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Noble FoKus Apollo review: a premium set of headphones that delivers Olympian audio quality
4:08 pm | October 24, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Comments: Off

Noble FoKus Apollo: Two-minute review

Like the heavily memed girl in the Old El Paso advert, high-end audio company Noble wants to say something with its new FoKus Apollo over-ear headphones: “why not both?”.

The new Noble FoKus Apollo are the first headphones to combine two different types of audio technology under the same band: dynamic and planar magnetic drivers, which should give audiophiles cause for interest. They’re also Noble’s first headphones too, marking a shift from its high-end wireless earbuds and wired in-ear monitors.

To boil down tech jargon, planar magnetic drivers are the current trend in personal audio; fragile, expensive and fantastic-sounding, they’ve recently begun cropping up in some of the best headphones, and in (or on) audiophiles’ ears.

Dynamic drivers are the stalwarts that the planar magnets have been replacing: these are reliable, hardy and relatively inexpensive, but are old news to audio fans who have been queuing up to get planar magnetic devices (as proven by the FoKus Apollo appearing as out of stock in plenty of stores I checked).

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)

Opposites come together in the Noble FoKus Apollo, and from a sound perspective it shows – in a good way. These headphones sound fantastic, with a detailed sound stage, high quality audio and lovely balance that provides an enticing neutral sound. I enjoyed using the Apollo so much for their audio chops that I started wearing them for movies, TV shows, meetings, games and just about anything else that requires my ears.

Sound is clearly the focus of the FoKus (I had to do that once, okay?) with the feature set otherwise pretty limited. The noise cancellation is sufficient to take the edge off annoying noises but I could still hear the rumble of buses or thump of heavy rain on windows more than with some other products I’ve tested, so they won't be joinging our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones any time soon. And there’s no built-in microphone, although an attachable one comes in the Apollo’s box.

The box is pretty jam-packed actually, with Noble giving you a carry case and an assortment of cables, adaptors and extras. You can’t fault the company for offering value for your money.

The battery life of the FoKus Apollo is perhaps even more impressive than its audio chops, with 60 hours of ANC-on listening time or 80 hours of ANC-off playback doubling many other rivals on the market.

My personal low point during my testing of the Apollo was when someone commented how nerdy the headphones looked when worn – audiophiles might be used to this but they’re not a chic as other options on the market. However the low point for most people might be a bit earlier than that – at the checkout.

The Noble FoKus Apollo are extremely expensive headphones, outstripping plenty of rivals, and even with the value added by extra cables and tools in the box they’re impossible to justify for audiophiles on a budget.

If you think your purse or wallet can handle them, though, these are fantastic headphones that blow most of their rivals out of the water for sound quality alone.

Noble FoKus Apollo: Price and release date

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Released in September 2024
  • Costs $649 / £589 / AU$999

The Noble FoKus Apollo are not a cheap pair of headphones by any means. You have to shell out $649 / £589 / AU$999 to pick up a pair, which makes these some decidedly premium cans.

You’re paying more for these headphones that best-in-class options like the Sony WH1000XM5s, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones or Bowers & Wilkins PX8, though a select few options do cost more.

It’s worth noting that the price includes extras like a carry case, 3.5mm cord, USB-C cable, several adaptors and a plug-in microphone, so Noble isn’t exactly ripping you off here.

Noble unveiled the FoKus Apollo in the back half of 2024; the headphones seem to be on sale in various regions around the world, either from Noble’s website or from third-party stores, though in some places they’re sold out.

Noble FoKus Apollo review: Specs

Noble FoKus Apollo: Features

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Limited in-app feature set
  • Midweight ANC
  • Fantastic battery life

To use the Noble FoKus Apollo, you can download the Noble FoKus smartphone app – I say ‘can’ because I only downloaded it towards the end of my testing period, and it didn’t add anything to the experience. You can easily use the Apollo without it.

It does give me a handy shopping list of features to run through, though. First up there’s an equalizer, offering 10-band customization for people who know their way around an EQ tab, and six presets for those who don’t (which, to my ears, sounded very similar).

Next is ANC, which can be toggled between on, off or ambient mode. The Apollo’s noise cancellation is decent, but it’s far from industry-leading, so while it stripped away the majority of background sounds it did always leave a little background hum that other buds and headphones I’ve tested would remove. If background sound was a cheesecake, the Apollo would be skipping that crumbly biscuit base.

The app lets you toggle EQ, ANC, the tone switch for when you adjust settings on the headphones and… not a lot else. It’s a really barebones app, which doesn’t really justify its space on your phone since the EQ is the only feature which you can’t play with on the headphones themselves.

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)

A lightweight feature set isn’t something to get too heartbroken about, as these are clearly headphones designed with an audio focus.

A ‘missing’ feature is the ability to take calls, as the FoKus Apollo don’t have a microphone built in (something I discovered the hard way: in a group meeting when I couldn’t figure out why people couldn’t hear me). A microphone comes in the box that you can connect to the headphone to mitigate this loss, but some might not like the fashion statement that this provides if worn in public.

Curiously, Noble’s product listing details seem to imply that there’s a microphone, but I conducted several tests in different apps (yes, with the microphone toggled) and the Apollo could only pick up audio if the external microphone was connected.

Thankfully the great battery life ensures that you can enjoy that audio for long periods of time: 80 hours, to be exact (though if you listen with ANC that drops to a still-impressive 60 hours). Given that 30 hours is considered the average lasting power by TechRadar’s staff, that’s a really fantastic figure.

