Sennheiser has produced several different true wireless earbuds this year, each with different use cases and so far we have been really impressed.

The latest to cross our review desk are the ACCENTUM True Wireless earbuds which straddle the consumer and audiophile ranges, offering very near audiophile sound but at a “more-affordable” consumer price.

The ACCENTUM True Wireless are available for RRP $349.95AU pricing them amongst the top of the range consumer earbuds.

Read on to hear my thoughts on the new Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless and where they sit in our ranking ladder of true wireless earbuds.

Design and fit

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM true wireless are the third pair of Sennheiser earbuds I’ve tested in the last few months, and they are the third different design, not just in earbud shape but also charging case size and shape.

Take the ACCENTUM TW out of the box and you will be surprised at just how small the case is.  At just 49.45mm x 51.72mm x 28.95mm it seems tiny in comparison to other charging cases I’ve used.  It is impressive that the smaller case still supports Qi Wireless charging too.

The ACCENTUM TW case only has a 420mAh battery inside but they are incredibly efficient with their power consumption given the earbuds offer six hours of listening time and another 22 hours in the charging case.  There is quick charge support too, so as little as ten minutes of charging in the case can give the earbuds another hour of listening time.

As with most devices these days the estimates given by the manufacturer closely resembles the real-world battery life, I was able to achieve with them.

You should be able to get a decent fit with these earbuds given that there are four different sizes of ear tips in the box (alongside a USB-C charging cable).

The design is different to the other Sennheiser earbuds I’ve tested this year but they are probably the most comfortable out of all of them.  They are relatively stable in the ear although you should be careful with excessive head movement while exercising in case they do fall out — there is less holding them in than the sport ones we tested out previously.

The outer surface of the earbuds are capacitive buttons allowing you to easily control the music/media without dislodging them from the comfortable fit in the ear.

The ACCENTUM TW were able to maintain a consistent, high-quality connection with first my Pixel 9 at all times.

How do they sound??

Sometimes it is difficult to test headphones from one manufacturer to another, especially when they each have their own app and equalisers.  For the purpose of this review I listened to them straight out of the box using the equaliser in the PowerAMP app on the same settings for each set of headphones and used FLAC files only.

These $350 earbuds are some of the best sounds I’ve heard from a set of earbuds in this price range.

When comparing them to the Jabra Elite 10 the bass is punchier but also crisper making the low end of the sound have true impact and clarity without being too overpowering.  The mids were clean and precise with the Jabra not having quite the brightness of sound in this area.

The Jabra’s fared better with the highs but still didn’t have the depth and range of the Sennheisers.  Sennheiser is known for its audiophile sound quality so it should come as no surprise.

So how do they compare to the $500 Sennheiser MOMENTUM TW4?  Good but not as good.

The Jabra Elite 10 were closer to the ACCENTUM TW than the ACCENTUM TW were.  The MOMENTUMs just had a louder sound, a wider soundstage with more depth across all areas of the sound.  Now they aren’t as comfortable in the ear as the ACCENTUM TW but the sound was exquisitely better.  Then they are $150 more so there is that.

On their own though, the ACCENTUM TW earbuds sound amazing and it is only quickly comparing side by side with the MOMENTUM TW4 that you will notice a difference.  On their own they sound amazing with a crisp sound that has great, sharp bass and a great upper shelf and decent mids.

ANC

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM TW earbuds offered amazingly good ANC, better than that in the Jabra’s, without affecting the quality of music much at all.  You can use the Smart Control app to alter the amount of ANC you apply to the earbuds based on where you are listening to them along with removing wind noise.

Software

The Sennheiser Smart Control app is nothing that other manufacturers have not done already to support their products, but the Sennheiser app removes the fluff and adds options that improve the quality of music. Interestingly, and it shows forethought by Sennheiser, each set of Sennheiser earbuds I own have different options activated within the same app.

Final thoughts

Sennheiser has a reputation for high quality audio devices and it is easy to see why. They do not make cheap products but they do make very good products.

The ACCENTUM True Wireless are at the upper end of consumer products at RRP $349.95 but when comparing them to similarly-priced products they compare extremely favourably. They are comfortable as any others while offering even better sound quality.

The ACCENTUM True Wireless have an extremely high-quality sound across the entire soundstage with crisp punchy bass that does not get muddy at all. The mids are also excellent but the highs are amazing with crisp high-end sounds well differentiated and accurate.

If you are shopping in this price range for true wireless earbuds I recommend you check out the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless earbuds. They are now available at all decent tech stores and online for RRP $349.95 in Black, Blue and White colourways.

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Shookz has today taken the wraps off their new OpenRun Pro 2 open ear headphones, complete with all new DualPitch technology to deliver improved sound quality.

The new DualPitch technology combines their tenth-generation bone conduction technology with an air conduction driver with the former providing the mids and highs of the sound and the latter the bass.

The sound quality in the OpenRun Pro 2 is vastly improved on the sound quality I was able to extract from the first generation OpenRun Pro headphones.  The bass is much better and the overall sound is crisper and clearer.  Now don’t expect audiophile-quality music but it is a lot improved on the last iteration.

The main function for these headphones is the ability to hear your surroundings while exercising outside.   It does this well.  Although the music is louder than last time you can still hear your surroundings easily.  While running I was able to hear cars, my own dogs, other dogs and of course people near me, all while listening to music or podcasts.

Now, use these in a loud environment, such as your gym and the music will be drowned out by all the environmental noises such as the gym music, weights dropping, talking etc.  They are not designed to be used in this ‘safe’ environment but instead when there is a time when you need to take extra caution to remain safe.

Just using them around the house was great too.  I was easily able to hear my wife talking to me, so it was a win for her too.  The music quality is nowhere near perfect but for times you need to hear those around you they are great.

With an IP55 rating the OpenRun Pro 2 will survive some water splashes while the multipoint connectivity allows you to connect to two devices at once.  This year the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones do not have a proprietary charging port but instead have included the universal USB-C charging port- a big improvement.

You will get close to 12 hours of playback from a single charge — I did — and if it runs out when you need it, plug it in for just five minutes for another 2.5 hours of music playback.

Weighing just 30 grams, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are extremely comfortable and you can barely even feel them on you.  The neck band now comes in two sizes, with the larger one easily big enough for my neck.  the only thing you feel is a slight clamping force of the bone conduction section of the headphones in front of your ears.

I was able to wear them for hours at a time without any discomfort at all so no matter how long your workout is you’ll be all good. 

Who buys these?

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are for those who exercise outside.  The ability to be able to listen to your media (music, podcast, audiobook etc) while exercising but at the same time being able to hear everything that is happening around you is not just handy but safer.  

Don’t get these if you want the best quality sound possible but get these if you want to be able to hear decent music while also hearing anything that may be dangerous around you.  The sound quality is a massive improvement over the OpenRun Pro so even if you have the first gen you should consider upgrading to these.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, is available in Black and Orange (Standard and Mini size) and will be on pre-sale for $319 from 28 August 2024 at Shokz.com.au. They will be available for purchase at Amazon, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and 99 Bikes, from 5 September 2024.

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Sennheiser are well known for straddling the line between mass consumer and audiophile-quality music.  They have products that are purely audiophile-quality but then have products that aim to bring a similar quality sound to a more affordable mass consumer product.

The new Sennheiser MOMENTUM Sport have a RRP of $549 and although they are not cheap, they produce a high quality sound while offering a myriad of sensors not normally seen in earbuds.

