49.7mm
Weight	0.7lbs / 326g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Battery life	15 hours
Waterproofing	IP67

Edifier ES20 laying flat on table, against pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES20 review: features

Effective hands-free mic with noise cancelling tech
Attractive and personalizable ambient lighting
Weak EQ options

The Edifier ES20 offers a fairly hearty helping of features considering it’s a small, affordable Bluetooth speaker.

First of all, you get multi-point connectivity, if you want to link multiple devices to your speaker. In addition, you can pair two ES20 models together and unlock stereo audio, if you’re looking for a more nuanced and powerful audio presentation.

There’s also an inbuilt microphone – something you won’t see in all Bluetooth speakers nowadays. Edifier described it as a “high sensitivity” mic, which harnesses the power of noise cancellation for clear, hands-free calling. And largely, I’d say that’s exactly what you get. My voice sounded clear, even when I stood quite far from the speaker – though there was some noticeable sibilance.

Perhaps the most interesting feature, though, is the speaker’s customizable ambient lighting. Using the Edifier ConneX app, you can pick from a range of lighting options, including: Breathing; Rainbow; Static; Glittering and Colorful; or Emergency Light. This visual aspect only enhances immersion into your music, and the option to personalize aspects like light modulation rate, brightness, and the displayed colors, is a nice touch.

If you do make use of the ambient lighting – it can be disabled entirely, if you’d prefer – it will drain the speaker’s battery at a more rapid rate. Speaking of, you get up to 15 hours of playtime from the ES20, which is pretty good, actually. That’s more than rivals like the JBL Clip 5 and the LG xboom Go XG2T can dream of.

This lil’ fella’s on a roll so far… but I’m gonna have to burst its bubble a bit. And that’s down to one thing in particular – EQ options. There are four here: Music; Gaming; Movies; and Outdoor. Unfortunately, I wasn’t hearing a whole lot of difference between these. On top of that, there’s no custom multi-band equalizer to make use of – something I would have appreciated, personally. This isn’t a totally crushing miss – largely thanks to the ES20’s impressive audio output…

Features score: 4.5/5

Ambient lights on reverse side of the Edifier ES20 — (Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES20 review: sound quality

Punchy, rapid bass response
Controlled treble, well-balanced mids
Some distortion at peak volume and no fancy audio codecs

Yes, I was very impressed with the Edifier ES20’s sonic performance – especially given its incredibly compact build. It’s powered by a 43mm full-range driver, makes use of a 55mm passive radiator, and has a maximum power output of 6W. That doesn’t sound like a lot – but this small speaker is more mighty than you may expect.

When bumping Burning Down by Dimmish, the rapid, thumping bass was replicated responsively and impactfully. Sure, the ES20 couldn’t quite match the depth you’d expect from some of the best party speakers, but that’s to be expected due to its physical limitations. With the ES20, you’re not putting up with the ‘boomy’, muddy low-frequency performance of many budget competitors – it’s punchy, as Edifier claims.

In addition, Burning Down showcased the controlled yet expressive nature of the ES20’s treble output. Higher-pitched percussion wasn’t overly forward in the mix, and it never sounded tinny or harsh, even at mid-to-high volume levels. Instead, it was tonally accurate, disciplined, and clean.

I’d say the ES20 certainly has a warm sound signature, really leaning into that ‘mightier than it looks’ angle. But even still, bass isn’t overbearing, meaning that in tracks like Each Time You Pray by Ned Doheny, I was still treated to clear, well-balanced vocals and neatly defined acoustic guitar.

You won’t get the most nuanced, detailed listen in the world, especially if you’re only using one ES20 rather than two – which can be used in stereo mode. For instance, in Minute by Minute by The Doobie Brothers, I wasn’t wowed by next-level instrument separation between the groovy bass, synths, and McDonald’s iconic vocals. The speaker also uses the most basic SBC Bluetooth audio codec, so don’t expect to see LDAC or aptX support.

Then again, it’s important to emphasize that this is a very small model – so you can’t expect the most expansive soundstage or the effortlessly layered sound you’d uncover on premium, larger models.

Both music and podcasts come through very clearly on the ES20, and unless you push the volume up to 90-100%, you won’t be subjected to distortion or overly compressed audio. That’s about as much as you can ask for from a sub-$90 / £50 / AU$100 speaker of this stature!

Sound quality score: 4/5

Person holding Edifier ES20 by its carry strap — (Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES20 review: design

Gorgeous retro-style design
Fantastic protection against the elements
Attractive lighting

The Edifier ES20 is an absolute beauty, and looks much more luxurious than its modest price tag would suggest.

It’s got an almost Marshall-style retro look to it, with an appealing speaker grille protecting the driver, and a faux leather material used for the outer casing and button controls. Yep, there’s nothing about this that screams cheap. You can scoop it up in either Black or White – we went for the latter, but both compliment the speaker’s classy looks brilliantly.

On top of this, the reverse side of the speaker has ambient lighting, which can illuminate a wall behind it, for example, adding a bit of visual flare to your listening experiences. As I mentioned earlier, the lights are highly customizable through the Edifier ConneX app, and if you’d prefer to have them off, you can.

This model’s not only a pretty face, though, it’s also highly practical. Firstly, it’s very small, coming in at less than 10cm wide and tall, and just over 300g in weight. It also comes with a fabric carry strap, so you can easily attach it to a backpack, for example.

Crucially, it's also very well protected against the elements, thanks to its IP67 rating. That means it's plenty dustproof, but can also be submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. Not bad, is it?