  • Features score: 3.5/5

Noble FoKus Apollo review: Design

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Comfortable pads but heavy build
  • Loads of buttons and ports
  • Divisive looks

The Noble FoKus Apollo look more refined than your average headphones: the comfy padded band, the shiny metal pads with soft leather pads, and thin bands connecting it all make them look as much like an art piece as some headphones. They're also a bit bulkier than many other headphones on the market.

This appearance covers up some flexibility issues though. While the cups can rotate around 180 degrees along the X axis (as in, they can face you or face away from you when on your head), they don’t move around much on the Y axis (as in, they can’t point down or up much, a move which is useful for catering to different head shapes). You also can’t fold up the cans, beyond the band length with some retractable space.

Premium materials ensure that the Apollo feels comfortable to wear, if your head ensures you’re not affected by the flexibility problems, though long periods of listening may bring aches because of the weight of the cans.

Each of the cans bears an orchestra of ports and buttons, which you’ll take a while getting used to. The left can has a microphone mute slider, a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm jack (for the microphone), while the right can has an ANC toggle, another 3.5mm port, a volume rocker and a power button.

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a man's head.

(Image credit: Future)

I couldn’t find information about an IP rating for the Apollo, so I’d recommend caution when using them in potentially-harmful watery environments. Saying that, they survived a pretty heavy rainstorm around my neck.

Due to the thin areas of band and the delicate internals, I always considered the Apollo to be quite fragile during testing, and treated them accordingly – I can’t say for sure whether these things are more susceptible to damage than alternatives, but I made sure to keep them in their case when possible just to be sure!

The one and only color for the FoKus Apollo is gray, as you can see in the image, which has areas of silver and black as well.

One thing I’d be remiss not to flag is the look of the Apollo when on one’s head – they look, for lack of a better word, a bit dweeby (something which was pointed out to me multiple times, making the descriptor 'divisive' feel apt). On all but the biggest heads the cans look huge too, so if you care about your looks and social standing, it’s something to bear in mind.

  • Design score: 3/5

Noble FoKus Apollo review: Sound quality

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a man's head.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Expansive sound stage
  • Mostly well balanced
  • Performs wonderfully at high volumes

The Noble FoKus Apollo sound amazing. I know, I know, stop the presses: premium headphones that sound great. I’m sure you’re shocked.

As mentioned in the introduction, the Apollo combines a 14.5mm planar magnetic hybrid driver with a 40mm dynamic one, with the combination of both working in tandem to deliver beautifully balanced audio.

To me, the best part of the FoKus Apollo’s audio offering is the dramatic sound stage, spreading out instruments in a wide arch around you. Listening to songs, you could almost point to where each band member or quartet performer was around you, and the soundstage helps you pick out background instruments that you might not necessarily hear on cheaper headphones.

With such a fantastic sound stage, it’s almost a shame that Noble hasn’t included support for Dolby Atmos or other official surround-sound alternatives for movie and TV streaming, to help you enjoy videos as much as you can music.

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)

Audio tuning is lovely and balanced in the Apollo. Treble is sparkling and sensibly handled while mids, often overlooked in headphones, keep their head above water in the mix with a pronounced sound. For the most part bass is just as strong but I did find it falling just a tad quiet in the mix on occasion; it’s not something that all listeners will mind but I’d imagine dedicated bass fans will feel it. It depended on the song too and some tweaking with the equalizer can mostly offset it.

Unlike many other sonically-impressive headphones and earbuds, I didn’t have any volume troubles with the FoKus Apollo. They can go louder than I cared to test and I didn’t hear any peaking or distorting when I was at the upper limit of my comfort.

Audio fans will enjoy the Apollo’s compatibility with a range of codecs that includes LDAC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and SBC. Unlike with most other headphones, Noble’s app doesn’t let you change the settings for these various codecs though.

Wired audio purists will also enjoy the versatility that the Apollo offers: you can use it entirely as a pair of wired cans if you prefer. As mentioned before the box has a 3.5mm cable as well as adaptors for ¼-inch and 4.4mm jacks so you’re sorted for a range of devices.

  • Sound quality: 5/5

Noble FoKus Apollo review: Value

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Prohibitively expensive for many buyers
  • In-box peripherals and case add value

Do $649 / £589 / AU$999 headphones really present value for money? It’s hard to make the argument that they do because no matter how incredibly the sound quality is, you can still pick up great-sounding cans for a fifth of the price.

Noble does its best to tip the scales, to its credit. The inclusion of a hardy carry case and loads of useful extra cables and adaptors does ensure that you don’t need to spend a cent more on your audio purchase.

I can’t imagine headphones that sound this good costing less, but money-conscious buyers can easily save by settling on audio quality.

  • Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Noble FoKus Apollo?

Buy them if…

You use multiple audio players
The range of supported codecs and in-box adaptors makes the Apollo wonderfully versatile for a range of audio devices and apps.

You need a long-lasting battery
Turn ANC off and you get 80 hours of listening time - that's over 3 days straight! It's a perfect companion for long journeys..

Don’t buy them if…

You're on a budget
In no universe are the FoKus Apollos budget headphones, so if you don't want to break the bank, look elsewhere.

Audio quality isn't your top feature
Audio quality isn't always the most important aspect of headphones, and if you won't notice the bells and whistles of the Apollo, you don't need to pay for it..