The MOMENTUM Sport house not just the usual audio sensors and ANC hardware but also a heart rate sensor and body temperature sensors.  Not only do they do that, but they can connect these sensors to your favourite fitness monitoring devices.

Sennheiser has a partnership with Polar for deeper integration, but they are designed to work with many fitness devices and apps.  These include Apple Watch/Health, Garmin Watch/Connect, Strava, Peloton, Suunto, Amazfit, Coros, Asics Runkeeper, Nike Run Club, and Adidas Runtastic.

Design and fit

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM Sport are smooth and shaped just like your ear canal, resulting in an earbud that doesn’t need to be stuffed uncomfortably in the ear but instead sits in the ear canal with a small hook/fin that helps it secure in the ear.

I am able to perform even the most aggressive and long workouts without them falling out, nor becoming an uncomfortable annoyance in my ear.  They aren’t the most comfortable earbuds I own but they do what they are meant to do and provide great sound without falling out due to excessive movement.

As per usual the earbuds come with a few options of silicone ear tips to be used for a better fit for you.  I settled on the small option in the end.

Each earbud has a capacitive touch surface on the outside for media and call control.  A simple light touch is all that is required so using these controls does not affect their position within your ear canal.

How do they sound?

I like good quality music and these MOMENTUM Sport deliver just that.  They are not the best sounding earbuds I own but they are the best sports ones.  Their quality is certainly within striking range of the best earbuds in my possession, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM TW4.

For a set of sport earbuds though they sound amazing.  They sound better than the Jabra Elite 8 Active but not by much – Jabra’s really do punch well above their price.  The Sennheiser MOMENTUM Sport produces a bass that is sharper albeit possibly slightly overpowering but has a sharper mid and upper registry sound which can be drowned out by the bass at times.  Luckily that’s an easy fix with the equaliser built in to the Sennheiser Smart Control app.

As for why they do not sound as good as my MOMENTUM TW4 you need to take into account the more comfortable design, the improved water proof and IP rating, and of course the body temperature and heart rate sensors.  Add all these in and you can see why the sound takes a small hit.

Sometimes it can be different to discern much of a difference between various earbuds and headphones at this end of the consumer market.  Unless you are comparing them side by side at the same time you may think they sound the same.

The adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) is really good – if you are at a gym they will remove any environmental sound if you wish it to.  You can of course adjust just how much ANC is applied to the surrounding noises by adjusting the “Transparency level” within the Sennheiser Smart Control app.

Smart Control

The Sennheiser Smart Control app is nothing that other manufacturers have not done already to support their products but the Sennheiser app removes the fluff and adds options that improve the quality of music.

Although I’m not normally a fan of adjusting the EQ in these apps (would rather adjust it inside PowerAMP or whatever I’m listening with) as I can quickly adjust to what music is playing, the options in the Smart Control app are great.

For the MOMENTUM Sport the Smart Control app is also the first and default location you will find your body temperature measurement and your heart rate.  It is within here that you connect them to the Polar app or other “compatible” tracking devices.

Polar Flow has the best integration thanks to their partnership with Sennheiser but Apple Watch/Health and many other apps and devices work. Of note though, I was unable to get them to feed their data into Fitbit or Google Fit.

Some fitness-minded folks may have a watch or a chest strap that can do that but there are many workouts that make wearing a watch not possible.  Many weight and strength workouts make wearing a watch either uncomfortable or dangerous – especially if you are using any form of wrist straps.

It provides important fitness health metrics without the need for additional devices – most likely you are going to be using earbuds or headphones anyway so why not one device for all.

This whole one device for all the things explains the premium price of these earbuds.  It has all the added sensors so you do not need these other devices.  The price of these earbuds is still less than a set of top notch earbuds plus a chest strap to use while working out.  One single outlay of funds.

Should you buy these earbuds?

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM Sport earbuds are not for everyone. These are for those who want near audiophile-quality music while at the gym but also need something to track their heart rate and body temperature while working out.

The fit and comfort is exceptional thanks to the many options for fins and silicone tips, and the fitness data tracking seems to be accurate and easy to export — as long as your app or device is supported.

If you don’t need the fitness tracking you may be best served looking in a cheaper price range.

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM Sport earbuds are available now from sennheiser-hearing.com and selected Sennheiser retailers for an MSRP of $529.95 AUD and $549.95 NZD. The earbuds come in three colourways; Polar Black, Burned Olive, and Metallic Graphite.

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With the popularity of the Samsung Frame TV – a unit that takes the “black box” on the wall and makes it artwork when you’re not watching TV, you can see the small leap that was made at Samsung to come up with the concept of the Samsung Music Frame.

This is a speaker, but at no point would anyone pick it was a speaker.

Out of the box and once setup (which is a really fast and easy process), this looks like a large photo frame.

You can hang it on the wall, all the hardware required for that comes with it, but that would also require you to run the 2m power cord through the wall and plenty wouldn’t bother with that.  However, if you have a TV that’s wall hung, it’s worth considering doing the same here, just for the look.

It’s possible to get two of these and hang them each side of your TV and get stereo sound with epic quality over and above your TV – without having to install a soundbar – something plenty might choose for the pure aesthetic of it.

Samsung Music Frame has an Optical input if you’re hard wiring a TV, or it will operate on WiFi and offer Chromecast, Apple Airplay and WiFi streaming via Samsung Q Symphony which means for a recent Samsung TV you should be able to choose the Music Frame for sound output.

The output is certainly room-filling – a booming sound, with two clear bass speakers at the back this doesn’t lack.

I’d say there’s a very finite lack of clarity from the sound, but I think that comes from the form factor, with no direct speaker grill – instead you’re firing sound into and around the plastic cover that is your chosen photo or artwork.

That’s not at all to say the sound is bad, in fact it’s fantastic – I’ve loved having music filling the room these last week or so.

At $499, it’s reduced from $699 and that’s a far better price point.

If you want to throw your own photo into the frame, you can insert n 8x10inch print but only the 8×8 centre of the image will show.

Or, you can create your own custom front cover.  I did this at a site called Marpple and the cost came to almost $150 AUD with the design and shipping.

Really cool product.  I think no doubt an Audiophile would be better placed with a solid soundbar or speaker to choose for this placement, but for a style and tech-minimalist approach this is a really great idea and great sounding speaker.

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The Beats Solo headphones are popular on-ear wireless headphones and the latest version – the Beats Solo 4 – are a welcome update to enjoy your audio content in high quality on the move.

The Beat Solo 4 headphones, priced at $329, have maintained their minimal and slick design that has been extremely popular with customers.

For our review we received the black pair which have a nice matte finish with brushed metal styling on the headband.

The iconic Beats logo are on the outside of each ear cup so it’s clear to others what brand you’re wearing.

They offer a comfortable fit thanks to the flex grip headband, nicely angled ear cups and the soft padding that provides solid passive noise cancellation.

The lack of active noise cancellation was not a deal breaker for us but for some, at this price, they may have expected more.

With a weight of just 217g we found the headphones quite comfortable to wear for long periods.

And they truly deliver with their trademark sound quality.

We heard impressive clarity and volume and plenty of detail in the music we were listening to.

We felt the bass was slightly more tempered when compared to other Beats headphones.

There was still a solid helping of bass but definitely not as much as we’ve heard on previous models.

The Beats Solo 4s don’t let you down – they have a punchy warm sound so you can hear every subtle nuance of your music.

Also onboard is spatial audio with personalised head tracking which uses gyroscopes and accelerometers to place sound all around you. You can hear the difference when listening to compatible tracks with spatial audio.