Combine all of this with well-sized on-board controls, small rubber feet for added stability, and a handy LED light strip to indicate battery life, and the ES20 nails it in every way.

Design score: 5/5

Edifier logo on the Edifier ES20

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES20 review: value

Pricing a little inconsistent across territories
But regardless, you’ll get plenty of bang for your buck
Rivals are playing in a similar ballpark, price-wise

The Edifier ES20 isn’t all too expensive, even considering its small size. Actually, I have been tempted to refer to it as ‘cheap’ once or twice in my review, had it not been for its US pricing.

See, the ES20 comes in at £49.99 in the UK and AU$99.99 – fairly even pricing across the territories using current exchange rates. But in the US, this model costs $89.99, which isn’t so proportional. This may be down to the tariffs imposed by the US government earlier in 2025, but still, it means the ES 20 is more mid-priced, than cheap, for a speaker this small.

After all, a top-class rival like the JBL Clip 5 has a list price of $79.95 (£59.99 / AU$89.95), but can often be found for under $60 now. Still, its most similar competitor, the Marshall Willen II will generally cost more than $100, so you’re still not overpaying for the ES20 – it’s just that you’re getting even more bang for your buck outside of the US!

Speaking of, this speaker has qualities that far outstrip a range of competitors in its price and weight class. It offers genuinely punchy, largely distortion-free sound, gorgeous looks, and plenty of playtime. Combine that with its IP67 rating and ambient lights, and you’re looking at awesome value for money.

Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Edifier ES20?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Ambient light options, multi-speaker pairing, good mic and battery life, but EQ options a little lacking.	4.5/5
Sound quality	Punchy, clear audio with a bass-forward sound signature, SBC only and some compression at peak loudness.	4/5
Design	Gorgeous retro looks, amazing waterproofing, appealing lighting.	5/5
Value	Despite slightly disproportionate US pricing, remains affordable and has plenty of quality.	4.5/5

Buy it if...

You want an ultra-compact option
The Edifier ES20 is a pleasantly small, square-shaped speaker that can fit into any small nook and cranny or be thrown in a bag. It's perfect if you need a speaker to take on the go, or just for personal listening in your bedroom, say.

You’re looking for something a little rugged
With an IP67 dustproof and waterproof rating, the Edifier ES20 is well and truly ready to take on any environment. It will be well-protected against solid particles, but can also be submerged in as much as one meter of water, for 30 minutes. That’s perfect for bathroom use, or even taking beachside.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best audio quality possible
If you want a truly jaw-dropping audio experience, the ES20 may not be your best bet – largely down to its physical limitations. It doesn’t support any codec above SBC – the most basic Bluetooth codec, in essence. This speaker won’t muster the most nuanced, detail-oriented performance ever – if you want a small option that does that, I’d recommend looking at the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Generation.

You want something powerful enough for parties
Due to its physical limitations, the Edifier ES20 isn’t powerful enough to power a party on its own. It has a maximum power output of 6W – pretty common for a model in this weight class – and it’s less than 10cm in height and width. If you want a compact party speaker, I’d recommend the JBL Flip 7, but if you’ve got a little more space my top picks would be the LG xboom Stage 301 and the Tribit Stormbox Blast 2.

Edifier ES20 review: also consider

	Edifier ES20	JBL Clip 5	Ultimate Ears Miniroll
Price	$89.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99	$79.95 / £59.99 / $89.95	$79 / £69 / AU$99
Drivers	1x 43mm full-range driver	1x Integrated class D digital amplifier	46.8mm active driver
Dimensions	3.6 x 3.7 x 2 inches / 90.4 x 93.7 x 49.7mm	3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8 inches / 86 x 134.5 x 46 mm	4.8 x 4.1 x 1.9 inches / 122 x 105 x 48mm
Weight	0.7lbs / 326g	0.6lbs / 285g	0.6lbs / 279g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Battery life	15 hours	12 hours	12 hours
Waterproofing	IP67	IP67	IP67

JBL Clip 5
For a while now, the JBL Clip 5 has been one of my favorite small speakers around. It’s got a neat carabiner design, impressive audio capabilities, and an enticing set of color options. It can often be found on sale for a good deal less than its already low list price, so if you’re drawn in by its more modern look, I’d suggest grabbing it. Read our full JBL Clip 5 review.

Ultimate Ears Miniroll
OK, it’s not cake, unfortunately, but the second best kind of miniroll comes from none other than Ultimate Ears. Personally, I really like UE’s personality-filled waterproof speakers, and the Miniroll is no exception. It’s a small-sized circular model with buckets of bass, a handy carry strap, and some truly eye-catching colorways. Read our full Ultimate Ears Miniroll review.

How I tested the Edifier ES20

Person turning the Edifier ES20 on — (Image credit: Future)

Tested over the course of one week
Mainly used in the music testing space at Future Labs
Predominantly tested using Tidal

I spent hours with the Edifier ES20, during which time I listened to music, tuned into podcasts, and took a couple of phone calls. I exhausted all of the ES20’s features, tried all of its light customization options, and tried listening at various distances and angles.

For the most part, I used the ES20 in our music testing room at Future Labs. Here, I went through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a range of genres. I also listened to songs from my personal library – mainly via Tidal, but sometimes on Spotify.

More generally, I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones, earbuds, soundbars, and more here at TechRadar, where I have a particular focus on audio-visual technology. I’ve tested most of the ES20’s competition, so I know what it takes for a speaker to stand out in a highly convoluted market.

First reviewed: September 2025
Read more about how we test

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