Noble FoKus Apollo review: Also consider

Bowers & Wilkins PX8 review
We gave 5 stars to these B&W cans in our review. They cost just a touch more than the Apollo, sound fantastic and have a similar build to the Noble – but they look more expensive.

See our full Bowers & Wilkins PX8 review

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
For less than the FoKus Apollo you can pick up these great-sounding headphones that have phenomenal ANC and a lightweight body. You'll make a small compromise on sound-quality, but if that's not your main priority they're a great alternative.

See our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review

How I tested the Noble FoKus Apollo

The Noble FoKus Apollo on a white fleece background.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for one month
  • Tested at home and on various excursions

The Noble FoKus Apollo enjoyed a four-week testing period, enough to put them through their paces in some rigorous tests. I mainly used the headphones while connected to an Android phone over Bluetooth but I also tested them alongside an iPad and a Windows computer via Bluetooth and 3.5mm cables.

I tested the Apollo in a range of environments including my office, home, coffee shops, on buses and coaches, and also on walks around my neighborhood. As I mentioned before I mainly used them for audio streaming but used them on my iPad to stream basically the entire run of Shogun and a few movies.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for five and a half years now, including having tested countless headphones and earbuds.

  • First reviewed in October 2024
Tribit StormBox 2 review: a bargain Bluetooth speaker with big sound and decent battery life
7:13 pm | October 23, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers | Tags: | Comments: Off

Tribit StormBox 2: two-minute review

The Tribit StormBox 2 is a cheap, hard-wearing Bluetooth speaker that's designed to deliver 360-degree sound for not much cash. The next-generation upgrade from 2018’s StormBox, it’s a pocket-sized portable speaker that sports unassuming looks and extreme levels of volume and battery life.

The Tribit StormBox 2 very much colors inside of the lines when it comes to design. It apes the near-cylindrical form factor of many of its rivals in the portable speaker space, even echoing the drop-resistant end caps and rubberized buttons that you’ll find on many speakers at the more affordable end of the market. Fortunately, this does make it rugged enough for use in the great outdoors; it will see off drops and dings, while its IPX7 water-resistance means it survived a minute-long dunking in the TechRadar testing tank without any ill effects.

Given its position at the cheaper end of the market, naturally it's missing some features that you’ll find on some of the best Bluetooth speakers. The StormBox 2 doesn’t offer Wi-Fi connectivity, nor less-lossy codecs such as LDAC or ALAC, which means you won't get audiophile-grade sound here.

Despite this, I was pleasantly surprised by the Tribit’s performance. Playing Black Eye by Allie X, the speaker did a great job of representing her vocals and those synthy stings, while that saw-toothed bassline delivers plenty of teeth. Given its frequency range only stretches as low as 70Hz though, it does lose a little presence in its low end – and, like many cheaper speakers, the treble can on occasion sound a little bit bright and overdriven.

On the plus side, like its less-rugged sibling, the Tribit XSound Plus 2, the StormBox 2 has some solid audio profiles that will let you polish the sound it produces and compensate for some of these weaknesses. XBass, in particular, gives everything much more oomph in the low end; I found myself increasingly just leaving it on as standard. And if you really want to get into the nitty gritty, the Tribit app offers a full nine-band EQ to allow you to tweak its sound to suit your favorite genres.

There are more features where that came from, too. One of the most noteworthy is its pairing options: you can link two StormBox 2s together, either to boost volume in party mode or to create a stereo pair, which offers decent separation and a convincing soundstage.

But perhaps the StormBox 2’s most impressive party trick is its battery life. Its stated 24-hour battery life makes the lasting power of Bluetooth speakers such as the JBL Flip 6 look ephemeral by comparison. And at lower volumes, at the 50% I regularly listened at, for example, I actually found it lasted far longer, stretching to as long as a preposterous 30 hours. This speaker has serious playing power.

Is it the best-sounding speaker on the market? Hardly. It displays some definite unevenness in the bass and treble, and the audio it produces isn’t the most detailed or expressive you’ll hear. But for its super-low price, it sounds far better than it has any right to – and the battery life alone makes it a solid investment. So, ultimately, if you’re looking to get change for $100 / £100 / AU$150, this will absolutely be your best option. If your budget can stretch further, there are far finer speakers available on our guide to the best bluetooth speakers.

The Tribit StormBox 2 sat horizontally on a stone surface in front of a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

Tribit StormBox 2 review: price & release date

  • Released on May 31, 2024
  • Retails for $67.99 / £60 / AU$129

The Tribit StormBox 2 is available now, having been released on May 31, 2024. It currently retails for the bargain price of $67.99 / £60 / AU$129 – which is cheap, even for a budget Bluetooth speaker. This is roughly comparable to the much smaller JBL Clip 5, which only has 7W of amplification compared to the StormBox 2’s 34W, so in theory you’re getting much more oomph for a very similar spend.

When it comes to purchase options, you’re limited: there aren’t any color variations on offer, so what you see here is what you get. Fortunately, what you get is very generous, considering the price you’ll pay.

Tribit StormBox 2 review: specs

The rear buttons of the Tribit StormBox 2 sat horizontally on a stone surface in front of a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

Tribit StormBox 2 review: features

  • Flexible sound profile and EQ options
  • No Wi-Fi or less lossy codecs
  • Insane 24+ hours battery life

The Tribit StormBox 2 possesses two 48mm full-range drivers that rock a combined power of 34W. While the 70HZ – 20KHz frequency range these drivers deliver isn’t exactly going to give you gut-punching sub bass, it’s still decent enough for such a compact unit. In addition, it's also capable of 360-degree sound – something you’ll be thankful for any time you’re listening to it in big groups.