We were also pleasantly surprised with the call quality thanks to the digital beamforming microphones which use an advanced voice targeting algorithm.

When wearing headphones our first instinct was to take them off to answer the phone.

Not so with the Beat Solo 4.  We were able to hear the call pretty clearly even when we were outside.

We liked the simple controls on the left ear cup with the centre button for playing and pausing and the outer ring on that same ear cup able to adjust the volume up and down.

Pairing the Beat Solo 4 headphones was simple for both iOS and Android thanks to the seamless one touch pairing.

They have built-in Find my or Find My Device 4 compatibility as well so you can locate them if you ever misplace them.

And they’re not going to run out of juice anytime soon thanks to a massive 50 hours of battery life.

And if you do need a quick recharge, simply plugging them in for 10 minutes provides up to five hours of playback.

The Beats Solo 4 headphones are priced at $329 and available in Matte Black, Cloud Pink and Slate Blue.

VERDICT

The Beats Solo 4 easily live up to brand’s reputation to provide clear, crisp and punchy audio to suit fans of all kinds of music.

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Sonos has joined the big boys in the headphones game with its excellent new Sonos Ace noise cancelling headphones. It’s a departure from what the company usually produces but they’ve come up with a hit.

Up until now if you mentioned the big headphone brands you’d be talking about Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, Apple and JBL.

Sonos just wasn’t in the conversation. They were more focused on producing speakers and sound bars and multiroom systems to play music for everyone to enjoy.

Well that has all changed with the Sonos Ace which is built with premium materials and offers premium sound – they also have a premium price at $699.

For a first attempt the Sonos Ace headphones are an absolute hit.

They look and sound amazing.

On the design side, they are made from premium vegan leather in soft white or black.

They have luxuriously soft memory phone on the earcup and the headband so they fit comfortably without too much pressure on your ears.

Naturally, the headphones are adjustable with metal arms extending from the headband to ensure the precise fit.

The design reminded us of Apple’s AirPods Max.

The comfort level was high – even wearing them for an entire flight. They are remarkably light as well.

There is a matching hard case which is quite thin and easy to fit inside a bag.

One thing we noticed though was dirt and marks on the carry case – that’s what can happen when you have light coloured products.

On the audio side, the Sonos Ace knocks it out of the park. They’re priced in the same tier as the big headphones and easily hold their own.

The sound had a real authority without being over the top.

Its confidence was delivered with the subtlety of every note and the smashing of every cymbal, and the bass was a nicely balanced addition to complete the picture.

It really did offer superb detail – that crisp sound was evident at the high and mid-levels with vocals that were clear and precise.

Users can make some minor adjustments using the Sonos app with tweaks to the treble and bass, but we just left it alone – it sounded great out of the box.

There are some physical controls on the outside with easy to reach buttons that allow you to adjust the volume and switch to transparency mode and back to ANC.

Speaking of active noise cancellation, the Sonos Ace did a great job and of getting rid of the ambient noise.

It’s not the best ANC we’ve heard, those other premium brands seem to have nailed it, but Sonos has room for improvement.

The transparency mode, on the other hand, was outstanding and allowed us to hear everything quite clearly even without taking off the headphones.

It’s a great feature if you’re listening out for your flight being called for boarding or if you want to talk to someone or order a coffee and don’t want to take off the headphones to do it.

One feature that sets the Sonos Ace apart is the TV Audio Swap.

The idea here is if you have a Sonos Arc soundbar you can take the audio and bring them to the headphones without skipping a beat.

The ideal scenario would be you wanting to continue to watch a movie or play a game when everyone else goes to bed so you switch the sound from the Sonos Arc soundbar to the headphones using a direct Wi-Fi connection and still enjoy respectable surround sound whether it’s 5.1 or Dolby atmos.

We didn’t get a chance to review this feature but judging by other reviewers it offered respectable quality – when it worked.

Our understanding is that it took a couple of attempts for it to work but when it did the user can hear their movie or game in high quality and with a very low latency.

TV Audio Swap is not available for Android users at the moment and it will also be compatible with more soundbars in the future.

But we’re looking forward to another feature in the works called TrueCinema which can examine your viewing environment and create a surround sound effect as if there are numerous speakers around you.

On the battery side, the Sonos Ace provides an amazing 30 hours of playback.

And the good thing is if you need a fast charge, you can get three hours playback if you plug them in for just three minutes.

The Sonos Ace ANC Bluetooth headphones are available on June 5 and are priced at $699.

VERDICT

The Sonos Ace headphones are an excellent first attempt with stunning audio quality, sleek and stylish design with features that will only improve over time. If you’re a Sonos customer already these should be your next headphones – if you’re not these are a great introduction to the brand.

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The Audio Technica ATH-TWX7 earphones are sleek and light and deliver the signature impressive audio we’ve come to expect from the brand.

The wireless earbuds have 5.8mm high resolution drivers under the hood and support for 24-bit/96Khz audio files so you’re getting crisp and clear music.

On the design side the Audio Technica ATH-TWX7 have a slender design with a short stalk that rests outside your ear.

The earbud itself is shaped to fit snugly in your ear after you twist it into place.

For our review we used the Audio Technica ATH-TWX7 in the gym and on walks and it didn’t budge.

The earphones have a slick look and are made from metal and plastic.

The Audio Technica ATH-TWX7 have hybrid noise cancelling technology onboard which does a good job at filtering out your surroundings.

It also has Hear Through and Talk Through modes so you can talk to people but also hear what’s happening around you if you’re near busy roads or areas you where you need to take care while on a run or a walk.

It’s not the best noise cancelling quality we’ve heard it still did a great job in allowing us to focus on the music, audiobook or the podcasts we were listening to.

There are touch controls and a button on each earbud to switch between modes.

Users can select what functions they want to access from the sensors on the buds and the buttons on the stalks.

You can even set the sensitivity of the touch sensors on the earphones within the A-T Connect companion app.

The touch sensors took a little getting used to – sometimes it took a couple of presses to get a response.

Audio quality was as we expected from Audio Technica – punchy even in the lower frequencies without being over the top so you have a decent soundstage and with enough bass to satisfy most listeners.

One thing we did notice was we needed to play these at full volume to appreciate the sound quality.

They could use slightly better amplification, so you have a few more choices a volume depending on the type of music you’re listening to.

Calls were also decent quality and you have two modes to choose from – Natural when you’re in a quiet space and Noise Reduction if you are in a busier and noisier environment.

The A-T Connect app allows you to choose these modes on the fly. There is also a mute button you can set to can turn off the microphone during your calls.

The voice clarity is thanks to the built-in microphones and beamforming technology that can focus on your voice to ensure you are loud and clear for your caller.

You can even run a test to hear what you’ll sound like before you make the call.

On the battery side Audio Technica says there is about 6.5 hours of playtime and up to 20 hours from the compact charging case as well.

The Audio Technica ATH-TWX7 wireless earphones are priced at $369 and are available now.

VERDICT

The Audio Technica ATH-TWX7 are stylish earphones that offer great sound for listening and calling with the ability to customise the on-ear controls.

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The Amazon Echo Hub is a great way to bring together your smart home devices and control, manage and monitor them all in one place.

I’ll be honest – at first, I struggled to understand the difference between the Echo Show 15 that’s already on wall and the new Echo Hub with its 8-inch touchscreen.

We can talk to the Echo Show and ask it to play music, videos, set reminders and control our devices.