Want even more room-filling sound? You’re in luck: you can chain several StormBox 2s together. Hit the TWS button on your connected StormBox 2 and then press the same button on a compatible Tribit speaker and they’ll form a stereo pair. Alternatively, for those more worried about achieving window-rattling volume, you can press the TWS button again and they’ll switch to a mono Party mode.

It's possible to augment the sound in other ways as well. Not only can its XBass button switch on the Tribit’s bass-boosting audio profile, but if you fire up the app, you can access four other sound modes: Audiobook, Classical, Rock and Jazz. However, those looking for granular control over their music will get the most use out of its nine-band EQ – this both lets you tweak the sound balance to your heart’s content and create your own custom profiles, something that quite a few more expensive models still lack.

Given the price, it will hardly be news that the StormBox 2 doesn’t pack the fancier features of premium Bluetooth speakers such as the Sonos Roam 2. While its connection utilizes Bluetooth 5.3, you’re out of luck for Wi-Fi connectivity or higher-res codecs such as LDAC or ALAC. And if you’re looking for the auto-tuning smarts that some high-end speakers offer, forget it: you’re never going to find it in a speaker this cheap.

Where the StormBox 2 does shine over almost any other speaker, however, is its battery life; it makes the Energizer Bunny look like a bone-idle clock-watcher. Tribit estimates the speaker will last you up to 24 hours of solid listening time. Wanting to put this to the test, I ran it for six hours at 50% volume, during which it lost less than 20% of its battery. At that rate, you could potentially eke out up to 30 hours use out of it, which is just ludicrous – even my most epic, 22-hour-long playlist wouldn’t come close to tuckering out this speaker.

  • Features score: 4/5

Two Tribit StormBox 2s standing vertically on a stone surface in front of a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

Tribit StormBox 2 review: sound quality

  • Lush mids and rich bass – but only in XBass mode
  • Premium speakers offer more precision and clearer soundstage
  • Capable of eardrum-perforating volume

For its price, the Tribit StormBox 2 offers impressive sound. Firing up St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins, I was instantly struck by how crisp and immediate the toms sounded. The richly timbred sax soars above everything, while beneath it you can still hear the piano line nice and clear, something not all speakers could have delivered so well. All in all, I have little to complain about when it comes to the middle of the mix.

As is often the case with budget Bluetooth speakers, though, the StormBox 2 does occasionally trip over itself at the high end. Sometimes, the bite of the guitars in Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way sounded a little over-keen to me, like the treble was a bit overdriven and the speaker wasn’t quite able to bring out enough of their bass tones to soften them.

This hypothesis was borne out when probing the lower frequencies the speaker could manage. Playing something with a bit of low-end heft, such as Nobody But You by George Fitzgerald, the StormBox does an admirable job of communicating the low-mids. However, when you compare it to the dynamic punch of bassier speakers such as the JBL Flip 6, everything feels a little looser in the lowest frequencies. It’s just a little too soft to have any impact, like being hit by a cotton-candy cannonball.

Fortunately, there is a way to take care of this. Flicking on XBass mode helped mitigate some of that wooliness. The kick just has a bit more punch, while the bassline resonates much more, giving the whole sound more glue, even while preserving delicate elements such as that piano line. Even though it’s lacking those under 70Hz sub tones, XBass really helps to give things more conviction and I found myself just leaving it on by default.

When putting its pairing options to the test, I was pleasantly surprised by how convincing a stereo field two linked StormBox 2’s created. Listening to my go-to stereo testing track, Manchild by Eels, there was no appreciable lag between each unit and the separation was precise. The samples were appropriately separated on each side of the mix, while the harmonizing of E’s vocals washed over me from either ear, creating a gorgeous layered effect. Not bad for $135.98 / £120 / AU$258, all in.

Despite this, comparing the whole sound to a five-star speaker such as the Sonos Roam 2, the difference between their two audio profiles was pretty clear to me. While the Tribit is undeniably punchier – at least with XBass mode on, anyway – the Sonos is far more discriminating, giving each element in the mix greater separation and breathing room. Naturally, you’d expect better poise from the Roam 2’s less lossy audio codecs, but it's worth considering the capability of a more premium speaker.

However, what the StormBox 2 lacks in finesse it more than makes up for in terms of sheer volume. For the vast majority of contexts, I found 50% volume was high enough to flood the room with confident, 360-degree sound. Cranking up the volume as high as 80% did finally start to show some ragged edges and limiting, but this was also past the level where the loudness had started to hurt my ears. In the vast majority of scenarios, this speaker is plenty loud enough without sacrificing too much in terms of quality.

  • Sound score: 3.5 / 5

The top driver and strap on the Tribit StormBox 2 in front of a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

Tribit StormBox 2 review: design

  • Not the most exciting design
  • Strap isn’t that usable
  • Rugged build and IPX7 waterproofing

When it comes to its looks, the Tribit StormBox 2 hardly reinvents the wheel. It’s the kind of cylindrical-ish unit with drivers either end that’s almost so familiar at this point to be a design cliche. It also features three rubberised buttons on its face – a circular play / pause and a giant volume plus and minus combo. There are no vibrant color options on offer here, either. To paraphrase the industrialist and automotive pioneer Henry Ford: "look, it comes in black – like it or lump it".