The Echo Hub is a different beast. It can also play content and do most of the things the Echo Show can do, but where it excels is as a controller and as an all-encompassing dashboard to see the connected devices in your home.

If the Echo Show is where you play your content, then the Echo Hub is your remote control.

A few years ago, a system like Echo Hub was only possible with smart home automation control systems like Control 4, Crestron, Legrand, C-Bus, Savant, Lutron and others that required cabling and physical connections between rooms and between products to operate sufficiently.

These were typically designed for mansions and affordable only by the wealthy.

What Amazon has delivered with Echo Hub takes several pages out of those systems, including compatibility with Matter, Thread and Zigbee and wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, to make a more consumer friendly version.

What has allowed Amazon to offer this level of control at this price is the fact that nearly every home now has a high-speed broadband connection and a decent wireless network where all of today’s smart homes devices now reside and operate.

The Echo Hub is a wall-mountable 8-inch touchscreen that’s just 1.5cm thick.

We chose to use a specially built Sanus desktop mount so we could sit it on our desk within reach.

It also has a motion sensor, so the screen instantly comes to life as soon as we sat down in front of the screen at our desk.

Once you go through a pretty simple set-up the Echo Hub will gather the connected items in your home and display them in groups on the screen.
If you have Echo speakers, smart plugs, security cameras, video doorbells, locks, light bulbs and other smart products, you will see them grouped together on the screen and control them with a touch of the screen or with your voice.

And don’t worry if you have an Echo speaker in the same room as the Echo Hub.

You can choose the default speaker to play your content. In our case we ticked the box for the Echo Show 15 a couple of metres away on our wall.

So now when we ask Alexa to play music or the radio it’s going to come from the Echo Show 15 which has a better speaker than the Echo Hub and there is no double-up on the audio.

Users can also choose from a few widgets that create shortcuts on the dashboard which can group devices, provide information, display calendars and information and other tidbits including daily trivia and celeb birthdays.

Users can easily set routines so it can do things like wish you a good morning, tell you the news traffic and weather, turn on connected devices and play the day’s news and even play relaxing music when you get home.

Echo Hub can also act as a room to room intercom if you have other Echo products in your household.

It’s also possible to easily create groups so devices in the same room, for example, can easily be seen and displayed on the dashboard.

The beauty of the Echo Hub is that it can connect with thousands of devices including cameras, lights, plugs, speakers and much more from a variety of brands thanks to its compatibility with Matter, Zigbee and Thread.

Once connected to the hub you can control all these compatible devices within your home’s network even if your Internet is down.

The Echo Hub isn’t a glorified tablet. You can’t pick it up and browse the web or run apps like an iPad or an Android tablet.

It’s built to be the universal remote control for your home.

Another favourite feature was grouping our security cameras and being able to see a live view on the screen either by tapping on the display or asking Alexa to show it to you.

Naturally, the Echo Hub works beautifully with Ring products – Amazon owns the company so compatibility was no surprise.

We have mainly Arlo cameras at our place, and it only managed to show the live view from one of our six cameras.

But we did notice some other limitations.

We felt it could have given us more on device control to edit and remove devices.

For this we had to go to the Alexa app to make those changes.

Same thing for when we wanted to edit a device’s name or move it to another room – it was always back to the app to do the job.

So why don’t you just use the app instead of purchasing the Echo Hub.

The app does give you a lot of control, but you’ve got to get your phone and open the app and find you what you want to do where is Echo Hub is always there and ready to go with your devices and groups and shortcuts literally at your fingertips.

And if it’s in a central place in your home everyone can use it.

The Echo Hub is available now and is priced at $329.

VERDICT

If you have several smart devices in your home, especially Echo speakers and Ring products, then Echo Hub is an ideal investment to make the most of your connected products, prepare for more and to give you the ultimate control.

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When is a speaker also a work of art? Answer: When it’s the new Pantheon Obsidian that is a much a feast for the eyes as it impressive to the ears.

How many speakers have you heard of that are individually hand-crafted and named after a stone that’s formed when lava cools.

The minimalistic style and sculptured shape are striking – and this is even before we’ve even turned it on.

It is unlike any other speaker on the market – in looks, style and quality.

And the best thing is Pantheone is a 100 per cent award-winning Australian company flying the flag in the prestige audio market.

Available in black or white, the Pantheone Obsidian has a built-in rechargeable battery so it can be moved around the home so you can admire the design and appreciate the sound anywhere.

The build quality is obvious as soon as you lay eyes on it with top shelf materials and precise manufacturing. You will never question the quality – you will only appreciate it.

It’s not a small speaker – it’s about 36cm tall with a 25cm wide footprint. It also weighs 5kg. It’s not easily portable at this size – but its possible to move it but some may need help doing so.

On the audio side, the sound quality is stunning thanks to the DSP-controlled amplifier and high-excursion mid-bass driver.

Also under the hood is two tilted hi-fi silk dome tweeters which offers the detailed clarity to your music.

There is real authority to the sound with a decent scale that will fill a house not just the room.

And the clarity and detail are still there despite the big sound.

That’s all backed by just the right level of bass – the unit has the volume to really move some air, but the bass is not overpowering – it’s at just the right level.

This music quality fits the character of the speaker – it stands out but can be subtle as well.

The Obsidian has both wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity so you can simply stream music from your phone (Bluetooth) or play music from a music service in high quality (wi-fi).

With the wi-fi connectivity it’s also possible to create a multi-room system – if you can afford more than one.

If you have two Obsidian speakers, you can set them up as a stereo pair and really hear the left and right separation so your favourite music will sound amazing.

It’s also possible to have a line-in from your source as well.

Users can stream their music from Tidal and Spotify and other services through the Pantheone companion app as well as accessing your own music on your device.

And if you connect via Bluetooth, you can stream Apple Music and even hear your podcasts and audiobooks through the Obsidian.

It also has Apple AirPlay onboard so whatever you can play on your iPhone you can also play through the speaker.

The Pantheone Obsidian is not only beautiful and offers amazing sound quality – it is also smart.

Yes, it’s an Alexa smart speaker as well so you can ask it to play your music or your favourite radio station and include it into your smart home’s ecosystem and control your devices with your voice.

And with Alexa, the speaker can also access Amazon Music if you have an account or are an Amazon Prime customer.

The battery life is another impressive feature with up to 15 hours of playback on a single charge.

So who would buy the Pantheone Obsidian – this work of tech art?

For a start it’s someone who can afford it – the speaker costs $1,999.

If you have an appreciation for art and audio and is looking something that fits your home décor, then the Obsidian will appeal to you.

If you can fit this in your budget, you will have made an investment in beauty and quality.

The Pantheone Obsidian is priced at $1,999 and is available now from www.pantheoneaudio.com and retail stores including Len Wallis, Sight + Sound Galleria, Top3 and Audio Tailor.

VERDICT

The attraction of the stunning Pantheone Obsidian is it uniqueness. There is nothing like it on the market. Typically speakers are angular and boring. But the Pantheone Obsidian is anything but typical.

The post Pantheone Obsidian speaker review – a stunning work of art for the eyes and the ears appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Denon PerL Pro true wireless earphones are unique in a couple of ways – first they look a little different than regular earphones and second, they can create a personalised audio profile so it sounds better for you.

Denon is a brand we’ve known in the audio space but it has now turned its attention to personal audio with the PerL Pro earphones.

The most obvious thing you’ll notice is the slightly unusual design.

The buds have a flat circular panel that are quite noticeable. It’s about the size of a 10 cent coin.

But the section that goes in your ear is much smaller and fits securely and comfortably in your ear.

There is also a small fin that locks the PerL Pro earphones in once you twist them into place.

Part of the connection process when you pair the Denon PerL Pro earphones to your smartphone is to download the Denon app and optimise the audio based on how you hear music.

We’re all hear differently so a one-size fits all approach doesn’t always cut it.

Within the Denon app you can create a hearing profile so the audio output is personalised to suit the way you hear audio.

It does this by measuring your faint otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) which your inner produces (yes, your ears make noises!) when it hears various tones.

The earphones play a range of sounds to assess your OAEs and from this information it creates a profile to provide optimum output.

We created our own profile for our review and were able to hear our music with and without it.

The improvement in audio quality with the optimised profile was incredible.

These earphones already had an impressive sound but creating and using that optimised profile added so much space and character to the sound.

Bass was enhanced along with the clarity and depth of the music.

The difference between the regular sound and our personalised profile was like night and day.

Audio quality is higher thanks to a Bluetooth connection that offers less compression and offers a streaming experience like listening to a CD, so you’ll enjoy higher fidelity.

On the active noise cancelation side, the Denon PerL Pro earphones do a good job tuning out the ambient noise. Transparency mode – or Social Mode as it is called here – could be a little better.

The large button-shaped panel on the outside of the earphones come in handy for the touch controls to control your music and make and receive calls.

These can be adjusted with the Denon app as well.

Battery life is also excellent at up to eight hours with the buds themselves and another 24 hours from the full charged case.

One thing note about the Denon PerL Pro earphones is the price.

They are priced at $549. There are cheaper earphones on the market, but Denon is seen as an audiophile brand and truly offer a unique audio experience for every user.

VERDICT

The Denon PerL Pro true wireless earphones are a unique offering in both design and audio quality that can be tuned to suit your ears rather just taking what your given with other brands.

The post Denon PerL Pro earphones review – stunning sound that’s tuned to how you hear music appeared first on Tech Guide.

The new JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones offer some of the best value for customers who want to enjoy excellent audio quality and adaptive active noise cancellation and all for less than $200.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS have a neat, compact design that fit comfortably in your ears for hours.

They have an oval pill shape which makes them easily fit in ears of all sizes and remain comfortably in place for hours at a time.

Under the hood, JBL has done it again with its Signature Sound which is an impressive mixture of clarity and bass.

On the noise cancelling side, the JBL Live Free 2 TWS are adaptive which means they can adjust to your surroundings and adjust the level of noise cancellation on the fly.

If you’re on public transport or in any other loud busy area the level of noise cancellation will increase.

When you’re in a quieter area it will be reduced so you’re getting a consistent sound level for whatever you’re listening to.

JBL Live Free 2 TWS has six onboard beamforming microphones which can also pinpoint your voice and reduce background noise and wind, so your calls are loud and clear.

We used the earphones on a couple of radio interviews while walking along a busy street and there was no telling the difference in the sound quality.

There’s also an Ambient Aware mode for those times you need to hear exactly what’s going on around you.

TalkThru is another mode that switches on all the microphones so you can hear yourself and the person you’re speaking to even clearer without the need to take the earbuds out of your ears.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS also have another feature called VoiceAware which lets you control how much of your own voice you can hear during a call.

This is another way of monitoring how you sound to the person you’re speaking to.

The outside of the earphones has touch controls to navigate your music, answer and end calls and to switch between listening modes.

Users can also have the earphones linked to two devices with a multipoint connection called Dual Connect & Sync.

This lets you switch quickly between your phone and computer or tablet.

For example, you might by on your way to work and watching the latest episode of TV show or watching a movie on your tablet or laptop and you receive a phone call.

In this scenario you can switch the connection to your phone and answer the call before switching back to what you’re watching on your other device.

The JBL Headphones app also offers controls over the modes and can ensure you have the latest version of the software onboard.

There’s also an EQ within the app that offers optimisation for bass, jazz, vocal, club and studio and the ability to create your own.

We didn’t hear much difference in the sound – and we tried all of them.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones have an IPX5 rating which means they are water resistant so ideal for the gym or a run or walk. And there are no worries if you happen to get caught in the rain.

The earbuds can run for up to seven hours on a single charge and there are another 28 hours of power in the charging case.

The charging case is also Qi-compatible so they can charge while resting on the same charging mate you use to wirelessly charge your phone.

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones are available now and are priced at $199. They are available in black, blue and pink.

VERDICT

The JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones punch above their weight when delivering impressive audio quality and adaptive active noise cancellation – they are probably the best value ANC earphones you can buy right now.

The post JBL Live Free 2 TWS earphones review – excellent audio quality and amazing value appeared first on Tech Guide.

Apple’s AirPods Pro (second generation) just got even better with the introduction of a range of new features that have been enabled by iOS 17.

These new features include Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and Personalised Volume.

Since the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro announcement about the inclusion of USB-C, Apple has also released an updated AirPods Pro (second generation) earphones with a MagSafe Charging Case with USB-C.

Tech Guide has been using these new AirPods Pro (second generation) for a few days paired with an iPhone running the iOS 17 beta.

We understand the official version of iOS 17 will be out this week so users can enjoy these new AirPods Pro (second generation) features whether they own the current model or the brand new AirPods Pro that come with the new MagSafe charging case with USB-C.

If you already own the AirPods Pro (second generation) which came with the Lightning charging case, you can still enjoy these new features that come with iOS 17.

The earphones included with the USB-C charging case themselves are identical to the earphones included with the previous lightning case.

That means this review is as much about the AirPods Pro (second generation) with the MagSafe charging case with USB-C as it is about the new features which iOS 17 has made possible.

Adaptive Audio is a combination between active noise cancellation and transparency mode which can adjust the level of noise cancellation based on the noise around you.

This feature is powered by the H2 Apple silicon aboard the AirPods Pro (second generation) which can adjust the listening experiences as your environment changes.

The good thing about it is that is intelligent enough to be able to tell what sound to suppress and which to enhance.

For example, if you are cooking and using all your appliances, the adaptive audio feature will suppress the annoying blender sound while still letting you still hear when the doorbell rings.

It’s this same intelligence that’s applied throughout your day whether you are alone in a park, in the centre of a large busy restaurant or on your commute.

Another new feature is Conversation Awareness which basically means the AirPods Pro (second generation) with lower your media’s volume as soon as it hears you speaking.

And not only that, it will enhance the voices of the people in front of you and reduce background noise at the same time.

During our review we ran into a friend while listening to your AirPods Pro (second generation).

When we said hello the music lowered and our friend’s voice was enhanced so we could hear extremely clearly even without taking the AirPods Pro (second generation) out of our ears.

We also noticed the background noise had been turned down a few notches to make the conversation even clearer and easier to hear.

And then when we said goodbye, our media automatically returned to its original listening mode and volume.

Personalised Volume can take control of fine tuning your media experience by learning your listening preferences overtime and matching that with the conditions of your environment.

All of these new features or in addition to the outstanding active noise cancellation, remarkable transparency mode and the personalised spatial audio which changes the way you listen to your music.

The AirPods Pro (second generation) H2 chip also enables another feature – lossless audio with ultra-low latency.

And it can be used as a wireless audio solution with Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset.

The H2 chip in Apple’s Vision Pro will unlock 20-bit 48kHz lossless audio with a huge reduction in wireless audio latency.