But not every speaker has to be an aesthetic revolution. And the StormBox 2 is pleasing enough: the fabric that wraps around its core feels hard-wearing yet pleasant to the touch. Thanks to its 2.72-inch (69mm) depth, it sits comfortably enough in your grip, while a weight of just 1.54lbs (699g) means it’s easy enough to carry around wherever you go. Its strap is a bit of a misstep, though: you can’t easily unclip it, making it hard to loop it through a belt loop or bag strap, so you’re purely reliant on your meathooks here.

The Tribit is also suitably rugged. Thanks to its sturdy build and rigid end-caps, it should survive knocks and falls without anything more than cosmetic damage. On top of this, its IPX7 rating protects it from a plunge in up to 1m for up to 30 minutes. To test this out, I sprayed some water over it and allowed it to dry before powering it up again. I also gave it a thorough baptizing in TechRadar’s testing tank, first letting it merrily bob along on the surface before fully submerging it for a minute. I’m pleased to say that it bounced back from both of these dousings with zero damage, coming out of it sounding as responsive as ever, which puts it up there with many of the best waterproof speakers.

  • Design score: 3 / 5

A closeup of the Tribit StormBox 2 in front of a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

Tribit StormBox 2 review: value

  • Cheaper than any similar sounding rivals
  • Not a match for more premium speakers

When doing a side-by-side comparison, the Tribit StormBox 2 obviously isn’t going to beat more expensive speakers such as the Roam 2 or even the JBL Flip 6. You can’t expect the kind of precision and quality that pricier components and less lossy codecs can deliver.

However, what the StormBox 2 does for its price is seriously impressive. With its speakers, Tribit is helping to redefine what you can expect from the bargain end of the market. If the biggest thing you care about is getting as much value as you can squeeze out $67.99 / £60 / AU$129, this is the speaker you should choose. If you’re wanting thumping bass or audiophile-grade sound, you’ll have to spend a bit more to get it.

  • Value score: 5/5

The Tribit StormBox 2 standing vertically on a stone surface in front of a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Tribit StormBox 2?

Buy it if…

You want the best sound you can get for the least cash
Few speakers at this price offer audio that's actually worth the investment. But the Tribit offers confident, loud and sufficiently detailed sound that's deeply impressive for such a low price.

You want highly customizable sound
With five preset sound profiles and a nine-band EQ that allows you to create your own custom profiles, the StormBox 2 is a great option for anyone who's constantly looking to tinker with the balance of their music.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You want audiophile-pleasing audio
In light of its cheap price and the lack of codecs such as LDAC or aptX HD on offer, this speaker doesn’t offer top-tier resolution. Anyone who doesn’t want to compromise on sound quality should be looking to invest in a higher-end speaker.View Deal

You’re after a speaker that makes a statement
The StormBox 2 offers neither a hugely distinctive dynamic sound signature nor eye-catching, vibrant design. If you want a Bluetooth speaker that draws comment, this may not be the one for you.View Deal

Tribit StormBox 2 review: also consider

Sonos Roam 2
Costing $179 / £179 / AU$299, the Sonos Roam 2 is more than double the price of the Tribit StormBox 2. But in return for that price, it offers a whole lot. Connectivity comes with Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi, and it can integrate with Sonos’s multiroom speaker system for seamless playback, while offering crisp and detailed audio. It also offers IP67 ingress protection, meaning it can see off grit and submersion in water, making it great for listening poolside or trips to the beach. Read our full Sonos Roam 2 review.View Deal

JBL Flip 6
At the more affordable end of the market, the JBL Flip 6 has a good 50% price increase over the StormBox 2, at $109 / £99 / AU$169. But in return, you get more dynamic, bubbling bass and more adventurous looks, with the speaker coming in a range of colorways from salmon pink to camo. And, again, its IP67 ingress protection makes it a hardier companion for use in the great outdoors, seeing off dust and soakings with ease. Read our full JBL Flip 6 review.View Deal

Tribit StormBox 2 review: how I tested

  • Tested the device over two weeks using multiple sources
  • Compared it the Sonos Roam 2 and JBL Flip 6
  • Used specific benchmarking tests to assess battery and waterproofing

I tested the Tribit StormBox 2 over the course of two weeks. I listened to the TechRadar testing playlist and tracks in a variety of different genres to make sure I’d built up an accurate picture of its sonic profile. In addition, I used multiple sources, including Spotify and Apple Music. I compared it side by side with other class-leading Bluetooth speakers, including the Sonos Roam 2 and JBL Flip 6.

To test its battery, I ran the speaker for six hours at 50% volume to see how much it declined, before dividing this by the amount the battery had decreased to get its overall playing time. To test the waterproofing, I sprayed the speaker with water, dried it out and tested its functionality again, as well as fully submerging the speaker in 12 inches (30cm) of water and doing the same.

I have over 10 years of experience reviewing and writing about tech products and have tested many Bluetooth speakers, as well as other audio equipment, during that time. I’ve also spent many years producing audio and music, which has given me a lot of first-hand experience at assessing the performance of audio products.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: October 2024
Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: fantastic-sounding earbuds with a few issues in the feature set
4:00 pm | October 21, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Edifier Stax Spirit S10: Two-minute review

Since I started testing the Edifier Stax Spirit S10, I’ve dropped the words 'planar magnetic' into conversation when describing them a few times. Given the number of blank looks I received at the phrase, I feel it’s important for me to explain it, given that it is the key selling point of these premium earbuds – and they may still enter our best earbuds buying guide as 'best planar magnetic buy' or similar.