This means AirPods Pro (second generation) will be a perfect companion for the Apple Vision Pro when it’s released next year.

Battery life listening with ANC is up to six hours and up 30 hours of listening with the case.

VERDICT

The already excellent AirPods Pro (second generation) just got even better with a number of new enhancements that will not only deliver stunning audio but also make the earphones to fit in with your life.

The post We take a look at the new features unlocked for AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) with iOS 17 appeared first on Tech Guide.

Do you need to tidy up your desktop, get yourself organised and charge your smartphone and earbuds at the same time? Then what you need is the ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat from Journey.

The desk mat (which is 68cm long and 37cm wide) has a magnetic edge on the left side so the charging pad (10cm x 37cm) can neatly attach itself.

The mat itself is made of felt and vegan leather and users can choose which material they prefer being on top by simply flipping it over.

It is a very generous size so it will cover most of a regular-sized desk.

The charging pad connects to power via a USB-C cable and can charge your iPhone if it has wireless charging or MagSafe, and any Android phone with wireless charging capabilities.

We tried it on our iPhone 14 Pro Max and the ALTI charging pad magnetically held it in place to ensure it was charging.

Other smartphones just need to be positioned correctly to receive a charge.

You can also charge AirPods Pro and AirPods with wireless charging cases – there’s a spot marked out so you know exactly where to put it.

Users can also charge the Galaxy Buds and other earphones that have wireless charging cases.

Having the charging pad only requires you to have a single included USB-C cable connected to a port on a wall charger.

This means no more multiple cables cluttering your workspace.

What also reduced the clutter is being able store papers and documents between the felt and vegan leather layers so they are out of sight but still literally at your fingertips.

It’s also an excellent work surface so you can still use your computer mouse accurately and it will also quieten your keyboard because it is on a softer surface rather than resting on wood.

And with the charging pad right beside you, you’re never going to miss any calls or messages.

If you would prefer your phone and earphones to be charging on your right side then you just have to turn the ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat upside down and attach the charging pad on the right.

The Journey ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat is available now in black or grey and is priced at $149.

www.journeyofficial.com.au

The post Keep your desk organised and your devices charged with the ALTI Wireless Charging Mat appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone is an out of the box solution for anyone who wants to get into the world of streaming or creating audio content like a podcast.

It is a cardioid condenser microphone that’s available on its own with a tabletop stand ($239) or with a three-point boom arm ($349) so you can mount it on the edge of a desk and position it comfortably in front of you.

For our review we received the version with the boom arm.

The microphone connects via USB-C to a Mac, iPad, Windows PC and Android devices.

Under the hood is a cardioid condenser capsule which can pick up your voice clearly and reject background noises.

It also has an all-metal construction so it its durable to use anywhere every day.

The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone has a built in hinge that allows it to be tilted at precisely the right angle.

And the boom arm also offers plenty of flexibility so you can adjust the microphone so it’s sitting at the right angle.

The controls are right in front of you as well and these include a soft mute button with an LED ring so you can tell at glance when it’s been activated.

There’s also a gain control, a headphones volume knob and a mix control to balance levels on both the microphone and the device.

There is a 3.5mm jack to plug your headphones directly into the microphone.

But it’s all still pretty simple to use.

Just connect the mic to your device with a USB-C cable.

And there’s no need for power – it gets that from your device when it’s connected.

Whatever application you’re using, whether it’s audio software, Zoom or Skype, you then simply look for Sennheiser Profile USB microphone and select it as your input and output device.

Users can choose to use the microphone in any orientation – when it’s mounted upside down on the stand or right way up – the quality and sensitivity will be the same.

The boom arm has an integrated cable management slot to help conceal the included 3m USB-C cable.

And when you’re done, there’s also a small pouch to store the microphone safely.

The tabletop version includes a small stand and a 1.2m USB-C cable.

The best thing about the Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone is that you don’t need to be an audio engineer to get a good result.

The mic produces impressive audio quality for podcasters, gamers, live streamers and one else who wants to come through loud and clear on their next video call.

The Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone is available now and is priced at $239 (table-top) and $349 (boom arm).

The post Sennheiser’s Profile USB Microphone offers impressive quality for podcasters and streamers appeared first on Tech Guide.

LG not only make great TVs and home appliances they also offer excellent earphones as well including the Tone Free T90 which now includes Dolby Atmos and Dolby Head Tracking – a world first.

So they are useful for enjoying your music, movies, TV shows and games which are now using Dolby Atmos audio to create a soundscape that comes from all directions.

And with Dolby Head Tracking the sound is pinned in front of you putting you at the centre of the scene.

As you move your head the sound stay in the same position relative to your head.

It like you’re at a concert and the stage is in front of you. If you turn your head to the left your right ear is closer to the stage and that’s where you hear the sound.

The T90 earphones do an amazing job with head tracking and, when combined with Dolby Atmos, you have a pair of headphones that add a whole new dimension to your listening.

The earphones have a short stalk but are fairly compact and offer a comfortable fit.

The charging case is also one of the smallest as well so it’s no effort to take the T90 earphones wherever you go.

On the audio side, the T90 sound excellent with plenty of detail and a generous helping of bass that carries across your music, movies and TV shows.

Under the hood is an 11mm driver which provides both the power and clarity.

It picks up all those sounds whether it’s the tinkle of broken glass or the sound of a guitar string which just adds to your enjoyment.
LG has once again partnered with Meridian which brings its Headphone Space Processing (HSP) technology which provides the acoustic qualities of a high-end speaker and shrink it down to fit inside an earphone.

The onboard Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) does a great job eliminating ambient sound so you can focus on your content. It’s not the best we’ve heard but it still does the job for your commute on a bus or a train or if you’re hopping on a flight.

And there’s also a Listening Mode for those times when you want to hear your surroundings.

There’s also Conversation Mode to amplify the voice of the person you’re speaking to, so you don’t need to remove your earphones. Useful whether you’re talking to someone in your office or ordering a coffee and the earphones can stay in the whole time.

Call quality was also above average so we could be heard clearly and the people we were speaking to also came through loud and clear.

The LG Tone Free T90 also have whisper mode so if you’re on a call you can remove the right ear bud, hold it close to your mouth and use it like a microphone.

The case also offers some features on its own – it can kill bacteria and wirelessly connect other devices.

The case includes UVNano which can kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria to keep things hygienic. This takes about 10 minutes and only works when the charging case is closed.

LG’s case is also a Bluetooth dongle which can connect devices like gym treadmills, TVs, computer and in-flight entertainment systems.

You connect a 3.5mm to USB-C cable and you will be able to listen to those devices wirelessly.

You get up to nine hours of battery life – that’s with ANC off but we got about up seven hours with ANC on. And there’s 29 hours of charge in the case as well.

The LG Tone Free T90 earphones are available now and are priced at $319.

VERDICT

The LG Tone Free T90 earphones offer excellent audio quality that is topped off with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Head Tracking for a unique listening experience.

The post LG Tone Free T90 Dolby Atmos earphones review – an excellent audio experience appeared first on Tech Guide.

When it comes to wireless earphones there’s not much that distinguishes one from the another, but the JBL Tour Pro 2 are absolutely one of a kind because it includes a display on the charging case.

JBL, one of Australia’s leading audio brands, is offering a unique user experience with the Tour Pro 2 earphones.

With the display on the charging case, users can control their music and all the settings without the need to open an app or touch their device.

And the impressive thing is the JBL display case is about the same size as a regular charging case.

The earphones are compact and fit securely in your ears with a small stalk extending about a centimetre from your ears.

The panel of the stalks also provide touch control so you can toggle between ANC (active noise cancellation) and Ambient Aware mode so you can clearly hear your surroundings.

And the JBL Tour Pro 2 sound amazing.

They offer stunning spatial sound and such crisp detail.

But what impressed us even more was the boss-level bass which rounded out the excellent listening experience.

The spatial sound goes beyond simple left and right stereo sound. It sounds like your surrounded by sounds that’s coming at you from all directions.

The True Adaptive Noise Cancellation with Smart Ambient has four noise sensing microphones to adjust the level noise cancellation to suit your surroundings.

Even calls on the JBL Tour Pro 2 earphones were load and clear – we could hear our callers clearly and they could hear us just as well.

But let’s talk about the amazing charging case.

It has a 1.45-inch colour display that offers tremendous functionality.

Users can wipe through 10 screens that allows users control playback, control the volume, switch between listening modes, change equaliser modes, set a timer, adjust spatial sound, screen brightness, change the display’s wallpaper, turn on and adjust Voice Aware and set Auto Play and Pause.

And across the top of the display at all times is the charge level of the left and right earbuds and the case itself.

We found the case to be instantly responsive when it comes to navigating our music, adjusting the volume, switching between noise cancellation and ambient mode and changing the equaliser modes.

The screen is large enough to easily adjust the settings and modes on the move.

There was one occasion when the listening mode changed with the case in our pocket because we didn’t lock the screen.

We found opening the case lid and closing it again can lock the screen so there are no accidental pocket adjustments.

You can still use the JBL app to do things like check your fit and to find your earbuds and select your voice assistant.

The earphones will have a Bluetooth 5.3 connection in the coming months through a firmware update which means an even more stable and secure connection.

On the battery side you can up to eight hours of listening time with ANC, 10 hours with ANC off and 40 hours in total from a completely charged case which takes two hours to full recharge.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 is priced at $329.95 and is available now.

VERDICT

The JBL Tour Pro 2 are among the best sounding earphones we’ve heard but on top of that, the smart charging case with a display adds a whole extra layer of control and convenience to make them an irresistible purchase for anyone who appreciates audio quality.

The post JBL Tour Pro 2 earphones review – excellent quality and charging case has its own display appeared first on Tech Guide.

It’s appropriate the new Sonos speakers are called Era because they are heralding the start of a new ear for the brand with improved audio quality and design.

The Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 are more powerful and simply sound better.

The speakers maintain the essence of what makes Sonos speakers so appealing to existing customers but also have the quality and connectivity to bring new customers to the table.

The Sonos Era 100 ($399) and Sonos Era 300 ($749) can stream your audio via wi-fi or Bluetooth and can also connect directly to other audio devices using an auxiliary cable and the Sonos Line-In adapter.

And with Trueplay, the Sonos app can also optimise the speaker to suit its surroundings and sound the best it can.

And the Sonos Era 300 introduces a new design and Spatial Audio that adds a whole new dimension to your music.

SONOS ERA 100

This is a small speaker but the sound it produces truly belies its size.

Having a small footprint also gives you lots of options on where you can place the speaker in your home.

The Era 100 is a redesign of the Sonos One speaker and has improved acoustic performance.

Under the hood are two angled tweeters and a large midwoofer and the result of crisp audio with an impressive level of detail.

Those angled tweeters also offer stereo sound with distinct left and right output to add another layer to the enjoyment of your music.

But what really impressed us was the level bass you get from the Era 100 – it’s the deepest and best bass we’ve heard from a speaker of its size.

SONOS ERA 300

Sonos has made a breakthrough with the Era 300 in both design and acoustic performance.

On the design side, Sonos has made a huge swing here and produced a unique hourglass shape that houses its new acoustic architecture to provide stunning spatial audio.

It doesn’t look anything like any other speaker and doesn’t sound like any other speaker either.

It is compatible with Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos on Apple Music and Amazon Music and the results are incredible.

We had some issues connecting the speaker to our account – and explain why. But several attempts later we finally had success.

For this review we listened to all types of music that were both regular and spatial audio tracks on Apple Music.

Most regular tracks sounded great but some weren’t a challenge for the speaker.

These actually sounded a little tinny because it didn’t have enough information for the speaker to process.

Don’t get us wrong this is a fine sounding speaker but not playing spatial audio tracks on this speaker is like only driving a Ferrari to pick up milk instead of on an open highway.

When we played Dolby Atmos/spatial audio tracks we had so much more to listen to with audio coming in several layers and from different directions.

There was so much more to hear it became an even deeper experience that created a deeper emotional connection to the music.

Placement of the Sonos Era 300, in our opinion should be somewhere in the middle of a room to get the most out of the spatial audio.

But even in a corner or against a wall, the speaker still sounded amazing.

If you have two Era 300 speakers you can even pair then with a Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2) soundbar and use them as home theatre rear speakers.

We didn’t get the option to do this, but we have no doubt it would sound great.

VERDICT:

The Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speakers are remarkable and offer an improved experience for music lovers. The Era 300 has created an all-new standard for us to enjoy our music more than ever before.

The post Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speaker reviews – improved audio quality and design appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 wireless noise cancelling earphones deliver everything you’d expect from this respected audio brand – great build quality and a truly excellent sound.

They come in three colours – Satin Black, Canvas White and Midnight Blue and a priced towards the higher end of the market at $649.

The Pi7 S2 earphones, as you would expect, from the moment you pick them up exude a touch of luxury and you can appreciate the sleek design and quality workmanship.

The earphones have an aluminium polished cap above the 9.2mm two-way drivers and an angled tip to a fit that’s comfortable for several hours.

Even the charging case has an elegant design and a two-tone look just like the earphones themselves.

If this was a beauty contest, the earphones would definitely make the final, but it’s what’s under the hood that will put a smile on your face when you’re hearing your favourite music.

There is a true 24-bit connection between both earbuds to offer constant high sound quality along with high resolution wireless audio that is always being adjusted to provide the best performance.

The 9.2mm two-way driver units do all the heavy lifting to provide the excellent audio quality.

Bowers & Wilkins has basically shrunken down its high-performance speakers into these earphones to give the listener the same rich, warm and immersive sound.

When you’re listening to music you can distinctly hear an added layer of quality with a wide soundstage that can handle the loudest cymbal crash to the precision a violin string.

The depth that you’re hearing is like being at a concert and being able to pick out every instrument and the vocals in this vast audio range.

And it can handle mids and highs levels with ease while tempering that with a strong and authoritative bass that’s not too overpowering.

And if you subscribe to a hi-res music streaming service you’re not going to be disappointed thanks to the Pi7 S2 support for Qualcomm aptX adaptive which will make that higher quality music really pop.

On the active noise cancellation side, the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 do an impressive job reducing ambient sound so you can focus in on the content you’re listening to.

They can even react to your surroundings and adjust based on the level of noise around you.

We couldn’t detect major differences in the level of noise cancellation during our review.

The level of noise cancellation falls behind what we’ve heard on the Sony and Bose ANC earphones and the Apple AirPods Pro.

That’s not to say these don’t do a good job but we’ve experienced better active noise cancellation on other cheaper competitor brands.

The Bowers &Wilkins app doesn’t bring much to the table apart from the ability to adjust from ANC to Transparency mode and back again and to see your battery level.

On the earphones there is capacitive touch control to play and pause and skip your music without the need to touch your device.

The included charger case also has an added function as an audio re-transmission system.