A planar magnetic driver is a kind of flat headphone or earbud driver that's fragile, expensive and typically bigger than dynamic (cone-shaped) drivers, but it can offer a wonderfully balanced, detailed sound with less distortion – when done well. Planar earbuds are, as opposed to the homophone, definitely not plainer than dynamic ones.

The vast majority of devices touting planar magnetic drivers are headphones, including Edifier’s Spirit Stax S3 and S5, so the trick the company has pulled with the Stax Spirit S10 is using this tech for a new set of wireless noise-cancelling earbuds.

Cue earbuds lovers asking what audiophiles already know: “Do the Stax Spirit S10 sound good?” The answer is a resounding yes: they sound fantastic for true wireless earbuds, offering better audio than beloved rivals from Apple and Samsung. The dynamic range is wonderful, with pronounced bass and crisp treble, and I found them great for listening to anything from acoustic pop to synthwave and post-rock. The maximum volume could do with being a touch higher, but beyond that, it’s impossible to fault the sound of the Edifiers.

So why don’t the Edifier Stax Spirit S10 deserve a five-star review? Well, it’s hard to give a five-star review to a product with a five-star price like the Edifiers, given how high expectations are when you’re paying more for them than rival AirPods and Galaxy Buds. But that’s not the reason that the Edifier sheds a whole star.

The real reason is that the S10 have a few rough edges in the usability department that many rivals do better. My first gripe was pairing: they literally wouldn’t pair to my phone to begin with (leading me to blow the buds off for another pair I was testing initially, and it was only when I was about to hit ‘send’ on a message to my editor to tell her that the buds weren’t working that they finally decided to get their act together). Of course, this was just my personal experience – I'm unable to promise you'll have the same issues when trying to pair a set to your phone or tablet – but as someone who's tested literally scores of wireless earbuds, it's unusual and note-worthy for buds to simply refuse to pair to my trusted source devices. 

All through the testing period, they were slow to connect to my phone, and the odd droppage here and there when I was out and about got in the way of my listening.

Lastly, the S10 are the first of Edifier’s Stax Spirit devices to have Active Noise Cancellation. But you might not be able to tell, because it’s incredibly light-touch. There are various modes to pick from, but even the strongest struggled to filter out moderate chatter in my office, and the adaptive mode was, there’s no other word for it, ‘janky’. 

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)

It’d sometimes change modes when I was sitting still, leading to a noticeable change in my audio despite not affecting the noise levels beyond it too much – and it changes dramatically. I wish there was an antonym for ‘seamless’ in a tech context; whatever it is, that’s how the adaptive noise cancellation sounds.

Edifier also triggers my pet peeve of audio companies: having multiple different pairing apps. I spent half of the testing period with Edifier Connect on my phone, thinking that the Stax Spirit S10 didn’t have an app, and it took me a while to realize that I actually needed to have downloaded EDIFIER Connex. Come on, Edifier!

Audiophiles are probably used to overlooking annoying quality-of-life issues in the quest for perfect sound, and the Stax Spirit S10 will be an enjoyable stepping stone in that journey. A comfortable fit, support for a nice range of codecs and other branded technologies, plus a distinctive look all help me overlook the strange quirks of the buds. 

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Price and release date

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Announced in September 2024
  • On sale in the US
  • Cost $299 (roughly £230, AU$450)

Edifier announced the Stax Spirit S10 in September 2024 and released them shortly afterwards, so they’re available to buy in some regions right now.

In the US, you can buy the Spirit S10 for $299 – that price converts to roughly £230 / AU$450. I can’t find them on sale from trusted retailers in the UK or Australia but Edifier does sell gadgets in both regions, so we could see it roll out the earbuds to those places in the future. 

As you can tell from this price, the Edifiers are premium earbuds aimed at discerning buyers. They match in price the Technics EAH-AZ80 which top our list of the best earbuds and cost more than the AirPods Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (individually).

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Specs

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Features

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)
  • 5-hour buds battery, 18-hour with case, when ANC is on
  • Noise cancellation leaves a lot to be desired
  • Some connection issues

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 offer all of the features you’d expect in premium headphones… but they don’t all work perfectly.

The battery life is an example. Edifier doesn’t offer a battery estimate for the buds themselves, but says the case will offer 18 hours of playback with ANC on or 28 with it turned off. That’s not a huge number compared to competitors.

In my own testing, the Spirit S10 buds didn’t even last for five hours of playback when ANC was turned on – that’s one of the weakest battery lives I’ve tested in earbuds (it's close to that of the much cheaper AirPods Pro 4 with ANC, with noise-nixing deployed). They got to 4:55:17 until one earbud ran out, and the other was left on 6%. Based on Edifier’s case predictions, I’d estimate that the buds would last for 7 hours of listening if you don’t use ANC.

I didn’t find the battery-sapping ANC that great either; it did a fairly poor job at cancelling background noises. In my office it only succeeded in taking the edge off low-level surrounding chatter or the hum of the microwave, and alongside busy roads and railways it barely made a difference.

There are several different ANC modes: high, medium, ambient sound, wind reduction, adaptive and off. I stuck to high due to the fact that, as I said, it still didn’t feel like much, however I fiddled around with the others too. In adaptive, the modes would change for seemingly no reason, making quite dramatic and sudden shifts from time to time – this was often more than a little distracting.

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)

The ANC is controlled by the tie-in app: EDIFIER Connex, which isn’t Edifier’s only audio app, confusingly. I tried to set it up with Edifier Connect for a while, which isn’t the right app.

Connex lets you play with an equalizer (and two presets), toggle noise cancellation, turn on a high-latency gaming mode, change the function of the on-bud buttons, turn off (or on) wear detection, change your audio codec and do a few other functions which we see in wireless earbuds. There are also a few extras which you don’t: you can change how sensitive the bud buttons are, which I appreciate, and also change the volume of low battery and connectivity prompts.

Something else I need to raise is that I had real connection problems when first setting up the buds – I could pair them once, but after that my phone just couldn’t find the buds, The way I solved the problem (admittedly after a week) was by unpairing the device and re-pairing it several times. 

Also, even once the buds worked well, they’d always take a short while to connect to my phone. It wasn’t dramatic, but I’d always have to wait a few seconds before listening to music, wondering if they'd dropped out again. I even accidentally played my playlist out loud a few times, before getting wise to the fact that pairing from the case takes the Stax Spirit S10 a while longer than most earbuds I've tested.

  • Features score: 3/5

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Design

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Clamshell case which holds the buds
  • Thick stems give a distinctive look
  • Buds stay in the ear well

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 come in a ‘clamshell’-style case, which you open up to reveal the buds within. This case weighs 56g, is just a hair bigger than a golf ball, and has a USB-C port for charging. It’s definitely not the smallest headphone case I’ve seen, but it protected its contents well.

The earbuds themselves are fairly distinctive looking due to the width of the stem; you’re not going to confuse these for AirPods any day. The large size doesn’t really add to the ‘bulk’ of the buds, so it’s not an issue – it didn’t affect their ear grip from my experience – and it screams to people “these are serious earbuds for serious audiophiles!”.

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)

For most of my testing period, the Spirit S10 were reliable at sticking in my ears. This was even the case through most of a gym session, until I hit the treadmills, so I wouldn’t recommend them for running with. They also fell out when I was doing certain stretches on mats so, again, these aren’t work-out buds unless you’re doing slower and more upright exercises.

The stems bear touch controls which you can customize in the Edifier app, but you’re meant to ‘pinch’ to trigger the control and I could never work out the right place to squeeze to get a reliable result. 

You’re getting IP54-rated protection with both of the buds – this means that they’re mostly protected against solid particles (sand or dust), but can only survive splashes of water. Don’t wear them swimming, then.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Sound quality

  • Planar magnetic drivers provide fantastic balanced sound
  • Equalizer gives lots of customization over sound
  • Max volume could be higher

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)

Any downsides that come from planar magnetic drivers (here 12mm ones) are easily outmatched by the positives: The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 sound really, really fantastic. 

I most appreciate the balanced audio you’re getting from the S10. You can hear every line of music as though they’re spread out in Avid Pro before you, and they’re all totally equal, from the lowest rings of the bass guitar to the screechiest soprano; the whisper of the hi-hat and the sniffs of the cold-addled drummer are all even.

Such a balanced mix helps you appreciate the song as it was intended to be listened to, as Edifier isn’t blowing up the bass until it drowns out everything else, or positioning the treble as so dominant that you’d think every song is acapella.

If you like your music a certain way then there is an equalizer in the app (hidden in the ‘Sound effects’ menu) which lets you listen to the default balanced mix, Dynamic (ie bass-heavy), Electrostatic (treble-heavy) or a customized mode with an in-depth equalizer to play around with. However I found the default Original mix so great that I preferred it during testing. 

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)

Don’t worry about any distortion here, as another effect of planar magnet drivers is that it’s far less frequent. In fact, I didn’t notice any distortion during testing, however that may be partly because the Stax Spirit S10 don’t go very loud.

At the maximum volume, I found the S10 to put out music at a comfortable listening level… when I was at home in my quiet flat. Out and about, I’d often find myself struggling to make out parts of a song, especially with the lackluster ANC doing the bare minimum to cancel noise. If I had to commute into an office much more than I do, I’d probably opt for alternate earbuds. These aren’t the worst buds I’ve tested for volume issues, with the Nothing Ear still wearing that – crown? – but the Edifier really could do with being a touch louder.

True audiophiles (or technophiles) will appreciate the range of tech standards and codecs that the S10 support. These earbuds connect using Bluetooth 5.4 and support Snapdragon Sound, Google Fast Pair, aptX Audio, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LHDC, LDAC and Hi-Res Audio Wireless. To use these better-quality protocols, you’ll need a streaming service that offers them (not Spotify), plus a source that can support them in addition to just using the Edifier buds – but if you want the highest resolution a wireless connection can bring, these earbuds will not be a barrier. 

  • Sound quality: 4.5/5

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Value

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)
  • High-price earbuds with sound quality to match
  • Feature set needs to improve for better value

To answer simply on whether the Edifier Stax Spirit S10 offer value for money: of course they don’t. No premium earbuds do, not when great-sounding alternatives exist for under $100/£100/AU$200.

The nature of tech is that you get diminishing returns as you slide up the tower of price, and so the Stax Spirit were never going to offer you competitive value for money, and they’re not designed for shoppers on a budget. 

Sure, they sound better than rivals, but they also cost more than these competitors too. Plus the feature set doesn’t work perfectly, and beyond the audio output there are no killer features here worth paying top dollar for. The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 are for audiophiles who have money to spend on their passion, don't care about ANC, and don’t need to get the most efficient value for their money.

  • Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Edifier Stax Spirit S10?

Buy them if...