The best use case for this is connecting to an external source like an inflight entertainment system with the USB-C cable.

The case will then transmit the signal via Bluetooth to the Pi7 S2 earphones.

Battery life on the Pi7 S2 runs at up to five hours of listening time and a quick 15-minute charge can provide an additional two hours of listening.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earphones are available now and are priced at $649.

VERDICT

If you love your music then a pair of earphones like the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 can provide the sort of quality that will do it justice and make it sound just as the artist intended.

The post Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earphones review – listen to music as it’s supposed to be heard appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless noise cancelling headphones are designed for audio lovers who don’t want to make any compromises when it comes to listening to their music.

These headphones have set a new reference standard for not only sound quality but also build quality in the active noise cancelling wireless headphone market.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones are made from quality premium materials including diecast aluminium and feature diamond cut bright metal detailing along with Napa leather on the ear cups and headband.

These are extremely comfortable headphones and we wore them for entire international flights without any issue.

Under the hood, the Px8 headphones have an all-new bespoke, ultra-high resolution carbon cones that are angled in such a way within each year cup to offer the lowest possible distortion and reference quality audio resolution.

And Bowers and Wilkins know a thing or two about those audio cones.

The ones aboard the Px8 headphones were inspired by the units used in the Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series loudspeaker range.

They’ve shrunk them down for these headphones to offer the ultimate combination of ultra-fast response plus low distortion throughout the entire frequency range.

For our review, we were blown away by the quality and the detail that the Px8 offered.

We thought the Px7 S2 set a new standard but our appreciation of audio reached even greater heights as we listened to the true sound through the Px8 which would be just as the artist intended.

Listening to hi-res audio on services like Tidal and Qubuz and lossless audio on Apple Music with the Px8 gives you an even greater appreciation of audio quality and what’s possible with a pair of headphones.

Part of the secret sauce with the Px8 is the Qualcomm aptX adaptive wireless technology which creates the best possible connection and quality from the latest smartphones, tablets and computers.

On the noise cancelling front, the Bowers &Wilkins Px8 have the same active noise cancelling wireless platform as the PX7 S2 headphones but, thanks to the 40mm carbon cone drive units, they hit new heights of detail, resolution and scale.

Audio purists are not always the biggest fans of wireless connections and the Px8 headphones come with the USB to 3.5mm cable so you’re able to plug into your traditional sources like high resolution players and audio systems.

There are some physical controls on the ear-cup so it makes it easy to navigate your music without the need to touch your device.

These are conveniently located and have different textures allowing you to find the right button and adjust the controls without looking or taking off the headphones.

There are six high performance microphones that work together to measure the output of each driver unit.

Two are used to react to the ambient noise and two are used to supply voice clarity with enhanced noise suppression.

We found the active noise cancellation to be among the best we’ve ever experienced.

And that ANC also came into play when we were making phone calls – not only was the call reasonably clear but any background noise was also reduced.

The companion Bowers & Wilkins Music app offers a few features and settings including switching between ANC and pass through to hear your surroundings. There’s a shortcut button for this on the headphones as well.

It also lets you set streaming quality limits if you need to reduce the amount of data you use on cellular networks and on wi-fi networks.

For the record, we set these at the highest possible settings – we had plenty of data and didn’t want to reduce the quality one bit.

Within the app you can even dabble with the treble and bass equalisers to tailor the sound more to your taste.

On the battery side, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones provided an amazing 30 hours of playback which is more than enough to last an entire international flight or a week’s worth of commutes.

There’s even a quick recharge feature where you can plug in for 15 minutes to get another seven hours of playtime.

Priced at $1,149, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless noise cancelling headphones are not for everyone.

The customer who will purchase these headphones is someone who has a deep appreciation for music and the quality which it should be played.

These audiophiles are seeking to hear the music exactly as it was meant to be heard by the artist and the Px8 easily delivers that quality.

And they are more than willing to pay for that quality.

VERDICT

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless active noise cancelling headphones deliver a true and uncompromised audio experience for those want to get every ounce of quality from their music. These are one of the best headphones money can buy.

The post Bowers & Wilkins Px8 wireless headphones review – quality and luxury listening appeared first on Tech Guide.

True fans of audio – the top tier of audiophiles – believe in cables so when Focal released its first pair of wireless noise cancelling wireless earphones – the Focal Bathys – it made a lot of people sit up and take notice.

Including us.

Focal has been producing loudspeakers, car speakers and wired headphones and investing in acoustic research since 1979 so its credentials in the audio space are well established.

It’s a big deal that Focal has finally cut the cord with the Bathys Bluetooth active noise cancelling headphones.

The most ardent audio fans still look down their nose at Bluetooth because it can’t match the resolution of traditional sources like CDs.

But with Bluetooth 5.1 and its compatibility with SBC, AAC, AptX and AptX Adaptive codecs and the fact customers can still connect a cable when they want to, the Focal Bathys wireless noise cancelling headphones have a much wider appeal.

And the headphones don’t just sound good, they look good as well. Wearing them is a statement.

They have retained the traditional design of the Focal wired headphones with what looks like a speaker grille on the outside, magnesium arms and luxuriously padded ear cups and head band.

The Bathys design comes from the Focal open and closed back headphones.

And the flame logo on the outside of the earcups glows when the headphones are on.

There are controls on both ear cups. On the right is the power/pairing button, volume controls and a 3.5mm jack.

On the left is a button that allows users to toggle between noise cancellation and transparency mode when you need to hear what’s going on around you.

What we really liked with how deep the earcups are which makes the noise cancellation even better but also provides a nice amount of space to stage the audio from the 40mm drivers and aluminium/magnesium dome.

And they sound amazing.

There is plenty of power onboard so you don’t have to have them up to full volume to enjoy your music.

It’s good to know there’s plenty of headroom at your disposal for those times when you want to crank it.

And the level of noise cancellation is excellent but it’s about at the same level and quality as the ANC from the cheaper  Sony, Bose and Sennheiser.

We were listening to lossless music on Apple Music and heard a pleasing deep bass with crisp and defined high and mids that offer the level of detail that will be appreciated by even the fussiest listeners.

And don’t forget you can also use USB-DAC mode so you can connect the included USB-C to USB-C cable to your smartphone or audio player.

The Focal Bathys headphones also come with a 3.5mm cable as well to connect to your other sources.

So when you’re connected to a hi-res audio sources like Tidal and Qobuz you’re hearing the full quality of the file and every bit of the audio.

The Focal + Naim companion app offers some control like switching modes as well showing you the battery charge level and an EQ to slightly tweak the sound to your taste.

And it can also deliver any firmware updates – during our review there was an update available and the app made it possible to install it in a few minutes.

Battery life is excellent at more than 30 hours which is enough time to listen all week or on a long flight.

It also has a quick charge mode which adds five hours of listening time after just a 15-minute charge.

The Focal Bathys wireless active noise cancelling headphones are aimed at the higher end of the market with a price tag of $1,199 and they have capabilities beyond cheaper wireless noise cancelling headphones thanks to its wired connectivity as well.

If you’re happy with just listening to your music wirelessly on streaming services then the Focal Bathys may not be for you.

But if you value every note of your music and want to squeeze out every last drop of quality for an uncompromised listening experience, the Focal Bathys are definitely worth the investment.

VERDICT

The Focal Bathys headphones offer quality inside and out with stunning audio quality that will make audiophiles sit up and take notice.

The post Focal Bathys wireless headphones review – an uncompromised listening experience appeared first on Tech Guide.