Don’t buy them if…

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Also consider

Technics EAH-AZ80
Triple device multi-point connectivity, LDAC support, supreme fit and excellent call-quality are just four reasons to buy these earbuds. The excellent sound is one more – but there's no dust ingress protection and they're just as pricey as the Edifiers, despite a May 2023 release date. See our Technics EAH-AZ80 review for the full scoop

How I tested the Edifier Stax Spirit S10

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 in front of a sunset.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for 4 weeks
  • Tested at home, in the office and on walks

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 enjoyed a prolonged testing period; I used them for roughly a month to write this review, which meant I could really put them through their paces. I used them alongside an Android phone, mostly – so I could benefit from their support for LDAC. 

I tested the buds at home, in the office, commuting between the two and on an international holiday; most of my listening was on Tidal or Netflix, but I tried other music and video streaming services as well as calls, podcasts and more.

My tech reviewing history for TechRadar spans more than five years now, including lots of earbuds – and a few pairs of Edifier headphones.

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

Victrola Stream Sapphire: Two-minute review

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

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

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

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Price and release date

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable on a wooden table

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

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

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

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Specs

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Features

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable showing a Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge

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

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

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

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

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

  • Features score: 3/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Sound quality

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable with a closeup of the tonearm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Sound quality score: 4/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Design

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Design score: 2.5/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Value

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable bird's eye veiw

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Value score: 2.5/5

Should you buy the Victrola Stream Sapphire?

Buy it if...

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

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

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

Don't buy it if...

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

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

Victrola Stream Sapphire: Also consider

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

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

How I tested the Victrola Stream Sapphire

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

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

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

First reviewed: October 2024

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

JLab Go Pop ANC: one-minute review

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

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

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

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

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

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: price and release date

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

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

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

JLab Go Pop ANC review: specs

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

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: features

  • Solid ANC
  • Companion app compatibility
  • Customizable touch controls

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

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

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

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

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

  • Features score: 4.5/5

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

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: sound quality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

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

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: design

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

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

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

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

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

  • Design score: 4/5

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

(Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: value

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

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

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

  • Value score: 5/5

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

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the JLab Go Pop ANC?

Buy them if...

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

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

Don't buy them if...

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

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

JLab Go Pop ANC: Also consider

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

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

JLab Go Pop ANC review: How I tested

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

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

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

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

JLab Go Pop ANC in-ear

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

JBL Tour Pro 3: Two-minute review

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

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

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

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

(Image credit: Future)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Price & release date

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

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

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

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

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

(Image credit: Future)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Specs

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Features

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Features score: 5/5

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

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

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Sound quality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Sound quality score: 4.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

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

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Design

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Design score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

(Image credit: Future)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Value

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

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

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

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

  • Value score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 held in a hand

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the JBL Tour Pro 3?

Buy them if...

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

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

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

Don't buy them if...

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

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

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

JBL Tour Pro 3: Also consider

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

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

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

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

How I tested the JBL Tour Pro 3

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

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

Ultimate Ears Miniroll: Two-minute review

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

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

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

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

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)

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

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

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

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

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Price and release date

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

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

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

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

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Specs

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Features

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

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

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

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

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

(Image credit: Future)

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

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

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

  • Features score: 3/5

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Design

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

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

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

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

Image 1 of 3

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

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

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

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

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

  • Design score: 4/5

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Sound quality

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Sound quality: 3.5/5

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Value

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

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

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

  • Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Ultimate Ears Miniroll?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Also consider

How I tested the Ultimate Ears Miniroll

The Ultimate Ears Miniroll

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

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

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

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

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

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT: Two-minute review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Specs

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Features

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Features score: 4.5/5

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Sound quality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Sound quality score: 4/5

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Design

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Design score: 4/5

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Value

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

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

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

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

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

  • Value score: 3.5/5

Should you buy the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT?

Buy it if...

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

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

Don't buy it if...

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

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

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT: Also consider

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

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

How I tested the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT

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

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

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

First reviewed: October 2024

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

Apple AirPods 4: Two-minute review

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

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

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

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

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

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

AirPods 4 outside of their case on a table

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Price & release date

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

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

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

Apple AirPods 4 review: Specs

Apple AirPods 4 review: Features

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AirPods 4 case held in a man's hand

(Image credit: Future)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Features score: 3.5/5

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

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Sound quality

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

AirPods 4 being placed back into their case

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Design

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Design score: 4/5

AirPods 4 case showing the charging port

(Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Value

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

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

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

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

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

  • Value score: 3/5

AirPods 4 next to their open case on a table

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the AirPods 4?

Buy them if...

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

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

Don't buy them if...

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

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

Apple AirPods 4 review: Also consider

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

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

How I tested the AirPods 4

AirPods 4 worn in a man's ears

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

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

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

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

Read more about how we test

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

FiiO FT1: Two-minute review

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

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

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

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

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones on a white table

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Price & release date

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

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

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

Fiio FT1 review: Specs

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones on a white surface

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Features

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

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

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

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

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

  • Features score: 5/5

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

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Sound quality

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

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

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

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

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

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

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

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

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

  • Sound quality score: 3/5

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones earcup

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Fiio FT1 review: Design

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

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

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

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

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

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

FiiO FT1 over-ear hedphones displaying walnut earcups

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

Fiio FT1 review: Value

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

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

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

  • Value score: 3/5

Should I buy the Fiio FT1?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Fiio FT1 review: Also consider

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

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

How I tested the Fiio FT1

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

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

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

  • First reviewed: October 2024
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